The city bus will let you off at Bisagra if you want to stop at the TI first. Hotel Santa Isabel, two blocks from the cathedral, is clean, modern, and comfortable. These small tea shops are open all day and a good place to sit and talk. Some are conservative and unmemorable. Others are filled with incense and beaded cushions and young hippies.
Light meals are available, too.
The pebblier beach, full of fun pathways, crags, and crannies, is through the arch to the right of the Turismo office. Hotel Plaza Cavana overlooks a plaza lilypadded with cafes. Skip the high-priced meals, and have just dessert and coffee with the Mediterranean as your tablecloth. Tarifa Notes on Ferry to Morocco Boats run daily, year-round. You rarely need to book more than a day in advance, even during peak season.