WHERE TO STAY ON THE COSTA DE LA LUZ
Casa Viña de Alcántara, Jerez [/b] Just 15 minutes' drive from the city centre, Casa Viña de Alcántara stands in fields of wheat, surrounded by poplars. A peerlessly renovated lodge owned by a wine-growing family, it has just a handful of perfectly chic rooms and a shaded pool. It's close enough to the airport to be your only destination for an absurdly romantic weekend, interrupted by the occasional taxi ride into town for tapas and sherry. (+34 956 393010; www.vinadealcantara.com). Doubles from about £140.
La Vista de Medina, Medina Sidonia [/b] More basic than boutique, La Vista de Medina is still that almost impossible thing: a place to stay with a lovely pool in this steepest of hot, remote hill towns. The view from the terraced restaurant is legendary, and the owners wrap you in blankets if the winds pick up. Medina is a thrillingly authentic town, full of rejas, the protruding boxed windows encased in metal bars that recall young couples' murmured late-night conversations without chaperones. (+34 956 410069; www.lavistademedina.com). Doubles from about £50.
Hotel V, Vejer Hotel V is a charming, smart hideaway in an ancient building at the very top of town, with a hot tub on the roof terrace so high kestrels and buzzards hover only feet away. This hotel is precisely where you want to be: moments from both quiet bars and churches and a busy central square, and yet it's always peaceful. Order the breakfast of mango and tiny local sheep's cheeses. (+34 956 451757; www.hotelv-vejer.com). Doubles from about £125.
Casa La Siesta, Vejer A short drive fromthe city into the lush farmland below, Casa La Siesta is a country house that looks like a Roman villa. Its large rooms give onto a leafy courtyard that leads down to a garden pool. It's also a horse sanctuary, and friendly stallions wander past eating the sunflowers. Lunch and supper cooked by a health-conscious chef are a nice change from the mostly fried southern-Spanish tapas. (+34 699 619430; www.casalasiesta.com). Doubles from about £185.
GETTING THERE Thomson (www.thomson.co.uk) flies from Gatwick to Jerez
Pictured: a bedroom at hotel V; Casa La Siesta hotel.
Published in Condé Nast Traveller June 2014.
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