El Palmar Holidays
El Palmar Holidays – Where the wind is your friend
With its laid-back atmosphere El Palmar is probably one of the few places left in the Mediterranean where you can get a genuine sense of getting away from it all. Barely known as a resort until a few years ago, it has some of the most unspoilt beaches, free of the trappings of commercialisation that you might find elsewhere. It has become known as the surf capital of Andalucia and is becoming immensely popular with anyone who loves wind-driven water sports, and during the summer months in particular, El Palmar has a lively nightlife as surfers gather at the bars along the beach.
But you don’t have to be a water-baby to enjoy a holiday in El Palmar. You can take long walks and horse-rides through the rugged dunes of the Breña y Marismas de Barbate nature park, or head inland through the unspoiled landscape of marshland and forests.
For a change from beach life, take a ride out to Cádiz, the oldest and longest continually inhabited city in Europe. Or try a round one of a number of first-class golf courses nearby.
When to go to El Palmar
If you are a surf fanatic winter and spring are the best times for you to go to El Palmar, although the Levante winds mean that there is reasonably consistent surf almost all year round. It is also the time when you will get the best deals on flights and accommodation. If you prefer beach life without a wet-suit, any time from May to October will bring warm days leading to very hot ones in July and August.
Unfortunately, these months will also bring more visitors, as the schools break up for the summer holidays. Easter has the same effect. El Palmar has yet to be discovered by a wider audience, but with such a wonderful ambience that can’t be too far off. Make the most of it while you can!
The weather in El Palmar
Summer highs of around 28º with eleven hours a day sun and a water temperature of 22º can make for an idyllic beach holiday, although there can be some heavy breezes. (And while summer may officially be recognised as being from 21st June to 21st September, a month either side of that will still be considered a scorcher in comparison with a British summer.) Rain is almost unheard of from May to September, although winter months will bring some short-lived showers. Late spring and all of autumn are perfect if you intend to explore the beautiful hinterland and spend a couple of days on the beach.
Getting the best deal to El Palmar
El Palmar is such a small personalised resort that it hasn’t yet attracted high-rise, high-volume hotels, so that there won’t be an enormous amount of deals on offer even during the lower seasons. This is an ideal example of a resort that if you specifically want to go there you need to start looking and booking early or you may find yourself having to go elsewhere. There are a number of airports with links to more than twenty UK and Irish airports, so you might find a deal once you have accommodation booked, although you will have to travel quite a distance from some of them to get to the resort. (See Costa de la Luz region page for more details.)
Airport and travel need to know
Malaga airport and Seville airport, which have flights from a large number of UK and Irish airports, are almost equidistant to El Palmar, but it’s still a fair drive, around 140 kilometres. Jerez de la Frontera is the closest, fifty kilometres away, but only has one UK flight, by Ryanair from London Stansted (STN). Gibraltar (GIB), seventy kilometres, has flights from five UK airports. Shuttle busses operate from most airports, but over these distances, even if you are travelling in a group, they would be so expensive that it is probably more economical to hire a car.
Spain has always been reasonably well-priced as far as car hire is concerned, around 175€ (£140) a week for an Opel Corsair during high season. But beware of one little trick that most car hire companies began to pull a couple of years ago. You hire the car with a full petrol tank but have to return it empty. You are charged for the fuel when you hire the car and no allowance is given for any left in the tank when your return it. If you aren’t informed of this when you pick the car up – which you should be – you could add another 50€-plus to your holiday expenses.
There are no connecting train or bus services from any of the airports. Most will require at least two changes, as well as you needing to get into each city from their respective airports.
Best beach in El Palmar
El Palmar is recognised as one of the best surfing beaches in Spain, but was a closely guarded secret until recently. It is a five kilometre-long, straight stretch of golden sands, but is unsheltered so can be quite windswept at times, which makes it ideal for surfing. Wooden walkways lead to the beach, to protect the dunes and rough grassland, which are being carefully preserved. The Torre Nueva divides the beach in two, and is where the main access is.
The waters of El Palmar are perfect for body boarding, windsurfing kite, surfing and waterskiing, but the surfer rules, and there are a number of surf schools and equipment hire shops. The sea is excellent for all levels of surfing, depending on the time of year.
There are an enormous variety of bars and restaurants along the beach which can not only feed you but will be your chill-out zone at night.
Useful links
