The weathered brown wooden door and the whitewashed walls hide a secret. From the outside, it is impossible to imagine that this humble exterior hides an exotic Chinese box of rooms, stairs, terraces and patios with flowers, pots and trees. But just then, the door opens with a deep creaking sound, you leave the village of Frigiliana and the sparkling white walls behind and enter a world of bright colours, trinkets and warm-heartedness.
The host, Lasse Thielfoldt, greets us. As we enter the living room, dominated by a taxidermic wild boar head, he tells us about the former owner, the Englishwoman Angela Leaf Štrbac, whom the house is named after.
“Angela ran a B&B here for many years, and we came here as guests for a number of years”, Lasse explains. Angela died in 2012, and after thinking it over for a short time, Lasse jumped at the offer with his then-wife Tina Scheftelowitz, and so the couple ended up purchasing the quirky house in the heart of Frigiliana.
“Angela left behind a unique design with a Moorish feel, adding a touch of the East and the England she originally came from”, says Lasse Thielfoldt.
When the Danish couple took over the Andalusian B&B, they decided to preserve Angela’s colourful and eclectic style.
“She was a remarkable woman, and although her taste was somewhat different to ours, it felt very natural for us to preserve as much as possible, including the furniture and art”, says Lasse. “The furnishings left behind were part of the house’s soul – it simply belonged here”.
Colours and quirky interior design ideas
A narrow stone staircase leads to the 1st floor of the house. The large landing is furnished with bookshelves and a writing desk, and the space makes you think of an English study or library. The landing leads to the four guest rooms.
“Angela was very fond of colours and quirky interior design ideas”, says Lasse. “No two rooms or bathrooms are alike”.
He decided to update the rooms with air conditioning systems that also work as heating on the coldest days in winter. Apart from this, the interior looks the same as when the previous owner ran the place. The same applies to the bathrooms, which are all unique and decorated with colourful tiles and ceramic washbasins.
One of the rooms is located on the 3rd floor of the house, tucked away like a turret chamber in a fairy tale. From here, there is direct access to an outdoor roof terrace with undisturbed views of Frigiliana’s lightly moss-covered and earth-coloured rooftops and crooked white house walls.
Patio with large kumquat tree
Back on the ground floor, we leave the living room and enter the kitchen, an authentic Andalusian country kitchen.
“The kitchen is often packed with the vegetables of the day”, Lasse says. Bundles of fresh herbs, large tomatoes, beans and citrus fruits add fragrance, colour and life to the kitchen, which is designed in a rustic style, with a dappled marble table, tiled flooring and patio views.
The patio is the centre of Casa Doña Angela during the summer. Breakfast is usually served out here, and the intimate patio almost functions as an assembly hall where guests meet for briefings, or from where they venture off to other parts of the property.
“The history of the house can be traced back to ancient times”, says Lasse under the impressive kumquat tree in the patio. “In the time of Phoenician culture, a bath house was located here, so there has been settlement in this place for more than 3,000 years”.
The host has his private quarters on the opposite side of the patio, with yet another country kitchen, living room and bedroom. Naturally, with a bathroom just as exotic and colourful as the bathrooms in the guest section. A crawl way – and former donkey stable – runs under part of the apartment, past the wine cellar and into the garden. Here, a new and green universe appears, with cactus, herbs, flowers in pots and fragrant fig and citrus trees.
Outdoor kitchen and amazing views
The garden is dominated by a swimming pool, which Lasse carefully cleans of leaves and twigs every morning.
“There are not many houses in Frigiliana with such a large garden as ours – and very few properties come with a pool, so I am pretty fortunate”, he says.
Many guests gather by the pool in the afternoon for sunbathing and a refreshing swim. One of Lasse’s newest additions to the property is an outdoor kitchen in a corner of the garden, where paella and casseroles are prepared along with grilled meats.
A lush cliff edge rises against the next row of houses in the hilly village on one side of the garden. On the other side is one of the absolute best features of the property: undisturbed views of the western part of Frigiliana and the area called the Campo, with the dramatic Andalusian mountaintops as a backdrop. The blue Mediterranean Sea can also be glimpsed on the horizon below the village.
This impressive panoramic view can be enjoyed from the dining table in the garden, where dinner often is served during summer. “When our guests sit out here with a nice meal and a glass of wine to the sound of the cicadas out in the Campo and a light breeze with the scent of rosemary and thyme, the dream of a B&B in the Mediterranean comes to life”, Lasse says with a big smile, as he happily takes in the beautiful Andalusian scenery.
The house favourite:
Andalusian hummus with toasted almonds and smoked paprika
This Middle Eastern delicacy gets a Spanish twist by switching tahini for roasted almonds. If you use mild smoked paprika, add some cayenne pepper or chili to give it a slight bite. Serve the hummus in a buffet, as a starter or lunch dish, or with grilled meat or fish.
4-6 servings
250 g dried chickpeas (500 g cooked)
Vegetable broth for cooking, if preferred
100 g almonds
1 dl olive oil
1 garlic clove
½ tsp smoked paprika powder, sweet or hot
1 tsp ground cumin
1 small bunch of fresh cilantro or parsley
2½ dl water or the water used for cooking the chickpeas
Approx. 2½ tbsp sherry or white wine vinegar
Salt
Olive oil (for drizzling)
Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of cold water. Discard the water and cook the chickpeas for 2-3 hours in fresh water, add broth, if preferred. The chickpeas must be completely soft. Finally, add salt, drain the water and save it for later. Take a large handful of whole chickpeas and leave aside for garnish.
Toast the almonds in a frying pan on medium heat until lightly golden.
Process the chickpeas in a food processor along with the oil. Add grated or crushed garlic, paprika, cumin, cilantro including stalks (save a little for garnish), water (left from the chickpeas), sherry vinegar and salt. Continue until you have your preferred texture: creamy or crunchy. The texture should not be too firm. Add the almonds and process in the end – they should be a little crunchy. Add salt, vinegar and cayenne pepper according to taste.
Serve the hummus on a plate or platter. Garnish with whole chickpeas and chopped cilantro and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with fresh bread and green Spanish olives.
