Have you ever seen a Quebrantahuesos in flight? Ever tasted Jabali? Ever stayed in an ´off grid´ hotel? Ever heard of the Altiplano?

El Geco Verde is a new eco hotel in an area which is fast gaining fame as the ´Spanish Lake District´. A small family run concern, the hotel is independent of Spain´s national grid, and is instead powered by renewable energies such as solar and biofuels. Customer comfort is not compromised, however; all of El Geco Verde´s six spacious rooms boast chic rustic decor, ensuite facilities and central heating. The views from the hotel across the valley towards the Sierra Nevada are truly breathtaking. You can enjoy them with a glass of wine in hand from the hotel terrace or pool, which is open May to September.

There are beautiful tranquil walks to be enjoyed among the olive groves and pine forests which make up the grounds of this restored country house, or by following the shepherd´s trails which meander further afield.

The Altiplano or ´high plane´ of Granada is one of those increasingly rare holiday destinations, the kind of place you can discover rather than be told about. But let me tell you about it anyway!
If you like the Great Outdoors in all its natural glory but don´t always fancy sharing it with hoards of fellow tourists there can be few places more rewarding to visit than the Altiplano. For a start your hotel is on the doorstep of Spain´s largest nature reserve, made up of two bordering natural parks, Cazorla and Castril. Traditionally, vistitors from Madrid have accessed the park from Cazorla to the north, but El Geco Verde is situated on the southern edge of this 200,000 hectare expanse, beside the entrance to the lesser known Sierra de Castril Natural Park. And we are not the only ones who gravitate towards the lesser known of the two parks. A captive breeding programme in Cazorla has succeeded in rescuing the fabulous Qebrantahuesos from the brink of extiction. But on release, these imperious birds made straight for - you guessed it - the Sierra de Castril, where they abide to this day alongside the many Griffon Vultures and Royal Eagles which already nest there.

Our area is also home to the Jabali - the Spanish name for wild boar - the meat of which is rightly considered a local delicacy, rivalling the famous Cordero Segureño, or mountain reared lamb. In fact we raise our own wild boar here at El Geco Verde, along with free range chickens and an ecological kitchen garden.

Guests enjoy an eclectic menu, where traditional dishes of the area take their place alongside Italian classics. Indeed our Italian chef Ilaria offers pizza making workshops for all those who are inspired by the taste of her cooking to try their hand at it!

Our ´low impact´ approach to tourism means that we favour activities such as horse riding, guided walking and canoeing, and can turn to a variety of local and English speaking guides should you need them.

Any exploration of the Altiplano should also include a visit to one of the area´s many beguiling cave towns or ancient burial sites such as the 4,000 year old settlement of Castellon Alto. These are backed up by several great museums dedicated to telling the story of man´s earliest European civilisation. That´s right, it all started here!

So why did primitive man chose the Altiplano as his preferred home when he had all of Europe to choose from? Perhaps you should come and find out...