We’re still living in the middle of a building site, but at the same time everything feels more and more real.
The past few months have mostly been about demolishing, renovating, sorting out paperwork, waiting, replanning and, sometimes, simply trusting that it would all work out in the end. But amid all the chaos, something special happened these last few weeks.
Bookings for Casa Valyria are, as of now, officially open.
And honestly, that moment feels pretty surreal.
For months we were making plans, painting walls, choosing furniture, arranging permits, and all the while trying to keep the bigger picture of everything that still needed doing. And suddenly, there it is: a button on the website that lets people actually book Casa Valyria.
That’s beautiful.
And, at the same time, it’s also nerve-wracking.
What if people don’t end up liking it?
What if nobody books?
From 6 June 2026 we’ll be able to welcome our first guests. Exactly one year after our wedding. It’s special — and honestly also a bit surreal — how much can happen in just one year.
Casa Valyria
Our first apartment, now available to book, is called Casa Valyria.
It’s decorated in the style of an old inn, with medieval touches. Warm, full of character, and a little like stepping into another world for a while. Right now it sleeps two, but thanks to the sofa bed in the living room, up to four people can stay.
The name Valyria, of course, didn’t come about by chance. Since we live so close to Almodóvar Castle — where scenes of Highgarden from Game of Thrones were filmed — we loved the idea of leaving a subtle little nod to that.
And for the first time, Casa Valyria no longer feels like a project, but truly like a place where, from now on, people will arrive, relax and make memories.
The pool already looks beautiful too, and little by little Posada Aurora is starting to look more and more like the place we could only dream of a few months ago.
Though that doesn’t mean we’re finished…
Because behind the scenes, work is still in full swing.
Our own house and Casa Meleys are both mid-renovation right now. New bathrooms, new flooring, air conditioning, and hopefully a new front door too are on the way. On top of that, we’re finally getting drainage for rainwater — something we’ve learned by now is absolutely not an unnecessary luxury here.
Just two weeks ago, for instance, a sinkhole suddenly appeared on the property.
Yes, seriously.
So while we’re trying to build a dream place in Andalusia, it sometimes feels like Posada Aurora decides on a new challenge for us every week.
And we haven’t even mentioned the septic tanks yet.
Because they arrived last week.
Sounds very promising… until you discover that the large tank is over four metres tall, while the digger can only dig four metres deep.
So for now, what we mainly have is a big hole, some enormous septic tanks, and a challenge.
For the AFO — the permit needed to officially host guests — there are still several important things to sort out right now.
The electrical wiring has already been fully replaced and the corresponding safety certificate is on its way. The septic tanks will also be installed soon. It’s just the water that, unfortunately, has turned out to be a bigger problem than expected.
According to the previous owners, everything had been tested and was in order, but new tests are now showing that isn’t the case. It was quite a setback, and right now we’re right in the middle of dealing with it.
And even so, lovely things are happening too
Like Gaia.
Over the past few weeks she’s had nine days to get familiar with her new school in Spain. Honestly, it was probably more nerve-wracking for us than for her. But it felt right from day one.
She’d come home with drawings, little gifts and stories about new friends. That was a huge relief for us. Because as exciting as this adventure can be at times, in the end it all comes down to whether we can build a good life here, together.
This week, Tamara and Gaia are going back to the Netherlands one last time to really close everything out. School. Work. The last practical matters. Something we’re not exactly looking forward to, because saying goodbye is never pleasant, but we also know it’s necessary in order to truly start fresh.
New residents
And as if life had decided that, on top of all the renovations, we could also use a bit of extra company…
… last week we bought two donkeys.
We were actually only going to look at one.
But when we got there, mother and daughter were both waiting: an eight-year-old donkey and her one-year-old foal.
Gaia fell in love with the little one instantly. There was just one small problem: according to the owner, the young donkey wasn’t for sale.
And honestly, we weren’t thrilled about the idea of separating mother and daughter either. Until, the next day, the previous owner suddenly called to ask if we wanted her after all.
So, before long, Sansa and Arya will be arriving at Posada Aurora.
As soon as we have our OCA licence, they’ll be able to come. At first they’ll have a corner of our play area, until the whole property is fully fenced. After that, the next project already begins: laying out an adventure trail across the land.
So we still have plenty on our plate for a while yet.
And somewhere between all the construction dust, the permits, the leaks, the septic tanks and the donkeys, we feel it more and more strongly:
This is going to be our home.
And if this really works out soon…
if people are happy here…
if we can eventually make a living from this…
then we’ll feel like the luckiest people in the world.
