We found our beautiful 17th century masia in need of a lot of restoration in 2016. After two years of renovation ‘The Old Girl’ came back to life & we’ve been living happily ever after since.
-
Our water
In-house water is sourced from the local village supply and is perfect both in taste and safety for drinking. We do not offer guests filtered still water as this water is as good as it gets, and we do what we can to discourage the use of single use plastics.
Our water in the garden is sourced from a large dam we have close to the property and is mainly rain water. In the dryer months the dam is replenished with water coming from an underground source and is full of wonderful minerals that the plants and the pool’s eco-system benefit from greatly.
We encourage guests to have short showers and be vigilant of water usage whilst washing dishes and brushing teeth. Catalunya at large has been in severe dought conditions for a number of years.
-
Our heating
Heating in winter is sourced from a aerothermal system that produces zero pollution and uses minimal electricity to run.
The guesthouse also has a cast-iron chimney run on biomassa and complimentary pellets are provided to guests on a daily basis.
Scattered around the property are a number of wood-fired barbeques that guests are welcome to use when there are no fire restrictions in place. Otherwise there is a wood-fired oven and open fire place in the old barn kitchen conversion and events room that guests may use upon special request.
All wood used as fuel for heat and cooking is sourced from the property and is gathered from the trees we need to fell every year for fire safety reasons. Every year we plant more fruit-bearing trees to equal out the eco-system. In summer we rely 100% on solar energy to heat our water.
-
Our natural pool
Our natural pool is a sanctuary of crystal-clear water during the increasingly warmer months the world is experiencing due to global warming.
We add absolutely no harmful chemicals or salt to the water yet the PH balance is perfect and the water pure enough to drink. The natural system that keeps the water so clean is complex and 100% eco-friendly. The depth of the pool, the plant life on its borders and the 4-tier filtering system of natural beads, sand, copper and UV lighting is basically how it works.
Bathing in a natural pool with dragon flies and butterflies buzzing around and watching pretty green frogs sunbake amongst the reeds is one of life’s unparalleled pleasures.
A brief history…
La Masía Alt Penedès, originally named Forn Teuler, dates back to the 17th century and was originally the place where roof tiles were made for the local community; hense its name forn meaning oven and teuler meaning tile in the old catalan language.
The original tile oven and the original kiln oven still exist in the main house and have been converted into a spiral stairwell that showcases all the original stone work and a fabulous kitchen shelf unit recessed into the old carved out chimney stack.
In the 1940’s some of the locals helped those of the original family still in residence to build the low stone wall that snakes around the natural border of the front gardens. This lovely stone wall not only helps keep residents safe from accidently toppling of the mountain, but provides a fabulous place to sit under la morera tree and look out at the stunning views.
