Around and About

This is an excellent base from which to explore this delightful and very beautiful part of Andalucía.

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La Costa del Sol with its wealth of sandy beaches, sun, fun and nightlife is just 30 minutes away. Resort towns include Estepona (45 minutes) and glitzy, glamorous Marbella (under an hour).

Gibraltar, steeped in history, VAT free shops … and plenty of fish & chips is 1¼ hours away.

Tarifa on the southernmost point of Spain is 1½ hours from here. Looking directly across the Straits of Gibraltar to Morocco, Africa is so close you feel that you can almost touch it!

Beyond lie mile upon mile of magnificent white beaches on Spain’s Atlantic coast, La Costa de la Luz.

A taste of Morocco perhaps? The fast boat from Tarifa to Tangiers takes 35 minutes, so you can be exploring the local souks in just a few hours. Fascinating and colourful, it really is a different world.

Spain’s unique sherry wine region (Jerez and Sanlúcar), is well worth a visit, enhanced no doubt by stopping at one or two of the famous bodegas along the way! Jerez de la Frontera is 2 hours.

Cádiz (2¼ hours) continues to evoke the romance, intrigue and mystery of centuries of trade (some legal, some not so) between Europe, Africa and the Americas.

One of Europe’s most important wetland reserves and bird sanctuaries, the Doñana National Park, is a popular attraction for nature lovers (4 hours). Its enormous variety of bird species include everything from flamingos to imperial eagles.

A beautiful road winds over the spectacular mountains to Ronda (45 minutes), with its spectacular gorge and Spain’s oldest bullring, Hemmingway’s favourite town in all of Spain.
Sevilla takes 2½ hours. It is impossible not to be captivated by its exuberant atmosphere: stylish, confident, ancient and proud, yet also convivial, intimate and fun-loving. If you don’t know what alegría means, Sevilla is the place to learn!

The fantastic railway between Algeciras on the coast and Ronda, to the north, stops at the little pueblo of Colmenar (20 minutes away). One of Europe’s great short railway journeys, running through landscapes which offer constantly plunging and spectacular views, this is a remarkable and wonderful way to see some of Andalucía’s best and most dramatic countryside.
There are a plethora of beautiful white villages and hilltop towns to explore and enjoy in the magnificent countryside of the Serranía de Ronda – Jimena de la Frontera, Casares and Genalguacil to name but a few.

Nearby National Parks include the fabulous Los Alcornocales Natural Park and the Grazalema National Park, one of the most beautiful tracks of mountain anywhere in Europe. Jagged peaks, gorges, chasms, faults and caves, underground rivers and deep canyons are interspersed, here and there, by some of the prettiest villages in Spain, Grazalema, Zahara, Setenil and the other famous “pueblos blancos”.
Córdoba and Granada are both 3 hours drive from here

Activities

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Guided and self-guided walking, horse riding, mountain biking and yoga are all available in or around Gaucín.

The village has an excellent municipal swimming pool, a tennis court and gymnasium.
For golf enthusiasts, there are at least 25 top quality golf courses (including Finca Cortesin, Valderrama, Sotogrande, and San Roque) within 50 minutes drive.

On the coast (both the Costa del Sol and the Costa de la Luz) there’s every beach pursuit imaginable, from sailing and windsurfing, diving and snorkelling to whale and dolphin watching.