Playa del Ingles, Canary Islands

No list of Spanish beaches is complete without a mention of the Canary Islands. Another Spanish territory, these islands are about 95 kilometers off the coast of Africa, in the Atlantic Ocean. The two main islands are Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Playa del Ingles, on Gran Canaria, is 11 kilometers of wide, sandy beach, gradually transforming into beautiful dunes. Once a popular hippy hangout in the 1960s, it's now filled with luxury boutique hotels and foodie restaurants. The beach is golden brown with a gentle slope towards the sea. There are many beach clubs that rent beach chairs and umbrellas. The Hotel Riu Palace Maspalomas overlooks the incredible dunes of Maspalomas (and the ocean beyond), which look like a Martian landscape.