One of six yurts that form a serene, salubrious retreat in rugged southern Spain. Mountain views, a private pool and some truly fine food

he Hoopoe Yurt Hotel sits like an oasis of luxury in the rugged wilds of southern Spain. You can hike into the Grazalema Mountains or wander into the classic white village of Cortes de la Frontera, then spend the afternoon cooling off by the pool with the hotel’s cocktail of the day. Breakfast is included and a sumptuous lunch and dinner are available. The comfort, the culinary expertise and the lure of the pool, the hammocks and the shady seating dotted around the meadow might make it tough to drag yourself away from the hotel, but there is a fascinating and beautiful region of Spain to be explored. You can walk or ride to villages perched on limestone ridges or to the Tajo gorge; see a huge variety of bird life or go wild swimming in the sweeping curves of the Genal river.
The Maimani yurt sits under the giant cork trees and is made from coppiced chestnut. It is larger than the other yurts and is named after the kilim from the village of Maimani in Afghanistan that is the centre piece of the yurt. The interior has a calm, serene feeling, but the view up towards the Libar is dramatic.

• Esentials
• Getting there
• Eating & Drinking
• Things to do
• Booking terms
• Meet your hosts

The essentials

The important stuff

• Check in time is from 2pm
• Check out time is from 11am
• Children can be accommodated at the hotel’s discretion. Pets cannot be accommodated

Sleeping arrangements

Cooking

• There are no cooking facilities at the yurts, but with the spectacular food on offer at The Yurt Hotel and in the surrounding area, you won’t need them. Breakfast of fresh fruit salad, cereals, yogurt, eggs, toast with homemade jams and honey from local farms, and juice, tea and coffee is included.
• Lunch and dinner are available and really have to be tried at least once!

Washing

• All the yurts at The Hoopoe Yurt Hotel come with their own private showers and compost loos.

Heating, lighting & bedding

• All is provided
• Occasionally warm clothes would be good for May and October evenings. There are heaters provided when the weather requires.

Entertainment

• There are books, cards and games in the yurt

Getting there

The Hoopoe Yurt Hotel, Cortes de la Frontera, Ronda 29380, Andalucia, Spain

By car

Directions from Jerez

Follow signs for Jerez on the A4 until you see signs for A382 for Arcos de la Frontera. Take the A382 to Arcos and continue around to the left side of Arcos (do not go into town) and after a long curve down hill turn right onto A372 for El Bosque and Ubrique. Just before El Bosque (km 28) turn right onto the A373 for Ubrique. Go through the middle of Ubrique on the one way system (at the Cajamar Bank turn right for Jimena and Algeciras) and continue out of Ubrique (left at T junction on top of ridge) on the A373 to Cortes de la Frontera. 


Directions from Gibraltar

Cross the border to La Linea. Take the N351 towards the coast road N340. When you reach the N340 go south towards Algeciras for a couple of kilometres. At exit 116 take the A405 towards Jimena de la Frontera and Ronda. Stay on this road past Jimena and Gaucín. About 7 kilometres past Gaucín, turn left towards Cortes de la Frontera. Go down the hill and through Estación de Cortes and up the other side to Cortes. 


Directions from Málaga

Take the motorway A7-E15 south towards Algeciras. Pass Marbella and then take the A397 to Ronda. At Ronda take the bypass and follow signs for Sevilla. Just past Ronda, take a left turning, signposted to Cortes de la Frontera. After Benaojan, take another left, also signposted to Cortes de la Frontera. Keep going for 18 kilometres until you arrive in Cortes.


Directions from Sevilla

Take the A4-E5 towards Sevilla, and when you get to the ring road head south. Get off the ring road onto the A376 towards Utrera. At the Utrera roundabout take the Ronda exit, still on the A376. At the Puerto Serrano junction get onto the A384 going east towards Ronda. Just after Algodonales take the right fork, again towards Ronda onto the A374. Pass Montecorto on the left and soon after take the MA8403 towards Montejaque and Benaojan (small wiggly road). Go through Montejaque and just before you get into Benaojan turn right towards Cortes de la Frontera. Keep going for 18 kilometres until you arrive in Cortes.

By Air

The Hoopoe Yurt Hotel is an hour and a half by car from Jerez airport (Ryanair), and a two hour drive from Gibraltar airport (Monarch and British Airways), Sevilla airport (Ryanair), and Málaga airport (Monarch, Easyjet, Aer Lingus and others)



If you are going to The Hoopoe by public transport the easiest airport to arrive at is Gibraltar. Walk out of the airport and across the border (a couple of hundred metres), then hop into a taxi to San Roque (10 to 15 minutes) and then onto the train to Cortes de la Frontera (50 minutes) where the owners can pick you up.


By Train and Bus

The nearest bus and train station is in Cortes de la Frontera. It is served by regional trains, situated on the Ronda-Algeciras line and the Bobadilla-Algeciras line.

Eating & drinking

At The Hoopoe Yurt Hotel

There are no self catering facilities at The Hoopoe Yurt Hotel, but you could easily eat all your meals on site. Of course you can go out for lunch or dinner if you wish but with food as delicious as The Hoopoe's and the pool to lounge by we wouldn't be surprised if you never left!

The day begins with the included breakfast. Expect cereal, muesli, yoghurt, fresh fruit, toast, eggs, local jam and honey, and juice, tea or coffee.

Simple light lunches are available during the day. A selection of sandwiches and paninis (try the specials... goat's cheese, pesto and cherry tomato or gruyere cheese, ham and homemade picallili), as well as salads, meat and cheese platters, and gazpacho.

There is a three course dinner on offer four nights a week which includes Cava and canapés before, and coffee and brandy after. Dinner costs €32.50. Have a look at the sample menu.

A selection of delicious tapas is on offer for the remaining three nights a week. A typical tapas menu might be:

Asparagus tempura with quince alioli
 Pork loin with mushrooms and sweet sherry
 Quails eggs with morcilla
 Calamares with paprika
 Red pepper and goat's cheese crostini

The nearest supermarket is a 20 minute walk away and a huge selection of cafe's and restaurant to suit all budgets and tastes can be found in the surrounding towns and villages.

Cortes de la Frontera - Los Alcornocales is good for tasty meat dishes and Bar La Gasolinera has good tapas with great views. In the main square El Alameda serves typical Spanish fare/

Estacion de Cortes - El Gecko is great for an evening drink by the river.

Estacion de Jimera - Quercus in the old railway building serves very good Spanish cuisine

Ronda has a huge variety of restaurants. Ones to look out for are Tragabuches, the Michelin starred restaurant near the bullring. Try the 12 course tasting menu for a real treat! Tragatapa is Tragabuches' sister tapas bar on Calle Nueva which serves great tapas with a modern twist.

As well as those mentioned there are many other restaurants in Ronda and other surrounding villages. Ed and Henrietta will be happy to tell you where to try.

Things to do

At The Hoopoe Yurt Hotel

There are many wonderful diversions to partake in at The Hoopoe. Choose between massage (aromatherapy or reflexology), yoga, swimming, eating, drinking, totally relaxing, sleeping!

Active & Outdoors

Cueva del Gato

Just the other side of Benaojan, the water that comes straight out of the mountain into this turquoise rock pool is icy cold, and very refreshing on a hot summer’s day. Perfect spot for a picnic, but the restaurant here is also good.

Birdwatching

Spend the day with local bird expert Peter Jones. He has lived in the region for many years and knows where to find a huge variety of birds at any time of year. He comes highly recommended by the Ed and Henrietta. 75 Euros per couple.

River swimming

The Genal river in the next valley is beautifully clean and has lots of lovely bends with sandy beaches. Head towards Gaucin and at the ridge turn left towards Ronda. At Algatocin turn right and wiggle down the valley to the river. The best way to head up the river is on the opposite side of the road to the restaurant.

Riding

Ride out into the surrounding countryside with local stable owner Bartolo. 30 euros per person for two hours.

Walking

There are several good walks with fantastic views in the surrounding area. Do ask if you would like us to recommend one.

Places to Visit

Ronda is one of the oldest towns in Spain. It is perched above the dramatic 100 metre Tajo gorge. Walk across the New Bridge with spectacular views to the charming old town, which has lots of buildings of historical interest from Ronda's Moorish past, or eat out at one of several excellent restaurants overhanging the gorge. The world famous bullring is definitely worth a visit.

Gaucin is one of Andalucía's most picturesque white villages. The town lies beneath an outcrop of rock dominated by the tenth century Castillo del Aguila. The view from Gaucín is fantastic. On a clear day you can see the Pillars of Hercules (The Rock of Gibraltar and Jebel Musa in Northern Africa) and the Rif Mountains beyond.

The drive to Arcos de la Frontera is lovely, through Ubrique and cork oak forest. It is one of Andalucia's most dramatically positioned pueblos blancos, balanced on a rocky limestone ridge. The old town is a tangled labyrinth of cobbled streets that lead up to a sandstone castle, the Castillo de los Arcos, from which you get fantastic views across the plains below.

Jerez de la Frontera has a charming old town with palmed lined squares. It is famous for its sherry and brandy production and there are several bodegas that offer tours and tastings. A good place to see a flamenco or horseriding show.

Tarifa is Europe’s southernmost tip and the pretty much constant wind makes it a perfect spot for windsurfing and kitesurfing. The charming old town is great for a stroll with lots of shops and bars, and the wide sandy beaches beyond have views across the straits to the Rif mountains of Morocco.

Meet your hosts

This is Ed and Henrietta's seventh season running The Hoopoe Yurt Hotel. Before coming to Andalucia, Ed was a builder and Henrietta worked in interior decorating and cooking. By combining their skills they have created their perfect lifestyle, and although they now have a lot of help with the everyday running of the hotel, it is still very much a family affair.

The yurts are spread out over three olive and oak covered hectares. This means each yurt has enough space to feel completely private. For the times when you feel like being a bit more sociable, there is the pool and a central area which none of the yurts is more than 200 metres away from. Chill out around the natural saltwater pool surrounded by beautiful gardens, or in the Herb Garden Bar with its green slate plunge pool and circular sun deck. Enjoy home-cooked delicious lunches, dinners and tapas, or treat yourself to an outdoor massage surrounded by blue mountains and the beauty of nature.
 It is all this, combined with the peace and tranquility of the location, that make The Hoopoe Yurt Hotel so special.

Environmental Policy

The Hoopoe Yurt Hotel is run completely on solar power and they also have a bore hole for water so it is as fresh as spring water. You will also find composting loos at The Hoopoe.