Almost every cove worth visiting on this stretch of the Marina Alta asks something of you first: a barrier that closes when the lot fills, a 300-meter concrete ramp, a path down a cliff. Cala de la Granadella and Cala del Moraig both do. El Portet asks nothing. You park, you walk twenty meters, and you are on actual sand — which on this coastline is rarer than it sounds.
That accessibility is the whole appeal, and also the whole problem in August. This guide covers what the cove is like, the 16th-century watchtower on the headland above it, how the parking works, and when to come if you would rather not lay your towel edge to edge with a stranger’s.
Where Is Cala el Portet?
Cala el Portet sits at the northern end of Moraira, a coastal town within the municipality of Teulada, in the province of Alicante — a couple of kilometers from Moraira’s center along Avenida del Portet, a signposted coastal road that runs straight to the beach with no turns to worry about.
The Cap d’Or headland rises to the east, shielding the bay from wind and swell and giving it the shell-like curve that shows up in every photograph taken here.
What the Beach Is Actually Like
Fine, light-coloured sand — no water shoes needed, which sets El Portet apart from nearly every cove between here and Jávea. The bay runs somewhere between 280 and 350 meters depending on which source you trust, but only around 10 meters deep from shoreline to the built-up edge, and that narrowness matters more than the length: there is simply not much room.
The water is shallow near shore with a gentle slope, calm and clear thanks to Cap d’Or, and the seabed turns rocky toward the right-hand side of the cove as you face the sea. That rocky corner is where the snorkeling is — sargo, gilt-head bream, starfish, and a decent spread of marine plant life within a few meters of the shallows on a clear day. Kayaks and paddleboards rent directly from the sand, and the sheltered water makes paddling out around the headland straightforward even for beginners.
El Portet holds Blue Flag status, alongside Moraira’s other main beaches at l’Ampolla and Les Platgetes. It has adapted access, including walkways and amphibious bathing chairs, and Red Cross lifeguard cover in season. As an urban beach inside town limits, nudism is not permitted.
The Watchtower on Cap d’Or
The stone tower on the headland above the cove is not decorative. It was built in 1563 under Felipe II, designed by the Italian engineer Giovanni Battista Antonelli, as one link in a chain of watchtowers built to give warning of Barbary pirate raids along this coast. From its position it could signal visually to the towers at Granadella and at the Peñón de Ifach in Calpe — the reason so many of the coves in these guides are overlooked by a tower of their own.
The walk up is genuinely easy: a signposted circular route of roughly a kilometer starting near the beach, about an hour round trip, manageable with children. The reward at the top is a view running the length of the coastline and out to the Peñón de Ifach.
The same history continues a short walk in the other direction, near Playa de l’Ampolla, where the Castillo de Moraira — a small fortress built around 1742 for the same purpose — was restored in the 1980s and now houses audiovisual exhibits on the area’s maritime and watchtower past.
Getting There, and the Parking Problem
Leave the AP-7 at exit 63 (Benissa/Teulada) and follow the CV-743 into Moraira, then Avenida del Portet to the end. If you prefer a GPS pin, “Calle Puerto de Santa Cruz” lands you in the right place.
The lot beside the beach is free, unguarded, and holds somewhere between 50 and 100 cars. In July and August it is gone by mid-morning, and there is no barrier or booking system to tell you before you drive down — you simply arrive and find out. Before 10:00 AM is a realistic target in peak season. Failing that, the surrounding streets and a few restaurants that offer parking to customers are the fallback worth knowing about in advance rather than discovering at the bottom of the road.
No bus serves the beach directly, though intercity lines connect Moraira with Calpe and Teulada. Walking in from Moraira’s center along the coastal promenade is pleasant and sidesteps the parking question entirely.
Eating and Staying Nearby
Three restaurants sit directly on the small seafront promenade — El Portet, Mañet, and Dolphin — all Mediterranean, all with sea views; Mañet picked up a Tripadvisor Traveller’s Choice award in 2023. Le Dauphin runs Mediterranean cooking through French technique, a less typical option for this stretch of coast. A pharmacy and a supermarket sit within about 500 meters.
The hills around the cove are villa territory rather than hotel territory, so most visitors staying nearby are in private rentals. Moraira’s center, a few minutes away, has the hotels, apartments, restaurants, and the marina, and works well as a base for day trips to Cala del Portitxol and the wilder coves north toward Jávea.
When to Go
Water here follows the northern Costa Blanca curve: roughly 26–27°C at the August peak, low twenties through spring and autumn, dipping to around 14–17°C in winter. But nobody skips El Portet because the water is cold. They skip it because there is nowhere to put a towel.
| Period | What the cove feels like | Parking by mid-morning |
|---|---|---|
| April – May | Quiet enough to have stretches of sand to yourself; water still cold for long swims | Spaces available all day |
| June | Filling up but still comfortable; the best month for the Cap d’Or walk before the heat | Usually fine before midday |
| July – August | Towels edge to edge by late morning; the narrow strip works against you | Gone well before 10:00 AM |
| September | Warm water, thinning crowds — the sweet spot for most visitors | Manageable most days |
| October – March | Near-empty promenade, some restaurants on reduced hours | No competition at all |
Practical Tips
- Before 10:00 AM in July and August, or accept that you may be turning the car around.
- Go right for snorkeling. Facing the sea, the rocky side of the cove has the visibility and the fish; the open sand does not.
- Do the tower walk early or late. There is no shade on the route and it faces open sea.
- Know your backup parking before you drive down. The road ends at the beach, and turning around in August traffic is its own small ordeal.
- Consider walking in from Moraira along the promenade — it removes the problem entirely and takes about half an hour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cala el Portet good for families with young children?
Yes — shallow, gently sloping water and real sand make it one of the more practical family beaches in the area, provided you arrive early enough to find space.
Is parking free?
Yes, and that is part of the problem: the lot is free, unguarded, small, and has no reservation system, so it operates purely on who arrives first.
Can you visit the Cap d’Or tower itself?
The trail leads right up to it and the exterior is open to walkers. It is a protected historic structure, so treat it accordingly.
Is nudism allowed at El Portet?
No. It is an urban beach within Moraira’s town limits.
Restaurant openings, lifeguard cover, and rental services at El Portet are seasonal and change from year to year; the Ayuntamiento de Teulada is the authority to check against before relying on any of them. Nothing here is safety advice. The Cap d’Or trail runs close to cliff edges in places, and the rocky corner of the cove is slippery underfoot when wet.
Image Credits
- Header image: La platja del Portet de Moraira by Joanbanjo, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
- In-article image: Sender i torre del cap d’Or, Moraira by Joanbanjo, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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