Reis Magos Beach

Reis Magos is pebble and rock, not sand. The bathing area is concrete and the seating is stone. Three swimming spots sit side by side. One is the pebble beach itself, with a few umbrellas and wooden beds. The middle section is closed off, which keeps the water calm and makes it workable for small children. Past it the open water is deep, and people jump in from the stairs or from the top. The rocks are worth a snorkel.

Two restaurants stand right behind the beach, along with a small shop and an SSI diving school. Locals come down for a bath at the start of the day. Not everyone is won over: one visitor found the outlook plain next to other beaches on the island.

• Not a sandy beach. The surface is pebble, rock and concrete, and the seating area is stone.
• Getting in and out. Use the stone staircase or the ladder rather than the rocks — the stones are slippery.
• The natural pool follows the tide and can be empty when you arrive.
• Toilets, showers and changing rooms are free, and there is first aid by the bathrooms. Bring tissues: the paper runs out.
• Lifeguards patrol during the summer season.

Almost everyone arrives by car, and the parking sits directly above the beach. Two ways lead down to the water: one from the car park beside the hotel, the other from among the houses nearby. Bus stops lie within a few hundred metres of the front. A promenade runs along the beachfront and links it to the cafés and restaurants in the area.

Better: the summer season, when lifeguards patrol the beach, and early morning, when locals come down to bathe before the day starts.

Avoid: turning up for the natural pool without checking the tide first.

The pool is what brings most families here, and the tide decides whether it holds water or sits empty.