Dar Cilla

Stylish, keenly-priced apartments in a refurbished townhouse built into Tarifa’s old town walls, with more than a hint of North Africa inside

Dar Cilla’s literal crowning glory is its roof terrace. From here, on a clear day, you look out across the Strait of Gibraltar to the mountains of the Moroccan Rif and at night can see the lights of Tangiers glimmering above the ocean on the opposite shore. You’ll quickly understand why Zoë took her decorative cue from the Maghreb.

Wrapped around two inner courtyards, in keeping with traditional ‘dar’ design, are 8 intimate apartments. Although each is independent of its neighbours, the mood at Dar Cilla is highly sociable. Life tends to gravitate naturally upwards to that stunning roof terrace – where there is an eclectic collection of sculpture - to share wine and conversation with fellow guests. Top spec insulation of walls and windows means that, despite being close to the buzzing centre of oh-so-hip Tarifa, this is a peaceful place to stay with a real sense of inner sanctum. Dar Cilla is deeply comfortable, too - a fabulous bolt-hole on the Atlantic coast.

Highs

• Zoë set herself high standards when fashioning the living spaces at Dar Cilla, and constantly strives to get things ‘just right’
• You will be pampered - but your intimacy will be scrupulously respected
• Those views across to Morocco may well inspire you to hop across on a fast ferry - it's only 45 minutes away
• Tarifa has masses of bars and restaurants, many with an international slant: trade paella and gazpacho for sushi and couscous, if you like
• The old town is infused with a young, bohemian and buzzy energy, especially at weekends - this is, after all, Andalucia's surf capital

Lows

• Things aren’t nearly so relaxing when the Levante wind is blowing; the roof terrace no longer has the same appeal and you can go for days without so much as a glimpse of Morocco
• Tarifa can be heaving with visitors during the summer months and parking can be a real problem
• No meals are served at Dar Cilla, but the apartments’ kitchens are really well equipped and you are just yards from several bars and restaurants
• There's no pool - but long, golden-sand beaches line the Costa de la Luz