Dreamy Dunes

The Spanish term is masificación, which roughly translates as "packed solid." It's what happens when too many people want to lie on the same hot southern beach. Given that many of the 50-million-plus visitors to Spain each year have precisely this in mind, Andalucía's beaches in the summer are often water-to-wall carpets of human flesh. With all the noise, squash and stress, you might as well be in the office.

Are there any quiet beaches left in Andalucía? Yes. Take the 442 coastal road from Mazagón toward Matalascaas, in the province of Huelva. From Mazagón, stop after about...

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