Boutique hotels
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Casa la Siesta
- Style
- Andalucian amour
- Setting
- Vejer’s final frontier
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V Boutique Hotel
- Style
- Very Moorish
- Setting
- Hilltop pueblo blanco
Cadiz Province Overview
Spain
- Countryside
- Sweeping sands and sierras
- Country life
- Where the wind blows
South of Seville and within touching distance of Africa, Cadiz Province – at the very bottom tip of western Europe – is a beguiling mix of Moorish and Castilian cultures.
In the cities of Cadiz and Jerez, you’ll find mosques that have been adapted into churches, Arabic arches beneath filigree detailing on houses, and tajines and tapas sharing menu space. Out in the mountainous countryside, hill-clinging whitewashed villages hover over beautiful national parks and the region’s unspoilt coastline, allowing you a bird’s-eye view of some of Spain’s most perfect playas.
Completely Cadiz Province
You can still find old-fashioned men-only barbers’ shops dotted throughout the region, though, as they’re run and populated almost solely by octogenarians, it’s unlikely they’ll last long into the 21st century. Pop in for a trim and a wet shave while you can. Ladies – you’ll have to wait outside…
Local knowledge
- Taxis
- Cabs are cheap and, in towns, can be hailed in the street. They display a green ‘libre’ notice or green light at night if they are available.
- Tipping culture
- Aim to leave 10 per cent of the bill in restaurants; if it’s drinks and tapas you’re having, just a couple of euros will suffice.
- Siesta and fiesta
- During the week, banks and shops close from 2pm–5pm, and at 2pm on Saturdays. Restaurants and bars, especially in the cities, aren’t busy until well after 9pm.
- Packing tips
- Sunhats and parasols to keep off the heat, jumpers for when the levante winds get too cool, a gung-ho spirit so that you can try kite-surfing at Tarifa.
- Recommended reads
- Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe’s Fury is a swashbuckling tale of derring do at the 1811 siege of Cadiz. The Four Voyages of Christopher Columbus, by the great conquistador himself, includes tales of setting off New Worldwards from the province.
- Cuisine
- Regional cooking in Cadiz Province makes use of the abundance of fine ingredients available in the area. This means you’ll find plenty of fresh fish – especially shrimp, lobster, sea snails and delicious Sanlúcar prawns – around the coast, while inland dishes feature lots of beef, pork, game and goat, often in stews. Many employ the world-renowned wines, sherries and brandies that are produced in the region.
- Currency
- Euro (€).
- Dialling codes
- Spain: 34. Cadiz Province: 956.
- Do go/don't go
- Cadiz Province is at one of Europe’s most southerly points, so it’s hot, hot, hot all year round. Summer can be uncomfortably sizzling, but spring and autumn are more temperate.
Don't go home without...
Getting a free natural beauty treatment at Canos de Meca beach. This cool hippy hangout offers ‘magic mud’ that you can smother all over your body – after a natural sand exfoliation, of course – to get your skin glowing.
