El Cañuelo and its environs

El Cañuelo is a hamlet of 25 houses. It sits on the slopes of the Sierra de Aquadero with the Sierra Tejeda and the second highest hill in Southern Spain (Maroma 2065m) to our East. Facing south the view is stupendous, over Lake Viñuela (which has only been in existence for about 10 years) and down to the Mediterranean. A distance of 8 miles as the crow flies!

The nearest beach to us is Torre del Mar, possibly 2k long with many beachside eating places serving very fresh fish and of course sardines cooked on skewers.  These merenderos are conveniently on the edge of the beach, usually with their own sun loungers and shades which you can rent, but also with easy access from the various parking areas.!

Either side of the hamlet there are two small towns. These towns each have banks, markets, supermarkets and many bars! Periana has a population of about 3,500 and is growing slowly. It is about 20km from Velez Malaga where you can pick up the motorway, N340 to Malaga and beyond or turn east to Nerja, Almuñecar and beyond.

Ventas de Zafaraya is the hamlet to the east of us. The population here is less but there is no shortage of bars, banks and local shopping facilities. Beyond Ventas de Zafaraya there are two scenic routes which will take you to the historic and fascinating town of Alhama de Granada, which is still a pretty well kept secret from the tourist trail. One route takes you through the vast volcanic lake area where you either have prolific production of vegetables or the land is so covered in stone that only scrub grows. The second route which is more usually marked on maps takes you up through the hills past olive and almond groves and is indeed very scenic, though entirely different to the first route both are beautiful.

Once at Alhama de Granada, you are on the route to Granada and again you have a choice of two roads, one takes you through some pretty villages and onto the motorway to Granada and the other takes you through many villages and past Lake Bermejales and on to Granada.

Granada is a jewel of a city, there is so much to see at every turn and it deserves at least a stay of a night. Apart from the Alhambra Palace (and its gardens - the Generalife) there are countless churches and of course the Cathedral and its surrounding paved pedestrian area, which has everything you could wish for: from places to eat to places to shop; from street music to the occasional oasis of tranquillity.

Seville and Cordoba are about 2 hours drive and in between there are many attractive and enchanting towns and villages to stop and see.

Malaga is a thriving city with a working port, used by industry and tourist boats.  As well as excellent eating places, either bars for tapas or restaurants, there is also an extremely pleasant pedestrianized area close to the Cathedral for shopping.  The local government are having an underground (metro) system installed and a lot of money is being invested to improve the older parts of the city and restore their facades with their typical wooden balconies. The city is growing in importance.