Amazing Sacramonte Gypsy Dinner in the Caves of Granada!

If you’re ever in Granada then you must see an authentic Gypsy Flamenco show….  knowing this, we booked one at Cueva de la Rocio and we were super excited for it.  We had decided to return to the best Hostel in Spain, El Granado and as we walked in to register we were informed that there was an authentic dinner experience at their friends Cave house uo in the hills of Sacromonte!  We had heard travelers rave about this experience and now we were in a conundrum….   We had just booked an official Flamenco show that started at 2200 (10pm) and the Caves dinner was at 17:00 and lasted at least until 2300.   We paid almost 80 Euros for the Flamenco show (1 hour long) and we didn’t want to lose our money but the authentic Caves dinner was so much more alluring…

We thought about it a bit and then decided, the hell with it….  we have an opportunity for something off the beaten path…  an authenitc, non-tourist type experience!  We decided this was so valuable that we would rather lose our money and go to the Caves.

It was an absolutely amazing experience from the get go!  Rachel and Sierra decided to take another free excursion offered by El Granado, the walking tour, which ended up at the Caves dinner.  Quinn decided to chill for a bit and then go with another group from the Hostel straight to the Caves dinner.  It was a beautiful walk of about 2km through the cobblestone streets of Granada as we slowly climbed up and up and up.

Our guide, Esmerelda, was an energetic, smiling ball of energy who never seemed to get tired as she paraded us up the mountain, chattering the whole time and telling us all about the place and the history- truly a highlight of the experience!

There were about 20 of us total and as we arrived at the home of Aurora we were led up onto the rooftop of her Cave home and plied with homemade Sangria as we sat and watched the sun set over the magnificant Muslim fortress, the Alhambra!

Everything was very relaxed and unlike the tourist places, there was no time schedule.  Aurora and her daughter cooked and came out periodically to fill us with more Sangria, funny jokes and saying and stories of Gypsy life in Sacramonte!   As the sun started to fade and twilight came, we moved downstairs to an outdoor courtyard with a massive dining room table.  As course after course came Aurora held court, telling us her story and the much about the Gypsy culture and history of this remarkable area!

We were able to get a personal tour of the Cueva (cave) where she lived and she talked of how her family had been raised there.  The most interesting thing was that she said as they had additonal children, they just dug deeper in and made another cave room!  It was remarkable!

As we got to know her Esmerelda told her that we had tickets to a Flamenco show but we had chosen to come here instead.  She asked where we had tickets and when we told her Cueva la Rocio, her face lit up with a smile and after a laugh she said, “You must go, those are my friends!”  At this point is was 9:50pm… the show started in 10 minutes and we were on the top of a mountain quite a distance away… she was not to be deterred!

She clapped her hands sharply 4 times and shot off a string of Spanish to Esmerelda who darted off.   She then picked up the phone and again, issued quick orders through the phone.   Within minutes we were hugged by her and promised to come back and see her again, and then Esmerelda was motioning for us to follow…

For the next 5 minutes we darted through sidestreets at a smooth but quick pace until almost out of breath we arrived at the taxi that she had called which had made its way up the mountain as far as it could go.  Esmerelda gave orders to the taxi driver who took us at light sped down the mountain where we pulled up to Cueva La Rocio!   It was 10:05…

As we entered we realized that Aurora had called her friends and they were holding the show for us!  We were walked straight into the show, sat down in front row seats and 30 seconds later the show started!

It was a completely different experience than the raw intimacy of the dinner at the Caves, but an amazing experience none the less!  To have both of these experiences in one night was one of the best things we’ve ever experienced!  The passion of these people is just breathtaing and inspiring….

We can’t wait to go back again and visit El Granado and Aurora!  If you are traveling through Granada we must tell you…  do NOT miss this experience!!!