Ocean's 10

Summertime is all about sinking your toes into golden sand, and kicking back with a steamy novel and a cool beer. From her base at Las Salinas, Ibiza, Lucille Howe gives us the lowdown on Ryanair's best beach escapes

PHOTO © HELEN CATHCART

1 BEST BEACH CLUB

BLUE MARLIN, IBIZA, SPAIN

This White Island institution is the sizzling queen of beach clubs, as befits celebrity fans like Naomi Campbell and Jade Jagger. Sex kittens drip languorously from the day beds, while a boardwalk stages fashion shows to promote the on-site boutique. Securing its upmarket status are a massage tent and food by super chef Christian Dintel. His dishes include a delicious prawn salad with mango vinaigrette and avocado for €18. Every Sunday this summer from 6pm–9pm, flamenco legend Paco Fernandez will also play to the VIP crowd. Don’t miss it.

CALA JONDAL BEACH, TEL: +34 971 410 117, www.BLUEMARLINIBIZA.COM

FLY TO IBIZA FROM 20 DESTINATIONS, INCLUDING BOLOGNA, LEEDS AND TURIN. VISIT www.RYANAIR.COM

2 BEST BEACH FOR SURFING

TAGHAZOUT, MOROCCO

The surf’s always up at Taghazout, where the hippies first planted their longboards in the sand back in the 1960s. This 8km stretch enjoys 350 days of sunshine a year, and the backdrop is a picturesque fishing village with colourful wooden boats and a traditional Berber community. Beginners can paddle out to beach breaks like Devil’s Rock, while advanced riders can experience the thrill of big take-offs on some pretty testy reefs and world-class right-handers. Chill out afterwards at simple cafés like The Spot, where freshly caught fish is the order of the day. For a cool place to stay, the Surf Berbere “camp” offers all-inclusive tuition, tasty cuisine and accommodation overlooking the beach.

TEL: +44 203 286 5431, www.SURFBERBERE.COM

FLY TO ALGHERO FROM 21 DESTINATIONS, INCLUDING BREMEN, MADRID, OSLO (TORP) AND PARMA.VISIT www.RYANAIR.COM

3 BEST FAMILY BEACH

ZATON, CROATIA

The sandy shallows of this1.5km-long Blue Flag beach are perfect for little people. You can let bigger children loose on the water slides and sports courts, and there are also bikes and surfboards for hire, as well as horse rides for princesses demanding: “Daddy, buy me a pony.” Nestled in a pine wood, there are plenty of facilities to keep the kids happy in the heat – from showers to parasols – and if all else fails, ship the teens off to the disco club to make new friends over the latest Euro-pop hits. A good number of lifeguards keep an eagle eye on the water, so you can read your trashy novel without worrying.

FLY TO ZADAR FROM 11 DESTINATIONS, INCLUDING BARI, BREMEN, DUBLIN AND STOCKHOLM (SKAVSTA).VISIT www.RYANAIR.COM

4 BEST CASTAWAY BEACH

CALA LUNA, SARDINIA, ITALY

Boasting a quarter of Italy’s coastline — 2,000km of it — Sardinia is carved out in romantic sandy coves and treasure-trove beaches. At Cala Luna, the air is thick with the scent of herbs called macchia and the sand is strewn with pink oleander. Like most well-kept secrets it’s unreachable by car, so either hike the 6.5km or take a pirate ship — oh, alright, a comfy boat that drops you there daily from Cala Gonone for €14 return. Hide your gold in one of the six small caves, or at the beautiful Grotta del Bue Marino, the last Sardinian hiding place of the endangered monk seal.

FLY TO ALGHERO FROM 21 DESTINATIONS, INCLUDING BREMEN, MADRID, OSLO (TORP) AND PARMA.VISIT www.RYANAIR.COM

5 BEST NUDIST BEACH

PLAGE DE TAHITI, ST TROPEZ, FRANCE

Ever since movie stars like Brigitte Bardot bared there bits on this beach the world has been reminded how fabulous it is that “God Created Woman”. The notoriously decadent Plage de Tahiti, with its luxurious golden sand and trendy bars and cafés, is the place to go topless, or just as nature intended you. The French are famously nonchalant about nudity, and even the name of this beach is a nod to its exotic French Polynesian vibe. British journalist Janet Street-Porter was quoted as saying: “I had never seen so many bare breasts in so many different shapes and sizes, all happily flopping about unencumbered by anything as dreary as a bikini top.” If you must get dressed then go work it at the Voile Rouge beach club (tel: +33 (0)49 479 8434) with its makeshift catwalk and Mediterranean playboys.

FLY TO MARSEILLE PROVENCE MP2 FROM 28 DESTINATIONS. FLY TO TOULON FROM LONDON (STANSTED). VISIT www.RYANAIR.COM

6 BEST ACTION BEACH

WATERGATE BAY, CORNWALL

Head down to this south-west stretch for the Extreme Academy, offering traction kites, surfing and the Waveski (part surfboard, part white-water kayak). For runners, there’s over 3km of sand at low tide and dogs are allowed year-round too. Grab a bite at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall (tel: +44 (0)1637 861 000, www.fifteencornwall.co.uk), or hit The Beach Hut for cheaper, laid-back seafood lunches.

FLY TO NEWQUAY FROM ALICANTE. VISIT www.RYANAIR.COM

7 BEST POSING BEACH

LAS SALINAS, IBIZA

Ibiza still retains its status as the home of Balearic bling, where sunbathing comes with a chillout soundtrack and chic boho beachwear. Las Salinas is on the southernmost tip of the island and a 10-minute drive from Ibiza town, making it the hangout for A-list partygoers. The 1.5km white, sandy crescent is bordered by pine trees, dunes and a national park. Exclusive bars like Malibu and Guarana deliver cocktails to your sun lounger, and the pricey Jockey Club restaurant is where asparagus omelette and white, fleshy calamari, washed down with rosé, will elevate you from the bathers below.

FLY TO IBIZA FROM 20 DESTINATIONS, INCLUDING GIRONA (BARCELONA), BOURNEMOUTH, FRANKFURT (HAHN), ROME (CIAMPINO) AND TRAPANI. VISIT www.RYANAIR.COM

8 BEST BEACH FOR COUPLES

GHAJN TUFFIEHA, MALTA

The neighbouring beach to the better-known Golden Bay, this stretch can only be reached by 180 pretty steep steps – which keeps the riff-raff out, and the space private and unspoilt. Itinerant vendors pound the sand with chilled drinks, but otherwise this beach is blissfully undeveloped – with a watchtower, some kooky rock formations and a national park with tamarisk trees, acacia, samphire and wild flowers. Malta is starting to get a name for surfing and if you’re keen then this is the beach to head to. Otherwise, it’s the perfect escape for couples to enjoy a romantic picnic and to toast to the west as the sun sets and a lone surfer catches the last wave of the day.

FLY TO MALTA (LUQA) FROM 19 DESTINATIONS, INCLUDING BRISTOL AND SEVILLE. VISIT www.RYANAIR.COM

9 BEST CITY BEACH

BARCELONA, SPAIN

About 1km long, the urban escape of Barceloneta is just a short stroll in flip-flops from public transport. A cool hangout for 18-to-30s there’s volleyball courts, a ping-pong table, footie area and the whole stretch is backed by a skate and cycle path from which to check out the Catalonian hotties. The epic copper-hued fish sculpture by Frank Gehry twinkles at one end, next to the marina complex that was regenerated for the Olympics. Snack shacks called “chiringuitos” line the beach and provide welcome shade in high season. So grab an iced jug of sangria and enjoy the impromptu beach parties as the sun goes down. Opium Mar club, on the beach in front of the Hotel Arts, has been revamped into a chic, terraced restaurant and super-cool club for those who like to dance to funky house.

TEL: +34 902 267 486, www.OPIUMMAR.COM

FLY TO BARCELONA (GIRONA AND REUS) FROM 69 DESTINATIONS, INCLUDING KRAKOW, SEVILLE AND VENICE (TREVISO). VISIT www.RYANAIR.COM

10 BEST MAN-MADE BEACH

PARIS-PLAGES, FRANCE

The French capital had real beaches up until the 1960s, so it seems only fair that for four weeks from 20 July, the city has a Seine-side holiday. Barges import sand to create three stretches — our fave being the section from the Louvre to Pont de Sully. Here you’ll find historical landmarks, a swimming pool, tai chi classes, a climbing wall and boules. City sun worshippers at the Bassin de la Villette can borrow beach reads free of charge and do aqua-aerobics in a mini-pool. With beaches open from 8am until midnight, treat yourself to an ice cream and grab a deckchair for one of the evening gigs.

CATCH TRICKY ON FRIDAY, 13 AUGUST

FLY TO PARIS (BEAUVAIS AND VATRY) FROM 27 DESTINATIONS, INCLUDING DUBLIN. VISIT www.RYANAIR.COM