Fataga
We
woke up to a beautiful sunrise this morning visible from our balcony.
We'd packed our cases as were moving inland today for four nights to
Fataga.
Our
final breakfast at the hotel and I tried to recreate the presentation
of the iconic Olives breakfast in Norwich. I know, it didn't really
work!
As
we left our room I took one last look across the hotel complex. Monte
Feliz had exceded our expectations, a great hotel I'd highly recommend.
We
caught a bus to Maspalomas where we would catch a bus inland to Fataga.
Finding the correct bus stop wasn't quite as straightforward as I
expected it to be.
Maspalomas
is huge but with the help of Google Maps we eventually found the bus
stop we needed. Once again there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the
temperature was rapidly rising. With just 3 buses a day going to Fataga
we waited at the bus stop praying the 11.05am bus would arrive.
Thankfully
the bus (No 18) arrived on time and took us on our journey along steep
twisting roads up towards Fataga. The Fataga valley is famously referred
to as "Valley of the Thousand Palms". The views of impressive cliffs,
lush palm groves and fruit trees were a wonderful sight. The steep drops
beside the edge of the roads were not for the faint hearted though!
The
bus stop was outside the petrol station in Fataga, this was perfect as
we were told to collect the keys for our accomodation from the counter
here. The owner of the petrol station kindly gave us a lift in his car, a
short distance to where we'd be staying.
The
beautiful Casita Antonio would be our home for the next four nights.
This cute stone cottage we found on Airbnb for just £33 per night. It
was set just behind Fataga and was five minutes walk to the village. The
cottage was surrounded by palm trees and a had a very generous outside
space, such a beautiful setting!
Inside
was very compact but cosy with a sofa bed in the main room which also
had a small kitchen area. Further back was another room with toilet and
shower. Up on the bookshelf there were guidebooks and walking maps for
the local area.
This was the view from the cottage, pure paradise!
And this was the view from the hammock. I'd be spending time relaxing in this with a glass of wine everyday for sure!
The
mountainous terrain surrounding Fataga was breathtaking. We hadn't
formulated a plan yet but we knew we'd be exploring the surrounding area
on foot for the next few days. Initially we had concerns about the
weather here being slightly cooler than down on the South coast.
Thankfully the heat up here was much the same though.
First
we decided to explore the village, a maze of small alleyways lined with
beautiful white houses and fruit trees. Just around this area a small
dog living nearby often passed by, he can be seen featured on the mural.
The
G60 is the main road which runs through Fataga and high up into the
mountains. It's very popular with cyclists who can be seen making there
way up the steep inclines or shooting down in the opposite direction.
This pic shows Fataga from the edge of the G60 heading North.
With
so many cyclists and quite a lot of vehicles using the G60 it felt
quite dangerous to walk on in places. Thankfully there were some hiking
routes off the main road, these we'd explore more of tomorrow.
Prickly pear cactus were everywhere. Such a beautiful sight against the blue sky!
Picking
a prickly pear up from the floor seemed like a good idea at the time.
Trust me it wasn't though, the tiny almost invisible glochids imbedded
themselves into my skin causing irritation for a good few hours
afterwards!
Back
in Fataga we discovered a couple of local craft shops. There was also a
few restaurants and a small mini market along the main street.
As we explored the back streets we met a few friendly cats.
This was the local bakery which sold cookies, coconut cakes and bread.
The almond cookies from the bakery were incredible and cost just €1.
Restaurante Albaricoque has an outside terrace with wonderful views across Fataga.
The perfect spot to relax with a beer in the sunshine.
This cheese and tomato on toast was delicious and reasonably priced too at just €2.50.
Later
in the evening we decided to cook something back at the cottage with it
being in such a beautiful setting. The mini market and petrol station
shop sold very limited supplies though so our meal was a very basic
spaghetti with tomatoes topped with cheese. We also managed to find a
cheap carton of white wine for €2. This would be the only time we ate
back at the cottage, in hindsight we probably should have brought some
food supplies up from Maspalomas. In reality though I was pretty chuffed
as it meant we'd have to eat out on the rest of the nights here!
Later
in the evening a friendly cat joined us and stayed until we went to
sleep, we called her Lucy. Life in Fataga was definitely the highlight
of the trip so far. Your gut instinct is to stay by the coast but I must
say, life inland is even more beautiful!
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