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
-
Playa de los Genoveses, Níjar: The Complete Guide to the Largest Beach Behind the Barrier
A Genoese fleet anchored in this bay in 1147 and the beach has kept the name ever since. The largest of the five beaches behind the summer vehicle barrier at Cabo de Gata: the access regime, the shuttle that runs a shorter season than the barrier does, and what the walk in from San José…
-
Playa de Mónsul, Níjar: The Rock, the Dune and the Film Crews
Cabo de Gata is what is left of a volcano, and Mónsul is where that shows most clearly: the wave-cut rock, the climbing dune behind it, and the film crews it has attracted for decades. Access, timing and the summer barrier.
-
Playa de Maro, Nerja: The Complete Guide to This Protected Costa del Sol Beach
A waterfall drops fifteen metres straight into the Mediterranean at Maro, inside a protected marine strip on a coast where almost nothing is left unbuilt. What the protection means for visitors, how to get down, and when to come.
-
Playa de los Muertos, Carboneras: The Complete Guide to This Iconic Almería Beach
The currents off this stretch of Almería coast converge, and what they carry gave the beach its name. Why the swim here deserves respect, what the climb back up costs you, and why a twenty-storey hotel a few kilometres up the coast has stood empty for two decades.
-
Playa de Bolonia, Tarifa: A Moving Dune and a Roman Town Beneath It
Most Spanish beaches are just beaches. Bolonia has an excavated Roman town sitting on it and a 30-metre dune that is still moving. What to see, where to park, and why the wind here is part of the plan rather than a nuisance.
-
The 13 Best Beaches in Alicante (2026 Ranking)
Our editorial ranking of the best beaches in Alicante: from the turquoise pebble coves of the Marina Alta to the long urban sands of the capital and the only inhabited island in the Valencian Community.