Los Gázquez – Andalucia – Spain
Cortijada Los Gázquez is set in the heart of the 56,000 acre ‘Parque Natural Sierra María-Los Vélez’, in the north of the province of Almería, in Andalucía, Spain.
Above Alicante into the mountains – if you like being 1000m up and a wonderful drive down to the nearest village then this is the place for you! Superb location for artists and not to mention wonderful food.
Cortijada Los Gazguez is the perfect place for exploring my creativity away from it all, in a restful and relaxing environment, where all meals are catered for and Donna and Simon, our hosts are alwasy on hand to look after everyone. Their house is incredible, full of beautiful artworks and books, relaxed and tasteful.
What people are saying about Los Gazquez….
‘Donna’s food is absolutely delicious and the week passed by like a dream, breathing in the cool mountain air and thinking about nothing except art and the natural environment around me.
As a result of Simons exceptional tuition I am now studying Fine Arts full time, so the week was also a turning point in my life. I plan to return with my partner, I am forever grateful that I had the courage to travel alone to such a wonderful place. Donna and Simon can be very proud of their achievements.’
‘My stay at Cortijada Los Gazquez was one of the most memorable travel experiences of my life (I write Lonely Planet guidebooks so I don’t say that lightly) – I was utterly enchanted by the stunningly designed house, the beautiful setting. We stayed as guests and spent our days exploring the immediate countryside on foot or striking out to various towns, national parks, historical sites and one big day trip to Grenada. We then returned each night to a delicious feast and convival table, and the silence and peace of the valley. It was a wonderful family holiday but also would be a romantic escape for a couple, or a relaxing, thoughtful retreat for a solo traveller. I’ve vowed to return to do a painting or drawing week and was thankful to have discovered a beautiful, very untouristed, part of Spain I might not otherwise have visited.’
BOOK NOW FOR LOUISE BALAAM’S LANDSCAPE PAINTING WEEK SEPTEMBER 2017
Wi-Fi available.
Address
Vélez Blanco 04830
AlmerÃa
Spain
Directions
By Plane
Our closest airports are Alicante, Murcia (San Javier), AlmerÃa and Granada. These are all around two hours away from Los Gázquez.
International flights are most commonly into Madrid and we would recommend that you transfer for Granada.
British Airways are flying to Granada from London City Airport (follow this link ). Highly recommended.
By Train
RENFE are the Spanish train operators. For more personal information we recommend ‘The Man in Seat Sixty One’ . Our closest main train stations are Lorca or Murcia.
To get to Los Gázquez by train you can depart via Alicante or Murcia and your destination is Lorca via the‘cercanÃas’ .
By Coach
ALSA are the main coach operator in Spain.
By Taxi
Transfers by taxi can be arranged with prior notification.
By Car
Often the cheapest and most convenient way to get to Los Gázquez from the airport is to hire a small car.
From Vélez Rubio to Los Gázquez
- From Velez Rubio drive to Velez Blanco taking the first turn into the village.
- Follow the lane through the village until you come to the ‘Visitor’s Centre’ on your left.
- Take the first turn on your right near a bus stop and signs for ‘Almohallas, Las Juntas y Cueva Ambrosio’.
- At this point it is a good idea to set your distance to zero on your vehicle.
- At the first fork, take the left turn to ‘zona de acampada’.
- Follow the tarmac covered road.
- After 1.6 km pass the new cemetery on your right.
- After 3.5 km pass a sign on your left for ‘Cortijo Rio Claro’.
- After 5.26 km pass a shrine to the ‘Virgen del Camino’ on the left.
- At 8.5 km you will come to a five way junction. Take the first right signposted ‘senderos’ leaving the tarmac. From here on it’s a gravel road.
- At 10.9 km pass a turning on your left signposted ‘La Hoya’.
- At 11.5 km the road forks. Take the lefthand road signposted ‘senderos’ and ‘Larga’, ‘inicio norte’.
- At 13.1 km take the left hand turning signposted ‘Cortijada Los Gázquez’.
- You have reached your destination.
Parking
Free plentiful parking is available at Los Gázquez
Accommodation
The interior has uncomplicated luxury with minimal design. The sitting room is sixteen meters long with a large library of art books at your disposal as well as lots of comfortable places to curl up. The cortijada has under floor heating throughout maintaining beautiful warm winter temperatures.
Each bedroom has an attached bathroom each with a generous shower area. The bedrooms are at the front of the building, the bathrooms to the rear. This allows for gentle cross ventilation in summer. Our mattresses are deep and comfortable. The only sounds in the silence of night are the hoots of owls. And there is no light pollution so the night sky is full of stars.
