Special Places to Stay - More than a bed for the night

The tarmac road ends and the bumpy old climb begins, up and away into the Alpujarras... to reach the award-winning finca, a low-slung set of stone peasant buildings among ancient olive groves, surrounded on every side by mountain views, overlooking the river Guadalfeo. It’s hard to find fault with the environmental credentials of Jeanette and Russell’s genuinely 'off grid' finca: lighting in the two comfortable, low-key casitas is solar; the interiors are sweetly decked in local furniture (including lovely eucalyptus beds); paints are natural mineral washes; water is from the spring. Stones gathered from the river below the house are used inside and out, and they have stuck doggedly to the local recipe for the ceilings, made from river reed (dehusked by hand!) and waterproofed with locally found launa. Everything has been done economically, painstakingly, but comfort hasn’t suffered: find log-burners, solar power fans, crisp linen on generous beds. Birds chirrup, goat bells jingle; the pool is delicious, the terraces spectacular and the night skies shine with a plethora of stars.