Las Redes and El Ancla

Las Redes and El Ancla are located some 3 kms to the west of El Puerto. These are areas of residential and holiday properties, adjacent to each other. This is a relatively new area, the oldest properties are no more that 10 years or so. Most of the properties are low-rise apartments and ‘urbanizaciones’, developments of townhouses centred around communal gardens and/or a swimming pool.

The area is very popular with Spanish people, from Sevilla, Madrid or Northern Spain and the majority of properties are Spanish owned. Many owners come down for the weekend and for holidays. Others rent out their properties on long term lets. As this is also a residential district, there are always people around. Some areas can be rather dead out of season.

There are recreational areas with 2 children’s playgrounds and tennis courts. The beach, Playa de Santa Catalina, is a long sandy stretch. In winter, it is quiet, excellent for walking and populated on windier days by a few surfers. In summer, it is crowded with families. Spanish people love to decamp to the beach en famille and come armed with copious picnics, tables, chairs, games ……

From mid June-September, ‘chiringuitos’, wooden beach bars are erected at intervals along the beach. You can sit on the veranda and enjoy a cool drink and tapas as you look out over the beach. Sunsets here can be spectacular.

The best place to view the sunset is from the gardens of Club Las Redes, located above the bay with excellent views across to Cádiz and westwards towards Rota and the open sea. This private Club has 3 pools, tennis courts, play area, a restaurant and bar. Anyone can visit the bar and restaurant, except perhaps during the first 2 weeks of August when entry is restricted to members. It is possible for visitors to use the facilities by negotiating a price for the period of time requested.

A new commercial centre has opened next to the beach. It has a small, but well-stocked and well-maintained supermarket, a bakery/ice cream parlour, a take away pizzeria and upstairs, a restaurant called, Casa Antonio. This gets very busy at weekends and during the holiday season. They offer a range of meat and fish dishes and there is an English version of the menu, though the staff does not speak much English.

In El Ancla, there is another small commercial centre. It has an Irish bar, run by a Scotsman called Ian and his Spanish wife. They offer a simple range of meals and is popular with Spanish people. You will also hear American voices as there is a UN naval base in Rota, and its boundaries extend towards the outskirts of El Puerto. The centre also has a pharmacy and a gift shop.

There are two more restaurants close by – El Faisan is about a 10-minute walk to the west on the main Rota road. Is is quite a formal restaurant with a traditional menu. If you walk some 15 minutes towards El Puerto on the main road, you will reach the restaurant, La Rufana, on the right. This has a large outdoor eating area as well as the interior. It has an extensive menu, offering meat and fish dishes, and is extremely popular at weekends.

On the road towards El Puerto, there is a Supersol supermarket, which is well stocked and also has a bakery, cafeteria/ restaurant, a newspaper shop and a laundry. A little further on is the Plus Descuento supermarket, which is very similar to Aldi and Lidl stores in this country. And if you have children desperate for a taste of home, there is a Burger King just as you come in to Las Redes. It looks totally out of place and is rarely busy.

If you are looking for a cash point or cigarettes, the commercial centre at Vistahermosa, on the way into El Puerto has a bank, tobacconist as well as a range of shops and cafes, a supermarket and a restaurant or two.

The bus no 35 covers a route from Fuentebravia in the west, through the town centre and out to Valdelagrana, another small resort on the other side of El Puerto. There is a bus stop near the Centro Commercial in Las Redes and near the Urbis estate agency in El Ancla.