With permission from Cambados, La Toja and Bayonne, let's talk about the locality that best summarizes the summer lifestyle of Galicia. His name is Sanxenxo and I'm sure you've been told about it as the Marbella of the north, but that's as bold as saying that Los Angeles is the New York of the North American west coast.
In an attempt to place it in the general traveler imagination, we are ignoring its idiosyncrasies, its geographical characteristics and the great variety of leisure options that it brings together.
If by this we want to imply that it is an elitist destination where the days move to the rhythm of the activity of its marina, the Juan Carlos I, we accept 'ship', but Sanxenxo is much more than that, it is its 17 blue flag beaches (the coastline with the most certifications in all of Spain), are its restaurants nourished by the freshest fish and shellfish of the day and that lively atmosphere 'after beach' of wines and tapas and ice cream at sunset on its promenade.
For this reason in this guide to use and enjoy Sanxenxo (from the city, but also from the 'Concello') you will find leisure activities for all tastes, ages and purchasing levels.
The urban beach of Silgar, in Sanxenxo, has been awarded a Blue Flag.
THE HOTELS
The authentic drama of the summer in San Xenx arrives at the time of reserving a room in any of the hotels in the most desired area of the Rias Baixas.
Experience tells me that to be able to choose the one you really want, you have to do it in the spring, at this point in the game you will find yourself with "everything complete for these dates" or with "you are going to pay a two-star at a price of four".
Only those who spend the summer in Galicia know that for those who arrive late there is seafood, lentils, That is why I am no longer surprised when in a two-star family hotel called The terrace I get €150 a night in the search engine the first week of August.
La Madama, a sculpture by Alfonso Vilar Lamelas, has become a symbol of Sanxenxo.
There are no five-star hotels in the area, but those of four make up for their absence with the same exclusivity and first class services. The Gran Thalasso Hotel It boasts views (over the urban beach of Silgar) and a spa, although the water area and the treatments at the Charles I Silgar he or turn into the favorite of relaxation addicts for its three spa areas: the Western, the Oriental and the World. A hit are their mud wraps, algae, wine or chocolate.
Furthest from the first line of the beach is the four-star superior Augusta Spa Resort, which means that it has larger common areas and an incredible garden in which to have breakfast in the shade. In addition, so that you do not miss the proximity of the beach, they have devised a Caribbean Chill Spa, with a heated pool, surrounded by white sand and loungers where you can have a cocktail.
Caribbean Chill Spa at the Augusta Spa Resort hotel, in Sanxenxo.
for those who seek proximity to the leisure area there are several interesting options, the three stars Lighthouse Salting Y Rotilio or the modest and, at the same time, privileged O Son do Mar, whose particularity lies in the fact that It has direct access to Panadeira beach, a tiny urban sandbank located to the east of the marina.
Just a kilometer and a half from the urban center of Sanxenxo, far from the "hullabaloo of the most important tourist town in Galicia", as they say on their website, is the Hotel Spa Nanin, in front of the less crowded beach of Nanín. And a little further, in the Areas Beach Pickup, Riveiro It offers up to three types of accommodation, a two-star hotel, a three-star hotel and recently built apartments for those who need an equipped kitchen.
To the west, the urban beach of Silgar is separated from the beach of Portonovo (or Baltar) by the Punta del Vicaño, where there is a park and a viewpoint and a hotel, the Vicaño Point.
At the beginning of the gigantic beach of La Lanzada, whose ownership is shared by Sanxenxo and Or Grove , there are other hotels that are rather simple, such as the Blue Dolphin either The launched. You will have to go to the neighboring municipality to find a four-star hotel: the Pousada A Lanzada.
The luxury in O Son do Mar, in Sanxenxo, is to have the Panadeira beach a few meters from the window of your room.
THE BLUE FLAGS
The Sanxenxo coastline has led the list of blue flags in our country for years, this year with a total of 17 award-winning beaches.
Silgar: It is not usual for an urban beach to achieve this certification, but this sandbank of less than a kilometer in length, even with its excessive influx of people during the summer months, maintains the quality and cleanliness of its waters. In addition, it has a promenade with a large number of shops, bars and restaurants. Its most recognizable icon is La Madama, a sculpture by the Galician artist Alfonso Vilar Lamelas that stands on the Corbeiro stone.
Baltar, Cinnamon and Caneliñas (in Portonovo) : to get to the first you will have to cross a green area with an interior wooden walkway, the second is small and the third is flanked to the west by the cliffs of Punta de Cabicastro.
Areas: family beach with calm waters and sheltered from the winds. There is a nearby car park and a tree-lined grassy area at its eastern end for those who want to eat (almost) or nap on the beach, but not on the sand. Although, to tell the truth, you will not need to bring food if you are going to spend the day there, since in the A Postiña restaurant and its terrace raised above the sand you will find a menu loaded with local products at reasonable prices.
To the left of the Hermitage of Our Lady of La Lanzada, the beach of Areas Gordas, to the right, the beach of Foxos.
Foxos, Fat Areas-A Lapa and Espiñeiro : these shell-shaped virgin sandbanks seem much smaller than they really are since they are located right where the 'immensity' of A Lanzada begins, on the list of the best Atlantic beaches in the world, among other things, for being surrounded by a protected dune area.
With strong waves and intense winds, A Lanzada is ideal for practicing sports such as bodyboarding, surfing, windsurfing, paddle surfing or kitesurfing. At the Prado Surf A Lanzada and Tartaruga Surf & Dive Center schools they will teach you to master their beach break whatever your level on the board.
And since we have come to spend the day on the isthmus that connects the O Grove peninsula with Sanxenxo, why not visit Arrocería & Sunset A Lanzada, where in addition to eating rice with seafood overlooking the beach you can have a drink at their beach bar, practice yoga or listen to live concerts.
The rest of the blue flag beaches in the municipality of Sanxenxo are Agra, Montalvo, Bascuas, Major, Nosa Señora da Lanzada, Panadeira, Pragueira, and Paxariñas.
The incredible beach of A Lanzada is perfect for practicing water and wind sports.
CAFETERIA AND RESTAURANTS
A good place to have breakfast, at number 26 on the Silgar beach promenade and with views of the Atlantic, is the terrace of the hotel marycielo. The locals, on the other hand, prefer to start the day with the sweet delicacies of The Farm Bakery (Augusto Besada, 14) or the bread shop (Rua Ourense).
In Sanxenxo, as in Galicia, eating seafood It is not a sign of ostentation, it is actually the proximity product that for centuries has been feeding its neighbors and those who are lucky enough to visit its coast.
For years the place of reference is La Taberna del Naútico. The barnacles are the most delicious and largest (they are the size of a big toe) that I have ever tasted, as was the bill at the time of paying. It doesn't matter, one day is a day and we are on vacation. We have come to participate in the culinary show offered by the estuaries in summer and it is always preferable to listen to word of mouth to be safe.
Pickled mussels with avocado and jalapeño hummus, at Bar Berberecho.
The Rotilio's Tavern (Avenida Do Porto, 7-9) is another classic with its beef cannelloni, its crispy monkfish and its Galician hake. For its part, the Terrace of the Sea, in the Sea Hotel (Paseo Praia de Silgar, 52) , has sophisticated its dishes to combine with its modern interior chill-out terrace. Thus, the menu continues to include octopus 'a feira', clams a la marinera and razor clams from the estuary with lime oil, garlic and parsley, but there are also octopus pizza, Galician bread roll stuffed with tetilla cheese and free-range eggs with potato foam, crispy mushrooms and chorizo oil.
Also creative is the style of cooking practiced in the Cockle Bar, what does not take away to serve an impeccable seafood under more alternative interpretations, like pickled mussels with avocado and jalapeño hummus.
And in back, designed by the Galician studio NAN Arquitectos, you will enjoy an avant-garde multipurpose space with sea views: It is a cafeteria for breakfast, a restaurant for lunch and dinner, and it becomes a night pub where you can have a drink or a cocktail.
For tapas and wine in a lively atmosphere The Aviator (Augusto González Besada, 4) is perfect for his live concerts. Other bars where snack or snack are Backroom (Rúa Augusto González Besada, 9) and the brewery Gabba (San Isidro, corner Portugal square).
In the Dorsia multipurpose space, designed by NAN Arquitectos, you can have breakfast as well as have a drink.
ACTIVITIES
Expanding the coastal routes is the objective of the Sanxenxo council. It aims to reach 30,000 kilometers of paths and thus cover 100% of the coastal façade of the Pontevedra estuary. Can you imagine being able to walk by the sea from Poio to La Lanzada?
At present, the sanxenxina coast has six badges of Blue Trails, awarded like the blue flags by the Association of Environmental and Consumer Education (Adeac): from Sanxenxo to Portonovo, from Canelas to Punta Cabicastro, from Montalvo to Major, the Sendeiro Máxico da Lanzada, from Areas to Punta Festiñanzo and from Paxariñas to Montalvo.
Don't leave the Rías Baixas without visiting the Cíes Islands or Ons Island, in the Atlantic Islands National Park.
And finally, it would be a sin to be on vacation in the Rías Baixas and not get to know the National Park of the Atlantic Islands, of which they are a part. the Cies Island and the island of ons.
You can take a regular boat with Pirates of Nabia, which part from the port of Portonovo to Ons or rent one in the port of Sanxenxo with Eolo Charter, who have been sailing these seas for more than 15 years.
The fishing village of Combarro, declared a Historic-Artistic Site for its granaries and cruises.
Why with this company and not with another? Because with these eyes I have seen how Carlos, its owner, has waited patiently in the middle of the estuary while the tide was rising, fiddling with the marine electronics of his boat, dodging small rocks on the bottom, only for me, like a movie actress who arrives in Cannes in the afternoon, I got off directly from starboard at the old Combarro dock just to eat me some simple – yet delicious – grilled sardines on one of the terraces of its incredible old town, known for its hórreos of popular Galician architecture.
A peculiar personal anecdote that precisely summarizes the secret of the success of Sanxenxo, that of enjoy the Galician daily life in the most exclusive way possible, if that is the case and the high tide coincides, of course.
Marina or Puerto Deportivo Juan Carlos I of Sanxenxo at sunset.