Pyrenees Guide

Leaving Begur in the direction of Palafrugell we come to Platja d’Aiguablava which, like most of the municipality’s bays, enjoys a truly privileged geographical situation. Dominated to the west by the Ses Falugues mountain, it is flanked by Punta d’Es Mut and, to the rear Cap de Begur, with its impressively beautiful cliffs. Owing to its waters of infinite hues and shallow depth, and its fine, light-coloured sand, the beach affords a sensation of welcoming warmth in a virtually unspoiled and little-developed natural setting. The writer Josep Pla highlighted in his works the unforgettable beauty of this spot, which he described as forming a harmonious set of long, gentle shapes traced by its rocky profile in the sky. To the right of the bay, standing up on the rocks and semi-hidden among the pines, is the prestige State-owned hotel Parador Nacional d’Aiguablava.

To the left, following a coastline of picturesque landscape features, one can go as far as Fornells, passing by several bays and tiny ports that nestle wildly between the rocks: Port d’Esclanyà, Port de Ses Orats, etc. Various artists, painters and writers alike, have depicted in their works the strangeness and sensibility that imbue the spot, arousing all kinds of emotions in those who decide to visit it. The beach, some 90 metres long, with a usable area of 2,000 m2 and a 5% gradient, is composed of fine and entirely stable sand. Access from Begur is good, along a road some 5.3 kilometres long and leading to the Fornells road. The roadway, asphalted and having an average width of six metres, runs as far as the Parador Nacional d’Aiguablava.

The setting of this beach is defined by some buildings dotted among the pine groves, with sufficient town and hotel services and a totally touristic and recreational use. It is one of the most popular beaches not only in Begur but in the whole of Catalonia, both in terms of the number of people who come to —it is packed in the tourist season— and the beauty of the surrounding landscape. As an example of this, suffice it to say that in 1988 this beach was awarded a diploma as the Best Beach in Catalonia, awarded by popular vote on the “La Radio y Tú” programme, organised by Radio 4 and the Avui newspaper. Voters had to give their verdict on all the aspects that make a beach pleasant and popular: cleanliness, landscape, setting, and so forth. The winning of this award, along with the good results that have been achieved over recent years (water analyses, etc.) encourage us to present this Blue-Flag beach once again as a candidate for the Best Beach in Catalonia.