Less is Moor

Published on Wednesday 18 January 2006 01:31

UNDISCOVERED SPAIN sounds like a bit of a contradiction. And if you were looking for it anywhere you would think Málaga would be the last place to start.

But drive a couple of hours north from the heavily built-up Costa del Sol and you find yourself in a region of Andalucia that is remarkably untouched.

Built by the Moors, and romanticised by Hemingway, the seven tiny villages of the Alto Genal valley are home to a hardy, practical people whose lives are rooted in tradition. Surrounded by towering grey limestone peaks and acres of deep green chestnut trees, the seven whitewashed villages cling to the hillside like a constellation of stars. Life here has a rhythm which you feel has endured for hundreds of years.

On the day we arrive in Cartajima, the highest village in the valley, the place is gripped by an unnatural stillness. "It is the silencio," explains our guide. One of the oldest inhabitants has died and the whole village falls quiet until the body is entombed in the roadside cemetery, with the coffin bricked in place by the local builder.

The church in the village dates from 1492, when Isabella and Ferdinand completed the Reconquest of Spain by driving out the Moors in Grenada. But the houses are clustered on the hills as the Moors built them, and although Islamic customs were ruthlessly stamped out, their influence endures in subtle ways.

Life here is lived behind whitewashed walls, in courtyards and gardens, and it is rumoured that some of the older women have never left the village. Even some of the younger women admit they dislike travelling to the coast. There is a bank in the village, and a restaurant, a shop and a couple of bars - but there are no signs or billboards. From the outside only small plaques give any indication of what kind of businesses lie within.

In the bright sunshine the village is a blaze of white, framed by the deep leafy green of the chestnut-covered hills. The only contrasting colour is to be found in the roadside gardens, bright with flowers, oranges, tomatoes, squash, figs and aubergines. At night the village rings with the sounds of children playing and laughing in the cool evening air. Foreigners are a novelty here, and villagers smile and say hello as they go about their business. There is almost no traffic on the steep streets.

It was the quiet simplicity of life in Cartajima which attracted Di Beach, a half-American, half-British world traveller, yachtswoman and anthropologist, who chose the village as the ideal place to create her dream hotel.

"I wanted to be the only foreigner," she says, having returned to Europe from San Francisco after 11 September changed the American way of life. "People became so tense and nervous. I just knew I wanted to come back to Europe and I had been very happy when I lived in Spain."

Beach bought two abandoned houses at the highest point of Cartajima, next to the 15th-century church. But when she began her alterations the walls began to crumble. "I had no choice but to demolish everything and start again. I stood there in tears apologising to the people of the village who had come to watch. They just said: 'It wasn't a good building, better to start again.'"

Today it is hard to believe the Hotel Los Castaos is new - it blends in perfectly with the medieval huddle of buildings on the hill. Only one original Moorish wall remains, and Beach has used it as a backdrop for a courtyard garden with brightly coloured cushions and spreading green plants.

There is a North African theme to the design, with hidden spaces, irregularly-shaped rooms and splashes of bright colour. The central staircase acts like a heavy metal lamp, sending shadows spinning around the walls.

Guest rooms are shady and luxurious, with individual balconies, blue-tiled bathrooms and gigantic wooden beds. On the roof, Beach has created a terrace where guests can sunbathe, look up to the towering limestone peaks and cool off in the plunge pool, as the village hums gently below them.

The only nightlife Cartajima has to offer is dinner at Balthazar's, the local hostelry where you can sit on a balmy terrace and sample an interesting parade of fried fish, fowl and vegetables washed down with Rioja. Beach also cooks for visitors, offering Californian-style cuisine with the best local ingredients. Tapas, which always feature the local acorn-fed ham and home cooked bread, can also be rustled up at odd times of the day.

For those who fancy a spot of town life the village is only half an hour's drive from Ronda, the ancient Spanish town perched dramatically over steep gorges famous for bullfights and lively caf life.

Hemingway said Ronda was the perfect Spanish town for a honeymoon; it still attracts plenty of visitors, who flock to the main squares to take coffee beneath the umbrellas. The local bars serve outstanding tapas and there is even a Michelin-starred restaurant. Hemingway, Picasso and Goya all watched fights in Ronda's famous bullring, and Orson Welles asked for his ashes to be scattered on the orange sand. In the bullfighting museum you can see the bloodstained jewelled costumes of famous matadors, as well as etchings by Goya.

If you are looking for more rural activities, there are plenty of hidden treasures in the mountains around the Alto Genal. Although Beach and her San Franciscan husband, Denny, are the only foreigners in Cartajima they have a network of visiting experts who can help unlock the secrets of this remote Andalucian region.

A semi-retired biology professor takes interested parties on a wildly mountainous drive through the neighbouring national park, spotting eagles, vultures and brightly coloured African birds on the last leg of their migration. Guided walks, archeological exploration and balloon rides are also on offer.

Guests can also book a massage on the terrace from a number of therapists who live in the valley.

Beach's vision in creating Hotel Los Castaos in Cartajima was to give well-heeled visitors an oasis of style and comfort, but also to immerse them in the life of a traditional Andalucian village. A couple of days of pure mountain air, with birds of prey circling overhead and only laughing children and church bells to disturb you, and you begin to appreciate the harmony of an older, slower and infinitely more peaceful way of life.

FACT FILE CARTAJIMA

HOW TO GET THERE

Globespan flies to Mlaga daily from Glasgow all year; daily from Edinburgh in summer and twice a week in winter. Return fares from 52. Tel: [phone] or visit www.flyglobespan.com

Rental cars are available from Mlaga airport, or Hotel Los Castaos can arrange a lift.

WHERE TO STAY

Hotel Los Castaos, Calle Iglesia, 40, Cartajima 29452. Bed and breakfast costs 90 to 145 per night (60 to 100). Tel: [phone] or visit www.loscastanos.com

and there's more

Scotsman Reader Holidays' Classical Spain trip flying from Edinburgh or Glasgow includes a visit to Ronda. Tel: [phone] or visit www.holidays.scotsman.com