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| Puente Nuevo, Ronda | |
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| Rustic Andalucian Rooftops | |
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| Typical Village Streets in Montejaque | |
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| A Montejaque Street | |
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| One of Many Side Streets, Ronda | |
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| The Bullring, Ronda | |
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| The Square, Ronda | |
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| Puente Nuevo, Ronda | |
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| Rustic Andalucian Rooftops | |
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| Typical Village Streets in Montejaque | |
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| A Montejaque Street | |
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| One of Many Side Streets, Ronda | |
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| The Bullring, Ronda | |
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| The Square, Ronda | |
The village of Montejaque is extremely picturesque, a typical ‘Pueblo Blanco’ nestling in the mountains. It centres around one road up to the church and square. Beyond this is a labyrinth of tiny steep streets and alleys mostly too narrow for cars, but a delight to explore on foot.
At first glance it seems a sleepy town with a few bars and restaurants, and maybe a shop or two, but dig a little deeper and the following can all be found: Bars, restaurants, a hotel, two banks, two shops for provisions, several smaller shops / kiosks, a bakery, a pharmacy, a medical centre, a post office, a walkers’ information centre, a hairdressers, and even a hardware shop! It is a very peaceful place, and very friendly, if you can’t find what you want, just ask… Or just settle down in the square with a good book and a drink, alongside the locals, and watch the village life go by…
Historic Ronda is fifteen minutes away, famed for it’s location perched high above a ravine, and full of Moorish influences in it’s architecture. It has the oldest bull ring in Spain, amongst it’s other attractions, and offers a wide range of opportunities for eating out and shopping.
The countryside in the region is stunning, there are numerous walks to follow, caves to scramble through, you can hire bikes, go horse riding nearby, or just meander the country roads discovering the many beautiful little villages, with churches, towers and ancient fortifications to view along the way. One of the most famous local villages still has houses built into the rock faces, so that inside you can still see that their ceilings are actually the roofs of the caves.
Granada with it’s famous Alhambra Palace is two and a half hours away, and you can even reach it from the tiny railway line (famed as ‘one of the prettiest rail journeys in Europe’) that runs from Granada down through Ronda to the coast at Algeciras. It stops in the next village down the valley from Montejaque, five minutes from the villa.
Three further beautiful cities are each an hour and a half away: Seville, Cadiz and Jerez. All are worth a visit and offer stunning architecture (especially Seville) and a real slice of Spanish life. Jerez means – and is the home of – sherry, and you can take tours around the beautiful old bodegas and enjoy tastings.
An hour or so away is the coast with it’s sandy beaches, it’s bustling towns and ports of Marbella and Malaga. Seek out the recently opened Picasso museum in the latter. Book a round of golf or visit a waterpark. Shopping is plentiful. It is very busy and offers a contrast from village life, but you can also find fantastic empty spaces to the west, on the Atlantic coast, which is windswept and is a favourite with surfers.
Further information on all these things can be found at the villa…