tarifa

[joni2505]

hi all....

im just wanting some advice on tarifa..

im thinking of going this summer..so im just wandering if any of you guys have been..

whats the town like?
whats the nightlife like?
what are the people like?
is it as windy as i keep reading?

is it a fun place to go as i have been reading?

any information would be appreciated.

thanks

[masterob]

Take a look at :

http://www.andalucia.com/tarifa/home.htm

[princess peach]

Hi Joni2505.

I can answer a couple of your questions,but not all of them.

The town is very pretty,lots of little nick nack shops(not tat)from what i remember its a little hilly,but not too bad.quite a few surf shops and hippy shops.
I dont know what the nightlife is like.
people seem the same as any other place~friendly and spanish.lots of surfer doods,young and energetic.
Yes it is very very windy!its beautiful.The beach is amazing.So much open land, beautiful sea and georgous white sands.Lots of camper vans and camp sites..a real paradise for surfers.
Be cautious when tanning there as the wind doesnt really allow you to feel the heat of the sun.
Its a beautiful place.I would recommend it.

[anis]

My grown up kids go there regularly to kite surf because the wind is good. There are plenty of other young people doing the same and wind surfing.

Long clear beach, not built up and when all the kites are up, it looks like a scene you might see on a jigsaw puzzle box lid.
With the wind, you obviously get other problems such as sandblasting of the skin ! Great for exfoliation but can be painful. My kids made their own wind break.
According to them, there is a good crowd down there at weekends, many different nationalities all seeming to get on.
The town is small by costa del sol standards but you can get everything you need. Camping prices are more expensive than this area but the locations can be great, right on the beach.

[RichardCoeurdeLion]

If you are travelling from Cadiz to Tariffa, take in Cape Trafalgar and Vejer de la Frontera. The later is one of my faves for some reason.

[frank]

Yes, we like Vejer, have stayed there about 4 or 5 times. My only fear is it will go the way of some of the other popular spots and get infested with foreigners, there are already quite a lot there. I quite like most of that coast, as you say, Trafalgar, Valdevaqueros, Bolonia etc. Tarifa is a strange place, in the sense that I don't know if I like it or not!!!! It's certainly a youngsters place, certain areas are simply full of shops with surf gear, surfers hang outs! I get the impression that the OP is young, in which case they'll probably love it, but if not, I'd base yourself further along the coast, somewhere more central, where you can easily travel around. Personally, I wouldn't want to spend a week in Tarifa, but if surfing, being slabbed out on the beach is your thing, it could be for you! Tarifa used to have the distinction of having the highest suicide rate in Spain, due to the incessant wind, so don't stay there too long! The wind is brilliant for kite surfing etc, but not much good for laying on the beach.

[joni2505]

hi

thanks for all your commets,much appreciated...

yea id like to learn to kite surf so i guess that might be the best place to take lessons.

i dont kind the young,surfer sort of crowd..i backpacked australia so those sort are cool,plus normaly friendly....

do many backpackers got here?

thanks

[Alibob]

Hi there, My Mum and Dad are planning visit to Costa de la Luz in September. They used to be keen campers, but as they are getting on a bit now they are looking for somewhere to stay in the Tarifa area. Not an apartment as they don't want to be in amongst it all, and I think the Tarifa area campsites will be a bit lively for them. Anyone got any ideas please - the plan is that as I don´t live too far away I can do a quick reccie for them.

[anis]

Your parents will be fine on the Tarifa campsites, Alibob - we are pretty ancient and get along OK there.

I mentioned before that the sites there are pretty expensive by comparison with the rest of Spain I have camped in, so the youngsters tend to stay out of them and camp on the beach - there is a small beach part they get away with although it's illegal to camp, but the costs of the sites are prohibitive for some of the kids.

I seem to recall there is a small hotel, Spanish owned and set amongst trees just off the main road a bit further along the road, past the sites, along the coast road North. We went there for tea and very nice it was too. Sorry I can't recall its name. It's about 6 mins drive from town centre. Will ask OH on his return.

[happy camper]

Hi Alibob

I live on a fantastic site about 15 mins along the coast from Tarifa, everyone on the site is of retirement age and we all get along famously. I moved onto the site about 6 months ago and can honestly say that I have never looked back. The area of the Costa de la Luz has so much to see and do and most weekend me and my husband go out in the car and explore a new village or town.

The park itself is still being developed which means you can still get a good plot, if your parents look at www.atlanticparks.com they can have a look at some photos and get a good idea of what it is like.

If you want to know anything else message me back.

Happy Camper

[RichardCoeurdeLion]

I seem to recall there is a small hotel, Spanish owned and set amongst trees just off the main road a bit further along the road, past the sites, along the coast road North. We went there for tea and very nice it was too. Sorry I can't recall its name. It's about 6 mins drive from town centre. Will ask OH on his return.

Hurricane Hotel?

[jo-ann]

Yes its certainly Hurricane Hotel

[scotty]

Hi there, My Mum and Dad are planning visit to Costa de la Luz in September. They used to be keen campers, but as they are getting on a bit now they are looking for somewhere to stay in the Tarifa area. Not an apartment as they don't want to be in amongst it all, and I think the Tarifa area campsites will be a bit lively for them. Anyone got any ideas please - the plan is that as I don´t live too far away I can do a quick reccie for them.

Alibob,
Dos Mares hotel have lovely little chalet type houses in the grounds of the hotel and its still on the beach. Well worth looking at.

And to make it easy for you heres the link http://www.gmares.com/dosmares/index_eng.html Its just past the Hurricane hotel.

[Ama]

If they enjoyed camping they could try the bungalows on the campsite in Zahara de los Atunes, about 40 Kms from Tarifa. http://www.campingbahiadelaplata.com/bungalows.html

[katy]

Be lucky ro get a room at the Hurricane Hotel unless booked months in advance. Could be different this year though with the drop in tourists.

[Jool]

Is there anywhere on the Costa de la Luz coast that accepts holidaymakers with dogs?

[joni2505]

hi

does anyone know what the night life is like in Tarifa?

[yuri2006]

Hi, I read this thread about Tarifa and have one question. We are planning for "horse riding holidays" in the beginning of May in Andalucia and plan to take 3 different places, one of then near the beach to make "beach horse riding".

I would not like to go to Malaga-Marbeilla beaches - too many tourists. So the agency recommended Tarifa with stables just on the beach. But I'm hesitating because I was told that wind in Tarifa may be very strong - which is good only for surfers. So perhaps something closer to Cadiz would be better (?)

I have never been there. Any advice?

Thanks.

[scotty]

There are stables and horses for rent in the grounds of the Hurricane hotel. We have brought our kids there a few times and they always enjoyed the experience. I seem to remember that the owners were Dutch. I suggest you contact the Hurricane hotel and get the contact details of the stables.

http://www.hotelhurricane.com/en/index.html

[yuri2006]

Scotty, thanks

What about the wind in Tarifa in May? Is it tolerable?