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| Exhilarating | 9/10  |
|---|---|
| Uniqueness | 10/10 |
| Value for Money | 10/10 |
| Reviewer Rating | 10/10 |
| Overall Rating | 5/10  |
Full review by
pickseh
expert review 
on 25th Nov 2006
User Rating : 10
Respect :
0
Good Points: I've been to Desert Riders Spain four times now and the place is absolutely fantastic. I love it! You can make your trip as relaxing and chilled or as upbeat as you want as they'll completely tailor a holiday around you. I love it there and I go to forget about work, soak up the sun and gallop through the desert with the wind in my hair. I wish I could live there actually! They are very reasonable on their prices compared to other companies. There are quite a few adventure trekking places springing up around Spain as I think this idea is catching on a bit and I've been trekking with quite a few different ones. I can honestly say none of them offer you the freedom, value for money and great scenery as these people. That brings me onto the scenery. Well, it's breathtaking. the first time I went there, it was in August and very hot! I got out of the car and stood in front of the Villa and just looked around me and it took my breath away. For as far as the eye can see in every direction it's uninterrupted views of mountains and the sunsets they have are out of this world!! There's this castle which sits on top of a hill just across the way from them in front of the Villa and the sun sets right behind it, it's truly beautiful. I took some really great pictures while I was there, in fact if you like photography you'll have a field day! You should just go on their website and have a look through their gallery. There's loads of pictures on there, including me actually and some of the other guests they've had stay! I've taken friends and family there and everyone I took loved it too. One thing which is different about them is their location. It's absolutely spot on. You go just 20 minutes in a car from Almeria airport to get to them and the roads are really good, I think the Spanish only did them all up very recently so they're not like these other places where it's miles and miles on bumpy dirt tracks up the side of a mountain with perilous drops on either side! Trust me, I've been to a few of those and I was scared of driving off the edge! No, this place is brilliant, it's so easy to find. The roads to it are excellent and really straight forward to find. This means it's not so daunting to get a hire car; in fact having your own car is brilliant, cause you have loads of freedom to go anywhere you want. You can explore the area, drive into town, drive down to Mojacar Playa, go to the beach or go to Fort Bravo, the actual original film set where they filmed all those Spaghetti Westerns! They're all within reasonable distance. It's amazing, you go there and you feel you're in the middle of absolutely nowhere, and that you've stepped back in time. When you're riding through the desert you really feel like you could be in one of those scenes on the Clint Eastwood films. In fact I rode through the exact same valleys that he rode through in The Good the Bad and the Ugly! It was fantastic, I even recognised it off the film. It put hairs up on my arms! They film loads of stuff round there and you can't blame them really. The landscape is really diverse. You can be riding through cactus fields one minute, then up a rocky mountain path, then galloping across a vast flat mountain plateau, then going through salt flats surrounded by these big imposing mountain ranges. Then plodding through little winding paths in between the fields past Tumbledown Old Fincas and the old abandoned Emerald mines, then you can be riding through the big Canyons they have, yes, Canyons, it sounds like Arizona or something not Spain! They've got a really good arena as well, so if you want any lessons or want to just do some jumping or flat-work then that's there for you too. Their horses are really well trained and they really know what they're doing. I love Spain but I've often found some Spanish trekking centres sort of treat their horses like cattle. Carole and Robert treat their horses like family and they are very experienced. Carole ran BHS approved riding schools in the UK all her life practically and you can really tell. I would class myself as an experienced and very competent rider who's just been out of the saddle for a long time due to work and other commitments. Going to Villa Roxmar just made me pine to own my own horses again! Or at least make more of an effort to get out and ride back in the UK! But if you're a rider yourself reading this you'll know what I mean when I say it's just not the same riding in the UK. It's often a wet, windy, muddy, freezing cold affair and while that can be really exhilarating, there's really nothing like chilling out with the sun on your back and two cold San Miguels in your saddlebags! Honestly, I'm waffling now but that's how much respect I have for these people. They're obviously two very hard working people who took a chance and sold up everything to live out their dream of running a trekking centre in the sun and all credit to them, they have a beautiful place there. Another thing I like is that they take very small groups so you get a very personal touch to the service and so they cater really well for all levels of riding unlike other places I have been to. Some places that boast all sorts of things on their website but when you get there they just let you ride round the block, mostly roadwork, or stay in an arena and 9 times out of 10 you'll be in a big group of people and everything's really regimented. Right, we trot from this tree to that tree, then stop for lunch at exactly 12pm, then mount up again at precisely 12.30pm etc., like it's the army or something. It's always the same route they take you and the scenery is never anything like what they say. But this place really is different. Because they're right on the edge of National Park and unspoilt scenery in every direction, they have a pick of limitless routes in any direction you like. And they give you a lot of freedom. Every day I woke up with the sun beaming down and sat down for breakfast with them. They asked me, where do you fancy going today then? I'd say, it looks great up in that direction, whats up there? They'd explain, we'd agree on a plan for the day and how much riding I wanted to do, then that was it, we were off! They'll come and sit and have a drink with you at the end of the day and a good chat, they're not standoffish like some places can be. They're just really friendly and nice people. They're not some professionally run hotel or anything like that, so don't be afraid of some rural charm, you're not walking into a Hilton or anything, but I personally think that's part of the charm. If you do go there one thing I would recommend is that you do try to get out a little bit while you're there and have a drive into Tabernas. It's this lovely sleepy little Spanish village with all whitewashed houses and everyone sat outside drinking coffee in the streets and little cafes. If you are going to venture out into Tabernas though, be prepared and take a phrase book with you! If you go into a shop they will try their best to speak English to you but bear in mind this isn't Lloret or Benidorm, this is the proper real Spain and they are Spanish people, not all English ex-pats! That said, if you do want all that while you're here, you can just drive another half an hour or so down to Mojacar Playa and there the beach is lined with countless bars, clubs, restaurants, souvenir shops etc. and they're all geared to tourists. So I guess it's the best of both Worlds really. You're really getting away from it all but it's all there for you, within reach if you still want it.
Bad Points: I can't think of any bad points really, I've loved it every time I went. The only consideration, I would say, is to bear in mind that they're not a fancy hotel, just a family run B&B, so do be prepared for that rustic charm. Also, Tabernas the nearest village, isn't all touristy and full of English people, so it helps to speak at least a little bit of Spanish, they'll really appreciate it as well. Although, I always found that they all do make a big effort to speak English, bear in mind you're in the real Spain there so it does help to keep a phrase book handy! Also, make sure you take loads of sun tan lotion, especially if you go in the summer months as it can get very hot! Make sure you get a hire car so you can get around, they're very cheap. Remember also you're right in the heart of the Campo there, its desert and can be very unforgiving terrain - if you decide to go out for a walk round the area on your own, make sure you take loads of water with you as you can get dehydrated easily, be careful you don't get lost and also watch out for snakes. They're fairly rare and do tend to keep out your way but just in case, don't go trampling through any bushes or lifting up and stones! Oh and make sure you don't overdo it on the riding if you're not very fit. It's easily done as there's so many places you'll want to see but you'll be walking like John Wayne the next day if you're not careful!
General comments: All in all, I can't recommend this place enough. Go and find out for yourself! Go against the grain a little bit and have a holiday with a difference that you'll really remember and look back on really fondly!
pickseh's review and ratings | 1743 words | 1 comment added.
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