The Region

The holiday cottages are close to the village of Orgiva, the market town of the western Alpujarras, an area of mountains and valleys in the province of Granada, Andalucia. It is an area of dramatic scenery, tranquil corners and friendly people where you can still see shepherds walking their goats and mules at work in the fields.

Orgiva is the main town and the administrative centre of the area, it bustles with life - the old men playing dominoes outside, people chatting at the cafes and everyone arriving in town for the Thursday market. There are plenty of cafes, shops, bars, restaurants and banks. A Tibetan Buddhist monastery is sited high above the Poqueira valley and there's a Sufi community in town. From Orgiva you can visit the spa town of Lanjaron famous for its waters; the mountain villages of Pampaneira, Bubion & Capileira perched on the steep hillsides and many more on the road to Trevelez, the highest village in Spain famous for ham and fresh trout. The valley continues eastwards through Yegan, Ugijar and Alhama de Almeria and a few kilometres further is Los Millares, a pre-Bronze Age settlement.Should you want to see the sea, the clean waters at Calahonda or La Heradura are 40 minutes away as is the waterpark at Almunecar. Treat yourself to a lunch of fresh fish and salad at any of the beach restaurants.

Of course one of the places not to be missed is the Alhambra and Generalife in Granada which is an hour away. Indeed after the fall of Granada many of the Moors came to live in Las Alpujarras and remained here until 1568, further developing and refining the intricate irrigation system and building the terracing. There are still traces of Moorish architecture around and all the local flat-roofed houses with their chimneys have developed from the Berber's tradition.

There's a special magic about the valley and mountains - some say it's the lay lines - but whatever it is, it evokes feelings of wellbeing, peace and tranquillity that will refresh your spirit if you let it.

Arriving & Getting around

Granada is the nearest airport with Ryanair flights from Stanstead, Liverpool and East Midlands. Malaga, 90 minutes by car, has many flights each day from UK and Europe; Almeria is a 2 hour journey. Most people hire a car from the airport as it gives you more freedom to explore the area, but a taxi pick-up can be arranged. It's possible to get to Orgiva by bus from Malaga or Granada but you do need to check the bus times with your flight arrival as the buses aren't frequent and don't run late.