Cala Sardinera

Cala Sardinera is a small, unspoiled cove of around 200 metres of gravel and loose pebbles, on the northern slope of Cap Prim, also known locally as Sant Martí, within the municipality of Jávea. Its name recalls the sardinales, the fine nets fishermen cast at dawn and dusk to catch sardines, a practice that gave the cove its name long before it ever became a swimming spot for visitors.

No facilities, some elevation

It has no facilities at all, no permanent lifeguard and no beach bar of any kind, though the Red Cross covers it during the busiest summer months. It's reached on foot from the Mirador de la Creu del Portitxol, along a path that takes around 15 to 20 minutes through largely untouched Mediterranean scrub, rosemary, mastic shrub and the odd pine clinging to the rock, so closed shoes and some water are worth carrying before heading down. With no road access, it stays quiet even in August, when other coves around Jávea fill up to capacity well before midday.

Its secluded character sets it apart from busier coves such as Cala Blanca and Cala del Portitxol, both a short distance away along the coast. The access path itself looks out over the bay of Jávea and the Montgó massif, a combination of open views and clear water that often shows up in guides to the area's best coves, despite the cove itself being one of the least known and least visited in the whole municipality.