Swept by the Atlantic winds that once filled Columbus’s sails, Spain’s Costa de la Luz remains an undiscovered country for modern tourists. It is a remarkable place, with kilometre upon kilometre of unspoilt beaches and dunes. There are no high-rise hotels and even in the main ports of Huelva and Cádiz, tourism has yet to gain a proper foothold. It is also one of the coolest beach destinations in Europe, with surfing, hip hangouts and a laid-back attitude.
Where to stay in Costa de la Luz
CONIL DE LA FRONTERA
HOTEL FUERTE CONIL
Playa de la Fontanilla (00 34 956 443 344; fax: 442 300). Hotel Fuerte Conil, one of the best hotels in this part of the coast, is part of the chain that owns the redoubtable Hotel Fuerte in Marbella and looks like its sea-going sister, with spacious, comfortable rooms and suites overlooking gardens and sea, and an emphasis on service rather than on golf or business conventions. £
HUELVA
HOTEL MONTE CONQUERO
Avenida Pablo Rada 10 (00 34 959 285 500; hmqreservas@hotel). Huelva is an unabashedly industrial city that makes few concessions to tourism with only three decent hotels. The best of these is Hotel Monte Conquero, a prefab built around an atrium. It is at least comfortable, central and reasonably quiet.
ISLA CRISTINA
Isla Cristina is not, in fact, an island but a promontory linked to the mainland by a slender isthmus. Its few beach hotels are popular with visitors from Seville and Huelva and can be busy until late October. The town sprawls around the promontory, with a large dormitory area separating the pretty old quarter from the main beach.
HOTEL EL PARAISO
Avenida de la Playa (00 34 959 331 873; hparaiso@retemail.es). Next door, the Hotel El Paraíso has a pool and comfortable rooms, although the ‘English spoken here’ sign may deter some. £
HOTEL LOS GERANIOS
Avenida de la Playa (00 34 959 331 800; geraniosh@yahoo.com). Here, the two-star Hotel Los Geranios has simple rooms decorated in a rainbow of pastel shades. £
HOTEL OASIS ISLANTILLA and HOTEL CONFORTEL ISLANTILLA
Avenida Islantilla (00 34 913 728 939; 00 34 959 486 017; acruz.confortel@once.es). The other place to stay on the promontory is the new Islantilla resort, a soulless urbanización of tract housing and two vast hotels, Hotel Oasis Islantilla and Hotel Confortel Islantilla. The Confortel is less impersonal, with balconied rooms in ziggurats overlooking gardens and water features. Both are aimed squarely at the convention trade market, but do at least offer the facilities of four-star hotels: restaurants, gardens, pools and gyms, and the largest golf course in the region.
MAZAGON
PARADOR CRISTOBAL COLON DE MAZAGON
Carretera San Juan del Puerto-Matalascañas Km30 (00 34 959 536 300; mazagon@parador.es). Two kilometres beyond Mazagón, Parador Cristóbal Colón de Mazagón occupies a prime position inside the Coto Doñana National Park and surrounded by nothing but wild beach, tall dunes and pine forest. The parador is modern and functional, but it is set in exquisite gardens, and each room has a terrace with views. Given the state of Matalascañas, the official entry point to the park which exudes less charm than a half-finished housing estate, this is the best base, north of the River Guadalquivir, from which to visit the park. £
ON THE BEACH
BEACH HOTEL ARTE VIDA
Arte Vida CN340 Km.79.3 (00 34 956 685246; www.hotelartevida.com). On the beach, about 10 minutes’ drive from town, Beach Hotel Arte Vida is a good place for twenty- and thirtysomething couples. It has 14 basic but stylish doubles opening onto a sea-facing veranda, seagrass blinds rolled up at the windows, bamboo chairs and tables spilling down to the wonderful Playa de los Lances, and a laid-back beach bar. The Miramar restaurant serves tasty food including grilled seafood and beef skewers.