Venturing back to where the travel bug began

Robin heads to Andalusia and wraps himself in the city charms of a land awash with Roman and Moorish ghosts

It was Andalusia that first got me into travel really. More specifically Cadiz. As a wee boy I played the board game Buccaneer at my aunt’s house and was bewitched by exotic-sounding Cadiz. I’m delighted to report the reality didn’t disappoint and that the wider Andalusia region makes for a topnotch holiday destination. Over two decades as a travel writer I’ve spent quite a bit of time dipping in and out of Andalusia and I constantly find new things or old favourites that have been spiced up. Last month I returned to spend a whole week wrapped in the city charms of a land that is awash with Roman and Moorish ghosts.

I started off in the largest city of Seville, a famously steamy hub where the mercury regularly tops 40C in summer. Maybe that is partly why the tapas tradition originated here as the locals sought blessed relief and refreshment in the local bars.

It is tapas that Seville is most famous for and it really is brilliant here, a far cry from the overpriced inauthentic tapas bars you often find in the UK. Even in the heart of the tourist centre Bodega Santa Cruz offers ridiculously good value tapas treats like jamon serrano, chorizo and tortilla. They are best, of course, washed down with local sherry. You don’t stand on ceremony here – you just shout out your tapas order to the bustling staff behind the bar.

Seville is not a city content to just rest on its hard won-laurels and a new wave of restaurants now back up the old-world tapas bars. I enjoyed a superb dinner at the chic Seis, kicking off with local goats’ cheese, before moving on to perfectly-cooked Galician beef.

Another night I checked out Quimera, which only opened in summer this year. I dined on grilled octopus and a delicious fish of the day caught off Andalusia’s coast, with a view back towards the old town.

Seville is not all about tapas bars and creative restaurants, of course, which I could appreciate from the striking rooftop lounge at my hotel, the Preferred Hotels & Resorts member Hotel Inglaterra (hotelinglaterra.es). A riot of church spires and elegant historic buildings instantly evoke layers of heritage that just invite further exploration.

You can delve into this history on one of the famous horse-drawn carriages but I chose to tackle the orange-treelined cobbles on two feet. The old town is alive with atmosphere and key sights to check out include the city’s famous bull ring, the vaulting Torro del Oro and the landmark Seville Cathedral. The latter’s soaring tower echoes the land’s time as a Moorish city, when it used to be a minaret of a grand mosque.

Pushing further south my next stop was Jerez, more famous in the UK as being the birthplace and epicentre of sherry production. This grand old urban dame really is awash with this delicious fortified wine. If you are not keen on it I recommend visiting, as once you realise there are so many types, from bone dry finos to ultra sugary Pedro Ximenez, it opens up another world. I reckon there really is a sherry for any occasion.

I was in good hands for my Jerez explorations with Ivan, owner and guide with Genuine Andalusia (genuineandalusia.com). He greeted me with a beaming smile and immediately demonstrated his encyclopaedic knowledge of the city even en route to breakfast at his favourite café. Here we enjoyed toast laden with fresh tomatoes and jamon serrano, before we bought deliciously sugary churros from Ivan’s old friend Manuel at Churreria Manuel just next door.