Fave beach resorts in mainland Spain?

[MimiThePink]

I'm after recs for family-friendly (although kids are 9 & 11 so not small) resorts/towns on the coast in Spain. Ideally we like a bit of old town/history but not too much in the way of steep hills/steps as my dad's getting on a bit and it's hard on his knees!

An airport transfer of under an hour would be a bonus although 1h30 is fine. Not too fussed on which area of Spain as long as we can get there from Manchester.

Good public transport links for the odd day out would be handy too.

We like wandering round and having a drink in the evening with the kids but aren't looking for particularly lively nightlife/overly touristy spots. Any recs gratefully received!

I mens to say that we looked at Cambrils, which definitely seemed to tick some boxes but the flight times didn't work.

How about Calpe? It’s about an hour from Alicante airport. Big beaches, facing slightly different directions so you can avoid wind if needed. It has an old town, loads of cafes - it’s perfect!

Ahh I'd seen Calpe when searching packages but didn't know where to start with all the different resorts the sites were throwing up - looks lovely though!

Bump for any other suggestions?

Platja d’Aro is beautiful. You can fly to Girona (lovely city) and places like Pals and Llafranc are nearby. It’s a gorgeous area

Thanks @Duvetdweller - sadly the flights don't work for us on the dates we need but I appreciate these recs!

It's a city with a beach rather than a beach resort but I love Malaga. Very short journey from the airport too.

There are various playgrounds/outdoor gyms along the promenade which the DC might enjoy.

Sitges. Near Barcelona Airport

Estepona - an hour or so from Malaga airport. Best spot on the Costa.

Nerja about 40 mins from Malaga. Lovely town and great beaches

Totally agree. It's lovely and not overly touristy. Tarifa on Cádiz coast is lovely too.

Thanks all, this is great. I've heard good things elsewhere about Estepona and Nerja, will look into those.

I think of Tarifa as quite surfy, is that right?

Macdonald hotels and resorts have four very good family friendly resorts in Southern Spain, we booked direct using this website and saved 35% Macdonald Resorts

We stayed in the Dona Lola resort near Cadiz...it was amazing!

Tarifa is surfy and kitesurfy in particular. It’s very windy. Worth a day trip but I wouldn’t want to spend a week there unless I was really into one of the above. Amazing place tho.