Camping Playa Arenillas

View prices & book 8.3 53 reviews
Arenillas beach 100 metres away from the site
Arenillas beach 100 metres away from the site
Pitches field
Green pitch field surrounded by trees
Generously spaced piches with plenty of room for your caravan awning and parking
Foto aérea
The playground and football pitch
Shaded pitches
Outside the bengali tents
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Pitches field
Green pitch field surrounded by trees
Generously spaced piches with plenty of room for your caravan awning and parking

  • A minute's walk from a sandy surfing beach
  • Immaculate facilities; next to a surf school with kit hire
  • Playground, shop and bar-restaurant with roomy terrace
Right by the sea near Islares in Cantabria lies Camping Playa Arenillas, an easy 100 metres from a sandy beach with waves that are a foolproof spot for surfing: if you've never plunged into the foam before, a surf school (with kit hire) is right next to the site to show you which way up to clutch your board. The site has a playground, football pitch, ping pong tables and a snack bar-restaurant with a large terrace and extensive menu of Spanish and international options. There's also a small shop selling essentials including fresh bread and newspapers, and fruit and veg stalls every day. Amenities include two blocks of toilets (one renovated in 2019), showers with free hot water, and a launderette with washing machines and dryers and ironing area. The closest spot for wifi and tourist info is in the Termibus bus reception in Bilbao, half an hour's drive away.

Site type

Rent a tent 6
Tent pitches 80
Touring caravan pitches 80
Motorhome pitches 80
Caravans for hire 1
Open now
Opens 1 April

Tourist board rating

Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The site accepts twin axles caravans and motorhomes. Access to the site is downhill and it has a little slope (30 metres). During the weekends of July and August there may be some inconvenience, due to the amount of people arriving at the beach.

Languages spoken

English

French

Spanish

Open from Wed 1 Apr to

No availability here for your search criteria

Reviews

8.3

Overall rating from 53 Pitchup.com customers

  • 35%
    10
  • 7%
    9
  • 39%
    8
  • 3%
    7
  • 3%
    6
  • 3%
    5
  • 1%
    4
  • 3%
    3
  • 0%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
 9
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 7
Spectacular scenery

87% would recommend this site to a friend

85% would stay here again

What customers say

This campsite boasts a stunning coastal location near a beautiful bay and beach, with dramatic mountain scenery. Visitors praise the friendly, helpful staff, clean facilities (including hot showers), and good on-site restaurant. The pitches are generally well-maintained and spacious. While some found the site a little run-down in places and occasionally cramped, its convenient proximity to Bilbao and Santander ports, along with local amenities, makes it a popular stopover and holiday destination.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 6
Arrival date (latest first)

Clean, convenient, well located for Bilbao

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 8
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 8
Anonymous

Electric optional grass pitch

Liked We could choose our own pitch which was grassy and well kept. The toilet blocks and showers were clean and the water was hot. It was handy to have the shop and restaurant on site - we just stayed one night on our way to Bilbao for the ferry.

Disliked The toilet paper provided was outside of the cubicle - I had not seen that before at a campsite and it was slightly strange. The whole place feels somewhat dated, and there is the noise from the nearby motorway. But none of these points outweigh the positives we have mentioned.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Camping con excelentes servicios y baño muy limpio

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Adrián R. 1 review

Electric optional grass pitch

Liked Parcela Amplia, fácil acceso con el coche y buena zona

Recommend to friends Visit again

Local incrível para fazer camping

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Julio C. 1 review

Electric optional grass pitch

Liked O lugar é mágico, tem muitas atividades disponíveis para as crianças, piscinas incríveis, atendimento super bom das pessoas.

Disliked Nada a reclamar...

Recommend to friends Visit again

Whole site very run due. And shabby needs a face lift.

Overall

4 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 4
Facilities / Activities
 4
Customer service
 3
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 2
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Electric optional grass pitch

Liked Beautiful area

Disliked Very run down and shabby.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Friendly staff. Good pitches. Toilets and…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 6
 Fionnuala M. 3 reviews

Electric optional grass pitch

Liked Friendly staff. Good pitches. Toilets and showers very clean and no extra cost hot showers. Nice food in the onsite restaurant. Nice little local bar down town Elisa's. Very handy stopover for arriving and departing from Bilbao port.

Disliked If raining pitches can get muddy

Recommend to friends Visit again

A good site if you want the sea/surf, but there are much nicer sites.

Overall

5 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 6
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 7
 Mike W. 9 reviews

Electric optional grass pitch

Liked Great location. Next to beautiful bay, beach and surf school. Stunning mountains behind campsite.

Disliked The site looked quite scruffy. To be fair, we stayed there in the last few days before the site closed for the winter, and the long-term residents were all clearing their sites, so there was a lot of rubbish about.
The site is close to the motorway, so some noise from there.
The toilets were basic, but clean. No soap, however.

Recommend to friends Visit again

El trato del personal, la tranquilidad…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 8
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 6
 Tomas B. 8 reviews

Electric optional grass pitch

Liked El trato del personal, la tranquilidad y la parcela bastante nivelada, todos los servicios muy a mano

Disliked El agua caliente de las duchas no puedes regularla y te quemas.

Recommend to friends Visit again

60

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 6
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Electric optional grass pitch

Liked 3800

Recommend to friends Visit again

Todo perfecto, me encanto que hay…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Alba E. 1 review

Electric optional grass pitch

Liked Todo perfecto, me encanto que hay bañera exclusiva para bebes y la tranquilidad del camping

Disliked Muy poca iluminación en cuanto se hace de noche

Recommend to friends Visit again

Convenient for port. Lively bar/ restaurant…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Sally M. 1 review

Electric optional grass pitch

Liked Convenient for port. Lively bar/ restaurant open late.

Disliked Quite crowded site

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

No dogs allowed

Portable toilet

Leisure on site

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Games room Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Play area TV room Take away Tennis Watersports

Amenities on site

Bath available Car parking by pitch/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Launderette Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided Barbecues allowed Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed No dogs allowed

Themes

Gastronomic delight Peaceful Spectacular scenery

Utilities

Charging facilities Chemical disposal Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Public transport nearby Shop nearby

Type

Large (51-200 pitches)

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Fishing nearby Horse riding nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby Surf school nearby Watersports nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Drainage hook-up points for tourers Motorhome service point Seasonal pitches

Location

Camping Playa Arenillas

Barrio Arenillas

43

Islares

Cantabria

Spain

39798

Directions

Timezone

Europe/Madrid CEST (GMT+02:00)

GPS

43.40358°N
3.31062°W

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Local attractions

The beach in front of Camping Playa Arenillas is popular with families because of its clean and shallow waters, and with surfers for its waves and its surf school with equipment hire. Check on tide times with the site team when planning your beach time, as the sands are covered with water for a few hours each day. Hiking and cycling trails, boat trips and 4x4 tours are all available nearby for outdoorsy days, or you could amble around Cabarceno Natural Park, set in an old tin mine in the Pisueña valley. The Bizkaia or El Karpin Ecological Park, a wild animal shelter with added dinosaurs, is within driving distance. If you're a subterranean sort, you're in luck, as Cantabria has over 9,000 caves dotted under its surface. A few close to the site are the Cave of El Castillo at nearby Puente Viesgo; the cave paintings of the Cueva de las Monedas, and the caves – and caving expeditions – of the mountainous Alto Asón.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Playa Arenillas Pm1 0.1 mi Estuary ExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent
Playa Oriñon Pm1 0.7 mi Estuary ExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent
Playa Ostende Pm1 4.5 mi Sea ExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent
Playa Brazomar Pm1 5.4 mi Sea ExcellentExcellentGoodExcellent
Playa Salve Pm2 5.6 mi Sea ExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Want to know more about camping in Cantabria?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Camping Playa Arenillas have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Camping Playa Arenillas dog friendly? No View all features
  • What attractions are near Camping Playa Arenillas? The beach in front of Camping Playa Arenillas is popular with families because of its clean and shallow waters, and with surfers for its waves and its surf school with equipment hire. … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Camping Playa Arenillas?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  9 a.m. –  10 p.m.
    Depart by:  12 p.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Camping Playa Arenillas? From £27.66 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.