Two years ago I needed to escape and disconnect from the heat of Seville during the worst fortnight of August and like many people, I let myself be carried away by social networks and their idyllic photos of a destination on the other side of the world: Bali. The reality when we got there was quite different. In short: after a very long flight (with eternal layovers) I found myself with constant traffic jams, a lot of traffic and an island with a pace that was more like a race than a relaxing one. But, if there is something that I remember with true nostalgia from that trip, it is the hotels: spectacular and at a price that I can only dream of in Spain.
So I understood that what I really needed was not to catch a 14-hour flight to feel like I was on vacation, but to find a place that would allow me to slow down, rest and enjoy without rushing. Two years later I found that same feeling, in a small fishing town in Cádiz.
I found in a fishing town in Cádiz the trip I had been looking for for years
It was a weekend in Conil de la Frontera at the end of May that made me realize it. This fishing town on the Cádiz coast does not have volcanoes, temples, or rice fields, but it does have something that is worth much more to me: huge beaches of fine white sand (like the ones at my house, Huelva), a small but lively old town that I could walk to from the hotel and a lot of places to eat delicious food.
I stayed at the DAIA Slow Beach Hotel Conil, an adults-only resort with sea views, which reminded me (in a good way) of my Indonesian favorites. It shared that same feeling of luxury and disconnection, but with an extra that made the difference for me: the balance with the exterior.
It is a hotel where you want to stay for hours enjoying the pool, the room or the activities it offers, but also a town where you wanted to go out, a divine beach that you could walk to and a lot of places to eat. Of course, you also have to be fair with something else: three nights here, in the middle of high season, is a little more expensive than in Indonesia (but it's worth it).
I personally tried to make the most of the hotel: I did a really fun ceramic painting workshop and the result was not as disastrous as I expected, taking into account how bad I am at these things, I signed up for a Restorative Yoga class that left me extremely relaxed (I had a hard time not falling asleep) and I ended the day having a cocktail watching the sunset at the hotel. rooftop.
What to do in Conil
But on Sunday, I wanted to go out and explore the surroundings a little and I started by going down to La Fontanilla beach, which I could see from the terrace of my room. The day was not accompanied by a bath but I didn't want to leave without getting my feet a little wet (it's a habit I have). Once this ritual was completed, I only had to get to know the town.
Walking to the center of Conil from the hotel took me no more than ten minutes. And even though it wasn't high season yet, it was full of life. One of the things I liked the most is that it is a town that can be explored perfectly on foot and everything is so close at hand that it is not necessary to take an organized route, it allows you to get lost a little. That's where I was when I found a small urban art gallery, in an old house in the town in Puerta de la Villa square (next to the arch) with hand-painted fans that I still regret not buying, prints and paintings.
A stop at Mariposas en la Barriga (their cheesecakes are famous throughout Conil) and a walk back to the hotel along the promenade, with the sea breeze and chatting all the way, put the finishing touch to the weekend. Because, if there is something worth talking about in Cádiz in general and Conil in particular, it is the food.
Where to eat delicious in Conil
I confess that this time I didn't do too much gastronomic homework because the hotel made it very difficult for me. The good thing is that I now have an excuse to return. What I enjoyed most were the breakfasts – spectacular – and dinner at Origin Grill, the hotel's grilled meat restaurant, where I tried the grilled meat directly roasted at the table.
Even so, as I was with a woman from Cádiz, Ana Ruiz, journalist at the Diario de Cádiz and responsible for Cadizfornia, who of course, knew Conil perfectly, I couldn't resist asking her for recommendations for when I return on another occasion (which I will surely do) and these are two of the essentials that we cannot miss: Feduchy Playa if you fancy a good rice in a beach bar or if you are looking for something more traditional and a place to try the famous bluefin tuna from almadraba, La Fontanilla.
What you can do around Conil
If you feel like taking a getaway beyond the beach, it is worth visiting the Sancha Pérez organic winery, a few minutes by car from Conil. A winery founded by Ramón, an industrial engineer who, when the 2008 crisis hit, decided to return to his homeland and start a new life making organic wines.
There they work, among others, with the Tintilla de Rota grape, a native strain of Cádiz with which a delicious sweet wine is made. Something that is confirmed first-hand because the visit ends with a tasting, a great plan to enjoy with friends.
Two days in a town in Cádiz changed my way of traveling
These 48 hours in Conil really helped me to disconnect, which makes me think that, at least at this moment in my life, I don't need to cross half the world, or be away from home for so many days to find what I'm looking for: rest and dissociate from reality.
Sometimes it is enough to take the car and go to Conil, Punta Umbría or any of the wonderful beaches we have in Andalusia. I guess I've gotten older or I just don't like traveling anymore to do check on a list, but to return home feeling that the holidays have served me for what they should always serve: truly resting.
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