Welcome to Casa Pura Vida
ABOUT THE CASA
This is us – the owners of Casa Pura Vida; Lasse & Biggi from Sweden. We have always dreamt of doing something together and to combine it with our passion for food, travels and meeting new people. So, when we found Casa Pura Vida – this little piece of heaven located in the small village of La Parrilla in the beautiful olive tree covered mountains of Andalusia, we packed all our stuff, including our dog Esmeralda (Malla) and cat Manolito and moved down. Unfortunately those furry family members are no longer with us, but we now have a new little princess Zoey. Lasse is a trained chef and has worked at several well renown restaurants in Sweden, and efter a few years in the kitchen he spent his working days in one of Scandinavian Airlines planes taking care of the food and drinks on board whilst travelling the world. This gave him plenty of opportunities to try many of the local food and restaurants of the major cities around the globe. This has been very inspiring and led to many culinary feasts in our home. Biggi was co-owner of several jewellery/watch/sunglass-shops in Sweden, 2 of them located in Swedens most luxurious and major department store – Nordiska Kompaniet. She was buying manager and as such also did her fair share of travelling, and always looking for the best local restaurants when abroad. One can easily say that we both LOVE food! Both to cook, but also to eat. Baking all kinds of bread and sweets is another passion of Biggis, and now – running a Bed and Breakfast – we can indulge doing what we really love, even more than before!
We can’t wait to meet all our future guests and we promise to do our outmost to make everyones stay here most memorable and enjoyable, in every sense.
THE LOCATION
This part of Andalucía is known for its olive oil and 90% of the population live on olive cultivation. In La Parrilla it is as if time has stood still. Everyone knows everybody, the men go to the bar with their horses, dogs or tractors. The four legged friends are waiting faithfully at the door while their owners stop the clock for a delicious espresso with an anis liquor, a few tapas and to exchange the latest news. Children play all day outside and in the evening, sitting on their folding chairs outside their doors, the women gossip and enjoy the cool breeze.
You can find all this only an hours drive from Malaga Airport (78 km), but also one hour away from Granada and the magnificent Alhambra, Cordoba with its old Jewish quarter and Mesquita and the stunning city of Ronda.
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Also nature lovers and bird watchers can explore. The Parque Natural El Torcal, the impressive Garganta del Chorro, beautiful Lake Iznajar, flamingoes in Fuente del Piedra and many other places can be found nearby. Or for the more adventurous white water rafting or quad biking!
Read more about what do see and do under See & Do.
FOOD AND DRINKS
BREAKFAST
Breakfast is served on the downstairs terrass with fantastic views. Rainy or colder days we serve it inside, still with the view.
Served at your table is a variety of bread, coffee or tea, freshly squeezed orange juice, something sweet ( croissant or Swedish cinnamon roll, sometimes a waffle) a selection of cheeses and salamis, yogurt with homemade granola and different toppings, various jams and typical Andalusian grated tomato with olive oil, and more. Some kind of egg dish will also be served; baked omelett, scrambled or boiled eggs.
DINNER
If you like to take a break from the local Spanish cuisine or just like to stay home and enjoy a delicious meal in the Casa, we do a 4-course dinner two to three nights a week. On request we can also prepare a lovely picnic dinner for you to bring if you would like to dine, for example, on the beach by the lake or in the olive groves whilst watching the amazing sunset. Quite an experience we can tell you! A 4-course dinner is 35 Euros per person, drinks not included. Price for Picnic dinners varies depending on what we make for you. If you are here celebrating a special occasion and would like something extra special for dinner, we would gladly arrange this for you. Please contact us before you arrive so we can plan the menu together. Price for ”Extra Special Dinners” depends on the menu.
If you can’t get enough of the Spanish kitchen there are several options for you both in the village - where Bar La Parrilla serve dinner Fridays-Sunday - in the nearby towns and in the country side. Everything from simple but authentic tapas bars to fine dining in the Spanish way. We are happy to help with recommendations as well as reservations.
HONESTY BAR
We have two Honesty bars on the premisses, filled with cold drinks; Cava, wine, beer, soft drinks and water, as well as small snacks, coffee and ice cream. Just grab whatever you like, write it down on a specially assigned paper, and pay when checking out. We can also make cocktails for you.
When it comes to wine, red, white and rose, we can offer a nice house wine, and for red and white also - what we call it - a Special Selection wine and now also a Premium Selection wine. The two latter are local wines from Andalucía in two different price ranges, and hand picked and well tried out by us.
GALLERY
SEE & DO
CULTURE
Also nature lovers and bird watchers can explore. The Parque Natural El Torcal, the impressive Garganta del Chorro, beautiful Lake Iznajar, flamingoes in Fuente de Piedra and many other places can be found nearby. Or for the more adventurous; white water rafting, quad biking or kayaking!
We are in the heart of Andalusia, and are therefore ideally located for day-trips to the major cultural cities in the area such as Granada, Cordoba, Málaga, Seville and Rhonda, but the nearer towns or villages like Archidona and Antequera, Setenil and Iznájar are also worth a visit and have a great cultural and historical richness.
More information about some of the towns mentioned above here.
For tickets and more info about Alhambra in Granada and the Mesquita in Cordoba, please check out these web sites:
NATURE
Andalucía has an extensive network of more than 80 nature reserves, representing approximately 18% of the region. Near our B & B are both Lake Iznajar, with its incredible vistas and nature walks, the mountainous El Torcal with its exceptional rock formations and wildlife are definitely worth a visit. It is a must for bird watchers. Furthermore, you can make beautiful walks in our neighbourhood, like following a mountain stream to a waterfall or one of the other clever marked trails to follow.
Another option is to go bird watching. Andalusia has a very large bird life and very often there are circling eagles to be spotted from our garden.
El Caminito del Rey (The King’s pathway) is a walkway, pinned along the steep walls of a narrow canyon in El Chorro , near Ardales in the province of Málaga. The walkway had fallen into disrepair and was partially closed for over a decade. After four years of extensive repairs and renovations, the walkway re-opened in 2015. It has been known in the past as the “world’s most dangerous walkway” following five deaths in 1999 and 2000. It is now entirely safe and open to anyone with a reasonable head for heights.
SPORTS & ADVENTURE
Mountain bikes can be rented in the next village, or - if you should need a more equipped bike, adapted to your size, we can arrange that as well, to be delivered to us ( minimum 3 days rent) Another option is to go on a day trip with a vespa and see the Andalucían area from another angle. Kayaking, rafting, enduro and quad are also possible.
Please visit www.wikiloc.com for more info about hikes, bike tours and moor in our neighbourhood.
In a nearby equestrian center you can go horseback riding, for instance by the lake of Iznájar.
Finally, a day at the beach is also an option at the lake of Iznajar, 20 minutes away. There is a restaurant on the beach and kayaks or paddle boats for hire. But the beaches near Malaga are also easily accessible for a day with your feet in the sand and the most delicious fresh BBQ sardines.
