Photo map.Where is Bolonia?
There is a small road, in the 70’2 kilometre of the
interstate highway N-30 that branches off towards the left and arrives to the Bay of
Bolonia through a small mountain pass of seven kilometres.
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
The Hostal-Apartamentos Bolonia Paraiso is located at the entrance of the village, and it is 120 metres from the beach. The Hotel has two buildings with one or two bedrooms apartments and some rooms.
Photo Hostal-Apartamentos Bolonia Paraiso.
THE FURNITURES OF
THE APARTMENTS
The apartments are located in two adjoining
buildings. Each building has two floors with five units per floor. There are three
different kinds of apartments:
a)
Apartments with sitting room, a small kitchen, one
bedroom and one bathroom (35m² approximately), for 2-3 people.
b) Apartments
with sitting room, a small kitchen, two bedrooms and one bathroom (40m² approximately) for 4-5 people.
c) Rooms
with bathroom (kitchen is not included).
All the apartments have balcony.
Sheets and towels are freely given, and we change them every week.
The Hostal-Apartamentos Bolonia Paraíso 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.
The beach has
several kilometres long, and it is delimited by a dune and a pine forest. There is a
nudist beach towards the East. 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 aea 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
You have the
possibility of riding a horse in the village, where there are people who rent horses.
There are countless paths in the mountain and along the beach, which are really good to
ride a horse.
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
splendour under the government of the emperor Claudius (41-45 b.C.). The importance of
“Baelo Claudia” was mainly based on the industrialisation and in the fish
market. Salted fish and an especial sauce, made by the natives (garum), were imported to the Roman Empire. It can
be seen several temples, thermal springs, a theatre, a forum, etc.
Spring and autumn
are the best seasons to practice mountainbike. Every grade of difficult can be found in
the mountains of Bolonia. The mountainbikes can be rent in Tarifa.
According to Don
Pedro, there are people who visit Bolonia to observe the migratory birds in their flight
from and to Africa. I am not ornithologist, but the number of stork’s broods in this
region is amazing. In this context we have to mention the National Park of Doñana, in the
estuary of the Guadalquivir river.
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 of 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 mosquitoes). There are routes through the park, walking or by boat,
from Sanlucar. These organised routes are supervised by the park administration. The
tickets can be bought in the old building of the ice factory, near to Sanlucar. You can
arrive from Bolonia to Sanlucar in 1’5 hour 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 we start walking from the parking and go along the road, there are
great varieties of forest paths, for example the path that leads to La Torre del Tajo.
From there you will see a beautiful view of 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 especial atmosphere. It is the nearest town of South Peninsula Ibérica. If
you want to go shopping, Tarifa is the nearest town to Bolonia. You can find a big
supermarket (Cosum), 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 with windsurf. 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 over there. The beautiful fortress of Guzman El Bueno is in Tarifa; Guzman was
a king who helped to protect the town from the Arabian attacks. The port must be
mentioned, you must 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, but 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 in the Mediterranean Sea and several in the
Atlantic Ocean. The most famous beach in this area is Valdevaquero beach, where the
“cracks” of the windsurf meet as soon as the Easterly 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 use.
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 offer guided tours. Gonzalez Byass is a
wine cellar I would recommend (basically run by Spanish people) it has wonderful cereals
and it offers a lot of visits in English. If you go to its 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.
There is an every day ferry from Tarifa to Tanger, in Morocco (35 minutes approximately). There are more frequent ferries from Algeciras. If you want to visit Africa, you can find many organised excursions for one or two days (you can get the tickets from Apartamentos Bolonia Paraíso). Even when the bazaars of Tanger are very tourist, that is still a world apart.
More pictures of Bolonia and all ! (750k)
More information:
Hostal-Apartamentos Bolonia Paraiso
11391 Bolonia, Tarifa - Cadiz - Spain
Tel./Fax: +34 956 688 577 // +34 956 680 557
Mobile: +34 617 146 779
WEB: www.apartamentosboloniaparaiso.com
E-MAIL: info@apartamentosboloniaparaiso.com