Salou

This little city has got ultra-busy in recent years, with apartments, hotels and loads of 'guiris' (as tourists are called in Spain). But when the gusty north-westerly Mistral is so fierce that it's tearing boards off the water in the rest of the bay, you’re safer here – the Cap de Salou’s shelter makes for a little less wind and manageable chop. Even so, it's still very gusty for kiting. Life's less hectic in westerly Poniente when pretty clean waves run onto the beach, often over waist-high. It's a different story in summer as the thermal’s great for light-air windsurfing on bigger kit . and would be perfect for kiting, if it weren’t banned in high season!