Sand and deliver... my pick of the top beaches
As a teenager I was really taken with Harry O, both the man himself in the shape of actor David Janssen and the Seventies TV crime drama series that bore his name. What most impressed me was that private detective Harry Orwell, pictured below, lived right on the beach. He stepped outside every morning onto that glorious stretch of sand with the endless ocean beyond and I’d think: ‘Wow, what a life, what a place to live!’
All these years later, beaches still hold me in their thrall. It’s strange how they come to mind for me at this time of year for, truth be told, I prefer most beaches in winter. Well, the Irish ones anyway.
Everyone has their own criteria, of course. For some, it’s the lure of one of those palm-fringed paradise beaches, for others it’s somewhere that’s family friendly, where there’s a bit of shade and shallow waters for the children to play safely, while for others it’s not really a stretch of beach at all but rather a small, hidden-away, rugged cove.
So here – so that you can agree or vehemently disagree, of course – is my list, in no particular order, of five of my favourite beaches beyond these shores.
I’ve walked on all of them, swum in their waters and would return to each in a heartbeat.
1. PLAYA DE LA BARROSA, SPAIN
On the fabulous Costa de la Luz – north of Tarifa and south of Cadiz. A stunning stretch (8km) of fine golden sand, backed by dunes, cliffs and pine trees. A bit windswept but magical all the same and typical of the beautiful beaches along this stretch of Spain’s Atlantic coastline.
2. AGADIR, MOROCCO
Might seem like a strange choice but I will never forget my first sight of this beach in the early morning light with dozens and dozens of teenagers playing football there just after dawn. It’s one of those ‘all manner of life’ beaches – from the young footballers, to the doughnut and jewellery sellers, to the men wending their way home with their camels, to the mixture of bikini-clad and traditionally swathed female bathers. Once seen, never forgotten.
3. ANSE LAZIO, SEYCHELLES
A one-off shark attack here about five years ago doesn’t negate (for me anyway) its paradise beach allure. I swam in the clear waters of this coral reef beach on the north coast of Praslin island in 2006 and, like a long stretch of silver, backed by huge granite boulders, it really is a little piece of heaven.
4. FALASARNA, GREECE
On the less touristy west coast of Crete, beautiful Falasarna is difficult enough to get to and is best accessed by car, so it’s
never really overrun with tourists. Crystal-clear, turquoise water and a lovely crescentshaped beach. Idyllic. 5. BIARRITZ, FRANCE
Two beaches, really. The curved sweep of the Grande Plage defines the town, with its lovely sands and its fierce waves. Not far away is the Cote des Basques, famous the world over as a top-class surfing beach.
ros.dee@assocnews.ie PS A reader was in touch about hotels ( four/five star) in Budapest, Vienna and Prague. I happily recommended the Prestige in Budapest and the König von Ungarn in Vienna. I’m far from an expert on Prague, so if anyone has an up-market hotel on their personal Prague list please email me and I’ll pass it on.