La Ponderosa, Spain
Also within 20 km of Almuñécar
- Molino de papel Surf spot · 11.4 km from Almuñécar
Watch this spot We email you when La Ponderosa is worth the trip.
About La Ponderosa
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.
The spot faces S (177°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (357°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 1–6 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 8). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 15°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 25°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Almuñécar, 0.9 km away (about 5 min by car).
Water about 21°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
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The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.
Book the trip
From Chicago: about 17 h 55 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.
Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to GRX, changing at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD). About 7 flights a week that month.
See flights ORD → GRX · Skyscanner from about £425 returnAdGetting there. 1 h 15 from the airport to La Ponderosa.
Accommodation.
Stay in AlmuñécarAd
Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.
Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).
See all places to stay in Almuñécar (ad) on Booking.com →Closest towns to stay in
Almuñécar 2 min by car · rooms from £70 a night · 55 places to stay · where La Ponderosa stays
Places to stay in Almuñécar · Booking.com AdNerja 31 min by car · rooms from £70 a night · 193 places to stay
Places to stay in Nerja · Booking.com Ad
Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Almuñécar · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Almuñécar · GetYourGuideAd
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Where it is
La Ponderosa on Google Maps · Directions
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Forecast
The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 18Oct | 3, too small | 1 ft3 shollow | 2kJ | wind from the north-east, 5 knots | 21°C |
| Mon 19Oct | 4, too small | 1 ft3 shollow | 3kJ | offshorewind from the north, 5 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 20Oct | 1, too small | 1 ft4 shollow | 1kJ | wind from the west, 10 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 21Oct | 2, too small | 1 ft4 shollow | 3kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 7 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 22Oct | 4, too small | 1 ft3 shollow | 3kJ | wind from the west, 1 knot | 20°C |
| Fri 23Oct | 7, too small | 2 ft4 shollow | 12kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Sat 24Oct | 5, too small | 1 ft4 shollow | 4kJ | wind from the north-east, 1 knot | 21°C |
| Sun 25Oct | 1, too small | under 1 ft3 s | 0kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 26Oct | 5, too small | 1 ft3 shollow | 3kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 27Oct | 4, too small | 1 ft3 shollow | 2kJ | wind from the north-west, 2 knots | 21°C |
Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.
Your trip, day by day
6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates
- Mon 19 OctTravel out
Fly ORD to GRX, changing at MAD, then 1h 15 by road. About 17h 55 door to door
- Tue 20 OctRest day
Too small: 1 ft at best.
- Wed 21 OctRest day
Too small: 1 ft at best.
- Thu 22 OctRest day
Too small: 1 ft at best.
- Fri 23 OctRest day
Too small: 2 ft at best.
- Sat 24 OctRest day
Too small: 1 ft at best.
- Sun 25 OctTravel home
Fly ORD to GRX, changing at MAD, then 1h 15 by road. About 17h 55 door to door
Rough cost
About £975–£1,840 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to GRX, estimated from distance and season, changing at MAD, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | £425–£880 |
| To the UK airport | parking or the train, there and back | £35–£65 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | £80–£130 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | £185–£310 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | £175–£330 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about £85 to fly your own | £75–£125 |
| Total | £975–£1,840 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.
Places to eat near Almuñécar
- Meson Francisco IISpanish · 0.1 km from the centre
- Pizzeria GnomoPizza · 0.1 km from the centre
- Asador Río VerdeChicken · 0.2 km from the centre
- El PortichueloSpanish · 0.2 km from the centre
- Mesón EmilianoMediterranean · 0.2 km from the centre
- Pizzeria PinocchioPizza · 0.2 km from the centre
Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits
Book the trip
Where to stayAd
Places to stay · Booking.com (ad)Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.