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For those of you who have visited southern Spain in the past, you'll know how many incredible beaches there are to choose from. Each province in Andalusia has its own charm and unique coastal spots, many of which are off the beaten path and away from busy tourist areas - you just need to know where to look. On our most recent trip, we decided to go on a mini road trip from Málaga to its neighbouring province of Almería. I didn't know a lot about Almería before visiting it, but I knew there were plenty of beaches to choose from, which is why we sought out three of the best beaches in Almería to go to.
Much like the beaches in Cádiz, Almería is full of what's known as "virgin beaches", meaning they have nothing built up around them and no facilities nearby. For those of you who want to find some hidden beaches in Spain, these are the types of beaches you need to research because you'll most likely only find locals there and the beaches are kept in pristine condition. We chose to make our base in the Cabo de Gata Natural Park, in the Las Negras area, at a perfectly located aparthotel called Bitacora. It was only a 15 minute drive from one of the prettiest beaches I've ever seen, and gave us the flexibility of being able to cook our own meals (there aren't a lot of places to eat at in the area).
Some of the best beaches in the south of Spain are located in Almería, and during the summer months the entire coastal area is packed with people heading to the beaches. It's much quieter in September and October, which is perfect as the weather is still warm enough to enjoy the beach during the day. Here are my top three recommendations for visiting the best beaches in Almería:
1. Playa el Playazo de Rodalquilar
Playa el Playazo de Rodalquilar was the first beach we visited after checking into our accommodation. This normally packed beach was practically deserted apart from a few campervans dotted around the parking lot and some locals going hiking along the coastal path or trying their hand at fishing from the rocks. To get to this beach you need to take a side road through some fields and you will eventually end up at the gravel parking lot. It was very easy to find using Google Maps, and only a short drive from where we were staying for the weekend which was ideal. This is one of the best beaches in Cabo de Gata to visit, not only for the beach itself but also for its beautiful coastline.
A short walk from the golden sandy beach, along the coastal trail, is Castillo de San Ramón. It's not every day you come across a castle on a beach, but when you do you know it's going to be a great day! This castle was built in the 18th century, as a defensive base from which to guard the coastline from. If you have a few extra euros hanging around, you can buy Castillo de San Ramón for a little over €3m. The castle is private property so you can only access the outside of it, but it's an impressive site when you look up at it from the beach. I personally would consider Playa el Playazo to be one of the best beaches in Almería because it has a castle on it.
A little further on from the castle is a beautiful view point of the coastline. If you're a big fan of the outdoors and find any excuse to go hiking, there's a trail that you can follow which seemed to be very popular. The Costa de Almería is beautiful at whatever part you decide to go to, but the trail leading from Playa el Playazo is simply breathtaking.
Playa el Playazo is also very popular for people wanting to do watersports. The water can be a bit chilly if you visit in the off-season, but it's quite calm so it's easy to navigate. We took our brand new paddleboards from Uhrdal with us and managed to paddle along the coastline until we came to some natural caves. The experience was amazing, so if you have a paddleboard or a kayak I would highly recommend taking them to this beach and exploring the parts of the coastline that you can't access on foot. You can't go to one of the best beaches in southern Spain without trying at least one watersport out!
If you plan on spending a day at Playa el Playazo, make sure you stay for the sunset. The colours that form in the sky are unbelievable, and they are constantly changing as well. There's a small cliff area right next to the main beach which is ideal for watching the sunset from as you can see the coastline on either side of it. Remember to bring a hoodie or a jacket though, because it does get cool in the evening in Spain!
2. Cala del Plomo
The second stop on my list of the best beaches in Almería is Cala del Plomo. Again, this beach is definitely one you'll want to have Google Maps out for. After veering off one of the main roads, you'll need to take a very poorly maintained road through the rugged terrain of various vegetation, and after what seems like hours of stressing that your car is going to break, the road will end at the beach. The drive to the beach itself is a memorable experience, but the crystal clear water of Cala del Plomo more than makes up for it. The beach is frequented by naturists, so don't be alarmed if you see people hanging around fully naked. We decided to visit at sunrise so no one was there yet, and we went on a short hike along the coast to take in some of the fantastic views. The beach once had a 16th century watchtower overlooking it from a ledge, which was built to keep an eye out for the Berber pirates. Cala del Plomo is one of the best beaches in Almería if you want to get away from the busier parts of the coastline, as it's quite a few miles from the nearest town.
3. Cala de Enmedio
Along the same road you take to get to Cala del Plomo, you'll find a hiking trail that you can go on that brings you to another virgin beach - Cala de Enmedio. The start of the trail is a bit difficult to find from the road, but there's a helpful map at Cala del Plomo which points out where you need to go. It's a fairly easy hike, and the path itself is even for the most parts. It's actually a goat path so you know it's been walked on a lot! In total the hike took us only 20 minutes, and was definitely worth it to visit one of the best sandy beaches in Almería.
The beach itself doesn't have a single stone in its sand, and is beautifully maintained being surrounded by the natural park, with no access to it except by hiking. Cala de Enmedio is also home to white fossilized dunes on either side of it, which you're free to explore. In the distance you can see Torre de la Mesa Roldán, which was used during the filming of Game of Thrones. It really is a beautiful beach and I would say it's also one of the biggest hidden gems of Spain. Many of the best beaches in Almería take a bit of effort to get to, but they're 100% worth it.
Due to the unique formation of the fossilized sand dunes along Cala de Enmedio, there are a number of natural pools that have formed. We had planned to use our paddleboards and visit a few of them, but the water was very choppy when we arrived, so sadly we were only able to see one of them which is the only one accessible by foot. This is another popular nudist beach in Almería as well, which we didn't know about beforehand. If you're looking for unique beaches in Spain to visit, and find yourself in the Province of Almería, I couldn't recommend Cala de Enmedio enough.
The Cabo de Gata beaches are some of the most beautiful and well maintained beaches in all of southern Spain. Although my list of the best beaches in Almería only consists of three places, there are loads more to choose from and many are equally as incredible. What I loved about the beaches was how secluded they were, and each one had a little bit of history tied to it as well. If you're thinking of driving from Málaga to this area of Almería, it'll take you around 2.5hrs driving along the coast, which means you can turn it into a day trip if you don't have time to stay in Cabo de Gata for a couple of nights.
I would love to hear about your experiences either in Almería or at another location that has virgin beaches, so please drop me a comment below! Don't forget to follow me on my travels and keep up to date with my latest trips through Instagram as well!
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