Madrid North holiday house: Miraflores de la Sierra

'Miraflores de la Sierra' supposedly got its name from Queen Isabel's delight in 15-something at seeing so many wild flowers here. Miraflores today is a pleasant village of around 6,000 permanent residents, nestling at the base of the Sierra. A popular refuge from the heat and bustle of Madrid, it has excellent family-friendly restaurants, tapas bars, terraces and - especially in Summer - some lively late-night spots. You can also do all your food and gift shopping here. The town centre is a 10' walk down from the house. As the town is at 1150m (around 4000 feet) altitude and south-facing, it is warm by day and cool at night. Hiking is only a few minutes away by car. You can choose easy walks for children (and strollers) or more challenging trails.

Madrid: Madrid is accessible by an hourly bus (travel time 1 hour), by car or by a combination car and air-conditioned train from outside the city. Except in July and especially in August, parking can be difficult and driving is often ... well, interesting. Madrid has world-class attractions for all tastes - historical, artistic, musical, sporting, gastronomic, etc - and fantastic night-life. Depending on your own interests, you may already know what you'd like to see and do, but we lived in Madrid for a number of years and may be able to give you handy suggestions.

Other day trips: Away from Madrid, driving is easy and two-hour journeys shouldn't leave you exhausted. To the North of Miraflores and well within this range, you'll find the Roman aqueduct of Segovia, the magnificent palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso and the unspoilt medieval village of Pedraza. South and West are Chinchon and Aranjuez. Avila, Burgos, Toledo, Cuenca and Salamanca are all worth stretching the two-hour limit for, especially if you can start early and share the driving. All around the Castilian centre of Spain, you will lunch magnificently on roast meats. Good fresh fish somehow finds its way to decent tables everywhere. Strict vegetarians will struggle in restaurants, as most vegetable dishes - commonly served as starters - are cooked in meat stock or flavoured with pieces of cured ham.

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