Cozy Pensión in Cádiz

Pensión España, in Cádiz, is more than a comfortable place to rest.

Photo by Oh, Dear!

Cádiz, also known as "la Tacita de Plata" —the silver cup—, is a beautiful white town in the south of Spain, facing the Atlantic Ocean, where old and new mix together in a coherent way to create a magical experience for the visitor.

Downtown Cádiz is a net of narrow streets that can't be accessed by car, which makes it the perfect respite from modern life. In one of these narrow, cool streets, you will find Pensión España (9 Marquéz de Cádiz St.), a little and affordable three stars hotel with colorful furniture and simple but comfortable rooms.

We arrived late in the evening and were welcomed by an attentive staff in the 24 hour reception, on the right side as you enter the interior patio, or lobby. The hotel is located in a restored building from the 1700 with wide and arched doorways but no elevator. Nevertheless, the staff were so nice to help us bring our luggage upstairs to our rooms. The use of the space in the rooms is quite ingenious so, even though they are small, you don't feel crowded.

We dropped off our luggage and went on to enjoy the last minutes of sunlight in the city. The city of Cádiz may be one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the West. Founded by the Phoenicians more than 3,000 years ago, you can understand the attraction of the place as you stroll down the Duque de Nájera Avenue while looking out to the beach called La Caleta. When the tide is low the ocean recedes way back leaving the ocean's floor vulnerable to the curious fingers and feet of children.

Low tides at La Caleta. Photo by Oh, Dear!

La Caleta beach. Photo by Oh, Dear!

We decided to head back to the hotel when we were hungry, stopping on Plaza de las Flores to see if there was some restaurant where to eat. We were lucky enough to find some fried seafood left behind the windows at the Freiduría Marisquería Las Flores, and they gave it to us gladly in a newspaper cone. The next day, when we tried to go back to repeat the treat, we realized the line to eat there was impossible to surmise.

It was getting dark and even though we had been informed by the hotel staff that the hotel had a rooftop with a wonderful view to downtown Cádiz and the Cathedral, by the time we were back we were exhausted but promised to visit the rooftop the next day. But there's so much to see in the tiny city of Cádiz that it never happened.

La Viña, Cádiz. Photo by Oh, Dear!