*My first international review on Yelp! (Changing my intn'l loyalty from TA to Yelp, to help build…read morethe Yelp network abroad.) The Paseo Marítimo de la Costilla is an awesome promenade along Playa Costilla in Rota. It is a wide concrete walkway along the beach, permitting bikes, strollers, joggers, dogs, and of course, walkers. It stretches from the old city, downtown, by the marina, all the way to Parque Atlantico (Av. Santiago Guillén Moreno). There are plenty of public restrooms and foot washing stations along the Paseo, to be a great help for beachgoers. Paseo Marítimo de la Costilla connects to the Camino Natural de Rota, which is a network of actual wood boardwalks, covering a continuing path along the coastline, beyond the end of the concrete Paseo. Alltogether, you can walk several miles, almost the entire coastline of Rota. Our hotel was Playa de la Luz, near the Corrales de Rota (Roman fishing corrals), and we were able to walk from it, all the way downtown, via this network of paths. It took about an hour walking, and there were plenty more paths to travel, should you want a great jogging or biking route. There are exits to the streets in town all along the Paseo and the Camino.

This beautiful square is one of the welcome sights for people coming into Old Town Cadiz…read more The old Plaza Mayor of the city, also known as La Corredera, was found outside the walls, as was common in medieval cities, and near one of the access gates, in this case to the original Puerta del Mar, today Arco de la Pópulo. The irregular layout of this square is conditioned, since in the past it coincided with one of the mouths of the ancient sea, which crossed the current island of Cádiz. In the Plaza de San Juan de Dios, several buildings of interest stand out, such as the Municipality, the church of San Juan de Dios and the Casa de los Pazos Miranda. We loved seeing the activity in here, kids running around and playing, people strolling, just a nice cute cozy place in Cadiz.

The is a beautiful plaza and very easy to find coming from the cruise port as it is the first thing…read moreyou see on your way into the city. It is a very vibrant area with a lot of activities going on. There are tents with merchants selling local made products at reasonable prices. We worth a stop to check them out.

There are no open hours for this historical tower. You can't climb it. It is basically just a…read morepretty place to take a picture. The base of the tower is currently used as an exhibition hall. The tower is all that remains of the former Convent de la Merced (convent of mercy), which was destroyed in an earthquake in 1722. The Convent de la Merced was built on the foundation of the hermitage of Veracruz, once the oldest in Rota, completed in 1620. Nextdoor, the ca.1929 Public Market was built on the remains of the rest of the old convent.

A nice find. There is a local art museum inside as well as the history of the castle.read more

The old and new lighthouses of Rota are within eyeshot of one another…read more The old lighthouse, built in 1910, straddles an arch over Calle Gravina. It is about half as tall as the newer one, and IDK how anyone ever saw it at sea. The new lighthouse, built in 1980, is just down the street, on the Paseo Marítimo. It has a height of 28 meters. You can't climb either lighthouse, they are both basically just landmarks to look at and photograph. They make for neat scenery, and the appropriate nautical touch for the marina across the street, and adjacent beach. There is a very cool webpage of all the lighthouses in Andalucia, this one included. http://www.lighthousesrus.org/showSql.php?page=Med/Andalusia

Good value for money. The 11 euro menu is great. The Plato iberico as a starter was very good as…read morewas the carillada.