A Love Letter to La Costa de la Luz, Andalucía

People often ask me to name my favourite place in Andalucía. After living there for a decade, I still find it almost impossible to choose.

I spent those years in a small fishing village outside Málaga, where many of my closest friends still live, so it will always be high on my list. Granada continues to captivate me, especially when the Alhambra appears against the Sierra Nevada. Sevilla brings together style, fiesta and tradition in a way nowhere else does. Then there’s the Sherry Triangle for its food and wine, and the whitewashed villages that really are as beautiful as the postcards suggest.

However, there is one part of Andalucía I return to again and again. I love the Costa de la Luz – a little stretch of Atlantic coast between Tarifa and Cádiz. I love it for its wild beaches, brilliant food and towns full of character.

Here are a few of the reasons I love it.

Experience

Together with our local chef, you’ll explore the fishing town of Barbate and choose the fresh, local ingredients you’ll use in your cooking class.

Back at her home, you’ll prepare a selection of simple Andalusian dishes before sitting down to a long lunch on her terrace overlooking the Atlantic. It’s relaxed, personal and rooted in the way people here actually cook and eat.

Eat

One of my favourite places to eat is Taberna Casa Manteca in Cádiz. It is very very popular these days, but I still think it’s worth it (but go outside of normal meal times).

It’s a tiny, chaotic bar where the food is served on greaseproof paper. The jamón and charcuterie are excellent, as are the conservas—tins of carefully preserved seafood. It doesn’t need anything more. Its slogan, arte puro or “pure art,” feels entirely appropriate.

A warning: this isn’t the place to hover politely and hope someone notices you. Decide what you want, make your way to the bar, catch the barman’s eye and state your order clearly. You may get little more than a grunt in response, but your food and drinks will appear within minutes.

Stay

In the old quarter of Vejer de la Frontera, one of the loveliest of Andalucía’s whitewashed towns, you’ll find Plaza 18.

With only six rooms, it still feels more like the nineteenth-century manor house it once was than a conventional hotel. It’s an excellent base for exploring Vejer, with its restaurants, independent shops and lively streets.

Explore

At the southern end of the region is Tarifa, famous for its wind and world-class kitesurfing.

On a busy day, hundreds of kites move across the water as the surfers weave around one another. It’s fast, colourful and slightly unbelievable to watch. I filmed this video on my last visit because a photograph couldn’t quite capture the scale—or the chaos—of it.

Live like a Spaniard

This one is for a summer visit: no one does beach bars quite like this part of Spain.

If you haven’t experienced a chiringuito, add it to your list. These seasonal bars sit directly on the sand. You might arrive for a morning coffee, stay for lunch and a few afternoon drinks, then realise the music has turned up and the evening has begun.

Some become full beach parties that carry on into the early hours. Going home to change is entirely optional.

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