Scattered around the southern end of the lake are picnic areas, each table complimented by a barbeque and all with fantastic views of the lake and mountains behind.

The lake took its name from the nearby village of La Vinuela, which nestles in a valley supporting olive groves and lower down, cereal crops. The village was named after small vines found in the area when the village was merely a refreshment stop on the route from the coast to Granada.

The inn which fed and watered weary travellers in the 18th Century is still there on the narrow main street and these days it serves as a meeting place and refuge for the old men of the village who meet for a game of dominoes and the local farmhands escaping the midday sun. Also of interest in the small town is the 16th Century church of San José containing a fine sculpture of the Pieta.

Two tributaries of the River Velez, the Guaro and the Seco, run through the municipality of which the Guaro was dammed to create the reservoir that can hold 170 million cubic metres of water.