COUNTRYSIDE

Finca el Azahar

Pago de San Clemente - Spain

A five-suite guesthouse in the middle of Extremadura, surrounded by olive trees, vines, fruit trees and silence. A place for slow days, big skies, and the kind of countryside Spain many travellers still overlook.

Countryside

Pet Friendly

Pool

Honesty Bar

Bird Watching

Bike Rental

THE SETTING

Finca El Azahar sits in Pago de San Clemente, just outside Trujillo, in the province of Cáceres. The setting is rural, dry, open and deeply Extremaduran: olive groves, vineyards, fruit trees, red earth, wide skies and that particular silence that makes the countryside feel larger than it is. The property occupies eight hectares in the Sierra de Serrezuela, only a short drive from one of Spain’s most beautiful historic towns. Trujillo is close, but the finca feels far from everything in the best possible way. It is the kind of place where the day begins with birdsong and ends with stars.

The house is a former 19th-century lagar, an old wine press where grapes were once trodden and must was collected. It has been restored with respect for the original architecture: thick walls, old materials, patios, garden corners and spaces that stay cool naturally in summer and warm in winter.

But Finca El Azahar is more than a rural house. It is also a regenerative agriculture project and an artists’ residence. Writers, artists and filmmakers occasionally come here to think and work, which gives the place a quiet creative layer.

The interiors were shaped by artist and designer Fátima de Burnay, whose work keeps the atmosphere warm, personal, and slightly bohemian without losing the house’s simplicity. Recovered pieces, books, textiles, art, old floors and Portuguese touches give the finca its character. Nothing feels standard. Everything feels found, kept, lived with.

THE ROOMS

Finca El Azahar has five suites, distributed between the main house and the outbuildings. Each one is spacious, bright, and designed as more than just a bedroom, with a sleeping area, a sitting corner, a desk or reading space, a private bathroom, and a terrace or porch overlooking the garden, patio, or countryside.

The feeling is simple but carefully composed: old stone, thick walls, soft colours, handmade details, antique and recovered furniture, books, artworks and natural textures. The decoration respects the rural architecture of Extremadura, but brings a fresher and more personal eye than the usual country-house style.

The charm is not about luxury in a formal sense. It is about space, quiet, light, texture and the feeling that every room has been thought through with care.

THE FOOD

Food at Finca El Azahar is closely tied to the land around the house. Breakfast usually includes toast, homemade sweets, fresh juice, tea or coffee, fruit, local cold meats and local cheese.

The finca also offers snacks, picnic baskets, and dinners for guests staying. The snack menu is based on products from the land and the garden, with simple dishes such as seasonal salads, creams, cheese boards, acorn-fed Iberian charcuterie and desserts.

Dinners must be booked in advance and are served from Monday to Saturday. The cooking is homemade in spirit, relaxed rather than formal, and supported by local restaurants when needed. There is also a wine list focused on Extremadura, organic and natural wines.

The regenerative agriculture project gives the food a deeper meaning. The finca produces almonds, tempranillo grapes, olives for its own olive oil, vegetables for dinners and snacks, fruit for jams, and eggs from its chickens.

THE STAY

The stay at Finca El Azahar is built around the estate. There is a saltwater pool, gardens, patios, olive trees, vines, orange trees, fig trees, bougainvillaea, roses, jasmine, a small organic vegetable garden and the kind of outdoor spaces that make you want to move slowly from one corner to another. Inside, the shared spaces are just as important: a large living room in the old winery with a wood stove, a bright dining room, a shared minibar area, reading corners and the atmosphere of a country house rather than a hotel.

Activities can be arranged directly from the finca. Birdwatching is one of the strongest experiences, as the property has welcomed ornithology travellers for more than twenty years and sits in a strategic position for migratory routes. Stargazing is another highlight: Extremadura’s dark skies make the nights here especially powerful.

Guests can also join garden and permaculture-style activities with the person in charge of the vegetable garden, learning about soil, planting, harvesting, and the finca’s regenerative approach. Walking and cycling routes are available in the surrounding landscape, and bicycles can be rented on site.

AROUND FINCA EL AZAHAR

Finca El Azahar is well placed for exploring some of the strongest cultural and natural sites in Extremadura. Trujillo is only around 10 to 15 minutes away, with its extraordinary Plaza Mayor, castle, palaces, churches and medieval streets. It is one of those towns that feels cinematic because parts of Game of Thrones were filmed there.

Cáceres is around 40 minutes away and is one of Spain’s great historic cities, with a UNESCO-listed old town that feels almost untouched by time. Mérida, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is less than an hour away and offers one of the most important Roman ensembles in Spain.

Guadalupe is another strong day trip, around 50 minutes away, with its Royal Monastery, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a beautiful mountain-village atmosphere. Monfragüe National Park is about an hour away and is one of Spain’s best places for birdwatching, especially for vultures, eagles and other large birds of prey.

The surrounding countryside is also made for quieter discoveries: walking routes, cycling, small villages, local gastronomy, long empty roads and landscapes that feel very different from the more obvious parts of Spain.

THE OWNERS

Finca El Azahar is closely connected to Nathalie Trafford and her son Thomas. Nathalie, a film producer, bought the property in 2019 after falling for this corner of the Extremadura countryside. What began as an idea for an artists’ residence became a family project, a rural house and a new way of living.

Thomas brings another essential layer to the project. After studying Art History and Philosophy and living in Berlin and Washington, he turned towards the land, regenerative agriculture, the garden and the finca’s long-term ecological direction.

Day-to-day, guests are welcomed and looked after by Laura, who runs the finca on behalf of the owners. She knows the house and the area well and can help organise tours, trips, bicycle hire, picnics and local recommendations.

GOOD TO KNOW

There are five suites, which can be booked individually or as a whole-house rental. Families are welcome, and some rooms can accommodate children with a supplement. Dogs are accepted in certain rooms on request and with an additional fee.

Dinner is served from Monday to Saturday and must be reserved at least one day in advance. There is no dinner service on Sundays.

The property is best reached by car. Trujillo is around 10 to 15 minutes away, Cáceres around 40 minutes, Mérida under an hour, Guadalupe around 50 minutes and Monfragüe National Park around one hour.

Prices start at €130 per night for a double room, depending on room type and season.