Yunquera area guide: idyllic rural retreat
Nestled in the western part of the Guadalhorce Valley, Yunquera combines isolation with anonymity; it's overlooked by property buyers, tourists and sometimes even the neighbours due to its self-sufficiency and lack of any 'big ticket' attractions. This, in itself, is an attraction, but we know that not everyone - even the most ardent 'get away from me rat race, get away!' retirees - want to truly get away from it all.
So yeah, Yunquera. It offers olde worlde charm, a great climate (slightly cooler than much of the rest of Málaga Province due to its location in the heart of the Sierra de las Nieves mountain range), affordable property and buckets of peace and quiet, but is there more to it than this?
There is, actually. Yunquera is located in an extremely fertile swathe of terrain, making it something of an epicentre for olive and citrus farmers and wine growers, so if you fancy trying your hand at life as a Spanish farmer, you can. Alternatively, you can just enjoy the excellence of all this locally grown produce first hand - the shops are filled, as you'd expect, with Yunquera-grown produce.
With such wonderful ecological abundance nearby, Yunquera is also magnificently attractive, boasting awesome views, dense vegetation, sweeping mountains and some of the most beautiful whitewashed buildings and cobbled streets found anywhere in Southern Spain. If you can handle the relative exclusion and slower pace of life, Yunquera really could prove to be the perfect retirement or holiday home destination.
Enjoy a sweet churro and hot chocolate as you wake, take in the fragrant mountain air as it settles over the village's terracotta rooftops, and pack plenty of water and your sturdiest hiking boots, for you are going to enjoy a memorable day at one with nature. A short stroll through the deserted streets - the sound of families waking up heard from behind shuttered doors as you pass - is followed by the crossing of the threshold from village to hinterland, as you enter the Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park.
Here you are surrounded by the famous Spanish fir tree, undulating terrain and more mountain ridges than you can shake a compass at. Follow dusty trails to isolated meadows; happen upon small lakes that shock with their stillness and serenity, and doff a cap to the local farmers working their fields harvesting plump olives, juicy lemons and oranges and alluring vineyards. All this within easy walking distance of the comfortable, cobbled interior of Yunquera... if it sounds idyllic, it's because it is.
And so on to night. The close-knit community of Yunquera - born out of the village's self-sustaining seclusion - is evident each weekend evening, when it feels like the entire village comes out to let their hair down at the end of another hardworking week in near-paradise.
At the foot of the Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación church, which dominates the centre of Yunquera, lie a handful of sublime dining establishments where you and your loved ones can sample all of that gorgeous local produce. Tapas and hearty stews - a remnant of the hardy winter months when centuries ago the village would be completely cut off from the outside world - are prime features of most menus, while the local sherries (we are close to Jerez, after all) will put hairs on chests and springs in steps. As ever with Spain, this can all go on until the early hours, so ensure you catch up on your siesta before heading out on to the town.