04/29/2001
Sunday Times - London
News International

Forget the concrete costas - Spain's southwest shore is the sherry- sipping, flamenco-dancing real thing. Robert Elms joins the party

If you've ever sat on an overcrowded beach on the overdeveloped Costa del Sol, and wondered where all the Spaniards go on holiday - for they surely don't go there -here's a tip: next time, go west. The stretch of Atlantic coast that makes up the Costa de la Luz, in western Andalusia, from the ancient port city of Cadiz to the young wind- surfers' paradise of Tarifa, is a world away from the concrete resorts. This is about as real -and, as cheap -as Spain gets.

A lazy, windswept, slightly scruffy string of fishing villages, farming communities and ancient Moorish towns runs along the shore, bathed in the blinding blue Mediterranean light. In recent years, the area has become extremely popular with rumbustious families from the big cities, seeking out the wondrous local wines and seafood from their small holiday homes. It's also a mecca for hip young things, who hang out for the season in hostales and on camp sites, grooving on the profoundly laid-back ambience, the proximity to hippie heaven over the sea in North Africa, and some of the finest, most unspoilt beaches in Europe.
For the foreigner, there is the chance to combine all these sybaritic, yet decidedly reasonable, pleasures with access to some of the most vivid culture this charismatic land has to offer. This is the true home of so many of those striking images of Iberia: flamenco hangs in the air, proud horses and bulls roam the scorched hills, raven-haired girls preen in their flowing frocks and dashing machos strut across the sand.

Where to stay: all along this fantastic stretch of huge, open, natural beaches, you can choose between camp sites, spotless hostales or rooms in the many holiday homes that Spaniards let out when they're not using them. For the last of these options, it's easiest just to arrive and ask, as this is not an area that advertises its wares well.

On the almost totally undeveloped beach of El Palmar, there's one splendid hostal, the Francisco (00 34-956 232786), where a room with ocean views will cost Pounds 17pp at the height of high season. The coolest spot, though, is Los Canos de Meca, 12km west of Barbate, where hordes of Spanish neo-hippies gather to chill out for the entire summer. There are plenty of hostales, with doubles ranging from Pounds 15 to Pounds 30: try the Miramar (956 437024), the Alhambra (956 437216), or the Fortuna (956 437075).

If you've got a car, the Moorish hilltop town of Vejer de la Frontera -seven miles in from the sea, but a long way up to the top - is a brilliant base. The one hotel, the lovely Convento San Francisco (956 643570), charges Pounds 21pp in summer. Or, for about Pounds 13 a night, two of you can share a traditional Andalusian apartment at Casa Blanca (956 44 75 69), with your own bathroom, kitchen and shared courtyard, providing you want to stay a week. And you will want to.

Eating and drinking: perhaps the greatest pleasure of this coastline is the seafood. It's famed throughout Spain, and you can indulge in the freshest locally caught fish without emptying your wallet.

The seafront at Barbate de Franco, which still has its own fishing fleet, is a perfect place for the typical Andalusian long lunch, with a line of brilliantly bustling lean-to places along Paseo Maritimo. The best of these is Bar Nani (956 433153), where you can eat your fill of sea bass and prawns for about Pounds 10, including wine. For food like this, that's a steal -but if you want something cheaper, step back from the beach and try the menu del dia in any of the cafeterias, where you can get a three-course meal for about Pounds 4.

In the pretty sherry port of El Puerto de Santa Maria, you can join the throng on Calle Ribera del Marisco to eat amazing seafood from paper cones (you put the bits in red-plastic buckets) outside El Romerijo, the local equivalent of a chippy -less than Pounds 3 for half a pound of the finest prawns you'll ever have.

For drinks, go local. The crisp, dry manzanilla sherry, made only in Sanlucar de Barrameda, is about Pounds 3 a bottle. The best white wine in the Cadiz region is Barbadillo, which costs even less. Steer clear of riojas, which come from the north: they're lovely, but they'll boot up your bill.

If you want to drink in the weirdest bar of all, cradle a beer as you sit on a cushion in the mock Bedouin tent that covers Bar J'Aima, above the beach at Los Canos de Meca (summer only). This is the place to pick up news of the coolest parties.

Fiestas: parties of a different kind are the speciality of this region, which has the best free events imaginable. Every little village, as well as the bigger towns, will have a series of communal shindigs, lasting from a day to a week, when the entire populace will party day and night. Providing you can muster a passable paso doble and afford half a bottle of sherry, you'll end up being invited to share a chorizo and dance flamenco with a portly mama. From February's riotous Carnaval in Cadiz to Barbate's eerie boat-burning in September, there's always something happening on this stretch of coast.

Tomorrow is the first day of Seville's gigantic feria, with a whole town of tents and a whole week of hangovers. You can still catch it if you hurry: the revels continue until May 7. Later this month, Jerez has a beguiling horse fair; Conil de la Frontera's fishing festival is in June; and Vejer worships its venerated Virgin with a parade and a knees-up in mid-August -when there is also horse- racing along the beach in Sanlucar.

Every day, in fact, somewhere is celebrating. Look out for some bunting and a marquee or two, listen for a wheezy band, and there you'll find copious alcohol and amazing hospitality to outsiders. The Andalusian government produces a fairly decent list -Ferias y Fiestas de Andalucia -which is available from local tourist offices, but often it's better to study the little posters that adorn the towns. Or just ask.

Flamenco: even here, in its true heartland, real flamenco is an elusive - though never expensive -beast, as it's essentially a private and spontaneous affair. The exception to this is the concurso (flamenco gathering), during which the great exponents will perform at the town hall or on the square, and most of the town will turn out to see them. Again, it's best to study the posters or ask, but as an example, Vejer's concurso, in late July, starts at midnight and costs about Pounds 4 for four hours of great cante jondo (deep song).

Away from the flamenco festivals, look for the local pena, or fan club, which will be in a bar or hut. (There's a wonderful one on an industrial estate near Puerto Real, a scruffy suburb of Cadiz, for example, and another in Vejer, near the castle.) This is where local aficionados gather. They'll hold weekly events and, if you aren't pushy, you'll be invited in for a free show. A bottle of sherry for the performers would be appreciated.

Beaches: the real shock of this region is just how wonderful the golden sands are. And, of course, they're free: no overpriced loungers here. Both Conil and Chiclana have great long stretches; Barbate is more crowded, and bustling with beach football and volleyball; and Los Canos de Meca is the place to meet the dreadlocked in-crowd. The beach with added value is at Bolonia -a marvellous sand-dune-backed cove, complete with its own intriguing Roman temple ruins, which are extensive and gratis to EU passport holders.

Getting there: Jerez airport is closest to the Costa de la Luz, and Buzz (0870 240 7070) flies there from Stansted, with fares starting at Pounds 100. Iberia Airlines (020 7830 0011) flies daily from Heathrow to Seville; from Pounds 140. Gibraltar isn't much further (although be sure to walk across the border, as officials often hold up cars for ages) and is served by Monarch Airways (0870 040 5040); fares start at Pounds 140. In Dublin, Twohig Travel (01 677 2666) has fares to Seville from IRPounds 328, flying with Iberia via Barcelona. Or try Malaga, which is served by several charter airlines, along with Iberia, Monarch and Go (0870 607 6543; www.go- fly.com), which has fares from Pounds 85. Getting around: a hire car really helps. The best rates are at Malaga airport, where Helle Hollis (00 34 952 245544) charges from Pounds 65 a week in low season (Pounds 74 peak). Holiday Autos (0870 400 4441) has fully inclusive rates (with no excess) from Pounds 119 per week, with cars at Seville, Jerez and Malaga airports. Petrol is just over half the UK price.

Local buses are modern, air-conditioned and reasonable. They will also ferry you to, say, Cadiz or Jerez for some exploration, but you'll have to look hard for timetables -they're often displayed in the local bar, or even the barber's shop.

When to go: all summer long -but be prepared for fierce heat in August.

www.altur.com Snappy site covering the whole of Andalusia

THE BOTTOM LINE

Pounds 202.50

for seven nights, including flights to Malaga, accommodation and car hire as listed below. Bring Pounds 150 spending to make the most of the coast. Prices are for independent travel