Tunnel vision

More rustic
Having just visited the elusive free hot springs of Alicún de las Torres, we continue onwards back to the motorway, close to the town of Baza and then take the turnoff onwards to the village of Zújar. 
Once in Zújar and after a coffee, we follow the rather small signboards heading to the presumed hot springs which lie between the looming Cerro de Jabalcón and the Negratin lake. 

Fifteen minutes out of Zújar and past a couple of nasty potholes, we come to a steep side road. Up this rather grand drive way we arrive at a modern looking and very recently constructed spa building. Named Balneario de Zújar it makes a very swish impression.
We enter the balneario with a bang; apparently the huge door jams this way. We patiently ask what a soak would set us back. Soaking around for a couple of hours will set you back 20€. 

I had read that there's an inexpensive more rustic place. This isn't it. 

 

Looks like a soak?

With another bang of the door, we continue a little onwards away from Zújar, along the lake. 

Windchill
A little further along the main road encircling Negratin Lake, located on the lakeside itself, is a restaurant. Below the restaurant, halfway down to the lake itself, is a semi-circular pool.

Though the principle business here is catering, the proprietors also manage the hot spring pool. Entrance fee paid at the bar is just 2€. 

Through a gate and down stairs one comes to the pool on the right with minimalist changing facilities on the left. Half of the pool lies under a hard plastic tunnel, assisting in warding off the chilly winds blowing in off the lake. 

A quick change of clothing and it's a dive into the hot springs .... Brrrr, the waters themselves are not so hot, barely 30°C? 

There are a few other soakers here, but what with the winds and cooler than anticipated waters, a longer soak is not really what's required ....
We quickly dress and continue our onwards drive ...

View from the restaurant

While away
Now let's see what more info can be delved from the internet, starting with the above mentioned balneario. 

Next door to the balneario is an hotel with rooms going for €50 for an early December overnite stay.  
Booking.com rates this hotel with a 8.9 (from 80+ reviews), with many glowing stories regarding the excellence of facilities and staff. Tripadvisor is less generous, giving it just three stars out of possible 5; apparently breakfasts are not so appealing. Meanwhile tripadvisor's reviews the balneario itself and it has 5 stars! Though only from 1 review ...

Then the website of Balneario de Zújar itself. What do we learn? 
The current site has been open for just over 1 year.  
It adds a snippet of information on how the waters were famous since Roman times, though there's precious little to be seen concerning this glamorous past. Because the former site (indeed dating back to Roman times) has been submerged under the lake water (source) from 1985.

This is what it would have looked like. From panoramio:

 'Baños romanos-árabes de Zujar'

Then additional information on the soaking (not) site we failed to appreciate. Not much more to add, apparently what you see is what you get. 
The adjacent restaurant itself gets 3,5 stars from tripadvisor based on 10 reviews. Just an example:

'... the Menu del Dia at €10 includes starter, main course, dessert, drink and coffee (choose the simplest homecooked options). The reason to go is for the healing waters of the baths .. at just €2 adults and €1 children, it is a great way to while away a few hours overlooking the beauty of the lake'.

Pilgrimage

So what's more to do?
The nearby village of Zújar seems nothing special, but the aforementioned Cerro de Jabalcón is a magnet for more active pursuits. There is a road, which heads all the way up to the summit. Once there are great views to be had of the surroundings. 
As well as various ways of getting to the top, paragliding down is quite popular. And rock climbing. Cavehousecountry adds:

'The Hermitage of the Virgen de la Cabeza, situated at the top of the hill, is the object of the annual pilgrimage which is undertaken by much of the population of Zújar during their patron saint fiestas'.

Then in summer the beaches around the Negratin lake cater to many a swimmer, there's even an official naturist beach (source).
 
Baza is a nice town to visit. It was once the frontier town of the Moors and much of the ramparts and the original town remain. Among the buildings reconstructed are the original Arab baths from the 13/14th century, see this website.

Further away, Guadix is famous for it's cave dwellings but also has a pleasant town center with an old town situated around the cathedral and Moorish castle. 

Near Guadix there are still some more or less original Arab baths to be found, mostly in combination with cave dwellings. 
Take the example of nearby Las Cuevas Hammam del Abuelo Jose. Bathing prices are comparable to those charged in Granada. 

Located near Las Cuevas (in Cortes y Graena) there is a restored thermal bath in what was once an hammam. The website of these facilities appears to suggest that this is once again old-school bathing: a single bath is to be had for just under 10€ with a load of adds-on to make your stay worthwhile (and expensive). Temperatures are a neat 44°C. Might have been a better choice to visit.

Then back on subject, there is this website which mentions (and illustrates) the existence of secret hot springs of Zújar. They certainly look worthy of an invitation. But they're not telling where exactly they are to be found .....

Die hards

Badlands
The high plains directly north of Andalucia's Sierra Nevada are windswept and arid. The few people living here are mostly dependent on agriculture which  means growing olives.

Touristicly though it is an interesting area: there's much history to be discovered whereas the natural surroundings though desolate are very photogenic. 
However with the summer holidays, temperatures here are very hot, thus dissuading potential tourists. 
So it's not surprising that the hot springs of Alicún are little known.

Finding Balneario de Alicún de las Torres is not straight forward: the GPS router seems to disbelieve the existence of the place. 
Luckily the turn off from the main A-92N motorway (between Baza and Guadix) prominently features Balneario de Alicún. So off we must go.
From the motorway the road goes nearly deadstraight until the edge of this part of the Altiplano de Granada has been found. Here, the road swirls around a corner and you arrive at the balneario. Simple.

Closure
The balneario and surroundings are rather non-descript this Monday, not much seems to be going on, though some seniors are milling around the building. The entry to the balneario itself is not clear and the congregation of elders all seem to know what to do. A lady proclaims 

'cerrado'

: closed. 

OK, though that does seem to contradict most of the ongoings, hmmm.
We cross the main road to where it looks like there is an overflow from the balneario. Some of the water flows swiftly away in what's best described as an irrigation ditch, which is enveloped in vegetation.

To the left of this is another stream with water seeking to progress through a park-like landscape. More buildings are here. Behind these, there are a few large pools to be seen. But all are empty; closed. 

Later I discover the reason. Apparently old habits die hard here: it's been decreed that after September 1 the outside swim season has come to an end. Today (mid-October) the outside temperature was 25ºC! Pity this.

In the surrounding park there is though a small pool which might afford a soak, but it's not very deep, nor any warmer than 30ºC. 

We returned to the balneario and I then followed the above mentioned irrigation ditch. Who knows, maybe there's a soakable overflow somewhere downstream?
While the adjacent track itself descends swiftly, the ditch continues it's higher trajectory. The difference gets bigger, 5-7 meters. At about 500m from the car park, there's a narrow underpass. The drop on the other side of the irrigation ditch is even bigger. From the underpass there's a good overview of the swimming pools. But empty.

Alas, it's not evident that a wild soak is to be had here ...
 

Ancient
Concerning the termas of Alicún, there's not too much additional information available on internet, certainly not in English. 

The balneario's own website adds nothing in English, though I could swear there was more English info on the site during the summer. 
In Spanish there's more info, such as the fact that the balneario was built in 1920.
About the swimming pools, otherwise known as Piscinas Termales los Torreones:

'Enclosure of 20,000 m2 with two outdoor thermal pools, one for adults 1,000,000 liters and a children than 100,000 liters. This complex is complemented by a restaurant, 2 bars, barbecues, changing rooms, first aid, games room and solarium'. 

The balneario has a site on pininterest with a couple of pictures from the swimming pool area. Some added info such as the swimming pool is the biggest thermal pool in Andalucia.

The bigger of the pools, source.

On the site of conocetusfuentes.com the additional info includes stating the temperature of the water (34ºC) and that the hot spring has been

'... famous since ancient times'.

Then there's an extensive photo visit report (in French) which notes finding a cave in the back of the springs somewhere; looks idyllic, no idea whether it's naturally heated ...

The forum site Furgovw (Spanish) has an extensive posting on this hot spring, with many photo's. In this forum entry, the author adds more info but not with enough detail. Apparently the best place for a soak is behind the main bathing building .... 
If only I were not sick the day before ... 
The info found: the irrigation ditch would date back 3,000 years, rises to 15m above surroundings in some places and in this dry climate encourages a moist micro climate.

In the Spanish language Waste.ideal.es site there's a full article on the irrigation ditch itself. It is 3 km long and is of high natural significance for the province of Granada. Because of the carbonated nature of the carried water, the irrigation canal has grown in height and length naturally.

The balneario hotel itself gets just 3,5 stars from tripadvisor but based on only 3 reviewers. Booking.com gives it a 7,5 based on 6 reviews. Not much word on soaking experiences or even the use of the swimming pools.

The following gives a good overview of the swimming pool itself:

A good youtube of the surroundings of Alicun:

Dolmens
We get in the car and continue our descent into the gorge. We'll return to the motorway, this time via the village of Gorafe. This a picturesque route. Near Gorafe, about 5 km from the balneario, one can find dolmen from Megalithic times.

From here the road winds itself back up the opposite side of the gorge. At the top more dolmen are to be seen and we are also blessed enough to see vultures soaring under and above us.

For more info on Gorafe check this page. 

More to do's

Star gazing

The hamlet of Baños de Sierra Alhamilla is little more than a number of houses around and below the balneario which partially gives the hamlet it's name. It is set on a ridge 450 meter plus above the Desierto de Tabernas, north of the city of Almería (Andalucia). 
The hot spring from which the Baños are sourced is very much the end of the road up into the sierra Alhamilla mountain range which summits at nearly 1,400 meters. There's something that could be called a village square adjacent to the other two businesses of the hamlet, both cafes slash bars.

The source itself is just in front of the balneario, to the side of the village square. The hottest spring of Andalucia (58ºC, source) gushes significant quantities of fresh spring water which drops into two troughs.

The source.

The overflow of this hot spring here brings forth an oasis which stretches below the springs as far as the water can tumble. The vegetation of this oasis consists of cacti, eucalyptus, agave, flowering rosemary and palm trees. Set between this abundance are are a few properties which together make up the hamlet.

As could be expected, there's very little happening here. However, despite the village being at the end of the steep road, it sees quite a lot of traffic from Alemría's locals seeking to refill their drinking water bottles directly from the hot spring source. 
Adding to the water tourists, are many a local cyclist either those who stick to the tarmac or those that come up on asphalt but who tumble down backtracks towards their starting point in the valley. 
For it's size there are quite a few reasons for tourists to visit here. For instance, one of the aforementioned local bars has a reputation for tapas, drawing foodies from Almería. 
And many of the village's houses are now popular as weekend homes for the Almeríans.

We had decided to stay in the hamlet itself, at one of the properties below the hot springs. 
Gifted with a magnificent view out towards the Cabo de Gata and the city of Almería itself, the non-commercial bungalow turned out to be a great place to enjoy the expected silence during the day while proving to be an excellent place for star-gazing during the darker hours. 
An extra add-on of staying at any place in Baños de Sierra Alhamilla is that the local water supply originates from the hot spring. Though for drinking it's advised to fill up a water container at the spring itself.

And of course a stay here is very convenient for enjoying a soak.

Almería in the distance, beyond the Mediterranean.

Social

The Balneario itself is not very big. The entrance is surprisingly around the alley at the back. After passing the reception one comes to a cool inner court, amply shadowed by greenery. Upstairs are rooms, while directly opposite stairs lead downstairs to the baths themselves. 

The baths are actually bath tubs in small but tall rooms, devoid of anything else. That's all. 

The baths are only available in the morning. We had booked on forehand so when we came after our breakfast, our baths had already been drawn. We were appointed each a separate bathroom; socializing isn't part of the experience it seems. The time slot was 30 minutes which is long enough to enjoy the heat and stare at the walls.

Or trying to catch up on sleep ...

Once redressed, we enquired about the original baths. The proprietor opened an iron gate off to the north side of the inner court, down a separate staircase. Here in the center of the doomed roof are double baths with small alcoves to the side (see below). It looks like a very nice place to spend with friends, maybe a bit too big for just two persons. The more sociable experience would set you back 38€.

We paid up (8,80€ per bath) and went for a coffee.

Old style

The balneario itself has a good web presence especially through booking sites for it's 27 rooms. If requesting a quote by booking.com, a stay early November 2014 would cost you 64€ per night for the cheapest room. That excludes the use of the baths itself.

Note that webvisitors at booking.com gave a stay at the balneario 7.3 out of 10 with many of the reviewers touching upon the good management, the atmosphere and the views. One of the quotes:

'This is a very old Moorish style hotel which is 'quirky', and great provided that is what you expect. In a quaint hamlet with 2 bars nearby, and great views. Brilliant individual marble spa baths. Breakfast on a terrace with great views'.

Meanwhile reviewers at tripadvisor gave it just 3 stars with reviews differing wildly, maybe a different crowd?

The website the balneario maintains has lots of info about a potential stay. It also mentions that the existence of the spring can be traced back to the

'... Phoenicians and later the Romans'.

The Manantiales y Fuentes de Andalucía website notes that an Arab bath was added in the ninth century, while the current building(s) stem from 1777. Spainholiday.com adds some more info:

'Another popular Almeria based spa was renovated as recently as 1984.

The 18th century building that is home to the Sierra Alhamilla Balneario was originally built on Roman and Arabic ruins.After more than 8 years of renovation it is now as impressive as it was in medieval days and its location in the Alhamilla mountainside is splendid'.

More web background. Take this experience from dining in Andalucia:

'The Hotel proved to be shabby but wonderful, quiet but atmospheric, the Spanish would say “emblematic” it is the favourite word of the tourist industry!
...

We had a very good lunch and were well looked after to round off a very special day. I took dozens of photographs of the Baños because surely they must have appeared in a film or two, they are too photogenic not to have. I must do more research. In fact it is such a lovely place I will return, if not to stay and be pampered, then for another lunch'.

Activities besides soaking / use of spring water mentioned above were dining and cycling. Rambling, rock climbing and paragliding are just more of the activities undertaken. Below the village square is a barren patch which hosts some campervans who even use the springs as a shower place, it least I saw it mentioned on the web, no witnessing it myself ...

Here is a youtube compilation of photo's of the balneario.

The inner court

1-2-3

The Baños de Sierra Alhamilla are not the only hot spring of Almería province. More inland is Alhama de Almería. Here the Balneario San Nicolas hosts potential soakers.

From tripadvisor:

'First of all, the hotel is tailored for older people and has fewer children than Hamelin after the Pied Piper had passed through.

...

Secondly, it is true that there is little or nothing to do in the town.

...

Thirdly, I had read criticisms of the food and toiletries. The food (included in the price), which is served in a buffet, is good standard Spanish fare'.

Spain.holiday has more info on a potential visit.

Having the baños as a base for further exploration of the surrounding area is an additional plus point. Just the city of Almería and it's inner city is worth a couple of visits. What about it's beautifully restored 19th century Mercado Central and afterwards a coffee with churro's? Or the alley's around the cathedral? Or the Alcazaba (Moorish castle)?

Don't forget to enjoy the seaside boulevard to view all the evening paseo, the youngsters playing volleyball on the beach or dining while the evening ferry from Morocco arrives.

Even closer are the cinema sets for western style movies, just where the down bound road evens out. Almería is even host to a western-style movie festival!

Further afield, the village of Níjar is a very picturesque. Beyond the village  can walk along the valley with it's many mills, the ruta de los Molinos / ruta los Molinos de Agua. 

The village itself specializes in Andalucian ceramics and jarapa's. 

After a visit here we stocked up on some bocadillo's and headed out to one of the Cabo de Gata beaches, the Playazo beach of Rodalquilar. 

The weather for late October was great so the beach still had a good weekend turnout of mostly locals. A mix of scarcely clothed and non-clothed, the vibe was certainly great for a beach picnic followed by a long swim in the still warm waters.

The Cabo de Gata National Park is an area yearning to be explored. Vibrant villages attract the hip and young, while the mountains are easy to scale and the many beaches are devoid of construction but open to near year round skinny dipping. 

The cape itself is a nice though not too special outing. Make it worthwhile by visiting the slat marshes of Las Salinas which are home to a variety of birds, flamingo's providing the lead role .... .

Inland past Alhama de Almería are more mountain villages from where one can experience solitude on foot. Particularly the Sierra Nevada mountains behind Laujar de Andarax host many a trail. We took a scary trail along a disused hydrocanal, which passed along some high precipices and included a 20m winding tunnel. 

The nearby village of Padules is home to another wonder of nature. Perched high up above the Andarax river, a steep trail runs down from the village to the river. Called Las Canales, the river here squeezes and pushes itself through 50m high rocks. On the weekday we were here, it was totally deserted making it even more rewarding ... . Here's another great account of a visit.

Fresh
All in all, a great couple of days was had at our stay in Baños de Sierra Alhamilla, certainly worthwhile of a repeat. We were also very impressed with the vibe. 

But somehow I couldn't help but think that with a fresh approach to soaking and how to enjoy soaking could breathe even more life to what essentially is old school business model. Currently depending on elder guests with free time to bore themselves to death who are willing to spend a bit extra on food.

Witness a possible alternative. Rent out larger soaking tubs, each with a view of the valley. Ideal for those seeking sociable experiences as a way to cap off a day activity with the possibility to take a tapas or two with a drink. Even the two could co-exist ...

Making history?