Conil De La Frontera

Conil is a lively, small beach town ~40 minutes south of Cádiz. Spanish locals flock to the town in the summer months to spend their holidays, but is still relatively unknown to tourists, so is a great spot to come to enjoy the traditional Andalucían lifestyle. What makes this fisherman’s village a picture perfect place for a vacay? Conil is a piece of seaside paradise within Andalucía, whose people are extremely welcoming to visitors. It has beautiful white washed buildings along the Atlantic coastline, crystal clear waters, a long, relatively untouched coastline, beautiful nature, year-round surfing, and delicious food.

The town has a vibrant atmosphere in the evening, with local shops, great tapas bars, many gelato shops, and good nightlife. During the day, it has a slow vibe with surfers and beachcombers waiting for their next wave or relaxing on the beach. Conil has 6 beaches, with Playa Los Bateles and Fontanilla beach being the most popular, and longest of them. The tides here leave little pools of water along the coast, and in an area where the ocean meets the river, can be difficult to pass by without getting sopping wet due to the currents and water influx. In the evening, head to Plaza de España or Calle Cadiz, the go-to spot for restaurants and pubs. If you’re looking for more ‘clubs’, head to Avenida Andalucía or Calle del Peñon, a quick stroll from the main square.

If you want to test out your skills on a surfboard (or maybe acquire some), Conil is a great place to learn. You can stay at a Surf hostel or camp like I did, and would highly recommend. I stayed at TAKE Hostel and the staff there were more than accommodating. They picked me up from the bus station, organized daily lessons with board and wetsuit rentals from their shop, finding us the best waves that day, and even drove us down to El Palmar for surf and yoga. The hostel is quite new, with a great kitchen to cook, and only a couple blocks from the beach. I had never tried surfing before Conil, and was up on my board within a few tries, so would go back to their surf camp in a heartbeat. Check them out on their website or Hostel World to book!

If you’re a foodie and love fresh seafood (especially tuna), Conil will be a haven for you. For the past 20 years, the town has been known for its seafood in general, but specifically its tuna.. A ‘go to’ in Conil for food is to Freiduría Zapola to order the cone of fried fish. You will see first hand here how kind the locals are — while you wait in line, they provide you with a beer, just because. The other seafood delicacy that is specific to Conil is the Bluefin tuna. Order atun encebollado (tuna with caramelized onions) for a taste of a real Conil delicacy.

Lastly, if you’re looking to use Conil as a home base and venture to see nearby towns, there are many good options around. Less than 15 minutes away is El Palmar Beach, a famous surf town, but also known for having one of the most beautiful sunsets in all of Spain. I would argue and say that Conil has to be just as good given how spectacular they were when I was there, but I never saw the sunsets in El Palmar for a fair comparison. What I do know, is that hundreds of people flock to El Palmar to watch the sunset, and applaud the sun as it sets — so it must be good. Alternatively, if you’re more of a mountain vs. a beach person, Conil is still a great choice to visit. A nice cycle or short drive/bus ride will take you into many of the different white Andalucían towns nearby. Vejer, Alcala de Los Gazules, Grazalema Mountains or Via Verde de La Sierra Natural Park are all worthy of a day trip from Conil to discover more about the beautiful area nearby and spend some time in a different kind of nature.

I ended up in Conil solely by chance looking through Google maps for somewhere to try surfing on the West coast that was a bit more off the beaten path. What I ended up finding was even better than I could have expected for all of the reasons I’ve just highlighted. The low key lifestyle (did somebody say siesta?), great food, beautiful beaches and incredible sunsets, all made Conil feel like it could be ‘home’. This was the first city on my trip that I felt that I could actually live in, and made it all the more difficult to leave a few days later. I spent 5 days here, but you could easily stay much longer depending on what you want to do! If you’re considering spending some time on the West coast near Cádiz (which I would definitely recommend), be sure to add Conil de La Frontera to your list.