Camping Cala Llevadó

Who says bigger isn’t always better? There’s loads of space plus loads of campers at Cala Llevadó, but pitching your tent in the intimate cliff-hugging pine forest makes you feel as though the view of the Med is there for you, and you alone.

This sense of seclusion is all down to the setting: a glorious expanse of land on a sloping hillside draped in oaks and pines. On the seafront, giant walls of naked red rock alternate with not two, not three, but four beaches – all worthy of closer inspection. But far from being crowded, these sandy plots, or calas, are more like secret pirate coves, hidden between the rocks and almost undetectable until your toes are actually twiddling in their gorgeous sands, wondering if they’ll come into contact with any buried pieces-of-eight.

Cala Llevadó itself is hidden away at the end of a tempting, winding path, where kids with buckets and spades clamber amongst the rock pools looking for sea urchins. Further along, Cala d’en Carlos has a graveyard full of old boats that still feel the summer waves, and a little sheltered kiosk, an ideal spot for taking a refreshing beachside beverage. Cala Figuera is smaller, giving all you skinny- dippers a chance to have some privacy. At the other end, Platges de Llorell is a more active hub, which will certainly appeal if you’re into scuba-diving, water-skiing, wind- surfing and kite-boarding.

A view onto one of these beaches should be a priority when you’re wondering where’s the best place to pitch your tent. The idyllic beachfront plots are the ones that you’ll find everyone else is heading for, too. So it pays to arrive sharpish. Plots A 67–87, above Cala Llevadó, are amongst the best, beneath shady pine trees overlooking the cove.

Similar sites overlook the other beaches. If you happen to be lucky enough to score one of these, all you’ll need next is a couple of deckchairs for a front-row seat, and perhaps a beer or two, as the setting sun bathes that distant blue horizon in dazzling reds, oranges and pinks.

Never fear if you miss out on the natural pleasures of the waterfront, luxury of a more artificial kind can be found by those who take up the offer of their glamping pitches: eco-conscious bungalows and glamping pods all built to the highest and greenest standards.

Whilst the campsite seems to go on forever, Cala Llevadó strikes a delicate balance between showing off its natural assets and providing you with everything you’ll ever want or need, and a few things you hadn’t even thought of. If you do eventually grow weary of sand and salt (perish the thought), take your pick from the campsite’s swimming pools, children’s playground, outdoor café, bar/restaurant, and tennis, basketball and volleyball courts.