by Andrew H Brown

Created on: November 08, 2009

After we had tramped the streets of Cordoba's Juderia to dust, our next port of call was Granada and the much vaunted, and possibly vaulted, Alhambra. Well, that's not exactly true. We reckoned that a couple of days of relentless sightseeing in Cordoba followed by more of the same in Granada might just be overload. We therefore decided to rest up somewhere between for a day and do nothing much but lie by the pool.

The hotel we found was conveniently situated a short drive from both cities and lies in, or more accurately, near a samll village called Zagrilla in a beautifully scenic area of the Sierra Magina Natural Park close to the town of Priego de Cordoba. It's not quite the middle of nowhere...it's about 7km west.
It's not a place that's well served by public transport, in fact it's not all that well served by decent roads either and, were it not for the multitude of small signposts which guide the unwary stranger through the myriad junctions on the narrow country roads, it would remain forever hidden and un-reviewed.

It's not your usual hotel building, that's for sure. I think it must have been a farmhouse at one time - it certainly gave me that impression. The main building (which has been extended) houses the reception and public buildings - restaurants, bar, many courtyards and meeting rooms etc. Around this there are extensive gardens and terraces adorned with fountains and water channels, with a large swimming pool affording wonderful views of the surrounding olive tree-lined hills to one side, and dramatic, craggy mountains to the other.

The hotel's accommodation is built into the hillside below the gardens and pool area and is designed to resemble a typical Andalucian village, which it does quite effectively. Each room is designed as a small house (some of the rooms are in fact villas with 2/3 bedrooms and their own pools). There are 4 or 5 streets and no two buildings are exactly the same. Water is channeled throughout the streets, with some fountains at certain focal points and a couple of fish ponds just to add a bit of wildlife to the scene. There are an abundance of flower-filled hanging baskets and pots everywhere and all the rooms have balconies or patios.

Check-in was relatively easy, although a trainee dealt with us and there were one or two mix-ups. However, another member of staff was on hand to oversee the situation and we were soon in possession of our room key.
The reception area was bright and airy, with a few sofas conveniently

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>