This month’s excursion to ‘somewhere new’ takes us up to Atarfe to a place called El Restaurante Ermita Los Tres Juanes, which is well worth a visit!
Besides the restaurant itself, which has spectacular views, especially as dusk falls, there is a go-kart track close by and a pictureque chapel complete with peacocks in the gardened area.
For those that want to take a walk, rather than chase peacocks or hurtle around a go-kart track, there is also a walk in the woods not too far away.
As said before, the mirador looks out over the Granada plains (vega) with views to the Sierra Nevada and even La Alhambra if you are a hawk-eye.
The Restaurant is sat on an old Moorish castle, hence its elevated position with a good all round view.
As for the food, diners can either eat on the roof terrace where there is a BBQ or below on the dining-area terrace with its excellent views too. As for the food, the menu is reasonably priced and covers a wide range of dishes and wines, including vegetarian-friendly and gluten-free options.
The opening hours are 13:00h to 16:00h and 20:00h a 23:30h. A reservation is a must which you can make by calling 958 512 736.
If you fancy some break-neck driving, but in something smaller than the car you drove up in, then the nearby Go-Karting facilities is the thing for you. Check out when they’re open on 958 100 355 / 649 246 112 or by email: info@rckart.com.
Not only can you hire go-karts, scooters and minibikes, but you can also purchase go-karts and their accessories there!
What more? You’ve also got the Kiosco de Los Tres Juanes right next door, which is a gardened area with a small bar-cum-kiosk with a small artificial lake, and of course, there is the Ermita itself which has the best views of all.
This religious building is located on the Cerro del Castillejo in the Sierra Elvira. The Ermita de los Tres Juanes was built in 1941 and is dedicated to St John the Evangelist, St John the Baptist and St John of God, although it has never been used for religious purposes.
It was restored in the 1990s and turned into a socio-cultural centre. The Museum of Natural Sciences is located here. It is advisable to phone 958 439 008 to check out opening times.
How to get there and assuming you don’t have sat nav or a smartphone: there are two routes; one straight up the A-44 until your eyes bleed and then get off at the Atarfe junction. The other one is longer but more picturesque and takes you past El Pantano de Bermejales (via the Cabra/Otívar road) and through small villages until you arrive at Atarfe. If you do have sat nav (if not, then at least a smartphone) the finer details of how to get there, you can get using that, instead of using up space here.
(News/Excursion: Los Tres Juanes, Atarfe, Granada, Andalucia)