Yoga, food, surf & sangria: The Essentials

Published on February 28, 2015 | Posted by Clare Garcia

Posted in: Travel, Uncategorized

GETTING THERE

Airports Gibraltar (40 mins away) and Malaga (1.5 hrs away) run countless daily flights at very reasonable prices, particularly if booking in advance. I find Skyscanner the easiest for flight and car hire options.

You’ll need to cross the boarder to Spanish La Linea (5 min walk – follow the crowds or ask at the info desk) for all transport links and most car hire.

Taxi:

A taxi from Gibraltar takes 40 mins and costs around 50 euro each way. Cross to La Linea and the rank’s on the right as you exit security. Malaga’s 1.5 hrs away so probably prohibitively expensive in a taxi.

Car hire:

Hiring a car often works out cheaper (10-15 euro per day, half that from Malaga) and gives you the freedom to go to the nearby surf beaches. You don’t need a car for the (giant and beautiful) town beach so you’re in no way stranded if you taxi it.

There are ample car hire places in Malaga airport. Only Budget and Avis are actually inside Gibraltar airport. Although all companies quote ‘airport pickup’, they lie. The others are in La Linea, which is fine, provided you know in advance. Cross the border, passing through security and the taxi rank; the offices are lined along the pedestrianised road straight ahead.

Goldcar are pretty cheap and have someone in the office from 10am – 10pm, although don’t quote me, this is Spain. Europecar are more inclined to their siesta. Best to book in advance through Skyscanner. I don’t need to tell you to check the small print, they may be cheap but they still make their money.

See below for directions and maps.

Bus:

Buses are reasonable and fairly frequent, depending on the time of day, although you’ll need to change at Algeciras. Allow at least a couple of hours, all in. You’ll find the bus station in La Linea, as you exit security. For timetables, see the links below:

Buses La Linea (Gibraltar) – Algeciras
http://siu.ctmcg.es/es/horarios_lineas_tabla.php?from=1&linea=4

Buses Algeciras – Tarifa
http://www.click-gibraltar.com/bus-destinations/how-to-get-to-tarifa-from-gibraltar/

DIRECTIONS FROM GIBRALTAR (you pass Gib on the same road if travelling from Malaga):

From La Linea, follow signs for Cadiz all the way until you get to Tarifa. It really is that easy.

Take CA 34. This will lead onto E 15, then N340, or just follow signs to Cadiz.
Continue all the way to Tarifa – 30 mins.
When you come over a hill and see Morocco a sangria spit away, you’re 5 mins from Tarifa – Paradise is at the bottom of the next hill… after Lidl.
Take the first exit in to Tarifa town. It’s on the top of the hill and not particularly well signposted so don’t worry if you miss it; there’s another at the bottom and only two roads into Tarifa so you can’t really get lost.
When you hit Tarifa’s only traffic lights, look for somewhere to park. The link below shows free parking but I’d suggest staying near the lights until you’ve dropped your bags as Riad Lolita’s a 1 min walk inside the roman gate / Puerta de Jerez.
At Puerta de Jerez, the entrance to the old town, you’ll see Bossa bar on the left and Tarifa.com on the right.
Take the right fork onto Calle Jerez, Riad Lolita is number 18 on the left. There’s an antique wooden bench and plant in the entrance hall.

Map links:

Directions, Gib-Tarifa: https://goo.gl/e94037
Tarifa parking: https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=z9ccHFpQBFxk.kQiUGrEONbhs

TIMINGS

Tarifa-Yoga2nd

Check in: 2pm

We can arrange for someone to meet you if you need to drop bags before. We’re aiming for a welcome supper around 8pm, depending on all your ETAs.

Check out: 11am

The owners have allowed us to have brunch which runs past check-out, we just need to make sure all rooms are vacated by 11am so they can start cleaning.

WHAT TO PACK

Yoga mats, belt and blocks if you have them. Please let us know if you don’t have a mat so The Dream Team can try and squeeze into their cases.
Cosy shavasana clothes and / or jumper – the evenings can get chilly (really).
Shower gel, shampoo and sun block – we’re virtually in Africa, the sun’s very HOT.
Bikini / boardies and beach towel. Or, like everyone who comes here, you can buy super chic and practical Moroccan beach ‘sarongs’ / towels next to the house for 20 euro.
Earplugs. The joys of being in the town centre with noisy Spaniards.

WHAT YOU SAY ABOUT US

Dear Clare,

I haven’t thanked you enough for the amazing holidays in Tarifa so I would like to thank you once again for organizing this. It was all perfect and was one of the best trips I have ever done, I really enjoyed everything and fell in love with Tarifa- it really is a very special place! Thank you for sharing it with me!

The breakfasts you prepared will remain in my memory forever, thank you for everything. Please let me know if ever you decide to organize any other trips!
Emilie.

Hi Clare

A belated thanks for the yoga holiday – Tarifa was fantastic, the house was beautiful and the food delicious.

Thanks so much for all your efforts in bringing the vision together – hope that you enjoyed it also and fingers crossed see you at the Clapham studio in the future.

All best wishes,
Becki

Shout if I’ve missed anything. We can’t wait to meet / see you all!

Besos [kisses],
Clare, Molly and Stewart.

Travel Pick: Riad Lolita, Tarifa

Published on February 26, 2015 | Posted by Clare Garcia

Posted in: Featured, Travel, Uncategorized

Worthy of it’s own post, Riad Lolita is one of my favourite Tarifa guesthouses. And I’ve ticked off my fair share of accommodation across multiple visits to Spain’s most southern tip – the mountains in the picture are Africa. My obsession with Tarifa can hardly have gone unnoticed (see Travel Pick: Tarifa, Andalucia). I may even have renovated my own little white washed Tarifa holiday house: La Casita Melo. My penchant for understated luxury may have been hinted at once or twice. Moorish mansion, Riad Lolita is the cherry on the cake. Here’s why:

Built in 1893 for the town mayor, this shrine to nineteenth century luxury retains the granduar and original features of its past: Marble floors and staircases; Moorish courtyards and tiles that prompted me to scramble for my credit card; and light flooding in from every angle through the seemingly endless windows and patio doors.

Converted from a private home last year (the layout remained the same), Danish interior design goddess Pia sourced most of the furnishings from Morocco. Synonymous with chic Tarifa, Pia oversees the creative direction of Tarifa’s more stylish apartments. A celebration of her paired back Scandi style with the architecture of the casco antiguo (old town).

The really good news? Pia believes that to keep people happy, “you need to give them more than they expect.” So, Riad Lolita is incredibly reasonably priced. Incredibly.

The upstairs living room, hallway and Moorish courtyard.

Moroccan suite

Riad Lolita was full when I travelled but Pia very kindly moved things around so I could spend 5 nights in this little beauty. It didn’t disappoint.

Moroccan suite 2 has two rooms: living area and a bedroom with further seating area and open plan bathroom. As with the rest of the house, large windows are in abundance; a godsend during hot summer months, though all rooms have AC. Both Moroccan suites have the advantage of their own entrances onto the street; ideal for nipping out for your morning cortado.

Pia sourced most of the furniture from Morocco; the headboard is covered in a rug and the carpet, a design The Rug Company would drool over. Needless to say, I’m now planning a Tangier van haul so I can replicate all of the above in my South West London basement bedroom. Minus the extensive windows, light and sunshine. Humph.

A double room

North and South rooms have an interconnecting door, should you go with a group. The tiles (and 70 euro p/nt price tag) got me in a heartbeat.

The family suite

The master bedroom and kids room in the family suite, which comprises of four rooms, to include a living room and bathroom. Rarely are triple rooms this stylish. Take note, long lost travel buddies with babies!

The Penthouse

The Penthouse kitchen and master bathroom.

With two bathrooms, two bedrooms (or a double bed and sitting room), a kitchen and terrace, this is incredibly good value at 130 euro per night. As with the entire house, design hasn’t been compromised; mosaic tiles, a mix of antique furniture and comfort are in abundance.

The terrace

Bang in the centre of el casco antiguo (old town) with views of Morocco. A sangria spit away.

Shared spaces

With two sitting rooms, a large kitchen, terrace and even chill out hallways, Riad Lolita has ample living space outside of the bedrooms. This is actually quite unusual for Tarifa and as such, it’s an ideal and very reasonable (500 euros per night for 9 bedrooms / 22 people) option for groups.

For prices and how to book, contact: Riad Lolita or Tarifa Beach House.

For why and when to go: Travel Pick: Tarifa, Andalucia

Reasons to visit Tarifa (other than for Riad Lolita):

I’m yet to meet anyone in Tarifa who either, hasn’t been before, or isn’t already planning their return. It really is a very special place.

Travel Pick: Tarifa, Andalucia

Spring lamb with apricots & chilli

Published on April 25, 2014 | Posted by Clare Garcia

Posted in: DF, S, SF, WF

Happy Easter! Here’s something savoury to wash down all your chocolate eggs. After much tweaking, I think this tagine has a perfect balance of agrodolce: Tangy, clean lime, coriander and tamarind working wonders against the sweet, sticky apricots and meaty lamb. Don’t be put off by the mega ingredients list, it’s largely comprised of Storehouse items, and one pot recipes always get my vote for being faff free. It’s also a dinner party winner that tastes even better on day two.

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

500g lamb leg or shoulder, diced to 1 inch pieces, removing the fat.
1 tsp cumin, ground or seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds, ground
3 tsp mustard seeds
4 tsp garam masala from the Larder or shop bought

1 tbsp olive oil
3 red onions, peeled and chopped
2 inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 chilli, finely chopped (seeds included)
3 tsp tamarind
1 bunch coriander (leaves and stalks), chopped

1 ltr chicken or veg stock (I like Marigold bouillon)
1 x 400g tin quality plum or chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp turmeric
150g prunes, pitted
100g dried apricots
1 tbsp tamari, soy sauce or good pinch sea salt
2 limes, juice of

METHOD

Marinate the meat in the spices for 2 hrs, or ideally, overnight.

In a large, heavy based pan, heat olive oil till starts to smoke and add meat to brown. Set aside and fry onions and ginger until soft, aprox 5 mins. Add garlic, chilli, tamarind and coriander stalks (keep leaves aside for later) and fry for a further 5 mins.

Add stock, tomatoes and turmeric and bring to the boil. Follow with lamb and apricots, turn down the heat, cover and cook 30 mins.

Stir to unstick, add remaining ingredients and simmer gently with the lid off for 45 mins. Test for seasoning (you want a balance of sweet, salt and tang) and serve.

Best with yellow split peas, polenta mash or brown rice, a dollop of Labneh (from the Larder) and fresh coriander. Bulgar wheat with a drizzle of Lemon oil is a safe bet if the others float your boat.

Tip: It’s important to add turmeric later in the cooking process so as not to burn off its health benefits, of which there are multitudes!

For reasons this is a recipe your insides will love as much as your tastebuds, check out Seasonal Seducer Lamb.

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