Happy New Year, You are Welcome
Welcome 2024. We hope you all feel the same and look forward to a new year and 365 new days. January, I must admit, is not my favourite month. It´s the coldest here in the mountains of the Sierra Sur de Jaén, the skies are unadultered blue right and the sun shines although we do […]
November? Really?
Well, it seems that I last posted here in July. How did it happen that we´re now into a wet, windy November with the nights beginning earlier. Since my last post I´ve added Almohalla 51 in Archidona and Hotel Oleum in Andújar to Only Spain. I´m in a bit of a quandry whether to add […]
Heatwaves in Spain – Sensationalism
Friends and family have been in contact more these last couple of weeks than normal, why? The British press. Every year summer in Spain is hot, especially inland, that is a Spanish summer! That´s why many people holiday in Spain – for the heat. So when people keep asking me ´how are you coping with […]
Lonely Planet Andalucia Guide
Well, I now hold in my hands and flick through the pages of the new format Lonely Planet guide for Andalucia. It´s smaller and more versatile being so much lighter too. I wrote the Córdoba and Jaén chapter – what a tough couple of months that was last summer! All that work, panic, travelling in […]
May Rain in Spain
Well! I´m cold. After temperatures reaching over 30ºc in April and practically no rain, I packed away the winter woollies and boots. Having to water my (too many) pots and garden every single day – I don´t ever remember having to do that in April, we´ve now hit 15ºc and lots of rain. A bit […]
Winter Solstice – Shortest Day
So here we are, on the shortest day of the year. That sounds to me like winter should be drawing to a close, but no, apparently it´s just beginning. I´m not a fan of winter but I do like the sound of the shortest day because that means it´s the longest night, more time to […]
Beautiful, Small B&B/Hotels
This month (I should see) two lovely new additions here on Only Spain. Two beautiful small B&Bs/hotels, sometimes it´s very hard to differentiate between them both. Now we´re nearly halfway through November, I can´t believe it, it´s still warm here. A bit too warm really, what we need is rain. Ever since we put the […]
October Already!
Well September passed in a blur. It´s very definitely autumn now, October already, with chilly mornings and evenings and hot in between. The season of adding and removing layers of clothing. My end of September deadline for a writing job was welcome, a huge sigh of relief, and then the serious effort of a weekend away to […]
September!
Usually, as September approaches and summer begins to wane, I feel sad. Not this year! A seemingly continual heatwave of 39/40c almost every day. We had to have air con which I hate, to be able to think, let alone eat and work. So September is here. The mornings and evenings are suddenly cool and […]
B&B and Cooking Class in Inland Andalucia
It´s always a joy to return to somewhere special and that´s what we did on Saturday night. A short break – they always feel longer – at Finca Las Encinas B&B and a cooking class with chef Clive which we then sat outside and ate, between going back to the kitchen between courses! Cooking for […]
Hot, Hot, Hot
Hot, hot, hot and more heatwaves to come. This is summer. It comes and slaps you in the face. Altering routines, inducing siestas, it´s hard to concentrate and work. I have a love/hate relationship with it but still it beats winter´s long, dark nights. So plans for the heat? Well I´ve just got back from […]
Summer Heatwaves are Here
So here we are! It´s 39ºc outside. Summer arrived with heatwaves this year and we´re still having them! Our life cycle changes to adapt to the heat. Summer working hours can end at 2pm then begin again at 6pm or if you´re lucky offices don´t open in the afternoons in July and August. No one […]
April Showers and Plenty of Them
What a spring! We´ve had 25c one day and 8c the next. Sunshine and April showers and plenty of them. The Spanish refrain ¨En abril hay aguas mil¨ has been true this year! In April there are thousands of water – the literal translation and so there has been. But it is very much needed […]
Malaga Boutique Hotel Stay
It´s Friday, it´s 5´clock…… Anyone remember what show that was? Am I showing my age? Well actually it is Thursday and 5 o´clock and I´ve just booked a stay away in a Malaga boutique hotel in the city itself – tomorrow. I´m so excited! It´s cold but sunny here in the north of Andalucia, we´ve […]
Goodbye 2021 and Welcome 2022
Well there goes another one! It seems just a few months since I wrote the post End of 2020, Welcoming 2021, hoping a better one. Was it? Now we say goodbye 2021 and welcome 2022. What was hoped for has been a bit of a flop. Up and down, can travel, can´t travel. Tests, masks, […]
What is a Boutique Hotel?
This is a big question, so what is a boutique hotel exactly? One dictionary definition says Boutique Hotel – ‘a stylish small hotel, typically one situated in a fashionable urban location.’ I like the fact that Boutique suggests individual, small, often owner-run and does away with the star-rating and big-chain hotel which have more to do with […]
New Look!
We have a new look – what do you think? We´re working on ironing out the niggles, fixing links that worked but don´t now but all in all we are happy with our updated image. It´s a bit like cutting your long hair as you get older and keep postponing the day. It is done […]
Sunny Autumn Colours for an Andalucia Trip
It´s been a while since I took a jaunt for Only Spain and what a trip. The sun carries on shining (although we could really do with some rain) and the autumn colours are gearing up for a spectacular display. My destination was one of the UNESCO twinned cities of Úbeda in Jaen province. A […]
Hotels for Dia de Andalucia
Here we are on the last day of February celebrating Dia de Andalucia or Andalucia Day. Or we would be celebrating and probably out on the road for this Bank Holiday weekend checking out great places to add to Only Spain. But travel restrictions are still in place in many towns. This normally would be […]
Rural, Romantic Hotels in Andalucia in Starlight Reserves for Stargazing
There are many locations for stargazing but what better than a romantic, rural hideaway hotel in Andalucia? Andalucia covers a vast area from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. Between those two are huge swathes of olive groves and vast dramatic mountain ranges where light pollution doesn´t reach. Stargazing in rural Andalucia is pretty […]
End of 2020, Welcoming 2021
What an amazing year 2020 has been. Everybody has been affected in one way or another, for worse or the worst. My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones, an untold number, especially as we head into the´festive season.´ Our lives will never be the same and I, like many, am not […]
Cooking, Walking and Photography Holidays and Courses in Spain
What better way to learn something new is there than staying at a lovely, owner run hotel or Bed and Breakfast which run classes or courses. In this post I have put together some of our beautiful establishments that run holidays for different activities. Hotels in Andalucia and Valencia running Cookery Courses and […]
Andalucia Segura – What is it?
Popping up everywhere are these new logos ´Andalucia Segura´but what are they all about? This particular one above is for accommodation there are others for beaches, restaurants, golf, spas, active tourism etc. These distinctive signs, which are free and voluntary, identify the businesses that comply with the security measures pertaining to Covid-19 to give a […]
Heading into Autumn 2020
Well what started off as a rather strange year has continued in the same way and here we are heading rapidly into Autumn with things pretty much the same. Perhaps we´re a bit wiser, definitely we are a bit older but life goes on while mask-wearing (and removal at every opportunity.) Travel has pretty much […]
Heading into July 2020
So on Wednesday we are in the seventh month of this, the strangest and perhaps the quickest of my 24 years in Spain. But now we are heading into July 2020, the summer heat arrived with a bang and life except the wearing of masks is more or less back to normal. This weekend will […]
Summer 2020
With Monday seeing us enter phase 2 of the Co-vid19 lockdown here in Jaen province, news, very uplifting after 10 weeks and many changes of plan means that it looks like we will be able to move around freely this summer. For quite a while it looked like that was not going to happen and […]
Travel in Spain – Almost
We are nearly there, or so it seems. There is talk of opening up the Spanish provinces then a local town is locked down again. We´ve been given a date to end it all – 9th May but only by summer will 70% of the population have been vaccinated. Do you continually watch or listen […]
Oh to Go!
So we are on provincial lock down still under after Easter. Yet we´re raring to go. Oh to go, to travel, to explore. I´m not alone, far from it. What a year it has been and it´s not over yet! We´re confined to home waiting for a phone call to see if we are negative […]
New Year, New Walk on the Caminito del Rey – King’s Walkway
For our Christmas present hubby and I decided we wanted to do something not buy presents so we booked to walk the Caminito del Rey in Malaga province again. We went about 3 year ago with 3 sons and 2 girlfriends. We fancied going alone, not keeping tabs on members of the group. So on […]
Winter Roses and Charming Hotel in the Albaicin, Granada
Well December has arrived but my climbing rose doesn’t seem to realise and is blooming and budding again. Nice and cheery, certainly not as profuse as its spring flowering but should I tell it that it is almost winter now? Friday night saw hubby and I on our last escape of 2019, except the works […]
Autumn Arrives and Partnership Flares
Many of the lovely establishments we have here on Only Spain do weddings on a small scale. So we were delighted when an American wedding planner got in touch and asked if we would partner with them. September and October saw them visiting several of our hotels and travelling around Spain. Not only do they […]
Old Friends and New Additions
I always find this time a year a little sad. We’re now into the last fortnight of August, the weather is starting to cool just a bit, especially in the evenings which is bringing to an end the long lazy evenings outside as Autumn will soon be upon us, pools will be closed up and […]
Spanish Boutique Hotels Articles
As a promoter of lovely boutique hotels in Spain one of my greatest joys is heading off to discover another Spanish hotel or B&B. I always do my homework first to try and make sure they fit into the guidelines for our portfolio. What Makes a Hotel Boutique? That’s a tricky one, if you haven’t […]
Wedding Season in Spain
It’s now the long hot lazy days of summer down here in southern Spain. Andalucia literally melts with pretty much dawn to dusk sunshine. I suppose really it is still spring and not officially summer yet. There’s an old Spanish saying which translates something like ‘ don’t take off your long sleeves until the 40th […]
Cortijos & Haciendas in Hola Magazine
One of our recent blog posts was Spanish Haciendas and Cortijos – What are They? So I was very happy to come across an old post with stunning photos in Hola Magazine – Cortijos y Haciendas donde Respirar la Belleza de Andalucia – Cortijos & Haciendas where you can breathe (or inhale) the beauty of […]
Boutique Hotels in Cordoba and Malaga
So it’s May tomorrow, another month has rushed passed and spring is well and truly here in Jaen, inland Andalucia. April saw us visiting two lovely hotels one in my favourite cities – Cordoba and the other a repeat visit to mountainous inland Malaga. At the beginning of April and with very pleasant weather we […]
Spanish Haciendas and Cortijos – What are They?
Both Haciendas and Cortijos are traditional farmhouse complexes found in arable land in the south of Spain, particularly Andalucia. Both are the descendants of Roman Villas and Muslim farmhouses built between the 16th and 19th centuries. With mechanisation in the early 20th century the need for so many workers and lots of heaving farming equipment […]
What is a Wellness Retreat
It’s in the headlines, it’s all the rage but what is wellness and what is a wellness retreat. I’ve seen the same thing being asked by journalists ‘shouting out’ for quotes or expert help. It seems to be the ‘in’ thing or phrase and has me thinking it’s only the term ‘wellness’ that is new. […]
Trips and Trip Planning in Spain
Wow, we’re in March already and I’m desperately trying to catch up with chores and articles. February went so quickly I so hope this month, my favourite one, doesn’t rush by too much. I’ve planted cherry tomatoes, artichokes and bought broccoli plants that I must get in the garden soon. My trips have been brilliant. […]
Only Spain in Sur in English
We’re very happy to have been included in a write up by Andrew Forbes in an article entitled ‘The Eight Andalusian Hotels not to be Missed’ published in Sur in English. Andrew and I met at the amazing La Nava an exclusive, elusive, private estate but I’d been following him and his antics for a […]
A Weekend in Inland Malaga – Where to Stay and A Local Guide for What to See
This weekend I’ve been amazed yet again at the history, culture and beauty of Andalucia. Since moving to Jaen province in the north of Andalucia in 1996 I love nothing more than exploring the region, and the rest of Spain, it is always diverse and fascinating. My destination was a lovely ancient Cortijo or farmstead, […]
Trip Planner in Andalucia, Spain
Andalucia is a diverse and vibrant region. From the concrete jungle of the Costa del Sol to the wilderness of its natural parks. Culture, history, tradition along with over 300 days of sunshine a year make it – that awful cliche – something for everyone. That’s why a trip planner is needed. Someone on the […]
Caves in Spain – Nerja Caves – 60 Years Since the Discovery, Altimira Caves – New Hand Prints Discovered
If there’s an extra push you need to make you visit Nerja Caves then maybe the 60 year anniversary since their accidental discovery is a good enough one. If you’ve been you’ll know that a visit is just jaw-dropping and if you’re like me then you would go again and again. So if you are […]
Your Own Boutique Hotel for a Wedding in Spain? Four Fabulous and Private Small Boutique Stays
Ever thought of hiring your own hotel in Spain? Here we recommend four beautiful and private small boutique hotels for small private weddings or family gatherings. Planning a party? Want a private wedding? Just fancy a real hummdinger of an escape for 2 – 20? Then rent your own hotel in Spain. Hop on a […]
Spring Time for Trip Planning in Spain
As you may, or may not, know, I love trip planning. Not only do I offer trip planning in Spain services which compliment the portfolio of gorgeous place to stay – Only Spain ~ Boutique Hotels and B&Bs. Of course you don’t have to stay in any of the properties on here. There are many, […]
Where is and What is Andalucia and Which Boutique Hotel to Choose?
Many people say to me ‘I love Spain and Andalusia’ but when I quiz them a little more I find that they don’t know much at all about Andalusia. Or is it Andalucia? So, here is a little about where and what Andalucia is. Andalucia is the Spanish spelling and Andalusia is the English way […]
Cordoba, Spain Full of UNESCO Sites
Cordoba is full of UNESCO sites. It isn’t as popular to visitors as Barcelona or Sevilla yet has more UNESCO listings than either of them and more than anywhere else in the world. With the addition of the Medina Azahara in 2018 Cordoba now has four UNESCO sites which takes Spain’s total number inscribed on […]
Five Fabulous Boutique Hotels in Andalucia for Great Walking Holidays
Andalucia in the south of Spain is a great destination for walkers and hikers, having numerous mountain ranges providing no end of great walking country. We’ve paired up superb scenery with five of our gorgeous boutique hotels for some of the best destinations in Andalucia for walking holidays. Whether you prefer a serious hike or […]
Amberlair
Have you heard of Amberlair project – a crowd sourced Boutique Hotel? They are creating the world’s first crowd sourced Boutique Hotel? It’s great fun to follow their progress with the first hotel to being based in the south of Italy. Pop over to their website and follow its progress. The Amberlair website features many boutique […]
Only Spain Boutique Hotels on Other Sites
As you probably know I sometimes write about the gorgeous hotels and Bed & Breakfast properties from this Only Spain portfolio on my blogs Andalucia Explorer and Luxury Spain Travel but did you know that I also write for other sites at times? I’ve recently written about the lovely Finca La Fronda both on Luxury Spain Travel […]