Reviewed 02 Aug 2011 by Viv Hawkey
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
The location was amazing with peace and quiet in abundance.
2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
there is a narrow winding track leading to the cave house so try to get a smaller hire car than the Vauxhall Insignia we ended up with as it's a tight squeeze !
3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
We used the local shops and visited local sights combined with walks.
4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
It was a great place to visit ... rural spain at it's best.
Reviewed 08 Jan 2011 by Bob Thornton
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
The peace and relaxation. Even though it was Christmas we were able to sit outside the cave in the sunshine and hear only the river in the valley and the bells on the goats in the fields below. From an excitement point of view some of the mountain roads get the heart racing on the rare occasion you meet a car coming in the opposite direction.
2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Explore the local villages and get out into the mountains. Try the beer and tapas whenever and wherever possible, and chill.
Fly to Malaga, the mountain views along the motorway past Granada (Sierra Nevada etc.) are wonderful.
3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
We put money into the local economy, impact on the environment is minimal once you arrive. I think we probably benefited more from the friendliness of the locals than they did from us!
4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
With all the weather problems in the UK before we went, and trouble we had getting our daughter back from a five month trek round the Far East in time for the vacation, I had got to the point where I couldn't be bothered with further hassle going on vacation. Once we got there the caves were so relaxing and welcoming and the place so restful I was fully chilled within 24 hours. Great accommodation and wonderful location.
Reviewed 26 Sep 2011 by Jessica Williams
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Living in a cave for a week was quite extraordinary. It was so quiet and peaceful. The cave was in a village in a rather remote area and there were not many other tourists - we genuinely felt like we were experiencing a different side and culture of Spain which we thoroughly enjoyed. The cave was clean, basic but comfortable with a well equipped kitchen and a wonderful view across the valley. Excellent value for money especially for a week in the summer vacations. The owners helpfully provide some DVDs too - so after sundown, my family settled in to watch a few family movies.
2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
A car is essential but make sure you don't get too big a car! The approach to the cave has a couple of hair pin turns and the road is very narrow. But we managed fine without any scraps so perhaps it is my driving ability which is at fault! The local information available at the cave is good although not particularly extensive (and in very small type which made it a bit tricky to read). You may wish to go further afield while you are there as nearby, there is not a massive amount of activities. A couple of excellent local swimming pools and gorgeous villages though and we wanted just to relax and stop rushing around as much as we do at home so it suited us perfectly. We went to the Alhambra in Granada for a day ( this MUST be booked in advance in the summer) which was about 1.5 hours away so a long day but worth it. The owners were really good at buying a food parcel for us in advance which was just as well as we arrived on a Sunday and would have struggled to have found anything open in the
village.
3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
It certainly did not negatively impact. We lived basically, shopped locally, ate out in a local restaurant once and visited the local sites. We do not speak Spanish well so perhaps were not ablest fully embrace it all in entirety.
4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Car, cave, fights from Manchester for a family of 4 in the summer vacations for approx £1200. It was a lovely break, an adventure which we all enjoyed and gorgeous weather and views in a part of Spain not usually visited by tourists. If you are looking for action, adventure, luxury or suberb shopping extravaganzas, this is almost certainly not for you.
Reviewed 11 Apr 2011 by Fiona Miller
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
The welcome from Keith when we arrived, and the food that got us through the first day made a big difference. Walking in the Sierra de Castril. Exploring the area around the cave house. The river walk was gorgeous for stone-skimming and the freedom to roam fun. We loved Castril and the other villages we visited. We all loved visiting the Alhambra.
2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
In April Cave houses are very very cold (The local information boards say 14-18 degrees and during our stay 14 deg is probably the best guess) and damp. There was a wood burning stove and an electric heater - but the cave was large with no doors so the impact of these was minimal on the temperature. Not healthy for a 7 year old with asthma. This house was not well ventilated and everything got rather soggy - but could easily be dried out in the sun. In the warm weather they are certainly cool and a lovely refuge from the heat. The house was nicely positioned and well decorated. Rent/bring a car, and be prepared to drive a lot and on sometimes rather steep and narrow roads/dirt tracks if you want to get to interesting places, as everything around Castilléjar is rather spread out.
3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
We needed to hire a car for the vacation to work - we usually vacation in places where this is not required. The cave house was in a village and area being regenerated both for the locals and tourism with a healthy injection of EU money. Clearly the vacation supported this process. We made a point of buying all of our food in the village. Detailed maps for mountain walking were unavailable to us - but the mountain walking opportunities are vast with waymarked routes abounding.
4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
We are keen mountain walkers - and had to adjust our vacationing style significantly both because of exacerbation of our 7 year olds asthma and the absence of up to date walking maps. With hindsight we should have obtained these in advance. We did have a fantastic time strolling around the local villages, visiting the thermal baths in Fujar and eating out. This review has been difficult to write because for us the temperature and damp of the house was very difficult - but despite this we loved the area and had a great time.
Read the operator's response here:
Thank you for your feed back. I am really sorry to hear you found the cave house cold and that it spoilt your stay to a certain extent. The smaller cave house does warm up more quickly and we would of been happy to have moved you if we had known of the problem. We tend to keep the wood burner in all day during winter visits and this does make a real difference to the temperature. I didn't think that by April this would be a problem or I would have told you. I know this doesn't help you but I will make sure we advise future clients of this. Sounds like you enjoyed the area and if you ever consider a return trip I would be more than happy to offer a special rate to compensate for the problem this time.
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