Family Paradise: Luxurious Private Vacation Rental

The accommodation

Our home is part of the Urbanización de la Ponderosa, situated in the Sierra de Guadarrama. It's a beautiful, well-kept house with lots of space, plants and tranquility. Ideal for families with kids, or people who enjoy nature and are looking for a stressfree time away from the city. This house will give you peace of mind and provide you with many opportunities to enjoy your time outside the city.

The master bedroom offers two very comfortable queen-size beds, a ceiling van for hot summer nights, a separate wardrobe and bathroom with shower and two basins. These rooms can be kept separately from the rest of the house.

The kids room contains a double bed and a bunk bed for two kids. There's a wardrobe and additional bathroom with bathtub attached. Also contains a ceiling van, although the house offers many windows for it to breeze out during hot summer nights.

The playroom is a very large space filled with toys for kids (books, tippie tent, costumes, instruments, etc). It’s suitable for another double bed, when needed.

On the ground level there are a large living room with an open fully equipped kitchen (it holds plates, glasses, pots and so on for a lot of people) and dining table that seats up to 10 people. There is an additional guest bathroom. A separate entrance leads to another bedroom with a double bed, a desk, wardrobe & bathroom with shower and wonderful floor-to-ceiling windows with a view on the mountains.

The living room is flooded with light. Motorized blinds and mosquito screens in almost all windows will make every summer night enjoyable. You can access the garden from three glass doors in the living/dining room. In fact, in summer it sometimes feels like the garden becomes one with the interior of the house.

On the lower floor, there is another bedroom with a double bed and a bathroom fully equipped with a shower. This bedroom has an optional separate entrance to the garden.

The outside area of the house is beautiful. The garden is filled with plants and green spaces, automatic watering, 3 swings for kids, a huge kids’ sandbox with an outdoor kitchen to play with, a dining table for 12 people and a BBQ area, a solarium with two armchairs in a private area by the pool, and of course our lovely and refreshing salt-water pool.

Setting

The Urbanization of the Ponderosa is located between Cerceda, El Boalo and Mataelpino, although municipality wise it belongs to Manzanares El Real. We are at the foot of La Pedriza, one of the largest granitic ranges of Europe and home to dozens of wonderful hiking trails as well as a skiing station (Puerto de Navacerrada, 15 min by car).

Activities and attractions

1. Manzanares el Real (8 min by car) with its castle and reservoir for walks around the late. You cannot swim in the lake, but it is great for an afternoon/early morning walk.
2. Navacerrada (10 min by car) is a beautiful little town that is very popular for weekend escapes by Madrileños with a nice variety of bars and restaurants. You can go for a nice walk around the lake as well.
3. Puerto de Navacerrada (1858 m), (15 min by car) is the closest ski resort to Madrid and already worth a visit due to the spectacular views on the way up.
4. Royal Palace of La Granja of San Ildefonso (40 min by car), which became the summer residence of the kings of Spain during the 18th century. The palace is open from Tuesday to Sunday (10-8 pm in the summer) and (10-6 pm in the winter). The gardens and fountains, French style, stretch over 1300 acres and offer a lovely retreat even during hot summer days. The Royal Glass Factory is next to the castle and also worth a visit.
5. Segovia (45 min by car) still retains the spirit of old Spanish cities and contains some of the UNESCO World Heritage sites, such as “The Aqueduct” (from the Roman Empire), “The Cathedral” from 1525 (with 16th century stained glass windows and an Altarpiece designed by Sabatini), and “the Alcázar”, the royal residence in the 13th century and apparent model for the famous Walt Disney castle.
6. El Escorial (30 min by car), commonly known as Monasterio del Escorial is a historical residence of the King of Spain, in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. Not only is it a great place to visit, but the town offers some great gourmet experiences as well.