Almeria has 2 national parks, all in close vicinity. To the north (20 mins) is Sierra de Maria which is mountainous and forested - there are 25 fascinating neolithic cave painting sites. Then there is Cabo de Gata, the most south eastern part of Spain, with its beautiful unspoilt beaches (1 hr away) - Laurence of Arabia was partly filmed there. Tabernas, Europe's only desert is not far, it is where several famous spaghetti westerns were filmed and you can visit Mini Hollywood to see the sets. There is a lovely zoo there and other attractions for children including huge pools and lots of restaurants.

There are safe and clean beaches right along the Almeria coast, the nearest being 35 minutes away. Aguilas, Mojacar and Bedar are attractive small towns to visit. If you want to play golf there is the beautiful Desert Springs course (45 mins)and about five others in close proximity. If you feel like a bit of city life, Lorca, Murcia and Almeria aren't too far, being largely unspoilt with great castles and forts as well as McDonalds for the kids!

Velez Rubio and Velez Blanco (7-10 mins) are very picturesque small towns and have many interesting places to visit, like museums, famous neolithic cave paintings, a lovely C18th baroque cathedral and a beautiful renaissance castle palace that was built in the C16th on the site of an old Moorish fort (the Moors were defeated in C15th). There is some wonderful baroque and neo-Velez architecture and of course the markets are colourful and a good place to buy food.

If you enjoy cycling you can hire bikes in the town; the mountain biking in this area is fantastic. You can also go on quad biking trips if you are over 21 with a company up the road. Very exhilerating!! If you bring your 4x4 try some exciting off-road driving and explore the real Spain! Of course there is good horse riding too.

There is paragliding in the area, we know an instructor who is happy to take you out tandem or show you the best places to fly.

Talking of flying, we see many wonderful birds here, golden eagles, bee-eaters, birds of paradise, owls - to name but a few - so it is a great area for bird-watching!

If you are into wild flowers there is an amazing variety, especially in the spring, with wild sweet peas, poppies, hyacinths and myriads of others.

If you like walking the scenery around the Cortijo is spectacular and you can stroll around the 38 acres of grounds, pick fruit (grapes, apricots, cherries, figs, pomegranites, almonds and olives) or venture to the hills and mountains around.

If you want to help with the harvesting, you can earn a free meal! You can also help to make wine in September and October.

Of course there is Granada with its beautiful Alhambra palace just up the road (1.5 hrs away). In winter you can go skiing on the Sierra Nevada! - 1.5 hrs.