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Costa de la luz
JULY 2024
LIGHT YEARS AWAY! The Olive Press takes a tour of some of the Costa de la Luz’s under-the-radar spots, as the largely unheralded coastal gem girds itself for discovery by British tourists
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ERCHED upon the highest point in Chiclana de la Frontera sits the round cupola of the Ermita de Santa Ana. The church is located on one of the fabled ‘seven magical spots’ in the sprawling town, lodged among salty marshlands just south of Cadiz. In the 9th century, long before the chapel was built in 1733, it was an old watch tower from where the town’s defenders scanned the horizon. They were looking for the telltale sight of the dreaded Viking longboat. Now, over a thousand years later, Chiclana is no longer a frontier town – but the coast it used to guard is preparing itself for another invasion from the north… from tourists! The Costa de la Luz stretches from Tarifa in Spain’s most southern point, through the sparkling coastal fortress city of Cadiz, and up into
ALLURE: A Chiclana beach welcome (above) and the chapel of Santa Ana
By Walter Finch Huelva. It is a beautiful coastline dotted with stunning towns, like Vejer de la Frontera and Zahara de los Atunes, largely unscathed from the ill effects of mass tourism. By flying under the international tourism radar, the Costa de la Luz has managed to dodge the fate of neighbours Sevilla and Malaga, where huge tourist demand has sent the cost of living spiralling. So the recent announcement by airline Jet2 to open a raft of new routes to nearby Jerez has Continues on next page
Take a front row seat on the Costa de la Luz’s most beautiful square +34 956 45 53 02 www.garimbasur.com Plaza de España, 32 – 11150 Vejer de la Frontera, Cádiz