· Inntravel (Tel 01653 617906, inntravel.co.uk) offer some exquisite cottages at the Molino Rio at Alajar, about one hour's drive from the Donaña national park. They recommend that during their stay guests spend at least one day in the national park and they book an excursion - by boat - up the river into the national park, stopping with an English-speaking guide at intervals to look at the flora and fauna. Expect to see flamingos, egrets, squacco herons and marbled ducks on the mudflats of the National Park, now a UNESCO biosphere reserve.
From the cottages, there are five self-guided walks. Wild mushrooms grow abundantly in the region between autumn and early spring so, to make the most of this, holidays between mid-October and the end of March have a mushroom theme, with a guided walk and two dinners included. That evening, you dine at the Restaurante El Corcho in the village, where the menu will incorporate the mushrooms you picked earlier in the day.
Julie Spence
· The first half of November, rather than the latter half of the month. An excellent base to explore Donaña is the Cortijo de Los Mimbrales (+34 959 44 22 37) at El Rocio, on the eastern edge of the park. The Cortijo is located on the Almonte-Matalascanas road approximately two kilometers south of El Rocio. A major pilgrimage happens here each year in June - everyone is on horse back, down from Seville and Jerez; El Rocio is unlike any town you have experienced.
The Cortijo has fantastic rooms/suites located in converted labourers' quarters. Breakfast can be eaten outside in a courtyard. There is a beautiful garden with a swimming pool. The style is Andalucian/Moroccan throughout. This is still a working orange farm. There are wonderful Andalucian horses to ride, with a guide, through the national park. Additionally the staff can schedule walking tours through the park. The sea is about eight kilometers down the road - the towns are not interesting, although there is a fantastic beach accessible in a number of locations including the Parador at nearby Mazagon.
Christopher Everard
