MAY 27TH IS MY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY. Sorry to share that with you but I have a cunning plan; due to my inability to remember my anniversary I thought that I could look up this edition of the Grapevine from my complete collection of Grapevine magazines therefore never needing to remember it again. Why is it that I cannot remember it? Actually, I think I do know it, but my wife has the habit of turning to me at a dinner party and asking “when is our wedding anniversary?” at which point all other conversations stop, all eyes are on me, I panic and…..it’s gone.
In fact I do seem to have a general problem with dates. To prove this point, having booked to go away for our aforementioned anniversary a friend asked if we were free the coming Saturday. I said I did not know so went to ask my wife. Just as I had finished asking her, realisation dawned. We were, of course, going away for our anniversary the coming Saturday. Anyway, luckily for me this article is not about how rubbish I am, but rather where we stayed – at Hospedería El Ventorro just outside Alhama de Granada.
The journey to the area was very straight forward; from Velez Malaga towards Viñuela and Periana and then on towards Alhama. But of course no journey would complete without getting lost a few times. This was mainly due to the map on the El Ventorro web site which has about has as much detail as an American map showing Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq. So we turned onto the road to Jatar 1 km before Alhama and unwittingly drove past the Hotel. We soon realised this but carried on to Jatar anyway as we were low on fuel. We pulled into Jatar and saw two men chatting on the side of the road; I pulled over to ask where the nearest petrol station was and to our surprise it was Piri, the waiter from one of my favourite restaurants, El Pilon in Cómpeta. Piri was in Jatar with his wife Incarne visiting his in-laws. It was hardly like bumping into your next-door-neighbour in Venezuela, but we drove along for the next 30 minutes saying “can you believe that…?”
The Hospedería El Ventorro has a separate restaurant and Arab baths. Either side of the baths are 8 cave rooms. When I made the reservation via the internet at www.elventorro.net I tried to reserve a cave room but every Saturday for the next 3 months was booked. My advice would be that if you want a cave room plan your trip well in advance instead of leaving it to the last minute as I did. The web site is somewhat amateurish and when I made the reservation I clicked the “confirm booking” button with my Visa card ready in hand. But instead of a page that enabled me to pay appearing, a message came up that said I had to make a bank transfer to the hotel’s account – Hardly the cutting-edge of e-commerce.
Although on the whole the stay at El Ventorro was a pleasant one, it was not without its faults. When we eventually arrived at the hotel we walked into the reception area which was unmanned (or is that un-personned in these days of political correctness?) we stood around shouting “hola” for a few minutes but nobody was to be seen. Neither was there a sign that said where to check-in, so we walked to the restaurant next-door to find that the “reception” was operated from here by some very busy, but friendly waiters. Our plans to eat in the restaurant that night appeared to have been knocked back by a number of signs in Spanish and English stating that it was closed at nights. So I was a little confused when the waiter/receptionist asked me if we were dining there that night; I answered that we were and reserved a table for two.
We dropped our bags off in our room, which was very pleasant and decorated in a rustic style, and then wandered over to check out the Arab baths. We perused the price list and chose a 1 hour 45 minute “circuit” which included a 15 minute massage. The price for is 24 € which I think is good value for money. On top of this we had to pay 3 € for a swimming hat and flip-flops – you could of course take your own to save a few Euros unless you are Duncan Goodhew, in which case you would just need to pay 1.50 € for the flip-flops. I spoke to the lady behind the desk and tried to book our morning of relaxation, but she stopped me and said I had to book it in, you guessed it, the restaurant!
That night we arrived at the restaurant to find it fairly busy and most definitely open, so I have no idea what the signs were all about saying that it was closed. The meal was very nice if a little on the expensive side. The menu was standard Spanish fare with lots of grilled meats and fish. We started with a mixed plate of jamon Serrano and mature goats cheese and then both had lamb for our main courses. The portions were huge, but I just managed to squeeze in a dessert.
We awoke the next day and breakfasted; I was still full from the night before to be honest, but the breakfast was included so I was damn well going to eat it. We had a bit of a wander by the lake near the hotel and then went into the baths for our appointment. The baths, for me, were the highlight of the weekend. They have been built in a Moroccan style, with metal Moroccan lamps hanging from the high, domed ceiling. The only light comes from two skylights in the ceiling, giving a feel of intimacy despite the fact there were other bathers there. There are 3 pools; a large pool in the centre with very warm water, which was ideal to just float around in surrounded by the sound of relaxing music. The other warm water pool has a large spume of water coming out of the wall and Jacuzzi jets on one side. Again perfect for just lying there and feeling tranquil. The third pool is a cold water pool. This also has a jet of water and was very refreshing to submerge yourself into in-between the warm pools. The massage I had was my first ever massage and was very soothing. We left the baths both feeling very serene.
So on the whole I would definitely go back to el Ventorro, but only if I could stay in a cave room. The rooms we stayed in were 50 € per night and the cave rooms are only 10 € more.
This just goes to prove that a relaxing weekend away from it all need not cost the earth.
