Holiday Home/Apartment - 4 persons - Calle Ermita - 18412 - Bubión

THE PERFECT GETAWAY Casa Rosa is situated in the mountains in the heart of Spain's Sierra Nevada national park in Bubión - the middle of the three white villages of the Alpujarras. It is perfect for those wanting a mountain holiday with easy access to the coast and the Moorish City of Granada. These three white villages in the Poqueira Valley are the starting point of some of the very best walking routes Southern Spain has to offer. To the north of Bubión sits mainland Spain's highest mountain, Mulhacén, and its challenging neighbour, Veleta. For keen walkers, both can be conquered, or gentler river valleys throughout the Alpujarras can be enjoyed with their stunning waterfalls and picturesque footpaths. The area offers a broad range of activities including walking, mountain biking, paragliding, horse riding, canyon and rock climbing, painting, bird watching, relaxing and much more. THE APARTMENT The spacious open plan living, dining, kitchen area opens onto the covered terrace with spectacular views down the Poqueira Gorge. To the south there is the Sierra de Lujar and the Mediterranean sea. On a clear day (usually in winter light) you can see the silhouette of the Rif mountains in Africa, and even, occasionally ,the mountains of northern Morocco. The view to the north offers many of the peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Casa Rosa is a comfortable, two bedroom traditional Moorish building typical of the Alpujarras at the southern end of Bubión. All the amenities are on one floor and the apartment is well maintained. The kitchen is well equipped and has a gas hob, grill, microwave oven, large fridge/freezer and washing machine. There are plenty of plates, bowls, pans, glasses, cups, cutlery etc. available for your use. We will be happy to stock the fridge with essentials for you, at cost, for your arrival - just let us know what you require a few days in advance. There are two bedrooms, either both can be used as doubles or one can be arranged as a twin bedded room. Both have plenty of wardrobe space. Linen, including towels is all provided, but not pool or beach towels. The bathroom has a bath with shower overhead, wash basin and WC. A hairdryer is provided. The holiday apartment benefits from the shared use of a pool and patio for sun bathing. The pool is open from mid June to mid September. Opening hours are morning and late afternoon with the pool closed early afternoon which is siesta time . There is a very efficient wood burning stove in the lounge along with central heating for the winter months. Wood for the fire can be purchased locally (at the supermarket, for instance). For your safety, the apartment is fitted with smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and there is a regular serviced fire extinguisher in place. No pets allowed out of respect for visitors with animal hair etc intolerance. ACTIVITIES AND PLACES OF INTEREST Many activities can be enjoyed here , especially walking, mountain biking, paragliding, horse riding, canyon and rock climbing, painting, bird watching, relaxing and much more. Qualified guides or teachers can be arranged for all of these pursuits. There are maps and guide books in the apartment for your use. Walking Holidays in Las Alpujarras The Alpujarras are amongst the best walking areas Spain can offer. Whether it be high altitude treks, a guided walk to include reaching the peak of Mulhacén (3479 metres - the highest peak in mainland Spain) and the high mountain lakes, or a circular walk from our apartment, walking across mountain streams, passing traditional farms and ending up for a leisurely lunch in the village. The GR-7 (a long distance footpath running from Athens to Algeciras) crosses through the area. Walking can be enjoyed all year. The area offers a lot of marked routes and tracks starting with 1-2 hours for a walk, to visit three of the beautiful white villages of the Poqueira Gorge: Pampaneira, Bubión and Capileira. Most routes are well sign posted and there are a number of useful walking guidebooks available for guests to use in the apartment. Horse Riding in the National Park Horseriding in the Las Alpujarras with Dallas Love is a great way to see the stunning scenery. Anything from a two hour gentle trek to a full day or several days excursion with lunch, can be arranged. The treks are suitable for competent to experienced riders but shorter rides can be arranged for the less experienced. The rides follow ancient bridle paths and drovers routes, dating back to the Moorish occupation and before. Many of these paths have been in use for a thousand years or more, as have the terraces and irrigation channels that can be seen along the way. Mountain biking and cycling A fabulous activity for those looking for an adventure in the high mountains. Cycling around the Sierra Nevada Natural Park can be enjoyed all year round. The Alpujarras range from almost sea level up to the high mountains Mulhacén and Pico de Veleta and there are road, off road and high mountain touring routes available. There is an excellent bike hire and repair shop (Alpujarra Bikes) in Bubión who can advise on routes and arrange guides, if required. Art in the Alpujarras Many artists, inspired by the landscape, have made this area their home. Their work can often be seen in local exhibitions and visits to their workshops or studios can be arranged. For anyone interested, it is sometimes possible to arrange tuition. Skiing in the Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada mountain ski area is about one and a half hours drive from Bubión and usually has good snow conditions from November to April. The season might vary due to extreme climate conditions in a particular year, but you can count on good snow conditions for at least 5 months per year. The ski resort with lifts, telemark, cabins and about 60 km of prepared ski courses, opens usually mid November and closes, depending on snow conditions, April or May. Ski instruction with professional tutor for all levels of skiing skills is easily arranged. Ski gear can be hired in any of the ski shops in the resort. Alahambra The world famous Alhambra is a sight not to be missed and was a finalist to become one of The New 7 Wonders of the World in 2007. It is one of the most visited places in Spain and, being so popular, we highly recommend you book tickets in advance. Granada Other places to visit in Granada are the Cathedral and the Albaicín – Granada's Moorish Quarter with fantastic shops and ancient streets. The Science Park and the Aqua Park are highly recommended for children. Turismo de Granada produce a great little booklet called 'weekend' which is available at the airports. It shows you the many interesting places to visit throughout the province of Granada. Costa Tropical The Costa Tropical is an hour's drive from Bubión and is a perfect day out. The closest beaches are those of Motril, Almuñecar and Salobreña. In 70 minutes you can be sitting on the beach of Salobreña ordering sardines that have been cooked on the beach. Along the coast are the resorts of Almuñécar and La Herradura. La Herradura (named The Horseshoe because of its shape) probably has the best beaches and good restaurants. Just next to La Herradura is the nudist beach Playa de Cantarriján. Other places worth a visit Lanjarón, a spa since Roman times, with its soothing waters. La Taha villages including Pitres, Mecina, Fondales and Ferreriola. Trevélez – famed for its ham and being the highest village in mainland Spain. Yegen – the home of Gerald Brenan who wrote the brilliant description of life in Las Alpujarras in the 1920's – 'South from Granada'. Some aspects of life in the Alpujarras have not changed since that time. The apartment is well situated for those looking to view or purchase property in the surrounding area of the Alpujarras, Granada and Andalucia. TRANSPORT Airports Granada/Jaén International Airport is located approximately 80 km (a little over an hour's drive) from Bubión and has flights from around Europe. Malaga airport is just over two hours from Bubion and Almeria is around two and a quarter hours. Car Hire Although a car is not essential, it is recommended. The best deals on car hire change from season to season. DoYouSpain are brokers for many car hire companies. Trains Trains throughout Spain can be booked through Renfe. For travellers from Northern Europe there are fast trains from Paris to Madrid. Granada has the nearest train station to Bubion; from there you can travel by bus or taxi to Bubion , or we can arrange for you to be picked up. Buses ALSA is the bus company for this area and they have a good web site listing bus times. There are three buses daily between Granada bus station and Bubión plus a regular bus service from Granada airport to Granada bus station. ALSA also have a service that runs between Bubión and Órgiva, the local market town, on Thursdays - market day. There is also a bus service between Bubión and Trevélez, the highest village in mainland Spain and other villages in the Alpujarras. TESTIMONIALS We stayed in this apartment for 3 weeks and found that it was very well equipped, clean and exactly as the pictures showed. The rooms stayed cool enough to sleep comfortably at night. The views from the terrace are stunning and we loved watching the clouds roll up the mountain side and disappear before our eyes. I was very impressed... Susan S The apartment is stunning, set in the most beautiful surroundings with the most amazing views. We felt very "at home" here. Casa Rosa had everything we could ask for; it was clean, comfortable, the internet worked well and I cannot think of a better way to start the day than breakfast on the balcony looking across La Alpujarra. Anadi T VTAR/GR/01082

No youth groups.