March 29, 2023
Just another 137 kilometers or 85 miles from Sevilla, near the border with Portugal, is Isla Cristina. This small island is a popular tourist destination for Spanish tourists, and in particular those from Sevilla, who come here during July and August for the beautiful beaches.
We arrived at the end of March, long before tourist season begins, and it showed. We stayed in a campground that was primarily taken up by full-time trailers, or caravans, that are parked here year-round but used only for a short time each year. There were perhaps a dozen or so motorhomes, mostly from Germany and Netherlands, that were occupied. Even though it was off-season, the primitive camping spot that we were given was still $27 a night. On the positive side, the facilities were clean, and there was a small cafe that served breakfast on site.
Our home for a couple of nights in Isla Cristina.
We were just across the road from the beach, and a pathway led from the campground to the beach, which then turned into a boardwalk which led about a half mile to the town of Isla Cristina. We decided to walk to the edge of town for dinner at a restaurant that showed up on Google Maps. When we arrived, there was a private party going on there, and the other cafes across the parking lot were closed. So we decided to continue down the boardwalk into town.
This won’t be the last time I say this, but this is the perfect time of year for someone like me to visit Spain and Portugal. The weather is great (not too hot), and the crowds — outside of places like Sevilla — amount to a family or two.
It quickly became apparent that this is indeed a tourist town, and it was indeed not tourist season. This is a positive for me, as (have I mentioned this?) I hate crowds, and having the entire boardwalk and beach to ourselves was wonderful. However, it’s also a severe drawback when trying to find something to eat. The town looked deserted. There were a few locals milling about, but nearly every business was closed. We eventually discovered Telepizza, which is sort of Spain’s answer to Domino’s, but with a few tables so you can actually dine in. The normal Telepizza customer gets their pizza delivered by a guy on a red scooter. Not us.
We found this one bar that was open on the main street of town, and had a drink while waiting for Telepizza to open at 7:30pm.
Telepizza. Sort of a Domino’s/Pizza Hut/Little Caesar’s kind of pizza delivery, but with a few tables for people like us.
The pizza turned out to be quite good, and the walk back to the campground at sunset was great.
Sunset from the boardwalk. There are vacation homes and hotels all along here, and not a single one of them open or occupied.
We slept well, had a nice “tostada” (toast) breakfast in the morning with cafe con leche, and made our way to Portugal.