THE FACTS ABOUT LA SACRISTIA

Spain

La Sacristia opened in October 2002 in time to welcome Tarifa's seasonal wave of hip kite-and-wind surfers, although many of the elegant guests wouldn't be seen dead on a waxed board. It took one-and-a-half years to renovate the 400-year-old building, previously a Moorish stable, an olive-oil depository and, most recently, a bar. Tucked away off a narrow street in the walled Old Town, La Sacristia is a 21st-century bohemian retreat, with ethnic antiques standing proud in the white, open spaces created by owners Bosco Herrero and Miguel Arregui (a former interior designer for Oberoi hotels). The first-floor bedrooms, with their billowing white drapes and Asian-inspired beds, manage to be both minimalist and exotic; the bathrooms are small but whimsical with tiny colourful mosaic tiles and 'rain showers'. At sunset, cosy up on the intimate terrace or have a cocktail at the laid-back lobby café, which serves 'conscious food' (organic and homemade). The best shopping in Tarifa (if not on the whole Costa de la Luz) is in the lobby, where there is a selection of rare collectibles, some beauty products and a small, impeccable selection of designer clothes. WHEN TO GO Mid-April to mid-July or early September for great weather without the crowds WHICH ROOM TO BOOK Numbers three and eight are the most spacious of the 10 rooms and have two windows instead of one CONTACT La Sacristia, San Donato, Tarifa (00 34 956 681759; www.lasacristia.net Doubles €98-€115