One of Granada's many gems, La Alpujarra

An hour bus ride or even less time if you are driving in a car, in any direction from Granada, and you are in a completely new environment- mountains, beaches, villages, even forests, or the snow.

With travel open within Granada province, I planned a mountain getaway with some friends. We stayed at a charming, cozy eco farm airbnb, hosted by the sweetest family. We were greeted by smiling faces, their cute little daughters and puppy, freshly home baked bread, and they were the most accommodating hosts we could have asked for. The eco farm was situated a 20 minute walk outside of the town of Orgiva. Luckily the host drove our bags up, because it is a bit of a hike on a dirt road along a river. There is no actual address so the walking directions to get to the airbnb were, keep walking straight along the river, past the caravans, and go left at the bridge over the river, then go up the hill. I love the simple things like this. The house on the eco farm is over 100 years old, and the owners restored it and made it into the cutest mountain cottage. With an original wood burning fire place, luxury eco toilet (outhouse), and picnic tables among the wildflowers underneath market lights, it was the perfect place to disconnect and reset in nature.

On our first full day there, we took the bus from Orgiva to Capileira - the highest village in La Alpujarra, where we took in the views, grabbed a coffee, and explored the small winding streets of the village. From there we hiked down to Bubion, and eventually Pampeneira where we had lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon. The hike down was on a trail through the countryside, weaving through fincas and pastures with grazing horses.