Alpujarras Holidays;
by Ana
My mother and have been fans of Andalusia for
years and have travelled far and wide from our home base in
Barcelona. This year I wanted to go back to one of my
favourite places - the Alpujarra of Granada. I didn't want to go to
a routine hotel, so searching the Internet, I saw the photos of the
Cortijo La Suerte. We were there in May.
The first impression as I drove slowly down the
steep and winding drive was, where am I going? However, getting out
of the car and walking round to the apartment, opening the windows
to let the rays of sunlight illuminate the room, I knew I was going
to be happy here. My very British 87 year old mother took more time
to get used to being in the countryside and she was worried she
would see a mouse (she is scared stiff of them).
My cousin arrived from England the next day when
we had got ourselves organized. She had only been to Barcelona to
see us so it was a real cultural change to go into rural Andalusia
life. She liked it.
The swimming pool was being filled and we were
told the water would be cold, but we went in anyway. The house is
large and comfortable and a great place to set up base to explore
the Poqueira Ravine and further afield. The town of Orgiva is 10
minutes down the mountain and from there about the same distance
from the Coast and Granada capital. The rooms are cool in the summer
with thick stone walls, and in the colder weather there is a
fireplace. Oh and there are quite a few expats living around, which
is presumably why you can get English speaking stuff at the
supermarkets in Orgiva. Also a second hand book store.
The only problem we had, being the first people
to rent after the winter, was running water, but that was solved. In
any event, any doubts we had were pleasantly resolved by Marisol or
by the Dutch neighbours. I would like to return if I can, this time
in the Autumn when for me the colours and flavours of this Alpujarra
valley become special, the weather gets crisper and you can light
the fire, prepare a good soup and relax with a good book after a day
exploring the region.
