Almuñécar beaches, a piece of paradise at your feet

Almuñécar, the oldest city in the Spanish Mediterranean, also has the most kilometres of coastline in the province of Granada, with almost 20 kilometres of coastline divided into 18 beaches, including those of the city itself, La Herradura and Marina del Este.

From west to east they are:

• Cantarriján.
• Calaiza.
• La Herradura.
• Los Berengueles.
• El Muerto.
• Cotobro.
• La Veintiuna.
• El Rincón de la China.
• San Cristóbal.
• Caletilla.
• Puerta del Mar.
• Velilla.
• El Tesorillo
• El Pozuelo.
• Calabajío.
• Cabria.
• Curumbico.
• Barranco de En Medio.

And if we add to all of these, the city’s extensive history, monuments and other attractions, we can safely say that we are in the main tourist area of the province of Granada, and one of the most important on the Costa del Sol Tropical.

Because in Almuñécar we find all kinds of beaches, from the most urban beaches with all the services, to the most secluded, wild and unspoilt, and all of them with fat Chinese. Thanks to this diversity Almuñécar is able to offer its visitors and inhabitants a new experience every day, leaving no room for boredom.

Some of the beaches of Almuñécar and La Herradura are small coves with calm waters, such as Calaiza or Cabria, and others are long urban beaches such as San Cristóbal, where there are all kinds of tourist services, beach bars for all tastes, a promenade, a water park (Aquatropic), shops, restaurants, hotels and flats, and we find, among others, the natural monument of the Peñones del Santo.

There is also room for naturist beaches such as El Muerto (Almuñécar) and Cantarriján (in La Herradura). Furthermore, in all of them you can practice different water sports, such as paragliding, hang-gliding, scuba diving or fishing, with the Cerro Gordo-Maro area being one of the main tourist attractions of the municipality due to its scenic beauty and conservation.

It is also worth mentioning that several of Almuñécar’s beaches hold the Q for quality award, the highest distinction awarded by the Spanish Institute for Tourism Quality (ICTE), such as: Velilla, Puerta del Mar, San Cristóbal and La Herradura. In addition, the waters are always kept clean thanks to the fact that the Town Hall has cleaning boats that travel along the coastline on a daily basis.

Special mention must be made of the beach of La Herradura, because it is a small Mediterranean paradise, which is wedged between the rocky outcrops such as Punta de la Mona and Cerro Gordo, which embrace it giving rise to a natural bay in the shape of a horseshoe, hence its name. This beach stretches for approximately two kilometres. And thanks to its location, it is completely sheltered from the winds, so its surroundings enjoy a microclimate that is appetising at any time of the year.

Furthermore, it should be noted that the beach of La Herradura and the coves around it stand out, among other things, for their incredible and unique seabed, where we can discover important posidonia meadows and interesting marine species.

And between Almuñécar and La Herradura, we find another paradise, Marina del Este, which has two beaches, Berenguel, which is used by fishermen with boats, but with almost no services; and on the other hand, Punta de la Mona, which is wider and has a beach bar and other services. It is also a privileged place for scuba diving and snorkelling thanks to the rocks over the sea that facilitate this activity and the viewing of all its extensive marine fauna.