By Catherine Leech, Director, 101 Holidays

“A room with a private plunge pool” exclaimed my mum. “That sounds a bit extravagant”.

What the hell – we went for it and paid up for 3 nights of R&R in the Andalucian sunshine at DDG Retreat in the hills behind Estepona. Travelling at the end of April, it was a dead cert dream mini-break for me and post-pneumonia mum.

We flew with Ryanair from Bournemouth. Who needs checked baggage for 3 nights in the sun…? We each had a carry-on bag with the bare essentials – 3 swimsuits, a couple of skirts, sandals, 100mls of decanted sunscreen and a cotton sweater, just in case, for me.

Much like seeing an unfavourable horoscope, I chose to ignore the weather forecast which indicated some cloud. This was the Costa del Sol in late April – a little cloud cover wasn’t going to rain on our parade.

I can only imagine that our disappointment in the weather was somewhat akin to arriving at the Ice Hotel to find there has been a hot spell.

En route to the hotel, we found a great spot on the seaside in Estepona for a stellar lunch of arroz mariscos – a yummy soupy shellfish-rich delight – and a drop of chilled white. So far, all was going to plan. We opted to sit in the shade in case we got hot and bothered. Big mistake – huge – it was the last we were to see of the sun for the rest of our stay.

We arrived at DDG Retreat to the warmest possible welcome from the owners, the fabulously hospitable Alex and Olga. Casa Oleandro, with its private plunge pool and outdoor claw bath, was indeed heaven. By now, it was feeling a tad chilly but we were higher up in the mountains and the staggering views of the nearby pueblo blanca of Casares and soaring eagles more than compensated.

It’s all about romance, seclusion and tranquility at DDG Retreat – ideal for a minimoon or battery recharge. There are just five casas, a stunning pool, a spa room with one open wall facing out to the mountains and an eclectic but appealing collection of antiques, artworks and fabrics from around the world. Alex and Olga, who come from Siberia, are a well-travelled couple who built their home in this idyllic spot and then decided to share it with others by developing a small hotel, with discreet buildings dotted around the hillside. They are rightly proud of their creation.

If you opt to have dinner there, cooked to perfection by Olga, you sit in pretty cabanas for two in the charming courtyard. That night, however, we headed in to the main house where a log fire had been lit and a pile of soft cream blankets were more than welcome. Still – tomorrow was another day and we crashed out full of hope and excitement.

And then the rain started, the temperature dropped further and we found ourselves in a freak cold snap…..the car’s ice alert pinged as we headed up to Ronda and it was clear that I had under-packed! I didn’t even have a pair of socks.

The next two days were spent huddled up in blankets playing cribbage and gin rummy, doing crosswords and snoozing back at DDG – and heading off in the car to Estepona (with its charming and atmospheric old town), Ronda (picturesque but heaving with umbrella-brandishing coach tour groups) and for some long lunches and longer dinners.

We scored with all our restaurant choices and were seriously impressed by the reasonable prices, warm welcome and delicious food. I particularly recommend Venta Garcia (a contemporary take on traditional Spanish cuisine) and La Sal (+34 952888369), on the beach as you turn up to the Casares road from Estepona.

My mum and I giggled our way through it all, reminisced about perishing cold holidays in Scotland years ago and a change is as good as a rest, they say. We honed our cribbage skills, met possibly the most solicitous and charming hotel owners in the business and I found a perfect bolt hole to recommend to friends (and visitors to 101 Honeymoons).

For the final irony, Alex and Olga chatted to family who told them it was an unseasonably warm 24C in Siberia – as we shivered in an unseasonably cold 8C on the Costa del Sol.