"Once again the food & hospitality from Ivan & David was excellent. I have no hesitation in recommending the Hotel Bandolero, its a great break away from city life." Ernest - Gibraltar 13/02/2011
"El olor a alhucema y azahar del limonero (olfato), el sabor de la sopa veguera y los "miura" (gusto), el paisaje agreste y natural (vista), la escogida musica del bar que nos acompaña durante el desayuno y el aperitivo (oido), el tacto de las sabanas y el confort del edredon (tacto); pero lo mejor, el ambiente amable y familiar que consiguen crear sus dueños. Volveremos." Myriam y Jose Carlos - Cádiz, España 28/02/2011
" We appreciated your kindness so much right from the vey moment we arrived. Every meal was so delicious & we enjoyed staying here very much indeed! Stay well & we will keep in touch." John & June F. - Port Owen, South Africa 08/09/2010
"You guys are the best ever. Betsey & I felt like we were treated like royalty at your little bit of heaven. We could not have asked for more….the total ability to relax and enjoy Ivan’s spectacular cooking & infectious smile was wonderful. You can be very proud of all that you do for your guests…you’ve totally spoiled us." Bob & Betsey - MA, USA 25/05/2010
"The food, my God..... the best !!!" Rafael & Dee - Yonkers, NY, USA 28/04/2010
Hotel snapshot:
- Eight large double rooms, includes two suites;
- Gorgeous views of the surrounding nature, walks from hotel;
- Cordon Bleu chef & good selection of Ronda wines;
- Surrounded by four natural parks, excellent for walking and birding;
- Peace and quiet, great escape location;
- Lovely pool, salon and room terraces with views;
- Ideal location for group holidays with friends or family;
- Dining room can accommodate up to 55 diners for group meals;
- Location where you'll find traditional Spain.
Welcome to Júzcar, the world's first Smurf village.
In the spring of 2011, Juzcar was selected by Sony Pictures España to be the venue of an international promotional event for the then upcoming summer film release of "The Smurfs 3D" which included painting the village Smurf blue. All the residents of the village had to (and did) agree to have the white facades of their houses painted Smurf blue. The paint job took about three weeks to complete using over nine thousand liters of Smurf blue paint. On 16 June 2011, Sony held an international press event to promote their soon to released block-buster film with children from the Upper Genal Valley participating as well as member of the press and villages residents from the surrounding areas. After the event, Juzcar's residents had all agreed that the village would remain blue through the end of the summer but unbeknownst to them, the theme of a blue village was so unusual that the people started coming and that traffic has, as of March 2012, not yet stopped. In December 2011, a referendum was held in the village to determine when the village would revert to white; the outcome of the vote was for the village to remain Smurf blue for the foreseeable future. Sony has also announced a second film to be released in August 2013, Smurfs 2 (Smurfs are called "Pitufos" in Spain).
Prior to being painted blue, Juzcar was a traditional white village for hundreds of years and no doubt will revert to being a white village again at some point in the future (no date set for that). As a typical Andalucian white village, Juzcar had the traditional offerings of any white village, Easter procession during Semana Santa, annual Andalucian Romería in June, annual fiesta of their patron saint in August as well as being quite a well placed central location for visiting many interesting sites in Andalucia, both cultural and natural. Here in Juzcar, one can still see eagles soaring on the hunt, vultures swirling in packs high in the sky and hundreds of spring time wild flowers bursting with color; one can enjoy quiet nights with a star filled sky, walks through the countryside on any one of the trails connecting the area's several villages or across the top of the mountain through the Riscos. The area is also quite suitable for photography, painting, mountain cycling and wild mushroom hunting.
While it is true that life in the village of Juzcar has changed and the village, for the most part, is no longer sleepy, Juzcar is still a destination well worth exploring from a nature lover's perspective. And for those coming for the Smurfs, at the moment the best time is at the weekends when the Smurf Market in the village plaza is open with various stalls as well as the village Smurf Store. There is also a tourist office in the village plaza with local activity information.
n
Hotel Bandolero remains the same lovely and charming hotel it has always been. Eight spacious double rooms, six with wood-burning stoves and terraces with fantastic views of the surrounding glorious nature. The restaurant continues to provide quality food delivered by the in-house Cordon Bleu trained chef.
White village of Júzcar in the Genal Valley, the village "before"
Smurf blue village of Júzcar in the Genal Valley with chestnuts in flower,
Smurf blue for summer 2011
