La Fructuosa, Gaucin, Andalucia, Spain - Explore & Book

"There's something magical about La Fructuosa, a 19th-century inn hugging the slopes of a tiny mountain village. The views really take your breath away. After falling under Gaucin's spell during a visit to the Art Gaucin festival, owners Catherine and Daniel (she is a sculptor and ceramicist, he ran a B&B) moved from Brussels to start a new life here. You can expect a warm multilingual welcome, cheery paintings and sculptures on the walls, a convivial atmosphere, and great food in the old wine cellar. Upstairs, six cheerful and unique bedrooms make a restorative base for overnight guests, and up again, a roof terrace gazes over the mountains towards the distant coast. By day, this area is ideal for relaxing, walking in the mountains and exploring Andalucia's iconic pueblos blancos (white hilltop towns). Highs Its location: perched in a pretty mountain village with views out to Gibraltar and beyond A window into traditional village life: the restaurant is a firm favourite with locals as well as weary travellers The shared roof terrace with fabulous views to the coast, where you can happily while away the hours with a bottle of red Original chestnut beams and wine press add an authentic sense of history It's brilliant value for money Lows The restaurant has changed hands since we last visited and is now run independently, but the new chef is Michelin starred so standards are unlikely to slip! Staff are only on site for part of the day, so it’s best suited to more independent travellers There's no swimming pool or garden, but there is a large shared roof terrace Driving in Gaucin is pretty hairy, with steep and narrow one-way streets. You'll need to park a few hundred metres from the hotel and walk down" - Nikki Tinto