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Travel guide with pictures and reviews for Atlanterra Spain

Atlanterra is located approximately 1 km from Zahara de los Atunes in the province of Cadiz and offers one of the most beautiful beaches of the coast and a wide range of tourist accommodation. 

The area is characterized by beautiful bays (in the direction of Bolonia) and its proximity to the major tourist centres of the Costa de la Luz. 

If you look for a comfortable beach holiday resort in Andalusia, then Atlanterra is the right choice.

The luxurious residential zone Playa de los Alemanes is situated on a hill on the left side of the Atlanterra bay. The name derives from the times of General Franco, the former Spanish dictator who distributed some pieces of terrain to some of his German ideological comrades.

Atlanterra consists of a few large apartment complexes of which "Atlanterra Playa" is probably the most recommendable one. It offers all benefits of a high class family holiday resort in Andalusia: playgrounds for the children, a large swimming pool in the perfectly manicured garden, paddle courts (a mixture of squash and tennis) and direct beach access.

Gourmets will certainly get their money worth in Atlanterra. The local tuna is a delicacy on most of the menus of the plenty fish restaurants in Atlanterra and should defenitely be tried. 

Fun & leisure in Atlanterra

Nightlife in Atlanterra

In Atlanterra crowded bars and clubs are not the first choice. Instead we recommend the so-called Chiringuitos (the beach bars) situated along the beach promenade. 

Especially in the summer months you'll find great party here ending many times not before 8 am. Up from midnight the beach bars usually turn into dancefloors on the beach.

Forget about dress-codes in Atlanterra! Beach wear is always the right choice.

If you prefer to spend the night in a club, let us recommend you the club in the Hotel Sol Melia which is open to everyone.

Besides, plenty of typical Spanish bars can be found in Zahara de los Atunes , a fishing village 1km away from Atlanterra.

Restaurants in Atlanterra

The food in Atlanterra is fantastic! Try the typical Andalusian recipes for fresh local fish like the tuna and sword fish, the unbeatable "Jamon" of the black Andalusian pigs or a filet of the best Spanish beef. 

We recommend to join the food with a bottle of Rioja and for dessert a glass of sherry from the nearby vineyards around Jerez de la Frontera.

Shopping in Atlanterra 

Atlanterra provides some smaller shops selling food, drinks, beach accessories and sun cream. The Hotel Sol Melia has a bit more choice to offer in its hotel shops.

The shopping offer in Zahara de los Atunes, however, is much more versatile and complete. If you still want more offer, around 10km further north in the city of Barbate all kinds of shops can be found.

Day-trips from Atlanterra

Atlanterra is a perfect base for many interesting nearby destinations reachable within short time. 

Here just a few day-trip destinations, not more than 1,5 hours away from Atlanterra:

Sports in Atlanterra

 

The variety of sports offered in Atlanterra is unlimited. Horseback riding, windsurfing, kitesurfing, mountain biking, hiking, paddle, diving and sailing are just a few examples. 

Thanks to the warm climate all year round you can practice your favourite sports at any time of year in Atlanterra.

Windsurfing in Atlanterra - Spot, winds and beaches

Atlanterra can be considered a secret spot for windsurfers at the Costa de la Luz. Many days of the year you can windsurf here alone or with few other windsurfers.

Only  45 km  from Atlanterra the most southern point of the Spanish mainland is called Tarifa being the most awarded windsurf spot in Europe. 

Two winds dominate this coast, the Levante and the Poniente. If Levante is too strong in Tarifa, you may prefer to sail in Atlanterra where the Levante has lost a couple of Bft. on his way along the Atlantic coast. These days are the best windsurf days in Atlanterra.

Windsurf material has to be brought to Atlanterra or could be rent in one of the windsurf stations in Tarifa. Atlanterra offers no windsurf school or windsurf station.

You can go windsurfing anywhere in Atlanterra, apart from July and August when the beach is reserved for sun bathing and swimming. The left side of the bay at the Torre de Gracia is the most consistent spot of Atlanterra. Nobody will be bothered here and the wind is less gusty.

Between May and October windsurfing turns to be more interesting again as this is the period of the waves at the Costa de la Luz. The wind is always side shore, Levante from the left and Poniente from the right.
Between June and September the sea is usually flat without any swell. 

Kitesurfing in Atlanterra - Winds, beach, spot infos

You can kitesurf in Atlanterra all year round, apart from the high season in July and August when the beach is reserved for swimmers and sun bathers. Then there is still plenty of beaches north and south of Atlanterra where kitesurfing is allowed, for example El Palmar, Caños de Meca or Tarifa, the most reknown kitesurf spot in Europe.

At no time of the year you find in Atlanterra as much traffic on the water as in Tarifa. So, if you want to have the beach all for yourself, go kiting in Atlanterra at a day of strong Levante. The water will be less choppy and the wind will be 2 Bft. less strong.

In Atlanterra the waves in the winter months are mostly bigger than in Tarifa and provide perfect conditions for kitesurfing in waves. The more western orientation of this beach makes the waves hit the shore in a better angle.

Still there is no kitesurf station or kitesurf school in Atlanterra, but many shops and schools in Tarifa rent the material. The best way to have a kitesurf trip to Atlanterra is by bringing the own material and renting a car. 

Golf in Atlanterra - Golf courses, Golf school, Green fee

One of the finest golf resorts in Europe is the Dehesa Montenmedio Golf & Country Club. This beautiful golf course is not situated right by the sea, so you might prefer to reside in one of the comfortable holiday apartments in Atlanterra and drive the 17km to Montenmedio for playing golf.

Besides this one there are many more superb golf clubs around Atlanterra. Combine the best of these clubs to the Andalusian golf vacation of your life time!

Thanks to the climate, the golf season never ends in Andalusia and even in January you can play in thin clothing.

Here some more recommendations for golf clubs in Andalusia:
 

1. Costa Ballena Golf
2. Sancti Petri Golf
3. Benalup Golf
4. Dehesa Montenmedio Golf

Beaches of Atlanterra

The beaches of Atlanterra are some of the nicest beaches in Andalusia. The fine, white sand will satisfy even the most demanding tourists.

We recommend to use sun protection while sun bathing. The Andalusian sun can cause sun burns within a short period. 

Those who want to cool down their bodies jump into the Atlantic ocean which in the summer hardly has more than 20°C. In the winter the lowest water temperatures are around 15°C. 

For water sports it is recommendable to wear a neoprene suit.

The sea water is very clean here and currents or strong tides are no danger hazard. Jelly fish or other non-welcome sea animals are not a problem.

Bahía de la Plata

The bay of Atlanterra and Zahara de los Atunes is named the "Bahia de la Plata". It begins north of Zahara de los Atunes and ends at the "Cabo de Plata", a tongue of land in the south of Atlanterra, separating the Bahia de Plata from the "Playa de los Alemanes".

Even in high season the amount of beach visitors distributes well over the entire length of this beach. Weekends in the summer may be more crowded though, because of the Spanish tradition to spend the weekend with the complete family on the beach.

The sand is free of stones and gets cleaned of garbage every morning. Nevertheless, please don't leave any garbage on the beach.

Some beach restaurants and beach bars open from June til October and offer typical specialities and cold drinks.

At the southern end of this beach is where the best conditions for kitesurfing and windsurfing can be found. No mountains or other obstacles create wind shade at this end of the bay.

It is not allowed to bring dogs to the beach. Not obeying this rule could cost you 200€, so you better watch out.

Playa de los Alemanes

The Playa de los Alemanes (translated: The German's beach) got its name from the age of dictator Franco, who distributed some terrains to some of his German ideological comrades.

This beach is the enlargement of the Bahia de Plata between the Cabo de Plata and Cabo de la Gracia. Playa de los Alemanes is located below a mountain with some of the most luxurious villas of the area.

To reach this beach you have to walk along the beach for 10-15min or you take the car from Zahara de los Atunes passing the apartment complexes of Atlanterra and the Hotel Sol Melia til the beginning of the next bay.

This beach is smaller and shorter than the Bahia de la Plata. Still it's not a crowded beach as most people prefer to stay right infront of their accommodation (further left). 

The beach and water quality is excellent. Don't forget you snorkel and goggles as you will see some nice sea life right by the Cabo de Plata.

The season for surfing between October and May atrracts the locals to the Playa de los Alemanes. The shape of the bay is perfect for a good swell coming in here. Waves between 2m and 3m are nothing rare.

 

Climate & Weather in Atlanterra

While temperatures in the summer at the Andalusian coast are comfortably warm, it may be unbearably hot just 20km further in the country. Seville, for example, is used to have above 40°C every day while on the coast you only feel 25°C.

In winter time it hardly gets any colder than 16°C, except for the nights which could end up being around 10°C. The temperatures also depend on the wind direction: Levante brings warmer air from the land, Poniente brings cool air form the sea.

The average humidity in summer is around 30%, in the winter it is above 50%.

The probability of rain is very low apart from January til April. Statistically the Costa de la Luz provides more than 300 days of sunshine per year. In fact, rain is always welcome to assure the water supply in summer.
 

Arrival to Atlanterra

Useful information about Atlanterra