Costa del Sol & Andalucia Beach Guide

Everyone loves to be on the beach, and the stretch of sand surrounding the southern Spanish harbour of Cabopino near Marbella, is one of the best on the Costa del Sol. Overlooked by an ancient Moorish watch tower, Cabopino beach includes free parking and a romantic marina. The beach is well sheltered by sand dunes and there are many shaded palm tree areas for some welcome relief during the height of summer. Not everyone’s taste perhaps, there is also a nudist beach on the western fringe of the area.

Still on the Costa del Sol, one of Estepona’s beaches, known as Playa del Saladillo, is an extremely relaxed affair, with beach bars and restaurants along its stretch, but not too many to spoil it’s natural ambience. It’s a little known fact too, that the stretch of beach along Estepona’s more built up area, is home to one of the world’s largest cactus collections! You see them all along the promenade, along with several fountains and wide-open spaces. The sand here is somewhat volcanic, but there’s plenty of space for everyone.

Elsewhere on the Costa del Sol, there’s an exclusive beach in Marbella called Nikki Beach, which plays host to the rich and famous, and those who would like to be rich and famous! Known for being a place to pose and flash your cash, it can be a bit intimidating for the uninitiated, but the food is excellent, and the huge beachfront beds and hammocks which you can hire, are simply stunning. Bounty Beach in Marbella has a slightly different feel. Given how near it is the built up business district of Marbella, it is remarkable that this beach still manages to feel relaxed and soothing. A young trendy crowd come here to meet in the beach bar, play volleyball, or just chill out in the sun. The Costa del Sol at its best.

For watersporsts lovers such a kitesufing and windsurfing the best choice is of course Tarifa and the nearby Punta Paloma, Los caños de Meca , zahara de los Atunes o  Boloña  in the province of Cádiz Of course, the Costa Blanca, the Canary Islands, and the Balaerics have their own beautiful beachside locations. In Ibiza, the beaches of San Antonio, Ibiza Town, and Portinatx in the north of the Island, have their own special individual appeal. Meanwhile, Majorca boasts Palma Nova, Santa Ponca, and (some would say overcrowded) Magalluf beaches, and the natural beach at Fuerteventura on Gran Canaria is often sited as the best beach within the region of the Canary Islands.