Mesón de Sancho — Hotel in Tarifa

I’m compelled to write about the wonderful Hotel Mesón de Sancho, half way between Algeciras and Tarifa, Andalucia, Spain. We stayed three nights.|We were three people travelling and were received at this blissful roadside hotel, which has been run by the Sancho Family since 1954. Fernando Sancho, the owner, is present every day and welcomed us personally. He is a very gracious host and after some lively chat about our common childhood memories, he offered us a drink courtesy of the house. A delicate and generous touch.|Our rooms and bathrooms, en suite, were spacious and immaculately clean. The beds were very comfortable. Our balconies offered panoramic views of the North African coast and lush, green, sub-tropical foliage owing to a small brook running through the property. I used to fish for Terrapins there as a boy. Modestia looked after our rooms efficiently and kindly.|The hotel also boasts a beautifully clean and idyllic swimming pool. |We were received at reception by Miguel and Rocio, in perfect English. Miguel is the third generation of his family to work at the hotel. His grandfather served my father in the 60’s. I was taught to make caramel by his uncle, at age eight.|The restaurant is run efficiently and elegantly by Anya, who offers impeccable service, together with our servers Antonio and Bruno. |The kitchen boasts a wide variety off Andalusian specialties, both beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. There are a wide selection of Spanish wines to accompany any chosen dish. I highly recommend the Gambas al Ajillo, Knuckle of Pork, the Tuna steak on a bed of smoked paprika and tomatoes. They cater happily for vegans and vegetarians. There are two desserts that cannot be missed and have been on the menu since they opened in the 50’s: Tarta Imperial (not the Russian recipe):- an almond, flour, butter, sugar and egg classic cold tart. The other is the Tocino del Cielo - a dense and very sweet egg custard in heavy, dark caramel. You need a fork and spoon to eat it. It really is heavenly.|We had the most wonderful three nights there, while taking in the local sights in and around the region. This is a stay not to be missed. It is frankly the best hotel in a 100km radius. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.|Sorry we have no photos, since it just isn’t our thing to take pics of our food and bedrooms. All the same, this hotel is an...

I’m compelled to write about the wonderful Hotel Mesón de Sancho, half way between Algeciras and Tarifa, Andalucia, Spain. We stayed three nights. We were three people travelling and were received at this blissful roadside hotel, which has been run by the Sancho Family since 1954. Fernando Sancho, the owner, is present every day and welcomed us personally. He is a very gracious host and after some lively chat about our common childhood memories, he offered us a drink courtesy of the house. A delicate and generous touch. Our rooms and bathrooms, en suite, were spacious and immaculately clean. The beds were very comfortable. Our balconies offered panoramic views of the North African coast and lush, green, sub-tropical foliage owing to a small brook running through the property. I used to fish for Terrapins there as a boy. Modestia looked after our rooms efficiently and kindly. The hotel also boasts a beautifully clean and idyllic swimming pool. We were received at reception by Miguel and Rocio, in perfect English. Miguel is the third generation of his family to work at the hotel. His grandfather served my father in the 60’s. I was taught to make caramel by his uncle, at age eight. The restaurant is run efficiently and elegantly by Anya, who offers impeccable service, together with our servers Antonio and Bruno. The kitchen boasts a wide variety off Andalusian specialties, both beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. There are a wide selection of Spanish wines to accompany any chosen dish. I highly recommend the Gambas al Ajillo, Knuckle of Pork, the Tuna steak on a bed of smoked paprika and tomatoes. They cater happily for vegans and vegetarians. There are two desserts that cannot be missed and have been on the menu since they opened in the 50’s: Tarta Imperial (not the Russian recipe):- an almond, flour, butter, sugar and egg classic cold tart. The other is the Tocino del Cielo - a dense and very sweet egg custard in heavy, dark caramel. You need a fork and spoon to eat it. It really is heavenly. We had the most wonderful three nights there, while taking in the local sights in and around the region. This is a stay not to be missed. It is frankly the best hotel in a 100km radius. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Sorry we have no photos, since it just isn’t our thing to take pics of our food and bedrooms. All the same, this hotel is an...

Easily missed on the busy coast road between Tarifa and Algeciras, this is a small family run gem. Popular with local people for the bar and restaurant, we sought it out after we'd driven past it several times.

We are very happy that we did.

We stayed in the main Hotel ( there are further economy rooms opposite with a sub way passage to the main hotel and pool area) and garden bungalows too.

The bedrooms in the main hotel are a very good size and the bathrooms have all the necessary equipment for a few days stay.

The hotel has a lounge area that we saw families use for card games after dinner. The communal areas are well designed and maintained.

We liked it so much that we extended our stay and booked an extra night with the hotel directly.

The staff helpfulness, the food and the garden pool are the real USP s for us. The staff can appear formal but the ice is easily broken... even with our broken Spanish!

The breakfast offering is superb and more akin to that offered in 4/5 star hotels. Families stay here, and some of the children could not contain their delight at the varied choice! The only down side was that the bain marie designed to keep scrambked eggs warm did not work.

The lunch offerings are all beautifully served and very tasty with local fresh produce.

Evening meals are available and can be included in the room rate. We did this and asked if we could use the value of the offer to stray beyond the " included " menu.

Nearby attractions include the Roman site at Bolonia beach, Tarifa itself with its sports, ferry to Tangiers and whale watching tours .

There is a garage, literally next door and whilst that does not sound very enticing .. it is very useful because it has essentials; cold drinks and snacks (if you did not want lunch after that fabulous breakfast!)

Thankfully, the hotel is only an hour or so away for us so we hope to...