suggestions needed: Seville--> Cadiz/Conil/...
 

My friend and I are going to Sevilla and taking a few days to venture Costa del Sol over to either Cadiz, Conil de la Frontera.

We are in our mid twenties and looking for both beautiful beaches and an active town at night. Overall, the best of both worlds. What we do not want is a sleepy town that closes down early.
We will be there in September, around the 12th through the 17th. We are from NYC and London.

Any suggestions, ranking, any additional suggestions welcome!

This September ? If so, you'd better get busy ! If you're researching towns, you must look at the Costa de la Luz. The Costa del Sol is Marbella, Estepona, etc. One place you won't find mentioned here is Rota. It has a fabulous beach and is sure to have a lot of nightlife because of the nearby Naval Station.

I wouldn't look any further than Conil.

You will have a great trip combined with Seville. The beach is incredible as it slopes to provide very consistent wave pattern. The surfing is very good for beginners to intermediate, my friend from the UK runs a surf school in town.

The nightlife is very vibrant with few non Spanish visitors, the restaurants can't get away with serving below par food to Spanish visitors.

Down the coast there is a stunning beach at Bolonia, where the wind has blown up huge sand dunes.

The wind.

I really don't like Tarifa. It's just too windy (every time we have visited).

Be well aware that the Costa De la Luz and Costa Del Sol are on different planets. If you want four star resorts, Northern European tourists and wall to wall villas then head to the Costa Del Sol. If it's wild beaches, local restaurants and active sport : De La Luz.

I'm surprised Bedar mentions Rota, it's the worst town on the coast because of the Naval Base.

Zaraha de Los Atunes has become very fashionable since we first visited on honeymoon, that was 22 years ago. Then it was very sleepy, now it is packed with high end small restaurants. The prices match, in the past 5 years we have been to Norway, Switzerland, Australia, Singapore, Sardinia and Iceland....all expensive. Zahara is the only town we have ever walked out of and refused to pay the restaurant prices!

Caicos - We found Conil to be somewhat dowdy, full of older Brits, and also quite blowy. I mentioned Rota because the OP would want to be around YOUNG people, I think. They are going to be in the area for a very short time so it doesn't much matter where they go. Canos de Meca is nice, but will they have a car ? A car will probably determine where they land up.

I'm with BritishCaicos: Conil it is! Both for its beautiful beach, as for good restaurants and bars.
I must say, though, there were more 'foreign' tourists this June than a few years ago. On our first visit some years ago we were amongst all Spanish, didn't hear a lot of English or German. But still, I would return in a heartbeat.

You are in Sevilla during the greatest and best flamenco festival in the world, the Bienal de Flamenco, Sept 8-Oct 2. http://www.labienal.com/en/

The greatest flamenco artists, 78 concerts in 8 theaters all around town and lots of side activities in bars and flamenco clubs long into the night. A night at the Bienal could be a crash intro to this beautiful and powerful art so important for Sevilla and the rest of Andalucía. You might be lucky to find available tickets left on your days, it could easily be the higlight of the trip. Also normally possible to get hold of black market tickets outside the venues for a little higher price.

Still some tickets left to out of this world Eva Yerbabuena in the huge Maestranza theater on Sept 12: http://www.labienal.com/en/apariencias/

Two tickets ;-) left for legendary guitarist Tomatito in old world Lope de Vega theater on Sept 13: http://www.labienal.com/en/tomatito-jorge-pardo/

And also tickets left for the fabulous sevillana María Pagés in huge Maestranza on Sept 14: http://www.labienal.com/en/yo-carmen/

Go to Triana or Alameda de Hercules for the best and most local atmosphere nightlife: https://www.sevilla5.com/activities/...-hercules.html
http://www.andalucia.com/cities/seville/triana.htm