Refurbished holiday apartment in an Andalusian farmhouse in The Lake District

Be tantalised by turquoise lakes flashing in and out of view on the way to this old farmhouse. It stands alone amid wild flowers, and borders the National Park where golden eagles soar, and olives and peppers ripen in the sun. Rikke and Michael (who live round the back) have created a little beach by the lake and there’s magical footdangling to be had from the pontoon. These spotless open-plan studio apartments with their kitchenettes, shower rooms and terraces are cosy, bright and functional; three are upstairs and three are down. Bag one of the bigger ones on the first floor for mesmerising views over one of the three lakes. The apartments are simple but there are some individual touches too: hand-stitched quilts, family paintings. Listen out for the baker who brings deliciously fresh bread three times a week, and note the onsite shop for bare essentials. Lap up the unspoilt outdoorsy flavour with fantastic walking, kayaking, biking, swimming and fishing – or just relax. Activities: By the lake you will find different restaurants and picnic sites as the area is a quite popular excursion spot. Here you have the option to do different water sports such as kayak or canoeing. You can even fish in the lake, we have a couple of fine fishing rods for free disposal. Do you enjoy walking or mountain biking you will find several marked walking paths across the fields. And the mountains behind our finca have some of Spain's best possibilities for mountain climbing. Paragliding and Repelling is also very popular. The beautiful lakes and the amazing mountains are just outside the door of your holiday apartment. Kayaks and water bikes are rented out at 3 different places by the lakes. Here you also find different picnic places where you can enjoy yourselves for a whole day. Paragliding points are only 1,5 km. from the finca and the mountains behind gives you some of the best climbing or rappelling challenges in Spain. Also endless kilometers of hiking and biking routes. Nature: The nature reserve by our finca is called Desfiladero de los Gaitones and has an area of 2.016 hectares situated between the municipalities of Ardales, Antequera og Alora. The area is characterized by its many funny and fascinating stone structures which have evolved through thousands of years by water and wind. A dramatic and lovely tourist attraction is La Garganta del Chorro; a 3 kilometer long and 400 meter high gorge, which connect the three lakes; Embalse de Gaitanejo, Embalse del Conde de Guadalhorce og Embalse del Guadalteba-guadalhorce by the river Guadlahorce that runs to the coast of Málaga. The area's flora is a true pleasure for everyone. There are lots of aromatic pine, eucalyptus, olive, oak tree, cactus and cypress. Smaller vegetation as rosemary, thyme, wild roses and different flowers make small bushes up to 40 cm high. No matter the time of the year the nature is always covered in the most beautiful colors and the air is fresh and clean. Culture: El Arpa is close to Malaga and some of the World's most appreciated cultural treasures such as the impressive Alhambre Palace in Granada, the big Moorish mosque in Cordoba with the beautiful columns, La Giralda cathedral in Seville and not to forget the bullring and the impressive bridge in Ronda. Malaga has been going through a huge development both cosmetic and cultural during the last 10 years. In 2003 the opening of the impressive Picasso Museum took place and today it exhibits more than 200 pieces of his art. Also a visit to the village museum by the Alcazaba-Gibralfaro- fortress and the roman theatre is very interesting. Picasso's native home and the magnificent cathedral. Or maybe just a walk through the city with all its life, small alleys with busy coffee bars and modern shops on the renovated main street Calle Marques de Larios. Everywhere lots of life and joy. Antequera is a very historic city and the city with the highest amount of churches per inhabitant in Spain (200).