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Less than an hour inland from the brash commercialism of the Costa del Sol, and the hustle and bustle of glitzy Marbella, lies Gaucín, the prettiest ‘pueblo blanco’ (white village) in Andalucia. Nestling in the saddle of a spiny mountain ridge at 600 metres above sea level in the Serranía de Ronda, this tiny town overlooks a green river valley with its undulating slopes dotted with olive and almond groves, cork-oak trees and pines.  Facing south, Gaucín has stunning views past the jutting Rock of Gibraltar, across the Mediterranean Sea to the exotic shores of northern Morocco.  It is here, at the crossroads of Europe, that two seas and two continents meet. Embraced by the rugged, but beautiful terrain to be found in the heart of Andalucía, Gaucín was once a sleepy, sun-bleached village.  Nowadays, it is managing to balance a centuries-old way of life with a burgeoning interest from tourists seeking the authenticity of ‘real’ Spain.  Here they are discovering the ideal ‘get away from it all’ holiday destination... indeed, one of the attractions of Gaucín is that it is so laid-back, even the cicadas take a siesta!! Gaucín’s narrow streets entwine clusters of white-painted houses with red-tiled roofs, cloaks of bougainvillea and hanging gardens of exotic plants. The whole village is overlooked by the imposing Castillo del Aguila (Castle of Eagles) that dominates the craggy skyline and from where the views are astounding. The Castillo gets its name from the many raptors, such as Griffon vultures, eagles, buzzards and kites to be seen soaring above in the blue skies.  Walking through the village you will still encounter the occasional mule carrying its load of logs or fresh produce to and fro .. but more often posing for tourist photographs! The old men of the village, with their leathery tanned faces, still meet in the local ‘ventas’ (bars) to while away the long hot summer afternoons smoking, drinking coffee and chatting about by-gone days.  Old habits die hard, and in the mornings they still gather at an ancient street corner, where the more wealthy local farmers, cork-oak cutters and mill owners used to recruit the local labour. In those days, the economy of Gaucín was typical of such remote hamlets to be found deep in the Andalusian countryside, and was based mainly on the bartering of produce and labour.  These tiny towns were only accessible by mules travelling along narrow mountain tracks. As well as local produce, the mules would carry salted fish from the coastal ports… not to mention contraband cigarettes and alcohol!!  It would take them several days to walk up into the mountains from Gibraltar and Algeciras, using the secret ‘smugglers routes’.  But how times have changed ... today these narrow paths have become ‘waymarked’ walking routes that are popular with hikers!  Driving inland from Gaucín takes you along the narrow, winding roads through the cork-oak forests with their tall, gnarled evergreens (‘Quercus Suber’).  The cork-oaks of Western Andalucia produce an abundance of acorns, a valuable source of food for wild boar and Iberian black pigs.   More importantly, these forests are of great economic value to the local community and are considered national treasures by the Government.  The bark from the cork-oaks is cut every nine years, during a two-month harvesting period from mid-June to mid-August.  This age-old tradition requires great skill that has been passed down from one generation to the next.  After the cork has been cut, the tree trunks are a rich chestnut colour and look as though they’ve been stripped from the waist down! Visitors driving or hiking in this region will often find themselves passing-by huge piles of cut cork and kindling, stored in fenced-off areas.  Most are unaware that they are looking at thousands of euros lying there on the ground.  Indeed, this industry is worth an estimated two million euros.  Iberian cork, as well as for bottle-stoppers, is used in such diverse processes as car construction, aeroplane insulation and in many household items.  Hopefully, the passing of older generations who performed the skilled corking ritual does not mean that these beautiful forests will eventually make way for the cultivation of more profitable produce. Less than an hour’s drive, through the tumbling mountains, lies the historical town of Ronda.  Ronda is the home of Spain's oldest bullring, Plaza de Toros, built in 1784.  The city is also renowned for straddling the El Tajo Gorge, a plunging 300-metre ravine spanned by an old bridge. This spectacular gorge splits the town in two - a sheer drop where one side of the city comes to an abrupt halt – it is certainly not for those who suffer from vertigo!  The ‘Puente Nuevo’ (new bridge!) that crosses the gorge was completed in 1793.  Legend has it, that the architect, Jose Martin de Aldehuela, fell to his death from the bridge during his final inspection!  However, others believe that he was trying to catch his hat that had blown off in the wind! Both Orson Welles and Ernest Hemingway resided in Ronda for many years, and wrote about its beauty, thus contributing to its popularity.  In ‘Death in the Afternoon’ Hemingway refers to Ronda as “the perfect place”.   In ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’, he describes the murder of loyalists early in the Spanish Civil War by being thrown from the cliffs of El Tajo by Franco’s forces.  Now, in their honour, local streets are named after these two icons of their time.

Gaucín, the prettiest ‘pueblo blanco’ . Relocation to Spain Real Estate In Spain The Expat´s Guide to Living in Spain  Embassies of the Kingdom of Spain European Newspapers & Media Maps of Spain Moving to Spain  ~ Living in Spain  ~ Real Estate in Spain . Articles on Spain READ THESE ARTICLES FREE Coming to Spain? Spainish Property Prices Running to Spain More articles on Spain from EscapeArtist .. Cork Oaks of Western Andalucia ..

The property market in the Gaucín area is now thriving too, as it has become such a sought-after location.  It is often a case of ‘love at first sight’ for many visitors and, consequently, some are buying holiday homes as an investment for the future.  There are also many older couples of varying nationalities, who have retired to live in the area, attracted by the warm climate combined with a better quality of life, and a relatively low cost of living.

Unfortunately for the buyer, Gaucín’s popularity is pushing up property prices, especially since a recent ‘town plan’ severely restricts new building in the municipal area.  This will make it very difficult to get planning permission in the future, unless to reform an existing property.

A rare 4-storey relic , considered one of the pearls of the inland property market, has recently come on the market at the very reasonable price of
1.5 million Euros

‘El Molino del Carmen’, located in the centre of Gaucín, was an operational Olive Oil Mill for more than 100 years until it ceased production in 1967.  At that time, it could no longer compete with the evolution of industrialised mills with more modern and efficient technology.  Sadly, over the years the property fell into ruin until, in the early 1980’s, it was purchased by an eccentric elderly English lady.  She was an artist with an eye for beauty who could see the potential of developing such an interesting building.  During the next two years, she set about converting the Olive Mill into an exquisite small hotel comprising five individual suites.  Her timing was impeccable, as foreigners were just starting to discover Gaucín – in fact, for many years El Molino provided the only accommodation for visitors to the village!

Fortunately, during the conversion to a hotel, many of El Molino’s historical features and equipment were kept intact and are of particular interest to visitors today.  These include the original olive press, with its huge grinding stones, the water pump and pressure gauge.  Originally the mill employed mules to provide its power, but after the civil war in 1939, the mill was upgraded to electricity and the mules were happy to retire to the fields!  The electrical motor powered a water driven pump creating pressure of up to 11,500 psi in order to press the locally harvested olives to produce oil.

One of original mill owner’s sons still lives in the village today, though his health is now failing.  Of course he has now been retired for many years, but worked for his father in El Molino for much of his life.  Indeed, several old men of the village, when they were young boys, would bring lunch of goat’s cheese & bread to their fathers working in the mill … washed down with a welcome cold beer!

Before the civil war, there was very little cash available in Gaucín, so it was quite common for the villagers to barter their home-grown produce, or their particular skills.  For instance, the local farmers would bring their olives to El Molino for crushing and in return would receive a small portion of the oil for their own use.  El Molino would then sell the remainder for cash to the large factories on the coast, from where it would be bottled and exported around the world.

In 2000 El Molino del Carmen was sold to its present owners, Darryl Laurin, a retired Canadian airline pilot and his Finnish wife, Marjukka.  They had arrived by motorbike in Marbella more than twenty years before, fell in love with Andalucia and decided to stay!!  During the years that followed, they would often drive up into the mountains to explore Andalucia’s famous ‘Pueblos Blancos’ on their beloved ‘Beemer’.  One day they came across Gaucín, tucked away in the Serranía de Ronda, and were immediately attracted by its stunning location, awe-inspiring views and laid-back atmosphere. So they embarked on a journey that introduced them to a totally different way of life.
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Over the course of the winter, Darryl & Marjukka carried out significant renovations and improvements to modernise El Molino and enhanced the swimming-pool area.  The result are stunning as seen in the photos above.

Most of the enchanting Moorish-style apartments have uninterrupted views down to the Mediterranean Sea, Gibraltar and the Rif mountains of North Africa.  The rooms are adorned with sculptures, Moroccan carpets, colourful textiles and have decoratively tiled kitchens.  El Molino is now a labyrinth to behold with its original arched doorways, patio garden, terraces bedecked with exotic potted plants, and a swimming pool that remains face-up to the sun year-round.

Over the years, the property has been featured in several UK magazines and travel journals, and the BBC used it as a location for a TV programme in the early 1990s.  In 2003, Canada's largest circulation newspaper "The Globe and Mail", carried a full-page feature; and it has also been the subject of many photographs and paintings over the years!  El Molino has been the frequent haunt of lawyers, businessmen and professional couples, many of whom have made return visits to meet old friends and like-minded souls in search of escape and relaxation.

The restrictive new planning laws have already begun to bite in this region, making it very difficult to get permission to build in the future.  Indeed, this is probably one of the few opportunities to acquire a large hotel-style building in the Gaucín area - making it potentially a very good investment.

As a business, it has an excellent rental history, and the flexibility of managing self-catering apartments makes it an ideal semi-retirement enterprise.  However, the property could quite easily be converted back into a Hotel, with a restaurant if desired.

Another advantage of Gaucín is that it is within easy reach of several airports:  Malaga (1½ hrs), Gibraltar (45 mins), Jerez (1½ hrs) and Seville (2½ hrs).  The beaches and world-famous golf courses of the Costa del Sol (including Valderrama – a ‘European Volvo Masters’ venue) are also only 30 mins drive away.  Within a few hours drive you can reach Cordoba, Granada, Sevilla, and Cadiz… the oldest city in Europe!
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The  Expat’s Guide to Living in Spain - A report on moving to Spain. The nation that produced the twentieth centuries best artists; including Picasso and Miro.  The backdrop for the novel The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, the novel about expats that changed our perspective of the world. Spain is among the quintessential expat destinations. With fine real estate, excellent food, profound culture, and some of Europe's best islands and beaches, Spain is an extremely worthy consideration as an expat destination. This report by Arin Vahanian, eighty pages in length, provides the details that we need when considering Spain as a destination.  Real Estate, Contacts, Employment, Legal Considerations, Citizenship, all laid out in a comprehensive easy to read format.  An Expat’s Guide to Living in Spain will save you money, answer your questions, and prepare you to live in Spain.  Available online in eBook form:  An Expat’s Guide to Living in Spain - Click Here to learn more -