Rural house

Renovated Spanish cortijo in small village of Félix, in the south east of Spain in the province of Almería.

Félix is a small traditional Spanish village and part of the Alpujarra Almeriense. It is a lovely village, 800m up in the mountains where you feel like you are far away from the hustle and bustle as it is so peaceful, even though the motorway and nearest retail park (Carrefour, Decathlon ..) are only a15 minute drive.

My house, `Cortijo los amigos`, is about 1km from the village with beautiful views of the mountains and the sea. The village itself has 2 small shops, a bakery, a few bars and restaurants and a large open air public swimming pool. There is a pretty town square where the church and the town hall can be found. It is a friendly village and full of life in the summer (August) especially during its 4 day fiesta, where it all happens: dancing, concerts, parades, games, open air cinema, food stalls, fireworks...I have wonderful neighbours who have been so very kind and welcoming (I`ve been here for 2 years now), of all nationalities.

My house is a small renovated cortijo. There is open plan living area, 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. Sleeps 4, and I have sofa beds if needed. I have quite a lot of land with almond and olive trees (you certainly won`t need to buy any olive oil!). Just outside the house I have a lovely terrace, and two more terraces down some steps. One hosts my summer chill area with sun loungers and a small rigid sided pool. Unfortunately the renovation and taxes ate up my pool money, but it does the trick when you need to cool down. There is also a wooden "chiringuito", which is basically a boy cave for my son. It needs some fixing up, but there is a double bed there, TV etc.

Aguadulce is the nearest coastal town and where I lived for 20+ years. Small and friendly. Popular in summer with Spanish families from cities in the North of Spain. Lovely beach with fabulous "chiringuitos" - beach restaurants. Marina is beautiful, with lots of lovely boats, bars and restaurants.


The capital city Almeria is a 30 mins drive along the coast and great for tapas in the evening. Very pretty and fab restaurants. Granada is just 2 hours by car: The Alhambra is a must-see. `El parque natural de Cabo de Gata, a protected coastal area is just along the coast - 30 mins/1 hour+ depending on where you go. In Cabo de Gata you can find stunning beaches, completely wild (and often empty - even in August).

The Alpujarra mountain region of both Almería and Granda are close and is great for hiking. There are many beautiful villages to visit. A must. You can be on the ski slopes of Sierra Nevada in under 2 hours - nice to get up early, ski all day and then come home for dinner. (In fact I am up here now to do some running and go up some 3000k mountains and enjoy the cold, in August!

If golf is your thing there is a course just 10 mins away by car.

Almeria Airport is a half hour drive away. More flights on offer to Malaga, Alicante, Granada and Murcia - which are all from 2 to 3 hours away. In the past I car swapped too.

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