El Puerto de Santa María: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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EUR 9 - 236 Hotel Puerto Sherry
 This hotel boasts a nautical theme and is situated in Puerto Sherry Marina. It offers free Wi-Fi in public areas, free parking and rooms great views o… MoreEUR 40 - 240 Hotel Pinomar
 Located in Santa María Port, the family-run Hotel Pinomar features 3 outdoor swimming pools set within gardens. Free Wi-Fi is available and helpful s… MoreEUR 85 - 286 Hotel Los Jandalos Vistahermosa & Spa
 Hotel Los Jandalos Vistahermosa & Spa is situated in El Puerto de Santa María, 3 km from Puerto Sherry Port. It features a spa, 2 swimming pools and … MoreEUR 40 - 173 Hotel Dunas Puerto
 Dunas Puerto Hotel is located in El Puerto de Santa María, close to the popular Playa de la Puntilla Beach. It has an outdoor pool and free Wi-Fi in … MoreEUR 40 - 6,588 Los Cantaros
 Los Cantaros is in the city centre of El Puerto de Santa María. All rooms have free Wi-Fi, soundproofing and a balcony.
The hotel is set just 10 kil… MoreEUR 40 - 194 Los Jandalos Santa Maria
 Situated in the historic and commecial centre of El Puerto de Santa María, in a wine-cellar district and 800 m. far from the beach. The hotel maintai… MoreEUR 57 - 403 Sercotel Monasterio San Miguel
 This former monastery from the 18th-century is in the centre of El Puerto de Santa Maria, near Ribera del Marisco and very close to the beach. It has … MoreEUR 50 - 220 Puertobahia
 Puertobahia is the closest hotel to Valdelagrana Beach, in El Puerto de Santa María, and offers wonderful views of the sea. It has free Wi-Fi and a s… MoreEUR 25 - 250 Puerta de Algadir
 The Puerta del Algadir hotel has practical and well-equipped rooms, and is located near the coastal town of El Puerto de Santa Maria, in Andalusia. It… MoreEUR 48 - 360 Palacio San Bartolome
 Situated in El Puerto de Santa María, this restored 18th century palace offers elegant rooms with air conditioning and free internet access. It featu… MoreEUR 25 - 180 Hostal Costa Luz
 Hostal Costa Luz is situated 400 metres from Puerto de Santa María Bullring and a 20-minute walk from La Puntilla Beach. Each air-conditioned room of… MoreEUR 30 - 200 Hostal Alhaja Playa
 Hostal Alhaja Playa is a short walk from Puntilla Beach and Puerto Sherry, in Puerto de Santa María. This guest house offers a small outdoor pool and… MoreEUR 30 - 290 Bodega Real
EUR 33 - 158 Apartamentos Turisticos El Puerto
 These holiday apartments offer clean, modern and spacious accommodation in the charming resort of Puerto de Santa María a historic town set on the B… MoreEUR 79 - 1,500 Apartamentos O2 El Puerto
 Situated in the urbanisation of El Ancla-Las Redes, in the Puerto de Santa María, these top apartments are spread out in various complexes less than … MoreEUR 42 - 390 Apartamentos Larga 70
 Housed in a reformed 17th-century building with traditional archways and tiled floors, Larga 70 offers apartments in the centre of Puerto Santa María… MoreEUR 30 - 175 Campomar
 Found in this picturesque town that lies at the heart of the Cadiz Bay area, this hotel offers a unique location within an exclusive residential area;… MoreEUR 35 - 180 Casa del Regidor
 The Hotel is a noble house from the 17th century, restored in 2003. It is located on the river bank, easy access and close to the landmarks of the cit… MoreEUR 94 - 452 Duques de Medinaceli
 Located in the historic centre of El Puerto de Santa María in Andalusia, the Duques de Medinaceli is a renovated 18th-century palace oozing class and… MoreEUR 40 - 259 Del Mar Hotel & Spa
 Close to the centre of the city and the area’s great beaches, the hotel’s quiet, tranquil location makes it ideal for business or leisure visitors… MoreEUR 33 - 325 Casa Palacio de los Leones
 Dating back to the 17th century, Casa Palacio de los Leones houses modern apartments, while still conserving the original Baroque architecture and des… MoreEUR 57 - 321 Apartamentos Jandalos Vistahermosa & Spa
 These apartments are set in the typically Andalusian coastal town of Puerto de Santa María, not far from the fine sandy beaches of the Costa de la Lu… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
El Puerto de Santa María: Guide
El Puerto de Santa María (Spanish for "The port/harbour of Cádiz, Spain. According to the 2005 census, the city has a population of 82,306, of which 50,000 live in the urban center, and the remainder in the surrounding areas.
The town of El Puerto de Santa Maria is 10 km north east of Cadiz across the bay of Cadiz and is best known for its ferry El Vaporcito which has been in operation for 76 years carrying passengers to and from Cadiz to El Puerto. Columbus visited El Puerto in 1480 and received encouragement for his travel plans and he also met Juan de la Cosa who in 1500 issued the first world map. In the nineteenth century the city became the General Headquarters for the French Army during the war of Independence under the reign of Jose Bonaparte (1801-1812) The town is seeped in history, museums and monuments. It is also within easy accessible reach of richly historical cities of Seville and Cádiz.
El Puerto has a famous bull ring which dates back to 1880 with space for 15,000 spectators and bull fighting is still enjoyed during the Feria season, which are during the month of August and during the Feria de la Primavera which is in early May. This Feria is dedicated to Sherry and 180,0000 half bottles get drunk in 4 days!!! There are several Bodegas in the town centre all of which can be visited by the public. The most famous being the Osborne and Terry Bodegas who export sherry and brandy worldwide . In the cellars in El Puerto sherry is produced using the traditional method called “solera”. This method produces the pale dry sherries to the sweet Muscatel sherry, Amontillados and the older Olorosos.
El Puerto is an excellent place to sample local tapas and seafood, for which it is famous. Food is an important reason why El Puerto de Santa Maria attracts hundreds of tourists. The Bay of Cadiz is famous for it’s fresh seafood fish and that teamed with the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables leads to excellent restaurant menus. Eating seafood in El Puerto is something everyone has to experience, most tourists head for the Rivera del Marisco where you can by seafood in paper cones to take away or eat at the tables. There are a wide variety of eateries all located with walking distance in the town centre.
Fortunately El Puerto has managed to escape the mass tourism of the Costa del Sol and remains unspoilt, natural and very picturesque.
During the summer months the town bursts with life, El Puerto is a very lively place with lots of bars and lots going on.
Most of the town is on the north bank of the Rio Guadelete, where bars and restaurants line the palm-covered streets. Entertainment is lively in the summer in the town centre and in Vistahermosa everything starts very late and goes on well into the early hours, hence the famous Spanish siesta.
The climate is one of El Puerto’s best features with endless days of sunshine even during the winter months temperatures rarely fall below 20 degrees. With more than three thousand hours of sunshine, fine sandy beaches, blue sea, El Puerto de Santa Maria on the Costa de la Luz (the Coast of Light) is an ideal holiday location.
For the nature lovers El Puerto de Santa Maria is situated in the middle of the Parque natural Bahia de Cádiz There are two square kilometres of pine forest which form one part of the three ecosystems in the area. The endangered species of the chameleon along with other reptiles and birds of immense variety can be found in the forest. Andalusia’s wildlife is the most varied in Europe, with fauna and flora in protected areas. The area boasts of two Natural parks, the Sierra de Grazalema and El Coto Donaña, both within driving distance and well worth a visit.
Jerez de la Frontera is 20 minutes by car away and is the Flamenco capital of the world, and famous for it’s equestrian events and dancing horses. Jerez is a large town 36 km north east of Cádiz famous world wide for it’s sherry made from grapes grown on the chalky soils surrounding the area. The bodegas where the sherry is made are a popular tourist attraction. Jerez has loads of nice shops with spacious streets and beautiful old buildings and churches. Jerez is an interesting town to spend an enjoyable afternoon watching the world go by. Jerez is also famous for it’s motorcycle events the most famous being the World Motorcycling Championships which is held in the first week of May every year and is one of the biggest sporting events in Spain attracting round 150,000 spectators.
Andalusians love colour, noise, crowds and pageant, dressing up and generally partying and have many opportunities to do so at the local fiestas, which are held annually.
Listed are a few of the main fiestas in the area:
Spring Carnival: Cadiz is the home of Carnival with fancy dress and parades in the streets usually ending on the Tuesday 47 days before Easter.
Semana Santa: Holy Week the week that leads up to Easter Sunday is a wonderful time to enjoy the area with it’s street parades and long lines of penitents and big crowds. In El Puerto de Santa Maria there are daily parades from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.
Feria de Abril: A week long fiesta held in Seville in late April with horses, music and flamenco dancing most women dress in there flamenco dresses and party into the early hours.
Fiesta de Jerez: Two week fiesta of music and dance especially Flamenco in Jerez de la Frontera in late April World Championships of Motorcycling: This is normally held the 1st weekend in May and the whole area fills with motorbike lovers from all around the world who come to enjoy a four day fiesta which fills the town with noise and festivity.
Feria del Caballo: The Horse Fair in Jerez de la Frontera normally held in early May includes the famous dancing horses of Jerez and of course lots of Sherry and general merry making.
Feria del Vino Fino: El Puerto de Santa Maria’s local week of fiesta, dancing sherry drinking and sevillana dancing this is usually in the middle of May.
Romeria del Rocio: Festive pilgrimage of up to one million people to the village of Rocio in Almonte, Huelva usually around the third week of May.
Hogueras de San Juan: Midsummer bonfires and fireworks on the beaches in most areas of Cádiz on the 23rd June.
Dia de la Virgin del Carmen: The patron Saint of El Puerto de Santa Maria and all fishermen is the Virgen Del Carmen and on the 16th July her imagine is taken from the local Church and carried into the sea on board on a fishing boat and then paraded around the town. A general day of festivities.
Geography
El Puerto de Santa María is located on the Atlantic coast of the Bay of Cádiz, near the municipalities of Jerez de la Frontera, Rota, Spain|Rota, Puerto Real, and Cádiz. It is popular for its beaches, which are the town's principal tourist attraction. Well known beaches include Vistahermosa, Valdelagrana, and La Puntilla. Like many other southern cities, there are many smaller towns encompassed by the municipality. There is also a major port, known as Puerto Sherry. A large amount of land has been devoted to the Bay of Cádiz Nature Reserve.
Demographics
Source:
Economy
The most important economic activity is tourism, mainly because of the beaches, as well as the bullfights held at the arena during the summer. The town also hosts large groups of motorcycle|motorcyclists during the Jerez MotoGP|Motorcycle Grand Prix. There is commercial development in the center and periphery, and a highly developed wine industry.
Festivals
The principal festival is the Feria de Primavera (Spring Fair), held between the fifth and sixth week after Holy Week. In recent years, it has coincided with May 1.
History
In 1260 Alfonso X of Castile conquered the city from the Moors and called it Santa María del Puerto, organized the land distribution and conceded a charter under the Crown of Castile.
In his Cantigas de Santa Maria , Alfonso sings that he was miraculously healed of swollen legs after visiting his church of Santa Maria do Porto.
Christopher Columbus's second expedition to the Americas set sail from El Puerto de Santa María.
His pilot Juan de la Cosa made Mappa Mundi|his world map (the first including the New World) in El Puerto in 1500.
It was the residence of several cargadores, the merchants operating the American trade.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, it was the winter port of the royal galleys.
Sister cities
Ermoupoli, Greece
Pedro Muñoz Seca, playwright
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "El Puerto de Santa María". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
La Güera, Western SaharaFamous people from El Puerto de Santa María
Rafael Alberti, poet of the Spanish Generation of 1927
Federico Rubio, surgeon
Tomás el Nitri, flamenco singer
Juan Modesto, Republican general
Valentín Galarza Morante, minister of Francisco Franco
El Negro, flamenco singer
Pedro Pérez Fernández, playwright
Martín de Garay, minister of finances
Miguel del Pino, matador bullfighter
Juan Antonio de Vizarrón y Eguiarreta, viceroy and archbishop
Torcuato Benjumeda, architect
Ramón Gaztelu, lawyer and philanthropist
José Luis Galloso, bullfighter
Hipólito Sancho de Sopranis, historian
Manolo Prieto, painter
Juan Lara (painter)|Juan Lara, painter
Francisco Javier de Burgos y Sarragoiti, journalist
Luis de Coig y Sansón, mariner
Javier Ruibal, folk singer
Juan Manuel de Cañas, governor of Costa Rica
José Cordero de Torres, clockmaker
Rafael Taboada Mantilla, musician
Joaquín Sánchez Rodríguez, football player
Ricardo Summers Ysern, painter and illustrator
Francisco Javier de Uriarte y Borja, Captain General of the Spanish Navy.