Holiday rental properties in a stunning rural location

Welcome to Molino la Ratonera, a holiday retreat set in a watermill in a lush river valley. The location of this mill, in the heart of rural inland Andalucia, southern Spain, is within easy reach of Granada with the Alhambra and Albaicin, Malaga, Seville and Cordoba and yet its rural situation provides a haven for wildlife and an excellent environment for walking, birdwatching or relaxing.

We offer a choice of rental properties for short breaks or longer holidays of any duration on a self-catering basis.

La Panaderia is a popular apartment with 2 double bedrooms and 2 bathrooms

Access to Molino la Ratonera is by track, from our nearest town of Zagra, less than 2 miles away. Molino la Ratonera, a historic watermill in Andalucia The beautiful 6 metre high waterfall usually flows all summer Zagra contains bars and restaurants, an excellent small supermarket, banks with cash machines. We are only 30 minutes away from the A92 motorway, which makes Granada, Malaga, Seville and Cordoba within easy reach for a day visit. With only 1 hour from Granada airport and 1 hour 20 minutes from Malaga airport, this is an ideal holiday destination.

Everyone enjoys cooling off in the low chlorine pool

Wildlife

The birdsong that you are hearing now is the song of the nightgale. These remarkable birds arrive at the mill in early spring and within a few weeks start performing their unique song. During early summer they sing through the night and provide a yet another memorable aspect to a holiday at Molino la Ratonera.

The mill, being set in a small river valley, provides a rare environment in Andalucia. The olive is the main crop grown Wild flowers found near the mill

commercially but in the less accessible land on the riverside there is beautiful mixed woodland containing holm oak, fig, poplar, elm, willow, pomegranate, mastic tree and tree of heaven. A wide variety of wild flowers are found during spring and early summer. The wild flowers in the slideshow were all found on one forty minute walk from the mill in the spring.

This dense vegetation provides a protected habitat for a wide variety of birds, reptiles, mammals and insects. Read more…

“The beautiful 6 metre high waterfall and the 16th century mill tower add to the magic of the site and make it an unforgettable location.”

Accommodation

We have a choice of properties available which includes 2 four person apartments and the beautifully restored Cortijo which will comfortably sleep eight guests.

The bar and terrace

The bar is located in the old mill room and still features much of the original milling equipment including the flour grinding stones. You can socialise with other guests enjoying the peace of La Ratonera with a drink in the bar or on the mill terrace. Imagine sitting under the stars on balmy summer evenings or using our communal barbecue.

Facilities

In the lower mill, dating from the 16th century, is the gym, library and tourism information centre while the favourite place for most guests in the long hot Summer days is the large pool which uses an eco friendly system to clean the water, reducing the chemicals required and making the water silky smooth.

The hosts for 2019 are...

We are delighted to welcome Kirsten and Iwan as our new hosts. They are looking forward to greeting guests and ensuring their holidays go without a hitch. The hosts will be offering optional services such as meals on guests' arrival night, tapas nights or happy hours, all tailored to your requirements.

Walking and other activities

Molino la Ratonera is an ideal walking centre as it is located on a network of tracks. We offer a range of self-guided walks to enable your group to explore at its own pace. We provide detailed instructions with distance, duration, historical information and maps to enable you to enjoy this beautiful environment. Click on short walks and long walks to download our guides. We have a number of mountain bikes together with helmets for guests to use free of charge and have put together a selection of rides. Click on cycle routes to download the guide.

Location

Although offically part of the municipality of Algarinejo, the nearest village, 2.5 kilometres away, is Zagra with shops, banks, bars, restaurants, swimming pool and castle. Both Zagra and Algarinejo embody the charm of Spain as it has been for decades where friendly, easygoing people welcome you into their lives.

The area is known as El Poniente Granadino (the west of Granada) and is rich in evidence of Andalucia's Moorish past with castles and watchtowers (atalayas) ever present on the horizon.