Punta Prima was one of the first beaches to be established in the area, and before the arrival of mass tourism in the 1970s, Punta Prima beach was the go-to hotspot for local Spaniards and domestic visitors that flocked to the area in their droves each summer.

Playa de Punta Prima is a thin sheltered strip measuring 234 metres at the waterline, offering 6,552 m² of fine sand. The sand is less filtered than other neighbouring beaches, and it's not unusual to find small pebbles and shells adorning the beach at certain times of the year.

Cut into the rocky coastline, the beach's southeast-facing aspect guarantees sunshine for most of the day, unlike most of the surrounding east-facing beaches which offer plenty of sun first thing in the morning, waning as the day goes by.

The cliff that rendered the beach relatively inaccessible has been bypassed by the installation of a lift toward the west end of the beach. Very few beaches in the southeast of Spain can boast such a luxury, and the lift makes it easy for families and persons of limited mobility to reach the golden sands below.

Playa de Punta Prima beach in Orihuela Costa

The Paseo Maritimo promenade wraps behind the beach, providing a pedestrian and cycle route to neighbouring Cala Piteras beach to the north, and Playa Flamenca's beautiful beaches to the south of Punta Prima.

A work of art in itself, the Paseo Maritimo is a wide stretch of colourful ornate paving that offers commanding views over the Mediterranean Sea and access to the beach via two sets of steps at either end of the sand.

The promenade passes the enigmatic Punta Prima Restaurante, which sits atop the beach. The restaurant is renowned locally for its first-class food, and the views from the outside dining terrace are rarely surpassed by other venues in South Costa Blanca.

It's a local favourite with all nationalities, and Punta Prima Restaurante offers an extensive Mediterranean à la carte menu every day that focuses on fresh seafood and Spanish rice dishes, with options to suit vegan and vegetarian palates.

The venue offers an à la carte al fresco dining experience on the spacious terrace or a formal dining room with floor-to-ceiling glass windows. The restaurant is naturally popular at lunchtime.

One of the most established beaches in South Costa Blanca

The beach is located to the south of a natural rocky headland that keeps the seawater calm, safe and suited to bathing at most times of the year. Relatively shallow water several metres from the water's edge makes the beach an ideal choice for families or less confident swimmers.

A lifeguard service operates during the main tourist season, and a shaded cabana overlooks the Mediterranean Sea – the perfect place to watch the world go by, exercise, or enjoy a picnic with family and friends.

A beach bar operates during the height of the summer season, and plentiful parking makes Punta Prima Beach a pleasure to visit at any time of year. A small road at the west end of the promenade offers on-road parking spaces.

Alternatively, virtually limitless on-street parking along Avenida Mar de Punta Prima close to the restaurant permits access to the beach via paths on either side, which lead to a set of steps at the east end of the beach.

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Situated on the beach in Punta Prima, the restaurant is a firm favourite with locals and tourists alike due to its amazing beachfront location, a spotlessly clean nautical-themed dining room, and spacious outside terraces offering year-round al-fresco dining and speciality cocktails.

The chic bistro has been welcoming guests since 1975, enchanting diners for the better part of a half-century with its unique mixture of panoramic Mediterranean vistas and a resplendent Spanish menu.

So we couldn't resist the opportunity to sample the fare on offer, and we visited for an early dinner just this past weekend.

Restaurante Nautilus, a part of the culture and history of the area

Upon arrival, guests were greeted by a DJ playing modern (but thankfully ambient) background music on the large outside terrace to the rear of the restaurant.

The terrace has casual seating overlooking the sea with ample car parking provided to the rear. A covered gallery runs the full length of the restaurant offering beachfront seating immediately adjacent to the water's edge, while a smaller terrace at the front of the property offers further seating with views over Punta Prima's smaller Cala Piteras sandy beach.

Indoor seating downstairs is arranged in American-style booths offering a personal and informal dining space beside the bar (one of three bars on-site serving beverages to diners), with oversized porthole windows to the gallery.

An upstairs dining hall provides an extensive formal dining space with elevated panoramic views over the Mediterranean Sea, with a floor-to-ceiling folding glass wall to two aspects that retracts to fuse both inside and outside space.

We were seated in the gallery and greeted by multilingual staff who seemed more than happy to accommodate our requests.

An extensive fusion menu, with plenty of choice for all palates

The restaurant was exceptionally busy, and we were lucky to get one of the last tables. Clearly, advanced booking is highly recommended to avoid potential disappointment – particularly good advice during the current summer season.

The restaurant menu is extensive with more than 80 dishes on offer. The Mediterranean cuisine is a fusion of traditional Spanish dishes and American ranch-style cooking, emphasising beef as a result.

But this is no one-trick pony, and the restaurant caters well for vegetarian, vegan and other dietary requirements, with plenty of choices to suit everyone's tastebuds.

The menu offers a fine selection of starters including cheese and meat platters, freshly prepared soups, and Spanish speciality dishes such as Andalusian-style grilled calamari, beef or salmon carpaccio, and steamed mussels.

Salads provide a lighter dining alternative when the weather is warmer, and Restaurante Nautilus offers a variety of delicious salads that pair familiar ingredients in imaginative ways such as chicken and apple, or salmon and avocado.

Our visit, booking is highly recommended

Continuing the Mediterranean theme, the restaurant offers an extensive choice of authentic wood-fired pizzas and pasta dishes to choose from, including several vegetarian options.

No fine dining bistro menu would be replete without an offering to satisfy the pure meat-eaters, so Restaurante Nautilus offer chicken breast dishes, premium cuts of entrecôte, and tenderloin steaks with a choice of accompanying sauces.

Finally, as would be expected of any restaurant located in such close proximity to the sea, salmon, hake, and sea bass feature on the fish menu, and for those looking for the ultimate Spanish experience, the restaurant offers a selection of freshly cooked traditional Paella, including a luxury fresh Lobster Paella.

We visited with friends at a table of four and sampled the grilled sea bass, a Diavola pizza, pork rack of ribs with barbecue sauce, and the grilled Iberian pork steak.

The menu is presented in five languages (Spanish, English, German, French and Russian), and the service was polite and efficient – especially impressive given the mammoth size of the dining area and the sheer volume of eager diners.

The best sea views, beautiful food in a magical beachside location

The restaurant team should be commended for providing a comprehensive menu complete with allergen information that's so often essential for many diners with special dietary requirements.

The dishes were delivered to the table piping hot and beautifully presented (the photos show the actual dishes as they arrived).

Dishes are served with a potato and Mediterranean vegetable accompaniment where appropriate (chips are optional at no additional cost).

Restaurante Nautilus is not the cheapest eatery you'll find along the Costa Blanca coastline, so expect to pay for quality food and you won't leave disappointed.

The quality of the food is absolutely first class and portion sizes are exceptionally generous (the rack of ribs was essentially the entire side of a large pig).

The Chuleton Tomahawk bone-in rib-eye steak is a Nautilus speciality, but the full 1-kg beef cut is more than generously sized and priced to feed two people.

Similarly, the “Nautilus” Seafood Flamed-Grill speciality fish dish is prepared for two people and comprises half a lobster, grilled crayfish, prawns, mussels, and squid. The presentation is nothing less than spectacular.

Those on a budget can choose from the pizza menu and expect to pay around €15.00 – €20.00 per person including a drink (very reasonable for this area), while those with a more decadent palate can indulge in Spanish beef fillet steak.

Despite the Mediterranean seafront location, the menu is pleasantly balanced between an assortment of sharing dishes, grilled meats, and speciality fish dishes. The addition of a dedicated pizza menu and a variety of Spanish paella is just perfect for diners looking for a lighter dining experience during the summer months.

The venue offers a significant wine selection with bottles of locally produced Rioja or fine Spanish cava available. Dom Pérignon Brut vintage champagne is available at your table for those with deep pockets and extravagant tastes.

Restaurante Nautilus, one of the finest restaurants on the Costa Blanca

Whatever your budget, Restaurante Nautilus proves that while quality has its price, sometimes quality is worth paying for.

The Mediterranean influence of the menu and the Spanish cooking style render some truly unique dishes, which you'll want to try again and again.

The Pork Knuckle with Spanish Sauce is the perfect example of how the kitchen executes provincial Mediterranean fusion with such finesse, to produce a unique dish that you just won't find elsewhere.

Fresh food, attentive service, and what must surely be the finest of beachfront locations for any restaurant in the South Costa Blanca locale, make Restaurante Nautilus an experience that's well worth paying that little extra for. We can highly recommend this prestigious Spanish restaurant.

Need more information? You can find the TripAdvisor reviews online or visit the official Restaurante Nautilus Facebook page.

Looking for holiday ideas and travel inspiration? Find out more about our favourite recommended things to do on the Orihuela Costa or join the La Zenia community Facebook group and find out what's going on in the local area.

Photo credit: LaZenia.com

It's a popular venue due to its stunning large terrace that offers commanding views of Punta Prima's main beach and the Mediterranean Sea.

We paid the restaurant a visit earlier this week one afternoon for a late lunch and were able to easily get seated, although booking would be recommended during the summer season.

The multilingual waiting staff were friendly and helpful, and we were escorted to an outside table adjacent to the modern dining room.

The restaurant has a choice of seating options, with a contemporary formal indoor dining space with floor to ceiling glass walls, and an extensive rear terrace which is divided into two areas.

Alfresco dining with amazing Mediterranean views

One area is available for a more casual dining experience, offering tapas and light snacks, while the other terraced area is dressed for those seeking the full Spanish restaurant experience. Whatever your preference, each location offers fabulous views while eating.

We found the premises immaculately clean, and the staff were extremely knowledgeable about the menu and understood the importance of allergens (the menu is marked with complete allergen information).

As you might expect, the Spanish style menu offers the usual selection of speciality fresh seafood and prime cuts of steak, an exceptional selection of authentic Paella and rice dishes, with classic Spanish dishes adding to the flavour of the menu.

Restaurante Punta Prima has an appealing selection of starters with prices starting at €6.50 for the Mojama with almonds (a type of filleted salt-cured tuna fish). Octopus served baked or Galician style (served with boiled potatoes or sweet Spanish paprika oil) costs €17.90.

For a complete Spanish dining experience consider a starter to share – the Iberian ham and tomato served with “Pan de Cristal”, a Valencian speciality bread similar to ciabatta, costs €20.00 for two people.

An extensive classic Spanish menu with so much choice

The kitchen team's discernible love of Spanish cuisine means the menu offers something to suit everyone's taste, from meat lovers to vegetarians and vegans; and they are more than happy to cater for people with special dietary requirements.

We chose to eat from the à la carte cuisine menu, and both the snack menu and the full cuisine menu are available online via their website.

We sampled the Thai-style vegetable curry with tofu, accompanied by pure white basmati rice, and the bone-in New York Strip short loin steak served with fried potatoes, Padron peppers, and a decorative salad.

Each dish was wonderfully presented (the photos illustrate how the dishes arrived at the table), and service was expedited rapidly. The curry was priced at €14.80 and was one of four speciality vegetarian menu options.

The look may say it was thrown together by sheer accident, but the balanced, lasting aromatic flavours tell you it wasn't.

Traditional Spanish food at Restaurante Punta Prima

The New York Strip weighed in at €25.40, with a Sirloin steak option available for €22.00, and a Spanish inspired rack of lamb appearing on the grill menu for €18.90.

Grilled dishes can be ordered with your choice of four sauces for an additional €2.50, and extra side dishes (steamed rice, a green salad, French cut fries, or grilled Mediterranean vegetables) cost €4.90 per dish.

A meal can be rounded off with one of their inventive desserts which complement the traditional Spanish cuisine, and prices start from €5.90.

Tempting treats from the dessert menu include pineapple carpaccio, strawberry cheesecake, or a simple Mediterranean fruit salad – a refreshing palate cleanser to end your meal.

Although the prices are a little higher than some other restaurants in the area, Restaurante Punta Prima is definitely one to try. The food is outstanding, the staff extremely helpful and the views – A-MA-ZING!.

Fine dining at Punta Prima beach restaurant

This is the place to visit for that special occasion, milestone celebration, or just because you fancy treating yourself.

The restaurant offers a dedicated car park for guests and there's plenty of free on-street parking nearby. You can find the Restaurante Punta Prima's official website here, or click here to visit the restaurant's TripAdvisor listing.

A truly fabulous Spanish dining experience accompanied by those wonderful views. Try it once and it will become one of your most treasured holiday memories.

Looking for holiday ideas and travel inspiration? Find out more about our favourite recommended things to do on the Orihuela Costa or join the La Zenia community Facebook group and find out what's going on in the local area.

Photo credit: LaZenia.com

An announcement from Orihuela City council just yesterday means that the chiringuitos could be open from Friday 10th August, following the signing of the official contract this morning, allowing the company operating the bars a full week to organise staff and prepare for the grand reopening.

In addition to providing a full bar service and light refreshments to beachgoers, the chiringuitos are charged with offering public toilet facilities, sunbed and parasol hire, and are required to keep the beaches at all times to ensure a minimal negative impact on the delicate seafront environment they're located within.

Typically, the beach bars offer welcome shade from the sun. Constructed in an environmentally friendly design, the small kiosks provide a terrace and a kitchen serving snacks, tapas, a light lunch menu, and soft drinks or cocktails within a spectacular Mediterranean beachfront environment.

The bars are strategically located along the coastline to service the requirements of thousands of local residents and tourists enjoying the coastal paths, promenades, and walkways that adjoin the different towns and urbanisations, in areas otherwise devoid of local amenities.

Chiringuitos del Sol, the highest quality of service

Usually operating primarily between the springtime and November, the Orihuela Costa chiringuitos opened for business as usual in March earlier this year but closed their doors less than three weeks later due to administrative and licencing complications.

The closures affected all 11 beach bars in the popular Spanish beach resorts of Aguamarina, Mil Palmeras, La Caleta, Punta Prima, La Glea, La Mosca, Playa Flamenca, Cala Capitán and Barranco Rubio, including La Zenia's two chiringuitos on Cala Cerrada and Cala Bosque beach.

Initially, the process of reopening the Orihuela Costa chiringuitos was expected to take a minimum of two and a half months to complete, leaving local beaches bereft of services from mid-April until at least the beginning of July.

Authorities have been keen to reestablish the beach bars as soon as possible to avoid any impact upon the coveted Blue Flag status the award-winning beaches currently enjoy, with on-site services, access and safety, water quality, and public information and education, all major components of the global awards process.

On Tuesday 24th July the popular online news platform Diario de la Vega reported that the Orihuela Costa beach bars would be reopened “in August”.

The following day the same news outlet reported that the contracting committee had awarded the contract to operate the beach bars to Chiringuitos del Sol, the same company responsible for managing the Orihuela Costa chiringuitos prior to the closures earlier in the year.

Orihuela Costa chiringuitos, beach bars reopened for the summer

Diario de la Vega stated that the committee had calculated that Chiringuitos del Sol offered both the best tender and the highest quality of service, and the company had bid €891,178 per annum to operate the 11 beach bars, the highest amount ever paid for a company to operate the service.

Local media outlets suggested that the contract term had been agreed at 4 years, meaning that the beach services could potentially be secure until at least the end of the 2021 high tourist season and that the Orihuela Costa chiringuitos could resume services as soon as 10th August.

But the official announcement from Orihuela City Council came just yesterday, when the Councilor of Beaches, Luisa Boné, clarified that the contract would be signed with Chiringuitos del Sol this morning and will remain valid for four years, ending on 31st December 2021.

Chiringuitos del Sol had operated the beach bars under licence since 2014, and the management team were revered locally for their welcoming hospitality and an entertaining programme of events and live music throughout the summer months.

It is hoped that whatever complications occurred over the past few months, both residents and summer holiday tourists will be overjoyed at the reopening of the beach bars, and that the chiringuitos may continue to provide their valued service for years to come.

Looking for holiday ideas and travel inspiration? Find out more about our favourite recommended things to do on the Orihuela Costa or join the La Zenia community Facebook group and find out what's going on in the local area.

Photo credit: LaZenia.com

The much loved Spanish beach bars are a haven for sun-seeking beach aficionados, offering welcome shade and refreshments throughout the long Mediterranean

The Chiringuito on Punta Prima's main beach is located in a high-quality residential area bustling with tourists throughout the high season, and devoid of local services along the coastline Punta Prima's beach bar is incredibly popular and provides a welcome watering hole for coastal walkers.

Constructed entirely of pressure-treated hardwood to preserve the natural environment, the Chiringuitos offer full bar service, with an elevated wooden decked terraced area overlooking the magnificent Punta Prima beach.

Chiringuitos, great value beachfront family dining

In addition to providing liquid refreshment, the beach bar also offers a menu of food including toasted sandwiches, baguettes, salads, pizzas and Spanish Tapas.

Prices are reasonable too, with a toasted sandwich from €3.70, a beefburger from €5.00, and pizza prices starting at €6.80. The ideal place for casual family dining.

Playa Flamenca's beach bar at Cala Estaca reopened just yesterday, while Punta Prima's beach bar opened Saturday. Both bars are open for service seven days a week throughout the summer.

Find out more about the beach bars by visiting the official website, or click here for a Google Map with directions to Punta Prima's Chiringuito.

Looking for holiday ideas and travel inspiration? Find out more about our favourite recommended things to do on the Orihuela Costa or join the La Zenia community Facebook group and find out what's going on in the local area.

Photo credit: LaZenia.com