Whilst we were camping, we promised the kids that we would spend Saturday at the local beach. The beach is called “Andy’s Beach” and it’s a very “British” in that it is usually full of ex-pats!! There is a large beach bar /Chirringuito, which is actually open from 9am for breakfast, and several kiosks selling beach toys, cold drinks and ice creams.
There are thousands (well, maybe a couple of hundred) sunbeds and beach umbrellas which in my opinion are too crammed together. The cost of a sunlounger is €5 each (for one!) , a tad expensive really as we only pay €4 for 2 sunbeds and an umbrella at our local beach in Duquesa!! Having said that, the chirringuito is actually very good value, with prices cheaper than many in Duquesa. The food is good and the service fast and efficient. If it wasn’t a 40 minute drive away, I’d suggest it for one of our Friday lunches!!
The stream of “beach traders” constantly passes through the sunbeds selling everything from DVDs to handbags and sundresses – even polo shirts for men which you don’t often see them selling. At one point, hubby remarked that “there was more “lookee lookee” men than tourists!!
To be honest, it’s not my favourite beach as I find it too crowded and too “British” but each to their own. It is obviously popular as the two occasions we’ve been there, it’s been very busy!
The positive side is that once you’ve passed the sunloungers, the beach itself and the bay are fantastic. The beach is shielded on both sides by a rocky cove which provides shelter from the wind. The sand is white and the sea is very shallow, perfect for children. Bear in mind though that the waves can be quite big – making it ideal for body boarding. My son was disappointed that with all the camping stuff, we couldn’t fit his new body board in the car – maybe next time. At the end of the day, we even saw some surfers taking advantage of the waves.
There are pedalos for hire. My friend’s husband took 5 kids out on one with a slide on the back. It cost €15 for an hour but good value if split over 2 families. The kids had a fantastic time, sliding down into the sea, then clambering back onto the boat. There are also “bungee” trampolines – not sure how much these were as we didn’t do these.
This is a great beach for the kids especially if, like mine, they are past the making sandcastles age!
If you don’t fancy sitting on top of your neighbours, and don’t mind a walk to the sea (and the sand can get quite hot) , there are some fantastic sand dunes behind the beach where you can set up camp for the day.
To get to Andy’s beach, take the Cabopino exit (194) from the A7. At the roundabout, head downhill towards the port. Take the first turn on the right over the sand dunes to the parking area. You need to get there early as, although there is quite a large parking area, it fills up pretty quickly!