Guest reviews for El Gato Negro holiday cottage, Capileira
I'm featuring here comments old and new that people have left in the Visitors Book. Apart from the tips and reviews, Black Cat people have also left maps, guides and other leaflets in the house for future guests to make use of. Thanks everyone for your contributions! |
You can read lots more recent reviews on El Gato Negro's Airbnb page: https://www.airbnb.es/rooms/7178549.
Remember to come back to this site to book direct at the cheaper price ;-)
I really don’t have the words to describe our week here in El Gato Negro. Our original idea was to go to the Dolomites for a week. However, gut instinct made me decide on Sierra Nevada and wow, are we glad we did! Chris wanted to stay in a “rustic Spanish hotel”. A hotel was not what I wanted: a little rooting around on good ol’ Google brought us to this wonderful cottage which I immediately fell in love with. It did not disappoint on any level. Absolutely everything you could want on a practical & a “spiritual” level having left a lot of stress at home. It took less than 48 hours to be absolutely & utterly absorbed into the beauty & tranquillity of this piece of heaven on earth.
Plenty of good hikes (if badly signed), plenty of getting lost – what better place to get lost? Lovely food though many restaurants closed the last week of June. The slow pace, the quietness, other than the amazing birdsong outside the cottage, all food for the soul.
Wendy was so kind, helpful, unobtrusive and seems very well known – anyone who asked where we were staying, once we said “Wendy” it was answered by “Ah!”
All our hikes had something to offer.
I could easily just stay here forever...
I hope anyone reading this will get from their stay here what I did.
Caroline & Chris (Co. Kildare, Ireland) June 2019
Hemos pasado un fin de semana en esa casa y hemos quedado maravillados. Wendy es una mujer muy amable y quedamos encantados con ella. La casa es preciosa, una casita típica, como sacada de un cuento, con todos los servicios y muy céntrica en el pueblo. Hemos vuelto hoy de allí y no he querido esperar para escribir mi opinión porque me ha encantado. Si volvemos a Capileira buscaremos la misma casita porque nos ha encantado.
Nuria & Gines (Murcia, España) marzo 2019
We returned from Spain at the end of last week, after a great holiday. We really liked staying in different places but Capileira was one of the highlights. So this email is to thank you for our week in El Gato Negro. We thoroughly enjoyed the house...really cosy....and it was a great base for local walking as well as
touring the area. Thanks to Wendy, too, for looking after us and an especial thanks for your generous hospitality on ‘Bonfire’ night. It was really good
to meet you and Maryse as well as a lovely insight into local life. Great walks and visits to other villages and towns. Such a restoring week and we look forward to staying here again.
Pat & Chris (Cheltenham, England) January 2019
What a lovely cottage! Everything and Moor :-) Weather perfect for exploring the very small paths on the other side of the gorge. We will recommend El Gato Negro to everyone!
Mike & Liz (North Yorkshire, England) September 17
A short visit during a hectic Schedule but a welcome respite from the heat of the coast. Sweet little cottage in a gem of a village. Good walks and views. Hope to return... some day.
Stephen & Carol (Toronto, Canada) July 2017
Very welcoming. Wonderful location for walking or relaxing. Peaceful. We intend to return like others before us.
Nicola & Mark, (Bodelwyddan, Wales) October 2016
Sometimes you see a beautiful cottage in a brochure / website and you say it’s too good to be true and inevitably it turns out to not be what you wished for.
Well El Gato Negro is the direct opposite. It was an unforgettable experience. The cottage has everything you want but also it is as quaint as you see in the brochure and much more comfortable than you can imagine. Also it is so well located that you can roll down the hill after a wonderful night of food & drink in the Square.
Like Arnie – “We’ll be back”
Kieran & Aine (Galway, Ireland) September 2016
Hola Guy,
Endlich möchten wir uns ganz herzlich für die wunderschönen Tage in Ihrem Ferienhaus in Capileira bedanken. Wir haben uns sehr wohl gefühlt!
Es waren ganz besondere Erlebnisse: der interessante Ort, die nette und traditionelle Wohnung, die wunderbare Natur und die Berge der Umgebung! Schön, dass wir zwei große Wanderungen auf den Mulhacén bzw.noch zu den 7 Lagunas und noch kleinere Wanderungen rund um Capileira machen konnten... wir waren dann noch für 3 Tage in Granada und hatten einen sehr schönen Urlaub!
Nun hat schon eine Woche der Alltag wieder begonnen, aber wir denken sehr gerne und bestimmt noch lange an die wunderschöne Zeit in Andalusien in der Alpujarra!
Vielen Dank für alles!
Und auf Wiedersehen! Saludos!
Matthias und Uta (Dresden, Deutschland) August 2016
After 2 weeks travelling all over Andalucia we've found the perfect place to relax before the long drive home.
A nice place to stay!
PS. We didn't stay long enough to see either the Booted eagle or the Ibex. But we did see the "gato negro" twice in the village!
Franck & Yolande (France) August 2016
El Gato Negro has proved to be perfect; cozy, comfortable, quiet and a great base for exploring the Alpujarras (mainly on foot!) We have had 7 days of great walking and seen a plethora of wildlife – wild boar & babies, red squirrel, lizards, Golden Oriole, Booted Eagleand a flock of Bee-Eaters – a wonder to behold. Capileira has everything one needs and the locals are friendly (as are the numerous dogs!) Thank you for your help and advice.
Moira & Brian (Hants, UK) April - May 2016
Lovely to be back for a second visit - looking forward to the third. See June 2011 for our previous comments - we love it!
Geoffrey & Joan (Studham, UK) October 2015
We found Gato Negro to have everything we needed for a very comfortable stay. The gas heater didn’t work on our arrival but the local “network” got us sorted out and we were nice and warm after that – the log burner definitely needed in the evening. We walked every day though yet to get up Mulhacen – maybe next time. We didn’t bring our walking sticks and really missed them and today discovered you can buy them for 9.50 euros – too late for us as it’s our last day! We had a great sky with fabulous weather and hope to come back next year.
Teresa & Richard (London, UK) December 2014
PS Just to echo PS opposite – it’s fantastic to have WiFi too.
Had a wonderful holiday in this beautifull cozy little house. Really has been the nicest place we have ever stayed in. Highly recommend Restaurante La Tapa (just around corner to left). Very fresh delicious Arab inspired food. Also El Fogón in the square in the Square. Good Menu del Día. Views amazing including the snow. Everyone sooo friendly. Thank you.
Alison & Chris (Hebden Bridge, UK) October 2014
PS Fantastic WiFi.
La casa está estupenda! Hemos disfrutado mucho de ella porque nos ha hecho mal tiempo. Hemos viajado con nuestros hijos y es ideal para venir con niños pequeños. ¡El pueblo muy bonito y tranquilo! Si podemos repitiremos! Haremos una entrada en nuestro blog de estos días en el gato negro, pronto lo podréis leer en www. Kukukids.es/blog Muchas gracias, Guy y Wendy por vuestro recibimiento!
Susana y familia (Córdoba) febrero 2014 [los 2 niños pequeños durmieron el nuevo sofa-cama]
We’ve enjoyed staying in this cosy cottage! We did some nice sightseeing around and had some fabulous food, especially in the restaurant “El Castaño” in the corner of the Plaza (lasagne with caramellized pumpkin and mushrooms, salad with smoked cheeses and smoked salmon in curry sauce). Also the veggie pizza in La Pizzeria was very good! We’ll recommend “El Gato Negro” to others. Thanks for everything, it’s a very nice place.
Annet & Jan (Netherlands) October 2013
We have thoroughly enjoyed friendly Capileira and a big than you to Lyn for the reading light and gas heater tips. The weather has been glorious so hiking every day. The Refugio and Cebadilla trails much enjoyed. Our favourite: the Taha trailsa round the villages, to Roman bridge & Busquistar. Thank you for the trail map which helped orient us though we usually got lost on the more obscure trails! A tip to pass on that helped us: park in Atalbeitar or better still Ferreirola, not Pitres as it is a slog up the road from Atalbeitar to Pitres. Also, for the hile along the acequias in Berchules: to find the trail head 1. Parking at Café Duende, go left up ramp (black railing) to fountain 2. Turn right & go up Calle Plata 3. Turn right into Calle Fuentecilla & there is the big sendero map. We spent one day driving/hiking as far as Yegen. Dramatic scenic vistas from Yegen. Daily vino or caña at bar El Tilo essential!
Enjoy this special part of the world! Happy hiking.
Suzie & Garth (Vancouver, Canada) October 2013
PS Chocolate buns at panadería (next to bank) dangerously addictive!
Had such a wonderful time here in Capileira and have thoroughly enjoyed the cottage, the perfect retreat from busy lives, wish it was mine! Did a bit of walking (not enough) & some horseriding up some steep hills and quite a bit of swimming, or rather sitting, in the river. There’s a great place just past Pampaneira by the power station where you can park & walk to a waterfall, the water is so refreshing on a hot day & the little waterfalls are like spa jets! You can climb up to the right of the big waterfall too & there’s a good picnic platform there. Food everywhere is amazing, really recommend he cosy Bodega La Alacena for incredible tomato salad. Buy some avocado oil here, it’s unique to this area.
Off tomorrow but we’ll be back, I’m sure.
Caroline & Stephen (Cookham, UK) September–October 2013
We’ve loved our holiday in this quirky little cottage. Great weather & some wonderful walks, especially to Cebadilla, Mulhacen, O Sel Lin, Puerto Molino / Loma de Piedra Blanca. Granada was a great day out too. Have also done lots of eating. Good atmosphere & heady costa at El Tilo. Brilliant potato soup at La Casacapeña. Lovely tapas & beer everywhere! Will thoroughly recommend El Gato Negro to our friends.
Chris & Dave (Chester, UK) September 2013
We’ve had a great 2 weeks. Weather started really hot and then a front came through which meant we changed our plans for going up high – didn’t fancy Mulhacen in the snow! – waited a few days for the weather to improve which meant we got 2 great days up high – Alcazaba one day and Mulhacen another. Will have to come back to do El Caballo again though as clouds spoilt the view. Botanic Bar is by far the best place in town to eat! The “lower” level walks are great too and too many to do in 2 weeks so will have to return...
Emma & Ken (Worsley, UK) August–September 2013
It’s been a wonderful week! We walked to La Cebadilla, to Pampaneira and Bubion, with our 4 year-old daughter. Certainly, we had to carry her in a special backpack a lot but she managed some parts of the routes. The views from the opposite side of the gorge are marvellous and the paths with lots of wild flowers are really beautiful. The bridges over the Poqueira and the river itself are beautiful. And we enjoyed fabulous sunny weather all the time of our stay. It was neither hot nor cold.
We also went to Granada and visited Alhambra and Science Park (Parque de Ciencias). We liked them both. In the evenings we usually went to the Capileira playgrounds and gym park and our daughter really enjoyed it.
The house Gato Negro is really cosy and nice. Thanks.
Alina, Sergey & Marina (Kazan, Russia) June 2013
What a wonderful base for walking in the high Alpujarras. We have had a great time in Capileira, with walks up into the snow around the Poqueira Refuge (& very tame ibex) and down among the almonds and olives above Orgiva. The local food and drink has been great – we even managed a bottle of costa with our wild boar! Thanks.
Johnny & Helen (Malvern, UK) April 2013
Llevamos viniendo a Capileira desde el año 1995. Hemos estado en muchos alojamientos en el Barranco de Poqueira, pero éste nos ha cautivado. Muchas gracias por conservar el buen gusto, la comodidad y el encanto de un lugar como éste, que con los años se ha ido perdiendo, ya que sólo se piensa en la rentabilidad y la explotación de los alojamientos.
Esperamos volver muy pronto,
José Mª y Angela (Granada) febrero 2013
Thank you El Gato Negro we have had a lovely stay in Capileira. Our favourite walks were the Puente Palo loop above Soportujar and the up & back from La Cebadilla to the Refugio below Mulhacen*, but we also enjoyed the loop from Pitres through all the villages of La Taha and down to the Roman bridge. We have been blessed with lovely sunny weather, one day we went to the beach at Salobreña, has a very quick dip in the sea and has a good paella. We had a lovely meal at Corral del Castaño, all our choices were good, and at the Pizzeria we can recommend the wild boar with apple & the venison with garlic, both very good and come with papas a lo pobre – a new favourite of ours. We also had some lovely vegetable dishes at El Teide in Bubion. I can also recommend “Driving over lemons” whilst you are here – very entertaining.
Thanks again
Hayley & Keith (Oxford, UK) December 2012
*You will also see lots of ibex on this route, and if lucky a beautiful fox who is as interested in you as you will be in him – probably due to walkers feeding him unfortunately.
4 dias fantásticos. Nos ha faltado tiempo para disfrutar del los alrededores y el pueblo en sí.
Todo ha sido estupendo, acogedor y muy tranquilo, y el recibimiento magnífico. Nos gustaría repetir.
J. Antonio y Encarni (España) diciembre 2012
Una casa con encanto! Un pueblo especial! Ha sido una estancia muy agradable y esperamos volver algún día para respirar este aire tan puro.
Un beso fuerte
Chus y Gema (Huelva) noviembre 2012
Este pueblo y esta casa es para vivirla durante más tiempo. No me extraña que vengan los pintores a esta zona para relajarse e inspirarse.
Todo maravilloso.
Un beso
Carmen, Jose y Lukas (Jaén) noviembre 2012
Este pueblo es una maravilla, preciosa y relajante, con unas vistas impresionantes, unos paisajes increíbles por donde realizar unas espectaculares rutas y penetrar en la montaña como lo hacían los antiguos y nuevos habitantes de estas inmensas montañas. La casa es super de la época conservando su estilo tradicional preciosa y acogedora.
Jesús Mariano (España) noviembre 2012
Hemos estado tranquilos, cálidos, y con mucha paz en esta casa.
Un beso a todos.
Mª Isabel y Jose Angel (España) noviembre 2012
Lovely cottage in a tranquil setting. We did some good walks in the Poqueira valley and around the villages of La Taha, and enjoyed a great trip to the Alhambra in Granada. It snowed high on the Sierra the weekend we arrived (which made for a spectacular backdrop to the Alhambra) but we’ve had nothing but glorious sunshine since then.
We found the meals at El Corral del Castaño a bit weird (pickled veg, when you’ve got lovely produce growing all around?!) but can highly recommend the Pizzeria.
El Gato Negro was a great place to base ourselves this week and we enjoyed relaxing here. Thank you!
Nigel & Cecilia (UK) October 2012
We have had a wonderful 3 days in Capileira and El Gato Negro has been a perfect home. Our favourite walk was around the Taha villages; we drove to Pitres and then spent 5 hours doing a circuit via Mecinilla, Mecina-Fondales, Ferreirola and Atalbeitar. A really interesting walk with beautiful scenery mixed with unspoilt villages – please note that most of them don’t seem to have a shop or café so you will need to take some snacks – all of course have a drinking fountain though!
We also walked from Capileira down to the river, a nice fairly short walk. Pampaneira is worth a potter, too.
It was great just watching the world go by at El Tilo. Casa Ibero was our favourite place for dinner but you must also try Bodega La Alacena – a really atmospheric bar behind a shop – we ha d lovely lunch of mixed cheeses, tomato salad and ham!
Now off for a ride at Dallas Love’s stables 3 km up the hill before leaving – sadly – for Malaga Airport.
The only regret is not meeting El Gato Negro himself, but we did meet a lovely 17 year.old black cat called Audrey in Carataunas. Yes, we are crazy cat lovers!
Thank you for a wonderful stay. We’ll be back.
Jo & Louise (Leigh on Sea, UK) September 2012
Arrived to brilliant sunshine and marvelled at the prettiness of Capileira bathed in glorious light and sparkling white up the hillside. Did a couple of walks before the weather closed in which gave us every opportunity to explore this lovely little cottage to its fullest extent.
The locals are wonderful, albeit a little surprised when they saw us eating and playing scrabble in the courtyard. The bar at the top of the square is very friendly and serves enormous tequilas. We would have eaten out more often had we not been charmed by fruit and veg that “fell off the back of a lorry”! – (not really, we did pay for it) and spent the rest of the week cooking delicious meals in our little piece of heaven.
Inspired to do some more walking soon – a relaxing and unforgettable experience. Thank you.
Sarah and Nadine (UK) September 2012
Très jolie maison typique, plus gran qu’il n’y paraît! Cuisine parfaitmente équipée qui nous a permis de preparer nos repas! Nous avons vécu, pour autre part au rythme du pays, couches très tard, nous nous levions très tard aussi. Très jolie promenade au depart de Capileira vers la Cebadilla (le trajet de retour est superbe). Et magnifique ballade au Poerto Molina. Nous sommes montés en voiture jusqu’à Hoya de Portillo, après Capileira. Arrêt a 2100 mètres, en voiture on ne peut monter plus haut (si non, ¡l faut prndere et paier une navette). Puis montée pour les enfants (ombre des pins). Superbe panorama sur la Sierra Nevada, la mer y la cote montagneuse d’Afrique. Vraiment à ne pas manquer! (Mais atención la route jusqu’à Hoya de Portillo, à environ 10 km de Capileira, monte en lacets avec nids de poule et absence de goudionnage, cela peut sorprendre!)
Baignade dans le Rio au bas de Capileira à ½ heure de marche. Superbe endroit!
Plein de bons souvenirs donc!
Isabelle et Nathan (France) juillet 2012
A week of roasting hot weather (even by Capileira standards, we were told) – but still we managed to get out early to do some walks and then spend the rest of the day relaxing in this lovely little house and the village. We enjoyed the evening visits from the “gato negro” who was just up the road; and also the evening strolls to the mirador and beyond, like many of the village elders!
We have had a lovely week here. Many thanks.
Barbara & David (Birmingham, UK) July 2012
We came to spend an relaxing weekend in the mountains. Even though we were not very lucky with the weather the first two days, we spent a great time here. El Gato negro is very nice and cosy cottage, people in the village friendly, food is tasty and viewings over the mountains and during our walks were picturesque. Thank you for a great romantic weekend... and we got engaged over here, therefore El Gato Negro will always remembered by us.
Libor & Adela (Czechoslovakia) May 2012
Trés agreeable séjour à Capileira... la chance de pouvoir habiter ce perrfiate villaje, cette jolie petite maison de de profiter de ces magnifiques montagnes des Alpujarras… Grand merci aussi a Wendy pour son accueil chalement
Catherine et Didier (France) juin 2012
Wonderful, amazing place. We feel here like in a dream. Amazing mountains (we reach Mulhacen), great views, streams and valleys. Granada – just great! Especially Alhambra! Also Costa del Sol – so near! So beautiful!
Tomasz & Mariena (Poland) June 2012
What walking we did — to Cebadilla, to the Refugio de Poqueira, the Taha, down to Pampaneira. We adored this casita, and spent time admiring its features as we dreamt about designing our own home. Winds almost blew down Capileira one night, bringing heavy mist and snow to the high mountains.
A lovely place for anyone who loves the mountains.
Molly & Christopher (Montana, USA) May 2012
A lovely cottage! We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The village is beautiful and we just loved walking round the village. 7 days were spent with good food, wine & lovely walks. Thank you for a lovely week.
David & Shohana (UK & Bangladesh) May 2012
We have been so lucky with the weather, walking and sitting out in the sun apart from the ‘white out’ day. We have loved getting to know the area and we have loved having ‘El gato Negro’ as our home. It is such a charming cottage.
We went to Alhambra, having booked a tour from UK. It was definitely worth it. We also tried the beaches on a rather windy day.
Thanks to Guy for the booking help and to Wendy for the welcome. We definitely hope to return one day.
Rosie & Christian (Oxford) April 2012
Hemos estado 2 días en la casa bonita “El Gato Negro.” Esta casa está muy bien para entrar en Andalucia. Nos gustó también por estar cerca de la Plaza y todos los pueblos son magníficos.
Charles et Regine (France) avril 2012
Fantastic 5 days, great walking, sunshine, wine & tapas. Had our only lunch out at Paco & Pilar’s on road out of Capileira. Great views & garden. Wine wasn’t v. good though.
Thanks for all the info, Guy, very useful.
Suzanne & Keith (London) March 2012
3 días muy tranquilos en El Gato Negro, hemos disfrutado mucho. Gracias por todo! See u son.
Elisa y Diego (Alicante) marzo 2012
We will definitely recommend Capileira, the Alpujarras and the house. We have been very lucky to enjoy perfect weather conditions with lots of sun. So we were able to do some really nice walks.
Thanks for everything, and we hope that the next visitors enjoy this place as much as we did.
Susanne & Wolgang (Germany) November 2011
Capileira grows on you day by day as you experience the warmth & kindness of the inhabitants. Some of the things we enjoyed: the walks to la Cebadilla & around the Taha villages - make sure you have lunch at the Hotel de Mecina Fondales. The restaurants are good value, especially El Tilo & the Pizzeria. The Michelin guide restaurant in the Square is a bit strange - we were served 1½ courses at the same time and the other ½ 20 minutes later! But it tasted good! Our favourite though is Bodega La Alacena - try sherry & the best tomato salad in Spain.
Hope you enjoy this beautiful place as much as we have.
Brian & AnneLise (Manchester & Norway) October 2011
Remember to come back to this site to book direct at the cheaper price ;-)
I really don’t have the words to describe our week here in El Gato Negro. Our original idea was to go to the Dolomites for a week. However, gut instinct made me decide on Sierra Nevada and wow, are we glad we did! Chris wanted to stay in a “rustic Spanish hotel”. A hotel was not what I wanted: a little rooting around on good ol’ Google brought us to this wonderful cottage which I immediately fell in love with. It did not disappoint on any level. Absolutely everything you could want on a practical & a “spiritual” level having left a lot of stress at home. It took less than 48 hours to be absolutely & utterly absorbed into the beauty & tranquillity of this piece of heaven on earth.
Plenty of good hikes (if badly signed), plenty of getting lost – what better place to get lost? Lovely food though many restaurants closed the last week of June. The slow pace, the quietness, other than the amazing birdsong outside the cottage, all food for the soul.
Wendy was so kind, helpful, unobtrusive and seems very well known – anyone who asked where we were staying, once we said “Wendy” it was answered by “Ah!”
All our hikes had something to offer.
I could easily just stay here forever...
I hope anyone reading this will get from their stay here what I did.
Caroline & Chris (Co. Kildare, Ireland) June 2019
Hemos pasado un fin de semana en esa casa y hemos quedado maravillados. Wendy es una mujer muy amable y quedamos encantados con ella. La casa es preciosa, una casita típica, como sacada de un cuento, con todos los servicios y muy céntrica en el pueblo. Hemos vuelto hoy de allí y no he querido esperar para escribir mi opinión porque me ha encantado. Si volvemos a Capileira buscaremos la misma casita porque nos ha encantado.
Nuria & Gines (Murcia, España) marzo 2019
We returned from Spain at the end of last week, after a great holiday. We really liked staying in different places but Capileira was one of the highlights. So this email is to thank you for our week in El Gato Negro. We thoroughly enjoyed the house...really cosy....and it was a great base for local walking as well as
touring the area. Thanks to Wendy, too, for looking after us and an especial thanks for your generous hospitality on ‘Bonfire’ night. It was really good
to meet you and Maryse as well as a lovely insight into local life. Great walks and visits to other villages and towns. Such a restoring week and we look forward to staying here again.
Pat & Chris (Cheltenham, England) January 2019
What a lovely cottage! Everything and Moor :-) Weather perfect for exploring the very small paths on the other side of the gorge. We will recommend El Gato Negro to everyone!
Mike & Liz (North Yorkshire, England) September 17
A short visit during a hectic Schedule but a welcome respite from the heat of the coast. Sweet little cottage in a gem of a village. Good walks and views. Hope to return... some day.
Stephen & Carol (Toronto, Canada) July 2017
Very welcoming. Wonderful location for walking or relaxing. Peaceful. We intend to return like others before us.
Nicola & Mark, (Bodelwyddan, Wales) October 2016
Sometimes you see a beautiful cottage in a brochure / website and you say it’s too good to be true and inevitably it turns out to not be what you wished for.
Well El Gato Negro is the direct opposite. It was an unforgettable experience. The cottage has everything you want but also it is as quaint as you see in the brochure and much more comfortable than you can imagine. Also it is so well located that you can roll down the hill after a wonderful night of food & drink in the Square.
Like Arnie – “We’ll be back”
Kieran & Aine (Galway, Ireland) September 2016
Hola Guy,
Endlich möchten wir uns ganz herzlich für die wunderschönen Tage in Ihrem Ferienhaus in Capileira bedanken. Wir haben uns sehr wohl gefühlt!
Es waren ganz besondere Erlebnisse: der interessante Ort, die nette und traditionelle Wohnung, die wunderbare Natur und die Berge der Umgebung! Schön, dass wir zwei große Wanderungen auf den Mulhacén bzw.noch zu den 7 Lagunas und noch kleinere Wanderungen rund um Capileira machen konnten... wir waren dann noch für 3 Tage in Granada und hatten einen sehr schönen Urlaub!
Nun hat schon eine Woche der Alltag wieder begonnen, aber wir denken sehr gerne und bestimmt noch lange an die wunderschöne Zeit in Andalusien in der Alpujarra!
Vielen Dank für alles!
Und auf Wiedersehen! Saludos!
Matthias und Uta (Dresden, Deutschland) August 2016
After 2 weeks travelling all over Andalucia we've found the perfect place to relax before the long drive home.
A nice place to stay!
PS. We didn't stay long enough to see either the Booted eagle or the Ibex. But we did see the "gato negro" twice in the village!
Franck & Yolande (France) August 2016
El Gato Negro has proved to be perfect; cozy, comfortable, quiet and a great base for exploring the Alpujarras (mainly on foot!) We have had 7 days of great walking and seen a plethora of wildlife – wild boar & babies, red squirrel, lizards, Golden Oriole, Booted Eagleand a flock of Bee-Eaters – a wonder to behold. Capileira has everything one needs and the locals are friendly (as are the numerous dogs!) Thank you for your help and advice.
Moira & Brian (Hants, UK) April - May 2016
Lovely to be back for a second visit - looking forward to the third. See June 2011 for our previous comments - we love it!
Geoffrey & Joan (Studham, UK) October 2015
We found Gato Negro to have everything we needed for a very comfortable stay. The gas heater didn’t work on our arrival but the local “network” got us sorted out and we were nice and warm after that – the log burner definitely needed in the evening. We walked every day though yet to get up Mulhacen – maybe next time. We didn’t bring our walking sticks and really missed them and today discovered you can buy them for 9.50 euros – too late for us as it’s our last day! We had a great sky with fabulous weather and hope to come back next year.
Teresa & Richard (London, UK) December 2014
PS Just to echo PS opposite – it’s fantastic to have WiFi too.
Had a wonderful holiday in this beautifull cozy little house. Really has been the nicest place we have ever stayed in. Highly recommend Restaurante La Tapa (just around corner to left). Very fresh delicious Arab inspired food. Also El Fogón in the square in the Square. Good Menu del Día. Views amazing including the snow. Everyone sooo friendly. Thank you.
Alison & Chris (Hebden Bridge, UK) October 2014
PS Fantastic WiFi.
La casa está estupenda! Hemos disfrutado mucho de ella porque nos ha hecho mal tiempo. Hemos viajado con nuestros hijos y es ideal para venir con niños pequeños. ¡El pueblo muy bonito y tranquilo! Si podemos repitiremos! Haremos una entrada en nuestro blog de estos días en el gato negro, pronto lo podréis leer en www. Kukukids.es/blog Muchas gracias, Guy y Wendy por vuestro recibimiento!
Susana y familia (Córdoba) febrero 2014 [los 2 niños pequeños durmieron el nuevo sofa-cama]
We’ve enjoyed staying in this cosy cottage! We did some nice sightseeing around and had some fabulous food, especially in the restaurant “El Castaño” in the corner of the Plaza (lasagne with caramellized pumpkin and mushrooms, salad with smoked cheeses and smoked salmon in curry sauce). Also the veggie pizza in La Pizzeria was very good! We’ll recommend “El Gato Negro” to others. Thanks for everything, it’s a very nice place.
Annet & Jan (Netherlands) October 2013
We have thoroughly enjoyed friendly Capileira and a big than you to Lyn for the reading light and gas heater tips. The weather has been glorious so hiking every day. The Refugio and Cebadilla trails much enjoyed. Our favourite: the Taha trailsa round the villages, to Roman bridge & Busquistar. Thank you for the trail map which helped orient us though we usually got lost on the more obscure trails! A tip to pass on that helped us: park in Atalbeitar or better still Ferreirola, not Pitres as it is a slog up the road from Atalbeitar to Pitres. Also, for the hile along the acequias in Berchules: to find the trail head 1. Parking at Café Duende, go left up ramp (black railing) to fountain 2. Turn right & go up Calle Plata 3. Turn right into Calle Fuentecilla & there is the big sendero map. We spent one day driving/hiking as far as Yegen. Dramatic scenic vistas from Yegen. Daily vino or caña at bar El Tilo essential!
Enjoy this special part of the world! Happy hiking.
Suzie & Garth (Vancouver, Canada) October 2013
PS Chocolate buns at panadería (next to bank) dangerously addictive!
Had such a wonderful time here in Capileira and have thoroughly enjoyed the cottage, the perfect retreat from busy lives, wish it was mine! Did a bit of walking (not enough) & some horseriding up some steep hills and quite a bit of swimming, or rather sitting, in the river. There’s a great place just past Pampaneira by the power station where you can park & walk to a waterfall, the water is so refreshing on a hot day & the little waterfalls are like spa jets! You can climb up to the right of the big waterfall too & there’s a good picnic platform there. Food everywhere is amazing, really recommend he cosy Bodega La Alacena for incredible tomato salad. Buy some avocado oil here, it’s unique to this area.
Off tomorrow but we’ll be back, I’m sure.
Caroline & Stephen (Cookham, UK) September–October 2013
We’ve loved our holiday in this quirky little cottage. Great weather & some wonderful walks, especially to Cebadilla, Mulhacen, O Sel Lin, Puerto Molino / Loma de Piedra Blanca. Granada was a great day out too. Have also done lots of eating. Good atmosphere & heady costa at El Tilo. Brilliant potato soup at La Casacapeña. Lovely tapas & beer everywhere! Will thoroughly recommend El Gato Negro to our friends.
Chris & Dave (Chester, UK) September 2013
We’ve had a great 2 weeks. Weather started really hot and then a front came through which meant we changed our plans for going up high – didn’t fancy Mulhacen in the snow! – waited a few days for the weather to improve which meant we got 2 great days up high – Alcazaba one day and Mulhacen another. Will have to come back to do El Caballo again though as clouds spoilt the view. Botanic Bar is by far the best place in town to eat! The “lower” level walks are great too and too many to do in 2 weeks so will have to return...
Emma & Ken (Worsley, UK) August–September 2013
It’s been a wonderful week! We walked to La Cebadilla, to Pampaneira and Bubion, with our 4 year-old daughter. Certainly, we had to carry her in a special backpack a lot but she managed some parts of the routes. The views from the opposite side of the gorge are marvellous and the paths with lots of wild flowers are really beautiful. The bridges over the Poqueira and the river itself are beautiful. And we enjoyed fabulous sunny weather all the time of our stay. It was neither hot nor cold.
We also went to Granada and visited Alhambra and Science Park (Parque de Ciencias). We liked them both. In the evenings we usually went to the Capileira playgrounds and gym park and our daughter really enjoyed it.
The house Gato Negro is really cosy and nice. Thanks.
Alina, Sergey & Marina (Kazan, Russia) June 2013
What a wonderful base for walking in the high Alpujarras. We have had a great time in Capileira, with walks up into the snow around the Poqueira Refuge (& very tame ibex) and down among the almonds and olives above Orgiva. The local food and drink has been great – we even managed a bottle of costa with our wild boar! Thanks.
Johnny & Helen (Malvern, UK) April 2013
Llevamos viniendo a Capileira desde el año 1995. Hemos estado en muchos alojamientos en el Barranco de Poqueira, pero éste nos ha cautivado. Muchas gracias por conservar el buen gusto, la comodidad y el encanto de un lugar como éste, que con los años se ha ido perdiendo, ya que sólo se piensa en la rentabilidad y la explotación de los alojamientos.
Esperamos volver muy pronto,
José Mª y Angela (Granada) febrero 2013
Thank you El Gato Negro we have had a lovely stay in Capileira. Our favourite walks were the Puente Palo loop above Soportujar and the up & back from La Cebadilla to the Refugio below Mulhacen*, but we also enjoyed the loop from Pitres through all the villages of La Taha and down to the Roman bridge. We have been blessed with lovely sunny weather, one day we went to the beach at Salobreña, has a very quick dip in the sea and has a good paella. We had a lovely meal at Corral del Castaño, all our choices were good, and at the Pizzeria we can recommend the wild boar with apple & the venison with garlic, both very good and come with papas a lo pobre – a new favourite of ours. We also had some lovely vegetable dishes at El Teide in Bubion. I can also recommend “Driving over lemons” whilst you are here – very entertaining.
Thanks again
Hayley & Keith (Oxford, UK) December 2012
*You will also see lots of ibex on this route, and if lucky a beautiful fox who is as interested in you as you will be in him – probably due to walkers feeding him unfortunately.
4 dias fantásticos. Nos ha faltado tiempo para disfrutar del los alrededores y el pueblo en sí.
Todo ha sido estupendo, acogedor y muy tranquilo, y el recibimiento magnífico. Nos gustaría repetir.
J. Antonio y Encarni (España) diciembre 2012
Una casa con encanto! Un pueblo especial! Ha sido una estancia muy agradable y esperamos volver algún día para respirar este aire tan puro.
Un beso fuerte
Chus y Gema (Huelva) noviembre 2012
Este pueblo y esta casa es para vivirla durante más tiempo. No me extraña que vengan los pintores a esta zona para relajarse e inspirarse.
Todo maravilloso.
Un beso
Carmen, Jose y Lukas (Jaén) noviembre 2012
Este pueblo es una maravilla, preciosa y relajante, con unas vistas impresionantes, unos paisajes increíbles por donde realizar unas espectaculares rutas y penetrar en la montaña como lo hacían los antiguos y nuevos habitantes de estas inmensas montañas. La casa es super de la época conservando su estilo tradicional preciosa y acogedora.
Jesús Mariano (España) noviembre 2012
Hemos estado tranquilos, cálidos, y con mucha paz en esta casa.
Un beso a todos.
Mª Isabel y Jose Angel (España) noviembre 2012
Lovely cottage in a tranquil setting. We did some good walks in the Poqueira valley and around the villages of La Taha, and enjoyed a great trip to the Alhambra in Granada. It snowed high on the Sierra the weekend we arrived (which made for a spectacular backdrop to the Alhambra) but we’ve had nothing but glorious sunshine since then.
We found the meals at El Corral del Castaño a bit weird (pickled veg, when you’ve got lovely produce growing all around?!) but can highly recommend the Pizzeria.
El Gato Negro was a great place to base ourselves this week and we enjoyed relaxing here. Thank you!
Nigel & Cecilia (UK) October 2012
We have had a wonderful 3 days in Capileira and El Gato Negro has been a perfect home. Our favourite walk was around the Taha villages; we drove to Pitres and then spent 5 hours doing a circuit via Mecinilla, Mecina-Fondales, Ferreirola and Atalbeitar. A really interesting walk with beautiful scenery mixed with unspoilt villages – please note that most of them don’t seem to have a shop or café so you will need to take some snacks – all of course have a drinking fountain though!
We also walked from Capileira down to the river, a nice fairly short walk. Pampaneira is worth a potter, too.
It was great just watching the world go by at El Tilo. Casa Ibero was our favourite place for dinner but you must also try Bodega La Alacena – a really atmospheric bar behind a shop – we ha d lovely lunch of mixed cheeses, tomato salad and ham!
Now off for a ride at Dallas Love’s stables 3 km up the hill before leaving – sadly – for Malaga Airport.
The only regret is not meeting El Gato Negro himself, but we did meet a lovely 17 year.old black cat called Audrey in Carataunas. Yes, we are crazy cat lovers!
Thank you for a wonderful stay. We’ll be back.
Jo & Louise (Leigh on Sea, UK) September 2012
Arrived to brilliant sunshine and marvelled at the prettiness of Capileira bathed in glorious light and sparkling white up the hillside. Did a couple of walks before the weather closed in which gave us every opportunity to explore this lovely little cottage to its fullest extent.
The locals are wonderful, albeit a little surprised when they saw us eating and playing scrabble in the courtyard. The bar at the top of the square is very friendly and serves enormous tequilas. We would have eaten out more often had we not been charmed by fruit and veg that “fell off the back of a lorry”! – (not really, we did pay for it) and spent the rest of the week cooking delicious meals in our little piece of heaven.
Inspired to do some more walking soon – a relaxing and unforgettable experience. Thank you.
Sarah and Nadine (UK) September 2012
Très jolie maison typique, plus gran qu’il n’y paraît! Cuisine parfaitmente équipée qui nous a permis de preparer nos repas! Nous avons vécu, pour autre part au rythme du pays, couches très tard, nous nous levions très tard aussi. Très jolie promenade au depart de Capileira vers la Cebadilla (le trajet de retour est superbe). Et magnifique ballade au Poerto Molina. Nous sommes montés en voiture jusqu’à Hoya de Portillo, après Capileira. Arrêt a 2100 mètres, en voiture on ne peut monter plus haut (si non, ¡l faut prndere et paier une navette). Puis montée pour les enfants (ombre des pins). Superbe panorama sur la Sierra Nevada, la mer y la cote montagneuse d’Afrique. Vraiment à ne pas manquer! (Mais atención la route jusqu’à Hoya de Portillo, à environ 10 km de Capileira, monte en lacets avec nids de poule et absence de goudionnage, cela peut sorprendre!)
Baignade dans le Rio au bas de Capileira à ½ heure de marche. Superbe endroit!
Plein de bons souvenirs donc!
Isabelle et Nathan (France) juillet 2012
A week of roasting hot weather (even by Capileira standards, we were told) – but still we managed to get out early to do some walks and then spend the rest of the day relaxing in this lovely little house and the village. We enjoyed the evening visits from the “gato negro” who was just up the road; and also the evening strolls to the mirador and beyond, like many of the village elders!
We have had a lovely week here. Many thanks.
Barbara & David (Birmingham, UK) July 2012
We came to spend an relaxing weekend in the mountains. Even though we were not very lucky with the weather the first two days, we spent a great time here. El Gato negro is very nice and cosy cottage, people in the village friendly, food is tasty and viewings over the mountains and during our walks were picturesque. Thank you for a great romantic weekend... and we got engaged over here, therefore El Gato Negro will always remembered by us.
Libor & Adela (Czechoslovakia) May 2012
Trés agreeable séjour à Capileira... la chance de pouvoir habiter ce perrfiate villaje, cette jolie petite maison de de profiter de ces magnifiques montagnes des Alpujarras… Grand merci aussi a Wendy pour son accueil chalement
Catherine et Didier (France) juin 2012
Wonderful, amazing place. We feel here like in a dream. Amazing mountains (we reach Mulhacen), great views, streams and valleys. Granada – just great! Especially Alhambra! Also Costa del Sol – so near! So beautiful!
Tomasz & Mariena (Poland) June 2012
What walking we did — to Cebadilla, to the Refugio de Poqueira, the Taha, down to Pampaneira. We adored this casita, and spent time admiring its features as we dreamt about designing our own home. Winds almost blew down Capileira one night, bringing heavy mist and snow to the high mountains.
A lovely place for anyone who loves the mountains.
Molly & Christopher (Montana, USA) May 2012
A lovely cottage! We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The village is beautiful and we just loved walking round the village. 7 days were spent with good food, wine & lovely walks. Thank you for a lovely week.
David & Shohana (UK & Bangladesh) May 2012
We have been so lucky with the weather, walking and sitting out in the sun apart from the ‘white out’ day. We have loved getting to know the area and we have loved having ‘El gato Negro’ as our home. It is such a charming cottage.
We went to Alhambra, having booked a tour from UK. It was definitely worth it. We also tried the beaches on a rather windy day.
Thanks to Guy for the booking help and to Wendy for the welcome. We definitely hope to return one day.
Rosie & Christian (Oxford) April 2012
Hemos estado 2 días en la casa bonita “El Gato Negro.” Esta casa está muy bien para entrar en Andalucia. Nos gustó también por estar cerca de la Plaza y todos los pueblos son magníficos.
Charles et Regine (France) avril 2012
Fantastic 5 days, great walking, sunshine, wine & tapas. Had our only lunch out at Paco & Pilar’s on road out of Capileira. Great views & garden. Wine wasn’t v. good though.
Thanks for all the info, Guy, very useful.
Suzanne & Keith (London) March 2012
3 días muy tranquilos en El Gato Negro, hemos disfrutado mucho. Gracias por todo! See u son.
Elisa y Diego (Alicante) marzo 2012
We will definitely recommend Capileira, the Alpujarras and the house. We have been very lucky to enjoy perfect weather conditions with lots of sun. So we were able to do some really nice walks.
Thanks for everything, and we hope that the next visitors enjoy this place as much as we did.
Susanne & Wolgang (Germany) November 2011
Capileira grows on you day by day as you experience the warmth & kindness of the inhabitants. Some of the things we enjoyed: the walks to la Cebadilla & around the Taha villages - make sure you have lunch at the Hotel de Mecina Fondales. The restaurants are good value, especially El Tilo & the Pizzeria. The Michelin guide restaurant in the Square is a bit strange - we were served 1½ courses at the same time and the other ½ 20 minutes later! But it tasted good! Our favourite though is Bodega La Alacena - try sherry & the best tomato salad in Spain.
Hope you enjoy this beautiful place as much as we have.
Brian & AnneLise (Manchester & Norway) October 2011