El Mas Del Poeta - Petrer

We had a good lunch in the simple but, stylish restaurant of this small, rural guest house which is situated high in the mountains about 10minutes drive from Petrer. Understandably, for such a small place, there was no choice for the starters but all 4 we tasted were homemade and delicious and based on local recipes and ingredients. We were offered a rice dish with seafood for our main course which was also very tasty. I do not eat salt, so found it a little salty but I think most people would be happy with the level of salt in this dish. Initially, I was a little disappointed to be offered a melon kebab for pudding, as I was expecting something homemade, but this too was delicious with the clever addition of lime. The cost was 25€ each but this included 3 beers, 2 bottles of water and a bottle of decent wine and good coffees. I was impressed that the first glass of wine I ordered was replaced immediately when I commented that I had expected a local wine since the restaurant is on the recommended list of the Alicante Ruta del Vino). The Monovar wine I was given was much better than the original Rioja and no extra charge was made for it. It was also nice to have another bottle of water provided without asking for it during the meal. Alejandro was welcoming and helpful and later showed us around the guest rooms which were spacious and spotlessly clean with very good shower rooms. The rooms were simply furnished but with large beds and all you would need for a comfortable stay. The renovation of this old farmhouse is to a high standard and the outside terrace with its good views was lovely. Alejandro speaks a little English and gave us walking information. It seems that there are many routes which go from this Casa Rural. It would be a great place to stay for a few days walking.

Nice quiet, clean, comfortable hotel set in a good area for hiking. The food was really good and the owner made us a good picnic for the day we were hiking (there are no shops nearby to but your own stuff). The owner was friendly and helpful, he printed two hiking trails for us (there are many in the area but only two had instructions in English).

My husband and i have visited El Mas del Poeta before, about a year ago for lunch which was delicious. We decided to take our son and his fiance to one of Alejandros Summer Nights on the terrace. The setting was magical, beautifully lit, the violinist was excellent but the food was absolutely AMAZING. We shared 4 DELICIOUS starters followed by a Mojito Sorbet which was fabulous. The main was also a shared plate of iberian pork which was absolutely fantastic. The meal, setting, music and wine were all fabulous and Alejandro and his small team were fantastic. Thank you Alejandro for a perfect evening our son his fiance will not forget. We've already booked for another evening.

I want to be positive about this restaurant. We were welcomed by a chap who introduced himself as Alejandro and made sure that we were served promptly and efficiently throughout our meal. The place itself was lovely. The building looked great and it 's set in an attractive rural area reached by a narrow road that winds up a few kilometres from Petrer. So what 's not to be positive about? Well the food, well maybe the food. It was good, but it wasn 't maybe as good as I 'd hoped. We had the 30€ set meal which included four starters and a main course as well as all our drinks, coffee and sweet. So no complaints about the price. We got a version of gachamigas, the sort of garlic, flour and oil pancake made special with sun dried tomatoes, and with something similar to a spring onion sprinkled on top. Nice. The chicken croquette was nice too, not stodgy at all but it was neither warm nor chilled, a bit wrong temperature wise somehow. There was a stuffed artichoke that was fine, if not to my taste, and some escalivada which was OK without being special. We had roast lamb, rather than rice (rabbit and snail or cod and cauliflower rice were on offer). The meat was good, nice and tender with a nice sprinkling of herbs and what not. The pudding was a sweet potato sprinkled with brown sugar and honey and served with something creamy alongside. I quite liked it, my partner didn 't. So, it 's a case of damning with faint praise rather than having any complaints. I 'm sure that we 'll go back. The setting, the building, the price and the welcome made sure of that, but it won 't be somewhere we hurry back to.

We have just enjoyed an amazing meal all prepared by Alejandro. The food was incredible, absolutely amazing. Alejandro was the perfect host, chef and waiter. The building and its bedrooms have been beautifully restored with a passion that is evident throughout. This was our first visit but certainly won't be out last. Thank you Alejandro.