Staying in a Cave House in Guadix, Spain
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to stay in a cave house in Spain?
We’ve visited cave houses before as well as museums in caves, and we’d always wondered what it would be like to live in a cave house in Spain.
Since we don’t want to actually buy a cave house in Spain, we thought we’d do the next best thing and stay in one for the weekend!
On previous holidays to the Andalucía region we’d seen a lot of cave houses in Granada and the surrounding area on our journeys so we started looking in this region for some unusual Spanish accommodation.
We decided to stay in Guadix as we’d heard a lot about the area and found a good selection of cave houses online.
Where is Guadix?
Guadix is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, very close to the Alpujarra region. The city is in the Granada Province and situated 60km from the city of Granada.
Why is the ‘Barrio de las Cuevas’ in Guadix famous?
Guadix is considered to be the ‘European Capital of Caves’ with around 4,500 inhabitants, known as ‘troglodytes’, living in approximately 2000 cave houses.
Many Hollywood movies have been filmed in Guadix, with the most famous movie filmed at the caves being Universal Studio’s ‘Emerald City’.
Why do people live in cave houses in Guadix?
During the late 15th century the Catholics regained control of Andalucía from the Moors and when they took Granada most of the Muslim, Jewish and Gypsy families escaped to the mountains of Guadix and surrounding areas, making their homes in caves as a way of protection and survival.
These days the cave houses are home to many different people of various backgrounds and are popular with those wanting a quieter life away from the city.
Cave houses in Spain are usually very sought after because the temperature inside is consistently around 18-20°C, day and night all year round.
Our stay in a Cave House in Guadix
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We used Booking.com to find a cave house to stay in for the weekend, and found the lovely and cosy Casa Cueva Picoesquina. We chose this particular accommodation because as well as being a very traditional cave house it also looked clean, had plenty of space for the three of us, and was very good value.
Since we were only booking a short stay and would be eating out we didn’t need a huge amount of space, which is good because most cave houses tend to be on the smaller side! When you rent Casa Cueva Picoesquina you have the whole property to yourselves, though there is an adjoining home as well.
As you enter the house you have a traditional kitchen with oven, microwave and fridge freezer, bathroom with shower, and the entry way into the living room and 2 bedrooms.
The living room is comfortable with a sofa, table and chairs, and a television. It also has a wood burner and if you visit during the winter months you may need to use it! We definitely noticed how much cooler it was inside compared to our Spanish home.
From the living room there’s an archway into the two bedrooms, one with a double bed and open wardrobe, and the other with two single beds.
Apart from the bathroom, all rooms are separated with only curtains so be warned there’s not a huge amount of privacy! It was fine for us but if you have older teens or are all adults sharing then it might not be ideal.
Outside you’ll find a terrace with seating and a BBQ, ideal if you plan to stay in the summer and want to spend your evenings outside.
The property also had free WiFi though the signal wasn’t very good as you’d expect being inside a cave!
The house was very clean and looked just like the photos online. It’s in a good location with plenty of parking on the road and is within walking distance to the viewpoint, church, and cave museum.
The host met us at the property and was really friendly, she gave us lots of ideas for local places to visit and where to eat. If you’re looking for a cave house in Guadix to stay at, we’d highly recommend Casa Cueva Picoesquina.
What did we think of staying in a cave house?
As mentioned above this cave house was lovely and we enjoyed our stay, however I have to say that a couple of nights was more than enough for us.
In April the temperature was a little on the cold side, though I imagine it would be very welcome in July and August!
We felt a little bit claustrophobic with no windows and natural light and I don’t think I could handle living like that for very long. I guess it could be quite nice and cosy in the winter which gets very cold and often snowy in this part of Spain.
That said, it was lovely at night with the house being so dark and quite as we fell asleep!
It’s definitely an unusual accommodation type worth trying, especially if you’re interested in the history of Spain and want to experience a very traditional way of living.
Where to stay in Guadix
Do you like the idea of sleeping in a cave in Spain?
As well as our above recommendation, there are also lots of other cave houses to stay in if you visit the Barrio de las Cuevas in Guadix. If you are looking for cave house accommodation in Guadix here are a few suggestions for you…
Cueva La Ermita II – This cave house would be a good option if you visit Guadix during the summer as this 3 bedroom cave house also has a swimming pool.
Casa Cueva Los Mosaicos – This 2 bedroom cave home looks lovely and modern, as well as quite a bit brighter inside than most other more traditional cave houses. This would be a good idea if you plan to stay longer than 1 or 2 nights.
Cuevas Pedro Antonio de Alarcon – If you’re looking for more of a cave hotel experience, this cave house accommodation is a good bet as there is there is a manned reception, restaurant and bar on site as well as a swimming pool.
You can also find lots more great accommodation options in Guadix using the search below:
If you choose to stay in a cave house in Guadix we hope you enjoy the experience!
Stay tuned for our upcoming blog post on the town of Guadix and what else there is to do here.
