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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Playa del Carabassí, Elche: The Complete Guide to This Wild Dune Beach
The dune system behind El Carabassí is among the best preserved in the province of Alicante, which is exactly why the access rules are what they are. Where to park, which path to take, and what the wind does to this beach.
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Isla de Tabarca, Alicante: The Island Behind Spain’s First Marine Reserve
No parking, no road, and no way in except the boat: Tabarca is the only inhabited island in the Valencian Community and the site of Spain’s first marine reserve. Ferry times, the diving permit most guides never mention, and what the island is like once the day trippers leave.
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Cala Cantalar, Alicante: The Complete Guide to This Quiet City Cove
A rocky cove inside the protected Cabo de las Huertas site, twenty minutes from central Alicante and reachable on the tram. Snorkelling over the shelves, the cape walk, and the quarry that gave the cove its name.
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Playa de San Juan, Alicante: The City’s Longest Beach, and Its Busiest
Most beaches in these guides are places you make a trip to. Playa de San Juan is where Alicante itself goes, all year, reached by tram in twenty minutes. What that changes about the sand, the crowds and the best time to arrive.
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Racó del Conill, Villajoyosa: The Complete Guide to This Hidden Naturist Cove
A signposted naturist cove north of Villajoyosa, barely 100 metres long: clear water, good snorkelling off the central outcrop, and the Colada de la Costa path to a 16th-century watchtower when the pebbles fill up.
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Playa Paraíso, Villajoyosa: The Complete Guide to This Long Coastal Stretch
Beaches on this coast are usually either small and hard to reach or long and completely built up. Playa Paraíso is neither, which is the whole point of it. Where the quiet end is, what the seabed is like, and how to get there.