The region - La región

The Alpujarras straddle the border between Granada and Almería provinces. Juvíles is in the highest part, in Granada province, on the southern foothills of the Sierra Nevada. There’s some debate over the origin of the name, but "Alpujarra" may come from Arabic terms for "grassland". The area is studded with white-washed villages featuring the characteristic architecture that’s hardly changed since the Muslims were expelled in the 16th century.

All of the villages in the Alpujarra are worth exploring, and many have decent restaurants and bars, interesting shops and weekly markets. From Juvíles it’s about ten minutes to the next village of Bérchules, or in the other direction, the highest community in Spain at Trevélez. The sizeable town of Cádiar is about twenty minutes away in the valley, and it takes about forty-five minutes to drive to the coast. You can get to Granada city-centre (or the Alhambra) in about an hour and twenty minutes, and once you leave the mountain roads for the motorway, you can get around the whole of Andalucía quite quickly. There is a bus service from Granada to Juvíles, but realistically you need a car.

The Alpujarra (the "s" is optional, and in the local dialect, it’s silent anyway) was the centre of an important silk industry during the Muslim era, and was the last stronghold of the Moors after the fall of Granada. The North African influence is still evident in the architecture (the houses look a lot like they do in the Atlas mountains of Morocco), and in a cuisine that uses lots of cumin, almonds, saffron and paprika (the pork is rather less Islamic). Most people still work the land or make a living by combining several part-time jobs. Very few local people speak any English. Mealtimes are late compared with Northern Europe, with lunch normally taken between two and four. The siesta is still part of life, especially in summer, and businesses usually close between two and five, often staying open until nine or ten. Granada province is one of the last places in Spain where tapas are generally still given free, and in the bars here you will often get quite substantial complimentary food when you order beer or wine. A couple of rounds of drinks will normally bring enough free food to constitute a light dinner.

The nearest airports to the Alpujarra are Granada (flights from London, Liverpool, Nottingham, Milan, Frankfurt, Madrid, Barcelona) and Almería (flights from London, Manchester, Munich and Dusseldorf, amongst others). Each is less than ninety minutes away. Málaga airport has many more services and is about 3½ hours away (the new motorway should lessen this journey time considerably). Airports at Murcia, Seville, Jerez and Gibraltar (each around 5 hours) are not out of the question if you get a good flight deal.

At this altitude it can get very cold in winter. Spring comes early, and for most of the year you can expect bright sunshine, hot days and warm nights. Weather conditions change very quickly, however, with fog and rain suddenly coming out of nowhere and passing again just as quickly. You should bring a waterproof jacket (and probably a sweater) at any time of the year. Prepare carefully for walking and make sure you have good footwear, protection from the sun, a map or accurate directions, and most importantly in hot weather, plenty of water.





Si Ud. habla castellano, es posible que ya conozca algo sobre nuestro parte de España. Brevemente Juvíles se ubica en el parte mas alto de la Alpujarra, en el lado sur de la Sierra Nevada. La área está llena de pequeños pueblos blancos, con una arquitectura caracteristica que ha cambiado poco desde la expulsión de los Moros en el siglo 16.

Cada pueblo de la Alpujarra vale una exploración, y unos entre ellos tienen buenos restaurantes, tiendas interesantes y mercados semanales. Desde Juvíles, el paseo en coche hasta el proximo pueblo de Bérchules dura diez minutos o, en el otro sentido, lo mismo hasta Trevélez, el pueblo mas alto de España. Necesita veinte minutos para alcanzar a Cádiar, y 45 hasta la costa. Granada capital está a una hora y 20 minutos. Hay un servicio limitado de autocarros desde Granada, pero de verdad, Ud. necesita un coche.

La Alpujarra estaba un centro de la industria de seda durante la era de los Moros, y la región fue la última fortaleza de los musulmanes en España. La influencia africana es todavía evidente en la arquitectura (las casas parecen a ellas de Maruecos), y en la cocina en que figura cominos, almendras, azafrán y pimentón (aunque el uso de carne de cerdo es poco islamico). La mayoría de la gente trabaja todavía en el campo o se gana la vida en haciendo una variedad de pequeños empleos. Granada queda una de las últimas provincias donde se dan normalmente todavía gratis las tapas en los bares.

En coche, nuestro pueblo está a 80 minutos de Granada capital y su aeropuerto, y a seis horas, más o menos, de Madrid.

En esta altitud, puede hacer frio en invierno, y las condiciones metereológicas cambian muy de repente. Es aconsejable traer un impermeable y un sueter, también en verano. Preparese cuidadosamente por el senderísmo, asegurando que tiene calzado adequado, protección contra el sol, mapas y agua suficiente.

The village - El pueblo

Just two hundred or so people live permanently in Juvíles, and the only regular traffic we get along our narrow lane is a couple of mules and a small flock of goats passing by on the way to pasture.

Although it’s very quiet for most of the year, Juvíles has three bars - all of which serve tapas and meals - a pharmacy, a bank, a small supermarket, and a new village swimming pool which is open during the summer months. Traders pass through selling fresh bread, fruit and vegetables from their vans. Nothing in the village is more than a five-minute walk away from anything else.

Most people around here work in the fields or in the ham industry (there’s a large secadero, where ham is cured, at the other end of the village from our house). Local crops include cherry tomatoes, almonds and chestnuts, and there are lots of sheep and goats around for cheese production.

The village gets distinctly lively at weekends and during holiday periods, when a lot of people who’ve moved to the cities to work return to their ancestral homes. The main fiesta in August sees the population swell to a couple of thousand for a few days.



There are some interesting sites in and around Juvíles, including the sixteenth-century village church and the remains of a Moorish fortress, although the main attraction is the lovely countryside and its rich flora and fauna. The GR7 walking route passes right through the village, and there are hundreds of excellent day walks around and about. Above the village there’s some more serious climbing and hill-walking country in the Sierra Nevada itself, and depending on the season, you can go horse-riding, mountain-biking or skiing with various local companies, or you can be at the beach in about 45 minutes.

The bigger villages of Trevélez and Bérchules are a few minutes away by car and the town of Cádiar, where you’ll find all main services and a sizeable English-speaking community, is twenty minutes.


No más que dos cientos personas viven constantamente en Juvíles, y la única circulación habitual que tenemos en nuestra callejuela consiste en unos mulos, y un pequeño rebaño de cabras que pasa de vez en cuando en camino hasta el pasto.

Aunque está muy tranquilo durante la mayoría del año, Juvíles tiene tres bares, y cada uno sirve tapas y comidas. Hay también una farmacia, un sucursal bancária, un pequeño super, y una nueva piscina que se abre en los meses de verano. Vendedores pasan a menudo por el pueblo con pan, fruta y verdura. Nada en el pueblo está a más que cinco minutos en pie de nuestra casa.
La mayoría de la gente aquí trabaja en el campo o en la industria jamonera (hay un gran secadero al otro lado de la aldea). El cultivo de la zona incluye tomates, almendras y castañas, y hay ganado, incluso cabras y ovejas.



La aldea se pone mas animada a los fines de semana, y en vacaciones y fiestas, cuando vuelve mucha gente de las ciudades. Durante la fiesta principal en Agosto ven miles de personas de Barcelona y otras ciudades.

Hay unos sitios interesantes en Juvíles y sus alrededores, incluso una iglesia del siglo 16 y los restos de un fuerte moresco. Pero el atráctivo principal es el precioso paisaje y su flora y fauna. La ruta de senderismo de larga distancia G7 pasa por el pueblo, y existen cientos de caminatas de unas horas en la zona. Encima del pueblo hay territorio mas exigente en la Sierra Nevada. Es posible montar en caballo o en bicicleta de montaña (hay empresas que operan rutas y alquileres), y en invierno, las estaciones de esquí no están lejos.

Los pueblos mayores de Trevélez y Bérchules están a unos minutos en coche, y Cádiar – donde hay varias tiendas, bancos, una gasolinera etc. – está a veinte minutos.

The house - La casa

Our house is in the pretty, peaceful village of Juvíles in Granada Province, about 1,200 metres up in the High Alpujarra, and within the protected Parque Natural de la Sierra Nevada.

It was built in traditional style in 2006, on the site of an old ruined home, parts of which have been retained in the new building. There are three bedrooms (two doubles and a single), two bathrooms, and on the top floor, a big open plan area with kitchen, breakfast bar, dining and living areas, a wood-burning fire and French doors leading onto the roof terrace. The views across the village and the valley beyond are magnificent.

The house is newly furnished and equipped with washing machine, drier, gas hob, electric oven, microwave, fridge-freezer, television (Spanish stations) and a DVD player (region 2, same as UK). There is plenty of storage space. We have walking guides, maps, novels and other books in English and Spanish, a small selection of DVDs, a few CDs and some board games. Bed linen and towels are normally provided.

The tap water is fine to drink, or water can be collected from fountains in the village. There’s a wood-burning fire in the living room and oil-filled electric radiators in the bedrooms. A large electric boiler provides hot water for the bathrooms, while a secondary gas boiler heats water in the kitchen.

Next to the house is a small walled garden which we have landscaped and planted. This provides a sheltered and shaded place to sit and perhaps eat outdoors when it's too hot for the terrace.

Only very small vehicles can negotiate our street, Calle Altillo. Realistically, you will have to park on the main street and walk to the house.




Nuestra casa se ubica en la hermosa y tranquila aldea de Juvíles, en la Alpujarra Granadina, a la altura de cerca 1.200m, en el protegido Parque Natural de la Sierra Nevada.

La casa se construyó en estilo tradicional en 2006, encima de un hogar ruinido, partes de cual quedan usados en el edificio nuevo. Tiene tres dormitorios (dos dobles y un sencillo), dos baños, y en el último piso, una superficie amplia y abierta con cocina, comedor, sala de estar y puerta ventana hasta la terraza. Las vistas por encima del pueblo, y mas allá al valle, son maravillosas.

La casa fue recentamente amueblada y equipada con lavadora, secadora, placa de gas, horno eléctrico, micro-ondas, nevera, televisor y DVD. Hay mucho espacio de almacenaje. Tenemos en la casa guías de senderismo, mapas, novelas y otros libros en inglés y español, un pequeño surtido de DVDs, unos CDs y unos juegos. Proveemos normalmente ropa de cama y toellas.
El agua del grifo es buena, o se puede conseguir agua desde los fuentes del pueblo. Hay una chiminea en el estar, y radiadores en las habitaciones. Tenemos una caldera de agua para los baños, y otra en la cocina.

Al lado de la casa se ubica un pequeño jardín amurallado. Nuestros huéspedes pueden usarlo si quieren. No más que pequeñísimos vehículos pueden negociar nuestra calle estrecha. La verdad es que Ud. tiene que estacionar en la carretera y alcanzar en pie a la casa.