Slow travel
Lovely pool
Adults only
One of Andalusia’s best-kept secrets: terracotta hills stretching into wide open views, cacti, the occasional palm tree, and a handful of small whitewashed villages scattered across the terrain. And then there is the sea, where a wide variety of beaches are idyllic and still wonderfully peaceful. This adults-only B&B has just four comfortable rooms, a beautiful swimming pool and views that will make you want to stay much longer than you planned. A perfect base for lazy mornings, long walks and evenings spent in the tapas bar in the nearest village.
Have you ever heard of Cabo de Gata-Níjar? Chances are you haven’t. This spectacular natural park in the province of Almería, Andalusia, is one of Spain’s best kept secrets, at least as far as foreign visitors are concerned. The Spanish, of course, know exactly where to go: to some of the country’s most beautiful beaches, blissfully free of tourist crowds.
The drive there starts with a small shock: the notorious ‘mar de plástico’, an endless sea of plastic greenhouses growing the vegetables that end up on supermarket shelves across Europe. Then the landscape changes completely. Wild, rugged, earthy. Terracotta hills roll into sweeping views, and scattered among the cacti and the odd palm tree are small, whitewashed villages.
And then those beaches. You’ll have them almost entirely to yourself, certainly on weekdays and outside of August.
The area is also wonderful for walking and cycling, and do treat yourself to an evening in Almería itself: wander from bar to bar and try some tapas in streets that feel very Spanish.
Wild, rugged, earthy!
When the owners went looking for a place for their new chapter in life, this is where all their loves came together. East Africa and India were too far from their home country, the UK, and trickier from a business point of view too. But Cabo de Gata-Níjar turned out to capture that same feeling remarkably well.
Alongside their own home, they created a wonderfully relaxed B&B with just four rooms. Beautifully comfortable, thoughtfully designed with the modern traveller in mind, with a gorgeous pool and plenty of spots to unwind and take in the stunning natural surroundings.
Exactly what a Local Hideaway should be: uncomplicated, full of soul and comfortable. A place where you feel at home the moment you arrive. I certainly didn’t want to leave, and with scenery like that, who could blame me. The B&B is adults only. If you’d rather travel with the family, or prefer to cook for yourselves, the owners also let a lovely house in the village for four people. Just let me know and I’ll happily arrange it for you.
This Local Hideaway is the essence of slow travel: a beautiful base to slow down and discover everything Cabo de Gata-Níjar has to offer. And my motto might just apply here more than anywhere else: don’t spread the word.
Boca de los Frailes, Cabo de Gata-Nijar, Almería, Andalusia, Spain
