Posada La Sacristia

Hotel description

Windsurfers already know about Tarifa, at Spain’s southernmost point, where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean; the sea conditions here make for some of the best windsurfing and kiteboarding in Europe. It’s probably a different audience, though, that makes up La Sacristia’s following — this charming and deceptively contemporary boutique, carved out from the shell of a centuries-old Moorish inn, may be a bit upmarket for the salt-water-and-wetsuits crowd.

The ten rooms are simple and classic, subtly modern but far from modernist, in whites and creams with strategically placed antiques and tiled modern bathrooms. There’s a bit of a Moroccan feel to La Sacristia, built as it is around a central courtyard (where a daily breakfast is served), and the rooftop terrace is the ideal spot for an evening cocktail with sweeping views over Tarifa’s old town.

Dinner is served regularly at La Sacristia in the high summer season, and irregularly the rest of the year — but there’s no shortage of restaurants and cafes in the surrounding old town. Those famous beaches are just minutes away, and it’s a short ferry ride to Morocco, if you’re in the mood — in fact Tarifa is so close to Africa that you can see the city lights of Tangier after dark.