Spanish Travel Blog

Are you dreaming of a white Christmas this winter? No? Then you’re in the right place.

While Costa del Sol temperatures during winter may not reach the heady levels of summer, they’re certainly a whole lot more agreeable than the freezing conditions felt in the UK or anywhere else north of the Iberian peninsular at this time of year. You can typically expect delightful December highs of 24°C and unspeakable lows of 12°C. Not too shabby at all, in other words.

What’s more, from traditional and expertly prepared roast dinners to more exciting and innovative takes on the notion of ‘Christmas lunch’, many of the area’s finest restaurants go all out with their Christmas menus to ensure that the most important part of the festive season remains intact.

To help you make your decision about where to eat on the Costa del Sol over the festive period, here’s our roundup of a few of the best restaurants offering mouth-watering Christmas and New Year’s Eve menus.

Christmas Eve / Christmas Day

Lively Vibe & Great Food at Bibo Marbella

Hanging Plants at Bibo Marbella

Bibo’s long been one of our favourite restaurants in Marbella. The interiors are stylish but relaxed, the vibe’s lively and fun, and the food’s superb – as you’d expect from Dani Garcia – without being challenging or overly ‘haute’.

This Christmas there are three menus to choose from. These include creamy ink croquetas, roasted smoked veal ribs, crunchy Robuchon king prawns, Sea bass ceviche and skirt steak with mashed potatoes – to name just a few things that had us salivating.

To see the full 2018 Christmas menus at Bibo Marbella, go here.

Details: +34 951 60 70 11; reservas@grupodanigarcia.com; Grupodanigarcia.com.

Spectacular Seafood at Sea Grill – Marbella

Outdoor Dining at Sea Grill

Just across the road – well the plaza, technically – from Bibo is Sea Grill. Their 2018 set Christmas Eve menu is a thing of beauty: given the name of the place it’s hardly a surprise that seafood features, with sea bass and turbot making up two of the courses. But there’s also something for meat-lovers in the shape of the rather tempting sounding Rodizio grilled meats. (You can see the full menu here.)

Perhaps even more temptingly, though, they’ve got a Christmas brunch menu (from 1pm on Christmas Day) on this year. So you can sit back on their outdoor decking with a glass of Champagne and enjoy a range of traditional festive dishes, from turkey to lobster through to delicious desserts, while you soak up a bit of December sunshine.

Details: tel: +34 952 82 09 00; email: restaurantes@puenteromano.com; Puenteromano.com.

Luxury Dining at Finca Cortesin – Casares

Open Kitchen at Finca Cortesin

If you’re looking to push the boat out this Christmas then look no further than Finca Cortesin. This hotel, complete with its own golf course, is regarded as one of the most luxurious in Spain and often hosts celebrities and royal family members. There are three separate restaurants: El Jardin de Lutz (Spanish/traditional), Kabuki Raw (Japanese) and Don Giovanni (Italian). Each is run by a top, distinguished chef and offers cuisine of the highest standard.

Details: tel: + 34 952 93 78 00; email: reservas@hotelcortesin.com; Fincacortesin.com.

Socialites’ Favourite at El Grill, Marbella Club – Marbella

Garden Views at El Grill, Marbella Club

For a very special treat you could take advantage of El Grill’s exquisite Christmas menu options at the incredibly chic Marbella Club. Diners can choose between the restaurant’s beautiful terrace or the tastefully decorated dining room where the grill takes centre stage. Juan Gálvez is El Grill’s award-winning chef, who ensures that all ingredients used are seasonal and locally sourced and that only the very best cuts make the grade.

Details: tel: +34 952 822 211; email: hotel@marbellaclub.com; Marbellaclub.com.

Marbella Club’s full 2018 Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve menus can be seen here.

Louche & Laidback at The Playwright – Elviria

Bar at The Playright

Sleekly decorated and dimly lit, this popular bar and live music venue in Elviria looks, upon arrival, for all the world like a place to order a couple of dirty martinis and settle in for the night at one of the banquettes.

But it also does a very nice line in food, too – as their Christmas menu more than proves. There are quite a few dishes on offer this festive season that caught our fish-loving eye: Donegal & Sumiri crab salad and grilled wild sea bass? Pernod-infused seafood chowder? Tempura of lemon sole? Yep. That’ll do nicely.

Details: tel. +34 952 83 08 68; email: info@theplaywrightmarbella.com; Theplaywrightmarbella.com.

To see The Playwright’s full Christmas menu, go here.

New Year’s Eve

Party the Night Away at La Sala – Puerto Banus

Dining Space at La Sala

La Sala in Puerto Banus brings you the ultimate buzzy dining experience on the Costa whatever the time of year. Their rear terrace is the ideal place from which to kick off festive proceedings in style, and this year, it has been transformed into a pop up Ski Lodge complete with twinkling lights, bright snow and festive cheer.

Enjoy a winter warmer here before moving on to one of their Christmas or New Year’s Eve menus featuring a range of international and Spanish classics.

You can see this year’s full Christmas and NYE menus here.

Details: tel: +34 952 81 41 45; email: reservations@lasalabanus.com; Lasalabanus.com.

Private Chef & Christmas Menu 2018

Chef Curro at Villa El Chorrito

Alternatively, if you just fancy a Christmas holed up in your luxury getaway, we would be thrilled to provide you and your family with a private chef. They will take care of the shopping, cooking and the clearing away, leaving you to enjoy family time together. Take a look at the excellent Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and NYE menus that our chefs have created for this season, which can be downloaded here.

Can’t face another year of endless cooking and washing up for the whole family? Thinking of an indulgent Christmas 2018 in southern Spain instead? Have a look at a few of our available Christmas break villas.