Love beaches, hate crowds? Two words: shoulder season. Its when the weather is fine and the shores are at their prime, but the kids are still in school, so hop over now or in autumn for an adults-only escape in the sun
Best for partying
Playa de la Salinas, Ibiza
If its a grown-up party crowd you seek, nowhere on Ibiza beats Playa de las Salinas. This pine-backed, one-mile beach is home to a clutch of cool chiringuitos (beach bars/nightclubs), including Malibu, Jockey Club and the achingly hip Sa Trinxa, each spilling out onto the sand.
Fly to Ibiza from London Gatwick with British Airways.
Best for culture
Patara, Turkeys Lycian Coast
Birthplace of Apollo, Patara is an 11-mile sweep of bonewhite beach with a 2,000-year old ruin just back from the dunes. Sit atop the ancient amphitheatre at sunset and youll swear youve seen the Argonaut sail by. More ruins at Letoon, Xanthos and Sidyma are within a 10-minute drive.
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Fly to Dalaman from London Gatwick with British Airways.
Best for stargazing
Pampelonne, French Riviera
No, we dont mean Orion and the Plough. Were talking Beyoncé, Leonardo DiCaprio and Naomi Campbell, all papped at this A-listers hotspot near St Tropez. Nikki Beach Bar and Club 55 are where they gather, though it pays to have your phone set to camera anywhere along this three-mile stretch of sand.
Fly to Nice from London Gatwick with British Airways.
Best for surfers
Famara, Canary Islands
Sandy of bottom, steady of swell, with water temperatures in spring averaging 23˚C, four-mile-long Famara beach in northern Lanzarote has the best surfing this side of Maui. Throw in a gently shelving beach and perma-sun, and its no wonder this is learn to surfs Promised Land.
Fly to Lanzarote from London Gatwick with British Airways.
Best for sporty types
Mar Menor, Spains Costa Calida
Fringing the largest saltwater lagoon in Europe, Mar Menor is great for beginner wind- and kite-surfers, but also backs on to Club La Manga, a 1,400-acre sporting Valhalla with three championship golf courses, 28 tennis courts, a riding school and top-notch triathlon training facility.
Fly to Alicante from London Gatwick with British Airways.
Best for castaways
Cavo Paradiso, Kos
Marooned on the rugged southwest coast of Kos, Cavo Paradiso is reached only by a steep, switchbacking track that keeps out the holiday hoi polloi. A shack sells drinks in summer, but in spring and autumn its probably just you an Instagramable idyll of empty cliff-backed beach.
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Fly to Kos from London Gatwick with British Airways.
Best for baring it all
Red Beach, Crete
Its a 20-minute walk from the nearest car park in Matala, but Greeces most spectacular nudist beach is a stunning kaleidoscope of colours, dwarfed below towering red sandstone cliffs that give the bay its famously emerald glint. A cocktail bar below the cliffs is just the spot to toast it from.
Fly to Crete from London Gatwick with British Airways.
Best for foodies
Grande Crohot, French Aquitaine
If the setting is good – the beach sand here stretches the entire length of Cap Ferret – the après aint bad either, courtesy of a string of simple, family-run oyster shacks close by. Best of the bunch is Chez Boulan, with tables gazing across Arcachon Bay to 110m-tall Dune du Pilat, the highest sand dune in Euope.
Fly to Bordeaux from London Gatwick with British Airways.
Best for campers
Cavallino, Italian Adriatic
A 45-minute ferry hop across the lagoon from Venice, Cavallino is a 10-mile strip of broad, sandy beach with one of the best campsites in Europe. Pitch your own tent just back from the beach in the pine forest, or choose from a rangRead More – Source
