A milestone, some might call it, although the man in question would prefer to see it merely as a number. The occasion called for some sort of cele- bration, but the instructions were strict. No hullabaloo, no surprises, simply a few days away à deux within easy striking distance from home and preferably with a bit of gentle heat to knock the last vestiges of winter from the bones.
A call was made to old friend Anthony Reid and three nights were duly booked at his family’s wonderful hotel on the vast and rolling agricultural plains just south of Seville. Hacienda de San Rafael is a Spanish stalwart, one of those go-to places when you need to be soothed and cosseted, where there are many things to do right on the doorstep, but no sense of urgency or obligation to do anything at all.
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