Esther Luna
Hi, I’m Esther — the person behind Best Spain Beaches.
A note on the byline: “Esther Luna” is a pen name under which this site is researched, written and published — not a stage name for a public figure, just how the work is signed. The About the Author page sets out how these guides are put together.
I grew up exploring Spain’s coastline one cove at a time, and somewhere along the way, what started as a personal habit turned into something closer to an obsession. I’ve spent years tracking down the beaches most guidebooks skip: the ones with no road sign, no chiringuito, and no crowd — just clear water, a steep little path to get there, and the kind of view that makes the walk worth it. I’ve also spent plenty of days on the beaches everyone already knows, because sometimes the obvious choice really is the right one, and someone should say so honestly.
This site exists because I got tired of choosing between two kinds of beach content: glossy listicles that recycle the same five photos, or forum threads buried in comments from 2014. I wanted something in between — real, specific, useful information, checked against what the town halls, the regional beach registers and the natural park authorities actually publish rather than copied from the site next door. Some of these beaches I know well; others I have researched carefully but not yet reached. Where I have not been somewhere, the guide sticks to what can be verified and does not invent an afternoon I did not have.
Every guide on this site follows the same approach. I research each beach in depth — what the sand or pebbles are actually like underfoot, how the water behaves in different seasons, what’s worth doing nearby, and the practical details that make or break a visit, like where to park, when the crowds peak, and whether you’ll need water shoes. I’d rather tell you a beach has tricky access or gets uncomfortably busy in August than oversell it and let you find out the hard way.
Spain’s coastline is enormous and wildly varied — from the volcanic coves of Cabo de Gata to the pine-backed inlets of the Costa Brava and the wind-whipped dune beaches of the Atlantic south. I’m working my way through as much of it as I can, region by region, and adding new guides regularly. If there’s a beach you think deserves a closer look, I’d genuinely love to hear about it.
Thanks for reading, and I hope these guides help you find your own favourite stretch of Spanish coast.
Guides by Esther Luna
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Levante, Poniente, Tramuntana: Choosing a Spanish Beach by the Wind
Levante, poniente, tramuntana, garbí. Spanish coastal winds have names because they decide, more often than caps or flags or awards, whether the beach you drove to is pleasant or miserable. The names, the directions, and how to pick a shore that shelters you.
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The Camins de Ronda: Walking Between the Costa Brava Coves
The camins de ronda are not scenic footpaths that happen to be old. They are a legal servitude made visible, and on much of the Costa Brava they are the only way in. Where they came from, what holds them open, and the three things that close them.
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Beach Warning Flags in Spain: What the Colours Mean, and Who Is Watching
Green, yellow and red are near-universal. Everything else on the mast is invented by the town hall. And the flag describes the water, not whether anyone is watching you swim in it — which, on the Spanish drowning figures, is the variable that matters.
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Cabo de Gata Beaches in Summer 2026: Roads, Shuttles and the 399-Car Barrier
The Cabo de Gata beaches west of San José are capped at 399 cars from 20 June to 27 September 2026, and the barrier closes on a clock as well as on capacity. The dates, the hours, the shuttle, and the published figure that explains why the gate opened half an hour longer this year.
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The Ley de Costas: Why Every Beach in Spain Is Public, and What That Does Not Mean
The Ley de Costas makes every beach in Spain public land that nobody can sell, fence or charge you to stand on. It also says nothing about whether you can reach the beach, park near it, or find it open. What the law actually guarantees, article by article.
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Dog Beaches in Alicante 2026: The Rules, Municipality by Municipality
Ten beaches in Alicante province are signed for dogs — published counts disagree on whether there is an eleventh — and dogs are banned from almost every other one. What the 2026 ordinances say, who enforces them, what the fines are, and the four-month winter window most guides never mention.