Beaches on this coast tend to be either small and hard to reach or long and completely built up. Playa Paraíso is neither: over a kilometer of pebbles and sand at the southern edge of Villajoyosa, with a clifftop hotel at one end, an Iberian sanctuary on the hill behind it, and a tram stop close enough to make a car optional.
It is popular, particularly with a younger crowd, but its length does the work: a beach of 1,000 meters simply does not fill the way a cove of 100 does. For the opposite experience on the same municipality’s coastline, Racó del Conill is small, wild, and naturist.
Where Is Playa Paraíso?
At the southern end of Villajoyosa (La Vila Joiosa), province of Alicante, beside the Hotel Montíboli, about a kilometer beyond the town’s urban centre on the road toward Benidorm and Finestrat. Also written Platja Paradís, or simply El Paraíso.
It has good neighbours. A short cliff separates it from Cala Bol Nou immediately south — usually described as Paraíso’s smaller sister — and a little further along sit L’Esparrelló and La Caleta, both reached through the Montíboli grounds.
What the Beach Is Actually Like
Long, and the figures vary: the published lengths run from roughly 1,060 meters to 1.5 kilometers, because nobody agrees where this stretch of coast ends, at 25 to 30 meters wide. The shore is rounded pebbles with patches of sand mixed through — comfortable enough to lie on, awkward enough to walk into the water on. Water shoes solve it.
The water is clear, turquoise and generally calm, sheltered from the worst of the currents, and the beach holds Blue Flag status. A rockier stretch toward one end gives the only real snorkeling; the open central section is pebbles and not much else underwater.
Lifeguard cover in season, wooden walkways over the stones, foot-washing points, and adapted access from the promenade in some sections. Two chiringuitos operate on the sand, but neither has a full kitchen — this is a bring-your-own-cooler beach, and most regulars treat it that way. Pets and motorhomes are not permitted.
In and On the Water
A local operator rents kayaks and paddleboards from the beach in season, and runs a full-moon paddle in summer that goes out in front of the Montíboli — the kind of thing that sounds like a gimmick until you are on the water at night looking back at a lit-up cliff.
Otherwise the calm water and the beach’s length make it a straightforward place to swim, which is more than can be said for several of the coves further north on this coast.
Walking South: Bol Nou and the Montíboli Coves
The rocky outcrop closing the southern end of Paraíso is the boundary with Cala Bol Nou, and getting over it is the start of the best walk here. Past Bol Nou lie L’Esparrelló and La Caleta, both small, both reached through the Hotel Montíboli grounds, and both considerably quieter than the main beach.
Four distinct beaches within a short walk of each other is unusual on this coast, and it is the strongest argument for spending a whole day here rather than an afternoon.
The Hill Behind the Beach
Inland from the sand rises La Malladeta, and there is more on it than the beach suggests. The site holds the remains of an ancient Iberian sanctuary, one of the archaeologically significant locations on this part of the coast, excavated over recent decades.
On top of the hill stands the Torre de la Malladeta, a 19th-century tower built for scientific observation on land belonging to José María Esquerdo, the Villajoyosa-born psychiatrist and republican politician best known for his work on the treatment of mental illness in Spain. A watchtower on a Spanish clifftop is unremarkable; one built by a psychiatrist as an observatory is not.
It is a short detour uphill, and the views back over the coastline are the practical reward if the history is not your thing.
Getting There
By tram, Line 1 of the TRAM Metropolitano de Alicante has a stop called Paradís within easy walking distance — which puts this beach within reach of Alicante, Benidorm and everything along the line without a car. It is one of the more useful facts in this guide and one most visitors do not know.
By car, take the N-332 south from Villajoyosa and the “Villajoyosa Sur” exit, which leads straight down. Parking is unguarded with over 100 spaces; on a summer weekend, arrive early anyway.
Eating and Staying
The two chiringuitos handle drinks and light food and no more. For a proper meal, the Hotel Montíboli is next door, and Villajoyosa’s centre — a serious seafood town, known for arròs a banda — is a short ride away.
Three quite different options for staying. The Hotel Montíboli sits on the clifftop with its own coves below it. Camping Playa Paraíso is on the beachfront itself and is the budget, family end of the range. And Villajoyosa’s town centre, with its painted seafront houses, gives the widest choice of hotels and apartments and is also the better base for reaching Racó del Conill north of town.
When to Go
Water here runs from around 14–17°C in winter to 26–27°C in August, which is the normal curve for this coast. What is not normal is how little the calendar matters: on a beach this long, the crowds spread out, and July on Paraíso feels closer to June on most coves nearby.
Summer brings the warmest water, the kayak rentals, and the liveliest atmosphere, and parking is the only real pressure point — the sand absorbs the visitors, the car park does not. Spring and autumn are quieter and better suited to the full version of a day here: swim, walk south over the outcrop to Bol Nou and the Montíboli coves, climb up to La Malladeta. In winter the swimming stops, but that walk is at its best, and the beach is essentially empty.
Practical Tips
- Water shoes. Rounded pebbles all the way to the waterline.
- Bring a cooler. Neither chiringuito has a full kitchen, and everyone here knows it.
- Take the tram. The Paradís stop on Line 1 removes the parking problem entirely.
- Walk south. Bol Nou, L’Esparrelló and La Caleta are all within reach on foot, and all quieter.
- Go up the hill. The Iberian sanctuary and Esquerdo’s tower turn a beach day into something with a bit more to it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa Paraíso sandy?
Mostly rounded pebbles with patches of sand. Comfortable to lie on, less so to walk into the water on.
Can you get there without a car?
Yes. TRAM Line 1 stops at Paradís, within walking distance of the beach.
Are dogs allowed?
No. Pets and motorhomes are not permitted on the beach.
What is on the hill behind the beach?
La Malladeta: the remains of an Iberian sanctuary, and a 19th-century observation tower built on land belonging to the psychiatrist José María Esquerdo.
Can you walk to the nearby coves?
Yes. Cala Bol Nou is just past the outcrop at the southern end, with L’Esparrelló and La Caleta reached through the Hotel Montíboli grounds.
Tram schedules, chiringuito openings, lifeguard season and access through the Hotel Montíboli grounds to the neighbouring coves are all subject to change and are not guaranteed; the Ayuntamiento de Villajoyosa is the authority to check before travelling. La Malladeta is a protected archaeological site — the excavated areas are not open ground to walk over.
Image Credits
- Header image: Playa Paraíso, Villajoyosa — Diego Delso, delso.photo, License CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
- In-article image: Villajoyosa, Playa Paraíso by Concepcion AMAT ORTA, licensed under CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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