Mas Pepito - Casa Granado

A Painter's Farmhouse on the Empordà Plain

Casa Granado is one of four homes that make up Mas Pepito, an ancient agricultural estate outside Albons that five siblings have collectively, and lovingly, transformed. The family—a painter, a ceramicist, a florist, a cook, and an interior designer—have each put their own home together, and the result is a loose constellation of deeply personal spaces that share a pool, a garden, and a long table of DNA. Casa Granado is the painter's, and her work is on every wall.

The bones of the house are old—exposed stone, arched doorways, timber ceiling beams—and the restoration kept all of it. Additions were made with a light hand: whitewashed plaster, warm wood furniture, arched passages preserved and opened up, with eclectic furnishings. Original works by the owner cover the walls throughout: portrait studies, figurative paintings, work in varied scales.

Two private terraces—one at ground level and a larger first-floor terrace with open views across the Empordà plain—look out over more than 1,000 square meters of gardens. The shared pool is 15×7m, with sun loungers and shaded porches around it. Hammocks and a ping-pong table are also part of the estate. It is a compound designed for slow time: long lunches, afternoon swims, evening light on the fields.

What we love

We love how you enter the house and the first thing you see is a large figurative canvas leaning against the original stone wall. You can feel the artist owner's eye in every corner—personal style that shows in every piece she's chosen to live with. Rattan pendants hang above the table. The kitchen arch opens behind it, and whatever light the Empordà decides to offer that afternoon comes straight through. When you feel like going out, drive to Cadaqués and book Compartir, the stone-courtyard restaurant three of the elBulli chefs opened when elBulli closed, built around sharing plates and the coast's own seafood.

Layout

This vacation home for rent in Albons, Empordà, Catalonia, sleeps up to six guests. Three bedrooms include a ground-floor suite with a double bed (180×200cm) and an en-suite shower room. Upstairs, a second double (180×200cm) and a twin room (two singles, 90×200cm each) share a bathroom with shower. The ground floor holds the kitchen, living room, and access to the terrace. The study sits upstairs alongside the two upper bedrooms, connected by the original stone-and-plaster entrance hall and staircase.

Good to know

A car is necessary as Albons is a small village, and the estate sits in the surrounding fields. The pool (15×7m) is shared by the five sibling homes. Heating is available in the colder months at an additional daily rate. Confirm current rate with host before booking. Local assistance is available in English, including personalized recommendations and holiday planning. The home is non-smoking throughout.

Amenities & services

Microwave, dishwasher, washing machine, coffee maker, iron, wifi, water heater, private parking, two private terraces, shared pool (15×7m) with sun loungers, gardens (1,000+ square meters), hammocks, ping-pong table, fireplace, eco-friendly toiletries, local assistance (English-speaking)

Around

Casa Granado sits in the Empordà, the northernmost plain of Catalonia, bordered by the Pyrenees to the north and the Costa Brava coast to the east. The ancient Greek and Roman colony at Empúries, one of the most significant archeological sites on the Iberian Peninsula, is three kilometers away. The medieval village of Peratallada, Cadaqués, and Girona—with its intact Jewish quarter and cathedral—are all within an hour. For eating well: Compartir in Cadaqués, opened by three ex-elBulli chefs (the Disfrutar trio), is the most compelling table in the area, a Michelin-listed room in an 18th-century stone courtyard, built around sharing plates and superb local seafood. Ca la Nati in Albons itself is the village standard for traditional Catalan cooking and snails. The Empordà DOC produces wines worth seeking out on any cycling or driving route through the interior. Festivals at Castell de Peralada and Cap Roig draw international crowds each summer. A car is essential.