The bedrooms are located on the first floor, individually decorated in soft pastel colours and some with their original high, beamed ceilings. All have en-suite bath or shower rooms in delicate Granada tiles.

The Blue room is decorated in French powder blue and has twin beds which can be joined. The windows over look the pool on one side and the olive groves on the other.

The Rose room is twin bedded and has splended views of the village and hills beyond.

The Ochre room has antique twin beds and a spacious sitting area and has views of the terrace and orange groves below.

The double bedded Yellow room has a beamed ceiling and overlooks the rose filled patio below. An adjoining sitting room alongside (where an extra single bed can be accommodated, if required) makes this an ideal family suite.

One guest's comment was, "Light colours on the walls balance the dark impact of the old wooden beams. Airy rooms, flowers and the use of crisp fabrics and delicious bedlinen induce a lovely colonial atmosphere".

The wide, cobbled terrace at the front offers a cool, tranquil sitting area under the shade of the magnificent, gargantuan and very old Aleppo pine tree which rises high, high above the old farmhouse. Not only is it a magnificent tree, it also casts delightful, dappled shade over the terrace.

Just one of many superb outside spaces here, this is a great place to take drinks and tapas in the evening, watching the sun sinking slowly over distant mountains, casting its beautiful evening rays over the village in the valley below.

There are very pretty gardens too, which include a secluded, flower-filled furnished patio immediately behind the house which is a perfect spot to take your meals al fresco.

It's just a short stroll from here to Albuñuelas, a traditional little 'pueblo' with a population of just over 1,000 inhabitants.

Nestling into the hillside above the gorge of the Rio Santo - it enjoys a spectacular position at the head of the Lecrin Valley.

La Sierra de Albuñuelas rises up behind to 1.426 metres. The campesinos will be seen farming the surrounding terraces, as often as not with their mules in tow. The main crops here are citrus and semi tropical fruit, olives and almonds.

The name of the village derives from an Arab word meaning abundance - a fitting superlative for the surrounding orchards heavily laden with oranges, lemons, medlars, pomegranates, persimmons, custard apples, avocados and vines weighed down with grapes.

Some of the most dramatic views to be had anywhere in the valley are to be found here - bordered by the Sierra de Albuñuelas (where fugitives lived after the Spanish Civil War) and the Sierra de Guajar - with wonderful vistas across to the Alpujarras and the Sierra Nevada.

The land is replete with pines, olive trees, wild flowers, aromatic plants and natural springs. Thanks to its lush vegetation, the area is also a natural reserve for birds and animals such as pheasant and doves, rabbit, wild boar, deer and mountain goats.

The streets of Albuñuelas are redolent with the Moorish history of the area. Among the flower draped houses in the narrow cobbled streets you will find the remnants of a 14th century Arab tower, communal stone wash houses and elaborately tiled fountains, as well as a 17th century Archbishop's palace.

Life changes slowly here. The cavernous ground floors of the houses are still used to stable the mules and dogs, along with rabbits, turkeys, chickens and pigs at various times of the year.

The open top floors or 'miradors' are festooned with drying chillies and tomatoes at the end of the summer and hams and chorizo sausages being cured after the matanza - the killing of pigs in January.

These jostle for space with bougainvillea and jasmine tumbling over balustrades. On summer evenings neighbours sit on their doorsteps chatting happily and old men keep alive the craft of esparto grass weaving to make baskets and panniers for the mules.

Two bakeries deliver fresh bread and cakes each day and the fish vendor arrives with the morning's catch of fish, fresh from the Mediterranean.

There are several bars, mostly traditional, local establishments, a couple of small supermarkets, a pharmacy and a local doctor. On the last Thursday morning of each month there is a full street market selling everything from different types of olives to pots and pans. On other Thursdays it's a smaller affair.