Atlantic coast · Cádiz
Where you see the sand before you park.
Zahara de los Atunes belongs to the municipality of Barbate, on the Costa de la Luz in Cádiz, and it is the most sought-after of the three places we work in. Open Atlantic beach, an old town of whitewashed houses around the Castillo de las Almadrabas and, behind it, the Sierra de Retín. Here we have village houses with a patio and apartments a short walk from the sand.
Zahara beach begins at the village itself and runs south, long and undeveloped, as far as Atlanterra. Fine sand and cold Atlantic water, with the levante wind all but guaranteed several times a month: that is why there is so much kitesurfing and so few parasols planted at ten in the morning. If you want shelter, the Atlanterra end is usually more protected; if you want space, walk twenty minutes south and you will meet nobody.
Bluefin tuna rules here, caught off this coast with a Phoenician technique still practised the same way. April to June is the season and the whole menu turns around it. The rest of the year, fish from the Barbate market, a quarter of an hour away. You rarely need to book weeks ahead, but in August it is worth calling in the morning.
June and September are the sweet spot: warm water, long light and no queues in the village. July and August are full and prices rise along the whole coast. May and October are still good for walking and eating, with sunny days and short swims. In winter Zahara goes quiet — many houses close, and ours are among those that stay open.
The nearest airports are Jerez and Gibraltar; Seville and Málaga are further but have more flights. From any of them you will need a car: public transport to Zahara is sparse, and you come here to move around the area. Bolonia, Tarifa and Vejer are all a short drive away, and Barbate and Los Caños are next door.
Zahara de los Atunes
Zahara de los Atunes
Zahara de los Atunes
Zahara de los Atunes
Zahara de los Atunes
Zahara de los Atunes
A quarter of an hour apart by car, and nothing alike.
