So, where did this love for Southern Andalucía and Vejer de la Frontera start? We were never going to unicycle from Paris to Ulan Bator but we’ve often sought out the slightly less beaten tracks.
In the Summer of 2005, Jill and I were planning a road trip from Faro, in Portugal, through Southern Andalućia to the Cabo de Gata near Almería. After Seville, we were heading for Estapona but wanted to break that leg of the route with a stop on the Costa de la Luz which we’d read a little about on the travel pages. The Costa de la Luz, back then, was one of those “Secret Spain” areas we loved to explore. Vejer simply seemed a convenient location en route and we did manage to find a cheap hotel on-line so that was it.
We really knew very little about Vejer and its environs when we arrived for a few nights. We stayed at Hostal la Posada just across the road from a steep drop and rural views to the East. We wandered the quiet, traffic-free cobbled streets and where soon captivated by the delightful old town. It’s a lot busier now and there are more restaurants but little else has changed.
Jill enjoying some shade on the Plaza de España back in Summer 2005.
One warm evening we had a wonderfully atmospheric meal in the garden of the Califa Hotel and enjoyed strolling around Plaza de España, Corredera and along Calle José Castrillón back to our hostal. During the day, we drove over to Trafalgar and walked along empty Atlantic beaches – like Northumberland with sunshine! This was our first experience of southern Andalućia and we were captivated. Vejer and the Costa de la Luz was filed away amongst the few “places we must go back to.”