San Juan, the other beach

San Juan is north of Alicante, cut off from the centre by the Cabo de las Huertas. It's a good three kilometres of beach with fine white sand, water that deepens very gradually (you can walk twenty metres out and still touch the bottom) and a seafront promenade with beach bars and terraces. It's the one we go to when we want space and a long swim.

How to get there

By TRAM. The direct line is the L4, from Luceros to Plaza La Coruña (the terminus is on the beach itself). About 28 minutes, €1.45 each way (€2.50 return), frequent departures. Get off at "Playa de San Juan" or at "L'Albufereta" depending on which part you want. Lines L1 and L3 also run along the coast, but they stop further from the sand.

By bus. Line 21 from Plaza Puerta del Mar. €1.45. It takes 30-35 minutes.

By car. 15 minutes via the AP-7 or N-332. Free parking on the side streets if you arrive before 11:00.

Three parts of the beach

South (next to the Cabo de las Huertas). Rockier, less sand. For snorkelling, not for lying down. Few beach bars.

Centre (opposite the Hotel Holiday Inn). The busiest but also the best-served: lifeguards, showers, sun-lounger hire, twelve beach bars in 300 metres. This is where the tourists and the young locals go.

North (towards El Campello). Quieter, less infrastructure, more unspoilt sand. If you want to lie down and read a book without hearing music, this is the part.

Beach bars worth it

• Tabarka Beach. Alicante paella for four at €80 total. Tables on the sand. Book at the weekend.
• Pequeños Cocos. For a drink at sunset. Cocktails €7-10, relaxed music.
• Chiringuito El Cocó. Fried fish (pescaíto frito) at €14, octopus salad at €18. Good value for what it is.

Best time

Get there between 9:30 and 11:00 to grab a comfortable spot. From 13:00 onwards it's packed in July and August. Very good sunsets from 19:30: the sun drops behind the mountains and the sky turns orange over the sea.

If you're with kids

San Juan beats the Postiguet hands down for families: the slope into the water is extremely gentle, the beach bars have a children's menu and there are playgrounds along the promenade. Pack sun cream, there's little natural shade and the sun is fierce.