María Jiménez Beach

The first thing you see is colour: the houses of Punta Brava crowd the little headland next to the beach, painted in bright blocks that stand out hard against the black sand and the white of the breaking surf.

The sand itself is volcanic, dark as soot, with rock running through it. The Atlantic rolls straight in here, and on a lively day the waves are the whole show, best watched from the dry sand. Loro Parque sits right behind, so the beach makes an easy stop before or after a visit there.

• Swimming has been banned here over sewage contamination. Read the signs on the beach before you go in.
• A red flag means stay out of the water, however many people you see swimming.
• There is no drinking water point nearby. Bring your own.
• Parking spaces nearby are hard to find.
• The black sand heats up in the midday sun; bring something for your feet.

The bus is the simplest way in. Two stops named Loro Parque sit about 150 and 190 m away, and from there it is a walk through the streets of Punta Brava down to the sand.

By car, there is a car park about 230 m away. A second one, about 210 m away, is private, so do not count on it. Spaces around here are hard to come by, and circling for one can eat into your time on the beach. Public toilets stand close by, one of them free.

Best: a calm morning between late spring and early autumn.

Avoid: days of heavy swell, more common in winter on this north-facing coast, and the middle of a sunny day.

The beach takes the Atlantic swell head-on, and dark volcanic sand soaks up the midday heat until it burns underfoot.