CHILLING OUT

above the snow line in the Sierra Nevada

DESPITE the start of 2023 being unseasonably warm, the mercury plummeted in mid-January and it has stayed there with more snow forecast in the hills this week.

After a string of cold weather warnings, locals and expats alike have been deploying thick blankets, padded coats and fighting an urge to hibernate. Those of you with wood burning stoves or open fireplaces have been racing through the logs. Mountainous areas, such as the Serrania de Ronda, Axarquia and Alpujarras, frequently experience minus zero temperatures and with many expats choosing to live in the campo and frequently at altitude, there are plenty of daily challenges.

I’ll always remember a visit to Granada in the winter in 2003 (as will many of you to Ronda) when I found the pervading cold creeping right into my bones. So why on earth did I end up living on an isolated farm at 1,700m in the Sierra Nevada?

Charming as it is in Spring and Summer, in winter the property is above the snowline and the nighttime temperature regularly plummets to MINUS 8 degrees!

Simon Hunter simon@theolivepress.es

Alex Trelinski alex@theolivepress.es

Cristina Hodgson cristina@theolivepress.es

Walter Finch walter@theolivepress.es

OFFICE MANAGER Héctor Santaella (+34) 658 750 424 accounts@ theolivepress.es

DISTRIBUTION ENQUIRIES (+34) 951 273 575 distribution@ theolivepress.es

NEWSDESK: 0034 951 273 575

For all sales and advertising enquiries please contact 951 27 35 75

HEAD OFFICE

Carretera Nacional 340, km 144.5, Calle Espinosa 1, Edificio cc El Duque, planta primera, 29692, Sabinillas, Manilva

That’s fine with the wood burning stove in the lounge, but as soon as you venture into the bedrooms or bathroom you’re hit by an icy blast of cold, with the thin walls providing poor insulation. Living this high can really affect your daily routine. Any water lying static overnight will freeze – including, on one recent occasion, water in the kitchen sink. Forget your morning shower or using the washing machine when it’s minus zero. The water supply is frozen until the midday sun defrosts the outdoor pipes. It’s detrimental to personal hygiene, although some mountain dwellers will happily remain unwashed, even for a fortnight particularly as laundry ends up frozen on the washing line. And remember, if you buy butane gas, be aware that it freezes at 0C, while propane freezes at -44C. Buy the wrong type and your gas appliances simply won’t work. I’ve been there.

Motoring is also a challenge above the snowline. To drive safely, you need a 4×4 with tyres made for tarmac and off-road. In the morning, you’ll sometimes find your car doors are frozen shut and thick frost always needs removing from the windscreen. The starter motor also might be reluctant, and batteries can suddenly die. Other dangers include black ice – this is far from fun when going downhill. There is also frequent fog.

Really chilling out

Andalucia’s coldest village is Di lar, situated at 878m on the west flank of the Sierra Nevada by the Rio Dí lar. The village has 1,500 inhabitants, called Dilareños. An unspoilt destination, without too many obvious tourists, it offers a hotel, campsite, riding stable and mountain trails. So, why is it so cold?

According to last winter’s weather statistics, the village frequently sees icy temperatures of between -9 and -12C. This is

The high life - the easy way!

To get a flavour of the High Life - Andalucian style - head up to Trevelez, the second highest village in Spain at 1,476m. It’s famed for its cured ham, as well as its ascents to Mulhacen, the Iberian peninsula’s highest peak. Trevelez residents live on the snowline and they are used to the white stuff in winter. In fact, they love it.

As mayor Adrian Gallegos told the Olive Press: “Being on the snowline is wonderful. It’s very cold but it offers a wonderful landscape and we really enjoy snowy days – especially the village children.” despite being at a medium altitude.

When there are serious white outs, the snow ploughs arrive quickly to restore access.

Years ago, I got stuck in the Hotel Alcazaba de Buquístar, because our van couldn’t drive up the steep exit slope, which was covered in 10 cm of snow.

Eventually a snowplough arrived to liberate the trapped cars.

Rick, a Brit who has lived in Dilar for many years, and divides his time between there and sunny California, says: “It’s not a particularly high village but we had -17C one year and maybe the cold air gets pushed down into the valley.”

By Walter Finch

IT was marketed to high-earners from Northern Europe as the opportunity to come and live the Spanish dream.

To escape the dreary weather and own a luxury villa on a coastline that gets over 300 days of sunshine a year.

Buyers who dreamt of packing their lives up and moving to the Costa del Sol were lured in with glossy promotions and slick computer-generated images of ultra-modern glass homes perched on hillsides above the sea.

Founded in 2017 with just a dozen employees, the rapid expansion of Otero Group, the company responsible for making these dreams a reality, understandably raised eyebrows.

Starting on the Costa del Sol, by 2022, they claimed to be opening developments all around Spain, including the Balearics, Madrid and Alicante, with half a billion euros under management and more than 130 employees - plus a whole constellation of suppliers and contractors.

Its owner Ruben Otero coined the slogan ‘Focus on Excellence’ and described this breakneck growth as ‘meaningful’ and ‘sustainable’. He also listed his company values as ‘transparent, agile and results-oriented.’

The problem is the recent results can only be described as poor, at best, as the company suspended all developments and looked to be heading towards bankruptcy.

An employee in its head office in Marbella told the Olive Press this week that ‘all projects had been suspended 10 days ago’.

Neither she, nor the main sales agent in the Manilva area, could explain what had happened or indeed when construction would begin again. In the words of agent Mario, is also ‘in limbo’.

Taking Manilva as a snapshot of the developments that Otero has been working on over the last few years, things are not looking rosy.

Dozens of units were planned overlooking Duquesa Port in a giant valley scheme dubbed by a marketing wizard as ‘the Duquesa Valley’ in 2021. Next door, came La Paloma, then Don Amaro and finally the Oceanic scheme, with its 24 stunning individual homes, each costing between €1.3 and €1.8million.

Come early 2022, Otero announced that some of the homes were finished and ready to be lived in.

But when the excited Brits, Belgians and Scandina-