Casa del Arriero, a special rental house in a special white village in Andalucia, Spain

Cortes de la Frontera makes an ideal base from which to explore the Ronda mountains, as well as Grazalema and Los Alcornocales national parks. The area is a haven for walkers, cyclers and riders because of these vast areas of protected land, where building is heavily restricted and most of the land is left for grazing - as a result there are an astonishing variety of wild flowers and birds.
Cortes itself is an attractive town set into a powerful range of limestone hills, which look out over a gently sloping valley of olive groves, pasture and oak trees. It is an affluent town, with much of the wealth originating from large tracts of cork forest owned by the local municipal government. The town of about 1,500 people has a warm and welcoming feel and the locals like most Andaluz are always laughing about one thing or another. In Cortes there are banks, bars, restaurants, supermarkets and a daily covered market selling fresh food.

Ronda : (1/2 hour) A fascinating and beautiful town to visit. Spend a day wandering around the old part, marvelling at the architecture of the old "casas señoriales" or the feat of engineering of the famous bridge that spans the El Tajo Gorge. It´s also a fun place to browse through the shops along the pedestrianised high street, buying presents or treating yourself.
Ubrique: (1/2 hour) More shopping potential but this time for suede and leather goods - Ubrique is famed throughout the whole of Andalucia for this industry and the town is packed with shops selling top class leather and suede clothes and accessories. Because the factories are nearby the retailing costs are very reasonable, so ladies be sure to bring your credit card!
La Casa de Piedra: (10 mins) This is an ancient, hollowed-out rock which was originally a secret place of worship around the 10th Century. It´s use became less sacred as towards the middle of the 19th century it was then used as a wine press as well as a bar.

Gaucin: (1/2 hour) One of the prettiest of the famous white villages, with an original Roman castle perched high on the rocks looking over the village. Gaucin is fast gaining a reputation as a centre for good restaurants and a growing scene of artists who exhibit in their own homes and in local galleries.
La Cueva de la Pileta: (15 mins) An ancient cave dwelling dating back 25,000 years; this extensive cave network was discoverd by accident in the early 1900s, when a local land owner was out collecting bat droppings for fertiliser. It is now open to the public and you can visit great cavernous chambers and see pre-historic cave paintings.
Genalguacil: (45 mins) Another beautiful little white village in a most spectacular location. However what is unique about the village is that it holds an artists convention every year, after which all the art work is left in-situ. As a result, the village is dotted with sculptures, carvings, mosaics and statues and the overall effect is like walking around an open-air art gallery.