Tucking into calamari tapas outside La Palmera Mercado, we wait for the chef to finish his shift. We’ve arrived by bus, and in the middle of the taxi drivers’ siestas, but the friendliness of San José means we won’t be walking to our apartment. We were offered a lift before we sat down.
We chat in Spanglish to the other al fresco diners as the Andalucían Pita trees bend in the April breeze, and the soft scent of sea lavender fills the air.
San José fills up with Spanish tourists in the summer, but this whitewashed seaside town retains its bohemian feel despite its popularity. Every other property is decorated with an Indalo Man – a prehistoric symbol to protect its residents from evil spirits.
I first found my way to San José in 2016 when I heard my teenage punk hero Joe Strummer once lived here. Now I return around three times a year. My older brother introduced me to The Clash’s music when I was 10 and I’ve been a fan ever since.
Joe died suddenly from a rare heart condition, aged just 50, on 22 December, 2002. He always loved Spain and it featured heavily in his lyrics. His first visit to San José was in 1985, after being persuaded by his girlfriend to take a break from partying in nearby Granada.
He spent many summers here and celebrated his 50th at Bar de Jo (owned by a biker called Jo Bell, rather than Strummer), accompanied by Damien Hirst and Paul Weller. Bar de Jo was in the fishing village of Los Escullos, a 12-minute drive from San José. The bar held an annual tribute party on Joe’s birthday, until it was shut down five years ago.
I never made it to Bar de Jo (there’s an ongoing campaign for it to reopen), but I have returned to San José many times.
I’ve gathered amigos of my own as my intermediate Spanish slowly improves. The town’s friendly spirit, and year-round sun, constantly calls me back. Its beaches, especially the unspoilt Mónsul and Los Genoveses are flanked by the Sierra del Cabo de Gata mountains. I’ve enjoyed swimming at both spots in November and January, and I’m no cold-water fan.
This is a part of Spain where the Spanish take their holidays. There’s not a bacon butty in sight. Benidorm and Torremolinos, within three and four-hour’s drive respectively, would feel like another country.
The timetable is purely Spanish, too. Late starts with café con leches and tostadas are followed by huge lunchtime paellas and afternoon siestas. Days are rounded off with dinner and partying from 10pm.
San José began life as an 18th-century coastal battery, where the sea was monitored for pirates. A small group of fishermen’s homes grew up around the defence, but fewer than 200 people lived here until relatively recently. Only in the last decade has the resident population increased to more than 1,000.
The town has become the tourist centre of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, a Unesco-protected area, with some of the best-preserved Mediterranean coastline, world-class diving, and a resident flamboyance of pink flamingos.
As well as punk royalty, San José has attracted film directors. During my first summer here, I did a double take when I spotted the lava rock in the middle of Mónsul Beach. I recalled Sean Connery walking along the same shore in Indiana Jones and the Lost Crusade, in which he played Indiana’s father.
I’ve since learnt Mónsul’s featured in many Hollywood greats, including Anthony and Cleopatra in 1972 and the 1980s’ classic The Neverending Story.
Nearby Tabernas Desert is also instantly familiar, as the backdrop to Sergio Leone’s 1960s’ spaghetti westerns. The kitsch Fort Bravo film set proved a memorable day out with my son, complete with gunslinging actors and a desert-dusty gallery of famous film and TV faces.
Joe Strummer himself starred in a spaghetti western parody Straight to Hell, which was shot in a searing Tabernas summer. It included cameos from Dennis Hopper, Grace Jones and The Pogues, with the latter portraying a gang of cowboys addicted to coffee.
In an interview on Spanish Radio 3 shortly before he died, Joe said he was “obsessed” with this part of Spain. I’ve come to understand why.
Travel essentials
Getting there
EasyJet offers direct flights from London to Almería (easyjet.com)
Car hire: doyouspain.com
Buses: alsa.es
Where to stay
Hotel Doña Pakyta (playasycortijos.com/hotel-doña-pakyta), low season £63; high season £167
More information
andalucia.com/sanjose
