Jimena de la Frontera is a traditional Spanish Hill Village, with rows of white painted houses lining steep and narrow cobbled streets rising high into the clouds where at its peak stands the remains of both Moorish and Roman castle, the area is surrounded by the Alcornales National Park, Jimena is situated inland 30km from the coast at Sotogrande within the Province of Cadiz. This lush green area is accessed on the A389, recently renamed A405, a very good standard of road.

Jimena retains all the traditional Spanish customs with their family life, farming environment and cuisine, several Ferrias are held throughout the year and with the success of the annual Music festival it grows bigger every year.

Within the village are many bars and restaurants and several Hostels, similar to Bed & Breakfast in the UK, at very reasonable rates also private accommodation such as Villas and apartments let directly by the owners, we have details in the office of contact names and telephone numbers. There is a good selection of small shops such as supermarkets, bakers, butchers and numerous “curiosity shops.

The history of Jimena dates back to 151AD, the castle stands at the top of the village with commanding views towards Gibraltar and Algeciras, although of Moorish construction it has Roman origins, the entrance to the castle is by means of an Islamic style horseshoe arch at the base which stands several large square Roman stones, within the castle you will find several important and reasonably preserved structures such as large vaulted cisterns, used to store rainwater. At the northern end of the castle enclosure stands the 19th century cemetery, next to this is a marvellous structure once used for storage of provisions. The beauty of this historic castle site is that you can walk around unhindered, admiring the breathe taking views. If you want real Spain then this is a good place to start.

The surrounding area within the National Park is a must for bird watchers and enthusiasts of flora and fauna, hill walkers and horse riders. The park is extensive covering 170,000 hectares beginning its limits in Tarifa stretching to the Northwest of Malaga Province, Cork trees are forested throughout the region, several species of Birds of Prey can be found such as buzzards, sparrow hawks and vultures.
A railway station located in Estacion Jimena will give you access to numerous other white villages from San Roque to Ronda, stopping for lunch, shopping or just walking through cobbled streets, numerous websites will give details, timetables are displayed in the station.

A golfers paradise at Sotogrande is 30 minutes drive we have current price lists fro 7 local golf clubs including the famous Valderama course. Duty free shopping in Gibraltar and the Rock has some fascinating historical attractions, St Michael’s Cave, Rock apes run free on the rock face, the cable car to the top of the Rock, sandy beaches and on a 45 minute drive from Jimena.

Arrive in Spain from several airports, Gibraltar, Jerez or Malaga, because of the rural location of Jimena we would suggest car hire. We have local telephone numbers for Health Centre, Police, Fire etc.

To buy a property in this area of Spain opens up a totally different perspective of Spain, this area is not all high rise blocks and fish and chips or McDonalds, it is a beautiful area unspoilt by tourism, has so many traditional Spanish values, the tranquillity, friendliness and welcome given has made us feel very much at home since moving here, you come to learn the language and make new friends when you venture into the village, buying a property in this area is an investment you will never regret, there will never be thousands of properties and all new construction is built to be sympathetic to the area.

To find out more information on the area click onto a website and enter “JIMENA, CADIZ” and you will be able to surf around and discover for yourself what a truly lovely part of Spain Jimena de la Frontera is.