Enjoy our quick guide to Lecrin Valley, the perfect destination for anyone seeking peace and tranquility in the Spanish province of Granada.
Located at 15 km from the city of Granada, Lecrin Valley can easily be accessed through the national N-323 road as well as the current A-44 Bailen-Motril motorway which goes from North to South.
Known for its breathtaking natural beauty, the area is famous for its vibrant spring colours, birdlife, walks, and verdant landscape.
Below we feature an expat interview with Danielle Gouwens of At Home In Andalusia who covers the Lecrin Valley area.
Specifically, we asked Danielle on the advantages of choosing Lecrin Valley as a place to live and the value for money that one can get if you decide to stay permanently in the area.
Danielle also shared with us some interesting background on the area.
“The valley was given its name by the Moors and means the “valley of happiness.” It is situated halfway between Granada city and the Mediterranean Costa Tropical both within 25 minutes.
It is a peaceful green oasis with authentic Spanish white washed villages (pueblos blancos). You can wander around for hours passing orange and lemon trees and be stunned by the spectacular views over the Beznar Lake. It is truly amazing how tranquil and unspoiled this valley is, being so close to many attractions.
Distances and accessibility:
So the Lecrin Valley is an area of outstanding natural beauty and stunning views. Incredibly peaceful, yet with easy access to city life, beaches and airports. Within half an hour drive you can either be in Granada city or at the beach of the ‘Costa Tropical.’ The beautiful Alpujarra area is only 15 minutes away and after a 45-minute drive into the mountains, you are at the bottom of the ski slopes of the Sierra Nevada Ski Resort.
Malaga airport is an hour and 15 minutes and Granada airport is only a 35-minute drive (Easy Jet flights from Gatwick will arrive at Granada from February 2017).”
Danielle, thanks for helping our readers. I guess we should start off by asking what would you say would be the advantages to living in Lecrin Valley compared to other Granada towns?
The Lecrin Valley has always been a niche market due to its central location, micro climate and popularity with the Granada upper class, as it makes the ideal escape from the city when it’s too hot in summer and too cold in winter.
What proportion of the local population are Spanish?
The local population is mainly Spanish although most villages have a number of foreign families living in the village (about 10 to 15 in every village) which makes it easy to connect to the small expat community and if you’re not into that, you can just as easy avoid it.
What are your favourite things to do in the area?
It is popular with active visitors because of the many adventure sport facilities like road cycling, hiking, mountain biking, horse riding and even canyoning.
Can you give us some insider tips to the best bars or restaurants in Lecrin Valley?
Popular venues are:
Restaurante La Tasca in Niguelas;
Bar El Rincon de Miguel (or Miguel’s) in Niguelas;
Thai Elephant Restaurant, Bar Jovi and Restaurant La Despensa in Restabal;
Restaurante Los Naranjos in Melegis;
La Conca Arts Club between Melegis and Chite with views to the Beznar Lake;
Bar Venecia in Pinos del Valle;
Bar and Restaurante Garvi in Talara and Bar Finity and Bar Nuevo also in Talara;
La Huertecilla in Conchar;
Restaurante/bodega/hotel Señorio de Nevada near Conchar; and
Meson La Buhardilla in Durcal.
Are there many facilities such as doctors and dentists, shops etc?
The local amenities are very good, most villages have at least one tapas bar, a restaurant, bank, bakery, grocery shop and a school and they are all only minutes apart.
What are the nearest international schools and how good are they?
The nearest International school would be in Almuñecar.
Coming onto buying property in Lecrin Valley, what is the market like now in terms of prices going up, or down or staying the same?
Buying property is a very good investment indeed. There are still very good bargains to be found from renovation projects, ruins, plots of land and old mills to high quality well finished (country) houses ready to move into.
Prices start at 15,000 euros for urban plots of land up to 1.5 million euros for exclusive country locations.
What urbanisations are there and can you describe each one and how they might differ from each other?
Because of the many restrictions on building outside of the urban sections of the villages we don’t have urbanizations in this part of Granada, which guarantees the stunning views for the future as well and the area’s green character.
How much are the typical property prices in Lecrin Valley for apartments, villas etc?
Prices hit rock bottom in 2014 and are cautious on the rise since.
To get an idea: A lovely village property with swimming pool and views cost between 170 and 200K.
And also available: ready to move into house that is nicely finished, with 1 bedroom, bathrooms, kitchen/living and roof terrace for 35K!
Danielle, thank you so much for taking the time to help our readers with your experiences in Spain. If you want to contact her, you can find her details below.
At Home in Andalusia
Avenida de Andalucía 10B
18658 Restabal (Granada)
Tel: +34 678 419 732
Email: info@athomeinandalusia.com
Website: www.athomeinandalusia.com
Here is an interesting tourist video on Lecrin Valley.
Contact us to be featured – we want more expat interviews for our newsletter and website. You don’t need to be an estate agent, we want to hear from anyone who lives in Spain whether you are working or retired.
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