Profile information
Host rating
80 %
Last replied
21 Aug 2025
Reply rate
64.3 %
Usually responds within 10 days
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Details
Description
Help needed: I'm looking for some help with a traditional townhouse in Andalucia, with 4 main areas:
DIY (painting a wall, oiling a door, putting up shelves etc)
Creative tasks (recycling and constructing things from reclaimed wood, upholstery, quilting etc)
Plant care (watering house plants, plus additional care depending on experience (propagation etc)
Location: This is a townhouse in a pueblo blanco north of Ronda in Andalucia called Olvera, voted most beautiful town in Cadiz by National Geographic. It’s a small town, surrounded by olive grove-covered hills and lovely areas for walks and hikes and to enjoy nature. Within an hour you can be in some great rock climbing or mountain hiking areas. Within 1.5-2 hours you can reach all the main cities of Andalucia, so it's a perfect location to use as a base for exploring the region.
The house is near the top of the village, close to the castle and has lovely views, as well as great sunsets and night skies. Im in the old town, so it’s a good chance to see traditional spain, practice your Spanish and disconnect. There’s lots of space to be alone, work on personal projects, or do some yoga in the fresh air on the roof.
Host: I'm in my early 40s, from Scotland and have spent most of my adult life working and travelling abroad. I work mostly in the charity/NGO sector but have also had my own baking business and worked as a gardener, amongst other things (including lots of workawaying myself).
I enjoy spending time with people from all different backgrounds and getting to know different cultures, languages and ways of life. I’m very open-minded and love a good chat.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
DIY and building projects
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Interests
Events & social
Vegetarian or vegan
Politics / Social justice
Culture
Charity work
Writing
Plant care
Music
Languages
Cooking & food
Gardening
DIY & crafts
Books
Art & design
Animals
Yoga / Wellness
Outdoor activities
Water sports
Nature
Dancing
Beach
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Olvera is a great place to practice your Spanish, as the locals are friendly and very few can speak English. It's an opportunity to live in an authentic andalucian town away from the expat populations along the coastline and cities. If you are here for a while it could be possible to arrange private Spanish lessons, and depending on the month, flamenco lessons.
I'm from the UK, love to chat with new people, and always up for a cultural discussion..
If you're new to vegetarian cooking or vegan baking I can teach you some things.
Help
Right now I'm urgently looking for somebody with a vehicle who can help me pick up some things as I don't drive.
Otherwise: It’s a big old house with constant little DIY/maintenance projects.
The things just now are:
-Drilling holes for screws into walls
-Oiling outdoor wood (door, pergola)
-Helping with creative projects with reclaimed wood (screen, daybed, boxes)
- daily plant watering
-Specialists skills that are useful:
-Upholstery for 2 ugly chairs
- house plant propagation
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate
French: IntermediateThis host offers a language exchange
I’m a native English speaker with upper intermediate French and lower intermediate Spanish. I’d love to chat in any of these and help you improve your English if you’re looking for that.
Accommodation
Your own room in the house with either your own or shared bathroom/toilet.
We are sharing the living areas but there’s enough space to have your own place for personal time/projects/solo practice.
I’m vegetarian and will cook some meals. When I'm not available to cook, you're welcome to cook for yourself, otherwise there are several restaurants close by. It’s ideally a vegetarian kitchen (there are loads of options for affordable meat/fish tapas in town).
What else ...
The house is in the town of Olvera. It's a beautiful old town in the hills between seville and malaga. There is a cycleway that runs through the town (the Via Verde, along the old railway line), and if you are a keen cyclist it's also a great area for climbs. I have bikes here that you can borrow.
If you have a car/are a very fit cyclist, this area is great for exploring and activities. There are beautiful lakes and lovely little villages to visit.
For rock climbers, El Chorro is an hour or so away and there are lots of good spots closer by, including a wall in the village.
There are tennis and Padel courts and a gym , and all the shops and bars you could need, but it is a very provincial town. I go for day trips to the cities to see the sea etc.
Olvera is a very chilled out place to be, nice and relaxing but still in a town so you're not completely cut off. It’s in a traditional area so there are often traditional events on (ferias, Semana Santa processions etc).
I do not have a vehicle so if you don't have one either you would need to get a bus here. There are 1-2 buses a day from Malaga, Sevilla, Cadiz (1.5-2hrs), Ronda and Jerez (1hr).
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
I don’t have actual desks but I have various places you can work from (tables/sofas/chairs) and the internet speed is pretty good (I wfh online with no problems).
Space for parking camper vans
There is no parking space immediately outside the house (which is in the oldtown) but there are various places you can park it not too far from the house.
Can possibly accept pets
There’s a little patio and a roof terrace so no actual garden but you can get into the countryside for dog walks from the end of my road. If your pet doesn’t scratch or do the toilet on furniture they’re welcome! If they do I’m really sorry but no.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
My animals / pets
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback (6)
The place is magnificent, surrounded by nature and a place stopped in time, and Lara was incredibly supportive, making us feel at home right from the start. The work was well organised, leaving us time to explore the surroundings.
We… read more
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(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
The place is magnificent, surrounded by nature and a place stopped in time, and Lara was incredibly supportive, making us feel at home right from the start. The work was well organised, leaving us time to explore the surroundings.
We… read more
I felt she's a very flexible and adaptable person and seemed like she had the perfect energy for the house which made me happy and at ease with… read more
I stayed there for almost 3 weeks and I loved the place from the beginning until the end. Unfortunately I could not get to know Lara herself, but even though I never met her, it felt like I build up kind of a relationship with her during my stay. She was always reachable, helpful, patient and empathetic, as well as she… read more
She’s kind of that ‘perfect workawayer’ - amazingly capable and an awesome character… read more
