As we were driving from Granada towards home we were astonished to see what appeared to be caves dug into the sides of strange looking cliffs. One of the benefits of being in a car is that you can stop when you want to – and we wanted to.
this is what we saw from the car
amazing
We eventually found the side road and followed the sign.
follow the sign
The gate to the establishment was closed and there seemed to be nobody about so we had a little snoop around outside.
accommodation built into and around the rock
caves with chimneys
flowers growing by the caves
fruit trees and caves
dramatic landscape
This is clearly an underground hotel. I would have loved a look inside. Apparently the Moors were the first to excavate houses into the hillsides. Some date back to the 12th century and have been lived in continuously since those times. It has become quite fashionable to buy the old houses and renovate them for modern living. One of the benefits is that they remain at a constant temperature of 18 – 20 degrees all year round because of the insulation of the earth. Cave stays are very popular in the area.
As we were leaving we passed several shops selling earthenware pots. The clay must be good here. Perhaps they are made from the excavated hillsides.
hundreds of clay pots
Snow White and friends were there as well
I think staying in one of these underground cave houses would be fun. Coober Pedy in Australia has a similar thing. Click here for a look.