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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Cala Joncols, Roses: Six Kilometres of Dirt Track and a Cellar on the Seabed
Cala Joncols is not a beach with a hotel on it — it is a hotel with a beach, run by one family since 1955, with a cellar of wine ageing on the seabed of the bay.
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Cala Montjoi, Roses: The Cove Where elBulli Stood, and What Is There Now
Cala Montjoi is the cove where elBulli stood, and where it reopened as a museum in 2023. A guide to the beach, the museum, and the July–August rule that stops you driving down at all.
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Platja Sa Conca, Cadaqués: The Complete Guide to the Last Cove Before the Wild Coast
Sa Conca is the last cove before the Cap de Creus wild coast begins, and the trailhead for the seven-kilometre walk to an 1864 lighthouse that Cadaqués saved from demolition.
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Platja Sa Conca, Castell-Platja d’Aro: The Complete Guide to the Beach the Monolith Chose
In March 2021 a steel monolith appeared overnight on Platja Sa Conca and lasted two days. A guide to the beach it chose, the designed coastal path that reaches it, and why its width has nothing to do with the tide.
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Cala del Senyor Ramon, Santa Cristina d’Aro: The Complete Guide to a Beach Its Own Town Can’t Reach
Cala del Senyor Ramon belongs to Santa Cristina d’Aro, sits eleven kilometres from it, and has a mountain in between. A guide to the beach with no town behind it — and to the dolmen on the other side of the ridge.
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Cala Treumal, Blanes: The Complete Guide to the Steepest Cove on This Coast
Cala Treumal breaks waves on days when the beach next door is flat, and the reason is its slope. A guide to the cove on the Blanes–Lloret boundary, the cactus garden above it and when it is safe to swim.