Let a vibrant oasis blossom in Andalusia, Spain

Good day to you, happy travelers and nature lovers!

I am Corona. In 2023 I bought this piece of Land with the dream to slowly build up a retreat center. At that time the property was neglected and now we are in the middle of a large restauration process in house and garden.

There are plenty of creative ideas of how to make this space even more beautiful than it is right now. Since November 2024 we have been hosting volunteers. We live together, exchange, grow, looking what we can do with our hands and what we have inside that wants to come out and grow. We love music, sometimes my daughter did some singing circles, sometimes we or friends do music jams. 

Keeping in mind to do everything we do and think in worship of life, nature and all beings.

I am from Germany and I keep going back there to earn the money for the renovation. My daughter spends a lot of time in El Alambique, taking care of the garden and doing some of the renovation. Our neighbor and friend Zulma is in charge of preparing the flats for renting. Our friend Kalo does most of the renovation work.

We are located in the mountains in the west of Málaga on a steep hillside plot of one hectare in Algatocín. This town is located in a part of Andalusia that has a relatively large amount of water. There are forests with cork oaks and pines, beautiful rivers and hiking trails. You can visit our website on www.alambique.nl.

One of the four houses is the old mill from the 18th century with thick stone walls. It was first a distillery (in Arab/Spanish Alambique) for brandy. After the industrial revolution at the beginning of the 19^th century small distilleries were not rentable anymore, so the Alambique was turned into a mill for olive oil. In the mill there is space for many people, though only one room with a door to close.

There are three more houses. Each of them has one or two bedrooms. In wintertime we heat with wood ovens. From time to time we rent out houses to finance part of the maintenance costs.

Lately we renovated the chicken coop where now three family members live. The garden is really steep with some terasses, may fruit and olive trees and the beginning of a vegetable garden. 

There is a lot of renovation work to do and some garden work as well. The kind of work that needs to be done changes with the season and the progress of renovation. When you get in touch I can tell you what needs to be done in near future. If possible I try to distribute the work in a way that meets the volunteers’ interests and talents.

There are two different kinds of offers: Free housing für 10 hours of work a week and free housing and food for 20 hours of work a week.

The day:

Usually we rise with the sun. The first morning hours are for some quiet time for meditation, yoga, drinking chocolate or tea, and soft guitar practice. At 9:00 we have reunion to exchange about how we feel, how we are doing with our tasks, coordinate new tasks for this day and, for those who want, to have breakfast.

Usually we take it in turns to do the cooking. We have one meal together between 4 and 5 p.m..

The food we prepare and share is vegetarian with many herbs and fruits from the garden. We buy most of the vegetables from friends who grow their own food.

During retreat times I offer a yoga and meditation practice starting at 7 a.m..

Where we are working at in this moment:

• In the mill there is a spring coming out of the wall and we are right now renovating the pond where the water is falling to save the house from too much humidity
• We roofed the mill in the past few months. Now we need to paint the walls with lime as is the tradition in the South of Spain.
• The watering system coming from our spring needs constant attention, as well as the trees, the paths, the garden, fences, the chicken, …
• One of the next projects will be to construct a roof terrace with a pergola.
• There are always many other smaller or bigger tasks coming up. 😉

We enjoy the company of self-reflected and responsible people, tolerance, awareness, consciousness and authentic communication. Sometimes we work in groups, sometimes by ourselves.

At the moment we are looking for people who have experience in cementing, painting and tiling.

We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind (political views, vaccination status, ethnic groups). In our eyes every human being has their own way and inner wisdom. It is a place for healing, therefore alcohol and illegal drugs are not allowed.

Don’t hesitate to ask questions to see if this is the right place for you. We would like to have a telephone conversation with volunteers in advance.

Have a wonderful travel!