Is there a “dog beach” in Cadíz?

During Spring and Summer you can forget about bringing your dog to the beach…but in Winter, Fall and early Spring you usually won’t have a problem. In Rota at Playa Punta Candor they did have a designated dog beach last September, apparently it was a one-time thing but people still bring there dogs there! To access the dog beach you’ll need to park in the public parking lot where the beach entrance is; follow the wooden walkway to the right (right side when facing the ocean) and go down to the beach using the second entrance, that’s where the “dog beach” is.

Costa Ballena is a beautiful little beach community just 20 minutes from Sanlúcar and 5 minutes from Punta Candor; Costa Ballena reminds me of Destin, Florida with its cookie-cutter houses, manicured lawns, and golf courses. It’s got a great beach fun for surfing and perfect for sunbathing. In August Costa Ballena’s beaches transform into a never-ending sea of colored umbrellas and it’s filled to the brim with European and Spanish tourists.  You’ll also occasionally see pasteleros wheeling their carts of pastries or men from Senegal selling purses and jewelry along the beach.

As I said the beaches in Cadiz are completely packed during the summer months, but two weeks into September it’s like someone flips a switch. Suddenly the beaches are mostly tourist free and you can enjoy an uninterrupted view of the ocean once more! Another plus to the end of tourist season is that you can bring your dog to the beach…it’s not exactly legal, but once the tourists are gone so are the life guards and beach patrol so who’s really going to care?

This weekend we took advantage of the heat wave and brought our pup to the beach for his first swimming experience! Pumba is 3 months old and the perfect beach-dog-in-training. Enjoy the pics 🙂