Review: Caldes d'Estrac

Give us the wide-angle view: what kind of beach are we talking about?
Some call it Caldetes, others Caldes d’Estrac; what isn’t in question, however, is that there’s just something alluring about this beach. Even the approach along Passeig dels Anglesos is elegant, with Modernist villas and boughs of bright-pink flowers. The beach itself is gently dimpled, sandy, and flat.

Lovely. How accessible is it?
From Barcelona’s Plaça Catalunya station, board the R1 toward Calella, Blanes or Maçanet-Massanes. Fifty minutes minutes later, you’ll be here, facing your hardest choice of the day: which xiringuito bar to choose for a glass of crisp white wine?

Got it. Decent services and facilities, would you say?
You’ll find beach services that you never knew you needed here. Pétanque playing areas? Check. (Almost always full, with a hearty crowd watching.) Exercise bikes beside the sea? Check. Additionally, beach bars spill into the sand; Xiringuito Mele has a casual, surf-shack vibe, while Sotavent is a little more upscale. One thing to note: service speed may also be on beach time.

How’s the actual beach stuff—sand and surf?
The water is open and glassy, and extremely family friendly.

Excellent. Can we go barefoot?
It’s sandy—a very coarse sand with dune grasses sprouting up where your bare skin least expects them.

Anything special we should look for?
Don’t leave without a detour off-sand to Fundació Palau, an exhibition of artworks belonging to critic Josep Palau i Fabre, one of the world’s foremost Picasso experts. Cultured out? Visit the Balneari thermal baths, where the warm water is an art form all of its own.

If we’re thinking about going, what—and who—is this beach best for?
In terms of overall experiences, this is hands down one of the best beaches north of Barcelona: the beautiful old houses, the sunsets, the beach bars.