Lovely family resort in Spain - beach lovers

[BeachAndSea]

Please can anyone recommend a hotel on a lovely clean beach in either country. In a family resort with things to do. Thank you.

sorry my title was cut - in Spain or Portugal

Peniscola is a nice beach resort with a cute old town. No ideas on hotels as we stay out of town in a villa. Fly to reus.

The Atlantic coast is much nicer than the med one. I'd recommend Lagos in Portugal and Tarifa in Spain. Tarifa is a really cute little Moorish town, plenty of bars and restaurants and fabulous white sandy beaches. You can go on whale and dolphin spotting boat trips. It is a proper town though not a holiday resort, if that's the vibe you prefer.

The beaches all across the Costa del Sol are beautiful. Alcudia in Mallorca also has a stunning beach and is a family resort.

I recommend Grande Real Santa Eulalia in Albufeira. If you have a car, there’s lots to do nearby.

Also recommend Alcudia

Alcudia is indeed undervalued. However, if the slightly tacky strip bothers you there, there’s also the close by old town of Alcudia to visit. It’s a stunning honey stoned walled Roman town with narrow flower lined streets and lovely little shops (including pirate themed sweeties shop, gelato shops etc) to visit if you ache for something more authentic and if your kids are in the Roman history phase.

Puerto Pollensa just along the coast is a huge mumsnet favourite too. Expensive but truly stunning seafront. No night clubs etc - only numerous restaurants.

The buses between PP and Alcudia and the old town of Pollensa are tap on and tap off, air conditioned and frequent.

On the Costa del Sol, the Spanish themselves favour Estepona which is the only pueblo blanco old town which is right on the seafront/ beach and not divided from it by the highway / up in the hills like much on that coast. Stay in or near the old town preferably and essentially if you don’t have a car. The old town brass band have a lovely concert throughout the summer one night in an old town square.some lovely memories …

I would suggest paguera in Majorca - very German dominated but a proper ‘resort’ with a fab beach and great for nipping into palma , with lovely camp de mar beach and beach restaurants on doorstep and only a 25 minute transfer - Puerto pollensa great too but a longer transfer as is pretty Cala d’or

Second Paguera, we've been a few times and really like it. If you want somewhere quieter and more upmarket, Camp de Mar is nearby.

You can walk between the two through pine forest via Cala Fornells in about half an hour or so.

Tossa de Mar and a few other places like L'Escala on the Costa Brava would also suit.

We had a lovely chilled holiday this summer in Zahara de los Atunes between Cadiz and Tarifa (costa de la luz)

beach fantastic and very clean (Atlantic so rougher than the med)

Melia Zahara hotel. Great family room set up. Not many Brits though if that bothers you. And you’d feel a bit isolated without a car.

I like those resorts too

I also really like the proper town of Marbella - it’s not everyone’s bag I know but I’ve had many a nice week there and then get the boat to Puerto banus for a bit of bling

Thanks for all these. Is La Cala de Mijas on a lovely beach? Is it a resort with things to do or places to eat?

@Forgottenmyphone. I wouldn’t to be honest, food was well below par for 5 star, perhaps we got unlucky.

I love the northern Spanish coast on the bay of biscay myself, so chilled out compared to the south, helps to speak Spanish though as English is spoken far less, we manage with school Spanish, google translate and the fact I speak fluent French.

Balearics? Es Cana, Ibiza is our favourite

La Cala de Mijas is near Fuengirola which would be a better place to base yourself because the public transport is better, the beach is stunning and there’s plenty to do for children including a funfair by the port.

Oh lovely thank you. Are there any nice hotels on Fuengirola beach front?

You could try the Leonardo or the Ilunion. I’ve stayed at the Stella Maris apartments which I’d recommend highly for position and proximity to the supermarket and the beach.

We really love the Costa Brava - Llafranc, Begur, Palafrugell and Cadaques. Although we tend to go at the end of August when it is slightly less crowded .

Us too but always panic when I see people recommending it as it’s still relatively unknown and I worry word will get out. We’ve been going to llfranc for 30 years and not much has changed.

I keep meaning to get back to the Costa Brava and haven't got round to it. DPs family always used to holiday there when he was a child. They went on the coach, would you believe. . We also drove there in the 1990s.

Can't believe you can fly there now in a couple of hours and we've never done so. This must change

Had a lovely holiday in Llafranc and area 20 years ago now- must go back -