My wife and I stayed at Hotel Els Frares for four nights over Christmas 2008. We chose this hotel specifically because of it's location, it's size (we didnt want a large, soulless hotel) and the Christmas hospitality package. Our expectations were fulfilled on all fronts!

The hotel is situated amongst absolutely stunning mountainous countryside. We used a car to explore the surrounding area and didnt run out of amazing scenery to enjoy.

The hotel itself is a perfect size with genuine rustic feel and various cosy lounges with open log fires. One of the nicest things was the friendly atmosphere. There was great chat and banter with all the other guests but also enough space if you preferred a quiet spot to relax in front of the fire. Our bedroom was also very cosy with a balcony with great views.

The owners Pat and Brian were genuinely friendly giving us lots of advice on areas to explore and enjoying chat with all the guests at meal times and in the evenings. A particular highlight of our stay was getting to know Mabel, a local woman who works in the hotel. She was incredibly friendly and we had great chat and laughs every day.

For every meal the food was tremendous - fresh and original with great portions. If you're thinking of going at Christmas I would say DO IT! The Christmas Day banquet was wonderful with a great atmosphere and - as usual - amazing food.

We had a wonderful time and definitely plan to return to Hotel Els Frares.

Having just moved house and been busy decorating, we needed a break away from it all over Christmas and New Year. Els Frares proved to be the perfect choice. The hotel is beautifully appointed, with comfortable rooms, roaring log fires and superb food. The walking programme was outstanding with excellent and knowledgeable guides leading us through wonderful countryside. The owners, Pat and Brian, could not have been more welcoming - their commitment to the local area and its culture was truly inspirational.

The Christmas and New Year's parties were great fun with a super mixture of many nationalities dancing the night away.

We hope to return when the almond trees are in bloom or perhaps even sooner if we get fed up again with the decorating !!!

From the time we arrived to the the time we left Pat and Brian were great hosts. Everthing about our stay was fantastic the views from the hotel, our room, the food, the conversation all made for a stay to remember. We will look forward to returning again and again to this special place in the mountains.

Having previously visited Els Frares with my partner, who was on a long trip to the far East, I decided to book a Christmas holiday on my own and chose this as the perfect venue. This was my third stay at Els Frares, simply one of the most friendly and well run small hotels anywhere in the world. Brian and Pat's warm welcome, their willingness to do everything they could to add to the pleasure of the visit, (accommodation, food or walks), the overall ambience, it was everything I remembered and had wished to experience again. The pleasure was heightened by the recently opened restaurant, which had been an empty shell last time I was there. Its spaciousness and wonderful views added greatly to my appreciation of the food, which had always been superb but previously served in much more humble surroundings. The menu was the gormet set dinner, with wine included. One couldn't wish for better. The walks were organised and run by two excellent guides, one a young local man from nearby Cocenteina who had grown up walking in the Alicante mountains and was a fund of knowledge and helpful tips, the other a youthful Irishman whose fluent Spanish, frindlyness and ready wit added greatly to the enjoyment. The rooms are comfortable and equiped with everything one could reasonably expect of a hotel rural. One would have to be an extreme nit picker to find much wrong with Els Frares, but it is what it is and makes no claim to be a Hyatt Hotel or the Ritz.