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 Pola, Tossa de Mar: The Cove Behind the Campsite
Cala Pola is the only cove in Tossa de Mar with a campsite sitting on it. The sand is public, the way in is not — here is how that changes the visit, and the three ways to arrive.
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Cala de Roche, Conil de la Frontera: The Complete Guide to These Sheltered Coves
At Roche, what you find depends entirely on what time you turn up: the tide decides whether the coves are separate pockets of sand or one continuous beach. How the cliffs work, where to come down, and when to go.
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Cala de San Pedro, Níjar: The Complete Guide to Almería’s Hidden Community Cove
There is fresh water at Cala de San Pedro, in the driest corner of Europe — and that spring is why a community has lived in a cove with no road for decades. How to reach it, what to expect when you arrive, and how to behave once you are there.
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Playa de El Palmar, Vejer de la Frontera: The Complete Guide to Cádiz’s Surf Beach
Until the A-2233 was built, reaching El Palmar meant crossing a tidal inlet. That isolation is why Cádiz’s surf beach still looks the way it does. The swell, the seasons, the long straight sand, and what happens here in August.
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Cala de Enmedio, Níjar: Forty Minutes on Foot, and No Shade the Whole Way
A cove at the mouth of a dry riverbed, with no road to it and no shade on the walk in. Why the sand here has almost no stones in it, what the white rock at either end actually is, and how long the path from Agua Amarga really takes.
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Playa Los Alemanes, Tarifa/Zahara: The Complete Guide to This Wild Atlantic Beach
Nobody can say with any confidence why this Atlantic beach is called Playa de los Alemanes, and there are at least four competing explanations, only one of them evidenced. What is certain is the wind, the emptiness and the awkward access. How to get there and when it works.