The Place
This is yet another of Southern Spain’s cave hotels. Cuevas la Granja is in fact much the smartest of the caves we’ve seen, with very modern interior furnishings and much of the walls plastered to a smooth finish – unlike some cave hotels, which make a point of letting bits of rock face show through. However the effect is intimate and cosy and has a certain charm. All of the 11 caves have a sitting room, kitchen, TV and phone; the bedrooms themselves are comfy enough, but lack the kind of individuality we favour – a shame considering the uniqueness of their situation.
This is essentially a self-catering operation, but there’s a restaurant next to the caves. It’s not especially charming or full of character, but the food is acceptable. Like other cave hotels, La Granja doesn’t need air conditioning – it’s naturally cool in the summer and in winter it’s deceptively warm with open fires and animal skin/fabric wraps to make you feel even cosier.
Gaudix, with its historical monuments is worth a visit; so is the Sierra Nevada National Park, and, of course, Granada, which is 45 minutes by car.