Los Cristianos Beach

The inter-island ferries come and go from the harbour next door, close enough to follow from a sunbed. That is the scene here: golden sand, clear and gentle water, and a working port at the edge of it.

Everything sits within reach. A supermarket, bars and restaurants line the streets behind the promenade, and every menu comes in English. Los Cristianos is a resort town through and through, filled in winter with northern Europeans chasing the sun, and Spanish voices on the sand are scarce. Come for warm water and an easy day by the sea with nothing to organise.

• Wind is the catch here: it lifts the sand and drives it across the beach like a sandblaster. Bring a layer to cover up.
• The sand has no natural shade. Sunbeds and umbrellas are for hire if you plan to stay through the middle of the day.
• Public toilets stand by the beach, one of them free. There is no drinking-water tap nearby, so bring your own.
• The ferry port sits right beside the beach, so ships and harbour traffic are part of the view.

From anywhere in Los Cristianos you reach the beach on foot along the promenade that runs behind it.

Drivers have two car parks about 250 and 270 m away in a straight line; the asphalt one charges a fee. The nearest public transport stop is named after the Fred. Olsen Express ferry terminal and lies about 300 m away, so anyone stepping off an inter-island ferry is already at the beach.

Best: winter, for warm sunshine when much of Europe is grey, and early morning, before the sunbeds fill.

Avoid: windy days, and the middle of a summer day.

The wind throws sand across the beach, and at midday the bare sand offers no shade beyond a rented umbrella.