Padul - The Gateway To The Lecrin Valley....

...And The Pathway To Our Hearts

I remember the first time we saw Padul as if it was yesterday.


We drove through the whole of the Lecrin Valley (The Valley of Happiness), going in and out of the villages. Trying to decide where to buy a house, move in, and settle down for our retirement.

Six months earlier we had decided to move to the Granada area and here we were now - our house in England was sold, the car was loaded up with clothes, computer and valuables we didn't trust to the removals company - and we were looking for the "village of our dreams".

And - as luck would have it - it just so happened that Padul was where the house of our choice was.

Having now lived here for over six years we have grown to love our village more and more. There are lots to recommend it, but the simplest way to describe what, particularly, we like, is to simply say:- We love The people and The places.

The People

Over the years since that day Manuel and Antonia have adopted us. Our mama and papa have made us to part of their family. We are very lucky.

Since then we have come to know many of the villagers and every one of them have shown themsleves to be friendly, generous and full of character.


Incidentally, not many people know that the people of Padul claimed independence from Spain just a few hundred years ago. Needless to say the independence lasted less than a week, but the incident just shows the underlying character of the people.

Padul village is the Gateway to the Lecrin Valley and has just over 7,000 inhabitants. It is a thriving village with agriculture and construction being its two main industries.

Manuel (our papa) has been a good teacher to me, showing me how to plant tomatoes, broad beans, peppers, onions and garlic. Now he is 82 years old and he gardens less and less. But again, he is leading the way for me by creating beautiful models from almost nothing.

During the first couple of weeks of us knowing him, Manuel also introduced Babs and I to the joys and wonders of how our neighbours make the local village wine

Our other special neighbours and friends, Juan (I call him Don Rioja de Padul), Louise and Carmie, Isabel and Juan and Dolly and Jesus each are very close to us. We have many fascinating stories to tell about our friends and step by step those tales will be included here in these pages.

Come back often to this bed breakfast Granada website to catch up on the updates we have in store.

The Places

• The beautiful village Church. Its ornate statues are a wonder to see.
• Casa Grande (The old "palace" of Padul).
• The ancient wash-house where Antonia (our mama) used to do the family washing after a day's hard work.
• The Three Crosses near the Street of Calvary.
• The Peña Flamenca where you can enjoy authentic nights of flamenco every weekend.
• The shepherd's refuge in the centre of the village.
• The "new" town hall (ayuntamiento) with it's craft work by local artesans.
• The old cave houses in the upper part of the old village.
• The Roman remains. See the excavations in the village, the old Roman Road which leads to Los Limoneros and the site of the recent archeological "dig" which took place in 2006.
• The local cueva blanca (white cave) which has been the centre of controversy since a widening of the road threatened to destroy it.
• The Laguna with its wide selection of birds (including the marsh harrier, bee-eater and hoopoe bird). The Laguna, of course, is just a couple of minutes walk from our b and b accommodation guest house.

• Good hairdressers (peluquerías) to choose from which are second to none.
• The beautician (esteticista) offering the latest and the best of facitilies for both men and women - and at very competitive prices.
• The health centre (centro de salud) with 24 hour emergency cover and the knowledgeable chemists (farmacias) and the out of hours 24 hour chemists all of whom can give you on the spot advice about making sure you have good health again.
• The full size municipal outdooor Swimming Pool complete with cafe and sitting areas.
• The bread shops and bread vans offering a whole selection of breads and cakes.
• The ironmongers (ferreterías) offering the widest selection of tools and materials - plus ongoing advice on how to use them.
• The freshest fruit, vegetables, fish and seafood to provide taste, flavour and variety in your food.
• And for your musical well-being, The Padul Players are a musical trio living in Padul and Murchas villages who have raised money for various charities. They are well worth listening to.

And finally - where would we be without the many bars, cafés and restaurants with their deliciously free tapas, coffees, cakes and rich flavours and tastes of food from Andalusia... fish, sea food, meats, chicken and freshly grown and harvested fruits and vegetables. Combine these flavours with cold pressed extra virgin olive oil of our region, the Andalucian Churros and Chocolate and you have - in itself - reason enough to visit Padul at any time of the year.

We count ourselves really lucky to be here in Padul , the living and thriving village of Andalucia, with its array of people and places just a stone's throw away. You surely must come and visit our bed and breakfast guest house and find out for yourself.



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