Have you checked out Zahara de los Atunes yet?

Nowhere encapsulates the beauty of southern Spain better than Zahara de los Atunes

The southern reaches of Spain are dotted with more hidden gems than a stowed-away pirate ship, and one of the best among them must certainly be Zahara de los Atunes.

This laid-back beach town is blessed (or cursed, depending on your perception) by the fact that its larger neighbour Tarifa acts as a kind of tourist buffer. If you’re heading south from the Costa del Sol for a weekend of Atlantic swimming, dune trekking, chiringuito-frequenting fun then Tarifa ticks all your boxes. And it’s closer, too…

But if you are prepared to venture that little bit further – barely 20 km more along the Atlantic coastline – you will not be disappointed. While Tarifa’s reputation as a windsurfing and kiteboarding Mecca precedes it, Zahara de los Atunes has dashed under the radar for decades, and while it may not boast quite the same broad beaches and unsettled surf as Tarifa, unless you’re a hardcore watersports enthusiast then that is hardly likely to matter.

Where Tarifa has trustafarian hippies bemoaning the town’s transformation into some sort of California-lite beach resort populated by screeching gaggles of girls driving their dad’s Jeep, Zahara de los Atunes has no such problems.

Largely unnoticed by the descending summer hordes, the town has a lovely charm that is one part classic Andalucía, one part worldly wise resort boasting the nous, top-class restaurants, chilled bars and – yes, this is important – easy parking that never fails to prove a hit to all who venture this far.

Authentic, relaxed, family friendly but also dripping with understated cool, Zahara is a great choice for a weekend away from it all. Tarifa used to offer likewise, but its secret has been out for a while now, meaning a planned camping retreat can quite easily be ruined by tailbacks, crowded beaches, overly busy bars and the very real possibility of a loud bunch of Australians pitching their tent far too close to yours and spending the night playing bongo drums and off-key acoustic guitar.

In Zahara, the beach is the de facto playground for everybody. The best food, drink and atmosphere are all directly on the beach, which is mercifully less windy than Tarifa’s but just as beautiful. Either side of the main resort centre the beach stretches for 20 km in both directions – clean, sweeping and largely deserted. Head west and you come upon Cádiz – that classic garrison city with more history crammed into a tight square mile than most cities manage entirely.

Spain’s southern coastlines have yielded to the march of tourism over recent decades. This is no bad thing, of course – the near unbroken developments that tumble down the Costa del Sol from Málaga to Estepona offer everything from property, schooling, employment and enjoyment, but it is nice to know that just around the corner the very southern tip of Spain can still offer something so wild, natural, laid back and beautiful.

All you have to do is resist the temptation to turn left for Tarifa, and head straight on into the wild unknown that leads you on to the beauty that is Zahara de los Atunes.