La Alpujarra - La Alpujarra is the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, where you'll find terraced orchards of citrus fruit, almonds, olives, cherries and grapes. You'll see wild mountain goats and boar, and if you love birding you'll see everything from eagles to partridges. The air is amazingly clear here, among the Berber (Arab) white washed villages of La Atalaya, Bubion, Capileira, Fondales, Mecina, Mecinilla, Portugos, Pampaneira or Trevelez, the highest town in Spain. This is a great place for kids to shop for textiles of all kinds in the local craft shops.

Go downhill or cross-country skiing - It's a lot less expensive in Spain than in places more famous for their skiing and you're likely to be skiing in sunshine, since the Sierra Nevadas are the southernmost skiing area in Europe (winter and spring skiing). With 60 kilometers of trails, there's something for every type of skier and snow machines make sure that Spanish sun doesn't melt it all away. (Lessons for kids or adults.)