Traditional Holiday Homes: Visiting Old Spain
When you visit a nation with as much history wouldn't it be fascinating to actually spend your holiday in one of the old houses themselves? Well, it could be and should be, but you must be cautious together with your pick. A 400-year old house, yes, but not one with 400 year-old pipes or equally early bedsprings... Where are these venerable holiday homes? Where is the history? The clear answer is La Alpujarra in the Granada province of Andalucia, southern Spain's high mountain world. It may come as some surprise to those that know Spain and its particular neat, modern cityscapes to drive up the (good) mountain road that takes you up the warm southern flanks of Granada's Sierra Nevada and find yourself in small whitewashed hamlets that look as if time passed them by. The truth is the fact that La Alpujarra has always been a place that is traditionally poor. Had wealth being floating about decades ago, a lot of the houses here would happen to be torn down and reconstructed over. Indeed, there is an element of this going today, although there are strict rules about maintaining architectonic designs, with idiosyncratic chimneys and flat roofs. These go back to the times of the Moors, who took refuge after the fall of Granada in 1492 in La Alpujarra. It's no accident that dwellings bear a striking likeness to their own Berber counterparts a sierra occasionally observable from La Alpujarra across the Mediterranean Sea. The properties that interest us are the old houses which have been carefully saved from ruin and restored, but without jettisoning everything that gives them character and charm. Solid chestnuts beams and rafter-and-slate ceilings are not atypical, as are thick stone walls cool in summer, warm in winter. Open fireplaces or wood burning stoves will be the standard in chilly months, when snow coats the mountain backdrop, but Andalusian sun beats down powerful particularly in July and August and a cool interior is a blessing. In La Alpujarra, there are quite a number of these in the vacation rental marketplace. But if you are planning to rent one, be cautious! Many of these vacation home rentals can be a disappointment. They're simply too "genuine": austere, uncomfortable and poorly equipped and furnished. The best guarantee is to utilize an established holiday rental business which has done all the legwork for you, sorting the wheat from the chaff and ending up just with the quality properties. La Alpujarra is a wonderful holiday destination, with a quiet, conventional setting wonderful hiking, economical meals outside and delightful lodging: only be careful. Book direct with owners in the event you need to take a property with a good agency and have that guarantee of quality that could safeguard your vacation satisfaction, or take a chance and to save a couple of bucks.