A focus on living in San Pedro de Alcántara
San Pedro de Alcántara is one of the most popular residential towns in the Marbella municipality. Over the past two decades, the town has seen great growth and development, especially in the beachside area called Nueva Alcántara. Prior to this, the large swathe of land that lies between the N340 main coastal road and the town was largely used as grazing pasture for livestock and the cultivation of sugarcane. You can still see evidence of this in some of the original agricultural cottages in town and the historic El Ingenio sugar cane factory, originally founded in 1870 and now housing the Casa de Cultura (cultural centre). They date back to a time when the town and the beach were set apart.
San Pedro beach
Today, San Pedro’s bustling town centre with its boutiques, gastro bars and restaurants is perfectly in sync with its seafront chiringuito beach bars and seafood restaurants, which are among the most popular on the Costa del Sol, thanks to convenient beachfront parking and the town’s long, picturesque esplanade. The latter passes sandy beaches lined with palm trees, a great place to stroll, exercise, walk the dog or visit a beach restaurant or café. The road connecting this beachside area to Estepona’s boulevard park is becoming an increasingly popular dining hotspot too.
San Pedro boulevard
The elegant new San Pedro boulevard, which opened in 2015, has a distinctive architecturally designed ‘wavy’ bridge and was the finishing touch of an urban development plan that focused on building a tunnel under the route of the N340 in a bid to prevent any traffic holdups during the tourist season. The tunnel, which starts at Guadalmina and brings the driver out at San Pedro’s eastern edge, has accelerated the journey time from Estepona to Marbella and greatly improved both visitors’ and residents’ experience of San Pedro.
The central boulevard runs over the top of the tunnel and includes play areas for children and families, an amphitheatre for concerts and several gastro bars as well as an all-weather ice rink for young children. It has also proved a great attraction for other businesses and the past year has seen a flurry of language schools, interior design boutiques, beauticians and clinics opening up in the commercial spaces lining the boulevard on the beachside. There are plans in place to add an organic food market with gastro dining area.
San Pedro centre
The traditional centre of San Pedro de Alcántara – as with most authentic Spanish towns – is marked by the church square, where in the summer fairs and festivals take place. San Pedro’s main church overlooks a lovely paved ‘plaza’ complete with bandstand that is lined with cafés and shops.
Thursday is market day in San Pedro de Alcántara, with a large rambling street market located on the town’s fairground to the north of the centre. Everything is sold here, from clothing and shoes to fresh fruit and vegetables. Other places of interest to visit in San Pedro are Cable Ski Marbella, the Paleochristian Basilica and of course the charming Andalusian centre of town.
Property developers have also grasped the potential of Nueva Alcántara, as a result of which there has been an increase in new residential complexes offering contemporary living spaces to the discerning buyer. We currently have some stunning 1,2 and 3-bedroom contemporary beachside apartments for sale that are only 150 metres from San Pedro beach, all with air conditioning, fully fitted kitchen, spacious terraces, garage space and storage room. Other exciting properties can be found in this contemporary development within viewing distance of the boulevard, which provides easy access to both the town and the beach.
Thanks to an excellent infrastructure that also includes international schools, San Pedro de Alcántara is a perfect location for families and those who wish for a stylish life on the Costa del Sol.