We can’t quite believe how much time has passed since our last blog post, and so much has happened. We are also almost half way through 2021 and I think we’d all agree that this year has not been much better than last, but we have to remain optimistic.

For us, the period since 28th April has seen a fair amount of progress in the right direction, and so we thought we’d provide a bit of a catch-up.

Vaccinations

Clearly, 2021 has been all about vaccinations and the freedoms that come with the protection that the vaccinations will bring.

A month or so ago, we managed to get signed up to the Spanish public healthcare system as we are both registered as self-employed here and we pay into the social security system. Within a week or so, I was notified of my appointment for the first Covid-19 vaccination, and then three weeks after the first jab I received my second with very few adverse side effects. Andrew has his appointment this coming Tuesday and there is some discussions as to whether he will get the Pfizer vaccine, like me, or the single-dose Janssen; we will see.

We both feel enormously relieved and very grateful that the healthcare system here has been so efficient and straightforward, particularly once the initial European supply chain issues were resolved. During the past month or so, we have also been tremendously impressed with the rapidity with which the Andalucian regional government has reacted to any spikes in infection rates. At the merest sniff of an infection, municipalities were closed for two weeks, including our own. Although we didn’t have any infections in our village, there were one or two within the parish, and visitors were simply not allowed in for those 2 weeks of perimeter closures. This action, in conjunction with the vaccine roll-out, has done a huge amount to reduce infection rates across the country and has provided the basis on which we all feel that we are regaining our freedoms to go about our business.

Going about our business

Finally, we can start to welcome guests!

Our Granada Concierge Cultural and Creative holidays have taken a huge battering over the past 15 months. Last year’s courses were, of course, all rescheduled and we had hoped to start these again this spring. Of course, this didn’t quite happen and the programme has been shifted, for the most part, to the second half of this year.

We did, however, manage to host our long weekend of Botanical Watercolour Painting with our friend and incredibly talented artist, Jessica Shepherd. Normally, a course with Jess as the tutor would be massively over-subscribed, but none of the guests from the UK could come, but we were able to welcome guests from Portugal and Switzerland. After so many months of not being able to run these courses, it was an opportunity for Andrew and I to get back into the routine and we had a wonderful few days. The guests were fabulous, and had waited patiently for the opportunity to come and paint here in rural Spain for almost two years - they made their original reservations back in 2019!

Our guests and tutors have exclusive access to 1,340 m2 (almost 14,500 sq feet) of accommodation and studio space - a rural, 10-bedroom hotel to ourselves for the duration of each course. Andrew and I do the catering and do our very best to make sure our guests feel safe, well-looked-after and have plenty of time to be creative! For this, our first course, our guests stayed with us at Casa Higueras, and then we took the leisurely stroll to the studios for each day of painting. It would be hard to find a more peaceful, inspiring and tranquil re-introduction to the world of cultural travel, and we can’t wait for the arrival of our guests on the remainder of this year’s courses.

Reviews from the course:

“Magic in Moclín
Casa Higueras really is a little corner of heaven. Tucked away in Moclin - a pretty village 40 minutes drive from Granada - this gorgeous home is complimented by breath-taking views of mountains & valleys. Owners Ian & Andrew - & Alfie the terrier with attitude - were a joy - I felt right at home from the minute I arrived. How I stumbled across this gem was through booking one of the cultural courses Ian & Andrew put on throughout the year - namely the all-inclusive botanical watercolour painting or flamenco classes. I highly recommend this experience - it is special. You get to meet artists who are top of their game & happy to share their talents. Or you can simply book a few days here walking in the area, there is much to choose from. Ian and Andrew's cheerful hospitality is second to none - the food is all lovingly homemade & the accommodation leaves nothing wanting - apart from wanting to rush back for more!”
“Dreamlike
I went to Casa Higueras for a full board watercolour painting course.
Actually, I should be able to give 6 *. It was perfect from A to Z. The house is modern-traditional, tasteful and very cozy. Super clean with a fantastic view over Granada and Sierra Nevada. The food was gourmet and prepared and served with great care. Ian and Andrew made me feel very welcome from the start. You have the perfect blend between closeness, cordiality, openness and 'leave alone'. I will definitely come back. Thank you for the wonderful time with you.”

Reservations at Casa Higueras have also started to materialise once again, with guests from across Spain, and more bookings coming in from other parts of mainland Europe.

Our own little getaway

After so long living under some sort of restriction, we both felt the need for a little break so took the chance of a few days away on the gorgeous Cabo de Gata.

We have written about this area before, as we stayed there 4 years ago, almost to the day! The last time we went, we stayed in a charming bed and breakfast in Níjar, set inland from the coast, so this time we thought we’d like to be as close to the sea as possible. We had been charmed by the village of Agua Amarga 4 years ago, so decided to stay in the Hotel Tio Kiko a mere 150 metres from the beach. A balcony with sea views, a swimming pool and a quick trot to the shore were all the prerequisites we had.

So out of touch with the idea of holidays were we, that it took some time for us to remember what to do. We spent the first afternoon panicking about what to fit in, and it took a whole day on the beach, reading, snoozing in the sun and having dips in the warm sea to remember that we were there to relax.

The Cabo de Gata is a wonderful natural park in Almería - a coastline of dramatic, rugged and wild beauty, punctuated by little bays and sandy beaches. Such is the barren glory of this area that it has been used many times as the location for film and TV. Ray Winstone’s character in the film “Sexy Beast” lived in a villa just above Agua Amarga. James Bond, Indiana Jones and The Terminator have all been seen on beaches along the coast.

On our drive back from one of the more southerly beaches, we discovered the delightful little village of La Isleta del Moro to find another TV crew on the beach. We sat on the terrace of a bar, right beside the sea, watching crew and cast busying themselves over a scene that involved a feather being blown by the breezes…

These little villages, with their white-cube buildings, are so reminiscent of the Greek islands that it was very easy for us to believe that we had travelled much further than the 2.5 hour drive to get there.

Our recommendations from this trip to the Cabo de Gata:

Agua Amarga

We stayed at the Hotel Tio Kiko, and had a wonderfully relaxing time. There are several very comfortable boutique hotels around Agua Amarga, but this was the closest to the beach. Warm, friendly service, great views, hearty breakfasts and a very enjoyable dinner one evening, on the terrace beside the pool.

El Descorche

Our hotel receptionist, on our arrival, gave us some recommendations for places to eat, and his suggestions were spot on. Our favourite was this little wine cellar - ostensibly a shop with a bar and a lovely owner! The wine we sampled and consumed was delicious, and we sat at tables outside watching the bustle of village life, with the comings-and-goings of Spanish people who were having their own little holidays by the sea.

El Beach

This very smart chiringuito, at one end of the beach, was a glorious surprise that we left until our very last day. The bar is run by the Real Agua Amarga Hotel and Real Las Villas and has a terrace shaded by palm trees beneath which there is assembled an eclectic blend of chic beach furniture, and the menu has been very well designed to tempt visitors with delicious seaside snacks and larger plates of freshly prepared food. Everything about this bar had been carefully thought through and it was rather difficult to leave.

Southerly beaches

Just to the south of San José, there is a stretch of coastline with some of the best beaches we have seen. Strangely, we had visited this area on our previous visit could barely remember a thing about it. A fee of €5 per car is payable to take the track to access the beaches, but if you are looking for a perfect beach day, then this price is well worth paying. Take a picnic and just relax. The main beaches are Playa de los Genoveses, Playas de Barronal and Playa de Monsul. These bays have gloriously sandy beaches that slope gently into crystal-clear, warm water and at either end the rocky, volcanic tumbling headlands provide great snorkelling opportunities.

Due to the prevailing conditions, there were very few people around. We heard very few non-Spanish voices, and yet Agua Amarga had a very welcome bustle about it. There was a sense of optimism, we felt, and everyone was doing their utmost to provide memorable experiences (for the right reasons). As soon as we got home, we were already planning a return visit.

To find out more about the walking routes, beaches, how to get there and much more, visit the Nijar tourism website

In the meantime, we are looking forward so much to guests returning to Moclín, where the rural beauty of our own corner of Spain is the best conceivable restorative after such a long period of restraint.