The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
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.
Next up we toured the sort of market I wish I had near home. It was alive with all manner of fresh fruit and vegetables, while a whole hall was also given over to boat-fresh fish and tempting fresh meats. The whole city seemed to be here, not just shopping, but also chatting and spending time with friends. Jerez is that sort of place.
Ivan then took me to buy sweets from nuns in a local convent – we had to pass money through a wooden tray to respect their privacy – before we delved into a family-run bodega it’s normally hard to get into. The owner here showed me around and patiently introduced me to the solera-ageing system in a way that had me really appreciating sherry on a new level.
My time with Ivan ended where it often does in Andalusia – in a tapas bar. Not just any old tapas bar, but Tabanco las Banderillas, where hulking barrels of sherry awaited alongside the foodie goodies. We feasted on oxtail, red tuna and goats’ cheese with a sherry to match each course as a flamenco guitarist played on. Music is integral to the Jerez way of life and buskers and performers pervade the old streets.
Ivan tipped me off too about a flamenco bar, El Pasaje (tabancoelpasaje.com). Here you can enjoy this evocative music and dance, which delves to the very heart and soul of Andalusian culture. Go along with Ivan and he’ll usually be able to snare you a coveted seat for the busy performances. This is one of the few places in the city where the shows are free. The quality is still high, though, with seasoned performers often popping in alongside the impressive amateurs.
After a couple of days wrapped in the historic charms of Jerez, I had another destination in mind. It could only really be one place – Cadiz. My base was a nod to the Spanish tourists, who really rate Cadiz as a beach destination. The Melia Sancti Petri (melia.com) sat right on a glorious Atlantic beach, meaning I could swim before breakfast on both my mornings here.
The Sancti Petri also proved a great base for food. They boast a Michelin-star restaurant, but I also enjoyed a lunch of simple local seafood at their beach bar and then a lovely seafood dinner al fresco at Agua. Red langoustines kicked things off before a beautifully moist sea bass cooked in a salt crust.
Heading into Cadiz proper the centuries peeled back as I sailed my imaginary childhood ship through the years. Cadiz is gloriously set on a peninsula so the Atlantic Ocean laps at three of her sides and the tang of sea salt fills the air. It is a city that once waved goodbye to brave explorers on their voyages across the Atlantic and for me it still retains lashings of that sense of romance.
Cadiz is no slick city break star – yet.
Many of her older buildings are very much on the faded side of grandeur, but they weave a charming collage. Chief amongst them is Cadiz Cathedral, which fittingly for this city laden with myriad cultures, is something of an architectural patchwork of styles. It is worth visiting for climbing one of its bell-towers, which offers sweeping views of the city and ocean. The cathedral’s domes are otherworldly, reminding me of ice cream cones.
The great pleasure in Cadiz is just wandering around the narrow, postcardpretty city streets. There are beaches on hand right in the centre too – better slightly further afield at Playa de la Victoria, even better still out by my hotel.
I left Cadiz this time with my childhood images of romance still swirling as strong as ever. The city is the sort of place where you can imagine buccaneers forging into town in search of treasure. As an adult I appreciate it, and the rest of Andalusia’s urban stars also stack up for a brilliant southern Spanish holiday.