Costa del Sol beaches, Spain
Along 160 km of Spain's south east coast the Costa del Sol [Sun Coast] is the country's primo sun and sand destination. The beaches of the Costa del Sol, protected from northerly winds by the Sierra Blanca mountains, offer extensive, kind-of-beige sands [or dull grey, depending on your attitude] rinsed gently by warm Mediterranean waters.
In addition, visitors to this particular Costa have easy access to Andalusia's stunning, inland tourist attractions such as Seville, Granada and Cordoba, and traditional white-washed, hill-top villages. This combination of fine sand [even if it isn't powder-white] and glittering sights is a winner, enticing huge numbers of travellers throughout the year. Not to mention the mass of championship golf courses dotted around the area that inspire jokes about this being the Costa del Golf...
Naturally, as a result of its charms and uncontrolled development the Costa del Sol is Europe's most congested coastal strip, with a succession of world-recognised holiday complexes and overbuilt resorts such as Marbella, Torremolinos, Malaga and Nerja.
Cabo de Gata, Playa de los Genoveses.
Cabo de Gata, desert beaches
Situated on the south east tip of Spain in the region of Almeria, Cabo de Gata is much less touched by commercialism than most of the coast, offering a surprising amount of natural beauty and tranquility.
Located in the middle of Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, the spectacular Playa de los Genoveses is undoubtedly one of the best, with dunes and rocky headlands at each end. The park is also listed as Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. Another notable beach hereabouts is Playa del Monsul, known for the iconic chunk of volcanic rock sticking out of the sea. It's a popular nudist beach with fine, gray sand and crystal clear water, accessible by a dirt road signposted from the town of San José. The nearest airports are in Almeria, Murcia and Alicante.
Marbella promenade.
Marbella
An hour's drive to the west of Malaga, sophisticated Marbella is often referred to as the Miami or Monaco of Spain, where the rich, famous and beautiful people hang out.
Among its 24 named beaches, one of the best is relaxed Cabopino Beach, between Marbella [12 km away] and Fuengirola, offering expansive beige sand, dunes and shallow, clear waters, excellent for children and popular with nudists. It has a well-established beach bar with a lively atmosphere.
Nearby Las Chapas and Calahonda are also natural, soft sandy beaches.
The centrally located beaches of Puerto Banus, La Fontanilla, La Venus and La Bajadilla are the busiest stretches of sand, while the exclusive beach club on Nikki Beach, in Elviria east Marbella, is the elite gathering point if you can afford it.
The nearest airport is Malaga, 50km away. Although there is a good bus service between Malaga and Marbella, having your own car is the best option as public transport on the Costa del Sol is generally poor.
Marbella to Puerto Banus beaches
Malaga [picture at top of page]
The fine gray volcanic sand beaches and calm waters along the bay of Malaga are all well-maintained and well provided with facilities, ideal for families. The most popular is Playa de la Malagueta, a man-made, Blue Flag urban beach only 10 minutes from the city centre. It's always busy due to its accessibility so parking is a problem. For watersports try another town beach of Playa Palo.
Some smaller Nerja beaches.
Nerja, Andalusia
50 km from Malaga airport and
just north of Nerja, the beach is less developed and more tranquil than many others but the sand is coarse and tends towards pebbles despite the fortune spent by the local authority on importing fine sand.
Nerja's largest and most commercial beach is Burriana, with many restaurants, cafes and watersports available while the longest [2km] and least crowded sand is on Playazo or El Salon, a secluded, sandy bay.
Torremolinos
Torremolinos
Torremolinos' 9km of dark grey beaches are well maintained but dominated by high-rise hotels and apartment blocks; many tourists go to Torremolinos more for the vibrant nightlife than the dull beaches.
In the high season, both Playamar-Bajondillo in the east and Playa La Carihuela in the west are stuffed with packaged holiday makers, 70% of them from the UK. Party animals enjoy La Carihuela with its excellent beach bars. Torremolinos is 8 km from Malaga airport and 13 km from Malaga city centre.
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