Bar Playa Restaurant Review

It’s a public bar attached to the 4 Star HSM Hotel President and does a good trade off their clientele. It has exceptional views out of over the bay and the best little patch of sandy beach in Alcanada. Serving food from 12:30 until 16:00 they only do lunch but are open for drinks and ice creams from 10:15 until 20:45.

Easy to find, the beach bar is in the centre of the little town, down a short road directly opposite the swanky hotel. You descend the stone stairs onto a huge sun drenched terrace with access to the small sandy beach and rough steps directly down into the water from where you can watch the fish swim, which seems to fascinate children.

There is no indoor seating as this is very much a day at the beach lunch stop. They have a very relaxed attitude and you could sit a while soaking up the sun before you are acknowledged by the few waiters on duty, in fact its best to make yourself known at the bar as you enter if you’re on any kind of time frame. For coffees and cocktails this place is great and you’re not going to feel rushed to leave if you want to linger over drink or two for an hour or more.

The food is surprisingly good so don’t be put off by the erratic service and the menu’s which are in serious need of a reprint, being currently compiled of mismatched flyers and printouts in disintegrating plastic wallets, (they are hopefully looking to re do them before peak season).

The food is cheap and cheerful and the portions generous, menus are printed in Spanish, English, French and German and are heavy on the egg options – egg and ham, egg and sausage etc and several versions of omelets but there is also good salads, burger and pizza options as well as some more involved meat and seafood dishes with the €17.00 grilled prawns being the upper limit of the menu. Just fancy a snack? Sit and nibble olives, bread and aioli, or have a bowl of chips for under €4.00.

You can walk onto the sand straight off the terrace and in contrast to the rest of Alcanada’s beach it is lovely white sand instead of the Poseidon grass mounds which have swamped the rest of the stretch of coast. There are sun loungers and pebble free entry to the turquoise waters, but be warned, it is only a small patch of beach and I suspect competition for the sun loungers will be rife in peak season, with the best spots going – perhaps fairly, to the guests of the HSM President hotel.

Bar Playa in Alcanada, not the classiest place in town but family friendly, relaxed and with a location and view which make up for all manner of sins, head there if you can’t bear to stray too far from the sand, fancy a light snack, simple lunch or ice cream and hang out there if you want to work your way through their extensive cocktail menu whilst baking in the sun.

The large terrace catches the sun into the evening making it an excellent spot to chill after a hard day of beach going as you watch the boats drift by and the sun go down.

Location: Alcanada

Cuisine: Bar Food

Style: Snack Bar

Open: 10:15 - 20:45 with food served 12:30 - 16:00