Costa de la Luz - Rota

Rota Marina

Rota Costline with Cadiz in the distance

Next it was off to the town of Rota on the Costa de la Luz.

The Costa de la Luz (Coast of light) is the western part of the Andalucía coastline that faces out to the Atlantic. The sand is finer and a more golden colour than the neighbouring Costa del Sol.

The typical beaches here are more expansive and probably backed by sand dunes and pine trees. This part of the coast has not seen the high-rise hotel development of other areas. The temperatures are slightly milder and the often strong Atlantic winds and waves are favoured by wind surfers and surfboarders alike.

Across the bay from Cadiz, the oldest inhabited city in Western Europe, Rota is a small but important town. It is the home of the Spanish Navy and the US Naval Base Rota.

There is plenty of wind on the Atlantic and sailing and windsurfing are big. Plus the weather is lovely almost all year around so there are plenty of hotels on the beach.

This area of Andalusia is known for fishing, agriculture, sherry and chardonnay, and not only were the tapas great, the seafood dinners were incredible....and unbelievably inexpensive. I was expecting ridiculous prices with the dollar so low, but it was cheaper to have a great meal in Rota, than in Los Angeles. (But shhhhh, let's keep this our little secret...we don't want tourism to ruin the local ambiance)