Ocean Tarifa

The rooms were spacious, with balconies and generous bathrooms, and I found the beds and pillows good. Breakfast was excellent for Spain, both in quantity and variety. The hotel is also very well placed, within walking distance of the main surfing spots and about a five-minute walk from the beach. I took stars off for the doors, which do almost nothing to block sound. It was generally quiet in the corridor and bar, but whenever someone walked past it felt like they were in my room. Rooms facing the mountain also get kitchen smells when the wind dies down, which isn’t great. The bar and restaurant are nice and decent quality, but massively overpriced. Paying 11€ for a mojito in Spain is nuts, though there are plenty of places nearby.

The people are so friendly, and you always get a warm “Ola,” which made me feel welcome instead of anonymous. In the evening, they serve hot meals even though it’s a small hotel, and the spare ribs were fantastic, softer than any I’ve had in Bavaria or Cape Town. I like this kind of hotel. The main house has a vintage style and a warm feel, and softly playing music in the morning adds to the holiday mood. Breakfast is sufficient, with good bread and muesli. A coffee machine for cappuccino and stronger coffee would be the one improvement. The rooms are on the small side, but the bathroom and shower are big. I’d add two or three more hooks in the bathroom and sleeping room. The beach is a 10-minute walk along the road, or a one- to two-minute drive.

Tarifa is only a 10-minute drive away. At Wawa, the staff are so friendly, the rooms are clean and nice, and the breakfast buffet is huge with loads of different things. We had a really good time, and I’d definitely recommend staying here!

The only real bright spot was breakfast and the lovely staff there. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel. We’re still here and leave tomorrow, but I’m very disappointed with the hotel and room. There’s only one electrical outlet, right next to the bathroom sink, which feels dangerous. Charging two phones when both are out of battery is a problem. There’s no bedside table or drawers, not even a small surface for toiletries. There’s no way to make tea and no fridge. The bathroom fan is noisy and the door doesn’t fit properly. Outside our room, stagnant water in an unfinished pond attracted mosquitoes, and there are no outlets for plug-in repellents. It was also hard to find the place: booking websites call it a beach hotel, but it isn’t on the beach. There’s nothing nearby and no restaurant open where you could even get a bottle of water.