EATING OUT:

There are wide range of restaurants in Sotogrande in the well renowned marina and the Galerias Paniagua (Avenida Paniagua), as well as the neighbouring villages of Torreguadiario and Guadiaro. Some of our favourites are:

In the Sotogrande Marina, Polo 1 (steak house) which serves the best steaks in the Marina.  Just beyond this, on the left hand side, is Mitalus, a Belgium Restaurant – serving general Mediterranean and traditional Italian food, which is quite well priced.  Carrying on along the water’s edge you come to the Ke Bar, one of the most longstanding bar/restaurants where you can just drink, snack or have a full evening meal.  Following the water’s edge round to the right you come to Midas where they also serve a Tapas menu.  It has an adjoining cocktail and lounge bar Zaldia which has just opened for evening drinks.  The Ke Bar and coffee shop are open all day from breakfast onwards.

Torreguadiaro is a small village the other end of Soto Grande to Pueblo Neuvo.  Turning left out of the apartment towards the marina, turn left at the roundabout, past the guard house.  Turn right just before the small bridge onto the main road.  About a mile down on the left hand side is La Verandah – Mediterranean, very well presented food.  There are a number of restaurants on the ‘sea’ side of the road into Torreguadiaro, some with views out over the beach/sea. We haven’t been to these but would recommend Barloventa from when it was based at Los Camelias Hotel which has now been replaced by another good restaurant in the Los Camelias Hotel.  To get to this restaurant head toward the marina, turn left at the roundabout, proceed under the bridge and left up the feeder lane to the main road.  Almost immediately you will see Los Camelias on the left hand side.  Again, a more Spanish experience but English is spoken.

In San Enrique you will find an excellent Argentinean steak restaurant called Assador Cancha II which is located inside the polo grounds of the polo club Alaya.  Head out of the marina and instead of turning right for Torreguardiaro  turn left for the motorway towards  Pueblo Nuevo.  When you reach the second roundabout you take the second exit (first exit is small road) onto the A2102 to San Enrique, follow the road through the village and then the sign posts for the Alaya Polo Club.  You will eventually find the entrance to the polo club and a sign post for Cancha II on the left hand side after about 5 minutes.

Finally in Galerias Paniagua there are a couple more restaurants.  Turn right out of the apartment and head towards the Supercor supermarket.  As you turn right at the top of the hill and right again back down the hill, Galerias Paniagua can be round on the left hand side.  Inside you will find a shop which sells English newspapers plus Little Budha Thai restaurant and also an Italian restaurant, Lombardo’s that does great pizzas, take-away as well as eat-in.  There is also an Argentinean restaurant here called El Gaucho – very good steak, reasonably priced.

See http://www.andalucia.com/sotogrande/restaurants.htm for more details

GOLF:

Sotogrande is an ideal golfing venue: Valderama, San Roque, La Reserva and Almenara golf courses are within 10 minutes drive away,  with many other newer courses also close by.

POLO:

Sotogrande is a unique polo destination in Spain, home to Santa Maria Polo Club and Ayala Polo Club, some of the most exclusive clubs in Spain and the world. During the summer season Sotogrande hosts some of the most prestigious polo tournaments, attracting top players including world Nº1’s Adolfo Cambiaso and Facundo Pieres. Making Sotogrande the place to be for high goal polo and gold cup polo tournaments. These clubs are a short walk or drive from our apartment and are well worth a visit and entrance to the polo games is free of charge!

DOLPHIN WATCHING:

A lovely alternative in Sotogrande is to go and see the whales and dolphins in the Bay of Algeciras or in the Straits of Gibraltar.  You can charter a boat in Sotogrande Marina or further down in La Linea.  We have seen dolphins pretty much every time we’ve gone out looking.

La Línea de la Concepción, Gibraltar and Algeciras they all depart from the Bay of Algeciras, with sightings of the common and striped dolphin. On some rare occasion, even pilot whales, sperm whale or bottlenose dolphins were seen here.

However, it is more advisable to go for this sort of thing to Tarifa, as here it is possible to see up to seven different kinds of whales and dolphins, considering the time of the year. Even the orca (also known as the killer whale) and the second largest mammals in the world, the up to 23m long finn whale, are going through the Straits aiming for the Mediterranean where they give birth.

HORSE RIDING

The School of Dressage Sotogrande offers riding and dressage lessons for all riders, regardless of age and experience, as well as
horse taming and a horse buying and brokering service. It’s located at the Maitreya Equestrian Centre in Finca Mar de Naranjos on the road to San Martín del Tesorillo.

Sotogrande Hipica is based in the beautiful Old Valderrama Cortijo and caters for every riding discipline. With pony club summer camps, organised hacks, intensive courses, group and individual lessons, livery and horse rental, the Sotogrande Equestrian Centre has something to offer everyone interested in riding and/or horse care and management.

Experienced riders looking for something a bit less formal might be interested in Endurance Equestrian and their long-distance one day races covering from 40 kilometres to 160 kilometres over all types of terrain. This is one of the most exciting equestrian sports and it’s growing in popularity all over the world. Carefully controlled, with regular veterinary checks, it’s a challenging and adrenaline fuelled experience inviting riders to see a different side to the stunning natural landscape surrounding Sotogrande

TENNIS:

Ocotogono Tennis Club in Sotogrande Spain offers tennis and padel in an excellent facility and only 5 minutes walk from our apartment!  Three clay, three hard court and five padel courts are available for drop in use at the Octogono Tennis Club in Sotogrande. There is an active drop-in social program. Ian McDougall, the manager is a former World Padel Champion for England who organizes programs and runs a lively club house.

Soto Tennis Academy is led by former British Number 1 Doubles player Daniel Kiernan, STA has quickly established a reputation for tennis excellence and sporting development in Spain and Europe, attracting high-quality coaching staff and players. STA offers full-time tennis training programmes combined with education to players aged 12 and above. They also offer tennis camps and tennis holidays for adults and children all year round. Our teenage girls have attended the Academy during the holidays and we can vouch for the quality of the training.

WATERSPORTS:

The Centro Nautico de Sotogrande Watersports, on the river Guadiaro, just five minutes walk from our apartment! Rentals, sailing, kayaking, paddle boarding, windsurfing classes. You will find it by the bridge next to the Tenis Club Octogono.

DAYS OUT:

Our apartment is conveniently situated for a day out to Gibraltar (20 minutes), Rhonda (1 hour) and Malaga (1 hour).  Closer by you will find the best people watching at Puerto Banus and Marbella or a more traditional style Spanish lifestyle at Estepona.  You will find leaflets in our apartment with details on these places and, of course, lots of information on the internet.  For the more adventurous you could drive up to Cordoba, Seville or Granada, all of which would be an overnight (or two) stay but well worth a visit during or at the end of your stay.