Why & Where To Stay In San Jose, Cabo de Gata Natural Park, Almeria, Spain

As we come to the end of our unexpectedly long 5 month sojourn here in beautiful San Jose, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on just why we love spending time here so much and why we are considering staying even longer next winter! With wonderful accommodation options, a vibrant community, the great outdoors, cities, history and activities all right on the doorstep, for us it is the perfect base to enjoy a little more stability after our more nomadic periods....especially when we know we have a spectacular base in Pueblo Namara to look forward to again next winter.

Now, I do realise that for many travellers enjoying the freedom of the open road in a motorhome, as we did for over 2 years, the idea of staying in one place for so long may sound like an odd choice. If variety is the spice of life, then how does staying in one place fit with that? Doesn't it get boring? Well, for us at least, in turns out that being able to enjoy extended periods of stability in one place is part of that variety. A place to recharge our batteries and put down some temporary roots. And also to enjoy the elements of life that you can't often recreate touring in a motorhome, such as copious living space, convenience of amenities, stability and community......all of which are on offer in a staggeringly beautiful setting here in San Jose.

Take the accommodation we've been able to enjoy during our stay here this winter and last, courtesy of Nina and Phillip and SanJoseSpain.com and some of their incredibly friendly landlords. I mean, honestly, how many other people would have been able to find us a place to stay with not one, not two, but (for a period of time) 7 dogs, of which 6 were not house trained! I really can't say how grateful I am for how understanding everyone involved in finding us such wonderful places to live has been. Nina and Phillip really haven't been able to do enough to help us. Thank you.

Plus, what a place we've been staying in for the past few months here in Pueblo Namara (first in number 6 and now in number 4). Honestly, it's like living in a postcard. A roof terrace and balconies with panoramic sea views, watching the sun rise right out of the Mediterranean every morning, light and airy living spaces, an excellent kitchen, comfortable bedrooms, ample storage, a private pool ....the pictures can say for more than my words ever can.

Then there is the great outdoors. San Jose is set in the magnificent Cabo de Gata Natural Park, meaning that rather than being surrounded by high rise apartments, it's surrounded by lots of unspoiled countryside. As anyone who reads this blog knows, we love to get outside whether on foot or by bike and San Jose abounds with opportunities to do both. I've listed a few of our favourite walks in these posts here:

10 Hiking & Walking Routes in the Cabo de Gata Natural Park

Oh, and did I mention the beaches? Some of the best beaches and coastal walks in Spain just a short amble from our front door here at Pueblo Namara.

The unspoiled and secluded beaches of the Cabo de Gata Natural Park

Or if we're not feeling so active we can wander down into town to one of the many cafes and restaurants. Or, in the surrounding area, we could take a short drive into one of the other unspoiled villages of Cabo de Gata or further afield towards Almeria or Mojacar an easy and fun day trip away (or even an overnight trip to places like Granada and Cordoba).

12 Places To Visit & Things To Do In Cabo de Gata

And I've not even mentioned opportunities for diving, bike hire, sea kayaking, jet skiing, jeep tours and other things you can take part in right here in San Jose.

Still, for all of these possible activities and the wonderful accommodation available, San Jose wouldn't be the same without the vibrant and friendly community we have enjoyed being a part of. Motorhome touring has a lot of positives and you meet a lot of wonderful people, but on the whole they are passing encounters. Spending an extended period in one place, making lifelong friends and being able to both give and receive support from people has been a special part of our longer stays in San Jose.

Particularly this past 3 months unexpectedly raising puppies, the community has really come together to support us. From collecting up newspapers and towels to having puppies visit their house or walking them into town to help with socialisation, we've benefited hugely from the help of our friends in San Jose. We were especially touched that community came together to organise fundraising raffles to help with puppy costs. Some people painted pictures, some made preserves, other sold tickets....the winning pub quiz team even donated their prize money several times. I really can't say thank you enough for the practical support and encouragement.

Plus, being in a community means even more things to do. Largely for us this has been with other long term winter residents of San Jose putting on a range of organised events and activities: Christmas parties, weekly Padel Tennis, group walks, hiking trips, pub quizzes etc. Plus, alongside this there are local activities to be part of as well, like weekly Zumba and yoga classes in the village and other festivals and events taking place throughout the year. We've written about a few of them below:

The IX Trail Cabo de Gata Nijar

Pirates Storm The Beach At San Jose - Annual Festival

Padel Day - Bringing A Community Together

Basically, there is a lot going on that we can choose to be involved in or not depending on how we're feeling.

All of which, I hope, explains a little more about why we have enjoyed San Jose so much and feel so lucky to have come this way back on our first motorhome tour. It also includes a lot of the reasons that we are planning to come back for another long winter stay later in the year.

Also, now that we have to consider such things, San Jose also has a fantastic vet right here in the village with Animalfisio for anyone travelling with their pets.

For anyone else considering a trip to the south of Spain, whether for a long winter stay or a shorter trip, I would encourage anyone to consider San Jose...and if you are do get in touch with Nina and Phillip at SanJoseSpain.com - and especially check if one of the Pueblo Namara houses are available! :-)