Marbella and Vejer de Frontera :: My One Week Andalucia Road Trip

After Granada, we drove to Marbella. Our route took us through the Sierra Nevada mountain. Beautiful views though at times I was bit queasy with all the sharp turns! We soon hit the coast and I was expecting Marbella to be full of over-the-top full of stag parties and crazy kids but we stayed in the Casco Antigua - the charming Old Town, which is close to the beach. Despite the fact that it was wet and rainy, I couldn't help but love the picturesque little streets of the Old Town. 

Costa de la Luz

We checked into the romantic  La Villa Marbella hotel for one night (60 euros a night). Their rooms are more like small apartments and are simply amazing. Each room had a theme: ours was ‘Bombay' and after two days of continuous driving, relaxing in our beautifully decorated room was such a treat. The staff are friendly and helpful and parking is close by. Oh and when you check in, they give you list of breakfast options – tick everything! Breakfast is so good.  

I wish we had spent a bit more time in Marbella but we were soon off on our way to Vejer de la Frontera. And although we had two fabulously sunny days in Seville, the three days after were rather wet and cold – so when the sun started shining on our way to Vejer we were thrilled to bits.

Road to the El Palmar beach

We drove along the Costa de la Luz, a wonderfully picturesque drive passing by the tiny fishing villages of Tarifa, Bolonia, Zahara de las Atunes and Canos de Meca. Unlike Costa de Sol, (the coastline where Marbella is) which is heavily built up with resorts and apartments, Costa de la Luz is serene and unspoiled. That’s probably because the beaches don’t face the tranquil Mediterranean but the windy Atlantic -which makes it great for water sports like windsurfing and kite-surfing. We couldn't resist stopping along the coast to dip our feet in the waters and walk along the sand but we soon were back on track, making our way to the little hilltop of Vejer de Frontera.

El Palmar beach

 Vejer de Frontera is one the quaintest, prettiest old towns I've seen in Spain. With white washed houses, cobbled streets, Moorish architecture and surrounded by natural parks, it’s a lovely place to base yourselves to explore the region. The nearest beach El Palmar is just 10 minutes away and towns of Cadiz and Jerez are close by as well making it easy to take day-trips. We spent our time relaxing on the beach, visiting the local El Palmar and wide stretches of beach near the Cape of Trafalgar.

We stayed at a beautiful boutique guesthouse called Escondrijo,  run by Netty and Nigel, a couple from the U.K.  We were in gigantic gorgeous studio (85 euros a night) which was connected to the main house and even had its own private little terrace! After a long road trip around Andalucia, our room become a little haven for us to relax in and enjoy Vejer. I totally recommend staying at Escondrijo. Their entire house has just been done beautifully and Netty and Nigel are helpful and discrete hosts who are there if you need help or have any questions but most of the time we felt like we were there by ourselves. Here is their website for more details: http://www.escondrijo.com

Vejer was the favourite part of my entire road trip around Andalucia. I was actually a bit tearful when we left Vejer. It was such a little slice of paradise for me. It's also known for its restaurants so we had some really good meals as well. We didn’t get to visit Cadiz and Jerez but I guess there’s always a next time!

And that’s the end of my travels in Andalucia, Spain. Here are my previous posts on Seville, Cordoba and Granada!