Below you’ll find a brief introduction to the area where our holiday cottages are located, including some specific details and ratings that you probably didn’t know about.
We are located in the Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche Natural Park, which has held this designation since 1989. This designation as a Natural Park is very important and marks a turning point in construction regulations for the area. One of the measures that arise when a rural area is declared part of a Natural Park is the prohibition of new construction on rural land, unless the existing plans show a ruin or the property comprises more than 6 hectares. In this case, a new building called a tool shed is permitted, with a maximum size of 40 square meters. If the property exceeds 25 hectares, the building may be larger.
If it is possible to reconstruct an old ruin, its boundaries must be respected. The house must also have an appearance that does not clash with the surroundings; that is, we cannot build a villa like those found in any coastal town. Roofs must be covered with Arabic tiles, and windows cannot exceed certain dimensions, among other regulations.
One significant result, noticeable to date, is that since the declaration of the Natural Park, the construction of new homes and the expansion of existing ones has drastically slowed, preventing urban sprawl in a protected area with a great diversity of both flora and fauna.
The Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche Natural Park is approximately 98% privately owned. From this, we can draw two different conclusions:
1) We cannot fully enjoy the Park, only the trails or old roads that connect one village to another, as most of the boundaries are fenced.
2) Because many families depend directly on what they produce in the fields, for example, those dedicated to cultivating nuts like chestnuts, the countryside is generally kept clean and well-maintained. We like to discuss the case of the Axarquía region in Málaga, where there are many smallholdings and where a large number of plots belong to people who maintain them as second homes or occasional holiday homes. This results in a lack of continuous maintenance, which makes fighting a fire much more difficult. See the Sierra Bermeja fire of 2021, also in Málaga.
In the village, you can find various bars and restaurants where you can sample local products.
Bar El Paso: A village bar serving tapas and larger portions. A pleasant spot to enjoy a coffee or a drink after lunch on the terrace.
Bar Parada: A typical, everyday bar where the half-portions are enough to keep you full for the rest of the day. Takeaway is available. It has a small terrace.
Bar Xauco: A bar with a spacious dining room where you can try all kinds of local meats. It has a large and comfortable dining area.
Casino Central: A tapas bar located in the village square with a large terrace overlooking the Church of San Miguel and the Plaza del Jamón (Ham Square). They currently offer Moroccan dishes such as couscous and pastillas.
Bar Tavira: If you’re looking for a coffee after lunch or a drink, this is the place for you. Located in the town’s main square.
Bar Mancera: In Plaza del Jamón, they don’t serve food, but it’s a typical meeting place for different generations, who get together for a refreshing drink.
Bar Camacho: In the El Repilado neighborhood, right on the main road, you’ll find this bar which undoubtedly offers the best fish in the Sierra. It has a terrace, but we recommend arriving early, as it’s usually packed.
* Suggestions:
Restaurante Las Bellotas: This restaurant serves only meals and belongs to Sánchez Romero Carvajal. Here you can order dishes or portions of top-quality meats. It has a very pleasant terrace.
* In summer, you can always visit the beach bar at the Municipal Public Swimming Pool.
In the town, we found two supermarkets:
Casa Miguel (Jabugo Express): Open every day (until noon on Sundays).
Supermercado Sánchez: Open Monday to Saturday.
Where is the nearest gas station? On National Highway 435, before the turnoff to La Nava, there is a Cepsa gas station.
We are livestock farmers and work with products from our land. Our pigs are raised in Constantina (Sierra Norte de Sevilla), where the quality of the trees and soil allows us to offer a product that is always acorn-fed.
During your visit, please inquire about stock availability and prices, as the meat from the nearly 200 pigs we slaughter after the acorn season is sold before Christmas.
You’ll find several shops along the main road through the village. We recommend Lazo, where you can also find fresh, locally slaughtered meat from December to March and frozen meat later in the season.
The municipality of Jabugo comprises the town of Jabugo itself, the neighborhood of El Repilado, and the villages of Los Romeros and El Quejigo, with a total population of approximately 2,200.
Jabugo is a town where the meat industry predominates, though it has nothing to envy in its neighboring towns. As one of the “white villages,” you can enjoy its people amidst whitewashed houses built along charming cobblestone streets.
Among the important places to visit are the following:
Church of San Miguel: Dating from the 18th century and named after the town’s patron saint. It is located in the town center, next to Plaza del Jamón (Ham Square).
Tiro Pichón: A building constructed by the renowned architect Aníbal González in the second decade of the 20th century. It currently houses the headquarters of the Protected Designation of Origin for Jabugo Ham.
Sánchez Romero Carvajal Winery: For ham lovers, this approximately one-hour tour offers the opportunity to taste some of the world’s finest ham while learning about the production process of this delicacy.
Our wonderful town, in addition to being a Natural Park, is part of a Biosphere Reserve. Thanks to unique weather conditions and the expertise of many generations, we produce some of the world’s finest Iberian pork products, such as acorn-fed Iberian ham and cured pork loin. In our area, you can also find another gastronomic gem: the Amanita Caesarea mushroom (locally known as Gurumelos). The town of Jabugo, being part of the Sierra Morena mountain range, also boasts the Starlite Reserve designation (for stargazing), and is the area in Europe with the greatest diversity of mushrooms and fungi… In short, we are in a small Natural Paradise that we must preserve.
Geographically speaking, Jabugo is located in a very central position within the Sierra de Jabugo mountain range. This has meant that all sorts of people have passed through its paths, including bandits and smugglers. For example, on our estate, next to the threshing floor opposite the swimming pool, gunpowder was ground and transported along the trails by smugglers who traded with neighboring Portugal. The passage of these people has ensured that Jabugo maintains paths to all the nearby towns, such as the Jabugo Riverside Trail, which leads from the town itself to neighboring Galaroza. Other options include detours to Castaño del Robledo or Fuenteheridos. From the estate, we can also access other lesser-known but equally beautiful trails, such as the one that leads to Santa Ana la Real or Aguafría. You can see all the trails in our ‘Activities’ tab.
Los Remedios Fair: On the second weekend of July, the town celebrates its patron saint festivities. They last from Thursday to Sunday, and everyone from the town and surrounding areas gathers under a tent to enjoy memorable and heartwarming moments. A space is set up for children to ride the fairground attractions. Those who visit one year, return the next.
Bonfires: The different groups of friends from the town, of all ages, go to Plaza del Jamón (Ham Square) and light a bonfire where a typical dish is cooked. They usually last from morning until 7:00 PM. The date is usually at the end of October or the beginning of November, but it can change depending on the weather forecast, as it is held outdoors.
World’s Largest Stew: A biennial event where the world’s largest stew is cooked in the old football field. Every two years the number of people served surpasses the previous record, making it a Guinness World Record-winning event. It’s a massive gathering that attracts visitors from all over Spain. The date is usually the third week of March. We’ve added a link for more information
San Miguel Fair: Towards the end of summer (September 29th), the town’s second patron saint festival takes place. Although there are fewer people because summer is over, we can still enjoy a few days of festivities with the locals.
If you’re coming in WINTER, you need to know:
ABOUT THE PELLET STOVE
The traveler is responsible for the proper functioning of the machine to heat the house. If you don’t follow the instructions, it may cause problems.
Preparation:First, check that there are pellets in the hopper, about 3/4 full. Add 4-5 pellets next to the lighter (in the ash pan) to facilitate starting.
Starting:To start the machine, press and hold the white power button until the machine starts. The display will show “on” or “start”.
When you want to turn it off, press the same button until the fan starts and the display shows “off”.
The stove is programmed. Please do not touch the buttons with arrows, as this will reset the settings.
If you have accidentally turned it off and want to turn it back on, you must wait for the fan to stop. This process takes about 15 minutes, allowing the machine to clean itself and function correctly.
Every time you turn it on, you must open the door and remove any ash from the ash pan. This is very important, as failure to do so can cause combustion problems and the machine may stop working. If the machine has been in use recently, the ash pan will be hot, so you must wait for it to cool down before removing and emptying it.
Always check that at least one radiator is on (turn the small wheel to the left to open it). We leave them on in the bedrooms and bathroom. It is a closed water circuit; if all the radiators are closed, the entire system could break down.
It’s not advisable to let the stove run out of pellets, so we need to monitor it.
We should turn off the stove every 12 hours of operation to ensure it always works properly. The stove should be left unused for at least 5 hours.
We can’t predict how long a load will last: Depending on the temperature, the machine works more or less, so consumption varies each day of winter.
EXAMPLE OF USE: If it’s cold, put the pellets in the morning, for example at 7:00 AM, and turn them off at 1:00 PM. After lunch, you can turn them on around 6:00 PM and turn them off before going to bed, provided the room temperature is comfortable. It takes 25-30 minutes for the stove to start and the radiators to begin heating (when the boiler reaches approximately 65-70°C).
We’ve made a significant investment so that all our guests can enjoy a comfortable temperature during the colder months. Thank you for helping us keep the heater in good working order.
If you’re visiting in the summer, please note:
It is strictly forbidden to bring any type of glass into or around the pool.
Dogs are not allowed in the pool.
