The Hurricane by Angela Moore

The Hurricane is 10 minutes out of Tarifa, set in the lushest tropical gardens that run down to the sea. The main building is breezy and open, built with nods to Moorish architecture in the alcoves and arches. In here you find a reception and bar area, with a pool table and a few leather couches for indoor seating. The dining room, beyond reception, opens up onto a terrace, lovely for summer dining.

The main pool – shaded for most of the day by mature trees - lies directly in front of this terrace, in gardens lit with bright splashes of bougainvillea. Below it is the Beach Bar, perched above the sea with steps leading down to the beach. You can have a buffet lunch here daily, or just sit in a pleasant sunny trance with a drink, watching the sea and listening to people talking about their second homes in Spain. Morocco looks so close that you feel you could swim there.

The second pool is the better, for my money; it’s smaller and tucked away from the hotel near the gym and Club Mistral, and children are not allowed in this pool area. Club Mistral itself is the legendary Costa de la Luz wind- and kite-surfing club; the sea around the Beach Bar is dotted with people whizzing past with kites or falling off their boards. There’s also a riding school, and plenty of beach to gallop on.

The gardens and terraces are the Hurricane’s best feature. The gardens, though small, are green and cool and crisscrossed with intriguing brick paths, which lead to little hideaway benches and loveseats.

The one let-down here during my visit was the service; the front desk is stocked with sweetly smiling senoritas but beyond that service was notably brusque and charmless. Dinner was good and the wine better, but the dining room is open to outside guests and the staff seemed rushed and harassed.

Other than that, the Hurricane is a relaxed and informal spot, where there’s enough to keep you occupied and just about enough space to just lounge if that’s what you prefer.

The rooms
Rooms are uncomplicated and plain. There are ziplink double beds with decent linen; bathrooms are adequately large and stocked with generous quantities of fresh white towels. Standard doubles have only over-bath showers. There is plenty of wardrobe space and – by the by – the mini-bars are very well-stocked and very well-priced. The best rooms are on the second floor, with seaviews.

The best features of the rooms are the French doors which open out onto terraces, with wicker-work tables and chairs. The weather is generally warm enough that you can leave these open and simply close the louvered shutters. Rooms have both air-con and an overhead fan, useful to keep the mossies off - and because they always feel exotic!