Casa Cristina in Andalucia

Casa Cristina is a charming house built in 2000 and located in the authentic Andalusian
village of Restabal, close to the old Moorish city of Granada with its great restaurants,
shopping and the truly breathtaking Alhambra. The Sierra Nevada, offering skiing
up to 10,000 feet, and the wilds of the Alpujarra are less than an hour away, while
Malaga, Marbella and other towns along the Costa del Sol are easily reached by car.

Unwind visiting the many unspoiled villages in the Lecrin Valley (which means 'Happy
Valley' in Arabic) or take a scenic drive down to the coast to marvel at the spectacular
caves at Nerja. Our house looks out over the village and offers the relaxation of a country
home surrounded by plenty of lemon, fig, almond, clementine and olive trees. Escape to
our beautiful 15 x 6 metres pool (50 x 20 feet) to swim, read or just take a siesta! The
pool is about 175 centimetres at its deepest yet shallow enough for supervised splashing
at the other end.

Casa Cristina is a two-story house sleeping up to six adults (eight if the bedsitting room is used). It has one king-size double bedroom, two twin bedrooms and one bed-sitting room, three bathrooms, a spacious open-plan living/dining area and a well-appointed kitchen. Both bedrooms on the upper floor have ensuite bathrooms while the bathroom downstairs has a tub/shower. The house has gas
central heating, satellite TV (BBC, ITV, Sky, etc.), VCR, iPod station, CD/DVD player,
wireless broadband internet access and a printer. A gated internal staircase leads to the lower floor
where you'll find one bedroom with twin beds and a large bed-sitting room with a double
sofa bed (and a printer). We have a crib/cot and a high chair available for little ones. The lower floor has
its own entrance and basic kitchenette for added flexibility.

Our house is cleaned and linens changed to start every rental and weekly thereafter. The
garden and pool are well maintained. Smoking within the house and pets are not
allowed. Our local agent will welcome you to our house and she is available for cooking
and other services by arrangement.

Restabal is a small village located at an altitude of 550 metres near Lake Beznar in the
Lecrin Valley. It is a 30-minute drive by motorway to Granada to the north or through
the mountains to the Mediterranean coast to the south. Restabal has a restaurant, a bank
and a few basic shops, including a village bakery. Hiking up into the hillsides provides
exercise and views of the distant Mediterranean from the very top.

Lecrin is a semi-tropical valley filled with orange and lemon trees as well as olive, fig and
almond trees. It represents the real Andalusia and yet is close to sophisticated Granada
and the Mediterranean coast. Several villages in the valley offer shopping, restaurants,
bars and other basic facilities. The nearby village of Albunuelas is the highest village in
the valley, with a weekly market and several historic buildings, including a 14th Century
Moorish Tower. Melegis offers more shops and holds the three-day festival of San Juan in
late June. From Chite you can walk down to Lake Beznar. Near the motorway, Talara
contains the ruins of an Arab castle and also offers some nightlife for young people!
Durcal is a bigger town at the head of the valley offering a daily market, some nightlife, a
mountain bike hire shop and access to the Sierra Nevada Parque Natural.

Granada is a beautiful historic Moorish city with the superb palaces and gardens of the
Alhambra and the Generalife, the Old Islamic Quarter of the Albaicin, a wide variety of
restaurants, theatres and cinemas, good shopping, many cultural pursuits by day and by
night, and its own bullring. The Summer Music Festival in the Alhambra is not to be
missed!

Drive into the picturesque Alpujarras or visit the magnificent Sierra Nevada with world
class skiing less than an hour away. The ski station, located at an elevation of
2,100 metres, hosted the World Championships in 1997 and 2000 and has 19 lifts and 61
kilometres of pistes, plus extensive snow-making equipment. On a clear day from the
top of the ski slopes, at an elevation of 3,300 metres, you can make out the Atlas
Mountains far off in Northern Africa, providing stunning counterpoint to your skiing
experience!

The Mediterranean Coast is easily reached and offers beaches and seaside pleasures at
many coastal villages and towns. Drive down to Motril or Salobrena and then along to
stylish Almunecar, the pretty horseshoe bay of La Herradura, and to Marina del Este
where you can watch the boats from one of several waterside restaurants. Keep going
along the Costa Tropical to the sandy beaches of Nerja or to the Costa del Sol where
Malaga and Marbella await you!

Nearby activities include skiing, walking or hiking to enjoy the valley scenery, golf and
tennis (nearby in Granada), mountain biking and horseback riding.

Granada Airport (Ryan air, Vueling) is about 35 minutes away by car and Malaga Airport is less than two
hours away (we will send detailed driving instructions when you book). Madrid Airport
is about a four-hour drive through some fairly dramatic scenery. A car is essential.

Low season (January - April; October - December): $1,250 per week
Mid season (May, June, September; Easter, Christmas & New Year weeks): $1,450 per week

High season (July & August): $1,650 per week