A gem of a place to stay. Up in the foot hills away, but not too far, from the coast. Explore the mountain villages of Las Alpujarras and experience the wide variety of tapas served - not forgetting the local town of Orgiva, which has its own little gems. Las Alpujarras are awesome. Ralph and Mandy are the perfect hosts, discrete but always helpful when needed and a wonderful source of local knowledge. The bird life is brilliant with bee eaters, golden orioles, flycatchers, hoopoes and booted eagles to name a few. Plus don't forget the horse-riding if you're that way inclined. Ralph can organise a trek out along old mule tracks from the local stables. This is probably the best way to see the mountains and wild life. The Nest was perfect in every way and we look forward to re-visiting soon.

We've stayed in Orgiva previously, but this little casita, in lush countryside just a short drive from town ticked all the boxes for me and my husband. All facilities are as described - simple but functional, comfortable, clean and pleasant. The view from the patio is stunning. Mandy and Ralph are great hosts - discreet but readily available to help if needed. Their friendly and informal approach made us feel at home and Ralph's help in negotiating with the hire car company when a problem arose was generous and invaluable. The Love Nest is a nature lover's paradise. What a joy to wake every morning to the sound of birdsong and to hear the nightingales at night. Breakfast juice, straight from the orange tree was a real treat. One of my abiding memories will be sitting on the patio in the evenings, dining on local jamon and chorizo and drinking wine whilst watching the bats flit round and the stars gradually come out. The peace and stillness of those times was a great stress buster! Visitors are free to walk through all the owners' land and from the terraces I saw hoopoes, orioles, raptors and numerous small birds. Bee eaters are said to inhabit the cliffs, but sadly I missed those. Mandy and Ralph's house sits atop of a little barranco and the land stretches toward the valley. We went in May when the wildflowers were out in their lovely meadow and the hum of insects was everywhere along with many butterflies. I am a keen walker, but my husband's health prevents him going too far. For a very reasonable fee Mandy took me on a long guided walk up in the mountains - one of my holiday highlights. It felt like a walk with an old friend. You really need a car for this holiday, but there is a good bus service into the mountains, which we enjoyed using. Go to the Love Nest and spend quality time with your loved one, but go and spend quality time with the natural world as well. It's simple, nothing grand, but very, very special.

Having stayed in Orgiva /Alpujarra area on tens of occasions we booked this lovely little place in Tijola, just a few minutes outside Orgiva. It has been newly renovated with a lovely, airy bedroom, good size en-suite shower room off and a shower that actually has good water pressure and works - a rareity in our experience! An archway divides the bedroom from the living area and kitchen which is very well equipped, though we always eat out so are happy with somewhere nice to sleep and a lovely outside space which this also had. There is a small lounging and eating area on the terrace with beautiful potted plants and trees and down some tyre steps is a lovely little pool with a well kept lawn. The couple who runs the place are very helpful and very discreet. We have already booked to go back on another 2 weekends as we liked the charm and the feel of this place which is one of the best we have stayed in in the area and would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a place to stay in the area.