Wind in our hair, Spanish flamenco music playing in the car and a view of the Cadiz coast along our drive. We were on our way to the playa and nothing could stop us now. Nothing that is, except for an empty gas tank. We pulled over to the gas station and refueled. With the quiet around us, Rahim was suddenly made aware of the vibrating sound from the console of the car. His phone was ringing with large flashing letters letting us know that he had 15 missed calls! Holy crap! Turns out we had inadvertently left Jerez with our AirBnB host’s keys! David had been calling us for the past hour to try to get the keys from us, but we had been too absorbed in our drive to notice. We immediately gave David a call and let him know where we were and to our amazement, he insisted that we not turn back but instead head to the nearest beach and wait for him there! We felt horrible and so grateful at the same time and vowed that as soon as he showed up, we were treating him to lunch. David and his wife met us soon after and agreed to join us for some food and drinks. Well, it turns out that we were only a short drive away from his wife’s favourite local beach and where her childhood friend has a restaurant overlooking the ocean. We followed them through the unpaved streets along the coast and eventually made our way over to the little known beach town of Los Canos de Meca.

What started off as an unfortunate mistake ended up becoming one of our best afternoons in Spain. David and Inma introduced us to their friends and owners of El Pirata Restaurant, which has quite literally one of the best ocean views that I’ve seen. We ate fresh seafood and local specialties (grilled pigeon!) and even though they spoke little English and our Spanish can use a lot of work, we were somehow able to have in depth conversations about life and love (I think the Rioja might have had something to do with that!). Later we sat on the gorgeous beach and waited until the sunset came down, daring each other to test out the cold water. As is often the case, the moments that just happen usually end up being our favourite experiences and this was no exception.

If you are planning to visit Jerez (which you should – it’s known for Sherry bodegas, flamenco, and dancing horses), check out David and Inma’s place on AirBnb. It’s a steal and a great location. Don’t forget to take off with the keys for a chance to have an authentic local experience 😉 https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2613865

Here is some more information on Los Canos de Meca: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/bestbeaches/7624208/Best-beaches-on-the-Costa-de-la-Luz-Spain-Los-Canos-de-Meca-Barbate.html