Winter Rental Villa. Working from home, Skiing, Golf, Hiking and much more.
- caldomino
- Aug 16
- 9 min read
Cal Domino is a 4 double bedroom villa with pool overlooking the medieval village of Calonge located on the Costa Brava in Catalunya, Spain. We have various rates throughout the year from €2950-€3470 per week, but out of season, we offer a 50 - 65% discount for autumn and winter rentals of 30,60,90 and 120 days. So, from just €1032 per week, you can rent the entire Villa with outstanding views over Calonge Castle and the Mediterranean Sea.
The Villa comes with a heated infinity pool (until the end of October) and exterior Jacuzzi / Hot Tub and Sauna. Cal Domino is renovated and winterised with double glazing throughout, thick winter duvets, natural gas central heating and a log fireplace in the upper lounge.
The winter climate in Spain is generally sunny and mild, but Calonge benefits from its own micro climate. The nearby Gavarres Massif shields the interior valley from the Tramontana (harsh northern winds), while the Mediterranean Sea moderates daily thermal swings. Average highs range from 14º-18°C in January and with bright sunshine and calm winds, jeans and T-shirts are a realistic normality. Night-time lows range from 7º to 9ºC during the winter, so you'll definitely need a jacket when you go out in the evening for tapas. The Rainfall averages around 625 mm per year (just under the UK), but is concentrated mostly in spring and autumn (March and October are the wettest months). This means that from November to February, apart from the odd Tramontana that comes 2 to 3 times a year and lasts for a day or two, the winter season here is mainly dry, very sunny and distinctly more pleasant than that of Northern Europe.
We are seeing more and more retired, semi-retired couples asking about long term stays over the winter season. Cal Domino is competitively priced with our 50% - 65% reduction from our usual weekly rates for stays from 30 to 120 days. We generally only accept one long term client over the winter, so if you decide to stay longer, we can usually say yes.
Working from the Villa is easy with reliable 100 Mbps fibre optic broadband WIFI throughout the house. You'll find that the slow pace of life here and fresh air provide a calming influence helping you focus on your goals and ensuring restful sleep to re-charge the batteries.
Although the majority of our winter clients are retired with grown up families that have flown the nest, with 4 double bedrooms, you can invite friends and family down to spend some quality time with the people you care about whilst maintaining control and space when you need some peace and quiet to yourselves. Also, with longer term rents, there is no rush to try to squeeze everything into a few weeks. You decide on the itinerary and how busy you want to be according to your needs.
Guests can come and go as they wish suiting your itinerary with no check-in or check-out times. There is a supplement of €1,00 per person per day government tourist tax (maximum €7 per person per stay).
Christmas here is a laid back affair with local holidays normally extending over a three week period. The hodgepodge of customs includes the usual Father Christmas / carol singing culture which most northern Europeans are fmailiar with plus the "Happy Crappy Log" (Caga Tió) uniquely Catalan tradition, New Year's Eve celebrations with grapes and Cava before finishing off with the Día de los Reyes Magos (three kings) on the 6th January.
Cleaning prior to arrival and after departure is included in the rate, but after your holiday guests have left, extra cleaning and laundry can be arranged with our service agency. A full clean and laundry generally works out to be about €150. Alternatively, the house is equipped with a washing machine, hoover and all household chemicals, so you can also do it yourself.
What do you do during your stay ?
Cal Domino really is a home-away-from-home with comfortable beds, three well appointed bathrooms one with Sauna, a lounge with widescreen LCD TV / Satellite receiver and private cocktail / reading terrace with exterior sofas, a snug lounge with CD player and picture window, a modern well appointed kitchen / dining room, kitchen terrace with exterior dining table and bespoke Uruguayan style BBQ, pool deck with covered exterior sofa and Jacuzzi. The 120m2, fully renovated house itself is located in an upmarket urbanisation at the base of the Gavarres Massif, a 50 Ha national park stretching from the Mediterranean sea all the way to the city of Girona and has outstanding views over the castle and along the coastline.
For those wishing to get a little fitter, we have the hilltop trail through the Gavarress; accessed from the front door, it takes you up and along the forest ridge at the top of Mas Ambros in a 45 minute circular path back to the front door. Perfect for a morning walk with the dog or just to tone up and get some fresh air to start your day.
For something more adventurous, you can walk into the village via a dedicated path (10 minutes) to shop for bread and croissants or continue to Sant Antoni de Calonge and the coast (30 minutes) through olive groves and wheat fields for breakfast in one of the many cafés located on the sea front. Morning walks along the coast in the sunshine for breakfast are one of the many daily activities for those that live here.
For those interested in culture and architecture, the region was originally inhabited by Iberian neolithic farmers before the Greeks arrived followed by the Romans. The culture today is a mismash of traditions and culinary backgrounds and feels rather "unspanish". We have beautifully preserved Greek ruins at Empuries and the city of Girona still has the fully intact Roman wall to the north protecting the medieval and city and cobbled narrow streets of the Jewish quarter. At Figueres, we have Europe's best preserved Napoleonic fortress and all around the Villa, we have beautiful sleepy little medieval villages with lovely restaurants, bars and cafés all without the summer crowds.
For the cyclists, this region hosts around a dozen professional teams that base themselves here each winter to take advantage of the good roads, polite car drivers and excellent climate. Being based in the foothills of the Gavarress Massif, we have hundreds of kms of Mountain Bike trails accessed straight from the front door and with the Pirinexus trail links, you can seamlessly transition from one area to another without having to venture onto too much tarmac.
For the hikers, this area is right in the middle of the Costa Brava and the very best Cami de Ronda (coastal path) trails are just 3.5 km away from the Villa. Hiking the interior is also really popular here and for day trips in the low Pyrenees, you'll find some stunning trails to walk for all ages and abilities.
This region also hosts Spain's No. 1 golf course, the Catalunya PGA, and with half a dozen other international standard courses within 30km of the Villa, you are spoilt for choice. Low green fee's and a perfect climate make this the number one destination for winter golf tourism in Europe. But even with low green fees between €70 - €100, you'll still need to book, even in January.
From December through to March, the ski resorts open up and being just 60 minutes from Vic, the gateway to the Pyrenees, you can comfortably visit the half a dozen ski resorts for a day trip. Although there is always snow, nothing beats fresh powder. Basing yourselves at Cal Domino, you can wait for a fresh dump and drive up the next day for some awesome blue sky skiing.
One point not to be overlooked is that Cal Domino has a large road side storage area for all your bikes, golf clubs, paddle boards, ski's and kite surfing hydrofoils etc. There is also a power socket for electric cars.
Other things to do whilst here are:
Horse riding interior and beach
Wine tourism (Penedes and Cava country)
Hot air Ballooning coast and Pyrenees
Skydiving
Flying lessons
Sailing
Scuba
Quad biking
Shopping in Platja d'Aro, Girona and Barcelona
Sailing, windsurfing, surfing and hydrofoiling
Visit the national parks of Montseny, Aigüestortes, Garroxta, Parc Natural de Sant Llorenç del Munt i l'Obac, Montgri, Medes Ilsands and Baix Ter, Cadi Moixeró, Montserrat, Serra de Conserolla and Cap de Creus.
Or.... just enjoy the view from the pool deck with family and friends and a bottle of wine.
So why is it so difficult to find quality winter rental villas ?
Spain is just waking up to the fact that with our mild winter climate, it is becoming a popular year round tourist destination rather than the usual summer month beach holiday, but most summer rental properties are just not equipped for a comfortable winter stay.
Your average rental Villa here was built in the 1970's and built for that summer feel. What looks good on Instagram doesn't always transfer to a comfortable house to live in during the winter. Cal Domino is fully renovated and winterised with double glazing, natural gas central heating, thick winter duvets and fireplace. With the all-year-round heated jacuzzi and interior sauna, you will be very cosy regardless of the night-time temperature outside.
Most summer rental villas here are second homes built by foreigners and when the owners are not in town, they are handled by expensive agencies which close down over the winter. Finding somebody to manage a winter booking, be on hand to give advice to the clients and not charge a premium for every phone call and villa visit is challenging. Most just shut down over the winter months.
I have lived in Calonge for near to 25 years (about 10 minutes from the Villa) and take pride in looking after my clients. We provide a consierge during office hours to handle any issues that you may be having, provide help and advice and book restaurants, golf courses etc if you are having problems with the language.
Cal Domino works well when you want both comfort and adventure
Visiting the national parks, hiking and biking the hundreds of trails and coastal paths, shopping and sightseeing, road cycle training, moutain biking, golf and of course skiing. All of this without the pressure of time running out on your holiday or flighting the crowds in the busier summer tourist season.
That mix is what makes Calonge one of the more interesting options for long stays. With its coastal micro climate and mild sunny winters, proper alpine conditions in the north and all year round towns of Platja d'Aro and Palamós (both within 7km), there is enough winter nightlife to avoid the abandoned, empty-resort feel that can affect some seasonal destinations. Calonge itself settles into a vibrant but laid-back village with shops, bars, restaurants and cafe's open all year.
Calonge sits in the north-east of Spain on the Costa Brava which stretches from the town of Blanes 60 km or so to the Pyrenees and the French border. Our closest transport hubs are Barcelona 90 km to the south and Girona 40km to the east, both with international airports and excellent transport links. Both Girona and Barcelona have AVE (fast train) stations for rapid shuttles to Madrid, Paris and beyond.
Pricing
During the summer months, the Villa costs between €2950 and €3479 per week depending on the season. Without the weekly change over of clients, villa cleans and laundry changes, we can offer substantial reductions in our rates.
Out of season for longer term rentals, we can offer a substantial discount of between 50-65%.
1 month, 50% discount - €5900 - €1475 per week
2 months, 55% discount - €10,600 - €1325 per week
3 months, 60% discount - €14,100 - €1175 per week
4 months, 65% discount - €16,500 - €1031 per week
The rate is for full private use of the Villa and its amenities. Pool (not heated after October), heated jacuzzi, sauna, all utility bills (gas, water, electricity), broadband WIFI, video entry, large safe, central heating, winter duvets, bed linen, house and pool towels, initial and final cleaning, our substantial welcome pack (including some logs for the fireplace) and all taxes.
A deposit of €500 is required to reserve your dates and the first €5000 can be made via PayPal free of charge. Other payment to be made by secure bank to bank transfer. Other payments via PayPal can be accepted, but will incure their service fee of about 3.5%.
Contact us and reserve your winter adventure in the sun.
Email: caldomino@gmail.com
WhatsApp : 00 34 6580 46795
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