Cortijo El Carligto - Private Andalucian Hideaway

Will work for food: a photographic feast

2012-03-01T10:24:00.000-08:00

Parfait de higado de pollo

When I got my first SLR camera this past Christmas I hoped it would eventually open some doors for me and I was eager to learn how to use it well enough to warrant having such a nice new piece of technology. I’m still getting my head around depth of field, focal length, shutter speed and all the little buttons on my Nikon D5100, but I’ve learned a few things in a short time already.

Porra de remolacha y fresa

So when the camera quickly provided me with a nice opportunity, I was a little nervous about delivering the goods. Having previously spoken with Chef Juan Quintanilla of Restaurante Sollun in Nerja about a collaboration at Cortijo El Carligto, I later suggested to him that we could use some better photography to promote his amazing skills once we agreed on a partnership. OK, so maybe I used the camera to open the door myself, but Juan was only too eager to suggest that Marc and I should go ahead and bring the camera to the restaurant so he could cook up a series of dishes to photograph.

Salmonete con algas...

He kept the restaurant closed for lunch and invited us in for our “business meeting” and photo session. No fewer than eight beautiful courses later (and of course wine to compliment) I was quite satisfied; not just my stomach, but with my photos as well. They are not exactly professional print quality and I don’t suppose I’ll be able to sell them to the glossies, but at least I think I earned our meal! Then again, Juan made it easy for me with such pretty plates...

If I was a little worried about my photography skills, there was never a doubt about the quality of the food that Juan would present. Chicken liver has never been my favorite dish, but this creamy parfait with lemon preserve, local sweet wine reduction and pine nuts was a simply delectable first course. The courses came in rapid succession, everyone a surprising combination of flavors and a true treat. Juan was supremely casual about all of it and seemed to be waiting for me to finish shooting each dish before he presented the next; I could only wonder at the seemingly complex and elaborate methods he appeared to conjure in no time at all from behind the kitchen door.

Tartar de jurel

My favorite dish of the session would have to be the ‘tartar de jurel en ajo blanco.’ Reminiscent of a Latin American ceviche with uncooked fish marinated quickly in lime, Juan served this in a sauce of ajo blanco (a traditional Andalucian cold garlic soup) with avocado and capers. Jurel is a very local fish and I have no idea what it would be known as in English, but I can assure you of its succulence! Mini spiced lamb meatballs on couscous with apple and yogurt also amazing. Bull tail cannelloni, it did go on and on and I loved it all!

I still think Chef Juan Quintanilla is the best chef this side of Malaga and I’m still honored and thrilled to be able to offer his services to clients in our home. I’m also delighted to have been able to photograph (and especially to eat) this fine degustacion and I'll be working it into the website soon. Chef Juan will be available for full weekly catering, including breakfast and either lunch or dinner each day, and for very special 7 course tasting menus full of delightful and delicious dishes such as those he presented to us to photograph. His first collaboration with us will be daily catering for our clients scheduled to arrive later this month already, so we shall see very soon how Chef Juan goes over with the clients - a treat, no doubt.

Canelon de rabo de toro

Venado con castañas

Albondigas de cordero

Course by course:
1. Parfait de higado de pollo con marmalada de limon, vino de terreno y piñones
(Chicken liver pate with lemon marmalade and local sweet wine reduction garnished with pine nuts)

Cremoso de chocolat

2. Porra de remolacha y fresa con huevos de trucha y lubina, y migas con jamon y ajo. (Beetroot and strawberry puree with troutand bass roe, and ham and garlic migas,or fried bread crumbs.)

3. Tartar de jurel con aguacate, huevo detrucha, alcaparras y ajo blanco

(Jurel tartar with avocado pearls, trout roeand capers in a cold garlic and almond soup)

4. Albondigas de cordero con jengibre,comino y cilantro con couscous, manzana y yogur

(Lamb meatballs with ginger, cumin andcoriander over couscous with apple and yogurt)

5. Canelon de rabo de toro y setas con vinagretade verduras fritas y crema de patata

(Bull tail and mushroom cannelloni withfried vegetable vinaigrette and creamed potato)

6. Salmonete con algas, pakchoi y esparragosen crema de ajo y higado

(Red mullet with sea weed, pakchoi andasparagus in liver and garlic cream)

7. Venado con castañas y vainilla, batata,miel de caña y setas

(Young venison with chestnuts and vanilla,sweet potato, molasses and black fungus mushrooms)

8. Cremoso de chocolate con leche y queso ensopa de chocolate blanco con yogur, fruta de la passion y frambuesa

(Chocolate mousse in a soup of whitechocolate and yogurt, topped with passion fruit and raspberry powder)

The new website, finally!

2012-02-16T07:08:00.000-08:00

Somehow, the redesign of the website seems to have taken even more time and effort than creating the original version; but nothing good comes without effort and I’m thrilled with the result! I hate to even admit that we originally wanted to launch it before Christmas, but the concept evolved and changed, and now I’m happy with how the experiential element of staying here comes through so well. It’s why we moved here, why we love it here, and why we think other people will love it too.

Through the four main menu items on the website - explore, experience, savour and indulge - we try to encapsulate the range of possibilities at Cortijo El Carligto and in the surrounding area, through a planned progression of active invitations:

Virtually all experience and learning begins with exploration. In the ‘explore’ section, visitors to the website can begin to familiarize themselves with the country estate and our two properties, along with the impressive surroundings and the many attractions.

Exploration leads into experience, and in this section of the site, guests begin to gain a sense of what it is like to stay at El Carligto or at the companion property, The Hunting Lodge. With endless opportunities for cultural and culinary experiences, and soul-stirring experiences in nature, our country estate makes a prime location for experiential travel opportunities of all varieties. Some of these experiences may even change your life.

Savour, represents not just the exquisite culinary opportunities for in-house feasts and Andalucian adventures, but a reminder to stop and smell the flowers, or take a deep breath as the sun casts a deepening shade of purple on the mountain at sunset. With or without sampling the impressive gourmet stylings of our house chef, you can still savour every moment. But your taste buds will surely thank you if you do indulge in one of our six or eight course tasting menus, or a guided outing to one of the famous food markets or wineries.

The culinary opportunities are only one of the indulgences available to guests at Cortijo El Carligto or The Hunting Lodge. The indulge section of the website presents all of the other flavors of icing on the cake! From spa and beauty treatments to trail guides, personal trainers and unique adventures such as ballooning across the mountain ranges - if your idea of indulgence has not been addressed, simply ask and we’ll put our network into action!

The website concept also allows us a structure on which to build in the future. I’m already considering structuring this blog using the four categories, and the video project also leaves room for development within these four categories. The first video installment should be posted on the website within a few days, but we’d like to carry on with another for ‘experience,’ and another for ‘savour,’ etc.

For all of my excitement and enthusiasm for the new website, I must admit that my eyes are beginning to glaze over every time I start looking closely at it again. It’s been a lot more work writing and developing everything for the site over the past few months than I imagined it would be, and for the past two weeks I kept fooling myself into thinking that it was only a day or two from completion. There may still be a few small bugs to work out now, so I’ll have to carry on with it, but I also have to say a huge thanks and well done to our web designer Martijn and his company BM Topsite. First class work and never a complaint about our constantly changing ideas! Thanks, Martijn!

Chef Juan Quintanilla comes to Carligto

2012-02-12T21:32:00.000-08:00

Based on the number of lunches we’ve done all up and down the coast over the past few years (I like to call it field research now), I’ve decided that chef Juan Quintanilla is the best chef this side of Malaga. His restaurant, Sollun, in Nerja, made the Michelin guide this year and he’s cooked in a number of Michelin starred restaurants previously; but what I really like is the personal touch. The restaurant only has about five tables and he greets you at the table himself to take your order, then cooks and delivers the plates to introduce you to them and chat with the curious.

It’s always good to have alternatives and with our house chef, David Palacios, in Norway learning some new skills for a couple of months we thought it about time to look into a collaboration with another chef. Why not go for the best?

I met with chef Quintanilla today and it looks like we found that collaboration! Marc and I first discussed it with him in Sollun last time we went, but I’m pleased and proud to now be able to offer his services here; it’s a great compliment to the service we already offer and I even see a similarity in the approach of chef David and chef Juan. Both seem to prefer intimate and personalized service and I see a similar instinct for unpretentious but amazing food.

At any rate, I’m certainly looking forward to more meals with chef Juan, and we already have clients who have ordered the service for March. Details on the service should be posted on the new website soon. But I’m also looking forward to David’s return to catch up on his time in Norway and have our friend back in town again. Between the two chefs, we may end up with the best “restaurant” in the area right here at El Carligto!

Gold List, Gold Plaque - Conde Nast Traveler

2012-02-10T19:27:00.000-08:00

A nice touch from the folks at Conde Nast Traveler in Madrid recently. I got a call from a courier to say there was a small package for us - it turned out to be a Gold List 2012 plaque in shiny bronze. We were already super excited by the nomination and we've been telling everyone, but somehow the plaque makes it feel even more special. Maybe I just like shiny things...

It is a pretty big field of nominees and some of them very impressive. We could use some help in the voting as a matter of fact! There are quite a few pages on the form, including favourite car, oddly; but we're on the third page, 'hoteles fuera la ciudad,' or hotels away from the city (I'm glad they recognize us as a hotel for only one group at a time).

Vote here

Voting is open until the end of February and the top five make the final Gold List... I'm ecstatic about the nomination already but how cool would it be to make that list?

Skiing in the Sierra Nevada

2012-01-20T10:23:00.000-08:00

I’ve heard there’s some great skiing to be done in the Sierra Nevada above Granada, but I’m no big skier so I hadn’t been up there yet. But with Marc’s brother and another friend in town (all of them experienced skiers), they were intent on seeing what it was all about and I was only too eager to take the opportunity to try it out myself.

Some inviting slopes in the Sierra Nevada

I’d only been skiing once before, a week in Tignes in the French Alps with some friends (all of them experienced skiers). I joined some lessons for the week and took to it quickly, though not without eating a lot of snow, and jumped groups for some more intermediate slopes by mid week. I was feeling pretty good about myself by the end of the week, but what is it about these experienced skier friends of mine that they always want to take me to the top of the mountain?

To be fair, I was up for it in Tignes so it didn’t take too much coaxing, just a little reassurance; but these ski resorts can also trick you. I took the cable car to the glacial peak at 10,000 ft in Tignes knowing that I could take it back down if I wanted to, but I saw the wide slope from a distance and with the reassurance of my experienced friends, thought I could manage that just fine. They told me not to worry about it being rated a ‘black’ run, that here the runs were rated more difficult than elsewhere so it’s probably really only a ‘red’ slope. The real trick was that once you ski away from the cable car there’s no getting back to it, and once you get to the top of the run you realize that the entire wide slope is one big pattern of moguls.

What are you waiting for?

I did get myself down that slope, though again, much snow was eaten. It wasn’t my favorite part of the ski holiday but I was glad I did it, and I hardly ate any snow the rest of the way down after the initial drop. But when my friends this time wanted to go straight to the top of the Sierra Nevada resort peak, again at about 10,000 ft, I thought I might be over my head.

This was just a day trip after all. We drove the two hours to get up there from El Carlgto, arriving at about 11 a.m. and planned to leave by 6 p.m. ahead of sunset. So my experienced friends wanted to maximize their thrill, assuring me that I’d be fine. Again after a few short runs I was feeling confident that it was just like riding a bicycle and this was all coming back to me more quickly that I thought it might. And again my over confidence was rewarded with face-plants when I let my friends talk me into an early expert slope before we ever reached the top.

And again the ski resort tricked me. At the bottom of this one difficult piste there are two lifts going up, one to the very top and one only a bit higher with an easier run down. Only one lift was running - the one to the top. I had been quite prepared this time to say I’d rather practice the lower slopes, but this was not an option now. So up we went.

It's up there

The view from the top was absolutely incredible, though my nerves kept me from fully enjoying it and my eager friends were already headed down toward the top of the run before I could take it in and find my legs. Even the short approach to the actual beginning of the steep run down had me initially nervous at that height, with so much land and sea visible so far down and so far away with so much space in between.

Again, I did get myself down that hill and again I was glad I did it (though my knee was not so glad the next day and I did eat more snow). There were so many different ways down in between top and bottom that I think it would take a week to ski them all. It did take me quite a bit longer to get down than it took my friends, but what I realized was that the lower slopes run long and gradual, and suddenly on the bottom third I felt like an absolute pro. Weekday skiing seems to be pretty quiet as well, which was great for me so I didn’t take anyone out on the higher pistes and no one got in my way on the lower slopes.

I’m willing to admit that maybe I’m just asking for a little encouragement with all of my nervousness and maybe I’m looking for more excuses to get back up there now. A day trip skiing seems so easy now that I’ve done it and the ski season in the Sierra Nevada is apparently the longest in Europe with the slopes still snowy in May. Surely I can find a way back up there by then, but maybe I should try going with less experienced friends next time and work on the actual technique to get me down with less snow eaten.

Condé Nast Traveler Gold List

2011-12-10T09:25:00.000-08:00

Well, alright. We just recently heard from Condé Nast Traveler to let us know that we've been nominated for the Gold List! It pretty much doesn't get better than this and for all of my efforts marketing and trying to get the word out there, I really didn't expect this.

The nomination from www.traveler.es is for "hoteles fuera la ciudad," or, hotels away from the city, in Spain. It doesn't seem to matter that we're not really a hotel, but I am really impressed with ourselves for being on the same list with such places as the Frank Gehry designed Marqués de Riscal and Hacienda Benazuza with a Ferran Adrià (El Buli) restaurant.

I'm glad they recognize, but I am kind of in a state of disbelief at the moment. But anyway, they are great hotels but you still can't stay there without a bunch of strangers passing at every corner. I still think we should win!

Marketing, networking and the private villa owner

2011-09-27T10:56:00.000-07:00

Now that the cortijo is our own home again and I’ve hung up my personal concierge hat for a while, I have more time for writing and marketing once again. The entries were pretty scarce across the summer and not even the stream of visitors is a valid excuse, but I’m back on the keys again now and happily so.

Though “marketing” never was my favorite arena I have always enjoyed writing and at least I can apply the one to the other. “Networking” also always had a slightly unsavory ring to it for me, tied to my distaste for phony salesman-like activity and akin to ‘brown nosing’ in my more youthful mind. I’ve gotten past all of this (though I accept I’m just not a natural salesman and I still never like feeling like one) and now I see these things more for what they are. I still could never write effective marketing copy for something I don’t believe in, or sell something as white that is clearly grey; however, I don’t see anything wrong with shouting out the truth about about how fantastic our beautiful property is or at least my love for and belief in the product. Our network is developing quite organically and, in another pleasantly surprising revelation, I’ve come to realize that many of these people are really and truly interesting and likable people: agents and representatives from tour operators, clients, travel writers and photographers, journalists, other property owners, service providers and local historians, local tourist board reps and functionaries, quirky furniture sales people and traders, local business owners and winemakers, builders and carpenters, and the endless legions of social media users from which genuine individuals continually emerge. Our network is larger than I imagined and many of these people have become invaluable to me personally and to our business.

That said, I’m now really looking forward to at least two new and upcoming events on the marketing and networking front. First, a visit from one of our agents in the UK that we have not met with before -- Claire, the PR agent for Unique Home Stays arrives with her husband on 12 October for a few days and from my dealings with her so far she seems very nice indeed. I’ve realized from previous similar visits that these are a mix of personal and professional interactions and, depending on the individuals, it can end up more personal than professional! So here’s looking forward to Claire and company and a good time to be had by all.

The second exciting marketing activity (that still sounds like a funny pairing to me, exciting and marketing...) is a little video project to promote El Carligto and our services. Friends and neighbors of ours here in our valley are film producers and they’ve offered to help us with this as a bit of diversion and just to help us out because they can. Our Spanish friends Javier and Cristina live just across the valley from us when they are not working in Madrid or on location filming. They are freelance film producers who have lately done mostly commercial projects for such brands as Coca-Cola, Shakira and Porsche, and they have most of October free. Their next door neighbor (a mile away) and good friend to both us and them also used to work as a producer in London. Lara has taken up the reins and we’re planning a location recce (yeah, I’m up with the lingo after my own career at the BBC!) here next week and a visit to a local winery soon too.

Well, this gives me a few topics to follow up on and something to look forward to, though autumn alone has me excited for the coming weeks. I can’t wait for our first wood fire and harvest meal!

Reflecting on the season (phew! I do love my job)

2011-09-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

Though the temperatures are still at or above 30ºC it is beginning to feel decidedly like autumn is on the approach: a few more clouds, a bit more breeze from the north instead of from the sea, and the garden is showing signs that the severity of summer has eased. Not least of all, however, I can tell summer is officially over because the steady stream of guests has ended.

It was an interesting and successful summer, which saw the first of our fully hosted guests come and go well pleased, and I was relieved and pleased myself that the concierge service I took on went down smoothly as well. It turned out to be much more enjoyable than I ever imagined, actually, and the time spent with our clients turned out to be a good laugh on many an occasion. David’s chef service was a huge success, and the housekeepers accompanying the chef and concierge daily came and went without intrusion. Though we did pull a few direct bookings through the earlier press in the Wall Street Journal and from personal contacts, one of our agents in particular, Abercrombie & Kent, came through for us with some quality clientele across summer: corporate CEO’s and Presidents, governmental advisors, oil execs and the like.

Not just another job!

I must admit that I was greatly relieved to find that all of these clients were genuinely nice people, without pretense or self-importance. I’m still a bit nervous before every greeting and there’s sometimes a nasty little ‘what-if’ scenario played out in my head with images of some Cruella Deville type or demanding and entitled aristocratic sort. In fact, I was also greatly and pleasantly relieved to find that I actually really enjoyed hosting and entertaining our guests. This was essentially my first full season in the job and the first time I acted as concierge for our guests, and you never really know how you’re going to like something until you try it, now do you? Moving from the centre of London to the Spanish countryside could have left me feeling isolated; but at least this way, with the rental business, some very interesting and friendly society comes to me. So, although we are very impatient and we would prefer the calendar to be chock-full with bookings, it was a successful season. Even more successful for the fact that now I know I can love running the business as well as simply living here!

Festival of the three cultures in Frigiliana

2011-08-30T10:20:00.001-07:00

The constant stream of local fiestas throughout summer has become one of my favorite things about living in Spain. It’s always culturally intriguing for an American expat such as myself; and let’s face it, I don’t get out much anymore compared to my previous life in London. So I have enjoyed the various fiestas in the surrounding villages this year and especially the weeklong blowout bash that is the annual festival of Malaga, but none of them showed anything quite like the unique character of the festival of the Three Cultures in Frigiliana.

I first learned of the Feria de las Tres Culturas following my initial exploration into the three cultures in Cordoba last year, unfortunately only just after the event in Frigiliana had passed. So I’ve been looking forward to it ever since then and anticipation was high: I was aware of a childish excitement as my partner and I approached the village from the far side.

Frigiliana is a quaint but sizeable Andalusian white washed village sitting in the hills just a short distance up from the coast at Nerja in the breathtaking natural surroundings of the region of La Axarquia. Once voted ‘prettiest village in Andalucia’ by the Spanish tourist board, the old part is also one of the best preserved Moorish villages in Spain. Situated as it is, the Jews, Christians and Islamic Moors who all lived together there in relative harmony a millennium ago would have enjoyed a similar view of the sea and the orange light of sunset on the distant hills that welcomed us as we arrived.

Though the sun was getting low it was still early by Spanish time and we were happy to ease into the festivities, especially considering that we had eaten little that day in anticipation of the tapas route. Despite the culturally rich programme full of traditional music concerts, respected performers and academic speakers, it was really the tapas route we were most looking forward to, and I wanted the T-shirt promised to those who could complete the route! The first of the participating establishments greeted us almost immediately and did not disappoint.

At only €1.50 for tapas and a cup of beer I told myself not to expect too much, but the quality was quite good. There were two routes, in fact, with nine participating restaurants each: a Moorish route with culinary reminiscences of the Islamic Moors, and a Mudejar route characterised by the blend of Islamic and Christian traditions that evolved as the last of the Moors adopted Christian customs in this region after the fall of the Kingdom of Granada and the end of Moorish rule in Andalusia. This blend of cultures is visible in the architecture, but the main distinction on the two tapas routes is the inclusion of pork into the Mudejar dishes whereas the Muslim Moors would not have eaten the meat.

So we eagerly carried on toward the centre of Frigiliana, stopping at no fewer than four tapas bars before we ever reached the main area of activity. By this time the light had faded, the ancient streets had filled and the village did begin to transform in my imagination. Perhaps it was my eager anticipation that allowed me to buy into the back-in-time atmosphere, aided by timeless Arabic music in the streets and period dress from many of the shop and bar keepers. Never mind the electric speakers or the electric lights strung above the streets, which only contributed to the enchantment as night fell. Or perhaps it was just that the tapas tour was already beginning to feel more like a pub crawl to me.

Perhaps the organisers and the community actually just pulled it off. It felt like part medieval festival and part carnival, with street performers delighting young and old alike with all sorts of entertainment, from fully attired troubadours to plate spinning, juggling and fire breathing. In the central area before the 16th century palace (today looking more like the sugar refinery it later became) an ancient market had been recreated, complete with artisans displaying mouthwatering candies and making chocolates, woodcrafts, mosaics and myriad other wares that could have been traded at the time. Leather goods, incense, candles, and of course more food.

The combination of sights and scents was as intoxicating as the tapas route itself...We carried on through the narrow streets from one end of the village to the other and back, the series of restaurants seemingly strategically placed to include the entire community and show off the finest sights. The mood from all was festive and communal, and strangers struck up conversations in the street, unabashed and unconcerned with language barriers. Such was the genial atmosphere, at one point, as I was snapping a photo, a man ten metres away began shouting to me that I had dropped money from my pocket. Another stranger picked it up for me. Nice.

In the end I think we visited eleven of the eighteen tapas bars and restaurants but by then enough was enough: pork cheeks, migas with chorizo, marinated pork in mustard sauce, bean stew, veal stew, on and on and on. I was happy to sit it out for a while and just watch the entertainers and the entertained. Though they were celebrating the history of Jewish, Moorish and Christian cultures, this party was unmistakably Spanish all the while.

The Spanish do know how to party, without a doubt. However, the Frigiliana festival truly feels like much more than an excuse for a party. I think they may actually be on to something. It wasn’t all harmony in Frigiliana, it was the site of one of the main battles and the final bloody demise of the Moors in La Axarquia during the rebellion of 1569, after the Christian reconquest in 1487 and subsequent oppression. Still, in a world where these three cultures (and others) seem to have drifted ever further apart since then, and today are still characterized more by the clash of civilizations, surely it is worth celebrating and remembering the spirit of harmony realised in this very place a millennium ago.

Ahead of the trends

2011-07-21T07:09:00.000-07:00

Five star hotel or private luxury villa - Why not have the best of both?

The initial findings of a current global research project for the International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) support some of the travel trend predictions for 2011 from the longest running travel company in the world, Cox and Kings. However, the ILTM report, “The Future of Luxury Travel, A Global Trends Report” (June 2011), reaches further into the future with its research based trends analysis. Based on these trends and predictions, the private luxury villa looks set to rise in prominence with the new luxury traveller.

Some rising trends identified:

• more privacy / less ostentation • culturally enriching destinations

• off-the-beaten-track destinations • open-range excursions

• simplicity and seamless service • awareness of value for money

• destinations appealing to the environmentally concerned

The privately owned Cortijo El Carligto, for example, offers private luxury with five star hotel services in a culturally authentic locale; a new concept in the industry for those who love the attention and convenience of upscale hotels, but long for the privacy and seclusion of the private villa. Why stay in a hotel when you can have top quality luxury and services in a genuine setting without sharing your space with additional guests and staff? El Carligto flexibly offers full staff and concierge, selected services only, or none at all according to clients’ tastes and lifestyle – like being the only guest at a boutique hotel…

According to Cox and Kings, cultural and experiential travel with emersion in local, authentic settings and learning vacations for families are on the rise. A luxury villa such as Cortijo El Carligto, located as it is in the charmingly authentic region of La Axarquia in Andalucia, encourages exploration of the “real Spain.” You live along side the locals and any venture into the nearby village communities or surrounding hillsides is inevitably an authentic experience, devoid of throngs of tourists and tourist trap commercialism. The World Heritage sites of the Alhambra in Granada and the Mezquita in Cordoba, accessible on an easy day trip from the villa, are simply too near and too culturally important to miss.

The ILTM study similarly identifies “increasing demand for authenticity, new experiences and exclusivity,” that will “boost interest in places reflecting the culture and traditions of local communities.” The endless series of traditional festivals all across Andalucia provide perfect opportunities for very local, very authentic experiences and the white-washed villages near El Carligto offer some of the best cultural festivals in all of Spain. The festival of the Three Cultures the World Dance festival and various Flamenco and culinary festivals are just a few of the thousands occurring every year.

For further unique experiential and learning opportunities, the vast mountain nature reserve the villa looks out onto affords unrivalled views and unique opportunities like rock climbing, powered paragliding, Eagle watching or joining conservation efforts, for example, while local trail guides might educate hikers on the remnants of Moorish history in the hills or the legend that gives the mountain peak its name. This also caters to the trend of specialty and ‘one of a kind’ experiences making a revival in the Cox and Kings report and echoed in the ILTM report, which highlights an interest in “off-the-beaten-track destinations” and “open-range excursions” for “spectacular landscapes,” “large natural spaces and/or regional cultural experiences.”

Culinary themes will accompany travellers’ taste for cultural and artistic explorations, as will concern for the environment. The private gourmet chef and culinary outings are at the heart of the services available at El Carligto, operating according to the owners’ concept of ‘ethical entrepreneurialism.’ Individualised menus highlighting local and wider Spanish cuisine, along with guided culinary outings combine cultural and experiential explorations for the food-loving luxury traveller.

Additional and related current trends:

The resurgence of the travel expert – Though the Internet and social media will continue to impact how people research and book their holidays, luxury travellers are returning to the aid of specialists. Guests at El Carligto can rely on the expertise of the hosts and their local network for inside information. Specific information on festivals and schedules in Andalucia is surprisingly scarce and often only in Spanish. With everything organised in advance there’s more time for relaxation.
Multi-destination holidays -- El Carligto’s positioning between Sevilla, Granada, Cordoba and Malaga make it a great base for exploration that would sit perfectly paired with any longer tour of Spain or Europe, especially ideal as nightly rates are available.
Simplicity and seamless service – The ability to provide custom and personalised services is in increasing demand globally, and the luxury traveller seeks ease of facilitation from the time of booking until the return home.

But will the luxury traveller forsake the five star hotel for a private villa? The ILTM study also repeatedly describes a trend for “more privacy / less ostentation,” and “a quieter, more discreet style of luxury,” which already suggests a move away from opulent or decadent hotels and toward the tasteful, private luxury villa. The study also explains a rising trend for family and multi-generational travel, which together with the increasing demand for privacy “has boosted the demand for serviced villa properties” and led to a focus on “expanded space…in villa design.”

Consider some further comparisons:

Where are you more likely to find more authentic engagement with local culture, at the hotel bar where you may not even be able to judge what country you are in for all of the international travellers, or amongst the locals outside your villa door and at the village bar?

Who will be more committed, informed and concerned about your experience, a hotel concierge and other staff working for tips and an hourly wage, or the owner-host of the private villa, focused on only one client and immersed in the local culture with a network of local specialists?

Where can you get more exclusive service, at a hotel where you make an appointment for services from a rigid list along with everyone else at the hotel and have the same dinner as the strangers around you, or in the private villa where you are the only client and the providers come to you, the chef consults with you before planning your gourmet meal and serves you in the privacy of your own luxurious villa rental? How many hotels offer private poolside paella cooking courses or hosted poolside happy hours? How many hotel chefs will give you a personal tour of a local winery or fish market and cook for you the goods you selected?

And with a personalised décor reflecting the character and tradition of its particular area, built with local materials by local builders in a rustic-chic style, there is a story behind almost everything you see at a private villa such as Cortijo El Carligto. Even opulent five star hotels seem impersonal and formulaic in comparison.

Imagine arriving to the hilltop cortijo (the driver met you at the airport) to find the refrigerator stocked with the food and drink you requested and the chef standing by to present the first of many gourmet meals, but only after you enjoy a relaxing massage by the pool…in your own time. A private guide will meet you in the morning, as arranged, to illuminate the wonders of the Alhambra, and meanwhile you can decide on the yachting and winery tour options. Perhaps instead you’d like to stay in and enjoy the property undisturbed with your friends or family – there’s no one else around.

With this wide offering of indulgences and encounters with local culture and climate simply not available elsewhere, Cortijo El Carligto is ahead of the trends. The cultural richness and history of the area is what brought the owners here years ago and they have introduced boutique style luxury to this unique locale. What better way to enjoy current travel trends than from a private villa with boutique services to rival the five star hotels? As the study concludes, “time is the most precious commodity,” and with all comforts in place and everything arranged in advance, you have more of it to enjoy.

Easter Morcilla - two festivals, one single day

2011-05-04T04:42:00.000-07:00

Spaniards rarely let anything disrupt tradition or get in the way of a celebration, and Easter, 2011, in my local Andalucian village has demonstrated this point charmingly. Canillas de Aceituno annually hosts one of the first food festivals of the season in the picturesque mountainous region of La Axarquia. The celebration of their contribution to local cuisine, morcilla, or black pudding, occurs without deviation on the final Sunday of April each year, even when that day happens to fall on Easter Sunday, as it does this year. I wondered how the solemnity of the Semana Santa processions and the passion with which Spaniards famously express their faith and penitence would match with the all-out frivolity and drink-fuelled enthusiasm for their less pious celebration.

A crowd had gathered just outside the church with the mass in progress, a mix of knowledgeable locals and curious foreigners, and even a brass band. It had the expectant feel of a celebration already, and just around the corner from the church, on the main square, beer was already flowing from the kegs brought in for the occasion. I could tell the church was crowded and the mass sounded serious enough; I could hear a solo song of praise that sounded to me more like sorrowful Flamenco. Just as I was getting carried away by this voice from within the church a quick hiss and ferocious boom startled me. I had noticed the man charged with lighting the fireworks that day looking boyishly excited in the square, but I didn’t expect to hear them during the Easter mass.

Soon enough the expectant faces lit up as a dozen men from the community emerged from the church, lumbering under the weight of the ornate float carrying their gilded matron saint, la Virgen de la Cabeza with the baby Jesus. I must admit, I haven’t quite worked out the history of why she’s known as ‘the virgin of the head,’ but the villagers have been toting her revered likeness around on special occasions for decades and I could see the sense of pride and import on the faces of those selected to bear the weight of the paso with the sacred sculpture.

As if on cue, the rain began to fall as soon as the procession turned the corner from the church and headed into the main square. Undaunted, the church-going community fell in line behind the paso, protecting their candles from the rain while the rest of us huddled under awnings to watch the procession pass. The covered area outside of Bar Andalucia was particularly crowded, and a beer queue had already formed. Canillas de Aceituno is not a large village and the procession passed quickly, leaving the damp square suddenly somewhat empty as half of the community followed the procession and the other half slipped indoors or gathered under canopies in side streets outside of the bars. Most of the later half seemed intent on carrying on with the morcilla festivities, but as it was almost lunch time by now I decided to leave the scene for a while to wait out the rain and enjoy a home-cooked meal.

An hour later the cloudy sky was at least dry and the streets were filling up again with revelers. There was no longer any feeling of contradiction between piousness and partying; it was all down to partying now. The beer taps were flowing non-stop, children ran to and fro shrieking with laughter and party hats and balloons replaced the Easter bonnets and church candles. The Spanish couple on the stage put out very danceable if somewhat humorous renditions of Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas and Mambo Number 5, for example, along with more traditional Spanish ditties. The adults were really as riled as the children (I can’t shake the image of an adult couple dancing with Flamenco flair and huge grins to “I Kissed a Girl” by Katy Perry), while the teenagers tried to maintain their cool at the perimeter.

The next few hours passed unbelievably quickly and with increasing blurriness, as every good party should. I saw pretty much every one of the limited number of people I know from the village and shared a drink and a laugh with each until it was clearly time to find my way home again. I had slowed my pace, but this is not the way of the Canilleros; the adults carried on without missing a dance step even after the band had retired, and the teenagers and young adults came into prominence. A small, unmarked nightclub that I never even knew existed had opened its doors and a decidedly hip young crowd was already lingering casually in the vicinity.

These celebrations tend to last well into the night - even the religious processions in the cities go on until 3a.m. – and the morcilla festival was looking well on pace for keeping up tradition. The black pudding, some 200 kilos of the stuff, had been completely finished off hours ago, but the beer was still flowing rapidly. As for me, maybe I’m getting old or maybe I’m just not yet Spanish enough, but with two celebrations in a single day I thought it best to say “hasta luego,” and leave the rest to those with this stuff in their blood.

One man's stomach on the trail of Andalucia's three cultures

2011-04-13T09:21:00.000-07:00

Walking slowly and fluidly so as not to expend any unnecessary energy, I ducked into a shady alleyway to escape the direct force of the mid-day sun and fumbled for my water bottle. My first visit to Cordoba and I quickly learned an important lesson: don’t go in August! The heat had gotten the best of me already and I hadn’t even made my way to the famous mosque-cathedral, the Mezquita. I’d already given up on the idea today of visiting the Alcazar, a former palace of the Catholic Kings, which requires a fair bit of outdoor walking and climbing steps to explore.

I had come to Cordoba intent on a cultural exploration of las tres culturas, the three cultures of Judaism, Islam and Christianity that lived in relative harmony across nearly eight centuries under the Moors, with particular prosperity in this city. Explore the three cultures I would do, but I might have to change my plans a bit. One of the great things about Cordoba is that it is difficult to miss many of the remnants, legacies and influences of previous cultures. So why not engage with my current, cooler surroundings?

I sat with my back against the narrow alley wall with just enough space for my feet with my knees drawn up, in a rare patch of shade. Apparently, most everyone else in the city knew better than to be outside in the noon hour, but this made for a more interesting take on the streets and architecture around me. This neighborhood was already on my itinerary and I found myself in a typically narrow street of la Juderia, the medieval Jewish Quarter, maze-like and charming with its swathes of vibrant flowers adorning the window boxes above. I could see and feel the living history of this place, and I imagined romantically that these streets had not changed much in many centuries.

But what, I wondered, is the identifiable remnant of the Jewish culture here? The Mezquita displays in grand fashion the unique architecture of the Moors, and even the narrow streets of the Jewish Quarter (well designed for shade, thank you) are more characteristic of the Moors than the Jews. The Christian influence on the architecture and history is eminent throughout the city as well, if not a bit sadly so for the evidence of the violent end to the harmony and prosperity of the three cultures. The Catholic cathedral oddly plonked smack in the center of the larger, more ancient mosque of the Mezquita is an example. The Alcazar, also called the Palace of the Christian Kings, which housed the Spanish Inquisition for a time is another stark illustration. Perhaps the absence of discernable Jewish features says as much as the ubiquitous presence of Christian ones. The proximity of the Jewish Quarter to the Mezquita and the Cordoban seats of power gives an indication of prominence, and history still reveres the likes of Maimonides, the great Jewish philosopher, physician and Torah scholar born in twelfth century Cordoba; however, la Juderia is apparently much diminished from its Golden Age heyday.

Snapping back to the present, somewhat refreshed though still daunted by the heat, I turned tack toward my favorite of all cultural explorations. Instead of risking heat stroke on ambitious investigations around the city, I would explore the influence of the three cultures on the cuisine of Spain…inside an air-conditioned restaurant!

As it is with architecture, some of the influences on Spanish and Andalucian cuisine are more obvious than others. Anyone familiar with Arab cooking will recognize the contributions of such things as cous-cous, dried fruit and nuts in stews, and the liberal use of herbs and spices such as saffron, cinnamon, cumin and mint. Spain today produces some 40% of the world’s olives, but it was the Moors who introduced the olive trade to the Iberian Peninsula, and we also have the Moors to thank for lovely “Spanish” dishes such as migas (surprisingly delicious for ‘fried breadcrumbs’), lentils, gazpacho, ajo blanco and even paella.

The sway of Jewish influence in the cuisine appears to be most ingrained in various methods of preparation and eating customs; but again, the Christian conquerors left a more obvious impact. Once the Moors and the Jews were ultimately banned from living in Andalucia and practicing their religions in Spain, pork became a staple dish and proof of Christian conformity, as neither Jews nor Muslims would eat pork. This explains the prevalence of pork in Spanish cuisine today, though even then Christians may have been surprised to find that their delicious pork had been prepared with Jewish and Muslim ingredients and methods.

In fact, as I considered my lunch options, it wasn’t so much a matter of finding a restaurant to highlight the specific influences of the three cultures, but identifying the influences in virtually any “Spanish” dish that I might encounter. Given the heat, I didn’t feel very hungry anyhow, but it was lunchtime after all. Salmorejo, was the only thing on my mind. A creamy-thick, chilled soup of blended tomatoes, garlic, bread, lemon, vinegar and olive oil, it originated in Cordoba and is largely thanks to the Moors. But this is also a fine example of the blend of cultures: it was the Christian Conquistadors who brought tomatoes to Spain (and thereby Europe) from the New World. Served as it is today, with chopped, boiled egg and strips of jamon, it makes for a most savory and hearty meal and I’ve come to crave its comfort in the heat of summer.

I settled in at Casa Pepe de la Juderia, because I had heard about its character and its roof top terrace overlooking the Mezquita, but mostly because it was close enough to find on foot without passing out from the heat. I decided the roof terrace, despite the view, was better left to the sun gluttons (though I did take my complementary glass of sherry in a bit of shade there), and I sat in one cool corner of the labyrinthine dining area awaiting my salmorejo, wondering what this building housed 1000 years ago when the Jews prospered here.

Sadly, the salmorejo was pretty much all I could eat with the 40+ degree temperature outside, but my heart was good for the rabo de toro (bull’s tail, another specialty of the city) if my stomach wasn’t. It would have to wait, and so too would my continued culinary exploration of the three cultures. Perhaps the heat was making me delirious by now…I had no appetite for food, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

These thoughts led me to my friend and gifted gourmet-chef David Palacios. A commercial airline pilot who gave up his wings for culinary pursuits, David can still take you on a journey! He now works as a private chef for guests at Cortijo El Carligto, a beautifully restored gentleman’s farmhouse in the Andalucian hills near the coast set in the most stunning of surroundings. The cortijo is available to rent for groups of up to eight, and culinary pursuits are the order of the day. The owners and David have developed a number of culinary outings and special themes such as market and winery visits, combined foodie/spa breaks and unique menus for particular events. David is exceptionally knowledgeable about Spanish culinary traditions and history; he loves recounting the history of the bustling market in Malaga that has operated in the same space since Moorish times. The food of the tres culturas would be right up his alley and I thought, surely David could put together a Three Cultures tasting menu…

I’m thinking three small starter dishes, a tribute to each of the three cultures. Even the olives and almonds set out for a nibble with an aperitif have a story to tell, and with David’s insight the degustacion becomes a historical narrative. A small shot of Salmorejo to enliven the taste buds, a rich rice dish colored with saffron thanks to the Moors, stuffed fish from the Jews, Christian pork…the possibilities run through my mind and I can’t wait for chef David to elaborate on this idea more knowledgeably and creatively. I wonder if I couldn’t eat just a bit more now…

The Great Andalucian Food Trail

2011-04-11T18:15:00.000-07:00

I love food and I love travel. I've made a habit of investigating and reading up on the places I visit in order to learn more about the history, people and culture, but my favorite approach is always to learn about (and feast on) the food of a place as a means to cultural exploration. As I also like writing, I've decided to start recording some of my explorations here.

OK, I'm also still thinking of marketing a little bit, and I've always wanted to get myself published at some point, so let's just say I'm aiming to pitch some of this to the papers and magazines for some additional free publicity and to feel good about myself. At the very least, it makes for a great excuse to do two of the things I enjoy most, eating and traveling. And writing goes along with these so well...

My first installation is on the tres culturas and their influence of the food I've come to love so much here in Andalucia. Post to follow...

A new world network

2011-04-05T17:59:00.000-07:00

One of the good things about having the family here is that Marc's nephew is quite tech savvy and he's been very useful in helping me get up to speed with online technology and social networking. In fact, he's made me feel pretty old at this point...I was there from the beginning when the internet emerged, yet Dan wasn't even born then and he knows the ins and outs as if instinctively. I thought it was good of me starting a blog and all, but I'm only now beginning to work with photos and videos and the like, and Dan has helped me connect the blog with Facebook with Twitter, Flickr, etc. I'm a bit like a kid on Christmas morning now with my new smartphone and all it's gadgets. Photos on the go posted directly to Twitter and friends on Facebook, 360 virtual reality videos...it's all incredibly exciting! Stay tuned, I'll be testing some of these out soon...

El Torcal, Antequera

2011-04-02T00:38:00.000-07:00

Lunch in Antequera was lovely, but our main destination yesterday was the nature reserve at El Torcal. The views toward the sea (and El Carligto) are simply incredible, but the oddly formed rock of the Torcal mountains are themselves mind boggling. Some 150 million years ago these rocks were part of the seabed, then rose to a height of more than 1300 meters and have since been shaped into their current bizarre formations through erosion. It looks as though massive skipping stones had been carefully stacked by some mythical giant or titan, and it’s a quick walk around the site to many of these natural monuments. You could linger around or hike further back into the mountainscapes, but just to sit and take in the view from the mirador is quite an experience. Wow...

A family affair

2011-03-31T16:01:00.000-07:00

A quick check-in as I’m quite occupied this week. Funny how family and friends require so much more time and attention than paying guests! It’s nice to play tourist with our visitors as well, though, and tomorrow I’m looking forward to going to Antequera for a walk around, lunch (of course) and a stop at El Torcal with the family. It’s an amazing view point that overlooks Malaga, the sea, La Maroma and our two nearest villages (along with a whole lot of additional expanse) from probably 80km inland. It’s a bit of a bizarre moonscape-looking part of the mountains with stacked pancake formations of rock and very impressive. I’ll take some photos and post later!

Departures and arrivals

2011-03-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

The guests have gone, regretful that they didn’t have more time but happy for the experience that they had here. They weren’t quite as active as they initially seemed to be planning...the cycling never happened and I don’t think anyone did any early morning jogging, though I was impressed that they walked to the village of Alcaucin one morning and hiked the same trail for the peñon grande that Marc and I tried a few weeks back. I think in the end they were probably walking off David’s cooking! But they did say they would like to return next year to do the cycling and more hiking and all the things they wanted to do this time around but didn’t get to doing.

So many restaurants as well, and so little time. I think they made the most of their foodie opportunities, however, and left satisfied. As for me, it was really nice to meet them and I do hope they return, but I am also very happy to be back in my own home tonight. I’d better enjoy it tonight and tomorrow night, though. Marc’s family is due to return on Monday - his parents for two weeks, a brother and his wife and two kids for a week, with one son staying on with us for the second week and his girlfriend to join. I should be finished with the laundry by the time they arrive...

Guest house living

2011-03-24T19:32:00.000-07:00

Staying in our guest house is not a bad thing while we have guests in El Carligto, even now before we have renovated the two apartments to give rise to El Refugio de Caza (we’ve already given it its new name). It does feel individual and distinct already, with a different disposition to view the mountains and sea from an even higher altitude than El Carligto. It gives us a chance to get more intimate with the gardens up there again as well, and we’ve already this week planted a new row of rosemary that should give us a shaped evergreen hedge as early as next year.

The clients have been entertaining themselves pretty well and seem thrilled with everything. Their welcome dinner apparently was a big success because they’ve asked for David’s market outing tomorrow and have cancelled the reservations I made for them with a Michelin-starred chef on Friday in order to have David cook their celebratory meal. They have a birthday and a graduation from Stanford University to celebrate within the family and they’ve decided to do it here. Should be festive and I’m looking forward to dropping in before dinner to catch up on their week and propose a toast.

Welcoming

2011-03-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

New guests arrived today. I’m beginning to recognize a routine nervousness that builds up in the week before we welcome people here and I am currently enjoying the relaxing come down now that our newest friends have settled in, seemingly very happily after a long overnight journey from the US. They’re food lovers, which is perfect here, and outdoors types looking for hiking and cycling and I’ve been happy to put them in touch with our connections to help them get the most out of the property and the area.

It’s always a great relief to me to have chef David here for a welcome dinner because he takes so much of the pressure off of putting out welcome tapas and warming up the guests. With his lovely and charming mother along to help It’s even more calming and tonight was no exception, with the table laid beautifully with fresh floral arrangements and the kitchen smelling of roasted almonds and simmering stock.

The greeting was pleasant and they seem like genuinely nice people with interesting stories to tell, but seeing that they were getting comfortable and in the good hands of David and Riny, I excused myself and have retired to the guest house to finally relax and finally record my thoughts again. By now they might be into their first desert course of their six course meal...I think they’re going to love it!

Birthday aftermath

2011-03-10T14:21:00.000-08:00

Well, my birthday was Tuesday and I’ve just about recovered now.

We invited a few of our neighbors around, and another friend made it down from London for a few days as well so it was cozy and festive. We were quite surprised initially to meet some locals (as in, they live within a few minutes of us right here in the valley) who are our age and relatively like minded. A few Spaniards and a few Brits, all up for a bit of society (to put it politely), and an enjoyable lot. I feel like we just don’t get out much anymore and after living in London it’s been quite an adjustment, so I thought it would be nice to have a few friends around on my birthday anyhow.

We had a bit of sunshine through the clouds, which lasted just long enough for us to eat comfortably outside before stoking the fire for the sake of it. Soon after the rain began to fall again so we sat around the fire and continued the festivities. I am definitely getting older - I’m not sure I could survive some of my younger birthday revelries anymore and I had little appetite for a big fuss. Still, though it was a Tuesday evening, no party in Spain ever seems to be tame or end early, and I do believe a good time was had by all.

Hiking in La Axarquia?

2011-02-27T21:42:00.001-08:00

After our highly enjoyable hike last week we thought we’d make an extra effort to explore a bit more on the weekends. There is a Buddhist temple visible from here, across the Velez River valley opposite La Maroma, where we have heard there are some fantastic views and walking trails (though fantastic views and trails are not hard to come by here...). So we packed up the dogs into the car and optimistically headed off in the direction of the stupa.

We should have known better, but it is all part of the exploration and we’ve learned not to be disappointed when our destinations don’t materialise. The road up to the stupa is not marked as far as I could tell and even though I could see it at times on the ridge above in the distance I couldn’t tell how to get up there. Our search led us further in the direction of Comares, and so we decided on lunch there instead.

Comares is set like a crown on top of a steep hill at more than 800m and offers amazing views. There’s a restaurant there with a beautiful courtyard patio looking directly back toward our property, a speck below La Maroma with Canillas de Aceituno and Alcaucin little more than blurry white dots on the hillsides. The Velez River valley spills past Velez-Malaga and out to the sea at Torre del Mar.

The food doesn’t quite match up to the views but it’s different fare at least, and the Columbian dancer and his Dutch partner make for an interesting atmosphere. He danced a bit of Flamenco today, but normally he just throws a few surprising poses with a stomp of the foot and flit of the hand. Truffles and Reina behaved themselves very well on the terrace, despite the dancing, and though we didn’t make the trail I think we all enjoyed the outing.

Hiking La Axarquia

2011-02-20T23:33:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned before, we are planning to join the coast to coast fundraising walk for the part leading across the mountains nearest us. We can see the trail vaguely from our window and I’ve been looking at the ‘peñon grande,’ the huge rock outcropping looming above the village, with a longing to sit atop. Well, today Marc and I, along with Truffles and Reina, finally made our way along the trail. None of us have done a great deal of hiking in the last while but for some casual strolls through the national park, though I suspect the dogs would be fine without training. Marc and I, however, should probably get in a few practice hikes before the day.

This was our first so we started out casually, thinking we’d at least scope out the trail head and get a feel for the ascent. I’ve heard it’s about an hour and a half to get there, but I recalled half way up (and somehow not before) someone telling me that there are two routes to the spot, one short and steep and another long and more gradual. By the time this memory came to me we were well along that gradual climb and the peñon still looked a long way up. The wind was picking up and after a good hour we decided to turn back, happy with our first look.

I spend a lot of time looking up at the mountain from here on the property and it was great to be up there looking back down. El Carligto was frequently visible along the trail, tiny on a thin ridge, which seems so grand from the spot. The sea spread vastly toward Africa, where it seemed clouds on the coast denied our view of the mountains there, but in every other direction the Andalucian mountains did not disappoint. Lake Viñela held its place in the basin below and it was a real visual feast from a new perspective on a land I’ve grown to admire.

Visits to the village

2011-02-15T11:55:00.000-08:00

Despite not being able to see more than a few metres thanks to the low cloud cover hugging the mountain, I set off this morning for my run to the post box in our local village, Canillas de Aceituno. Picking up the mail has become something of a secret pleasure for me.

Though today’s weather gave exception, the early drive across the valley usually provides the most incredible views of the mountains in every direction, Lake Vinuela in the valley below and the Med beyond. The sensation is always uplifting, and upon arriving in the village my mood is light. The post office amounts to an office big enough for one desk and some shelves, plus the tiny room walled with maybe a few dozen post office boxes. Ours is simply number eight. But the woman there is always very friendly and smily, and the feeling perpetuates.

Even today the rain didn’t dampen the experience, and I stopped for my usual coffee at Bar Andalucia just across the plaza from the post office. The ‘plaza,’ at the centre of the village is actually not much wider than the road leading in, but all the more quaint for it. Bar Andalucia was pretty empty, though I was a bit late for coffee hour; I did see a couple of the builders for an ‘hola,’ however. It’s impossible to go the village without seeing someone I know, and I still don’t think I know very many people.

Put the spade down and get back to the marketing

2011-02-13T20:10:00.000-08:00

We had the first bit of rain in quite a few weeks last night. With all of the planting we’ve been doing it was good to see, and it looks like more on the way. We’ve still been at it over the past few days, cleaning, trimming and building climbing trellises, though not as much planting and I think we’re almost there.

Today was finally time to put the spade down and get back to that marketing task. I’ve been hitting the phone and e-mail routine, but these people are difficult to get through to apparently. I did succeed in getting a couple of email responses after numerous attempts, but unfortunately those were to say ‘thanks, but no thanks’ in one way or another. One paper actually said the property seemed a little too luxurious for their readers. Hmm. I had more respect for that paper; it’s not like I’m approaching the trashy papers. Anyhow, it’s partially about volume, and the more (appropriate) press I approach the better the chance that one of them happens to be looking to fill just that kind of space in the paper or magazine at that moment.

Some good news on that front soon would be nice, but at least we did just sell another week in summer today!

More gardening

2011-02-09T13:14:00.000-08:00

We’ve had a stretch of beautiful weather for the last few days and we couldn’t help ourselves but to spend more time in the garden. It’s getting almost addictive now, and Marc is getting as excited about the garden design as the house design. There’s a lot of new landscaping and planting to be done around El Refugio and now is the time. We thinned out many of the succulents just for fun over the weekend and potted or replanted many of them. We’ve pretty much planted a whole new scheme around the upper pool, stuck in a couple of dozen small cypresses, wild olives and algarrobos (carob) a friend gave us, and fertilized the entire garden with the compost we’ve been stewing. Sebastian, the gardener, has also done a lot of work recently trimming, pruning and cleaning, and I’m sure it’s my imagination but everything looks greener and more full of buds than it did two days ago.

New press

2011-02-05T21:28:00.000-08:00

Our agent in the UK managed a nice bit of press for us this week in The Sunday Times Travel Magazine - “Europe’s Best Villas.” They listed us number one ‘family favourite’ and called it “a ‘wow’ house,” “so cool it’s begging to be facebooked.” It’s got a photo of the pool over more than half a page and it looks pretty great. I’ve been trying to get through to the press myself to land just this kind of thing, but I guess the agent beat me to it with the inside scoop, dunno. They’ve got us listed as The Olive Grove, rather than El Carligto for their own portfolio, but I’m happy for the bookings they may get for us and it’s still pretty novel for me to see pictures of my home in the magazines.

The day after hosting

2011-01-30T15:23:00.000-08:00

Well, that was harder to recover from than expected. The white, rosè and the red wine is still lingering in my head and we did enjoy meeting Guy and Tiki. We showed them around and got acquainted before dinner, and the wine began flowing. Dinner somehow went on until midnight or so and we were on Spanish time already so the conversation flowed like the wine.

Interesting people with a lot of experience and travel; Guy has lived near Ronda for some twenty years and Tiki is from South Africa, and given Guy’s job reviewing holiday rentals everywhere they’ve seen quite a few fascinating places. We did get some good insights and it was interesting to compare notes on a few things, and given that we don’t get off of this hill much anymore it was good to have a bit of society for a change. He’s also kindly put us in touch with a few other knowledgeable people in the area, so perhaps the network grows. Let's see what develops.

New acquaintances and new hills to climb

2011-01-29T14:05:00.000-08:00

We came across the name of an Englishman living near Ronda last year through some articles he had written for the Guardian about our region within Andalucia called La Axarquia. We found that he had also written a couple of books on inns and hotels in the area, and that he also has a rental business of his own that he has been running for some twenty years. So we thought, why not invite him over and pick his brains, shamelessly probe for media contacts (or insight at least), and maybe meet a friendly ‘neighbor’ in the meantime?

After a receptive response we went back and forth for a few months. During this time Marc and I agreed to join his coast to coast hike to help raise funds for a Sherpa school in Nepal... Mind you, we wont be doing the entire 21 day, 430km trek from Maro, on the far side of Nerja on the Mediterranean coast, to Bolonia, past the straights of Gibraltar on the Atlantic Ocean. But part of the trail is visible from our window, cutting across the slope below La Maroma, and I’ve been wanting to get my lazy arse up there for quite a while now, so Marc and I are at least going to hike one of the two legs that pass here. One leg is 18km and the other 20km, so one way or another we will be getting some exercise finally.

Anyhow, Guy finally got back last night to see if he and Tiki might join us tonight on short notice. So...we’ll see what develops, but as for now I have an impromptu feast to prepare.

Renewed renovations - El Refugio

2011-01-28T20:27:00.000-08:00

I dare say, now that the garden project is wrapping up, it may be time to get the builders back to continue on the renovations of El Refugio. Next in line is to finish the outdoor terraces and garden areas, with their cane roofs and tree-branch beams, and still some heavy planting to do requiring a crane. Aside from the final borders and planting which would get trampled on during the internal renovations, we decided it best to get the landscaping and big planting in now, during winter, and then tackle the actual renovations of the interior.

Marc has been so excited about the design that he can’t sleep. He always wanted to be an architect and this little endeavor here has become the design project of his dreams. I must say, though I am also excited about it, I don’t have that spacial intelligence so much, nor an eye for decoration (I can’t arrange flowers or even position a couple of candles on a table), and I’m kind of just looking forward to it being finished... It is quite a strenuous process dealing with and managing the builders and the build, but the results so far have definitely made it worth it. Here’s to a similar result on El Refugio!

Greener grass

2011-01-26T11:01:00.000-08:00

We do seem to have a bit of time now until our next guests arrive and we’ve been busy with additional projects in the garden. Sebastian created a terrific looking curvaceous border for us around the palms near the pool and again around the citrus garden on the other side of the pool further down, fully equipped with water efficient sprinklers. Next we seed grass in both areas and Bam! the pool area is even more comfortable with grassy areas to sprawl in and stare at the mountain and the sea.

Snow on La Maroma

2011-01-23T19:59:00.000-08:00

It’s been getting a bit chillier the last couple of days, but I really didn’t expect snow today. The mountain was densely cloudy this morning and I wondered if it would be snowing up there, and an hour later I could see snow flakes falling in front of me. Not for long, and none of it collected here other than in puddles. But I could see it on the mountain and on the lower slopes across the valley from us in the nature park.

The pines were beautifully dusted and more reminiscent of the Michigan winters of my youth than what I expected of Andalucia. Another pleasant surprise and perhaps even more lovely for the fact that I can look at it from across the valley and not have to slush through it or risk frost bite. Last time I went back to see my family the temperature was 30 degrees below zero and it all came back to me through memory triggers in the form of tiny ice daggers in my nose and lungs, the numbness in the extremities and the feeling that my skin might crack open at any minute if left exposed.

Still, I did miss the change of seasons, if not the bitter cold, when I left Michigan for San Diego. One more reason I love it here - the climate. Enough of a change to distinguish each of the seasons, but any given day could be perfect and summer definitely lasts much longer than winter!

Home alone

2011-01-21T19:57:00.000-08:00

An early rise today at 6:45 to get Marc off to the airport. It’s not often that I’m up before the sun even starts to rise, but I managed today. His dad turns 80 and it’s a family affair, but I’m staying behind to look after the house and the dogs. It seems really quiet already, but it’s nice to have some time alone here. Only the second time I’ve had the chance. My music is on louder than it need be, playing the stuff Marc can’t bear and after I finish writing I’m going to settle down with a book and catch up on some reading. Seemingly contradictorily, I read much less now that I’ve moved to the country; but I do stay busy, and I work with my hands more than I used to. I certainly don’t miss those commutes on the London underground where I did much of my reading though. I prefer silence.

Spanish language learning lentisimo

2011-01-19T15:51:00.000-08:00

My Spanish lessons have turned out to be something of a roller coaster ride of confidence. It’s mostly conversational practice and then we pick up on areas of grammatical confusion, and my ego gets a boost because I understand everything and chime in with my contributions in increasingly fluent phrases. But then I stagger on how to say something, look more closely at the grammar and realise how far off I am. Conversations outside of lessons are always a bit trickier as well...

We’ve dealt with all of our builders and virtually everyone we encounter here in Spanish, but it’s been brutal at times and embarrassing frequently. Hats off to the Spanish for being incredibly accommodating and helpful in the process, but the locals take some real concentration to understand even on a good language day. The Andaluz ‘dialect,’ some argue, is not a dialect at all but just a lazy pronunciation. It doesn’t like the ‘s’ sound at all and other sounds in the middle and end of words are swallowed, all the while delivered at amazing speed.

It’ll come eventually and I am on my way. “Poco a poco” is the Spanish mantra!

Hasta luego!

Working at home and never leaving work

2011-01-18T21:49:00.000-08:00

Well, I did get to my ‘marketing’ today and I must say I’m a bit numb in the head now. I’ve always loved writing, but marketing was something I had never explored much previously and combining the two has become an interesting exercise. I’m doing a somewhat self-taught crash course in marketing planning at the same time but Marc is decidedly enthusiastic about the topic so he’s always there with input. Always.

Still, these things have to be done when you’re running a business and what we are doing is certainly more than renting a house out. It beats the 9-5 routine working to someone else’s goals to be sure, and somebody slap me if I ever even start to complain, but there is something to be said for leaving work for home. When your home is your work it’s another proposition. I think for tonight it’s time to leave the work and be home.

New life in an old ruin

2011-01-17T20:47:00.000-08:00

Monday again and I did work on the marketing a bit, but the gardener was here and headlong into a couple of projects we wanted to get moving on and I was glad to spend some time in the garden as well.

We finally finished the repairs on the old ruin on the property. One section lost it’s roof decades ago but I cleared the weeds, rubble and various left over building materials out of it last year and planted a small vegetable garden. Not large enough for a proper, productive plot, it still makes for a great feature with it’s crumbled stone walls and does work quite well for small amounts of produce. I still get a kick out of pulling my ingredients from the garden, and the area outside the entrance to the ruin is perfect for herbs and aromatic plants. I planted a peach tree at the entrance last year and it’s budding like crazy at the moment.

The repairs involved reinforcing the tops of the crumbled walls a bit just to keep them from crumbling further, but today was about finishing the small attached room, which still retains its roof, but only just. We made rudimentary fixes to the roof to keep the water out, and finished today by treating the wood roof and support beams, and painting everything a clean white.

It is a small space, but big enough for a work bench and tool storage. And there’s a tiny section at the front, half the width of the 2m wide room, raised a foot higher from the floor and burrowed into the hillside more than a metre deep that just might make for a perfect wine cellar!

Courting the press

2011-01-15T13:45:00.000-08:00

Well, now it’s Saturday so let’s take it easy. Lot’s of laundry after our guests left and somewhat ceremonial reclaiming of our space, but mostly a chance to enjoy the weather and run through garden plans for the guest house.

Yet winter still it is and our calendar is not yet full. It’s been a relaxed holiday and new year and we’re enjoying some fantastic weather at the moment, but it’s time to get back to development of the business and renovations on El Refugio. The press attack begins again on Monday.

The Wall Street Journal article in November was a big boost, but now I’m aiming for the UK market. Keep an eye out for us, I’m hoping to land something before spring time. We are now offering full catering and concierge with numerous extra services on request and with all of the additional culinary options and adventures we’re trying to set ourselves apart and gain some further recognition. So on to the marketing it is for me; wish me luck.

Home coming

2011-01-14T17:39:00.000-08:00

Our Australian friends have gone now and I have to say how great it is to be back in the house.

It’s always nice to spend some time in the guest house to stay acquainted, and we’ve enjoyed a bit of work on the new gardens as part of the renovations there in the week our guests were here; but until it’s finished, it could never be as comfortable as our home here. We’ve spent our attention on the gardens and terraces so far to get the planting in place during winter, so the interior is as it was and we’ve been sharing one of the two bedroom apartments with Truffles and Reina. It’s great to have our big kitchen back as well. The weather has been gorgeous and it’s not cold, but we couldn’t resist making a fire tonight just to move back in extra cozy. Maybe a movie...

First departures

2011-01-13T23:37:00.000-08:00

Clients leaving tomorrow so I went down to have a drink and a chat.

Another quick week, and as they’ve been busy exploring we haven’t seen much of them. All the way from Australia and first time in Andalucia so they’ve done well to cover Granada and the Alhambra, Malaga, the local villages and the coast. They seem well pleased with their stay and only wish for more time to explore more and spend more time relaxing in the cortijo. The girls were wishing for more time with Truffles and Reina, but they took them for a walk today and Reina was especially grateful.

Toward the tail end of their five week holiday now, they seem perfectly relaxed and in pace. They told me how they enjoy tuning out while on holiday and letting the world turn, but as I watch the news myself the headlines are all about the worst natural disaster ever in Australia, with an area six times the size of the UK declared a disaster zone after flooding. It’s on the opposite side of the country from where they live, but I wonder if they’d rather know or not.

I wasn’t going to raise it as they were blissful. Off tomorrow for Holland for a few days and then the long flight back down under. I wish them a fantastic onward journey.

Almond blossoms

2011-01-12T17:35:00.000-08:00

I noticed the first almond blossom yesterday and today I see them everywhere. Fantastic!

The blossoms don’t last too long, but at least for the next few weeks the hillsides will be lit up in brilliant pink and white patches and distant polka-dots. They’re a little bit late this year but it still seems early to me, like signs of spring when it’s only mid-January. We have quite a few grand examples on our own property, but it’s amazing how they suddenly distinguish themselves across the hills and valleys where you never noticed them before.

The garden gives a pretty good turnover throughout the year, but this is an exciting time. The almond blossoms are a true highlight of the year and it only gets better for the next few months with new growth and spring flowers. I’m still a novice gardener, but this is truly one of the reasons I’m so glad I moved to the country.

I can see Africa

2011-01-10T18:28:00.000-08:00

Wow. I can see Africa from my house.

Sometimes, and seemingly only in winter when the Mediterranean currents are cooler clearer, the mountains from across the Med appear on the horizon like some phantom land.

More gardening

2011-01-09T22:10:00.000-08:00

First arrivals

2011-01-07T21:24:00.000-08:00

We welcome our first guests of the year later today. It pushed us to finish some maintenance type work like re-treating the terra cotta floors, but it came very quickly after seeing out 2010. It’s always a bit of a waiting game on the day people arrive and always a test of nerves. As casual as it usually turns out to be I can never relax until the people arrive and I’ve gauged that everything is ok and everyone is happy.

The waiting has been extended today thanks to a delayed flight. I hope they aren’t distressed; for their sake and for the fact that they’ll be easier to welcome. I hope it’s not too late as well. Original arrival time something like 6pm, but the flight is already delayed mored than 3 hours. At any rate, a glass of wine will make the waiting easier.

Building in Spain

2011-01-03T20:16:00.000-08:00

A word on building in Spain as that’s been such a big part of our experience here so far. Spain has a reputation for its confounding bureaucracy (especially in the pueblos) and our experience did live up to that reputation! It was necessary to speak with the town architect as well as the town lawyer before our plans were approved. We were told to come on Tuesday, for example, then on Tuesday I was told to come back the next day. The next day I was chastised for missing my appointment the day before! Once I was told to come back the same afternoon, only to realise that the office is not open in the afternoon...

Fortunately, our builder came through brilliantly. He ultimately facilitated most of these transactions with his connections in the village and got things moving quickly. The entire process of building with him was in many ways amusing. After paying an architect for detailed drawings, the builder was not interested in even looking at them. The design process was more akin to making drawings in the sand with a stick. Marc designed the interior and we managed everything ourselves, so this at least made for an organic process of decision making on the spot, but for northerners it was quite a different experience to what we were accustomed to.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T16:04:00.000-08:00

A new year and and somehow closing our second year here already in just two weeks time. A full year of settling, renovating and developing the business, and another year of finishing touches, running the business and developing the business.

We managed some great press in our first season with pieces in Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, The Sunday Times in the UK and The Wall Street Journal in the USA. But it still feels like approaching our first ‘real’ season now. I truly enjoyed meeting each of the guests we hosted the first season out, and I say that without any sense of cliche or disingenuousness. It’s interesting to see the mix and get a glimpse into the lives of people I might not otherwise meet.

Cheers to a new year and whatever makes us all happy and fulfilled!

Getting started

2010-10-20T12:54:00.000-07:00

We arrived here mid-January 2009, to beautiful weather and the beginning of a new life in one of the most stunning natural settings I have ever seen. We both fell in love with the property the first time we laid eyes on it, already engulfed in the magic from the top of the ridge as we approached, with the mountain behind us, Lake Vinuela below to the right and the Mediterranean shining beyond El Carligto on its hilltop perch to the left. I joked, “I want to live here!”

Another year and a half later we would actually purchase the property, though our thoughts were ever on it. I was still well involved with my career at the BBC in London in the meantime, but Marc had planned every detail of the renovation in his mind before any hint of a deal on the purchase.

We did see that deal realised, and it’s been the best move I’ve ever made.