C: I'm so glad you responded, because that is the apartment we are looking at in Gaucin! Initially I thought we could do a daytrip to Ronda from there but I do see that the road is "challenging!"

Are all of the roads leading from the village in that kind of category?

Were there any negatives about the apartment or the town?

Where did you do your food shopping or did you eat out always?

We were initially attracted because of the swimming pool (I like to swim an hour or more a day if possible); I had never heard of Gaucin but in the limited reading I've done, and from the comments here, it sounds as if it might be a good stop for us for a few days, as long as we can get out and about with the car during the days, and as long as there are places to eat at night. We are two friends and while we do not need nightlife, we don't want to feel totally isolated, either.

I really appreciate your thoughts on this! Thanks so much.

The Rosa Alta apt. looks nice, if a bit pricey. Then again, you'd have a heated pool. All the roads in the area are twisty. You are in the mountains, after all. We use the Michelin Spain and Portugal Tourist and Mororing Atlas, but I have a map from Europcar that is left over from our last trip. It lists dangerous roads, and there are none in that area. Ronda is 40 km (24 mi) away, and the coast is 29 km (17 mi) away. I would make day trips from the apt. and not spend yet more money on lodgings unless, of course, you've had a bit too much to drink !!

The roads are not that scary, and not very frequented.

Hi Eks! On our first trip to Spain (pre-Fodor's) we 'winged it' for three weeks around Andalucía. We were supposed to pass through Ronda as a day trip and found it to be so beautiful and dramatic that we wound up staying for two nights. Sadly the Parador was fully booked but it is gorgeous. I don't remember the road being too bad but DH was the one driving.

E. You will love Rosa Alta. We stayed in the apartment upstairs from the owner. It was charming. We visited the newer apartments next door. You can't go wrong.

There are lots of grocery stores, mostly small, but at least one that is what I would call a mini supermarket. Since we were there 3 weeks, we got to realize which days there were no restaurants (I think Sun & Mon. Not too sure). There is a place that sells bbq chicken, take-out and there was a gourmet shop that had prepared food.

It's a lovely white hilltown. Twice a day we walked up and down the hills, exploring.

As for the roads, I guess it is personal. For us it was daunting, for others it may be a piece of cake! If you don't find the driving too challenging, the owners can recommend excellent restaurants that are in nearby areas. Mostly our car stayed in front of the apartment! We preferred to use our legs!!

It will be a great experience!

So, Ekscrunchy (love the name!) what did you decide?

We booked Rosa Alta for 4 nights, which span a holiday weekend so things should be lively.

I'm looking forward to it very much! From there we will take a daytrip to Ronda and maybe to a couple of other towns. And at the end of the four days, will probably drive to Malaga and return home from there.

I might return to ask more questions closer to the date.....thanks for your help so far!