We Rented Kayaks for a Family Sunset Paddle Near Roda Golf

By six o'clock the pool at the villa had gone from "refreshing" to "lukewarm bath", and my youngest had asked for the ninth time whether we could go to the beach instead. We'd already had a full day of it, an early nine holes before the heat clamped down, then hours of hiding from the sun with ice lollies and half-hearted card games. So when my wife suggested renting kayaks for the evening, I'll admit I only agreed because it meant I didn't have to referee another game of Uno. Best decision we made all week.

We ended up trying two different launch points that week, one at Los Alcázares and one along the paseo at Santiago de la Ribera, mostly by accident rather than design. What started as a spontaneous Tuesday paddle turned into a proper comparison, because the two spots are only fifteen minutes apart by car but feel like different lakes entirely once you're sitting in a kayak with a nine-year-old asking why the water is that colour.

Los Alcázares: closest to Roda Golf, calmest for wobbly beginners

If you're staying anywhere near the resort, Los Alcázares is the obvious choice simply because you can be paddling within ten minutes of leaving your front door. We rented from one of the beach kiosks near Playa Espejo, where a lad barely out of school talked us through the life jackets in about ninety seconds flat and pushed us off into water so shallow you could see your own feet for the first fifty metres.

That shallowness is the whole point. The Mar Menor rarely gets much past two metres deep even well offshore, and near Los Alcázares it stays calm enough that our seven-year-old could sit up front of a double kayak without capsizing us every time she leaned to grab a fistful of water. There's a gentleness to it that I hadn't expected. No swell, barely a ripple most evenings, just that flat pewter sheen the sea gets an hour before sunset.

The downside is that it's popular. By half six the water off Los Alcázares had a fair few stand-up paddleboarders and other families doing exactly what we were doing, so it never quite felt like we had the place to ourselves. Lovely for a first go, less so if you're after something quieter.

Santiago de la Ribera: further to drive, better theatre at sunset

Two evenings later we tried the rental spot along the Santiago de la Ribera paseo instead, a longer drive from the resort but not by much, maybe twenty minutes depending on the San Javier traffic. The water here felt marginally busier with boat traffic near the marina, so we steered the kids away from the mooring lines and out towards open water instead, which turned out to be the better move anyway.

What Santiago de la Ribera has going for it is the view back towards the airfield and the mountains behind San Javier, which catch the last light in a way that made even my teenager put his phone down for a full twenty minutes. That's not nothing. We paddled out slowly, let the current do most of the work bringing us back in, and watched the sky go through every shade of orange and pink while the palm trees along the paseo turned to silhouettes. My eldest, normally allergic to anything I suggest, admitted it was "actually pretty cool", which from a fifteen-year-old is basically a standing ovation.

The bit nobody tells you about evening paddling

Sunset kayaking solves the heat problem that ruins so many August afternoons here. We'd tried a midday paddle earlier in the summer and the kids were pink and whingeing within twenty minutes. After seven in the evening, though, the sun's low enough that you're not frying, the water's still warm from the day, and the wind that sometimes kicks up off the Mar Menor by afternoon tends to have dropped. It's the golden hour in the most literal sense.

One practical note: check for jellyfish before you commit to swimming off the kayak, since numbers on the Mar Menor can vary week to week through August. Paddling itself is unaffected either way, but if the kids want to jump in for a cool-off afterwards, it's worth a look first.

Which one gets our vote

Honestly, we'd do both again, but for different reasons. Los Alcázares wins on convenience and confidence-building, brilliant if it's your first time in a kayak or your children are young enough that you need dead-calm water and a short drive home before bedtime meltdowns set in. Santiago de la Ribera wins on atmosphere. The paseo, the boats, the mountains catching the light, it just feels more like an occasion.

If I had to pick one for a proper family evening out, I'd lean towards Santiago de la Ribera, if only because the drive back afterwards, salty and sun-tired with the kids finally quiet in the back seat, felt like the kind of evening we'll still be talking about at Christmas. But I wouldn't talk you out of Los Alcázares either, especially with smaller children in tow.

Either spot rents kayaks by the hour with no need to book days ahead, though turning up around six rather than right at sunset gives you a better chance of grabbing one before the evening rush. If you're planning a longer stay and want more ideas like this one, have a browse through our family days out near Roda Golf, or get in touch via our contact page if you'd like local recommendations tailored to where you're staying. And if this is the first you're hearing of the area, our guide to Los Alcázares and San Javier covers everything else worth knowing before you land.

For anyone still weighing up where to base themselves for a week like ours, golf in the morning and kayaks at sunset isn't a bad rhythm to build a holiday around. Our holiday rentals near Roda Golf put you close enough to both that you won't waste half your evening in the car.