Casa Carolina, a restored farmhouse with pool, Fonolleres, Baix Empordà

A Restored Farmhouse with a Double-Height Living Room in Fonolleres, Baix Empordà

Casa Carolina is a restored farmhouse in fields on the edge of the village of Fonolleres in the Baix Empordà. It sleeps up to 12 guests in six bedrooms. Parlavà is five minutes away by car, Girona 40 minutes, and the Costa Brava's beaches 20.

For generations, this was a working farmhouse belonging to one of the founding families of Fonolleres, with grain and animals on the ground floor and the family above. The arches that now frame the main suite were once an open-air drying shed. The restoration kept to neutral colors with warm, indirect light. The living room rises two stories, with a fireplace and large south-facing windows. The kitchen has a long curved island with stools and opens to an indoor dining room and a covered porch with a long outdoor table, so there are three places to eat before you even reach the garden.

A full outdoor kitchen has a barbecue and a pizza oven, and a long pool runs between the olive trees, with a shallow end for children, a lounge area, a hot outdoor shower among the trees, and a pool house with its own bathroom. A brick-walled studio holds a Pilates reformer, and the lawn is big enough for games.

Layout

Casa Carolina is 420 m² (about 4,500 sq ft) and sleeps up to 12 guests. All six bedrooms are upstairs, around the balconied landing above the living room. Bedrooms 1 and 2 have their own bathrooms. Bedrooms 3 and 4 share a bathroom, as do Bedrooms 5 and 6, and the twin beds in Bedrooms 3 and 5 can be pushed together. The pool house has a fifth bathroom.

• Bedroom 1: King (180 x 190 cm), en suite

• Bedroom 2: Queen (160 x 190 cm), en suite

• Bedroom 3: Two twins (90 x 200 cm), shares a bathroom with Bedroom 4

• Bedroom 4: Queen (150 x 200 cm), shares a bathroom with Bedroom 3

• Bedroom 5: Two twins (90 x 200 cm), shares a bathroom with Bedroom 6

• Bedroom 6: Queen (150 x 200 cm), shares a bathroom with Bedroom 5

• Pool house bathroom

Experiences

Offered by host: Local experts run experiences for guests, including a ceramics workshop, tastings at Empordà vineyards, an olive oil visit among hundred-year-old trees, a trip along the Costa Brava in a llaüt, the traditional Catalan fishing boat, and a walking route through the Montgrí massif. Balloon and plane flights over the region can also be arranged.

Bookable by house guests only, priced on request.

• Olfactory Capture

• Ceramics workshop

• Bicycle route

• Sailing in Cap de Creus

• Walking route through the Montgrí

• Llaüt along the Costa Brava

• Wines D.O. Empordà

• Vermouth by the sea (Voramar)

• Tasting among olive trees

• Balloon flight

• Plane flight

• Towns of l'Empordà

• Explore the Costa Brava

Good to know

Cleaning is included on weekdays, three hours a day, plus a final clean. Fonolleres is a quiet village with no traffic and no restaurants of its own, so the nearest bar-restaurant and grocery shop are five minutes away by car. A €4,000 security deposit is payable to the host four days before arrival. Check in is at 5 p.m.; check out is at 11 a.m.

Tourist tax €2.50 per adult (16 or older) per night, up to 7 nights

Amenities & services

Pool among olive trees with a shallow area for children, pool house with full bathroom, lounge area, covered porch with outdoor dining table, outdoor kitchen, barbecue, pizza oven, hot outdoor shower, lawn for games, Pilates studio with reformer, fireplace, air conditioning in every bedroom, ceiling fans, high-speed Wi-Fi, fully equipped kitchen with high-end appliances, private parking, weekday cleaning (three hours a day), final cleaning, sheets, bath and pool towels, eco bath products, welcome basket.

On request: Extra cleaning, private chef, in-home yoga and massage, concierge and activity planning.

Full equipment; bed linen, bath towels and pool towels; final cleaning; eco bathroom amenities; welcome basket; cleaning during the stay Monday to Friday (3 hours a day); travel-planning help.

Available on request

Extra housekeeping; Chef at home (lunches, dinners); In-home services (yoga, massage, etc.); Concierge and activity organization.

Around

Parlavà, the main village of the municipality, is five minutes away by car, as are a bar-restaurant and a grocery shop. A supermarket is 15 minutes away and a golf course 10 minutes. Paths lead from the house between the fields for walks and bike rides. The Costa Brava's beaches are 20 minutes by car, including the Gola del Ter, an undeveloped beach where the river Ter meets the sea, in sight of the Medes Islands. Begur, Pals and Torroella de Montgrí have local markets a short drive away. Girona and its high-speed train station are 40 minutes away, and Barcelona 90 minutes.