Plaza 18 hotel review, Vejer de la Frontera, Spain

Over the past two decades, this ancient pueblo blanco just inland from the wild Costa de la Luz has revealed its fiercely creative spirit, evolving into a design hub where local traditions – basketry, tilework, ceramics – are now being given a forward-thinking spin. Along a similar timescale, Scottish-Spanish team James Stuart and Regli Alvarez put Vejer on the map for a savvy wave of travellers: a few low-key rooms evolved into Morocco-flavoured La Casa del Califa, launched in 2001, which paved the way for their game-changing group of small, dynamic hotels and innovative restaurants.

The duo’s latest creation, Plaza 18, opened last July, a two-year project that involved restoring the Portuguese marble staircase, glass-panelled sky well and chequerboard tiling of a merchant’s mansion dating from 1896, bringing in organic materials, low-impact air con and water heating via aerothermy.

London-based Nicky Dobree styled the interiors in deliciously bold tones (mango yellow, denim blue), with European antiques, Ralph Lauren lamps and furniture, and artwork including Picasso lithographs. In-the-know Spaniards book months ahead to stay in room six with its private access to the rooftop terrace during the hazy-hot summer, the village’s 15th-century walls looming on one side and the Atlantic-washed coast and Morocco’s Rif mountains on the other. This is Cádiz’s soulful, southern beauty as a microcosm – best enjoyed slowly, over a glass of salt-tanged sherry.

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