Olvera:
The people are very friendly and welcoming, the ladies on our street are great and always up for a chat should you want to practise your Spanish.There is everything that you could possibly need in Olvera i.e banks, supermarkets etc. and there is a market every Saturday.This is the real Spain where Siesta is strictly observed between 2-5pm.Lunch is from 2pm, dinner- most restaurants start filling up around 9pm but you can order much later if you like. Some bars don't start to get busy until midnight. It is cheap to eat out in Olvera, much cheaper than the coast or more tourist towns like Ronda.
Its a very traditional Spanish house, the plumbing's a bit crazy and we have installed a special pump to update the water from a trickle to a waterfall! It makes a whirring noise that can be heard upstairs and goes off in the middle of the night once in a while.Electric still on low voltage so if overloaded flicks off, remedied by simply flicking switch back on at the junction box. Safe and easy
Surrounding Area & Day Trips:
Olvera is very well placed to explore Seville, Cadiz, Jerez - about an hours drive. We fly in to Seville or Jerez (Ryanair) and often spend the day or a night there. Cadiz is the best bet for a day trip to the beach, although Estepona looks closest on the map it's actually quicker to get to Cadiz (1 hr 15 mins). Ronda, Arcos are both very close. The village pool is lovely, surrounded by lush grass its only 10 mins from the house. Lunch is served in the attached restaurant. It also has a smaller kiddies pool. About 20 mins drive away there is a camp site in the hills which is amazing, it has 2 pools (one for the little ones), 2 restaurants (one more formal), horse riding, archery and climbing. it's fantastic to lie in the pool whilst looking at the mountainside. Again 20 mins drive away is the natural lake at Zahara where you can go swimming and horse riding;surrounded by grass,trees,picnic points, sand pit and restaurant. There are also barbeque points.
General Info:
Go to nearby Zahara where in the tourist office you can arrange horse riding, mountain biking and other activities. Ask there re visiting the Gargante Verde - a spectacular gorge where numbers are limited to 30/day to avoid disturbing nesting griffon vultures (for experienced walkers only).
Ronda La Vieja - situated on a lofty ridgewith magnificient views over the surrounding areas, in the Roman times it was an important settlement, the most striking evidence of which is a semi circular theatre believed to have been constructed 1900 years ago.
Ronda - balloon flights
Via Verde/ Greenway(old railway lines) - connects villages of Puerto Serrano, Montellano, Coripe, El Coronil, Olvera & Pruna. Its 36km long and great for cyclists, hikers and horse riders (we have 2 bikes although more can be hired in Olvera). There are restaurants and lodgings at Olvera, Coripe and Puerto Serrano in the old stations.
Other Activities:
motor racing,birdwatching, hangliding
marks the location of the property in Sierra de Grazalema
