Women's Holidays

The Plaza de Presos-

Women’s Holidays

19th-23rd June 2009
5 day Women’s Holiday from £350

24th -31st July 2009
7 day Women’s Holiday from £475


Sometimes you want to go on holiday alone. Maybe you are single or perhaps you and your partner have different ideas of what makes a good holiday. If you are interested in developing your creative side then our women’s holidays are for you. The holidays are structured so as to give you the opportunity to try your hand at some creative activities, but there is no pressure to do so- you can choose to spend the time relaxing or exploring this beautiful region.

The creative activities we offer may vary- as we will try to tailor them to the group. A typical holiday would include an opportunity to take some interesting photographs of the historic town and its stunning surrounds (no experience required and the most basic digital camera or even phone is the most equipment you will need). Once we have got our photographs together we will follow this with a creative writing session in which you develop an idea for a short story based on the photographs we have taken. These creative sessions would take place between 11am and 2pm on four mornings of the week on a week long holiday and three mornings on a five day holiday- see structure of the course below for more details. Our morning sessions are followed by either a buffet lunch in the Moroccan courtyard or a meal at a local restaurant unless we are visiting Granada when you can choose where to have lunch.

One of the problems of travelling alone is what to do in the evening. Our holidays are the perfect solution for this as we will either meet as a group for a meal at our house Carmen de Pepita or we will venture out to the many tapas bars to experience real Spanish social life. Meeting other like minded women is all part of the experience and you will stay with up to three other women in either Carmen de Pepita or in local authentic town houses which belong to our friends. You can choose to have your own room or to share with a friend or with someone who will become your friend. The choice is yours.

The aim of this holiday is to have a balance of activities, social life and personal space. We hope we enable you to bring out the creative side that so many of us leave behind when we get bogged down with work and family responsibilities.

The structure of the course
7 day holiday

Friday
You will arrive on a Friday and will be picked up from either Granada or Malaga airport. If you are flying into Malaga we ask that you choose a flight that arrives in the morning. See the link for details of budget flights.

After we have shown you to your accommodation and you have settled in we will meet at the main house for lunch and a chance to get to know each other. In the afternoon we will show you some of the sights of the town and then you are free to explore or rest. We will meet at 7.30 in the main house for drinks and a shared evening meal.

Saturday
After breakfast we will meet at the main house for our first creative activity. This will usually be a walk round the town with our cameras our camera phones- don’t worry you only need the most basic equipment. John will give you some tips on taking interesting photographs of the place and we will introduce some ideas on how to turn the photos into story opportunities. This session will run from about 11 am until 2.00 when we break for buffet lunch. After lunch you are free to carry on with your photography, take a walk in the beautiful countryside, explore the town or just take a siesta. We will all meet back together meet at about 7.30 for a few drinks either at the Carmen de Pepita or one of the other town houses and then go into town for a night of tapas.

Sunday
On Sunday you can have a lie in or go on an exploration of the town. At (late) lunchtime we will all go to a local restaurant and have Sunday lunch together with the afternoon free for a walk with more photographic opportunities or you can take a siesta and sleep off lunch. In the evening we meet up for drinks and snacks and a look at our photographs.

Monday
We now begin thinking about how we can turn the photographs into stories. We will look at the photographs and think about what sense of place they invoke. Setting is a key part of narrative and this morning’s workshop – which will be from 11am- 2pm will begin to develop the importance of location in your storytelling. After lunch you can choose to work on your story or have a free afternoon. In the evening we will meet for drinks and then go out for tapas.

Tuesday’s workshop will follow the same format but will be about introducing characters into your story.

Wednesday is a free day and there is the option to go the historic city of Granada where you can explore the twisting streets of the Albaicin- the Arab quarter with its jumble of cave like shops selling Moroccan lanterns, rugs, slippers and trinkets. You might want to try a mint tea or a bubble pipe in one of the many tea rooms. Alternatively you could explore the Cathedral, the ancient cave area of Sacramonte or if you want some retail therapy Granada has all the top shops you would expect in a major city. After lunch we will be able to visit the magnificent Alhambra palace and Generalife gardens and then there will be more free time to explore the many bars and restaurants of Granada. Lots of photographic and storytelling opportunities here!

If you do not wish to take this trip we can arrange alternative activities such as a day at a spa, cycling, a guided walk or a tutored photography day. Of course you can choose to stay in Alhama and write- the choice is yours!
We haven’t included the cost of the trip in the price as we want to give you the freedom to choose how to spend your free day.

Thursday is our last day and after one final workshop and lunch you will have a chance to finish any pieces you have been working on. In the evening we will gather in the garden of the main house for our final meal and reading of our work (reading not compulsory for the shy!). If the mood takes us we might light a camp fire and see where the storytelling takes us…


On Friday we will reluctantly take you back to the airport for your flight. Of course you may choose to stay on another week- see our accommodation rates, or you might choose a later flight giving you the opportunity to explore the rest of this beautiful region of Andalucia.

5 day holidays follow the same format but run from Friday – Tuesday. There are fewer workshops, but enough opportunity for creative stimulation to get you going.

Shopping in the Albacain in Granada

Prices

7 day holidays
The price of the holiday depends on the accommodation you choose:
The cheapest option is if you choose to share a room with another guest, either a friend you choose to travel with, or we can match you up with someone who wants to share. This holiday will cost £450

If you want a bit of privacy you can have a room to yourself but share a bathroom (usually with one other room) This holiday will cost £499

If you would like your own bathroom the cost is £550.

This price includes transfers from the airport, accommodation as chosen, workshop tuition, breakfast every day, six lunches including one in a local restaurant, two evening meals with drinks and drinks on the terrace most nights.
Discounts are available for early booking

Not included is lunch on the free day, dinner on 5 nights and drinks in bars. Optional activities or trips are extra.

5 day holidays
The price of the holiday depends on the accommodation you choose:
The cheapest option is if you choose to share a room with another guest, either a friend you choose to travel with, or we can match you up with someone who wants to share. This holiday will cost £375

If you want a bit of privacy you can have a room to yourself but share a bathroom (usually with one other room) This holiday will cost £399

If you would like your own bathroom you pay £425

This price includes transfers from the airport, accommodation as chosen, workshop tuition, breakfast every day, four lunches, three evening meals with drinks and drinks on the terrace most nights.
Discounts are available for early booking

Not included is dinner on 1 night and drinks in bars. Optional activities or trips are extra.


Relax on a day bed under the fig tree

Accommodation

Your accommodation will be in specially selected town houses in our historic town of Alhama de Granada. You will share the house with two or three other women and will have your own room- unless you choose to share. The houses have all been restored to the highest standard and each has its own distinctive character. The houses all have self catering facilities so you can make a snack or drink whenever you feel like it. You have access to either a terrace or a garden so you can take some time out and relax in the sunshine with a book and a cold drink. In cooler months the houses have cosy log burning stoves for fireside reading.

Food

You will help yourself to breakfast in your own house. Our well equipped kitchens are stocked with local produce including free range eggs, cheese, cold meats, yoghurts, cereal, jam and honey, bread, butter and coffee, tea and fruit juice. If you do not feel like making your own breakfast you are welcome to eat at any of the local cafes and if you bring us your receipt we will reimburse you up to 6 euros per day.

The food of Andalucia reflects the history of Moorish and Spanish culture and these influences determine our menus. A buffet lunch is provided at 2pm every day in the garden of the main house Carmen de Pepita. Delicious healthy home made food such as salads, tortilla, fish, chicken and a good range of vegetarian choices is provided. Where possible we will use locally grown food and herbs from our own garden, We can also cater for vegans providing you give us advance notice. On Sunday we will take Sunday lunch in a local restaurant. This might be in the town itself or after a walk into the beautiful countryside. On the free day you will make your own arrangements for meals giving you the freedom to go and explore the region.
We will let you know the options available when you have made your booking. We like to tailor our holidays to your needs so let us know your interests.

On the first and last night of the holiday we will eat dinner together in the main house. Again there will a good variety of food including vegetarian options. One night we may choose to cook over an open fire or in our outdoor woodburning oven. The other nights we will meet on our terrace for a few complementary drinks before we head out to explore the many tapas bars. Unlike the major cities of Spain most of the bars of Alhama still hold the old tradition of giving free tapas with every drink. Prawns in garlic, calamares, bacalao (delicious salt cod) pinchitos (little spicy kebabs), pork served on little buns, jamon and bread or delicious local cheese are some of the specialities on offer. With a good glass of Rioja at only 1.50 euros you can have a very reasonable night out and come away quite full! We often forgo an evening meal and just dine on tasty tapas.