San Miguel de Salinas
More and more people are choosing the character, culture, amenities and sheer simplicity of Spanish villages like San Miguel de Salinas over the busy and over-crowded coastal strip….
Activities? Absolutely everything you could want is within a 10 minute drive, from top class golf courses to horse riding and fishing, quad-biking, watersports and wildlife. Apart from the national celebrations such as Semana Santa (Easter), Epiphany (6Jan) the town takes to the streets for Saints Days, local days and any other excuse they can think of…. there´s always something going on in the village. Feria week takes place in August and the famous San Miguel fiestas are usually held last two weeks in September. Oh..and don’t miss the busy local street market on Wednesdays.
Stroll around the narrow streets of the village itself and you will find cave houses, restaurants, traditional bars and houses and tiny plazas as well as gleaming new houses and smart offices. Best of all you will find Spanish life, people going about their business much as they have done for centuries, the men playing dominoes in the bars, the women gossipping on corners and the evening ritual of “parading” or simply sitting on their chairs outside their houses watching the world go by.
The village is truly a mix of cultures: residents are predominantly Spanish but there are a growing number of English, Scandinavians and Irish, bringing with them fine international restaurants and a good choice of bars, cafes and shops. The money generated by this growth has enabled the Town Hall to make great improvements to the infastructure and amenities of the village so if you´re fed up with the frenetic tourist coastal strip, try coming inland a bit: you really have the best of both worlds, Spanish village life with beaches and touristy things closeby…..
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Eating and Drinking in San Miguel
We love the variety in the town, from tiny Spanish spit´n´sawdust bars like Bar Monterrey on the high street to up-market restaurants like Market Street and Frissan. For something a bit different there is the excellent Las Cuevas restaurant in the cave-house area of the town, a warren of caves decorated with Spanish antiquites, limited menu but the food is very good and not overly expensive. Worth mentioning also is Vishalmar, one of the best Indian restaurants around in our opinion and if you like mussels the only place to go is Bistro Orquidea in Calle Alberto Barbera (booking essential – 649186862). The popular Spanish restaurants such as El Prado and Doña Isabel always have a great atmosphere at lunchtimes. Pavements cafes and bars are plenty and an essential part of life for locals, expats and tourists alike. Many of the best ones are located behind the church square, where you will also find Antonio´s, the best paella in town.
For something different there is La Parada on the ring road, Norwegian owners for all the usual cafe food plus some excellent Scandinavian special dishes, open daytimes with a special buffet on Saturdays. If you´re a sports and/or music fan head for O´Neills, an Irish bar with 5 screens showing all the major events, Wi-fi, good food all day, curry nights Monday & Tuesday, Mexican night Thursday and live tribute acts at weekends too..
Just outside town is the Castillo de Conesa (read our review); food and 
service are average but you can´t beat the setting with the castle and the lake with waterfalls and swans. The perfect place for a proper Spanish 3-hour lunch or dinner. Follow the road past Conesa for another 9kms and you will come across Restaurante Rebate, another beautiful setting with an ancient chapel, duck pond and an ostrich & emu….very popular on Sundays, its best to book if you want a table outside (966190942).
To see our properties for rent in and around San Miguel click here
