Lakes, Mountains, Sea,
Markets, Shops, Cafes, Bars
There is so much to see in the area, we think you will be spoilt for choice.
We could start with the activities on the farm. The farm and land have been lived on, farmed and cared for by Juan, his family and forebears for hundreds of years and, depending on the time of year, you will see the almond harvest, olive picking or wine making going on just as it has done for generations.
Next, our village of Saliente Alto, overlooked by it's famous monastery and church, built high in the mountains. Well worth a visit, the monastery was built in the 14th century and was in use until the early part of the 20th century. The church continues to be used up to the present day and services are held each Sunday. It is also a popular venue for local marriages, christenings and first communions.
A short drive away and you will reach the Sierra de Maria, a national park (Parque Natural) full of beautiful scenery, stunning views, mountains and valleys and a popular destination for the Spanish family weekend barbeque.
Beautiful hill walking Only 45 minutes to the coast
A 45 minute drive will take you to the coast where you have a choice of the bustling beach resorts of the UK holiday brochures and the quiet coves where you can find you are the only human in sight. Plus you may stumble across one of the beaches only the Spanish seem to know where they will take the whole family for the day. You may even find a fiesta is full swing - not a tourist trap, these are organised for the locals but visitors are made very welcome.
Mojácar Pueblo, just up the hill from the popular resort of Mojácar Playa, and nearby Níjar are both worth a visit. They can be reached in just under the hour. Although very much tourist orientated, they both have still retained the charm of old Spain in and amongst the trinket shops, bars and restaurants.
Slightly further away, just over an hours drive, and you will reach the Sierra de Baza with it lakes and mountains laid down in the volcanic era which formed this part of Spain. Although this is a very popular area, for both tourists and the Spanish, you will find you have the space to relax and be on your own if you prefer.
The cave houses at Guadix are well worth a visit. The front of the house looks like a typical small spanish house, but once inside it is hewn from the rocks and all the rooms have rock walls. And they have no need for air conditioning, the temparature inside of these houses rarely varies from a comfortable 20 degrees or so, winter and summer.
More Information? There are two main places to look for tourist information about Andalucía. The official Andalucía Tourism Website at www.andalucia.org and the more commercial, but still very useful, site at www.andalucia.com. The links below will take you direct to information about a selection of things to do and places to see but you will find many more at those two tourist information sites.
