Costa de la Luz and surrounding region

Solar fields and wind farms

2009-06-06T02:27:00.000-07:00

This trip we saw the first solar field operating in Vejer. For a long time now we've grown used to the increasing number of wind turbines lazily spinning across the hillsides. But this is the first time we've seen the addition of a new solar panel farm. Although the panels have a lower profile, they don't have the same aesthetic appeal. It's great that Andalucia is using sustainable energy solutions but it will be a shame if every last square inch gets covered. It could end up as ugly as the plastic covered landscape of Almeria in the East, albeit with a more positive environmental benefit.

Zahara de los Atunes - Costa de la Luz

2007-07-08T04:57:00.000-07:00

Zahara de los Atunes is unique on the Costa de la Luz in that it has retained the atmosphere of its roots as a small fishing village. There are many execllent restaurants here selling the local catch of the day and in the summer months you'll find small bars - Chiringuitos - erected on its wonderful sandy beach were you can listen to local musicians or watch flamenco dancers into the wee hours.

Market day in Conil

2007-07-04T12:32:00.000-07:00

Conil is our closest town with a weekly street market. Every Friday you'll find a large section of the car park down on the beach given over to market stalls selling clothes and linens, household goods, designer sun glasses, olives, spices and other foods.

If you miss Conil on the Friday, other towns in the Costa de la Luz region have their market days as follows:

Monday - Cadiz, Jerez
Tuesday - Chiclana, Chutane, El Puerto de Santa Maria
Wednesday - Rota
Thursday - San Fernando
Sunday - Seville (Alameda de Hercules) and jerez from 11am until 2pm (Plaza del Mercado & Calle Muro you'll find the Rastro or flea Market)

Kite surfing at Tarifa

2007-06-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

Tarifa is regarded as the world's third wind surfing capital. It's also increasingly a mecca for kite surfers. Well to be accurate, our favourite place is just outside Tarifa at Valdevaqueros - the venue for the bwin Kitesurf Pro Competition 2006 were Aaron Hadlow won the mens freestyle Kite Surf competition to confirm his place as the 2006 PKRA world champion.

Valdevaqueros is the sister establishment to the Club Mistral windsurfing school at the Hurricane Hotel a little further down the coast - about 5Km from Tarifa itself.

It doesn't just cater for the experts. At Valdevaqueros you'll find world class tuition for absolute beginner onwards in a perfect and safe setting. There's plenty of on-shore wind courtesy of the Poniente during the Spring, Autumn and Summer, and rescue boats if you do get into difficulty. The Levante is the other wind - side off-shore and stronger - not as ideal but it's still possible to learn in it.

All equipment is provided - including a wetsuit - and all of it the latest gear. If you're not taking lessons then it's advisable to take your own harness and wetsuit.

When we went for a short, two-day course over a long weekend we found that the class sizes were small enough to ensure you got plenty of one-on-one feedback from an English speaking instructor (French, German and Spanish also spoken).

We also found that two days wasn't quite enough. Although simpler to master than windsurfing, it's a steeper learning curve to begin with and the school recommends three days minimum and a week preferably for absolute beginners before you're flying solo.

The excellent lunchtime fare at the Hurricane is repeated here at Valdevaqueros. So after you've worked up an appetite on the water you only have to haul yourself up a few steps from the beach to recharge your engine.

Club Mistral - Valdevaqueros is open from March 15th till November 2nd, daily 10:30 am - 06:30 pm.

El Faro restaurant

2007-06-30T07:59:00.000-07:00

One of our favourite day trips is to Cadiz and lunch at El Faro is always high on the list of priorities.

There are 2 parts to El Faro restaurant; an excellent tapas bar with standing room only, and a very fancy sit down restaurant (pricey but worth it). The puddings here are probably the best we've ever had in Spain (not much of an accolade considering that most Spanish puddings are usually sweet and flavourless, but El Faro's hot chocolate sandwich with chocolate sauce would satisfy most people's need for a choccy fix!).

Restaurante Fransisco

2006-12-18T00:48:00.000-08:00

Right at the end of Conil's long and empty beach at Fontanilla is Restaurante Fransisco. A great place for lunch at any time of the year but particularly wonderful out of season. We visited one Sunday in mid December and enjoyed Carpaccio of Tuna and a dish of Sea Bream in sherry and grilled Tuna steak washed down with a local white table wine - 'Tierra Blanca'.

The wind was offshore, the sun was shining and apart from one intrepid surfer, we had the beach to ourselves.