Solo travel to a Spanish coastal city

[Goatblu]

I usually go to one of the Canary Islands in May for a solo break but I'm currently thinking that mainland Spain might fit my requirements and the flight is a lot shorter.

I'm able to fly to Reus, Alicante or Málaga and would prefer a transfer of less than an hour (the shorter the better).

I'd like a hotel with a half board option in case I don't want to go out in search of food, a beach within walking distance would be great and I'd also like to be able to wander around some shops (a decent sized cc would be ok if it has bigger brand shops) but I don't mind getting a taxi to this.

I'm finding Alicante city to be too expensive but I've just found Salou. It's near to Tarragona which looks nice but I suppose anything looks nice in photos.

Has anyone stayed in the Salou area and did it feel safe for a solo traveller?Benidorm is also coming up as quite reasonable but I've only ever heard people mentioning Brits abroad and partying type holidays there which isn't for me. However, certain areas or hotels may be totally different.

Any recommendations please of areas I can look at or hotels to try? (I don't fancy Barcelona this time and unfortunately Seville is a pain to get to from here).

Faro is nice yes, quite small as I remember and it was a Sunday so not much was open. It was handy having a train station in Tavira, it’s a proper working town rather than a super touristy destination but we loved it.

Still looking at Málaga. Looks like I'll have to stay for less than 10 days as originally hoped for as it's quite expensive.

I can't believe I'm faffing so much about trying somewhere new (to me)! I usually just book somewhere and go - maybe I'm not meant to continue with my solo trips 🤔

No contest - Malaga has everything. Get on and book it OP 🙂
Personally I would book a little Airbnb and eat out/self cater as the food is fantastic.

Valencia is fabulous, but stay in the city centre and take a bus or the metro to the beach. Easy metro ride from the airport to the centre of town. Compact, walkable and excellent transport links. The coastal train journey from Barcelona to Valencia has stunning views.

We stayed at Hotel Agustus in Cambrills right on the beach short taxi ride from Reus and a 1/2 bus to the bigger shops

i really enjoyed it and would go back.

Another who would opt for Malaga.

or fly to Malaga and the train travels from the airport down to Feungirola. The port at Benalmadena is a lovely place to stay.

there’s lots of gardens. A long flat beach and lots tons along the coastline and the public transport is great.

Málaga or Tarragona (reus)

Malaga and Alicante are both lovely, quite compact cities with their own beaches. Both are very easy to access from the airport and also have good transport links for getting to other places. If you want to visit Seville, it’s very easy on the train from Malaga (assuming the rail services which were down earlier this year are now all sorted).

If you stay in the Barcelo Malaga it’s literally joined to the train station - walking distance to the beach and the city centre, has a rooftop pool and does cava with breakfast!