Why Are Spanish Beaches Still So Attractive?

Surprisingly Spain for a large country mostly surrounded by sea comes only 34th on the list of countries with the longest coastline. Measuring in at 7268km of coastline according to the World Resources Institute on Wikipedia, Spain's coastline includes the Canary Islands and the Balearics of course but in terms of perception Spain is either number one in World coastal resorts or very close. In July 2014 alone a new record of more than 8.3 million tourists visited Spain and the vast majority of those headed to the coastal regions. Ranging from rocky coves with huge waves crashing over them off the Atlantic in North West Galicia to the more becalmed waters of the Mediterranean that stretches from the French border to the Portuguese border and encompassing some of the most evocative and well known areas of Spain such as the Costa Del Sol, the Costa Brava and the Costa Blanca, Spain's coastline is dotted with excellent coastal resorts, endless sandy beaches, great diving and snorkelling areas and more. However there is one constant that marks out why people come to Spain for the beaches, the sun. The United Kingdom for example has more than double the length of coastline in a much smaller country but it also has cold water, fewer blue flag beaches (A quarter of the number in Spain) and that orb in the sky cannot be relied on. In 2013 there were 561 Blue Flag beaches in Spain and 103 Blue Flag Marinas. This is the most in the World easily beating off both Greece in second and France. The UK has just 99 blue flag beaches. Blue Flag beaches reach standards of cleanliness, hygiene and services that other beaches aspire to but cannot attain. They are considered to be the highest standard beaches in the World. It is telling that Spain has so many and indicates the importance that the beach plays in attracting tourists into the country. Municipalities spend a lot of time and money making their beaches as pristine as possible for the visiting masses of tourists. The other good point about having so many beaches that reach these standards is that those millions of tourists can also find beaches that are more off the beaten track even in high summer. Of course the major tourist centres such as Benidorm have beaches that get swamped by the sheer number of tourists in high season but despite its reputation as cheap and tacky it has to be said that the two main beaches in Benidorm, the Levante and the Poniente are of an excellent quality. Even medium level holiday spots which you would expect to be crawling with sunbathers look like this on a typical summer day. But why do people enjoy Spanish beaches so much? There are a multitude of reasons but among the favourites are the opportunity to practice watersports safely, getting an all over tan (Remember there are nudist beaches too), the feeling of having nothing to do and all day to do it, the opportunities for kids to spend all day jumping in and out of clean water while exploring rock pools and meeting other kids from a huge number of other countries and of course people watching. There are other things that attract though, a large number of beaches have excellent beach bars and offer activities for families and groups. The nightlife of the towns and villages (And in some cases cities) that have beaches is unrivalled from the massively over the top, and in my humble opinion, awful Magaluf on Mallorca to the more sedate cider bars and restaurants around virtually every cove in Asturias, there is something for everyone. Don't discount Mallorca of course because that is where the glitz and glamour can be found, if that is what you are looking for, along with Marbella and the like on the Costa Del Sol. So the question is what type of beach do you like? Are you looking for hedonism, relaxed sunbathing, sporting activities or just to be able to sit with a few drinks and friends shooting the breeze? Spain offers all of that and more. And of course if you want a property near the beach then over at Valencia Property and the Spanish Property Network we can find you what you are looking for.