Where Does the Name Casa Tagomago Come From?
By Susan of Casa Tagomago for Turismo Valle de Lecrín.
In 2005 we began a long-discussed and contemplated adventure, the purchase of a vacation home in mainland Spain. Living on the beautiful but small island of Ibiza all year it was very clear that we wanted a house near a small / medium city, within easy reach of a coast and with mountains nearby. Not so difficult in Spain after all. Frutos had lived a while in Santa Fe until he was 10 years old, as a result of this experience he had very good memories of Granada. As soon as I had a chance to visit the city, I also fell under its spell. Cantabria or Asturias also attracted us but the distance by car from the ports of Valencia or Denia made it not a very practical choice. Also, at that time, flights from Ibiza to Granada or Malaga were more frequent than to Santander, for example.
Once we decided on the province, it was time to choose the place. The search began on the internet in the highlands north of Granada, beautiful places but with a much more extreme climate. When we found a website of houses for sale in the Lecrín Valley and another dedicated to La Alpujarra that we opted to visit the area in March 2005.
We stayed in a charming little house in the upper neighbourhood of Restábal and fell in love with the valley location right away. However, the first day we had an appointment to see houses in Torvizcon and as we had spent a wonderful vacation in La Alpujarra in 2003 we went to see some there and in other towns. Although we love La Alpujarra and we go often, we realised that, about to retire, a house there forced us to use the car for practically everything ... even Granada was much further away. We had also made appointments in Jaén, in Cazorla, but we decided to cancel them and continue looking in the Lecrín Valley. At first, with 4 years of working life still ahead, it seemed madness to us to buy a house in need of restoration but we quickly discovered that to have what we wanted within our budget, we would have to refurbish. We found two houses that we liked and made an offer for both! It was not accepted and we returned to Ibiza having seen several houses and with a very clear idea - the house had to be in El Valle, in Saleres, Restábal or Melegís.
What was it that we found so special about the villages of El Valle? The main thing was their situation, each one close to the other. We could walk between them without difficulty. They are also very close to the motorway that connects Granada and the Costa Tropical but tucked away in the centre of the Valley. Saleres is one of my favourite villages for being the smallest, located on the edge of the Santo River, also known as the Albuñuelas River, which is where it comes from. In Melegís there are several important looking houses with coats of arms and its church has been recently restored, a village where the influence of riches from past times is noticeable. Restábal is located between the two with spectacular views and the charm of the narrow streets of the low and high neighbourhoods. On the practical side, it has the necessary services, we would not need to use the car every day. Finally, after spending a couple of weeks there, we began to meet some of the neighbours, we already felt at home.
Perhaps Restábal is not as “neat” as Melegís or as picturesque as Saleres but it is at the confluence of the Santo and Dúrcal Rivers with the Torrente River joining both downstream where the three converge at the Beznar Reservoir. You can walk down from the house, through the orange groves to the lake’s shore, a truly pleasant walk. The perfect location for us.
During that summer of 2005, back in Ibiza, at the helm of our two toy shops, we spent a lot of free time surfing the internet, studying houses that we had seen and others that we did not know. We made a selection and in November we returned to the valley for 5 days with the intention of making the final choice. This time we were in a little house that was for sale in Albuñuelas, just in case ... but we had a house in mind that attracted us a lot. A bigger house in Restábal - called “Casa de las Posibilidades” by the real estate agent, we had to see those “possibilities”.
When we saw its position in the lower neighbourhood, the views it had and the possibilities for making the charming house we were looking for - there was no going back. The adventure of the purchase and the restoration work began.
And why does the house have the name of an island? Because of its position up high, on the edge of the village, allowing it to dominate a good part of the Lecrín Valley and the south west face of Sierra Nevada. Being there one has the feeling of being on an island in a sea of orange and lemon trees! Casa Tagomago owes its name to a small island on the north coast of Ibiza...Isla Tagomago.
Over fifteen years later, we continue to enjoy our visits to the Lecrín Valley and our second home, happy to be able to share this magical place with our clients who come from many parts of the world.
Would you like to save on your holiday in the Lecrín Valley? Remember that through Lecrín Valley Tourism you can contact the owners directly, the people who know the region best ... and book without commissions.
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