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The coast of Almeria in one of the most varied in the Spanish coast and many areas are still unexploited. There is no better place to play golf, practice many water sports or explore protected natural spaces. The climate is ideal with more than 3,000 hours of sunlight and average temperatures between 15.3ºC and 21.4ºC.

Mojácar is a village of Arab foundation. The old part of the town has lovely corners, paved alleys and white house, whose entrances halls are restaurants and crafts shops. The city hall is protected by beautiful trees.

San José is another tourist village on the coast and has several hotels, restaurants and a harbour, where boat cruises around the coast are organised.

Las Negras is an ancient fishing village in a small bay with volcanic rocks.

Rodalquiler is close to the sea, in an area of beautiful beaches and isolated farms. Its main attraction is the ruins of an old mine, including the workers village. Gold was extracted from here until the seventies.

Níjar is a white village with an Arab watchtower, a church and an ancient artisan tradition, to highlight the ‘jarapas’, exposed in many shops.

Sobras is a small village close to a 60m rock, with some palaces, miradors on the plain of the river Aguas and a pottery neighbourhood with many ceramic shops.

The Villages of Almeria
Our properties are based in the region of mountain villages known as Las Alpujarras, clinging to the southern flanks of the Sierra Nevada, cloven by deep, sheltered valleys and gorges which run down towards the Mediterranean. The Alpujarra, as it is popularly known, in the singular, is famous throughout Spain because of its unique mini-ecology. Its terraced farmlands are constantly watered by the melting snow from above, constituting a high-altitude oasis of greenery which stands in dramatic contrast to the foothills below. This is ideal hiking terrain for the adventurous travellers, provided you take along a tent and well-padded sleeping bags - the average altitude is 4,000 feet above sea level.

The villages here include Albox, Baza, Belerda, Guadix, Hinojares, Velez Blanco and Velez Rubio. These villages were the last stronghold of the Spanish Muslims or Moors. After the Castilians took Granada in 1492, all the city's Moors were forced to convert to Christianity. Those who refused took to the hills, settling in this remote, inaccessible area. Constant pressure from the Christians led to a bloody uprising, the Morisco Rebellion of 1568, which was ruthlessly crushed out, with the public execution of the leader, Ben Humeya, in the main square of Granada. Soon followed a royal decree expelling from the Kingdom of Granada all people of Arab descent, since the ¨new Christians¨, as the converts were called, were all suspected of being ¨crypto-Muslims¨ in secret.

Albox is located between the better known towns of Baza and Huercal and is flanked by the Sierra de las Estancias and the Sierra de los Filabres mountain ranges amidst stunning countryside of olive groves, orchards of citrus trees and dramatic hills and valleys. Several rivers and streams flow close to the town, including the rivers Almanzara and Albanchez which contribute to the area's rich agricultural heritage.

Albox is a typical white-washed village with narrow streets interspersed with small plazas. Despite its unspoilt charm, the town is not yet on the coach tour circuit, even being less than an hour's drive from the popular coastal resort of Mojácar.

This region includes the plain of Baza, the plain of Guadix and the Vega of Granada. The Altiplano rises to 1,100 metres with a central plain of green fertile valleys watered by the rivers Guadalquivir, Guadaletín, Castril and Guardal. Baza is a Moorish market town with a central ancient plaza and a cave quarter, a bull ring and an interesting archaeological museum.

Belerda is just starting to be discovered and is situated in the National Park of Cazorla.

Guadix is an attractive and bustling town with excellent communications. It is ten minutes from the motorway; 45 minutes to Granada; 60 minutes to the beach; under two hours to Malaga airport and 75 minutes to the ski slopes. The historic quarter of Guadix has a beautiful old square, a Cathedral built in 1594, old Arab walls, palaces, and museums among its many attractions. especially the Cave Museum - Plaza de la Ermita Nueva S/n.

The most interesting feature of the Guadix area is that almost half of the inhabitants of this large town live underground, in the southern part of the town. The jagged ochre terrain and the dazzling whitewashed chimneys and doors of the caves contrast dramatically with the snow-covered peaks of the Sierra Nevada, which loom above. The cave district is signposted on the main street of the town as the "Barrio Troglodyte".

You can drive through the cave area, but you should also get out and take a stroll. The "troglodytes" very friendly people and are also very house-proud, or "cave-proud", as you wish. If you show an interest in their homes, you will be sure to be invited in to have a look. Ever since the Moorish times, the Andalucians have been fond of living underground because it is the best way of escaping the summer heat waves, and don't be surprised if you are invited in to have a look around. Most of today's cave-dwellings are well-appointed, like any other Spanish home, and some are even quite luxurious, with marble floors, fitted kitchens, faxes and internet connections. Purullena, a nearby village, has a disco inside a cave, and you can rent a cave to spend the night in many of the region's villages.

Its history dates back to Phoenician and Roman times, and it played a major role in the Reconquest. The region is famous for its hand-crafted earthenware, which is sold on the roadside in the nearby village of Purullena.

The desert landscape around the village of Benalúa de Guadix is especially impressive, and well worth a drive through the region. If you wish to explore this fascinating region more thoroughly, you can also drive from Benalúa de Guadix to the Spa called "Baños de las Alicun de las Torres" returning on the first road on the right after leaving the spa, which will take you back to the A92/N342 motorway. The total drive takes between 90 minutes and two hours.

Hinojares is an attractive village and has a school and medical centre, as well as a bar, a small hotel, a supermarket and a chemist. There is a small but growing expatriate community. Pozo Alcon is five minutes away and Baza and the motorway are a 30 minute drive. 15 minutes drive away are a variety of reservoirs that are similar to lakes.

The town's mayor is a teacher in one of the schools, which between them have about 12 pupils, making for very personalised teaching. Hinojares in particular and the area in general are starting to become popular with foreigners. About 10 houses in Hinojares are owned by British people but the town remains very Spanish. The residents are very friendly and the foreigners living there have found it easy to integrate.

Velez Blanco has a stunning Renaissance castle an extension of the original Moorish alcazaba, which was built by the Marquises of Vélez Blanco in the early 16th century. These days, it is something of a trompe l'oeil, with an empty shell behind the battlements. This gutting took place in 1904, after the castle was sold to an American millionaire, George Bluementhal, who proceeded to tear out the interior including the Patio de Honor - a fabulous courtyard carved in white marble by Italian craftsmen. The lot was then unceremoniously shipped off to the USA where it has since been reconstructed inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The castle's interior only has fragments of the original decoration and, given the Met's reluctance to return its dubiously acquired prize exhibit, there are now plans to carry out a complete reconstruction of the original using marble from the nearby quarries of Macael.

Also worth seeing is the 16th century Convento de San Luís, located at the opposite end of town and also built by the Vélez family, although its fine chapel was damaged during the Civil War.

The Almacen del Trigo information office has information on the town and the surrounding Parque Natural de la Sierra de María.

Velez Rubio is a small agricultural town. It is situated in picturesque setting, surrounded by sierras, olive groves and fields of wheat.

The museum is situated within a beautiful 18th century hospital 'Hospital Real' and has a fascinating exhibit of artifacts and ceramics dating from prehistoric to Moorish times, including a section on the ancient cave paintings in this area.

However, the main monument of note in the town is the magnificent Baroque Church of La Encarnación which can be found on the plaza of the same name. Built in the 18th century, this has an imposing carved facade which includes the arms of the Marquises of Villafranca y Vélez, who built it. Inside, the main altar has a superbly detailed, 20-metre-high carved wood retablo.

Even more spectacular than this, though, are the prehistoric cave paintings of the Cueva de los Letreros, 3km out of town. To get there, follow the A317 north until you reach a petrol station on the left, next to which is a signed turning to the cave. You will first need to obtain the key to gain entry to the site. To do this go to the Almacen del Trigo information office in Vélez Blanco at the far end of the town where, in return for depositing your passport, you will be given the key.

To reach the caves, follow the path which starts from behind the petrol station as it veers left before ascending steeply to a stairway which climbs halfway up a cliff to the fenced off rock shelter. This is a good kilometre's walk. Once through the gate of the compound, you will be able to see surprisingly fresh looking red and brown sketches of human figures, birds, animals, astronomical signs and indalos which have been dated to around 4000 BC and are amongst the oldest representations of people and animals in the world.

Further paintings at La Cueva del Gabar, another abrigo to the north of Vélez Blanco, are in a still better state of preservation but you can only visit here with a guide. However, if you're interested, the Turismo at Vélez Rubio or the town hall at Vélez Blanco can advise on a guide who will provide you with a rope and ladder to get you up the sheer rock face which is one of the reasons, of course, why they have survived more or less intact.

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