Tourist Information About the Area Around Villacana

Villacana is close to the towns Estepona and San Pedro. Just a short drive away is the upmarket Marbella with its golden sandy beach and long promenade and elegant shops and Puerto Banus, the jet setting resort loved by the rich and famous with its exclusive Marina and classy and  fashionable shops.

The coastal town of Estepona with its attractive Marina is just 15 minutes drive from Villacana, and in spite of tourism has kept its traditional Spanish charm and character. The many street cafes and tapas bars and restaurants still serve traditional Spanish delicacies. Around the town centre and main Square you will find unusual shops and bodegas, all very inviting, very friendly - and very good prices. Nightlife is buzzy in Estepona town with its numerous night clubs and discos.

Estepona’s most popular beach is La Rada Beach, right in the centre. It is a long stretch of beach with a modern sea front promenade extending for its entire length (2.6km). The Beach bars known as Chiringuitos are all along the seafront and serve traditional dishes, such as paella and fresh sardines, and also offer a choice of international-style plates. The popular Estepona Marina is located at the west end of La Rada beach. To the west of the Marina is El Cristo beach, a delightful sheltered beach. To the east of the Town is El Padron beach, a popular beach and close to the Kempinski Resort Hotel. The Estepona Marina is located at the west end of the seafront promenade. This is a very pleasant place for a pleasant amble and there are some magnificent boats moored here. There are also a wide variety of excellent bars and restaurants sited here and evening entertainment is available at the late night disco bars. There is a popular tourist market here on a Sunday morning. Estepona is also well known for its Bull Ring. There are normally about 16 bullfights per year, often on a Sunday afternoon. The most popular bullfight takes place during the town's main Feria at the beginning of July. The bullring is also used as a setting for the summer concerts.

San Pedro de Alcantara is just a 10 minute drive from Villacana beach resort. Here you will find a long stretch of beach and a charming beach front promenade edged with palm trees and with some excellent beach restaurants (chiringuitos). The delightful San Pedro old town has a great Spanish atmosphere, with lots of fascinating old shops to explore and some wonderful tapas bars and cafes which tempt you in to relish their fine traditional Andalusian cusine. San Pedro de Alcantara possesses its own historical heritage and monuments, you may wish to visit. The Paleochristian Basilica Church and the 3rd century Las Bovedas Roman ruins. San Pedro has many first-rate choice of bars and restaurants. For traditional and lively Spanish dining then Alfredo’s Restaurant in the old town is a great favourite. Well priced and with a friendly and merry atmosphere and the food excellent. The Bora Bora and Guayaba Beach Clubs found on the beach side are both lively and fashionable and serve European and international cuisine.

Marbella is a luxury and exciting holiday resort, southern Spain’s answer to St. Tropez, a centre of the Jet-Set and Show Business, approx 30 minutes drive from Villacana. One of the prettiest places is the fabled 'Orange Square' or "La Plaza de los Naranjos", as it is known in Spanish, which is located just off the main street in the older district. The old town of Marbella is absolutely charming with pretty buildings, small shops, art galleries, bars and bistros and is full of activity day and night. Be amazed at the vibrancy of colour here with the trees and exotic tropical plants.

Marbella offers the typical Spanish qualities of its “old town” beside the modern landmarks of designer labels, chic boutiques and modern infrastructure. Have fun exploring the maze of the many pretty narrow cobbled streets where homes and shops blend together to create the feeling of a small village, rather than a cosmopolitan town. The greatest way to explore Marbella's shops is by merely strolling through the streets. From Gucci to Zara it has everything you require. There are numerous excellent restaurants to choose from, ranging from those specialising in the expensive and exclusive cordon bleu to the traditional Spanish tapas bars. La Canada is a one-stop Shopping Centre in Marbella, located on the north side of the road N 340, has over 150 shops on two levels with more than 50 fashion and accessory stores, sport shops, perfume shops, beauty shops, home and furniture shops. A Multiplex Cinema with 8 Screens, and a variety of bars, cafés, fast-food, tapas and restaurants and a large free car park, it is a great place to stop at.

The Marbella coastline has some of the best beaches on the Costa del Sol. The beaches are lined with exotic palms and in some places the usual showers have been replaced with giant elephant models which spray water from their trunks! Great fun! Take a walk along the main beach front, on the Paseo Maritimo (promenade), where many traditional Spanish restaurants, lovely chiringuitos (beach restaurants), bars and cafes are located. This large family beach has golden sand with sun beds and plenty of activities. A great time to visit Marbella is the second week of June and enjoy the Marbella Ferria.

Puerto Banus is located just after San Pedro de Alcantara in the same direction as and directly next to, Marbella and recognised as the playground of the super rich and celebrated often seen driving by in their Ferraris and Lamborghinis. Puerto Banus is famous for its chic Marina with fabulous multi-million dollar yachts and many of the world classy and renowned Designer fashion houses and boutiques. Numerous superb restaurants, coctail bars and outdoor coffee shops front the Marina where you can sit and dine with the fabulous harbour view or do some 'star-spotting' as you sip a drink. Puerto Banus has a golden sandy beach that stretches for one kilometre and is also a major attraction to this town.  The Main beach, during the summer, is where the beach parties are held with bars, music and dancing on the beach, day and night.  The less crowded beach, with a walkway to the promenade, will take you all the way down to the Marbella and has a couple of Chiringuitos (beach restaurants) and a children’s play area.

Puerto Banus nightlife is buzzing with alfresco bars, piano clubs and discos which are open dusk until dawn. A visit to the weekly market held in the bullring each Saturday morning is a great way to buy both local products and holiday souvenirs! The Port has a casino, commercial shopping centre, a large Hipercor hyper-market and a two floor underground car park, marine observatory and a multi cinema. The El Corte Inglesdepartment store - 4 levels high, this luxury shopping centre offers a vast amount of shops for all your requirements. Puerto Banus has a beautiful setting, with an impressive mountain backdrop and ocean views. The surrounding areas are also to be explored and enjoyed. The Sierra Bermeja Mountains rise up to the north of the town, and numerous golf courses are scattered within a 10 kilometre radius of Puerto Banus.  The golf courses are some of the best in Europe and go towards making Puerto Banus one of the world's top golfing holiday destinations.