The good thing about the Baza and Guadix areas is the vast variety of towns, scenery and things to see and do - and the locals are great. As you say Cortes de Baza is a great place if you want the quiet life with beautiful surroundings near the river and Lake Negratin but it does have the disadvantage of being on the edge of the area and a bit of a drive to the motorway and the larger supermarkets, hospital, secondary schools, cultural events, etc. in Baza and Guadix.
You can really be picky when looking in the general area because there are dozens of nice towns and villages spread out across the "Altiplano" or high plain of Granada from Huescar down to Baza and Guadix (lots of them near the motorway and the larger towns) and you can literally pick your surroundings whether you want greenery, mountains, forests, lakes, plains or desert. I've always particularly liked the area between Baza and Guadix between the Baza Park and Lake Negratin where you have views to the Sierra Nevada ski range around the towns of Gor, Bacor, Gorafe, etc. Also, the motorway connections to the area are great from the coast and surrounding capitals of Granada, Almeria, Murcia and Jaen. Probably the best information I've seen on the area and the biggest selection of properties I've seen has been at the estate agency Rusticom Andalucia in Baza www.rusticom.co.uk
I think you should take a good look around the entire area and you'll probably find a town or location you'll particullarly like. Best of luck!
This message was last edited by tony.c on 05/05/2009.