cala la real in Jaen Province

Does anyone have reliable info on Alcala la Real , we are going to visit later this year to look for that elusive Spanish Cottage / Farm house/ Village House !!!

We are put  off at times with talk of `Gypsey Problems` etc , is this really a huge problem , and where in Jaen Province is it NOT a problem?

Some of you may remember we loved Olvera , sadly the only house we  liked needed much work and the Spanish owners , despite it being on the market for 3 years and gradually dropping in price as the property fell into more disrepair , refused to drop to a very realistic sum so we thought ,`oh S ...em , we shall look in another new (to us) area completley !!

Any relaible info also on Reputable Estate Agents for that are ?

Looking forward to all the info and gossip !! Cheers all Vee xxxxxxxxxx

We visited the area last year and we really liked it.  Very Spanish and you get a free tapa with your beer!  That's got to be worth it alone.

Sorry can't help you with the other stuff.

Justin

Jaen province is one of my favourite parts of Spain and we try and get up there a couple of times per year.  It's very rural with some stunning scenery.  It's one of the least populated parts of Spain and it's a million miles away from the costas. It's always nice to get out and see the real Spain.

You get some of the best tapas in Spain here, and as Justin says, it is free with a beer or glass of wine.

I haven't been to Alcala la Real so can't comment.  I'd be surprised if there were any Gypsy problems in Jaen.  I haven't really seen that many in Jaen. 

Thanks guys for the feed back on Jaen , it does sound quite lovely and we shall go and explore soon I hope!!

Niether of you replyees mentioned any of the villages/ towns you saw , which ones should we make a point of looking out for , ie which has the better scenery , lakes to swim in etc?!!

Keep all the good news coming , makes me feel as if we WILL get nearer to a home in Jaen Province , hope we have better luck as Olvera despite being lovely simply had too many people asking too high a price for the property on the Market , oh well , may be for tyhe best as Jaen may offer us even more !!!  Vee xx

Cazorla, up in the mountains is a really nice, picturesque town.  Ubeda and Jaen city itself are also nice.  Jaen city is not in the same league as the likes of Sevilla or Cadiz, but I like it.  It is surrounded by olive trees as far as the eye can see.

we have a house in Illora which is about 15 mins drive from alcala la real, its a lovely place, and there is a website called alcala life which might be helpful, three are quite a few brits living in & around, and seems to be plenty of activities etc. going on. Theres a lidl which we shop at, and always hear english voices there,but not too  many ! I think you will get a good bargain, if you need any building work done or a quick look round by a builder contact Heath at granada property reform, he's done some great work on our house-check his website. the countryside is varied and I think you will like it.

...and not too far to the southwest, although in Cordoba province is Iznajar with one of the biggest lakes in Andalucia.

BTW all of the areas mentioned so far can be found in Googles Street View. Its an amazing tool for people like yourselves looking into moving.

You do need to be made aware (if you didnt know already) that come June when Ryanair pull out of Granada Airport, GRX will have no direct flights to the UK and Malaga becomes your only real alternative. Its only a minor point but, if like us, GRX was one of the deciding factors in our move to this part of Spain, it may have some bearing on your ultimate choice.

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Edited for typo!

I would like to add one more attraction in Jaen Province, the Nature Park of Sierras de Cazorla, Segura and las Villas. Cazorla is very beautiful village and the huge park offers nice and gentle walking routes.

We had a vacation in Cazorla couple of years ago and did a lot of walking. All the routes are following rivers or brooks, going round reservois, visiting waterfalls etc. The abundant water cources makes this park quite unique in southern Spain. Along the routes you have the chance to visit some scenic villages like Cazorla, La Toba and Castril.

You will find the route descriptions in English, maps, GPS waypoints, driving instructions and a lot of photographs in the Topwalks website.

The Río Borosa route, leading up to the Órganos reservoir, is the most popular in the Cazorla park, but we really enjoyd the routes starting from Jardin Botánico El Hornico. The Fuente del Artesón route, which is following most of the way an ancient Roman road, is our favourite.

We have a house in a village about 10km from Alacala - Ventas del Carrizal - we love it, it has a couple of bars, two small shops and millions of olive trees.  It's surrounded by hills and absolutely gorgeous - if you, like us, love the outdoors. 

The locals are fantastic, but not easy to understand - doesn't stop them trying of course - the local dialect is a real struggle for those of us not great at standard Spanish, but their friendliness and willingness makes it much easier - they still manage to communicate to us how happy they are to see us - big hugs - eggs - bags of almonds - veg.

Also love Alcala, there's plenty there and a beautiful castle - however wouldn't agree with a previous correspondent that there aren't too many Brits - there are - Lidl is actually full of them, you're lucky if you hear a Spanish voice - perhaps they sell them there?  However they do have a swimming pool - as does Alcaudete.

We love Cordoba to visit and also Granada and have done loads of exploring around and about and there are fantastic walks, bit of trouble finding maps however.

Also like a previous correspondent one of the reasons we bought was because of the flights to Granada, however we have used Malaga a number of times and because the roads are so good it's bearable, one and a half hours to Ventas whereas it was 40 mins from Granada - so to Alcala you can take 10-15 mins off that time.

Enjoy.

Hello

We bought a village house in Frailes 18 months ago.  Frailes is about 10 km from Alcala la Real.  The village is exceptionally friendly, there are a few English here and the locals treat us all as family, bringing us locally grown produce and interested in our renovations etc.

Alcala La Real is a beautiful town, there seem to be quite a few English around in the summer months but drop off in the winter.  We have also spoke to people who have had problems with gypsies.   My advice to you is not to rush into anything,  if you are in a position to stay for a while and talk to as many people as you can that would he helpful to you.   There are rogues, english and spanish who will happily take your money from you and not deliver what is promised but there are plenty of others who will bend over backwards to help in anyway they can.   

I feel we have been extremely fortunate with everything we have done and have meet some wonderful people, we love the area around Alcala and wouldnt change anything.

Good luck and enjoy your stay 

I have a friend who lives in Alcala. They sometimes have problems with migrant workers, but you just have to be careful to lock your doors. I think it is a lovely town, but I prefer the villages. If you ever decide to look in the Seville area I have a lot of very good priced properties, also a few in Granada and Cordoba provinces. I hope you find the house you want.

Caz

Hi,

We looked around the Alacala La Real area and have to say found it to be a bit scruffy, and not very pleasing to the eye. However we did see the odd nice village but they were near very industrial places, we ended up in the Las Alpujarras region of Valor in a tiny hamlet of Nechite which only has 52 residents but is a 10 minute drive from Valor and Ugijar that has all the shops and bars etc and 50 mins from the coast in Almeria.

We found the Las Alpujarras a lot more picturesque and it is truly spanish and like going back 100 years in time, if you are taking a look at area,s have a look at the website Jimenez and Partners who have some lovely properties.

If you do fancy taking a look at the Las Alpujarras region I have a bed and breakfast called Casa De Los Santos which you are welcome to stay at our website is www.casadelossantos.co.uk

Hope you find what you are looking for

Hi

We live in Alcala itself and found it really nice and friendly, its not a place if you want the expat life as its very Spanish and most of the English heard there are from people living in villages outside. Its convenient for everything and possible to live there with no car. We get lots of festivals etc that the villages outside do not seem to get, We like it.

Hi this is a very old thread but we have a place in frailes 10 minutes from Alcala la real its a beautiful village with nice gental people and just a few of us brits.  We cant wait till we live permanently

Hi yep old thread but some info anyway.    Montefrio is a lovely village 25 mns drive from alcala.   The beautiful round church is here and other historically interesting places yo visit.   Free tapas here too.