Is it worth a visit? I will be based in Arcos de la Frontera for 2 nights. The first day will consist of Ronda, Grazalema, Zahara. The next morning, we'll explore Arcos. Any suggestions for the afternoon/evening? Should we explore some nearby towns for lunch/dinner? My uncle recommends the restaurant Venta Antonio.

Puerto is very small and the day that we went (Sunday) everything was closed. It does boast a huge bullring which is impressive, but I can't say the town was a must-see. Arcos and Ronda are by far more interesting and scenic.

el Puerto de Santa Maria is home to Osborne (winery) which you can tour; el Monasterio de San Miguel (excellent hotel). But I usually stay at Hotel Santa Maria (on the riverfront). There's a ferry over to Cadiz - a short boat ride across the bay of Cadiz, that leaves from the parking lot across the street from Hotel Santa Maria.

I like the town!

A visit to Huelva, east of Seville on the coast will take you also to the Monastery of La Rabida. Huelva remains primarily a fishing town, but it has a number of interesting exhibits related to Columbus's expedition(s). The Monastery was where Columbus stayed with his son Diego while trying to raise funds for his trip. Queen Isabella's confessor and good friend, Father Antonio Marchena, who lived in this monastery, befriended Columbus and thought that Columbus's idea had some merit. At Columbus urging, he arranged a meeting between them and the rest is history. The Monastery has an excellent museum displaying relics of Columbus, the room where the meetings took place and where all the agreements were signed. Definitely worth a stop.

Have a great time in Spain!!

Maira: Huelva is west of Sevilla, not east (as you wrote) and is a very large PetroChemical Port. I would compare it to the Port of Houston.

If you're going to the west of the Donana Wildlife Refuge I recommend a stop at the Santuario de la Virgen del Rocio as well as the Monastery at la Rabida. All this stuff is pretty far from el Puerto de Santa Maria.

NED, east/west still a handicap for me, which has given my husband countless hours of fun, hence my hesitation to do anything about it; I'll probably make the mistake again, .

Mic, the Monasterio de La Rabida is 6 miles SOUTH of Huelva, which makes it about 2.5 hours from Arcos; easily doable. Not impressed w/Huelva, we actually nicknamed it "Hellva", because the strong, pervasively pungent fish smell.