Once considered the Cinderella of the Costa del Sol –a little more than a shabby town with a bus station, today San Pedro Alcantara is a vibrant, thriving town and a popular destination for tourists and businesses. It boasts an enviable location in the middle of everything: 10 minutes from Marbella, 5 from Puerto Banus, 10 minutes from Estepona, 45 minutes from Malaga or Gibraltar airport and under an hour by car from the spectacular beauty of the Sierra de Ronda Mountains. Despite the considerable rise in popularity and facilities, it’s still refreshingly unspoilt and manages to retain its small town charm.
The Two Sides of San Pedro Alcantara
The town is split in two by the recreational area called the Boulevard, which runs the length of the CN340 tunnel under the town. Consisting of a wide walkway, with footbridges, play grounds, cycle paths, an amphitheatre and quirky architectural features, it has totally revitalised San Pedro Alcantara. The Boulevard hosts several fun events throughout the year including food fairs, live music and competitions.
San Pedro town centre: From the roundabout at the Boulevard, a pedestrianised street leads north to the town centre. Lined with dozens of outdoor cafes and restaurants, it is ideal for watching the world go by. The centre itself comprises a collection of tightly-knit whitewashed building, straight and narrow streets and a main square that is dominated by a lovely church.
With plenty of shops, banks, supermarkets as well as gyms and health and beauty facilities, everything in San Pedro is within a 5 or 10-minute walk down its winding streets or in the la Colonia Shopping Centre. Like most towns on the coast, San Pedro Alcantara has a charming street market every Thursday morning on the former fairground.
Nueva Alcantara: Heading south from the Boulevard, a wide tree-lined avenue with great views of the mountains will lead you to the beach, and its tiled promenade, dotted with chiringuitos and beach bars. This area is the new part of the town and is known as Nueva Alcantara.
Guadalmina: This is an exclusive suburb of San Pedro and home to the Guadalmina Golf course. It straddles the A7 road that divides it into Guadalmina Alta and Guadalmina Baja. Guadalmina Alta features a shopping centre with tapas bars, restaurants, supermarket, pharmacy, dentists, physiotherapists, and is also the location of the Clubhouse. Located beachside, is Guadalmina Baja, a quiet and affluent enclave with spectacular homes that coexist around the 18-hole South course.