Pilar de la Horadada beaches, Costa Blanca (Spain)

Discovering Pilar de la Horadada, Costa Blanca (Spain).

Pilar de la Horadada is Costa Blanca’s southernmost resort, beside the Mediterranean Sea and located in the beautiful Vega Baja area of Alicante Province, bordering on Murcia. Probably one of the lesser known stretches of our coast, perhaps we shouldn’t give the secret away, it’s such a naturally lovely and peaceful paradise.

History of this area remounts to ancient Iberian days, as local archaeological finds demonstrate; during Roman times, Pilar de la Horadada was strategically placed on the ‘Vía Augusta’ trade route, a resting-place where travellers could relax and regain their strength before continuing their arduous journey up the Mediterranean coast to Rome.

In the late XVI century, watchtowers were built to defend the coast against pirate attacks, and you can still see the emblematic Torre Horadada by the leisure harbour of the same name.

Pilar de la Horadada

‘Pilar’ is a world away from the skyscraper, party-all-night image many of us have of the Costa Blanca. There’s five kilometres of scenic coastline with an amazing diversity of beaches. The town itself is just inland, connected to the beaches by a boulevard with cycle lane and jogging path.

The residential nucleus beside the Torre de la Horadada leisure harbour has quiet plazas and a great selection of restaurants and cafeterias, some offering interesting and reasonably priced menus of the day.

Pilar is a foodie’s dream-come-true, with the town’s eateries priding themselves on their gastronomic skills and regularly featuring gourmet routes and culinary feasts. The Vega Baja is known as Spain’s vegetable garden, a fertile land which produces first-class fruit and veg. Add to this fresh seafood brought in straight from neighbouring fishing ports, and the flavourful local meats…need I say more!

A marvellous sunny climate with the lowest rainfall in the Valencian Region, Pilar de la Horadada is great to visit any time of year.

Best beaches in Pilar de la Horadada

Pilar dela Horadada beaches from north to south.

Playa el Mojón

pilar_de_la_horadada_playa_el_mojon_spain — View across the dunes to Playa el Mojón.

A fine sandy beach in beautiful natural surroundings that extends southwards to the San Pedro del Pinatar sand dunes and salt lakes, a protected nature reserve. During winter, the posidonia seagrass is left on the sand for ecological reasons.

El Mojón village has quiet bungalow-lined streets and the atmosphere out of a film from the 1960’s, where generations of families and friends meet up every summer. There are several typical restaurants and cafés too.

Playa las Higuericas

pilar_de_la_horadada_playa_higuericas_spain — Playa las Higuericas in winter.

A very popular beach in summertime, this long beautiful stretch of sand is pleasant for a walk any time of year. There’s a large carpark set well back from the front (also used for concerts on summer evenings), kiddies’ play area on the sands, and a recreational platform in the sea in summer. The palm-lined seafront is great for a stroll or cycle ride. The sand dune ecosystem is a protected nature area with a wooden boardwalk.

Playa las Villas

This white sand beach continues on from Playa las Higuericas; there are rock pools to keep the kids amused. It’s the sort of place that Spanish families have been frequenting for decades; Playa las Villas takes its name from the traditional summer homes here. The Sardinero seafront walk leads along the coastline past the harbour and right on to Playa Jesuitas further up the coast.

Playa el Puerto

A ramp leads down from beside the Nautical Club to this smaller sandy beach which lies by the leisure harbour. Various yachting and other sporting events are held here in the summer season.

pilar_de_la_horadada_camino_de_santiago_spain — Start of St Jame’s way in Pilar.

The XVI century Horadada watchtower is in a prominent position overlook the habour and Playa El Conde.

The South-Eastern Route of St Jame’s Way ‘Camino de Santiago’ starts from this point. You can go along to the local Tourist Info bureau to have your ‘credentials’ stamped before you depart!

Playa El Conde

The small, sandy El Conde beach lays to the left of the watchtower. The iconic setting is a favourite spot for snapping selfies, especially against the skyline at sunset!

pilar_de_la_horadada_playa_jesuitas_spain — Playa los Jesuitas.

Playa los Jesuitas

A wide sandy bay protected by stunning reddish cliffs, which is popular all-year-round. There’s a volley beach net – anyone can play, just bring your own ball! Since the 1960’s, a succession of summer homes have been built between this scenic beach and Cala Rincón, a small sandy cove.

Continue up the coast to Puntal del Gato where there are panoramic views over Pilar de la Horadada and over to Playa Rocamar, and a string of small secluded coves.

Playa del Río

pilar_de_la_horadada_rio_seco_paseo_spain — Seafront walk at Playa del Río.

The beach beside the Río Seco river is a starting point for the nature trails which follow the riverbed (which is usually dry), to Pinar de Campoverde – the picturesque pine woods on a hillside overlooking the Mediterranean, some 8 kilometres inland. The scenic route takes you through an amazing gorge with unusual rock formations carved out of the sandstone by the river over the centuries.

From the seafront promenade you can see signs of a mine dating to I & II AC, where the Romans excavated stone to use for building purposes! As you can see, since the times of Christ, people have chosen Pilar de la Horadada as the perfect place for their summer homes!

pilar_de_la_horadada_playa_los_jesuitas_spain — Los Jesuitas beach.

Playa Mil Palmeras

Mil Palmeras is yet another marvellous, long sandy beach. There are special facilities for the disabled in the summer, children’s zones, sun beds and umbrellas, plus pedalos and kayaks for rental. There are numerous restaurants and cafés set back from the seafront.

On summer evenings, a market with interesting craft stalls is open until midnight. Mil Palmeras is also known as ‘winter beach’- the Hibernis Mare Project organises a host of free outdoor activities from September to May for all ages.

Playa Vistamar

The most northern beach on the border with Orihuela Costa, there’s a promenade which follows the scenic rocky coastline back down to Mil Palmeras and the River Seco.

As you can see, you can walk from one end of the Pilar de Horadada coastline to the other, and if fancy you something more leisurely, you can always stroll along partway.

Why Visit Pilar de La Horadada

Pilar de la Horadada has everything you could want for a holiday… fabulous sunny weather with a warm winter, one of the best seafront walks on the Costa Blanca, restaurants with great cuisine, a golf course, cycle route, nautical club and marina, and the most fascinating history museum in Alicante Province. The beaches and sea are safe and shallow, ideal for little children.

There are many interesting places nearby where you can drive out to for the day, such as the unique inland sea of Mar Menor or the fascinating historic city of Orihuela, as well as Cartagena, Murcia or Alicante cities.

How to Get to Pilar de la Horadada

Distances: Orihuela (36 km), Cartagena (41 km), Murcia (57 km), Alicante (66 km);
Nearest airports: El Altet/Alicante 60 km; San Javier (Murcia) 15 km;
By car: main N-332 & AP-7 motorway.

Pilar de la Horadada: Costa Blanca’s Secret Paradise