Okay, so this is going to sound fake. Or like, at the very least, wildly impractical. But I swear—it’s real. Somewhere in Worcestershire, in England (yes, that’s how it’s spelled, and no, I still don’t pronounce it right), there’s this man, Angel something—Mastropietro? Yeah. That’s his name. Sounds like a Bond villain or a luxury watch designer. Anyway. He bought a literal cave. Not a figurative one. Not a man cave. An actual, honest-to-God sandstone cave in the forest.
And then—wait for it—he lived in it.
Not just like squatting with a mattress on the floor. I mean he turned it into a designer-level, fully-modern, everything-you-could-need home. It used to be this quiet little meditation hideout for monks. Now? It’s got plumbing. And a rain forest shower. And a kitchen that looks like you could film a cooking show in it.
It Started with a Walk. Seriously.
The whole thing apparently started when this guy—Angel—was out for a walk. Just… wandering in the countryside. As you do when you live in a place that has things like “ancient monk caves” casually hiding in the woods. He sees this rock structure, gets curious, and I guess instead of just taking a photo and moving on like a normal person, he goes, What if I moved in?
That’s the thing. He wasn’t even looking for a house. Or a cave. He just saw it and… felt something. I don’t know. Inspiration? Madness? Hard to tell the difference sometimes. Either way, he bought it. Bought the actual cave. With money. And then spent, I think it was around $230,000 turning it into an actual home.
And it took him years. Three, I think. Which honestly feels fast considering he started with rock.
The Shower Alone Deserves a Documentary
So, the thing that gets people’s attention (besides the “he lives in a cave” part) is this shower he built. It’s not just a nice bathroom. It’s like… an experience. Walk-in, completely surrounded by plants—real ones, not fake ferns from IKEA. It’s called a rainforest shower, which I thought was just a fancy word for “big shower head,” but no. It’s a whole vibe.
There’s natural light filtering in, and I’m guessing it smells like eucalyptus or whatever fancy hotels pipe in through the vents. The walls are still stone, obviously, but somehow it doesn’t feel cold or weird—it just works. It’s probably the most peaceful-looking place to get clean that I’ve ever seen. I don’t even like showers that much and I want to stand in that one until I forget my own name.
Also… There’s a Full Kitchen? In the Cave?
Okay, so he didn’t half-ass this. This isn’t one of those “look at my rustic cabin” situations where rustic just means there’s no dishwasher. The kitchen is modern. Like, for-real modern. Appliances that belong in a magazine. Clean lines. Cabinets that somehow don’t look weird up against the stone walls, which I genuinely didn’t think was possible.
I think what gets me is that nothing feels forced. It’s not like someone slapped a microwave into a ruin and called it done. He made it fit. The design is respectful, I guess? I don’t know. It doesn’t fight the cave. It kind of… listens to it. (Okay, now I’m sounding like a weirdo.)
There’s Also an Outdoor Kitchen Area Because of Course There Is
I swear, this guy just kept going. Like he got to the end and thought, You know what this ancient sandstone home needs? A patio with a grill.
And he wasn’t wrong.
He built this terrace space just outside, kind of tucked into the curve of the rock. It’s open-air, full of natural wood and stone, and the whole thing overlooks the forest. I saw a photo of someone drinking coffee there and it made me irrationally angry that I wasn’t them. It looks like the kind of place you accidentally write a novel in.
Fun Bonus: There’s a Safari Park Down the Road
This part made me laugh because it’s just so random. The cave is apparently not far from a safari park. Like, with actual animals. Lions, elephants, all of it. Which—sure. Why not. You wake up in a cave, drink espresso on your stone terrace, then go hang out with giraffes.
It’s close enough for a day trip. So, if you ever stay there—and yes, you can stay there now—you can live your best forest monk life in the morning and then look at tigers by noon. The variety! I mean really.
How People Found Out About It (Because Obviously This Got Internet Famous)
At some point, the whole thing blew up because of a YouTube video. It was posted by Truly—which is one of those channels that finds people with unusual houses or lives and just… films them being completely chill about it. The video’s gone semi-viral. Millions of views.
In it, Angel walks around explaining the whole renovation like it’s totally normal to drill into ancient rock and install a luxury rain shower. And to be fair, by the end of it, you’re sort of convinced he’s right. Like, of course he lives in a cave. What else would he do?
I Guess the Whole Thing Feels Weirdly… Peaceful?
This is the part I didn’t expect. You watch the video or look at the photos, and it doesn’t feel like a gimmick. It’s not someone playing caveman for Instagram. It feels quiet. Thoughtful. There’s something calming about how it all came together. He talks about how the space used to be for meditation, and I don’t know—maybe that energy stuck around. Maybe that’s why the cave just works as a home.
He wanted something that felt grounded. That wasn’t generic. And say what you will, it is definitely not generic.
Anyway, You Can Stay There Now (If You Plan Ahead)
It’s called The Rockhouse Retreat. You can actually book it as a rental, which I didn’t know until like halfway through the video. I looked it up just to see, and yeah—it’s popular. Probably full for months.
But if you’re ever in that part of England, and you want to sleep inside a piece of literal history while also having access to a high-end kitchen and a leafy spa-level shower? Well. It’s a cave. But like, in a good way.
