Pinos del Valle:
Pinos del Valle is a quiet village, divided into the Barrio Alto (upper quarter) and Barrio Bajo (lower quarter), where Casa Eladio is situated close to the village square, manor house and medieval church. The village has a bank with a cash machine, a pharmacy, a bakers', several small supermarkets and three bars, all a short walk from the house. There is a larger supermarket and a more comprehensive range of shops in the town of Dúrcal, and a number of restaurants in surrounding villages, all within 15 minutes drive. Granada has two hypermarkets and major stores (such as El Corte Ingles) a short distance from the A44 motorway that skirts the western side of the city. There are also hypermarkets in Motril and Salobreña near the coast.
Granada:
Granada is a fascinating, bustling city and can be reached by car in less than half an hour. Granada survived under Muslim rule until 1492 - almost 250 years after most of Spain had been conquered by the Christians. The Alhambra palace, built by the last Moorish rulers in Spain in the 13th and 14th centuries, dominates the centre and must be visited for its architecture, gardens, fountains and pools. Adjacent to the palace are the steep narrow streets of the Moorish Albaicin quarter of the city.
Skiing and Walking:
Our house is about 1 hour by road from Sol y Nieve, Europe's southernmost ski resort and site of the 1996 World Championships. The resort overlooks the city of Granada and has a mixture of slopes for different abilities. English language ski lessons are available.
In the summer it is also possible to walk from the ski resort to the peak of Veleta and on to Mulhacén, the highest peak in the Sierra Nevada and in mainland Spain at 3,483 metres. Further excellent walking is available on the southern side of the range in the Alpujarra, including the GR7 long distance path. We have provided a range of large scale maps and walking guides in the house. We may be able to arrange escorted walking trips on request.