Casares, at the top
Casares has the charm of our grandmothers: smells like rosemary and pine , a freshly made food ; is neat, white and flirtatious; knows the name of the trees and takes and brings fresh flowers ; always offers us a lap Tender that invites you to squint your eyes and accommodate.
Casares, who appears sudden and unexpected behind a green road of pine forests, with its profile from another era, proud and humble at the same time, it is also their grandmothers. Those who help grandchildren put the bikes inside at nightfall, those who cook with open doors and windows to feed the appetite of the air, those who sit down to put words and weight to the days to the house doors.
Casares, silence broken only by him faraway gibberish from the kids and the talk of the squares, It's happy childhood the one we had and the one we sometimes dream of. Go up and down your centennial slopes , narrow, equipped with lime houses with turquoise doors. And it is crowned, like any childhood fantasy, with a castle at the top of a high mountain, cut to the chopping block in dizzying balance.
Neat, white and curious
There our steps are directed. we tour squares with story wells and plaques that remind us that Casares, land of blas infant, has always fought for an equal peace for all. One, with a text from 1918, reads the determination of " abolish latifundism , eliminate caciquism and create a fairer town, where culture and education , health and history, be its pillars". And further down, now signed: "The 'Andalusian ideal' has continued to survive among the Casareños".
Along the way, we said, irregular walls, doors from which you can see old furniture, art galleries without presumptions, secluded restaurants, stone floors that lead to the most difficult yet, to a Wall today almost anecdotal that still reigns over the vast space that separates the coast of the Strait of the Serrania de Ronda.
That's how high up he is castle of casares , protected forever by 'The flat' , that cut that is more abrupt, less civilized than that of dream city, but for that, if anything more unforgettable.
The ideal Andalusian town
Where Ronda has arranged superb aqueducts and romantic balustrades, Casares has used a white wall with an artisanal appearance, that separates us from the abyss to just beyond the waist.
From it they can be seen mountains, massifs, cork oaks, a ghost cemetery that was left half built - the townspeople they didn't want so far of them to their dead - and some climbers that break the impregnability enchantment of the old fortress.
As we watch in ecstasy the sunset, that here it is more beautiful, more enchanting and more orange than anywhere else -or so it seems to us now-, we are watched over by the colossi of this sky : eagles and griffon vultures. We share the moment in apocalyptic silence with three teenagers from the village and a group of French on excursion.
Behind us, the afternoon also bids farewell Blas Infante Cultural Center -which houses permanent exhibitions on the history of the place-, another emblem of the rebellion of this town: it is built on a 16th century church.
The sunset here is more bewitching, and more unforgettable
The grandma's stove they call for hunger: we are going to Sarmiento. Along the way, couples from Madrid, German families, but, above all, casareños : this is not frigiliana , beautiful and conquered by the others . Here you breathe the wind -which blows, and blows, and blows- of a Andalusian mountain village . In the square, next to the snowy old cemetery, yet another grandfather. He tells his grandchildren that They are the most handsome in the world don't run without shoes, don't fight with his brother. "But dad, if they've been all day barefoot in the field !" laughs his daughter.
When we almost left the town - greeted by all , hello, hello, good night, see you later-, we came across two children: "Where do you prefer to live, in Manilva, Casares or Gaucín ?"; "Well, in Casares, of course!".
Casares also has a beach, and a very beautiful one
A RESTAURANT
Sarmiento is on the outskirts of town, which here means a five minute walk. It goes through a wooden walkway parallel to the road, which separates us more and more from this inhabited hill until it is completely in front of us, like a still postcard of the perfect white town.
That is the unreal view which we will enjoy from the table in this restaurant decorated with arches of Andalusian patio and warm taste contemporary. "The concept Sarmiento 'Andalusian grill' drinks from the fundamental pillars of Andalusian lifestyle : authenticity, spontaneity and enjoyment of the company offered by friends and family around a table", explain its owners.
Are Miguel and Juan Diego Hernandez Sarmiento, two brothers from Casareños who left their land to learn with the best of european hospitality and they have now returned to the family restaurant, giving it a new life since May this year.
Mysterious, cozy and landscaped: this is how Sarmiento welcomes us
In his letter, prepared with care, delicacy and expressiveness by the chef Victor Carracedo -kitchen director in prestigious hotel chains such as Ritz-Carlton, Hilton, or Meliá -, a lot of respect for the raw material and the local product: the tomatoes, from Coin; the tuna , from Barbate; vegetables, of Axarquia . Even when choosing the main preparation, something of the most Malaga is used: the spit embers, which "acquires a new dimension by performing throughout the year, and not limited to sardines, but to larger fish and meats".
"Sarmiento's culinary concept revolves mainly around the reinterpretation of traditional dishes of Andalusian gastronomy", explain his ideologues. Thus, the chicharrones de Iberian bacon are prepared with lime, the pringá croquettes have mint infusion and octopus, grilled (an "ancestral cooking technique that allows us to respect it to the fullest , adding some nuances such as greater texture and juiciness or the accentuation of aromas ") is served with creamy mash and smoked paprika-infused oil.
In the room, attention is close and exquisite, and it is perceived pride in a job well done. The same thing happens in the bar, whose letter of cocktails is also an original reinterpretation of the classics with a local touch, whose drinks can be accompanied by "a cold gastronomic offer, 'pecking', designed to to share ". Enjoy slowly and well , which is how things are done in Casares, and you will never forget the silhouette of the town silhouetted against the moon ... nor the delicate flavor of its thin apple pie with vanilla.
Embers with character
A HOTEL
White like Casares; Andalusian and traditional concept, sophistication without stridency ; roomy, as utterly comfortable as only a Legend of ** Preferred Hotels & Resorts;** that's right Finca Cortesin , an accommodation of excellence located a few minutes from the town but which, at the same time, looks like a separate universe . Apart from the mundane, the everyday, the known. Above all this and a little higher still.
The mornings at Finca Cortesín dawn with Mountain View , and, if the day is clear, also Sea . Looking down a bit, we are surprised by the swimming pool, classic, colossal and imposing. In the Lutz's Garden , between centenary olive trees and tables that keep the charm of a secret French bistro, the a la carte breakfast . But first, a little culinary surprise from the chef. Perhaps a little sip of pear yogurt, perhaps a delicate concoction of figs and cheese.
Country club luxury at Finca Cortesín
After the small banquet, infinite possibilities of harmony and disconnection: game of tennis or golf, rest in the hammock, spa treatment, walk through the mournful gardens... We feel like to smell the fresh flowers that they have placed with care in each room and accommodate us to read in their palatial courtyards of Moorish, Indian or continental influences: let's do it without fear of missing something, because life stopped As soon as we walk through the heavy doors of this hotel in titanic dimensions and alone 67 rooms , where the privacy it is guaranteed.
At noon, under the sun that shines here for 300 days a year, we will relax, indolent, and hydrated based on natural juices and signature cocktails . It will be time to eat and we will have something light and tasty in the pool restaurant, and suddenly, the joys of the tropics They will seem just around the corner.
In its palatial courtyards you will feel like a sultan
We will inaugurate the afternoon in the cozy library , having tea at five, and we will see her stretch from spa waters, in whose indoor pool high and providential ceilings we will feel part of the jet set of the happy 20 . when does the party start mr gatsby ? the of the wellness deeper, in just a few minutes, when you lie down in the massage room and let yourself go to the dream gates, while specialized therapists speak to your body in a language that only the two of them know.
Do you hear that melody? leaves the piano, the one next to the blue bar -that has the furniture the color of mahogany, the pink hues of Persian rugs, and yes, a unique blue on their hand-painted wallpapers. They serve the best spirits there - and pamper you with delicious chocolate -; It is the perfect place to start, or end the night.
Relax in your beautiful indoor pool
In the meantime, we want to enjoy the earthly enjoyments ; to satiate them, a difficult choice. On the one hand, ** Don Giovanni **, where the award-winning Sicilian chef Andrea Tumbarello will cook for us succulents italian recipes in an authentic and intimate atmosphere. For another, Kabuki Raw , the restaurant michelin star in which the chef Luis Olarra elaborates unique dishes arising from the encounter between the Japanese and Mediterranean cultures , using for this the best fish and shellfish and organic products of the hotel garden. Our bet? Don't choose. Book an evening in each.
The next morning, start over pleasure. Now in the Finca Cortesin Beach Club -just one kilometer from the accommodation-, where each of the attentions and charms of this five-star hotel are transferred to the Casares beach. There, between a dip in the sea and in the pool, mediterranean cuisine, cocktail menu, whims and indulgences to taste. That mornings never end like this neither the afternoons nor the nights. Let's live forever in this perfect getaway.
Let's live forever in this ideal getaway