Cala de les Palmeretes (El Campello)
Cala de les Palmeretes: El Campello’s cove by the TRAM
Cala de les Palmeretes (also called Cala Monte Lanuza) is the northernmost of El Campello’s 17 beaches and coves, right by Venta Lanuza on the boundary with La Vila Joiosa. It is a small cove of fine sand with gravel and stones, crystal-clear water and a posidonia seabed, named after the palm trees in the car park above it. It has something unusual for a semi-wild cove: a TRAM stop a few minutes’ walk away.
It is not the beach of the same name in Sueca, on Valencia’s Albufera: that one is a kilometre and a half of urban beach. This one measures, depending on the source, between 80 and 150 metres.
How to get to Cala de les Palmeretes
By TRAM: line L3 (Alicante–El Campello–Benidorm) stops at Venta Lanuza, a short walk from the cove. It is the easiest way to come from Alicante or Benidorm without worrying about parking.
By car: from the N-332, turn off along Calle Llobarro to the flat area above the cove. There is a free, unattended car park with fewer than 50 spaces right above it. On August weekends it gets tricky from mid-morning; at 8:00 it is usually almost empty.
By bus: line C-2 stops in the Venta Lanuza area (municipal sources give the stop as Calle Altea or Calle Apareguda; check the transport website).
What you’ll find
A beach of fine sand mixed with gravel, an easy entry into the water and a rocky seabed a short distance out. The town council includes it in its certified beaches programme (ISO 14001 and 9001) and declares it a “smoke-free beach”.
Facilities: a bin, and that’s it. No lifeguard, no showers, no beach bar, no Blue Flag. Bring water and a parasol: there is no natural shade.
Dogs and nudism: not permitted.
Snorkelling and paddling: the official underwater trail
El Campello council marks an official snorkelling trail at this cove “to discover the local marine flora”, with posidonia meadows and rocky bottom a few metres from the shore. It is one of the best coves in the municipality for a first go with mask and snorkel, because you enter from sand.
Each year the buoying of El Campello’s beaches starts right here and at Cala Lanuza (late May) and works south towards Muchavista: the buoys separate the bathing zone from jet skis and boards. They come out in mid-October.
In calm seas the coast to the north is a classic paddleboard or kayak trip to Cala del Xarco and its watchtower (about 8.8 km there and back along the cliffs). In August the “fried egg” jellyfish (Cotylorhiza tuberculata), which barely stings, is common.
Best time to visit
Before 9:30 or after 18:00 in July and August: the cove is small and fills up. June and September are ideal, with warm water and no parking trouble.
Nearby coves
- Cala Lanuza — 1 km to the south
- Platja del Carritxal — 1 km to the north, shared with La Vila Joiosa
- Cala del Xarco and Xarco tower — 3 km, on foot or by sea only
- Cala del Barranc d’Aigües — 4 km away, the gorge cove with a 20-minute walk in
Practical information
| Location | Venta Lanuza, El Campello (l’Alacantí) |
| Access | TRAM L3 Venta Lanuza stop; car via N-332 |
| Seabed | Fine sand and gravel; posidonia |
| Length | 80–150 m depending on source |
| Facilities | Bin only; no lifeguard or showers |
| Parking | Free, < 50 spaces, unattended |
| Dogs / nudism | Not permitted |
| Snorkelling | Official marked trail |
| Best season | June and September; early morning in August |
