Conil de la Frontera
The first time we visited Conil I remember swimming in the sea and looking
back to the coast thinking there was something wrong. On the contrary, there was
something very right. Having become so conditioned to seeing the visual
destruction of much of the Spanish coastline in the name of development it was
fabulous to lie in the waters off Conil looking at a white village rising in the
distance without a high rise apartment or hotel in sight.
The region of Cadiz is
the last attractive part of southern Spain to be developed (Almeria isn't really
attractive) and the regional government has sensibly placed strict regulations
on property development. As a result this part of the coast maintains its beauty
and refuses to sell out to the property developers whilst catering for an ever
growing tourism market.
Playa de los Bateles is the main beach of Conil which stretches the whole length
of the Paseo Maritimo and beyond. The
Conil Park Hotel
is a good choice as a place to stay if you don't mind a 15 minute walk along the
seafront to Avda. de la Playa which takes you into the old quarter. It's also a
good place to stay as you're near also Playa de la Fontanilla in the other
direction where you'll find some very nice fish restaurants right on the beach.
In fact, you can take a table that's actually on the beach and enjoy the feeling
of sand between your toes as you dine in the moonlight.
The old centre of Conil is quite a small area with plenty tapas type bars and
fish restaurants as well as pizzerias and even a Chinese (try the prawns). Once
you've walked up Avda. de la Playa from the seafront heading into Plaza Santa
Catalina you'll see a variety of places offering local specialities including
atun encebollado (tuna cooked in onion) and chocos con patatas (cuttlefish with
potatoes). Tuna in fact a delicacy of this area as it is caught in the Atlantic
waters off Cadiz. A great time to visit is in June when they celebrate 'Tuna
Week' and restaurants serve up superb tuna dishes at subsidised prices.
The fine white sand of Conil extends for many kilometres of Conil in both
directions. A particular favourite is Playa de El Palmar just a few kilometres
south where you can enjoy the days on one of Spain's finest uncrowded beaches
and dine there at night in one of the fine fish restaurants. There's
plenty more to discover as you continue south to Los Caños de Meca, Barbate and
Zahara de Los Atunes including Cabo de Trafalgar where the famous sea battle of
Trafalgar was fought.
A restaurant worth a special mention in Zahara de los Atunes is Restaurante El
Sal (Urb. Atlanterra Playa) where you can enjoy traditional local cuisine with a
touch of the east.
Even further south are the fabulous Roman ruins of Baelo Claudia at Bolonia.
Nearer to Conil following the main N340 road south is the beautiful white
village of Vejer de la Frontera whilst inland you'll find various interesting
drives that take you through the land where some of Spain's finest fighting
bulls are bred.
Conil is a fine place to base yourself as a quaint resort in its own right or as
a place from which to discover this coastline. There are enough Conil hotels to
meet overall annual demand but the place tends to be packed in August when many
Spanish tourists particularly from Cadiz city head down there. There's a
reasonable selection of apartments available and plenty hostels. A number of
campsites exist be be warned that some attract most of the young people of Cadiz
city who tend to travel with their music and loudspeakers. Highly recommended is
Camping Rosaleda which is a well organised site just
on the outskirts of town with a fine pool and good dining area.
The words 'de la Frontera' at the end of town names in the Cadiz region dates
back to the Reconquest when the Christians were fighting with the Moors to
regain the territory they had lost. The border between the two forces was
constantly changing hence the words 'of the Frontier' was attached to the name
of towns where the line between the two armies stood at the time. Along the
cosat of Conil you'll see four watchtowers which were there to protect the town
and to watch over the nets which had been placed in the sea to catch tuna.
Useful Websites:
www.conil.org
Best Beach Hotels: Please note that the following three hotels that we
recommend will close in November for the winter period so they may not show
availability if you're trying to book during that period.
Conil Park (4*)
Costa Conil (4*)
Fuerte Conil (4*)
In the off season try
Hotel Diufain or
Hotel Oasis. |
