Travel Guides: All Countries / Europe / Spain / Costa Tropical - Granada / GRANADA
 |  | Travel Reviews : GRANADA |
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| | | | Beyond the Alhambra
No sooner had I pointed out the Plaza de Toros than a uniformed man on a moped pulled alongside the car, flipped up his helmet visor and gesticulated for us to wind down the window.
'Are you lost?' he asked. We nodded. 'Pull over,' he ordered. 'I'll help you.' I know, I know. If the uniform had been bogus and he'd pulled a knife, it would have served us right. Except that pinned to his breast pocket was a Tourist Information badge - which thankfully was genuine.
As he pored over a map, indicating the pedestrian-only zone encircling the city centre, he explained that in Granada a fleet of information officers scour the streets for tourists to assist.
The Alhambra was our principal reason to visit Granada. The red fortress, which stands atop Sabika Hill in the Sierra Nevada, is recognised as the most important medieval citadel in the Western world.
There is no 'must-do' tourist agenda here, so visits to the Sacromonte and the Federico Garcia Lorca Museum (he was executed during the Spanish Civil War), and the chance to potter about ancient chapels and convents, were an added treat.
What our helpful information officer omitted to tell us was that while the Alhambra appears to be a breezy stroll from the central Plaza del Carmen, it isn't. There are plenty of buses and taxis going up there, but we zig-zagged up the road to the summit.
Once inside, the maze of fortresses is mightily impressive, looming over Granada to the south and the Sierra Nevada to the east. Centuries of fortifying, intricate masonry, sculptures and ornate paintings meant meandering in and out of the complex took most of the day.
The chance to study Granada from a height draws most tourists to the outer walls of the Alcazaba. Below sits the cathedral and to the west is the Albayzin, the whitewashed old gipsy quarter, where residents still talk of going 'down' to Granada, so precarious is the descent.
Looking down on a jumble of Seventies blocks alongside monuments such as the Cuarto Real (a 13th-century royal retreat), the city is an architectural shambles - which isn't surprising: the Romans, Iberians, Barbarians, Berbers and Moors all left their cultural marks.
Granada has an unpretentious, careworn appearance, and its half-hearted infiltration by tourists has yet to make any real impact on its centre. Perhaps the relaxed atmosphere is due to its thriving student population of 60,000.
Granada
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| | | | Far from dozy
After the Alhambra, we headed for the 15th-century Renaissance cathedral, to catch the sunset bouncing through stained glass in the high ceilings and on to the bright, whitewashed walls.
In the shadows of the cathedral in Plaza Bib-Rambla are some excellent dress and shoe shops, and places to eat - I tried a local dish, tortilla sacromonte (a local variation on Spanish omelette), and a delicious bizzocho aleman (a hefty almond cake).
I had naively anticipated the cobbled old streets to be frozen in an idyllic past, and my camera was ready to snap gossiping widows dressed in black, their faces as wizened as olive tree trunks.
In reality, Granada was far from dozy, with everything from olive oil factories to combine harvesters working the fields, and a regional airport, it had a progressive air.
In search of a more scenic retreat, we drove south for 45 minutes - where, tucked in among the knobbly hills of a thousand-acre estate, is the Hotel La Bobadilla.
With its whitewashed hacienda and 16th-century chapel, somehow it has managed to pull off the informal Moorish village look without seeming cutely over-designed.
I scanned the guest book and noticed an abundance of anniversary and wedding guests (it hosts an incredible 66 Japanese weddings a year).
Guests who had brought dogs were walking out in the almond tree orchards, the dogs trying to snuffle out wild rabbits. Without another house for miles around, birdsong was the only sound.
The greatest compliment for La Bobadilla came from former Python Michael Palin.
'I would never recommend this place,' he announced to a horrified manager, before adding: 'I don't want the British coming here.'
Sorry, Mr Palin.
TRAVEL DETAILS:
The Mediterranean Experience offers breaks at the Hotel La Bobadilla tel: 020 8445 6000
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| | Available rental properties in GRANADA |
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| |  | | La Alcandora
Cosy apartment(60m2), situated in an old renovated premises, with 3 other apartments and a communal, not covered indoor hall in the heart of Granada.
|  | | Albariza
City apartment (50 m2) located in the Albayzín district at the feet of the Alhambra in Granada. The XVIth century building in Arabic style is a restor
|  | | Albariza
City apartment (50 m2) located in the Albayzín district at the feet of the Alhambra in Granada. The XVIth century building in Arabic style is a restor
|  | | Mirador
City apartment (50 m2) with private terrace located in the Albayzín district at the feet of the Alhambra in Granada. The XVIth century building in Ara
|  | | Mirador
City apartment (50 m2) with private terrace located in the Albayzín district at the feet of the Alhambra in Granada. The XVIth century building in Ara
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