We chose the Hotel Melia Atlanterra because I’m a keen historian and fan of Lord Nelson. This was about the nearest point to Cape Trafalgar we could place ourselves and about the furthest distance my husband felt he could comfortably drive from Malaga airport. The journey takes approx two and a quarter hours and we used the toll roads where appropriate to speed up the journey.
I would agree with most of the other Trip Advisor reviews. Having stayed in Sol Melia hotels before we thought the standards ought to be fairly reasonable and they were. One review stated that parking can be a problem and this is certainly a case at the weekend. Both Saturdays during our stay wedding receptions took place, add to this a large number of Spanish weekender guests and parking became a bit chaotic to say the least.
The hotel rooms are typical 4* standard. We only had two gripes and I’ve mentioned these to the hotel. The balconies are in desperate need of pullout clotheslines that many hotels provide nowadays. The potted plants (mostly dead) make it difficult for drying swimwear and towels. Also there is no dressing table mirror and so I had to use the mirror wardrobes for making up etc.
The main pool was OK in size etc but oh so cold – it definitely needs heating.
The food in the restaurant was generally of a reasonable standard and we found most of the staff to be very friendly and helpful. English was spoken and although there were few other British guests, this didn’t particularly bother us.
This is not a place for shopaholics! The two small supermarkets near the hotel were already closed for the season. Even in Zahara we didn’t locate a supermarket of any size. The nearest place to shop is Barbate, which is about eight miles away where we stocked up on a few essentials at Lidls.
Beyond Barbate the area is breathtaking – lot’s of umbrella pine walks and stunning beaches. The beach the other side of Cape Trafalgar is massive and further on Conil de la Frontera is well worth visiting – again huge wide-open beaches. The best scenically had to be Bolonia (take the road for Tarifa and follow the signs) here you have a small river and lagoon teeming with terrapins, a fabulous beach, a massive sand dune surrounded by umbrella pines and if that’s not enough Roman ruins (closed Mondays).
Would we come back to this area? Definitely yes! We may even be back next year.
- Melia Hotel Atlanterra
- Sol Melia Atlanterra
