10 of the best rural retreats in Spain

From mountain village B&Bs to renovated farms, yurts and even a rectory, Alastair Sawday chooses 10 hideaways in rural Spain to escape the crowds

Hotel del Teatre in Catalonia was once a cinema, and the stage with the big screen remains

Hotel del Teatre, Regencós, Catalonia

The name tells something of its history: the characterful building that houses the restaurant was once a cinema, and the stage with the big screen remains. Located in a hamlet, with a church and a pretty square, the restaurant is on one side of the square, with the bedrooms across the street in a stone building with white beams, white walls, crisp-linen beds and a minimalist feel. Splash out on the suites with big windows. Pine cliffs, sandy beaches and sparkling coves are a 10-minute drive away.

• +34 972 306270, hoteldelteatre.com, doubles from €95 a night, including breakfast

La Jaima, Refugio Marnes, Benissa, Alicante

In the grounds of this eco-friendly B&B, is a bedouin tent, made by the man who built tent lodges for King Mohammed VI of Morocco. It has been designed for all weathers with a double wall that can be rolled up to let the breeze in on hot days. There's a kitchen, a canopy bed, colourful furnishings and a pool. The rate includes breakfast; dinner can be arranged at €23 a head, including drinks.

• 01275 395 447, canopyandstars.co.uk/lajaima, sleeps 4, from £50 a night

Casa Aloe, Atalbeitar, Granada, Andalucía

Follow shoestring lanes carved by Moors and mules through the Alpujarras to an ancient white village on the southern slopes of Spain's highest mountain, Mulhacén. The owners have renovated two adjoining 700-year-old houses and decorated them in Moorish style. Six cosy bedrooms hide surprises: a hobbity oval door, granite meditation chair and antique baths. Between the houses is a flower-filled patio with loungers, olives, palms, and a solar-heated pool.

• holidaylettings.co.uk, enquire by email, sleeps 12, from £1,090 a week

La Rectoria de Sant Miquel de Pineda, Sant Feliu de Pallerols, Catalonia

Next to a Romanic church on Garrotxa's volcanic western fringe, this restored 12th-century rectory was a school under Franco. The owners, a Scottish chef and a Catalan whisky expert who met in Edinburgh, have restored chunky oak beams, made bedheads from doors, lampstands from wine kegs and a coffee table from a baker's chest. There are leather armchairs by the fire and great food is served in the sunny gallery.

• +34 691 353111, larectoriadesantmiquel.com, doubles from €75 a night, including breakfast; dinner by arrangement

Jascal, Berodia de Cabrales, Asturias

Set in the Picos de Europa national park and surrounded by majestic pines, Jascal is in the red-roofed village of Berodia, reached by crossing the Casano river and climbing a winding road. Choose from three apartments set in the hillside, or two "casas" in the three-storey house. All have open-plan living rooms with wood-burning stoves and big beds. Explore the mountain villages or drive to the coast in half an hour.

• +34 686 193302, jascal.com, sleeps 4, from €525 a week

La Lancha, Cáceres, Extremadura

Owners have restored and landscaped this farm in the Gredos foothills into a luxury home for groups. The house has an ornamental staircase, giant clocks, art and antiques, and airy sitting and dining rooms with fireplaces. There's a pool and 30 hectares of landscaped grounds, with an olive grove, orchard and stream. You can play tennis and basketball or head to the village and parador, a short cycle away.

• +34 659 494155, sawdays.co.uk, €2,500 a week, sleeps 14, maid service included, babysitting and cook available

El Halcón Peregrino, Rábago, Cantabria

A large, renovated farmhouse, with chestnut timbers and views over mountains and valley, and a large but cosy central fireplace smouldering with logs in winter in the lounge/dining room at its heart. Enjoy breakfast on the terrace, tapas, and drinks all day; or venture out to the cafes in the village of Rábago. Walkers can venture along the Vendul and Nansa rivers and there are crystal-clear pools to swim in.

• +34 942 746679, elhalconperegrino.com, from €85 a night, sleeps 2

Hotel Rural El Añadio, Vilches, Andalucía

The approach is an adventure in itself. A three-mile track winds its way up to the remote farmhouse; all you hear are the birds, and the lowing of cattle. The single-storey building wraps around a courtyard with a fountain. The ganaderia, or ranch, dedicated to the rearing of fighting bulls, has been in the owner's family for four generations. The cosy, rustic bedrooms with bare-stone walls are in the old farm manager's quarters, and there's a pool and terrace for alfresco meals.

• +34 953 066031, elanadio.es, doubles from €99 a night, includes breakfast

Woodland Yurt, and Orange Grove Yurt, Málaga, Andalucía

These two peaceful woodland yurt camps are set in classic Andalucían countryside, surrounded by white-walled villages, cliffs, orange trees, cork woods and rambling hills. Designed for family holidays, you can let the children run wild in the woods, or exhaust themselves on the play area and rope swings, while the grown-ups relax in the hammock or sun deck. The yurts are simply furnished, with toilets and showers near by, a breakfast bar and sensational views.

• 01275 395 447, canopyandstars.co.uk/cloudhouse, from £65 a night (sleeps 2 adults and 2 children)

La Posada del Candil, Serón, Andalucía

Absorb the tranquillity of Almería from a pool with views south over the ancient Almanzora valley. High in the Sierra de los Filabres, the owners have built the eco-friendly apartments, communal library and restaurant, from local wood, cork, marble and stone. Diners enjoy home-grown vegetables and organic meat cooked a la brasa, or you can barbecue in terraced gardens while the kids splash in the children's pool, or order a platter of jamón bellota and a glass of wine and watch the birdlife.

• +34 675 987242, laposadadelcandil.com, from €365 a week for apartment sleeping 2, room only