In a recent article in Spain’s El País newspaper, Huelva’s coastline was named the Secret Coast; outside Spain it’s not just the coast but the province that’s a bit of a mystery. Good news for independent travellers looking for unspoilt gems, because this far south-western corner of Andalucía, between Cádiz and Portugal, has many, and not least along its 75-mile coastline, part of the Costa de la Luz, or the Coast of Light.
To the east, the coastal area is dominated by Doñana, the largest and wildest of several protected marshlands, and a great long stretch of virgin beach backed by high dunes. And to the west, after the over-optimistic coastal developments of Isla Canela, there’s a string of chilled-out, small seaside resorts and fishing villages where life is easy, exceptional seafood is as cheap as chips, and people dance barefoot in beach bars on wide stretches of sand until the early hours.
With the coastal city of Huelva equidistant between Faro and Seville airports (one-and-a-half hours away), access couldn’t be easier. A fast road (E1/A49) runs parallel to the coast from Seville to the Portuguese border, and all the beaches are signposted off it.
What to do
The Wilds of Doñana
The 100,000 hectares of salt marshes, dunes, scrub and pine forest that make up this world heritage site are shared between Huelva, Cádiz and Seville, but most sit between the rivers Tinto and Guadalquivir in Huelva province, bordered by the Atlantic to the south. One of the most important and biodiverse protected areas in Europe, Doñana is home to the Iberian lynx (which you won’t see) and a favoured spot for waterfowl (which you will). The waters are packed with avocets, spoonbills, greylag geese, herons, flamingos, and various endangered ducks, although in high summer, much of the water disappears – as do many of the birds. Arranging a visit can be baffling. Only one company is authorised to drive visitors into the national park, and that’s Cooperativa Marismas del Rocío, which offers a four-hour bus trip (+34 959 430 432, no website, €29.50pp). Another El Rocío-based company, Doñana a Caballo (+34 674 219 568, €30pp), takes riding tours through the park and you can hike a bit. There are three visitor centres signposted off the A483 from Matalascañas to El Rocío, from which to get information about short walking trails. El Acebuche is officially the main centre, but twitchers may prefer the trail from La Rocina which follows the course of a stream.
El Rocío
Few places are as pleasantly weird as El Rocío in mid-afternoon – you’ll think you’ve stumbled across the filmset of a western. Literally a backwater on the edge of the Doñana marshes, its wide streets are made of drifting sand, low-flying flamingos cross the plazas, people get around on horseback, every house has a hitching post, and the few shops sell flamenco dresses, Catholic trinkets, or riding boots. Once a year, at Pentecost in May, 1 million all-singing, all-dancing pilgrims converge in wagons and on horses to pay homage to the sparkling statue of Our Lady of El Rocío, Queen of the Marsh – an event that’s only for the most nocturnal and devout of partygoers.
Ruta Británica, Huelva
When an earthquake struck Lisbon in 1755, Huelva city, which sits on marshland, wobbled like jelly and collapsed, so there’s little evidence of its long history as an Atlantic trading post. But this self-guided tour celebrates the peculiarities of its recent past. The British came to set up the Rio Tinto Mining Company in 1873, took copper and left suburbia, private clubs, Victorian bathrooms, library books and a steam railway, as well as a local passion for billiards, badminton, and golf and, most importantly, the very first football club in Spain (unfortunately, Huelva is currently on a losing streak). The colony lasted 81 years, finally dispersed by Franco in 1954. Huelva Experiences runs a tour of the route, which includes the anachronistically suburban Barrio Reina Victoria, a dock and station constructed by the Rio Tinto company, and, as an add-on, the tomb of William Martin AKA Glyndwr Michael, The Man Who Never Was, whose body – along with documents detailing fake invasions of Greece and Sardinia – washed ashore here during the Second World War for the attention of German spies as part of Operation Mincemeat.
• Puerta del Atlántico Visitor Centre, +34 959 541 817, huelva.es/turismo; Huelva Experiences, +34 687 243 802, huelvaexperiences.com, adult €40, children €20, under-fours free
In the footsteps of Christopher Columbus
If it weren’t for the good people of Huelva, Columbus may never have reached the new world – his boats, sailors and funding were all procured from an 8-mile stretch along the steamy, sleepy Rio Tinto.
The untouristy Ruta Colombina takes you to Moguer where, behind the blinding white walls of the medieval Santa Clara Monastery, Columbus talked the Abbess into persuading her nephew, King Ferdinand, to back his madcap venture. The tours of this well-preserved place are fascinating (especially of note are the translucent alabaster windows and the massive great storks’ nests on top).
In Palos de la Frontera, 15 minutes’ drive south, there’s a collection of bits and bobs and a short docudrama about Columbus in what remains of the house of Martín Alonso Pinzón, the influential, wealthy mariner who, with his two brothers, joined the explorer on that first voyage in 1492. At the Iglesia de San Jorge round the corner, you can stand in the very spot the royal order was read out to unenthusiastic villagers, explaining they were to set sail with this Colón (Columbus) character to “certain parts of the ocean”. The Fontanilla, the old fountain at which the ships’ barrels were filled, is nearby but not the navigable river as its course was shifted in the Lisbon earthquake. So the excellent replicas of the three caravales that made the voyage – the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa María – sit at a purpose-built dock, a little further south again in La Rábida, below the monastery that accommodated Columbus from 1491-1492 while he waited for his funds.
• Moguer Tourist Office, +34 959 371 898. For Palos de la Frontera and Casa Museo Martín Alonso Pinzón, see museopinzon.es
Vive!, Ayamonte
Describing itself as a “thematic shop of typical products – souvenirs, smells, gifts, personalised embroideries, flamenco, wine, preserved fish ... and more!”, this is the quintessential deli-bar with tables and umbrellas out front, and seating at the back of the aromatic interior, plus a helpful assistant, Loli, to guide customers through the choices. All Huelva’s bounty is on display from Jabugo hams and Condado de Huelva wine, and locally caught and canned fish in arty tins on fruit-crate shelves. It’s a sweet spot, popular in the evenings. Try Melquíades Saenz orange wine from Bodegas del Diezmo Nuevo.
• Plaza de la Laguna 14, +34 959 320 339
Boat to Portugal
Ironically, one of the best things about Ayamonte (lovely as it is) is leaving it. The 15-minute ferry ride across the Guadiana takes you to a different country and time zone, specifically, to Vilareal do Santo António where you can eat pastéis de nata and misunderstand another language for a bit, before getting the ferry back. The boat’s big enough to take cars, but this international experience is laid-back and stress-free. Ferries leave every 30 minutes from July to mid-September (from 9.30am-9pm), and every hour (until 8pm) during low season.
• Transporte Fluvial del Guadiana, +34 959 47 06 17, rioguadiana.net. Ferry €1.50 for an adult, €5.50 for a car
The best beaches
Those who want a really wild beach should head to the 14 miles between Mazagón and Matalascañas, where there’s little but streams, pines, sea, and sand, wafted into massive dunes, some over 100m high. From the “car park” at Cuesta Maneli, a wooden walkway of almost a mile leads up and over the lofty Duna del Asperillo, ending at the virgin beach, Playa de Castilla. Further east, towards Matalascañas, there’s a sign for the Laguna del Jaral trail. Here the trip to the beach and back is sufficiently long (3½ miles) and adventurous (some hauling on a rope is required to get up and down the the sandy cliff) to put some people off hence a higher chance of splendid isolation. A third option is to head east from built-up Matalascañas into the protected beaches of the Doñana national park. The Beach Trail runs for 20 miles, ending on the banks of the Guadalquivir, opposite the fish restaurants of Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
For boat trips, there are few regions where it’s easier – or cheaper – to test the ocean waves, and there are innumerable operators up and down the coast. After watching boats slipping in and out of the marina at Mazagón, you’ll want to be on one. The Rutas en Barco Mazagón (+34 667 351 552, €25pp) runs dolphin-spotting, river estuary trips and voyages into Doñana. At the adventurous end of the spectrum, Huelva’s wide beaches are increasingly popular with kitesurfers. Centres in Isla Canela, Isla Cristina and El Portil offer kit rental, full courses and four-hour beginner sessions. Operators include Isla Canela Kite el Paradise (+34 646 280 860) or Flecha Extreme (+34 617 000 546) in El Portil, which also offers stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking.
If you find the prospect of stumbling across nudists alarming, remain alert at all times when approaching the following areas (from west to east): Playa Flecha de Nueva Umbría, just south of Lepe (a mile or so beyond the village of Casas del Terrón); Playa de la Mata Negra, just west of Punta Umbría where the Odiel Marshes meet the sea in a mass of pines, junipers and dunes; the 3-mile stretch between the Mazagón parador and the photogenic Torre del Loro; and Playa del Asperillo and Playa de Castilla, both accessed from Cuesta Maneli on the road to Matalascañas. All have designated nudist beach areas, although “textiles” – clothes wearers – are welcome.
An easy and jolly choice, Isla Cristina, wedged between marsh and sea, offers cream sand, lifeguards, a promenade, easy parking, a frontline of palms, small white hotels, bars, and restaurants serving cold beer, fresh sardines and arroz marinero. There are a selection of playas to suit everyone, from the family-friendly Playa del Carmen to La Redondela to the east, where you can abandon your car beside the wooden chiringuito (small bar) and follow the “chameleon route” through pine groves to find your own space in the dunes.
Just west of Huelva, the river Piedras runs parallel to the coast, creating an 8-mile sandy spit, la Flecha del Rompido, and the beaches from El Rompido to El Portil are tucked behind it. So, emerging through the pines at Playa Nuevo Portil, you find yourself on one paradisiacal beach facing another, beyond which is a third and the Atlantic ocean. Small boats ferry people over the calm turquoise channel from three points along the length of la Flecha (€3 return). The sandbar is a protected area and utterly devoid of infrastructure, while Nuevo Portil benefits from a smattering of chiringuitos, among them Roman Chavez Marín’s friendly and chic KM6 (open 15 June-15 September), built from a shipping container, pallets and fruit boxes and shaded by sails. Come here for fresh fish at lunchtime, and for beach parties after dark.
Where to eat
Acánthum, Huelva
Visit almost any restaurant along Huelva’s Costa de la Luz and you’ll find the same choice, which is fine because the fried every-type-of fish, seafood risotto, and jamón from the sierras is universally excellent. Nevertheless, a new breed of young chefs in the city of Huelva have taken the level of sophistication, innovation, and creativity of local fare to a higher plane. Most notable is Xanty Elías, whose restaurant, Acánthum, was the first in the province to be awarded a “sol” in Spain’s prestigious Repsol Guide. Elías spent two years at three Michelin-starred Arzak in San Sebastián, and it shows: not just oysters, but oyster with chicharrones (fried pork rinds) and an apple infusion; not just ham, but ham hock tartar and mustard ice-cream, and so on. Go for haute tapas at the bar or book in advance for the tasting menu (€65).
• Calle San Salvador 17, +34 959 245 135, acanthum.com
Mesón El Lobito, Moguer
I could imagine riding through this cavernous bodega, clopping over the courtyard cobbles drinking wine, while the chef cooked a leg of lamb or venison over an open fire. Run by the third generation of a local family, this atmospheric restaurant looks more like 500 years old than 60 with its thick white walls, barrels, dark corners and hunting trophies. It specialises in grilled meat – rabbit, oxtail, pork and veal – and there is fish, but asking for a light salad is a no-no.
• Calle de Rábida 31; +34 959 370 660, mesonellobito.com
Bodeguita de los Raposo, Moguer
There’s great food and no fuss at this unassuming, super-friendly local spot. Most people ignore the formal restaurant and cram into the patio, which is neon-lit and decorated with yokes, hoes, partridge cages, and things that look suspiciously like snares. What with that and europop on the radio, it may seem an inauspicious choice in this historic town, but the translucent ham (sliced from a leg dangling over the bar), the tongue-tingling ewe’s cheese, the piping-hot fried fish and spicy, oily patatas bravas can’t be bettered. A plus for ditherers is the check-box menu – a list of items available in €2,€3 or €4 portions, and set menus with wine from €11.50.
• Calle Fuentes 60, +34 959 371 281, bodeguitadelosraposo.es
Restaurante Toruño, El Rocío
To get a handle on the strange world that is the marshy outpost of El Rocío and a good choice of cocina onubense (Huelva cooking), eat here. The walls are lined with old photos of locals playing guitar, riding through sand and mists, dancing flamenco and taking the patron saint on a tour of the town. Outside, in the shade of a 1,000-year-old olive tree, everyone appears to be related and inebriated, and waiters are serving drinks to well-turned out riders on well-turned out horses. The food is hearty, a perfect blend of local hunting, shooting, farming (partridge paté, venison, duck and pork) and fishing (prawns, sole and “various wild fish”), the Atlantic being just down the road. Ornithologists in particular will appreciate the tooting and murmured quark-quark serenade of waterfowl sploshing through the adjacent marsh.
• Plaza del Acebuchal 22, +34 959 442 323
Places to stay
Mazagonia Hotel, Mazagón
There are views of an ocean liner in an urban oasis of pine and flowers at this cool boutique hotel. From the airy, glass-walled restaurant to the 18 well-designed, sea-view rooms (each with private terrace or balcony), white sofas, chandeliers, polished concrete walls and chill-out bar beyond the pool, this little hotel offers a level of sophistication unusual in these parts. It’s five minutes’ walk to the beach and owner Lola (who, with her husband, designed the property) is an excellent source of recommendations for destinations further afield.
• Doubles from €80, +34 959 377 870, mazagonia.es
Parador de Ayamonte
There are views of Portugal across the Guadiana from the tidy lawns of this calm, modern parador. Hot, glinting cars push on across the suspension bridge to a packed Algarve, while guests are content in the knowledge they have the lesser-known beaches of Isla Canela, just to the south. Rooms and lounging areas are simple, white and light. Given the proximity of river, marsh and sea, this is a top spot for dining on Huelva’s famous white prawns, skate and squid, while watching the best sunsets in Spain.
• Doubles from €70 B&B, +34 959 320 700, parador.es
Hotel Plaza Escribano, Moguer
Those who visit the former home (now museum) of Nobel Laureate poet Juan Ramón Jiménez in Moguer, with its luminescent central courtyard, shuttered windows, geometric tiles and charm, inevitably wish they could check in there. However, Escribano makes a friendly, good-value, if plain (bar the candy-striped lobby and some lurid walls) alternative, and is well-placed for meandering around this old town’s narrow streets and plazas.
• Doubles from €56 B&B, +34 959 373 063, hotelplazaescribano.com
Meliá Atlántico, Isla Canela
After something quintessentially Spanish? How about a 358-room hotel with all-you-can-eat buffet? Well-heeled Spanish families decamp to big beachfront hotels and apartment blocks for the summer, and this one – vast, air-conditioned, with pool and boardwalk to beach loungers and a 5-mile beach– is a pain-free option for those with kids. There’s an evening mini-disco and daily kids’ club activities, plus kitesurfing nearby, and boat trips across the estuary to the cafes, bars and beaches of Isla Cristina. If you want to see what the coast looked like before development, stroll over to the surprisingly intact fishing village of Punta del Moral where you’ll find good wine and very cheeky drunk locals. Selected by Thomson, Melia also actively attracts independent travellers with bargain offers.
• Doubles from €75 all inclusive,
+34 959 621 000, melia.com, open 1 May to end of October
Hotel Toruño, El Rocío
A cheery, relaxed hotel with comfy leather sofas, books, art, help-yourself homemade wine in the lobby and a very good restaurant next door. The rooms are simple, but offer fantastic views of flamingos picking their way through the marshes of Doñana. (But this sight is nothing in the context of the surreal, western filmset vibe pervading this unique backwater.) Good value, perfect location, with special packages available for ornithologists and astronomers.
• Doubles from €59 B&B, +34 959 442 323, no website
