3908 Idyllic Mountain Cottage

This is an opportunity to purchase a very special two bedroom rural property. The cortijo, located close to the peaceful village of Juviles is private but within a few minutes walk of the local village shop. Cortijo Oropendula has a superb vista of a large fertile meadow extending from the main south east facing terrace and patio, into the distance with a view of the ancient Juviles fort, El Fuerte, at the end of the land. A stream runs nearby and makes the summer months a little cooler, a welcome relief on really hot days.

The cortijo has extensive beautifully designed patios, ideal for outdoor dining, sunbathing and yoga practice. The mature gardens feature a wide variety of vegetation including, walnut trees, mulberry, pear, cherries, apples, pistachios, olives, figs, almonds, quince, black and white grapes, pine trees, mimosa, cercis siliquastrum, ash trees, holm oak, deciduous oaks, cork oak. Ornamental shrubs, a rose collection and butterfly attracting, pink valerian give all year round colour.

Access to the property from the village is via a short hardcore track. Iron gates open onto a private drive with ample room for turning and parking for three cars.

The property is built to modern high standards but incorporates many traditional features :- authentic stone walls, chestnut ceiling beams, beautiful floor tiling and an overall gentle pastel colour scheme. It benefits from a recently commissioned underfloor heating/cooling system with a Vaillant Heat Pump maintained on a contract. The thick stone walls, ceiling and floors are highly insulated. The double glazed, heavy bespoke chestnut windows were crafted by highly skilled local carpenter. 

The main entrance leads into a large main ‘L’ shaped living area with sofas, an artesanal country kitchen and a light office area. The kitchen is fully equipped with a built-in oven, air fryer, fridge freezer, double sink with spacious worktops and views from the two windows out to the garden.  The office glazed backdoor opens out to the side garden with a view of the woodland and a second window has more tree views.  

The glazed kitchen door opens out to terraces and remains open most of the summer to access the front covered terrace. This shaded terrace has a sofa, ideal for enjoying the garden, local birds and trees; indeed it has its own resident wrens’ nest. A stone patio table and chairs offers an ideal location for shady dining during summer weather.  

The large airy principle bedroom with it’s large valley facing window has a fitted wardrobe with a spacious concealed storage area above. The second slightly smaller bedroom has two windows and views of mimosa and pine trees to the rear of the property. The good sized rustic bathroom has a shower over a full sized bath, built-in vanity unit and more room for extra storage cupboards.

To the side of the property is a secluded outdoor, stone built shower with hot and cold running water. Adjacent to this is an open water deposit, decorated with mosaic tiles that can be used as a plunge pool.

A covered side terrace has the solar hot water installation with a larger than average hot water tank. A backup gas boiler is used during cloudy stretches during winter. Also located here is an outdoor area for washing and organizing laundry plus tool storage. On top of the entrance water deposit a rustic but completely waterproof block built shed provides extra storage of approximately 4 x 3m. 

Services include mains electricity, mains water, an authorized septic tank and high speed internet with capability to video conference and manage an online business from home. A new solar panel and battery system (pending imminent installation) will give complete power autonomy and green credentials (price to be discussed).

The property benefits from three water sources – town water with good pressure from village supply, - a stream (acequia) provides topping up of a 9 x 5 x 2m concrete covered balsa, the second acequia from La Cimbua provides a third high pressure water source for 3.5 days per week.    

Juviles, once the seat of the Alpujarras for its silk production and fort now has a fully equipped gym with regular Friday instructor, summer swimming pool, padel court, health centre for doctor and nurse appointments, two cafe bars, town hall and IT centre for extra computer use. The walk up to the fort from Juviles is an amazing daily hike straight from the doorstep. 

The village of Trevelez, only a 20 minutes drive, and as Juviles, is famed for its jamon production, has a fantastic range of restaurants and is the gateway to advanced hikes in the Sierra Nevada. Mountain and road cycling are also popular ways to explore the beauty of this area. Well made tracks provide a network of scenic routes up to the high sierra from this beautiful village.   

If you don’t know this area well, why not take a look at our exposure guide on the Alpujarras in the Area Guide section above (next to Overview).