The local sea-side town San Juan de Los Terreros is known as ‘La Puerta de Andalucía’ (the gateway to Andalusia). It is so called because the village lies on the border with the Costa Cálida (region of Murcia). The figurehead of this place is the castle San Juan de los Terreros, built in 1764. From the castle you have a fabulous view of the surroundings. On the beaches around San Juan de los Terreros you will find chiringuitos (beach bars) which do however tend to be on the expensive side.
In San Juan de Los Terreros itself there is a supermarket, restaurants, Sunday market, sandy beaches and idyllic coves. A short drive away are the historic towns of Águilas and Lorca.
However San Juan de los Terreros is getting very popular with developers: maybe the reason is its beaches? We have not much experience of it around the key period of July/August, but there are several good beaches around and in San Juan itself. The only suggestion we have is that in the peak periods you get to them early – certainly before 10:00 – or from about 15:00 – 17
There is a lot of walking and cycling available. You can walk along the disused railway line or up to the viewpoint of Mirador de Apartadero. If you take short car trips along the attractive coast road towards Villaricos there are several good stopping points with short or even long walks possible. There are many dedicated cycle paths and car users are very aware that cyclists also love the area!
The problems of being beside the Aguilon golf course are various. It is probably too hot for one to play full rounds of golf unless one starts early or late afternoon in mid-summer. And the course is NOT suitable for beginners. The beginners who to try to use it slow up the rounds for other users! There are other courses around though for those like us who hardly know the meaning of a golf “handicap”.. But if you like and are good at golf. None better!
Shopping is relatively easy if one takes care. The best supermarket we have found nearby is just the other side of the (toll) motorway in Pulpi. Named Consum (mainly an employee-owned co-operative) it is spacious, with a good car-park – and even for the British stocks Bovril and Marmite!! For a full hypermarket there is Carrefour at the far side of Aguilas which has an enormous underground car park.
San Juan itself is not well served by shops – probably as more apartments are built shops will follow. There is good space reserved for such development.
However some of the restaurants are to be recommended: we especially liked “Mi Cortijo”, though it is (in Spanish terms) not cheap.
But the “famous” local object is the Geode mine which you pass when getting off the main road. There is a BBC film on the mine, but it is very popular and you might have to book well in advance, particularly if you wish commentary in English. See their website.
