Recommended beaches for families:
1- Roses beach: the playaland children (and parents) dream of.
If you had to design a beach for families with small children... wouldn't you like it to have fine white sand, with very little waves and little slope, and very safe and protected from the wind? And, in addition, that it had very easy access and all the services. Of course you would! But... wouldn't you be able to imagine one that even had a children's club on the sand where you could leave the kids in the hands of real professionals? Well, yes, it exists! The dream playalandia is in Roses, where you can "abandon" your children with complete confidence while they forget about you playing with inflatables, doing craft workshops, theater, puppets, music, foam parties... and all in an enclosed area and controlled by expert monitors, so that you (this time yes) you can relax on the beach, at the beach bar or going shopping. Although it may seem like it, it is not a chimera, it's true! The beach of Roses is one of the 25 destinations in Catalonia that holds the DTF mark of specialization in family tourism. So if you dream of a sun and beach vacation for everyone (for the little ones and also for the grown-ups) I am sure that this can be a very good alternative. Try it and you will see.
2- The beach of Port d'Alguer, Cadaqués: even more beautiful at night than during the day.
There are beaches that were born with a gift, with a different genetics. They are real ladies both day and night. Models of absolute perfection in broad daylight and also under the moonlight. Bottled like good essences and good wines, in small bottles, to improve with the passage of time. The beach of Port d'Alguer is a good example. It is the divine brooch of Cadaqués, a town that -like the wine- also improves over the years without losing its original essence. And the fault - or blessing, depending on how you look at it - is the beautiful church of Santa Maria, which looks out and stands out among the houses as if it were the parish priest among a group of curious children. But it is not just a facade: in its heart hides one of the most important altarpieces of Catalonia, one of the few that survived the Civil War. Come by any day now and stop by. Whether you are a parishioner or not, it will move you. I assure you. Especially to think that they had to raise a wall to protect the altar when the church was used as a dungeon. This house of God was also the house of the prisoners... it's funny, isn't it? Achurch converted into a prison! Work had to be done in the Lord's day to rebuild it after the pirate Barbarossa razed it to the ground in 1543.
And you will tell me: what about the beach? Well, it will be the least important thing when you are here with the children, although it is one of the most family and central beaches of Cadaqués, where all the menuts are concentrated taking advantage of the calm waters, the shower and its excellent location. Although to get here you have to do it walking, to enjoy the views of this postcard village that in addition to everything else, has a beach.
Recommended beaches for hikers:
3- The beach of the robinsones: island of Portlligat. Cadaqués.
This is one of those beaches that have left me marked for life. It is still there, in the middle of nowhere, and isolated from the problems of the world. I don't know, but maybe I have it idealized. Maybe because of so many memories... Because I spent my childhood summers here. We came every year to Cadaqués, to spend a month. A month that for me lasted an instant submerged in that delicious indolence of age; going from cove to cove, rowing with our little boat, fishing, swimming and jumping from rock to rock in search of the slightest sign of underwater life. I loved sailing, but what I loved most was coming to the Passatge beach and crossing to the other side, half walking and half swimming, as in the Pas de Trucadors, between the island of Formentera and Espalmador. Despite the settlers, hippies and speculators, the Illa de Portlligat remains for me like the Island of Neverland, a portion of wild paradise yet to be explored with three precious pearls of pure white sand. These three little beaches are perfect for meditation, relaxation and the good life. Al dolce far niente, come on.
4- The most coveted beach by fishermen: Cala Prona. Mar d'Amunt.
Cala Prona is famous for its treasures, the most desired of Cap de Creus. It has unique qualities, highly valued among sailors and, above all, among fishermen. So much so that the prized booty is older than the lottery and has been raffled for centuries. The jackpot is the bonito, sardines and so many other fruits of the sea that are fished here at least five times more than in other fishing grounds of the cape. The blessing comes from its orientation and the currents, which drag plankton and other nutrients to the bottom of this beach. Cala Prona is manna, both for the fish and for the fishermen who have been graced with "el gordo" (the big one). Centuries ago, the monks of Sant Pere de Rodes were in charge of the draw, but now it is the brotherhoods that spin the drum once a year. The prize for those who go overland is not in the goal, but in the way, long and hard for the body (more than 4 km on foot) but pleasant for the mind and spirit. In the end it is always time for a dip and shelter, the same that is shared with the fishermen. Shall we try our luck?
Beaches for well-matched couples.
5- The beach where the sun rises first: Cala Jugadora.
I present you my little treasure of turquoise waters and pearly sand. I discovered them when I was walking along the Camí Vell of the lighthouse. I looked out and there they were, sheltered by the junipers, protected from the wind and watched over by the big red rock and the lighthouse. They are the beaches of Cala Jugadora, where the sun rises first and the moon rises first. A friendly and smiling place, alien to the desolate landscape, dismal and punished by the wind that you were observing from the car window and that produces so much anguish. From here you are just a stone's throw away from that piece of rock, stark by the wind, where the lighthouse of Cap de Creus clings, sculpted by that prodigious chisel that carves stones as well as combs leaves. I love to end the afternoon in the bar of Dr. Chris Little, who came from his native England to set up a restaurant in an abandoned Civil Guard barracks next to the lighthouse of Cap de Creus. Today it is the Mecca of New Year's Day and the ideal temple to say goodbye to the Astro King listening to music from other worlds and drinking a genuine Scottish wischy.
6- The beach of envy: Cala Guillola.
I have always said that Cala Guillola beach is the center of envy. And not only because it is the place where dreams and money go wholesale, but because the art of l'encesa fishing has been practiced here since time immemorial. Whoever was assigned this beach to be able to fish here was like winning the lottery. But today it is the villas and their multimillionaire owners (some of them oil tycoons) that unleash the most greed. And now let me tell you what it's like to fish with a candle. Legend has it that a long time ago a sailboat caught fire in the middle of the night. The fishermen who were encircling it approached to save the crew and that's how they saw that the ship was surrounded by thousands of anchovies and sardines. From that day on, they deduced that the intense light attracted the blue fish and they began to fish with a fire lit in the fester, a type of metal basket that was carried on the boats.
What now, shall we go to the beach? This one belongs to everyone (although it doesn't look like it). Gravel, insultingly beautiful, full of underwater life and alien to mass tourism.
Beaches to hide from the world.
7- Dalí's secret corner. The beach of The Great Masturbator. Cullaró Cove.
If Dalí were to raise his head, he would be proud to see how life has been brought back to his masterful scenes. Who would see him sitting there, sketching on the pylon of Cala Cullaró? having in front of him this chimera of turquoise waters and dazzling rocks. These rocks, which are said to bethe oldest in Catalonia, are also the most eccentrically sculpted by the effect of the winds and the passing of the centuries. Everything must be contagious... because they were also the source of inspiration for some of his most extravagant works, such as The Great Masturbator, completed in 1929, thirty-three years before the construction of Club Med. Dalí asked architect Pelayo Martínez not to transgress the landscape, but he did not succeed. Today the excavators have managed to return everything to the way it was in the eyes of the genius. When you come walking through the rock zoo of the Pla de Tudela do not hesitate to stop and take a bath, even if you feel watched by the eagle. Bring your "crabs" and snorkeling goggles, because there is little beach here, but life and underwater landscapes, to die for!
8- Open up, goat's foot! Beaches taken out of the sleeve: En Gandalla, Salt del Mosso...
It's a shame that one of my favorite coves on this side of Cap de Creus receives such a dishonorable name. I would rather call the beach of En Gandalla the apple of my eye, my dream corner, le petit paradis... because it has nothing of raggedy vagabonds. I am of the opinion that to enjoy the sea and the Mediterranean summer you don't need much. It is enough an old towel, a fuet sandwich and a bottle of fresh water, that's why I like so much these two tiny coves, the one of En Gandalla and the neighboring one, the beach of Pi or Salt del Mosso. Because they are very humble places that almost nobody knows, with space for three or four sun worshipers like you and me; small redoubts away from the world that are waiting to be declared your independent republic. You will understand me when you come walking along this path -bucolic like no other- between the sea and the sky; when the trees, the flowers, the waves and the sea breeze greet you as you pass , reflecting on your face the silver and gold sparkles of each sunset. It is my little box of surprises, where beaches can appear or disappear as if by magic. It's because of the currents, not because of the chistera ;-)
Beaches recommended for fun-loving skippers.
9- La Pelosa beach: paella on board.
Whoever has or has enjoyed a boat knows it: there is nothing more pleasant than having a vermouth at anchor before the paella is brought on board. If there is something that justifies the important economic investment of owning a boat is this, this immeasurable pleasure, this authentic enjoyment. That's why I like so much the beach of La Pelosa, because besides being able to walk along the shore barefoot feeling the fineness of the sand and the rays of sun in the late afternoon you can tie up to one of its buoys and request by radio to be entertained. It is the beach bar of Juan and Isabel, who have been giving pleasure to the benerable for years, come by land, sea or air. Like that time when the family of Urdangarín came, or when Ferràn Adrià came here to taste the most popular dishes of the traditional Mediterranean gastronomy. In Cala Jóncols they also serve on board (but it is no longer the same).
10- As siren songs for the sailor: Galera, Talabre and other delicacies of the sea.
It doesn't take more than 5 or 6 m of length to touch the sky with your fingertips. Everything else is vice, false needs. A boat, a llaüt, a small sailboat... anything goes to feel like Captain Nemo. The Cap de Creus is full of corners like these, made to measure to arrive, to release the chain and let yourself be rocked by the Mediterranean, since most of its coastline is difficult to access by land (but not impossible). A good example of this are these two coves, Galera and Talabre, which have more than 6 km of road (the kind that is only made by walking). If you don't have a boat, I recommend you try kayaking, a very pleasant sport that is very enjoyable here. You can rent one and start paddling from Portlligat or from Port de la Selva and set off to discover one of the most unique portions of the coast of the Iberian Peninsula. But do not trust. Be attentive to the weather forecast, because these coasts whipped by the tramontana are like siren songs for the sailor.
