Three years and 9 months.

We have been living our new life under the Spanish sun for so long. Time flies.

Especially when you receive people from all over the world every day and give them a unique B&B experience.

The constant coming and going of people could be considered annoying by many people, but for us it provides a constant new energy and new vibes in the house.

The stories of people, the life experiences and the unique encounters give us energy. It charges us.

Hardly a day goes by without us telling each other that we made the right choice.

Of course we would like to go back to Belgium and the Netherlands. Our roots are there.

But we are also always happy when we can return.

We spent a few days in Belgium and the Netherlands last week to celebrate our son Koen's birthday with his grandparents and nieces.

It was super fun again!

This week we also organised his children's party here at our home. Ten children in the swimming pool on 2 October at 31 degrees. What more could you want...

Oh yes, a piñata of course. :-)

The summer months were hot, to confirm a cliché, but for us that meant a full occupancy of the house. This summer we almost exclusively had guests from the Netherlands and Belgium who rented the house for 1 or 2 weeks each. Because as you probably remember, in the summer months we travel ourselves and rent out our house per week. That way guests can also enjoy our house and the beautiful surroundings in their own (private) way.

It is now time to start harvesting again. The olives are almost ripe while the almonds have almost all been harvested.

In the coming weeks we will start collecting the carob beans.

You may know the latter as a chocolate substitute or as a thickener for baby milk?

October also means for us the beginning of the change in our guest profile. The summer enjoyers make way for the hikers and cyclists.

The pool is still open until the end of October for a refreshing dip after an active day outdoors.

It is not news to our Facebook and Instagram followers, but it is to everyone else: we have had a saltwater pool for a few weeks now instead of a freshwater pool.

In practice, this means that we no longer have to throw chlorine tablets in our pool, but that the quality of our water is maintained by salt electrolysis. The water is now much healthier for the skin than before and you can feel it! The clarity is also phenomenal! No more irritated skin for people who are sensitive to chlorine and a much softer swimming pool experience!

Just to clarify: the salt content in the water is still 10x lower than that of the sea, so certainly do not compare it to seawater.

The water from a saltwater pool does not even taste of salt.

We have also had one of the many annual parties behind us. Five days full of music, dancing, food and drinks!

The Spanish certainly know how to party.

The week after the festivities, it is a lot quieter in the village, which is understandable after the days of partying :-)

For us, an ideal period to take our guests on a walk through the village and guide them through the surrounding nature.

The Pasarela gorge walk (www.pasareladerelleu.es) is gaining popularity every year, which for many is an ideal excursion before staying a few nights at Casa Pura Vida.

In the spring of 2025, the gorge walk will be further expanded with wooden walkways that take you even further along the impressive gorge of the Amadorio river.

Definitely worth it!

We hope you have enjoyed reading this update and of course we hope to welcome each of you to our B&B one day!