Costa Tropical Blog

From the Costa Tropical de Granada, a 3 hour drive takes you to Algerciras where there are plenty of boats over to Tanger. Deciding it was high time I got to see something of North Africa, even if only briefly, an overnight trip was arranged with a group of friends.

So … 3 hours in the car, left the car at the port, missed the fast ferry (1 hour journey) and ended up on the 11.30 am slow ferry (3 hours - plus the extra hour waiting for the boat to leave the dock). I should add here that the price of a one way ticket was Euros 36 - not cheap when I can get a plane from Granada to Gatwick/London for Euros 25 or so these days! The food on the boat was horrendous - take sandwiches.

A very choppy crossing as we had to pick the one day when it was chucking it down with rain. Arrived in Tanger and got to a 3 star hotel in the centre of town. I can understand the 3 star rating from the pool/garden (not that I would be swimming in the rain in November) and the reception, bar and dining areas. However …. the hotel rooms themselves terribly in need of updating and bathrooms very grotty - to the point it was nicer to visit the loos next to the bar! Price of a twin room for 2 people including breakfast and lunch - Euros 72.

Due to the lashing rain, lunch was in the hotel - not bad. A late afternoon was then spent pounding the streets. We explored all the narrow streets in the centre of town without hassle or problems and on losing our way got a taxi back to the hotel with 7 of us squeezed in - this is obviously a natural occurence - taxi already has passengers but seeing the possibility of a new fare then stops and you just pile in! Back to the bar in our soggy clothes and shoes for some well-earned g&ts! Isham the barman offered to escort us out on the town when he clocked off from the bar. Out again into the rain and a pleasant evening spent in two local bars.

Up early (sunny and warm) to explore the souk and try our hand at bartering. We came away with a bundle of goodies and tired from the haggling. Back to the ferry. Euros 41 for the fast ferry back to Algerciras - a 2 hour wait for it this time (we had been misinformed at the Algeciras end on the departure time - the timetable didn´t take into account the one hour time difference) which left us with no time for our intended quick stopoff in Gibralter for fish and chips (well, N wanted them!).

If you are thinking of an overnight trip to Tanger or for a couple of days - I wouldn´t rate it. The fun part of my trip was the company I was in - thanks girls! Tanger itself is filthy, buildings desperately in need of a lick of paint and in the final analysis it is far too expensive for what is on offer. Car park fee was an additional Euros 34.

I´ll be exploring more of northern Spain in the future.