San Pedro de Alcántara

What to do and how to plan your trip to San Pedro de Alcantara

A hidden Gem

San Pedro de Alcántara is a small town between the urban sprawl of Marbella and Banus and the traditional fishing town of Estepona. It is a place that people usually drive through on their way to somewhere else, or bypass altogether on the toll road. For the last few years, an underpass allows you to avoid the town altogether. However, San Pedro has hidden charm.

The tourist office is situated on Calle Marques del Duero a wide pedestrianised street through the centre of town.

San Pedro has its own microclimate. The winter temperature remains higher than average due to the shielding effect of the mountains behind the town. That may explain why San Pedro was, many years ago, famous for its sugar cane.

The climate may also explain why the Romans decided to build a baths here, just back from the beach at the west end of town. These, along with a Paleo Christian Basilica Church nearby and a Roman villa down the road can only be visited with a guide, contact the tourist office on 952 76 87 50.

Layout

Normally there is plenty of street parking on the beach side of the main road and there is an underground car park in the centre.

When the car park was built the authorities decided to resurface the road with attractive cobbles and reduce its width to make room for more pedestrians, and they made a fine job of it, San Pedro is pedestrian friendly.

Walking up the main street is a pleasure with gardens, plenty of shops and cafes and for most of its length, it is pedestrian only. The side streets have the usual mix of intriguing small shops and a disproportionate number of excellent looking restaurants. You emerge in the Central Plaza with a large and elegant church and yet more cafes where you can sit and enjoy the world passing by.

Across the main road and opposite the main street is a broad, tree-lined boulevard that leads down to the beach. The old trawler parked on the pile of boulders at the top of the road does give the impression that you are only minutes from the sea but do not be fooled, it is a good kilometre away. There are plenty of parking spaces when you get there. You are in for a pleasant surprise. The beach is enormous, three kilometres from end to end. At the west end are the already mentioned Roman baths and at the east end the Bora Bora Beach Club, renowned for its restaurant and facilities. Along the beach and paseo, you will find chiringuitos that are very popular with the Spanish on Sundays, always a good sign. The sand is great for kids, there are plenty of lifeguard towers, and there is lots of shade provided by groves of eucalyptus trees that look just right for a family barbecue.

San Pedro is a surprise. It does not have a lot of visitor’s attractions, well none really, but it does have what can best be described as a simple honesty, it does not pretend to be anything other than what it is. It is packed with interesting shops and decent restaurants all of which can be toured without risk from traffic and its beach must rate as one of the finest on the Costa.