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| La Casa del Califa |
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| Vejer de la Frontera - Cadiz - Andalusia - Cadiz |
| Village |
| Number of rooms: 17 |
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| Want to get a feel of what it must have been like to live in the golden era of the Moors? Then come to the Vejer and stay at the Casa del Califa. Vejer is one of the best preserved of the Arab white towns. Almost 500 years of Islamic domination left a permanent mark on the culture, architecture & landscape on the region. Within this environment, located in the towns most important old square, can be found the Califa. It seems to be made up of a maze of corridors & stairways that lead guests into different parts of the hotel. Many rooms are on different floors with 3 traditional courtyards providing light & depth to the structure. In fact some of the rooms are located in an outbuilding, which has just been acquired by the hotel further adding to the labyrinth like feel. Many of bedrooms have traditional Arab rugs on the floors. All the railings & ironwork were made in Marrakech for the hotel, while furnishings and decoration include everything from an 18th century Persian dowry chest, to Afghan rugs, Lebanese lamps & copperware from the Yemen. Most of the art on the walls is original & inspired by motifs & themes from Islamic Spain and include works from Algerian, Morrocan & Granada painters. A word of caution: the many stairs and levels do not make it appropriate for elderly or handicapped people, though notwithstanding this, it is an excellent value and atmospheric hotel. |
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Vejer is situated at 200m above sea level & just a few km. from the beaches at either El Palmar, Trafalgar Bay or Los Caños de Meca. Vejer itself is made up of 2 parts, the old medieval quarter & the newer part of town carefully designed in the style of the 'pueblos blancos' of the region. Vejer has many monuments to visit, flower filled courtyards to peer into & turreted walls to see views from. Vejer is surrounded on 2 sides by the 'Las Breñas' Natural Park a 5,000ha. forest of pine wood running down to the coast & the 'Marismas' Natural Park a smaller nature reserve through which the Barbate river runs through & home to an important collection of birdlife. Both parks have walking trails running through them & are perfect for day walks. Vejer has many view points overlooking both the coastline & the hills of the 'Alcornocales' Natural Park, the largest cork oak forest in Europe with an extension of over 175,000ha.
A short walk away is the recently restored roman acueduct of Santa Lucia, usually still working in the summer, with a water supply that feeds the small lush valley nearby where avocadoes, pomegranate & other semi-tropical fruits are grown. A visitors centre is due to open here shortly. The 7th.C. hermitage of San Ambrosio will shortly be reopened to the public incorporating part of the original mosque that stood on this site. A myriad of walking trails & wider cañadas (droving trails) run through the local countryside. All the trails are unmarked. The terrain is hilly although not steep, moderate fitness is required for cyclists wanting to ride to the beautiful town of Medina Sidonia or to visit the fishing port of Conil for example.
Vejer
Squeezed between the sierras and the sea this hill town is a perfectly preserved example of what many Andalucian towns were like during five centuries of Islamic occupation. Declared a national monument in 1978, Vejer is a labyrinth of white washed houses & winding cobbled streets. Set 200m. above the surrounding countryside the old town has a mass of historical monuments. The castle, turreted medieval walls, minaret of the old mosque, churches and convents are a blend of moorish, visigothic and mudejar styles. Vejer is an unspoilt town, its romantic flower filled courtyards and small plazas are uncorrupted by modern tourism. The town has a lively atmosphere where the locals are happy to welcome visitors and small bars and restaurants make wandering through the historic quarter a real pleasure.
The Town walls
You can still trace the outline of these ancient monuments and in places they appear proud & defensive & in others disappear into homes & you'll see somebodys washing being hung on the ramparts. Heavily restored in places the walls were built in the 15th.C. as part of the defensive investment after the Christian reconquest of the region.
The Archways
A notable feature are the various arches that lead into the old town through the walls. Unlike in many other towns all the original gateways still exist & form a feature of the everyday life of Vejer.
Arco Sancho IV - The oldest & best preserved gate to the old town.
Arco de la Villa - The main archway into Vejer in the Plaza de España. Originally this was the termination of the old Roman road up from La Barca.
Puerta de la Segur - The lowest and best fortified of the archways squeezed between the fortifications & the church.
Puerta Cerrada - Traditionally the 'closed gate' as it was supposedly most susceptible to attack form the south.
The Castle
The old moorish built 'alcazaba' is tucked away down a narrow backstreet. Only one facade reveals this monuments history as the town has been built right around the edifice. A classic 11th.C. ogee arch leads into a jasmine scented courtyard. Beyond this there is not much to see as now much of the castle is residential. If you are lucky the local scouts who have their den here will show you around the ramparts.
The Church
Built on the site of the old mosque the minaret is still standing now crowned with bells. Under the church is the outstanding 'alminars' or water deposit built by the moors (not open to the public) so large that it can be navigated around in a small dinghy. The church itself has two contrasting styles. Towards the front of the main aisle is visigothic while the remainder is mudejar. The interior was completely bespoiled during the Civil War & little remains of the churches richs. Its simplicity however is most attractive. Take a close look at the niches along the outside north wall of the church.
The Plaza de España or 'Plaza de los Pescaitos'
A most attractive plaza this is a favourite spot for visitors & locals alike. Ringed with date palms with some immense bouganvilla bushes as a backdrop the Plaza de los Pescaitos (Plaza of the Little Fish), gets its name from the goldfish that swim around the fountain. The ornate fountain is not as old as it seems and dates back to the early 1900's. Decorated with bright ceramics & 4 spouting frogs you will find an almost replica fountain in the main plaza of Algeciras. The town hall ('Ayuntamiento') overlooks the square & a notable feature is the facade of the fabled Casa de la Inquisición (no. 12 & 13). A mirador overlooking the pines of the Marismas Natural Park is due to be opened shortly.
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From Malaga Airport - driving time 160 mins.
Leave the airport and follow signs to N-IV signposted ALGECIRAS (this road heads south from airport).
Stay on the N340 towards Algeciras & near Mijas you will join the new E5 motorway (toll) to Estepona.
Stay on the N340 now bypassing Algeciras, direction CÁDIZ - you are now off the Costa del Sol and on the Costa de la Luz. Stay on the N340 passing various windmills and passing Tarifa.
34km. after Tarifa you will see Vejer high up on a hilltop & follow signs.
From Seville Centre - driving time 120mins.
Leave Seville along the 'Avenida las Palmeras' direction CADIZ / ALGECIRAS (N-IV)
Follow signs for the A4/E5 (Toll way)
Stay on the A4/E5 all the way until turn off ALGECIRAS
Join the N-340 and stay on it direction ALGECIRAS. Stay on this road until you get to the Vejer turn-off (Vejer is 11km. beyond the Conil turn-off).
Follow the signs at the roundabout & go straight up the hill to the centre of town to the Plaza de España where you will find the hotel.
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Please feel free to send us your personal hotel review on this hotel. You may wonder why all the assessments we have on line are positive. Well, apart from the simple fact that we try to include only what we consider to be the best accommodations, there’s another important reason to bear in mind. Any hotel that receives 3 negative feedbacks is automatically taken out of our selection.
"Vejer de la frontera est un lieu typique et très beau. L'hôtel y est très bien placé. La décoration est soignée, l'ambiance créée est réussie. Le restaurant est excellent. Un moment sur la terrasse le soir est agréable."
Superbe étape !!!"
BR, France
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