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At kilometer 70,2 of the interstate highway N-30 a small road of seven kilometers length branches off to the left and leads to the Bay of Bolonia over a mountain ridge. By plane you can reach Bolonia via Málaga (a big charter airport) or via Jerez (a smaller airport). To reach Bolonia by car from the airport you need about one hour and thirty minutes from Jerez, and two hours, approximately, from Málaga.

Bolonia has a population of five hundred, apart from a hundred cows, horses and donkeys. There are three little grocery stores and some restaurants. The borders of the village are adjacent to the excavations of the ancient Roman City named “Baelo Claudia”. This area belongs to the Spanish government and it is protected.

The Hotel-Apartment Don Pedro is located at the entrance of the village, and it is 120 metres away from the beach. The Hotel has two buildings and provides apartments with one or two bedrooms and also some hotel rooms.

The Furnitures of the Apartments

b) Apartments with living room, a small kitchen, two bedrooms and one bathroom (40m² approximately) for 4-5 people.

All the apartments have balcony or terrace. The small kitchen has a fridge, a cooker with two burners and a sink. The big apartments also have washing machine. There are enough kitchen utensils, as well as tables and chairs for the sitting room and balcony.

The Hotel-Apartment Don Pedro also has a swimming-pool, which is especially suitable for children, old people and for those who do not like the sea and its waves or those who want to learn swimming.

Surroundings / Activities

Beach

The beach is several kilometres long, and it is delimited by a dune and a pine forest. There is also a separate nudist beach towards the East. In this region each village has its own beach of several kilometres, so that you will have space enough, even in high seasons. Bolonia has a windy weather and a really nice temperature, due to the geographical location of the Strait of Gibraltar. Windsurfers, in particular, love this windy weather, which becomes really strong in some occasions. The real “cracks” arrive with their best boards. The water is extremely clear and it is colder than in the West area towards Cádiz. This effect is due to the Ocean currents, the Strait and the wind.

Little walks from the village

The East and West of Bolonia are surrounded by mountains covered by pines and cork oaks. There is a transmission tower, in the mountain towards the West (Sierra de la Plata) and you can go there on a narrow road of gravel. From this mountain there is a beautiful view of the village Zahara de los Atunes, of the village of Atlanterra in the West, of the Strait of Gibraltar in the South, of the Bay of Bolonia in the Southeast and of Tarifa in the East. A visit of this place is a must for every photographer who wants to challenge his camera. There are several paths in this mountain that lead to Atlanterra and Zahara. In the East there is also a path that leads to the peak of the mountain (ask Don Pedro). In case you have binoculars, don't forget them!!!

Riding a Horse

You have the possibility of riding a horse. In the village there live people who rent horses. There are countless paths in the mountain and along the beach, which are really good to ride on a horse.

Excavations of the ancient Roman City “Baelo Claudia”

The centre of the Roman City named “Baelo Claudia” is located 500 metres from the town centre of Bolonia. The ancient city was founded in the II b.C. and it achieved its greatest prosperity under the government of the emperor Claudius (41-45 b.C.). The importance of “Baelo Claudia” was mainly based on the industrialisation and the fish processing. Salted fish and a special sauce, made by the natives (garum), were exported to the Roman Empire. You can see several temples, thermal springs, a theatre, a forum, etc.

Mountainbike

Spring and autumn are the best seasons to enjoy riding on a mountainbike. Every grade of difficulty can be found in the mountains of Bolonia. The mountainbikes can be rent in Tarifa.

Ornithology

According to Don Pedro, there are people who visit Bolonia to observe the migrant birds on their flight from and to Africa. I am not an ornithologist, but the number of storks breeding in this region is amazing. In this context we have to mention the National Park of Doñana, in the estuary of the Guadalquivir river.

Restaurants

You can find several restaurants in Bolonia. Taking into account the extraordinary fish, prepared in many different ways, the variety of other kind of food is of less importance. You can also find restaurants of a great quality in Tarifa.

Excursions and Mountaineering

The Nature Reserve of Los Alcornocales is located between Algeciras and Medina Sidonia. Its name is due to the huge forest of cork oaks in the park. A good starting point for your excursions is Alcalá de los Gazules (1’5 km from Bolonia). You can get maps of this area and recommended routes in the tourist information office of Alcalá de los Gazules.

The National Park of Doñana covers the marshes of the estuary of the Guadalquivir river from Sanlucar de Barrameda to the tourist development of Matalascañas. The marshes are an extraordinary ecosystem, and they have a great variety of birds, reptiles and other kind of animals (but also with a lot of mosquitos). There are routes through the park, walking or by boat, from Sanlucar. These organised tours are supervised by the park administration. The tickets can be bought in the old building of the ice factory, near to Sanlucar. You can travel from Bolonia to Sanlucar in about 1,5 hours by car.

The Nature Reserve of La Brena and Marismas de Barbate: This is a beautiful forest located between Barbate and Caños de Meca. If you start walking from the parking and go along the road, there are great varieties of forest paths, for example the path that leads to the tower "La Torre del Tajo". From there you will have a beautiful view on the cliffs (half an hour from Bolonia).

Villages and Cities

Compared to other cities of Spain, Tarifa, the town of the wind, has a really a special atmosphere. It is the most southern town of the South Peninsula Ibérica. If you want to go shopping, Tarifa is the nearest town to Bolonia. You can find a big supermarket (Consum), as well as many little shops of any kind. Another characteristic of Tarifa is its main street, where almost every shop is directly or indirectly related to windsurfing. This town has a turbulent history due to its geographical situation. The name of the town has its origins in the Arabian king Tarif. The Arabian influence is still evident after his kingdom between the eighth and thirteenth centuries. The old quarter of Tarifa is an entangled group of narrow streets and alleys, and it is really difficult to drive a car there. The beautiful fortress of Guzman El Bueno is also located in Tarifa; Guzman was a king who tried to protect the town from the Arabian attacks. The port must be mentioned and you should visit the fish market in particular (the market of the town also deserves a visit).

City life is basically influenced by the tourism of the windsurfers. They are the youngest generations of tourists, and they prefer camping instead of big hotels. That is the reason why there are no big hotels in this area, at most pensions. In Tarifa you can find a great number of pubs and bars of an international atmosphere, as well as some discos. The town has a beach at the Mediterranean Sea and several at the Atlantic Ocean. The most famous beach in this area is Valdevaquero beach, where the “cracks” of the windsurf meet as soon as the "Levante" wind blows (warm wind from the East). It is a pity that the little island at the South of Tarifa (Palpmas Island) is restricted to military.

Visiting Jerez de la Frontera, in this region, is almost obligatory, due to its incomparable wine cellars of Sherry. A wine can only be named Sherry if it is produced in the region among Sanlucar, Jerez and El Puerto de Santa María. It is in Jerez where the most important and famous wine cellars are located, for instance Sandeman, Domecq and Gonzalez Byass which all offer guided tours. Gonzalez Byass is a wine cellar I would recommend (basically run by Spanish people) it has wonderful cellars and it offers tours in English. If you go to their gift shop after the visit, have a look at the prices. Sherry can be cheaper in a supermarket or in the duty-free of the airport. It is worth visiting Cádiz (one hour approximately) and Seville (two hours approximately). You can find a lot of information about these cities in any tourist guide.Some people would like to visit Gibraltar (but do not expect too much). Passing the frontiers is sometimes tedious.

There is a ferry every day from Tarifa to Tanger, Morocco (35 minutes approximately). There are ferries from Algeciras leaving more frequently. If you want to visit Africa, you can find many organised excursions for one or two days (you can get the tickets from Don Pedro). Even though the bazars of Tanger are very touristic, it is still a world very different from Europe.

Where is Bolonia?