Spanish Property Press and TV

Spanish Homes Magazine

February 2007

“Our cave is cut into the Galera hillside”

Mick and Irene Lee were keen to buy a holiday home abroad, but were held back by property prices until they came across Granada´s cave homes

The Lee family, which includes 16 year old Ryan and 12 year old Melissa, wanted to find a holiday home that was a bit out of the ordinary.  “Our home in the UK is a three-bedroom bay-fronted semi in Stopsley, near Luton in Bedfordshire.  We were looking for that little something different.  We wanted traditional Spain, not ‘England in the sun’, but not too quiet either”, Mick Lee says.  “We did consider other countries in the beginning, but what made us decide on mainlaind Spain was the ease in which we could get there, whether it be by air, sea or car.”

The family were keeping a close eye on their budget.  “We had thought about buying abroad many times in the past but always found that prices, especially by the coast, were too much for us unless we sold up and moved lock, stock and barrel, which we were not prepared to do.  We didn´t want to spend too much.  That way if anything went wrong, it wouldn´t matter so much.”

Going Under

The first step for the Lee family occurred by chance when they went on holiday to Torrevieja in 2003.  “We were sitting around the pool and got chatting to a couple called Barry and Lesley.  We kept in touch with them and went over to Spain to stay wtih them the following year,” Mick says. 

After visiting the couple at their cave home in the Granadan village of Los Olivos near Galera, the Lee family were keen to find out more about cave homes.  “Barry and Lesley introduced us to Spanish Inland Properties (www.spanish-inland-properties.com) and we immediately felt at ease with them.  A few days later they showed us the cave that we now own.”

The cave home cost Â�£40,000 in 2004.  “Our cave is cut into into the Galera hillside.  It was already renovated, but we wanted it extended from one double and one single bedroom to two double bedrooms, so we asked the builders via Spanish Inland Properties to dig it out for us”.

Today the cave has two large double rooms, one with a double bed and another with two single beds.  In addition, the living room has a double bed-settee.  The living room also has a log-burning open fire, though this is hardly needed as the thick rock walls maintain an agreeable temperature throughout theyear.  “It can be 40ºC outside in the shade, but only around 22ºC inside, so no air conditioning is needed.  At night, you can sleep with your windows open as you get a slight breeze, which is very pleasant.”

Inside, the cave has been finished to look as natural as possible.  “The rock finish of the roof inside is coupled iwth a traditional timber-beamed ceiling that was added at the front of the cave where the new build joins the old cave.  There are rocks added to the internal walls with small fossils still embedded in them.  Little touches like hand-painted sinks, mosaic tiled floors and upturned roof tiles for light shades all add to the feel.”

The Lees added a picnic bench just outside the cave in 2005, along with a pergola that provides much needed shade.  “At night we sit outside the cave with a glass of wine and enjoy a magnificient red sunset.” 

In the daytime the view is just as impressive, as the Sagra, Castril and Cazorla mountains, plus forests and gorges, surround the cave.  “You can see for miles, with views from the cave over the village below and to the mountains.”

Happy Holidays

The cave is situated above Galera, less than a kilometre from the village centre, where there are restaurants and supermarkets.  With a population of less than 1,500, Galera is about 150km from Granada city, at an altitude of around 830m above sea level.

“Within a few miles’ drive you can see green valleys, limestone gorges, castles, lakes spring-fed swimming pools and forests.  At nearby Orce you can even swim in a man-made swimming pool with fish, fed by the Fuencaliente spring,” Mick says.

Nearby there are facilities for abseiling, rowing, rock climbing, hiking and horse riding, and the neighbouring towns of Huescar, Orce and Baza host regular markets and fiestas.  The Mediterranean coast is an hour and a half away, and the airports at Granada and Almería are less than 200km away.  “The area of Galera is fed by at least five airports, which gives greater choice for flights, and makes the village only around one-and-a half to two hours away.”

There are plenty of attractions closer to the cave as well.  “Our children spend a lot of their time making new friends, both expats and local Spanish children at the new open air swimming pool in the centre of the village.  There are plenty of bars with great tapas, an excellent pizzeria and even a curry house just up the road.  The museum in the village holds one of the oldest mummies ever found, which was excavated nearby.  Just above our cave the remains of old Roman pillars are laid around.  This whole area is an archaeological hotspot.”

Galera was featured on Dream Holiday Homes with Carol Smillie and there are further programmes planned.  The area has several hundred cave homes populated by a variety of nationalities.

“Our neighbours are a mixture of expats and locals.  Our lovely neighbour Trish lives permanently in the next cave to us and waters our aloe vera plant for us when we aren´t there and keeps an eye on the place,” Mick says, adding, “not that you really need to â€�€� the area is as crime-free as the UK was many years ago.”   The family are all attending Spanish classes in Britain.  “Hopefully it will eventually sink in, but the children absorb it a lot quicker than Irene and I.”

Thinking ahead  

Mick and Irene intend to move to Spain on a more permanent basis one day, though they´ve yet to decide whether this will be before or after retirement.  Mick has worked for a General Motors company in Luton for nearly 16 years as a quality control inspector.  “I´ve already asked GM if there are any vacancies in Spain but alas, not so,” he says.  “However, my background is as a trained plumber, which could give me work in Spain.  Irene works for Luton Borough Council in the admin section of housing and social services.  It´s always difficult deciding when exactly wto move or whether to wait until retirement.

They´re also aware of how the move could affect Ryan and Melissa.  “Ryan is doing his exams andis on the UK Gifted and Talented register.  Melissa is mad on fashion and shoppping.  Neither has  problem going to Spain, in fact I think they would go this evening if I said “let´s go”, but we have to try and secure a good future for the, whether that´s in Britain or Spain.  The area of Galera is lovely, but I believe the children would have to move away for work” Mick says.  “The village has a new school right next t the outdoor pool and Ryan could go to Granada University, which is supposed to be one of the best in the country.  We´ve thought of trying six months over there and six months here, keeping both homes until we decide which way to go, which was another reason for not spending too  much money in the first place.”

However, the family are already eying a larger cave in the village with the potential to become a more permanent home.  “Now we know how things work, we are considering buying an unrestored cave and having it renovated to our particular requirements.”

Due to this, they are planning to sell their current home through Spanish Inland Properties.  You can also see the cave at www.freewebs.com/cavehouse.

Mick loves the idea of retiring to Galera.  “I´ve always wanted to retire abroad.  I couldn´t imagine spending our old age in Britain huddled around a fire trying to keep warm on cold winter evenings”·