Magaluf Beach, Mallorca

Say Magaluf to most people and they picture the nightlife, not the beach. That is the honest problem here, because the beach itself is genuinely good. It is a broad arc of soft pale sand running for roughly half a mile, the water shelves so gently that you can wade out a long way, and the whole bay faces southwest so it holds afternoon sun. As a place to put down a towel with children, it does almost everything you would ask of a resort beach.

The catch is the town behind it. Magaluf grew up around Punta Ballena, the short, steep nightlife strip, and in July and August the energy of that strip spills toward the sand by late afternoon. None of this ruins a morning swim. It simply means the beach has two personalities, and you want the daytime one. Arrive before ten, take the southern half toward Sol de Mallorca, and you get a calm, well run bay. Arrive at sunset in August and you get something noisier.

Who it suits is clear. Families with young children love the shallow water and the easy facilities. Groups who want sun by day and a big night out have everything within walking distance. Who should skip it is just as clear. If you came to Mallorca for quiet coves, pine cliffs and turquoise stillness, this is not your beach, and the island has plenty that is. Camp de Mar and Cala Deia are a short drive away and feel like a different planet.