Out and about in the Alpujarras

Shops and Banks

The village of Pitres is a short walk away. Here can be found a well stocked supermarket, health food shop, butchers, bakers, hardware store, bank (with cash machine accepting most cards), chemist and a 24 hour health centre. On Fridays there is a lively market that attracts people from the local area. Best buys here are fruit and vegetables. Portugos is also a short walk in the opposite direction and offers a similar range of shops and services.

The villages of the Poqueira gorge - Pampaneira, Bubion and Capileira - are about 10 minutes away by car and offer an excellent selection of shops selling arts and crafts and other tourist paraphernalia. Trevelez, the highest town in Spain is 20 minutes by car and has a similar array of shops selling rugs, pottery, ceramics, esparto grass baskets and the most important product of this region, air cured ham.

Bars and Restaurants

The villages of Pitres and Portugos, both just over 1 km away, have a selection of bars, hotels and restaurants serving food, drink and tapas.

Also within walking distance the villages of La Taha have between them a bar selling tasty homemade pizzas, a French owned vegetarian restaurant, a hotel with full restaurant menu and a traditional Spanish bar/restaurant selling delicious home cooked meals of fantastic value.

Beyond the immdiate area the nearby mountain towns of Pampaneira, Bubion, Capileira and Trevelez have an extensive selection of bars and restaurants offering superb Spanish cuisine.

Walking

The Alpujarras is a fabulous area for walking, whether you are interested in high altitude treks or casual meandering around the fascinating villages of La Taha. The GR7 path (Gran recorida, long distance footpath from Athens to Algeciras) crosses close to Cortijo Opazo and there is an extensive network of other tracks to choose from. The paths are well sign-posted and are often old mule tracks - so the steepness is no more than a loaded mule can manage!  We provide you with an excellent walking guide and map of the area. We have also written up some of our favourite walks that you can follow.

There are tourist information offices in Pampaneira and Capileira. For much of the year (after the snow line has retreated) there is a bus service from Capileira up into the high Sierra Nevada mountains which allows you access to the National Park, the summits of Mulhacen and La Veleta, the Caldera refuge and other wilderness areas.

Swimming Pool

There is a superb open air swimming pool in Pitres. This is open to the public from June until the end of September - there is a small admission charge. The pool is surrounded by grassy areas for relaxing and sunbathing, and has a pool-side bar and restaurant for the occasional (or frequent) refreshment or ice creams. The pool is seldom crowded, even in August, and is a delightful facility to have on your doorstep.

Granada

The city of Granada is about 1hr 15mins by car and is a must for anyone who has never visited it before. Steeped in the history of the Moors the Alhambra palace is a magical experience and offers a glimpse into Spain's past. It is advisable to book your tickets  in advance. The city itself is extraordinary and many hours can be spent wandering its narrow streets and enjoying tasty tapas.

Skiing

Above the city of Granada and a further 30 minutes drive is the ski resort of the Sierra Nevada.  This is a worthwhile day's excursion from Cortijo Opazo. Slopes open from early December and remain open well into April. Parking, hire of ski and snow board equipment, and lift passes are easy to organise on arrival. There are numerous lifts and the queues move quickly. Slopes are well prepared with liberal use of snow canons when required. The resort is at a high altitude going from 2100 metres up to 3300 metres, so wrap up warm (www.sierranevadaski.com)

The Coast

At just over an hour's drive the Mediterranean coast of the Costa del Sol can be enjoyed for a relaxing day on the beach. The closest resort is the Playa de Granada at Motril - a large expanse of sand with easy parking on the beach front - but a little further exploration reveals hidden coves, still undeveloped, or small town beaches with excellent seafood restaurants.

"We had a wonderful week in this hillside paradise and enjoyed great walks on the mule tracks between villages. We loved sitting on the terrace for breakfast, watching the sheep, the views, the flowers, the herbs for cooking. Thank you for all your advice and for allowing us to have the best possible holiday in this beautiful, unspoilt place."

Sarah and Jim, London, June 2006.

"Lovely accommodation and surroundings. Hiked up to the waterfalls and around the villages, punctuated by refreshing dips in the local springs. Highlight was spotting the Golden Oriele bird. Then to return to such a beautiful, peaceful place, with only the sound of the carpenter bees nibbling at the bamboo, the jays cackling, the goat bells jingling and the occasional 'splosh' of the pond frog. this is such a special place."

Wendy, Brighton, UK. July 2007

A note about Alpujarran Villages

Villages of the Alpujarras are characterised by their architecture.  Clustered tightly together around the contours of the hills they look impenetrable.  Streets are usually no wider the breadth of a laden mule and narrow passageways twist and turn through their labyrinth.  The houses are usually made of stone with flat slate roofs supported by ancient chestnut beams.  On top of the flat slate roofs is packed a layer of water proof clay know as launa.  The crown of Alpujarrenean architecture is the distinctive chimney, perched like a top hat in a hundred different jaunty angles.

These villages are a pleasure to walk amongst.  A hot summer's day will reveal the ingenuity of their design, houses protected from the strength of the sun by thick stone walls and overhanging tinaos - a type of shaded verandah.  The most typical examples are to be found in the high Alpujarras; they seem to straddle the 1000 metre level - Cortijo Opazo is located at 1250 metres.  It is possible that the Moors who built these settlements at this height knew what they were doing by locating their dwellings below the winter snow line but high enough to enjoy the cool mountain air in the summer.  Towns in the valleys seem to have missed this trick.

Bird watching

Click here for a list of birds sptted in the local area

Site map

Click here for video presentation