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Cortijo Arroyo Medina
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Two delightful adjoining rustic 18th Century cortijos set within grounds of 1/2 an acre. This former Andalucian farm
has versatile accommodation and is ideal for large groups or two families who wish to holiday together yet retain a
degree of independance. There is a 8x4 metre private swimming pool, an exotic walled garden complete with Moorish fish pond.
Various covered terraces and magnificent views.
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At Cortijo Arroyo Medina you are spoilt for choice. From the main house you have uninterrupted panoramic mountain views -
a wonderful setting for relaxing by the Roman style pool and ending the day with an aperitif as you wonder at the magical
landscape beneath the fabulous sunsets. Alternatively, you can wander down to the large exotic walled garden, planted with
fig, citrus, palms and bougainvillea. Within the walled garden there is an attractive Moorish ornamental pool edged with
local ochre coloured marble.
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For al fresco dining there is a wonderful covered dining terrace constructed from antique eucalyptus beams salvaged from
the renovation of the cortijo. The terrace has been planted with yucca, African vine, jasmine and oleander - a truly
enchanting place to dine.
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Adjoining the dining terrace is another garden with a barbecue and a traditional wood-fired pizza oven, where you can
make your own delicious pizzas. What a great way for the family to spend an evening!
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The main cortijo has 3 double bedrooms and sleeps six. The adjoining guesthouse, which sits within the walled garden is
fully self-contained, has 3 double bedrooms and also sleeps six. Both houses were originally connected by stables and
were the home to generations of Andalucian hill farmers.
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Cortijo Arroyo Medina is a classic Andalucian farmhouse, authentically rustic and furnished in simple rural style. The
walls are constructed from stone and are up to two feet thick. The ceilings are high and vaulted with exposed timbers.
This traditional construction helps keep the house cool in the summer and air conditioning is not required.
Cortijo Arroyo Medina is perfect for those wishing to step back in time, escape the crowds and relax...
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Los Velez is famous for the prehistoric cave paintings at Cueva de los Letreros. The paintings date back to 4000BC and are
some of the oldest in the world. Cueva de los Letreros is a UNESCO World Heritage site and well worth visiting.
The cortijo is well situated for visiting many other places of interest, including mini Hollywood where some of the original
film sets still remain and is a great day out for all the family. The Mediterranean with its beaches, fishing harbours
and water-park is only 45 minutes away. For information on the area visit: www.losvelezturismo.org
and www.valledelalmanzora.org
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Cortijo Arroyo Medina is in a rural, but not isolated, location on the edge of a small hamlet consisting of traditional
cortijos and whitewashed villas. The local people still farm the land in the traditional way. They grow almonds on the
drier hillsides and olives, oranges and lemons in the more fertile valleys. Goats are herded in the dry riverbeds
(ramblas). The terraced valleys are still irrigated using the original stone irrigation channels built by the Romans.
Arroyo Medina is in an area known as Los Velez, adjacent to the Almanzora Valley, a UNESCO region of cultural importance,
in the province of Almeria, Andalucía. This ancient region of Andalucía, with its sleepy white washed towns and villages,
has a dramatic and varied landscape. There are fertile plains where olives and wheat are grown, yet still abundant with
wild flowers in the spring. Mountain ranges, often capped with snow in the winter months and arid, rocky areas similar
to North Africa. Indeed the landscape is so spectacular that it has long been a favourite with film-makers. Films such as
Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lawrence of Arabia, the Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns etc. were all filmed in Almeria.
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Shops, bars and restaurants are about 15 minutes away, either in the local town of Oria or the larger town of Albox,
which has a large market every week. You can reach Albox by road or by rambla. The rambla snakes through thickets of cane
and high but narrow ancient sandstone gorges, barely wide enough for a car in places, before widening as it approaches
the town. Going to the shops will never be the same again!
Cortijo Arroyo Medina is about a 90-minute drive to the airports of Almeria and Murcia. Two hours to the airports of Granada or Alicante. Car hire is essential.
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