Adapted beaches on the Costa del Sol
They say that the beach is health, and it's true. The sea, the waves, the soft sand grazing your skin… Fun at the beach must be within everyone's reach. For this reason, the adaptation of beaches is already a reality.
There are different degrees of disability that affect people of all ages. For this reason, a public space like the beach must have the infrastructure necessary to ensure they are accessible to bathers, whatever their physical or mental limitations. How about we take a look at the Costa del Sol, the beach destination par excellence, in terms of accessibility? Let's take a look with three great suggestions, including one of the most outstanding.
La Misericordia Beach
La Misericordia Beach, situated in Malaga, is the best example of an adapted beach on the Malaga coast. Traditionally, it was - and it continues to be - a meeting point for families and inhabitants in the highly populated western section of the city, but this city has also expertly moved with the times. Reduced mobility is one of the most visible disabilities, but the services offered to the public here also cater to people with sensory disabilities.
- Let's begin with what comes first: access itself. If you are travelling by car, near the beach you will find seven parking spaces reserved for people with reduced mobility. Bus lines 15 and 16, which stop nearby, have access ramps for users with disabilities.
- The bathrooms also include specific services and changing rooms with large spaces.
- The services available to people with reduced mobility once on the beach are diverse: two amphibious chairs, flotation material (crutches) and a lift to facilitate physical movement.
- The services to facilitate a day at the beach for people with visual and hearing disabilities range from markers (information on the sea and assistance) and beach totems to a watertight watch and rigid walkways.
- Opening hours, from Monday to Sunday, are extensive (from 11am to 8pm). There is assistance personnel present, specifically two monitors and several volunteers who are positioned at different points along the beach.
La Malagueta Beach
This is the preferred beach among those living in the historic centre and its surrounding neighbourhoods, although tourists and visitors also head here. La Malagueta is usually very busy and lively, especially at weekends in summer, and it is known for its moderate waves and small oasis in the middle of the sand. It is a beach adapted for wheelchairs, with amphibious chairs and ramps for the benefit of bathers with mobility problems. The beach access point is located by the Red Cross post. It also has accessible toilets and changing rooms.
Los Boliches Beach in Fuengirola
Our final recommendation is in Fuengirola, specifically in Los Boliches. Here, you will find a space adapted to wheelchairs and well-equipped to cater to the needs of bathers with disabilities. This beach offers everything necessary for the perfect day at the beach: wooden flooring you can walk on, rollable walkways that facilitate access, water (amphibious) chairs and crutches, disabled toilets…
Relaxing on a sun lounger, enjoying a dip in the sea and sunbathing should be accessible to all visitors, and this type of infrastructure on the beaches of the Costa del Sol prove it. They should be congratulated.
