Hi all!
the planning for the trip to Spain is going full steam. we are now more inclined to leave out costa del sol (at least for this adventure) and instead, explore costa de la luz. cadiz is definitely on the list, but i need help with a couple of small towns. we are thinking of lazying about for a few days near the sea in one location and a couple of town names came up in my research and they sound quite wonderful!
has anyone been to any of these--Conil de la Frontera, Vejer, Los Ca�os de la Meca, Zahara? Vejer de la Fr. is at the moment in the lead, even though it's not right on the sea but i suppose within a biking distance.
gracias!

vika

There are plenty of places to visit along the Costa de la Luz coast. I did produce a simple website (definitely very amateur stuff compared with jer's PRO site !) but it may help.
http://www.spaincostaluz.com/

Vejer is a good place to visit especially if you have bikes as you can get around the coast and explore. From Cape Trafalgar to Los Canos and then through the pine forests above Barbate is really splendid. And going the other route, the entire coastline to Conil is fairly unspoilt.
One thing though about using bikes from Vejer is the HILL to get back into the town. It's a get off the bike and walk job (unless of course you are on a Harley)! About a year ago, I stayed in a hotel in Vejer called LA JANDA. It was not very expensive and the room I chose was very clean and comfortable. There is a hotel right in the heart of the old town called the Convento (I think) which I thought was a bit 'over priced' but had some atmosphere.

Conil is also nice. Not so hilly at all ! and right on the coast. It would be a very nice bike ride from Vejer to Conil.

Do let me know if I can answer any specific questions. I am part based at a place called El Puerto de Santa Maria which is on the train route from Sevilla to Cadiz. More details on the website !

Nige

Hi Nige,
Do you happen to know if housing in that area is expensive ? A small 2 bedroom cotttage?
Thanks,

Expensive? Cheap? It's all relative I guess with what you experience. When I went to Vejer (last year) I happened to visit an estate agent (as you do !) and was shown some properties in the town. I thought that they were all over priced. Maybe 10 years ago you could buy something here for a 'snip' but nowadays they cost an 'arm and a leg'. The locals are 'wise' to the rich foreigner. But that's all relative.

Apart from Vejer town. I guess that you need to have a budget of around EUROS 100,000 minimum. And be prepared to spend say double that for something really nice. But 2 bed apartments can be had for well under 100k. And prices along the Costa de la Luz are lower than the Costa del Sol !

There are some places which are not as 'fashionable' as Vejer is, where bargains are still available. You would need to mooch around and spend some time investigating though.

Each community along the Costa de la Luz has it's own particular 'feel' and you would need to do some exploring to find somewhere you liked.

I chose El Puerto de Santa Maria because of it's easy access from Sevilla/Cadiz etc and the generally pleasant all round 'feel' to the town and area. It is not just a holiday town. More of a 365 days a year town with a lively summer season.
Nige

PS Today I am going to sign for a plot of land close to Arcos de la Frontera. A 'verdant' piece of countryside with gentle rolling hills and less than half an hour from Jerez de la Frontera.

Nige, thank you for sharing your knowledge of the area. It's very, very helpful. let me pick your brain one more time, what about conil? all i can base my opinions/feelings on are pictures and it looks less picturesque than vejer, BUT is located right on the water. i am considering conil because we won't have a car and renting bicycles would be our only option of getting to a beach if we stay in vejer. thanks a ton again.

vika

I visited Costa de la luz last year, its on this thread, if its any help. Cadiz - the business.

CADIZ LINK

Hi vika ! I think you would enjoy Conil. And maybe try to do a bike ride along the coast to Vejer one day ? (If you are fit !)
The only thing I do not like about Conil is it's beach. A large expanse of flat sand. However, Conil still has a feeling of a 'village' although it has grown appreciably. Definitely better than the other places you mentioned before if you want to be close to the sea. But it's all personal taste.
Am just back from Arcos de la Frontera - so green and beautiful. Wonderful vistas and a town that is 'living'. As a matter of interest, last time I visited Arcos by PUBLIC TRANSPORT was like this:

Arrrival at Sevilla airport. A short airport bus costing Euro 2.20 to Santa Justa station. A regional train down to Jerez de la Frontera (surely one of the prettiest stations?) costing about Euros 6, then a bus from Jerez to Arcos costing Euros 2.

Taking a bus in this part of Andalucia is good value and there are many routes. It is such a pity that timetables are not published on the Internet. I know that some are, but there is scant information.

And one other thing ! This time I flew to Sevilla airport and I pre booked a rental car for 3 days. (I could only manage a short trip) using the services of CARJET.COM which is an internet based 'broker' that obtains good deals. I had a small but very adequate Peugeot 206gti for Euros 77 plus all inclusive. This is probably less than half the cost compared with the other well known rental companies. CARJET broker the best deals and in Andalucia, I believe they use CROWN exclusively. Crown has grown quite large in the past 3 years - they took over the Budget franchise locally. They do not have an office actually on the airport premises (yet) and so you look for the CROWN rep near the other other rental counters.
This is the link for CARJET - UK -www.carjet.co.uk/rentacar/spain/seville/index.shtml
and this is CROWN RENTAL :
www.crowncarhire.com/

Nige

The language school I am planning on attending this fall is LaJanda in Vejer. What do you know about it? Is there public transportation for the coast, so that on the free afternoons one would be able to see some of the other towns? The websites I found on the village didn't say much about transportation, but I understand that renting a car for 2 weeks is expensive and parking is limited.

Hi ToniG,

i received some info about public transport from a hotel situated in Vejer, as i had the same question as you. According to the hotel rep, the buses to the beaches run from mid-July to the end of August. Also, he mentioned that there are a few buses from Vejer to Barbate, which is on the coast. he implied that this route (Vejer-Barbate) is serviced throughout the summer. didn't say anything about the fall since i was interested in the summer schedule. since he didn't mention anything else, i assumed that these were the only options as far as public transport: buses to various coastal points mid-July-end of August and buses to Barbate in the summer.
hopefully, someone has more info.

vika

Nige,
thanks for such a detailed post! Arcos de la Frontera sounds wonderful, too. perhaps, we'll check it out.

vika

It appears there are regular buses from Cadiz to Vejer so I am not too worried about getting to and from the school. However I have 4 days after the class before I need to head home. I wonder if you would give a suggested itinerary to visit the coast? I actually stayed 2 nights in Pta Sta Maria in the 'Monasterio' in 2001. It is a lovely town and I would not mind seeing it again, but would like to try something new as well. I am considering renting a car from Carjet to drive the area. Does that sound 'doable'?

Yes. The regular bus service is run by 'Transportes COMES S.A.'. Times from the Cadiz bus station to Vejer are:
09.00, 11.00, 13.00, 15.00, 16.30, 17.00, 18.00 & 21.15. Think the 15.00 & 16.30 only run Mon-Fri. And I believe that some Vejer buses are more 'direct' than others!

The bus station in Cadiz is near the Plaza de Espana. Don't have the times from Vejer.

As you have a car for a few days, you could cover quite a lot of ground and see plenty. or just take it easy ! Going eastwards from Vejer you should not miss out exploring the wonderful Bolonia beach and Baelo Claudia Roman town. Learn about the fishing industry during BC years, especially the salting of fish ready to be exported to those lavish toga parties in Rome !

Hopefully the authorities will never allow the beach area at Bolonia to be 'exploited' as it is one of the nicest places along this coastline.

Quite close to Vejer is Barbate, which is where Franco liked to stay on holiday (apparently) and it's history is also linked to the fishing industry especially the TUNA.
Further East,you can always do a trip down to Gibraltar and see the 'apes' on the rock.

And then there is Cadiz which is v.appealing ESPECIALLY if you can speak the lingo. I was there earlier this month and went up the TORRE TAVIRA. This is a must do as soon as you get into Cadiz old town (providing you have a head for heights). I did a jer type pano from the top of the tower. http://www.spaincostaluz.com/cadiz_torre.html
So you stayed at the Monasterio in El Puerto de Santa Maria ! That's a really nice place. Just close by, the same owners (Jale) have opened a new 5 star hotel called the DUQUES DE MEDINACELLI
http://www.jale.com/dmedinaceli/index.htm
which is very swanky.

Am glad you liked El Puerto. We are discovering new parts every day. It is not just ROMERIJO'S ! (Romerijo's is where folks come to gorge themselves on anything fishy ! http://www.puertodenoche.com/romerijo/index.htm
Plenty to see and do. (And eat and drink)
Nige

Cool pic of Cadiz!! Funny you should mention Romerijos!!! We spent several hours there eating every imaginable sealife!! :cheers: