Hostal el Anon Jimena de la Frontera

A day in the life of Hostal el Anon

The heart of Andalucia lies here... in Jimena de la Frontera.
Outside Hostal El Anon a car with a windsurf board strapped to its roof pulls over and gives way to a muleteer as he leads his burro, panniers stuffed with hay, up the steep cobbled street of Calle Consuelo in the morning sun. The windsurfers are bound for the coast, half an hour's drive to the warm waters of the Mediterranean and a lunch of spit roasted sardines at a beach chiringuito. Inside El Anon other guests linger over breakfast on the terrace, discussing their plans for the day.

Some plan an inland trip, taking the winding road through spectacular mountain scenery to Ronda, a former Moorish stronghold which houses the oldest bullring in Spain. A young family from Seville settles for a gentler day, deciding to visit the local pottery, then take a picnic down by the river, spending the rest of the day around the hotel's swimming pool. Tomorrow they'll go further from the village. In less than an hour they could be at the dramatic Atlantic coast at Tarifa.

For Jimena, a village of some 5,000 inhabitants, nestling in the foothills of the Ronda mountains, is in a unique position to offer the best of many worlds
And travellers who find their way to the friendly, intimate Hostal El Anon tend to return time and again, though it has just twelve rooms, so you're advised to book. Suzana, proprietor of El Anon, has lived in the village for twenty odd years, and her encyclopaedic knowledge of the region is a valuable bonus for guests.

Many are content to stay in and around the village. Some visit Jimena just for the two annual festivals - flamenco, fairground rides, stalls, outdoor bars, dancing, drinking and four days of non-stop festivities in feria time. Others come to walk, to observe the profusion of wild flowers, butterflies and bird life that surround the village. Yet others use El Anon as a base to explore Southen Spain, with day trips to Gibraltar, North Africa, Seville, or longer sorties to Cadiz, Granada and Jerez.

Evening slides darkly down from mountains and settles on Jimena... guests of El Anon have converged for an evening drink on the tiered, flower-decked terraces of its outdoor bar. The adventurers, back from Ronda, have decided to eat in the hotel restaurant. They. are joined by diners from out-of-town attracted by the fine food and romantic patio setting. The young family divides for the evening, leaving the children well cared for at the hotel. The teenagers go on their own adventures around the many tiny bars, perhaps ending up at one of Jimena's two discotheques.

Their parents - for a change of mood - have chosen among several popular restaurants in the village. Tomorrow night they could go out to sample the tapas (tasty bar snacks) or a typically Spanish meal at a local restaurant like Cuenca's or La Bodega at the outskirts of the village with spectacular views of the hills around Jimena . At sunset other El Anon guests have wandered up to the old Romano-Moorish castle that has guarded the town for centuries. Looking down, they see the road that winds to the coast and routes that lead up into the heart of mainland Spain.

Wherever you wish the road to lead you, whichever of the myriad facets of Andalucia you would discover, start here. Here in Jimena de la Frontera. Here at El Anon.

Hostal Anon

Calle Consuelo 34 - 40, Jimena de la Frontera, Tel: 956 640113

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