# cave houses



## Justina (Jan 25, 2013)

Good evening everyone,
Do any of you have any experience of cave houses? I've seen them several times on the net and I find them quite fascinating and wonder if any of you have been in one or even better lived in one. All I know is what I find on the net. Some look very dark but there are others where they seem to have built on a virtual house plus patio etc.
I suspect most of them are inland and possibly don't have access to internet etc. but if anyone knows more than I do, please tell me.
Thank you


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## Guest (Mar 9, 2013)

Yes,I've seen a few in the area near Guadix just east of Granada. I think they are where the troglodytes lived. Also, near Alhama de Granada there is a cave hotel. I've been several times for lunch. Fascinating place.


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## codex70 (Jun 24, 2012)

Troglodytes are cave men or people who live in caves, hence all cave houses are generally referred to as troglodyte houses. I saw some in the dordogne that looked quite spectactular, some of which had light wells cut up through the rock to light the back of the houses. They are supposed to keep a more even temperature throughout the year using the earth as a geothermal store, therefore keeping them warmer in winter and cooler in the summer. Having said all that, I have no first hand experience of what they're really like...


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## Justina (Jan 25, 2013)

codex70 said:


> Troglodytes are cave men or people who live in caves, hence all cave houses are generally referred to as troglodyte houses. I saw some in the dordogne that looked quite spectactular, some of which had light wells cut up through the rock to light the back of the houses. They are supposed to keep a more even temperature throughout the year using the earth as a geothermal store, therefore keeping them warmer in winter and cooler in the summer. Having said all that, I have no first hand experience of what they're really like...


Thanks for the info but more recently, well a bit before my time in Spain, they seemed to have been inhabited by gypsies and indeed a friend who grew up in barcelona had never heard of them. But I believe the gypsies moved out and since the houses or caves pay next to no tax are becoming more popular.
What I was looking for was info on areas closer to the sea where there could be some. I don't mean on top of a cliff even less an eroding cliff, but somewhere that is not too far from a paddle in the sea.


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## Navas (Sep 2, 2012)

I don't know of any by the sea but have stayed in a couple in Granada in the height of summer. No air conditioning needed. It's not just gypsies that live in them these days.


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## codex70 (Jun 24, 2012)

I was more inferring that anyone who lives in a cave is referred to as a troglodyte rather than prehistoric man (although I suspect this is where the term comes from).

Unfortunately I can't help with the rest of your search, but it does sound interesting!


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## djfwells (Sep 28, 2009)

I know of a Specialist Forum for Cave Dwellers in Spain if you want to PM me for the URL


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## Justina (Jan 25, 2013)

Thanks, and how do I organise a pm. Have done it but suspect it was pure luck.


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## Justina (Jan 25, 2013)

Tejeda,
Please give me a few more details of how it felt. Thanks.


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

Ive stayed in Caves in Huescar on several occasions, and theres someone on here that knows a lot about them and will no doubt answer soon

What I can say is all this talk about gypsies living in them is a little off the mark. A lot of Brits live in them, and a lot are fairly nicely fitted out. The bedrooms tend to be at the rear where light is not needed as much.

Here are pics of the one we stayed in






































http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e293/mitzyboy/Spain/Cave1.jpg


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## Justina (Jan 25, 2013)

Thanks for the photos Stravinsky the houses are really great.


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## Guest (Mar 10, 2013)

Well, just east of Malaga there is a small town called Rincon de la Victoria. That is right next to the sea. Someone there you will find cave houses. I have seen caves in the area and smaller caves that may have been inhabited.


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## pete_l (Feb 12, 2010)

Justina said:


> Good evening everyone,
> Do any of you have any experience of cave houses? I've seen them several times on the net and I find them quite fascinating and wonder if any of you have been in one or even better lived in one. All I know is what I find on the net. Some look very dark but there are others where they seem to have built on a virtual house plus patio etc.
> I suspect most of them are inland and possibly don't have access to internet etc. but if anyone knows more than I do, please tell me.
> Thank you


I have a cave house. Let's see if I can give you a flavour of what they're like.
First of all, no two are the same! The ones around here were dug in about 1950. Though the nature of things means that a lot of them got ad-hoc additions, for example when the inhabitants' family got larger - it was possible (not any more, to many regulations) to just dig another bedroom. All the ones here in Cuevas del ***** (nr. Benamaurel in Granada) have all "mod cons": heat, light electricity, drainage, water, internet, satellite TV, etc.,
The rooms tend to long and thin. Mine are typically 5 - 6 metres long and about 2.5m wide. That sort of size isn't ideal and it kinda limits the rooms' use to some extent. It's difficult to make the rooms wider without making the ceilings impractically high - as the ceiling has to be arched to support the weight of the rock above your head.
The general format, as already mentioned is to have the living rooms at the front, with small andalucian windows (small to keep the winter cold and summer heat out) and the bedrooms to the read, usually leading off one or more of the living rooms. That means the bedrooms are very, very dark at night - and with 5-foot thick walls, very very quiet, too.
The houses are generally all on one level, although some are two-storey with stairs. Generally tiled floors and white-painted interior walls to lighten the place up a bit. You may hear stories about how cave-houses retain a constant interior temperature all year round. That's just an estate agent's little joke - nothing could be further from the truth. They do stay gloriously cool in the summer 20C inside when it's 40C outside. But in winter they need heating, just like any other house.

What's the draw? Well, they are cheaper than "ordinary" houses. But that tends to be due to their rural location, than any intrinsic value. Being rural properties, a lot of them have been inherited and the owners don't live in them, but just spend a few holiday weekends a year there. Also, being rural they can be fairly remote - good or bad, depending on what you want.
Probably the biggest drawback is that none of the walls are straight, square or flat. It makes things like fitted wardrobes tricky, and kitchen units have to be hand-fitted to account for the contours in the rooms. Also the locals who built the ones round here are a lot shorter than northern europeans. Hence the doorways are a lot lower (mind your head!), the furniture they put in then tends to be too small and the kitchen units are too low. All this can be remedied, but if you are offered one "ready to move in", make sure the bed is long enough and yur feet won't be sticking out the end.


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## Justina (Jan 25, 2013)

Thanks for your reply andthere are always drawbacks, unfortunately. We dream on.


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