Castillo Beach (Caleta de Fuste)

The sand is clean and kept that way: bins along the beach, toilets with a cleaner on standby, showers to rinse the sand off your feet. The resort supplies everything else. There is a cafe and a beach bar, a play park and an outdoor gym, shops and food close by, and camel rides on offer. For a family day with everything to hand, it does the job without fuss.

The beach takes its name from the castle, a round stone tower of the martello type built in 1743 by the military engineer Claudio de Lisne, which still stands in the harbour. Out in the bay, the waters are known for dolphins and turtles, and sailing, diving and windsurfing are all part of local life.

• Rocks underfoot. At low tide large, sharp stones lie in the shallows. At high tide they are covered and getting in is far easier.
• Wind. The wind makes swimming hard work here, which matters most if you have small children.
• Seaweed. Some days the sea is clean and clear; on others it carries a lot of seaweed and a faint unpleasant smell.
• Soft seabed. Further out, the sand underfoot feels more like mud.

Castillo Beach lies inside Caleta de Fuste, among the hotels, shops and cafes, so the last stretch is a walk through the resort. The nearest car park is about 210 m away in a straight line; a second one, about 280 m away, is paid and meant for customers. Free public toilets stand about 200 m away.

By bus, the nearest stop is about 900 m away in a straight line, with another on the FV-2 about 1.3 km away. From either, you walk the rest through town.

Best: around high tide, when the rocks in the shallows are under water and getting into the sea is easy.

Avoid: low tide if you mean to swim, and days of strong wind.

The beach draws crowds in the warmer months, and on this east-facing shore the sun comes up over the water, so the early morning is the time for light and space.