Jardin al andalus

We would be delighted to welcome Worldpackers to Jardin Al Andalus, a magical retreat in the Axarquia mountains in Andalusia, Spain. We hope that the peace and tranquillity of this beautiful resort refresh you and that the natural landscape, wildlife, sunshine and pure air give you an unforgettable experience.

Chris and I created this resort originally as a second home for us, friends and family. But we are converting it to take paying guests and so need some help upgrading it. There is a variety of things that need to be done and the whole team works together to create a very special place. You will be accommodated in luxury bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms and private gardens. Each weekday, we ask that you work 4-5 hours, then relax. We will supply food for breakfast and lunch and a hot meal at the end of the day when we can sit down and share our thoughts about this amazing project. You are in a unique property, designed by an architect of international acclaim, with awards of merit for sustainability, the design of the building, and the swimming pool. There is nothing else quite like it. Not only will you get to relax in luxury, but to experience nature as you may not have known it before. As an eco-hotel, Jardin al Andalus lives by its beliefs. We recycle our water, power ourselves with solar energy, use no chemicals in our gardens, compost our green waste to use in the gardens. As a nature school, located next to the Montes de Malaga Natural Park, Jardin al Andalus provides a perfect base for learning about and enjoying the local ways. We plan to organise a variety of different experiences for our future clients: o donning protective clothing to collect honey with the local beekeeper in the summer when the bees are passive o inviting you into teams to collect and shell the almonds in late autumn, prepare them for supper, and make the famous white gazpacho soup Ajo Blanco. o at most times of the year, you can wander through the kitchen gardens collecting figs, tomatoes, aubergines, peas, beans and herbs for your lunch. o in the winter, you are welcome to take part in the olive harvest o you can go birdwatching with a local expert o up on the yoga deck you can experience yoga classes timed to enjoy the stunning sunrises and sunsets o horse-riding and trekking are always popular o a local cook can give demonstrations of the superb Andalusian cuisine. In preparation for such a variety of experiences, we would love our worldpackers to give us feedback and help design the future offering for our guests. If you find working. full week in the middle of nowhere a bit unfamiliar and feel the need for city life, you can escape to the beautiful town of Malaga (35 mins) or explore the fun-filled Costa del Sol towns of Marbella and Puerto Banus 1hour 10 mins). In the other direction, you can head north to the sensational Moorish cities of Cordoba and Granada (1.5 hours). Ronda, known for its magnificent gorge, is 1.5 hours away. Other destinations worth visiting are the Caminito del Rey, an amazing high deck walk along ridges through gorges and down through lakes (1 hour away). Or try the astonishing geological formations in El Torcal where you can choose between short, medium or long walks through rocks, gorges and viewing points across the mountains. Up here on our personal mountain you may feel tempted to: o indulge in hours by the pool o float, chat and drink cocktails o challenge each other to a game of boules o hold a table-tennis tournament o put on a play or musical recital in the amphitheatre o walk/run up to 3k through our own private pathways o cycle through the Montes de Malaga Natural Park o play tennis o picnic down the east valley o walk down the west valley to the 100 year old oak and discover the wild orchids that grow beneath it o snooze in the hammocks strung between the olive trees o turn off all the lights and lie up on the yoga deck in the dark gazing at the heavens. You will spot the occasional satellite, sky train, international space station, and you can even track the flights into Malaga. o Those with an interest in astronomy can use the ?inch telescope for greater detail than the naked eye