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An oasis beyond Granada sprawl: find timelessness, authenticity and peace. Join Concha in the Slow life at her charming old cortijo

Past Granada’s edge-of-town urbanizations... what a treat to arrive. Kind artistic Concha and her mother make this place, and the big sprawling cortijo, full of faded grandeur, is hard to resist. Now the pigeon loft and fruit-drying tower have been transformed to make an atmospherically rustic-chic nest. Chunky wooden tables mix with crisp sofas, angle-poise lamps and über-cool dining chairs, and the lofty terrace is fringed with the tops of palms. The converted cattle sheds are simpler – expect austere iron bedheads and no-nonsense furniture – but all have wood-burning stoves, heated floors and well-equipped kitchens with charming hand-made tiles. Ceilings are high, walls thick and cool, and you may be offered products from this cooperative holding’s own <I>huerta ecológica<P>. It’s an outdoorsy place, one for summer – there’s no communal space, bar the large inner patio and delicious pool, and each apartment, lined by a wide circular path, has its own outdoor furniture. Live the Slow life – and when you’ve had enough of home cuisine, there’s an excellent <I>venta<P> nearby.