Cadiz
A brief description of Cadiz and province and why to come and stay in this magical place!
Cadiz is a little gem! The old town has an island feel all of its own, hemmed in by the old city walls and surrounded by water, it lies at the end of a long sandy peninsula at the south western tip of Europe. Cadiz feels like the end of the line, like an island, beautiful, unique, friendly and quite random! As a beach town it is laid back in the extreme! The old town is a labyrinth of narrow streets lined with elegant 18th century buildings. Infused by the salty sea air and faded by the Andalusian sun the city has a long lived in look!
History
Its favorable geographic position made it a perfect stopping point for the Phoenicians who founded Gadir, as it was called back in 1100 BC, long before the upstart Romans discovered its charms.
Climate
Cadiz has a fantastic climate. Surrounded on all sides by water the town is cooled by the sea breeze. The short winters have daytime temperatures ranging between 10 to 18 Celsius, allowing for out of season beach days. The summers are consistently long, hot and dry, with temperatures rarely exceeding 32!
Beach - surf
The 7 km sandy peninsula lies on the edge of the Atlantic and as such receives its share of surf. For a city Cadiz has beautiful clean and safe beaches. The nearest beach to the Caracol is Playa de Santa Maria is just a 10 min stroll away. You can walk for kilometers along this strand till the town lies far behind you. The other city beach, La Caleta, is flanked on both sides by castles and is more sheltered from wind and swell and pirates.
Province
The province of Cadiz is one of the most beautiful parts of Spain. The lengthy coast south to Tarifa via Conil, el Palmar and Bolonia is the most un-spoilt in the south. As you stand on these beaches you can clearly see the mountains of north Africa!! Morocco is just a 35 minute ferry trip from Tarifa. Around 25% of the province is made up of natural protected areas including parts of Doñana, the bay of Cadiz, los Acornocales and Grazalema, with their mountains and white villages.
Cadiz Carnival
Carnival has to be seen to be believed!
The festivities kick off in January with the "warm up" street parties before the main Carnival in Febuary / March.
The craziness goes for 10 days with street parties in fancy dress in an alcoholic haze. The main attractions are the singing groups divided by size; smallest to largest these are; chrigotas, comparsas and coros.
Imagine a group of people dressed as chickens singing about sex, love, politics, you name it... completely random and very very funny if you can make it past the bullet proof local accents and your alcohol induced fuzzy head space...hmmmm!
Book early as we fill up during this popular time!Festivals
Alcances film festival. Iberoamericano theatre festival. Titeres puppet festival. Iberoamerican music festival. Fashion events such as "Mi vestido Azul" and 36°32' south
Province
El Puerto de Santa Maria Feria, Jerez Feria and Jerez Moto grand prix.
