What can anyone tell me of this area? Where to stay? Best beaches? Can you swim in September. Want to visit several pretty beaches and stay in a smaller "typically Spanish" town. I have heard that Barbate or El Puerto de Santa Maria are possibilities;
What do you think? Any others?
Posted by
Paris
6888 posts
The coast is beautiful and has good beaches. The ocean isn't always super warm but in early September it should be as warm as it gets - 70F or so.
Puerto de Santa María does not have particularly good beaches in my opinion, and is a bit too urban. In that area, beaches in Chipiona are better...
But I think you should aim to go south of Cadiz. Barbate has a good beach but the town is very average. Conil de la Frontera would be better, in my opinion. And my favorite town in the area is Vejer de la Frontera: not on the beach, but a short drive away, and very, very charming.
While in the area, try to visit the Roman ruins of Baelo Claudia (Bolonia).
A car is a must in all of these locations.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
6528 posts
That’s a pretty large area extending from San Roque/Gibraltar west to the Portugal border. Barbate and Zahara de los Atunes have nice beaches although I haven’t spent much time in either. From either there are some nearby small towns worth short visits. The part of that coast I’m familiar with is between Cadiz and San Lucar de la Barrameda. I generally don’t think of Puerto de Santa María as a beach, or even tourist, destination. I was last there in 2011 when Spain was in recession and Puerto was pretty dirty with a lot of unemployed just hanging out. I’d like to think it has changed since then. Rota has a nice beach and is a small town. The Duque de Nájera hotel is very nice. Between Rota and Chipiona is the Playa de la Luz Hotel. It is very popular. Rota, Chipiona, and San Lucar are all typically Spanish. Rota’s beach is much improved from when I lived there. Chipiona and San Lucar are sleepy towns with little to do other than go to the beach. There is a Spanish navy base at Rota and there are Americans stationed there. Both Puerto and Rota have ferry service to Cadiz. Jerez de la Frontera is about a 20 minute drive from Rota, and San Lucar, less from Puerto. Tourist season ends about mid-September and some businesses in Rota close for the season about the same time. You can still swim in September.
If you ever considered going to a bullfight, both Puerto de Santa María and San Lucar have bullrings with the bull fighting season ending in September or early October. Puerto also has a small castle with somewhat irregular open hours.