How to Plan a Family Halloween Weekend Near Roda Golf

Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, and the following day, 1 November, is a public holiday in Spain. That makes it a proper long weekend, and the best one of the autumn for families staying near Roda Golf. Here's how I'd plan it.

Spain doesn't do Halloween the way Britain does. You won't find streets of doorstep trick-or-treaters in Los Alcázares. What you will find is a growing appetite for it, plus Todos los Santos on the Sunday, which has its own older traditions. Plan around both and the kids get the best of each.

Sort Your Base and Your Timings First

Book early, because the holiday weekend fills up

Spanish families head to the coast on the puente (the bridge weekend), so availability tightens fast. If you're still choosing where to stay, have a look at the holiday rentals near Roda Golf and pick somewhere with a private or shared pool you can use on a mild afternoon. October days here often reach the low to mid 20s, so pool time is still very much on.

Know what's open on Sunday

Todos los Santos is a national holiday, so many shops and some supermarkets close. Stock up on Friday or Saturday morning. Restaurants and chiringuitos along the Mar Menor generally stay open, but book Sunday lunch ahead. I'd say that's the one booking you can't leave to chance.

If you want to understand how the villages and beaches fit together before you arrive, the area guide for Roda and the Mar Menor will save you some wrong turns.

Friday and Saturday: Spooky Fun, Mar Menor Style

Do a daytime pumpkin and costume afternoon

Pick up pumpkins from a local market or fruit shop (calabazas are in season and cheap), then carve them on the terrace. It's the simplest thing on this list, and the one my neighbours' children remember most. Bring face paint from home. You'll struggle to find decent costumes locally at short notice, although the Chinese bazaars in Los Alcázares and San Javier do stock cheap masks and capes in October.

Check what the resort and local bars are running

Some bars and restaurants in the Roda and Los Alcázares area put on themed evenings for the expat crowd, and the resort has been known to run family activities around busy weekends. Nothing is guaranteed year to year, so ask at reception or the clubhouse when you arrive rather than relying on a poster you saw online. Spanish plans have a way of being confirmed about two days before.

Take a torchlit evening paseo

The promenade at Los Alcázares is flat, wide and well lit, which makes it a good place for a twilight walk with a pushchair or a child in a costume. Add an ice cream and you've got a Halloween that doesn't need a plan. Santiago de la Ribera does the same job with a bit more charm and a view across the water to La Manga.

Sunday: Do Todos los Santos the Spanish Way

Try castañas and buñuelos

This is the part visitors miss. Around 1 November, Spanish families eat roasted chestnuts and sweet fried buñuelos, and bakeries in the towns fill their windows with huesos de santo (marzipan "saints' bones" with a sweet filling). Children find the name hilarious, which suits a Halloween weekend very well. Buy a box from a panadería and have them with hot chocolate.

Eat a long Sunday lunch

Book a table at a family-friendly spot in Lo Pagán or Santiago de la Ribera and let lunch run to three o'clock, as the locals do. Order a few rice or fish dishes for the table and something simple for the little ones. Nobody will rush you. A Spanish restaurant treats a child's wandering between tables as normal.

Keep a Backup for the Weather and the Grown-Ups

Have a wet-weather plan

October is when the Murcia region sometimes gets its heavy autumn downpours, the gota fría. If the forecast turns, head to Cartagena for the Roman Theatre and museum, which is dry enough to cope and interesting for older children. Our family activity guides have more indoor ideas.

Squeeze in a round of golf

Parents need something too. If one of you wants nine holes on Saturday morning while the kids sleep off the night before, the Roda Golf courses are quieter in the early hours, and the cooler air makes walking the course a pleasure. Book a tee time early, as the holiday weekend draws a local crowd.

My honest advice is not to overschedule. Pick one big thing per day, leave the afternoons loose for the pool or the beach, and let the kids lead. That's the formula that has worked for every family I've seen do this well. If you'd like help finding the right place for the weekend, get in touch with us and we'll point you the right way.