Southern Spain - The Alpujarras and Beyond

In July 2002, we took off for our first ever visit to Spain - we've always been put off by the mass tourism. We had a wonderful, relaxing time staying at a villa just outside Orgiva in the Alpujarras, with an occasional foray into 'sightseeing'. This page provides easy access to information about the places we visited, villa rental, car hire, etc.

Practicalities

Flights - Go (We flew from Bristol, had no delays, paid a very reasonable price for high season flights and were happy with the service.)

Car Hire - CarJet (We had a superior Citroen Xsara Picasso for 16 days at a cost of just over £300 including all insurances. The car was excellent, pick up and drop off as quick and easy as possible.)

Malaga

We spent a night at either end of our holiday in Malaga and found it to be a pleasant and interesting city. It is about 20 minutes drive from the airport, although the one way systems can lengthen the journey until you get the hang of them.

We stayed at the excellent Malaga Centro Hotel ****, placed conveniently between the old city and a modern commercial district full of boutiques and shopping centres. There is some street parking and a multistory car-park opposite the hotel. We booked direct by e-mail and fax, had no problems and were very happy with the facilities and position. Breakfast is a huge buffet at a price of €9 - though you need to get there by about 10.00 am as they don't seem to replenish the tables after this.

Shops tend to close at 2 p.m. reopening at 5 p.m. (though some of the department stores and shopping centres stay open during the afternoon), and are closed on Sundays and Festivals.

We enjoyed wandering around the old streets (a considerable amount of renovation work is currently in hand), seeing the Alcazabar, Gibralfaro and Cathedral from afar and paid a visit to Picasso's birthplace. A major new Picasso Museum is due to open . . . sometime. Good tapas bars, restaurants and gelateria abound and the city has many gardens and parks. We did not really explore the long, sandy, city beach, though it seemed to be reasonably attractive and I believe boasts some good fish restaurants.

Look our for the MLG booklet (a free, A5 guide to the city and what's on) or, if you read Spanish, try www.malagazine.info.

The Alpujarras

The Alpujarras lie between Granada and the sea, a mountainous region that has, over the years, provided a haven to many a fugitive because of its remoteness and inaccessibility. Nowadays, it increasingly appeals to expats and holiday-makers seeking a different sort of retreat.

This is the area described in Chris Stewart's very enjoyable book 'Driving Over Lemons' and the recently published sequel, 'A Parrot in the Pepper Tree'.

We stayed just outside the small country town of Orgiva, in a beautiful villa, Casa Mercedes, rented through Rustic Blue. Orgiva itself manages to retain its character as a Spanish town, although there is an increasing expat community, including a new-age encampment. Perhaps because of its history, this is remarkably tolerant place, where many different ways of life meet and co-exist. There is a Sufi centre in the town, a well known personal development centre, Cortijo Romero, just off the same lane as Casa Mercedes and also a Buddhist centre up in the mountains.

At Casa Mercedes:

This is a time and place of everyday magic, of sharpened senses, of perceptual leaps.

To turn into the track to Casa Mercedes under a lemon tree, heavy with golden bounty, and find ourselves 'driving over lemons' had a perfect inevitability.

Here is a wonderful, restorative peace, filled with sensation. A silken breeze wraps itself around me, creating constant movement of the grey-green olive trees, the brighter citruses, the delicate grasses. The movement is also sound, air brushing eardrums, leaves and branches - a backing-track for the more intricate birdsong, cicada chorus and distant bleating, the gush of water coursing through the aquifer.

On the horizon, heat-hazed hillsides loom steeply, enclosing this enchanted world.

You will find an interesting selection of further information on the area at Las Alpujarras.com

Granada and the Alhambra

Even in the heat of summer, the Alhambra is an experience not to be missed. We would like to return, in spring or autumn to get the most out of a visit, perhaps staying at the Parador de Granada within the Alhambra complex.

You can pre-book tickets for your visit through the Banco Bilbao Vizcaya (BBV) or by 'phoning (0034) 902 224460 - though youmay find that there is no English speaker. You can visit either between 8.30a.m. and 2.00p.m. or 2.00p.m and 8.00p.m. (and 8.00p.m. and 10.00p.m on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) in summer (earlier closing times in winter), with a fixed time for entrance to the Nasrid palaces, the truly spectacular Moorish complex at the heart of the Alhambra. Don't miss the gardens of the Generalife, which, although largely a modern re-creation, are very lovely.

Granada itself is a fascinating city, which we would like to explore more fully. We wandered briefly through the Albaicin, the old Arab quarter. I have the sense of a city of many contrasts, with a great deal going on. Oh, and we were told by one shop-ower that there are frequent UFO sightings in the area! The street leading up to the Alhambra from the Plaza Nueva, Cuesta de Gomerez, is full of guitar makers - you may be lucky enough to hear an impromptu concert from a top professional looking for a new instrument. We also found a really interesting 'arty' gift shop here, MediTerranea, which is well worth a visit (their web site is currently a temporary version, but includes some useful links).

Additional Web Links:

www.alhambra-patronato.es
Viva Granada
red2000.com - Granada
Tuspain - Granada

Beaches

We enjoyed chilling out at our villa so much that we only ventured to the beach once, heading for Playa de Maro, just to the east of Nerja, which is a lovely sandy cove at the foot of steep cliffs. The beaches further eastward of Nerja tend to be pebbly and were, to us, less appealing.

For further 'photos (thumbnails and larger views on click-through), please click here.

Gina Dennis, July 2002

Back to Travel Reviews