Owners overview
Where is it?
The house is situated in the old part of Colmenar just off Calle Iglesia. Colmenar is a traditional Andalusian "white village" (pueblo blanco) with almonds and olives as the main agriculture. It has a population of around 3500 people. The old part of the village is a 5 minute walk from the centre up a steep hill. There is parking in front of the property which is shared with neighbours.
What's it like?
Downstairs it has a through lounge-dining area, a further small lounge/bedroom, internal patio, kitchen and bathroom. The back door leads out onto the covered terrace and garden with views towards the Montes de Malaga. The dining table seats 8/9 people.
Upstairs there are 3 double bedrooms and a further bathroom. There is an additional small room which will take the single sofa bed. Using the futon and the single sofa bed, the house will sleep 9 people.
The garden comprises 6 terraces: a covered area outside the back door, a tiled sun terrace below, 3 further gravelled terraces and finally a tiled lower sun terrace. There are citrus trees, and a garden shower for cooling off.
The Village
This is real Spain! Colmenar is a working Spanish village with all that means in terms of being laid back , but with friendly people. Although there are some English people living in and around the village, Spanish is spoken first and foremost. Colmenar makes you slow down your pace of life! It's hot in the summer and the siesta is still taken from 2pm until 5pm during which time shops are closed (but the bars are open! It is not unusual to hear and see herds of goats around the village, men on horseback or leading their donkeys to and from the fields. People normally start work around 7am and are not averse to blowing their car horns to tell their colleagues they are outside the house to take them to work! Men congregate on street corners or around the village well, and the women congregate in the local shops which can mean a long wait at the till! But hey, you're on holiday! There is a new Dia supermarket as you come into the village if you don't want to compete with the village gossip! It is not always easy to spot the shops (or, indeed, some of the bars) because they look like someone's house, but you can buy most things. The Coviran are the equivalent of our Spar and are always much bigger than they look! Local prices are often cheaper than the large supermarkets on the coast, especially the fruit and veg from the Thursday market.
If you're looking for "Britsville", forget it. This is Spain!