JayAbove the horizon, wild horses gallop around a white domed building, while within domesticated distance, a small donkey munches on wild poppy seeds and purple periwinkle. After a day of hiking and swimming surrounded by forests of pine trees on the Andalusian coast, we stop to take a look, before cycling.
Later that evening, the light fades to a delicious pink, as tourists pass by the pomegranate trees at the foot of the small town as they bathe the streets. They always stop – and sometimes point upward – in what appears to be a mirage at the top of the hill. Yet this impossibly white enclave falling down a hill is not a mirage, but the town of Vejer de la Frontera in the Spanish province of Cádiz.
streets in it pueblo blanco So narrow in places with Moorish and Roman roots that cars, whose drivers are brave enough, almost brush your feet. Around every corner is a monument to its rich history: the 10th-century barbarian gates were closed for centuries by the residents of its Jewish quarter to protect them from pirates; statues of women wearing the traditional kobizada of Vejer, a black cloak that covers the entire body except for the right eye; The main church, Iglesia del Divino Salvador, on the site of a former mosque, has its foundation built on a waterway that is still under its current Christian occupier.
We’re here to stay with James Stuart, a pioneering Scot who came to the village more than 30 years ago looking for a sandwich and never really left. He bought his first home in the city in the late 1980s for £1,000 in the principality, and two years later he bought the buildings that would become his main hotel, La Casa del Califa. James says he immediately saw the appeal and potential in the city and adopted the philosophy of “if you build it, they will come”. It embarked on a project to convert a sleepy backwater into a tourist hub, renovate and manage dozens of holiday rental properties, launch five restaurants and four hotels, and provide employment to hundreds of people over the years. His vision also spawned other tourism-focused businesses to come to the area.
“Wager seemed to be in another world back in 1988,” says Stuart. “I felt as if I had stepped back in time; The harsh light of summer hits the white walls, palms wave in the air, pink bougainvillea falls on the walls and the old boy I drive to the cafe arrives with his wicker baskets of mules laden with fresh bread.
Initially, Stuart did not plan a restoration project. Their first business was an activity leisure company that primarily provided mountain trips throughout Andalusia. La Casa del Califa came after he expanded his home to accommodate his guests, and then he continued to expand.
“Vejer, far off the beaten track, probably did not require a small boutique hotel at the time, but by creating an original, imaginative space we provided the city with a much-needed focus for the nascent tourism market. The project was more practical than poetic “It seemed like there was a demand that we had made and everything was aligned to let it happen,” he continued.
The hotel is now a landmark, sitting in the shade of giant Senegalese palms, in the middle of the city’s main square, Plaza de Espaa. Inside is a beautiful fictitious labyrinth, the main building of which dates from 1527 and other parts of the 10th century. It’s a shrine to Stuart’s love affair with Morocco – a short ferry hop or 14km swim across the Straits of Gibraltar (Stuart will attempt to swim it later this year). Many Moors came to this part of Spain from Morocco and ruled parts of Andalusia from the beginning of the eighth century to the end of the 15th century, culminating in a history of 800 years and leaving a legacy of sumptuous food, art and architecture . As you step into the hotel, there hangs an intricate 19th-century Persian tapestry that was gifted to Stuart by his father and for which he had to adjust the height of the ceiling to be able to hang it . It sets the tone. Stuart’s attention to detail is accurate – a painstaking restoration of buildings he bought over the years to create his own caliphate’s court.
There are now 20 rooms, all with very individual styles; a rooftop bar; Pond; and a central restaurant, the Jardin del Califa, which serves Moroccan and Middle Eastern cuisine in stone vaulted dining rooms with a lush palm-lined patio. The menu ranges from meze, tagines, succulent lamb kebabs and koftas to traditional barbecued fare or crunchy pastels of chicken and almonds, to house-made desserts including honey-soaked baklava, chocolate fondant, and tahini and date cheesecakes.
Beyond the hotel walls, Stuart and his Scottish wife, Ellie, are serious foodies – they run five more restaurants in and around Vejer. At Corredara 55, there are delights such as oloroso-marinated pork cheeks braised for four hours with apricots, plums and almonds, and spinach and beet crepes filled with mint pea puree. But the stars of the show are the burnt meringue, which almost sounds adulterous, and a beet cake served with a lemon creme fraiche. This is serious cooking with the best ingredients.
There’s a chance to learn more about Andalusian cuisine and culture during an intimate cooking workshop at the home of another expat in the area, Annie Manson, a steadfastly enthusiastic Scott with a long association with Sherry (she’s a qualified Sherry teacher). Is). With the help of her chef Pepi, we’re tasked with creating a wonderfully nutritious menu of chilled white garlic and almond gazpacho and a sticky but light orange and lemon cake served with strawberries dipped in sherry vinegar.
However, the main program is left to the experts. Naval, a chef and one of a family of Moroccan sisters who work for Stuart, is brought in to cook sea bream in a traditional tagine, stuffed with peppers, potatoes and aromatic Moroccan spices. Dinner is on the terrace of Annie’s house and there is plenty of sherry and sweet Moroccan tea to end.
Weaning ourselves from food for a day, we head through the beautiful La Brena y Marismas del Barbet Natural Park to Cape Trafalgar and the coastal town of Barbet. Along the way, we stop at the Cliffs of Wedger in a nesting area of the extremely rare northern bald ibis as they feed their young; After being absent for centuries, the area now houses one of the world’s largest colonies of birds. The afternoon is spent with Stuart, pedaling back to Vejer on an e-mountain bike along an easy section of the new EuroVelo, a long-distance route that will eventually connect Cadiz with Athens, and walk through open countryside on farm tracks. I through.
We end our day back at Vejer as the sun begins to set. Stuart’s enthusiasm for his adopted home is infectious, not least because of how deeply he knows it. As we walk down the quiet alleyway to our final dinner, and he rounds up to show us a hammam he’s opening—the first in town—and yet another important monument, greeting everyone as he passes by. does, he quips: “Maybe one day, I’ll have an idol?”
The tour was provided by Califa Group. A three-night anniversary package staying at La Casa del Califa costs from €209pp, which includes three breakfasts, two dinners (El Jardin del Califa and Corredera 55). Visit to the Hammam de Vejer. Optional extras include E-mountain bicycle rental with route notes (€30 per day), bird and botany hikes with a local guide (€130 half day / €180 full day) and a full day with Annie B’s Spanish Kitchen Cookery School From €155pp