Think of Andalusia as the e=mc2 of long weekends. If there were a mathematical formula for the perfect short break (PSB) it would go something like this: PSB = cheap flights + short flying time + bit of beach + bit of city + lashings of red wine. And that, in a nutshell, is what you can expect of Andalusia.

Of course, that’s underselling the region hugely. Encompassing a great hulk of Spain from the Portuguese border to beyond Almería in the east and above Córdoba to the north, Andalusia is bigger than Holland. Its vastness means you can really only tackle one corner over four days – and if you’ve never been before then the southwest is where to start.

This part of Andalusia gave birth to every Iberian legend: bullfighting in Ronda, tapas in Seville and flamenco in Jerez. And the countryside is just as Hemingway wrote it, sprinkled with pueblos blancos (white towns) across the hills like cotton buds in bloom. Drive from the city to one of these and you’ll see life visibly decelerate to a standstill. At 1.30pm sharp the shutters come down, bread is broken and the religion of the siesta begins. All you can do is surrender and pull up a bar stool before soaking the afternoon in a bottle of Barbadillo.

From April the weather is warm enough for sunbathing, by July it’s too hot even for the Italians, so May is perfect, although it’s also not bad after the searing heat has passed in September. The beaches are either buzzing and flashy on the Costa del Sol, or windblown and deserted on the Costa de La Luz, but there’s time to try both on a long weekend. Driving is half the experience, so take the scenic routes that hairpin through carob-covered mountains, or sandy tarmac strips that slice through fields of cork and orange trees. Then pull in to one of the cities for an evening of gazpacho Andaluz, jamón Ibérico and sardinas Malagueñas, washed down with a bottle of Cruzcampo beer. It all adds up to the perfect weekend…

THE BEACHES

Starting from the west, the real shock of the Costa de la Luz is just how wonderful – and diverse – the golden beaches are. Both Conil and Chiclana, south of Cádiz, have great empty long stretches; Barbate de Franco is more crowded, and bustling with beach football and volleyball; and Los Caños de Meca is the place to meet the dreadlocked ‘in’-crowd.

Further south begin the kilometres of sand dunes as you approach Tarifa. If you can only make one stop, make it Bolonia. This lengthy but private stretch of sand is backed by Roman temple ruins, believed to date back to 200BC. It’s ideal for those who suffer from ‘beach guilt’ (that nagging feeling you have while sunbathing that you should be looking round a museum). Be warned though: the northern end of the shore, marked by an unmissable sand dune, is nudist. In this part of the world, people are so used to naturism that you’ll see bikinied bathers amongst naked ones – but if you’re not so blithe, tread carefully.

On to Tarifa, where the beaches are stunning but wild – no public loos or beach bar for a swift cerveza. Surfers migrate to the region every summer, which is great if you’re a surfer but not so great when the wind picks up and you’re eating a sand-and-pickle sandwich. Invest in a windbreak.

Round the Strait of Gibraltar and you start to swim into package territory. The terrible two – Fuengirola and Torremolinos – look like wedding cakes on the horizon, and the beaches are packed in summer, soulless in winter. But there are pockets of loveliness on the Costa del Sol. San Pedro de Alcántara is a quieter package town with a pretty palm-lined seafront loved by elderly Spanish couples out of season. And Puerto Banus, next-door neighbour to Marbella, can be great fun. This small bay has only enough room for select power yachts, a handful of boutiques and a couple of beach bars: Marbella on a manageable scale. Reserve a table for lunch on the marina and watch the Eurotrash from behind big shades. from behind big shades.

THE CITIES

Seville is easily Andalusia’s most exciting city and the best-looking thanks to over 500 years under Moorish rule. Go straight to the Alcázar (right), a 12th-century palace with beautiful mosaic-tiled gardens. Adjoining it is the Giralda minaret, which you can climb for superb views of the city.

The Alcázar backs on to Santa Cruz, a gorgeous neighbourhood of lemon-painted houses with green shutters and geranium-stocked window boxes. Only the bravest or most stupid drivers make it up the skinny streets, so you can loiter at leisure and peek through ornate gates into the courtyards within.

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