Vejer v. Arcos

Both are so tiny I don't think comparing them makes as much as comparing the surroundings. I'd choose based on how either fits into your overall itinerary. Vejer would put you down at the coast, where there is a pretty orange sand beach, perhaps go eat seafood in Barbate/Zahara de los Atunes, etc. Arcos would put you closer to the park at Grazalema, Zahara de la Sierra, etc., if you are interested in hiking. Hope that helps--gorgeous area!

Thank you for your reply! If we stay at one is it easy to drive to the other?

Google maps is fairly reliable, just round up a bit. It really just depends on how much driving you like to do in a day!

I find Arcos to be more picturesque than Vejer, but in hot months Vejer will be much more pleasant.

Visiting one from the other is quick and easy by car, but Vejer is otherwise not a great base to visit the rest of the white villages (Grazalema, Zahara de la Sierra, Ubrique...).

If your goal is to see the white towns in that part of Andalucia, then out of the two towns you stated I’d choose Arcos de la Frontera over Vejer de la Frontera. With the exception of the area by Medina-Sidonia, the road between the two is fine. Even in that area, the road is in good repair. The two towns are 36 miles apart. There are a couple sights worth seeing in Medina-Sidonia. Personally, I’d stay in Ronda over the towns you mentioned, as it is livelier. In Arcos de la Frontera, other than the hilltop overlook, there is little else to the town. In Vejer, there are some windmills, and little else. It’s only about 5 miles from some beaches. I consider both towns sleepy, but good for relaxing.

Try to remember to use a town’s full name to ensure a proper reply since on occasion there are multiple towns with the same beginning. In this instance it didn’t matter much.

Thanks I think we will switch to arcos or ronda.
Any hotel recommendations? One recommendation I got was at a place right outside of Ronda, but I wouldn’t want to have to drive back-and-forth for dinner or to enjoy walking around at night. What do you all think?

We enjoyed Ronda and our stay (3 nights) at the Hotel Don Miguel overlooking the gorge back in 2010!

On our last trip to Ronda we stayed at Hotel San Gabriel, now named Soho Boutique Palacio San Gabriel. We were very pleased with it. It had parking just down the street at parking El Castillo. If we get back there again we’ll stay at the Parador since we haven’t stayed at that one yet. We never spent a night in Arcos de la Frontera as it was always a day trip from where we lived.