Hotel Berchules in Las Alpujarras, Andalucia, Spain

Whether you are a walker, a rider or taking a tour around Andalucía, you will receive the warmest welcome and finest hospitality the Alpujarras can offer at Hotel Los Bérchules. This is a family-run establishment offering home comforts and simple, home-cooked food using local ingredients and traditional Alpujarran recipes. The hotel has twin-bedded and single rooms plus a two-bedroomed apartment offering self-catering holiday opportunities, with hotel facilities right next door.

We also have a wide terrace with terrific views across the Bérchules valley and a garden with a pool and (new in 2008) sun terrace with loungers and parasols. There is plenty of parking and we are within easy walking distance of the villages of Bérchules and Alcútar, which offer bars, restaurants, shops, a pharmacy and plenty of pretty, white-washed lanes and flower-bedecked, traditional, flat-roofed houses to wander around.

Best of all, and probably the reason you'd visit us in the first place, is the setting. Bérchules is surrounded by some of the most stunning landscapes in Europe. The village sits at 1,320 metres (4,330 ft) above sea level, right on the southern boundary of the Sierra Nevada Natural and National Parks. It clings to the western side of the valley of the Río Grande and boasts orchards, farmland and abundant grazing for cows, sheep and goats. The village and its hinterland are criss-crossed by tracks, bridleways and paths that allow access to the high sierra just a few kilometres uphill from the settlement.

Hotel Los Bérchules is the only hotel in the village and hence, we are well-placed to offer a unique holiday experience in one of the least-spoilt areas of southern Spain. For more information on the hotel's facilities, click here . To get a full picture of all the services we offer and to understand how best to organise a holiday in the central Alpujarras, use the main menu to the left. If you need any further information or wish to book a room or an inclusive holiday package through the hotel, thus saving agency fees, click on the e-mail address link on the menu above.

Calling All Bird Watchers

May 8th.

With the arrival of Spring we have also noted the arrival of a bumper migration of birds to or passing through the Alpujarras. Local resident and friend of the hotel, George McKinney writes:

"Last night we sat on the patio trying not to disturb the nesting Mistle Thrushes and Serins. We watched a Pied Flycatcher at work while we sat in the evening warmth after a long day in the sun. The Scops Owl that had been in view all day in its Chestnut-tree roost, started its distinctive call. A Cirl Bunting popped onto the grass and a Blackcap sang in the trees."

"This morning we awoke to the calls of the Golden Orioles and went out to watch them give a wonderful flight display. As we sat over a late breakfast a pair of Booted Eagles flew by and the first Melodious Warbler (photo above) appeared on a nearby branch."

"Today we are going out birding (yes, actually leaving the patio) with excellent chances of seeing a locally nesting pair of Golden Eagles. Our walk will extend to find Linnets, Rock Buntings, Nightingales, Sardinian Warblers and a possible Bonelli’s Eagle; to name but a few."

A Perfect Day

March 31st.

What might a typical day on holiday at the hotel look like?

Well, here's one...just click on the Read more button below.