A holiday in the Alpujarras is an ideal antidote to the high paced lifestyle of northern Europe. A lot of people dream about living in southern Spain, perhaps after reading books like Chris Stewart’s wonderful Driving Over Lemons. Cortijo la Suerte gives you the chance to live the dream and experience a different way of life. Several of our long term guests have used the Cortijo to find out if Spanish country life fits their needs.

The rhythm of daily life is different in the Spanish countryside, with a laidback attitude that is hard to find in northern European cities. Most of the farm work and commercial activity happens in the morning – that’s when you visit the local (super)market and the bakery. The main meal of the day is taken at about two o’clock, when the summer sun is at its most intense. Restaurants, cafes and bars open between two and five to fulfil the needs of hungry guests.

After a long and satisfying meal comes the siesta, one of the best parts of a Spanish lifestyle - find a peaceful spot in a hammock or under a chestnut tree, then rest and digest until the heat of the day has passed.

From five, six or seven, you potter around, do some work or play. At nine, ten or eleven you're getting ready to go back to eating, and the social side of life. Even after midnight you can always find a place to enjoy a drink with some tapas or a meal.