Nowadays, San Pedro Alcántara is a tourist centre of the first order, with numerous luxury urbanisations and golf courses, although it still retains features of its colonial past. The seaside tranquillity, microclimate and its inhabitants’ friendliness, both locals and foreign residents, are keys to what makes this picturesque place so special. Its wonderful beach is around 1,400 metres in length with an average width of 35 metres, and has been granted the Q for Tourist Quality by the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce. It has also received the Blue Flag award over the past 24 years, which clearly demonstrates the good health of San Pedro’s sands. The town is divided into different neighbourhoods and below we list the main areas:
Casco Antiguo: The old centre area includes the town hall, main church, post office, public transport, tourist office and shopping area centred around its high street, Marqués del Duero, which goes down perpendicularly to the boulevard.
Boulevard: A modern avenue with an urban park of 54,000m2 featuring cafés, restaurants, an amphitheatre and various children’s parks along its length. It crosses the main coastal road and underpass, and measures three kilometres in total length.
Fuente Nueva: San Pedro’s main sports centre, the Pabellon de Deportes, is found in Fuente Nueva, which is surrounded by municipal schools and residential areas, plus the bus station.
Nueva Alcántara: The main street of Nueva Alcántara, Avenida del Mediterraneo, is flanked by palm trees and takes you down to the beach and promenade. It is a new and upcoming area with the latest building of homes taking place here. Interestingly, it is also home to San Pedro’s top class restaurants.
Guadalmina: This is San Pedro’s wealthiest area, divided into two sections – Guadalmina Alta y Guadalmina Baja (high & low), with charming residential areas, exclusive villas, golf courses, private schools and its own commercial centre, Centro Comercial Guadalmina Baja. The centre is very busy, with many restaurants and a supermarket, Guadalmina also features a natural lake, Lago de Las Medranas, with a cable ski water park.
Guadalcántara: This residential area is home to San Pedro’s second church, Virgen del Rocio, and is also bustling with commerce and trade. It is especially good for restaurants for typical tapas bar and this neighbourhood is also where the town’s local cultural centre is located with a recently inaugurated music centre.