FROM above, the dunes of Playa de Bolonia resemble a pool of liquid gold spilling into the surrounding greenery.
The tranquil bay is flanked on either side by white cliffs that slope gently towards the sea. At its eastern end, a cluster of Roman ruins juts from the sand, standing sentinel over the shimmering Mediterranean beyond.
Playa de Bolonia, some 20km west of the Andalucian beauty spot of Tarifa, is one of Spain’s most coveted gems among property hunters from across Europe and beyond.
READ MORE: One of the Costa Blanca’s last undeveloped beaches lies just outside Elche
Many, however, are forced to leave empty-handed when confronted with prices as steep as they come.
New research has now revealed why: Playa de Bolonia is the third ‘most valuable’ beach in Europe – and sixth in the world, according to a study by property portal CV Villas.
The luxury travel specialists have valued this stretch of the Cadiz coastline at a staggering €365 million.
Only two European beaches bear higher valuations: Portugal’s Praia da Falesia, at €573 million, and Pampelonne Beach on France’s Cote d’Azur, valued at an eye-watering €843 million.
To calculate the figures, CV Villas treated each beach as a plot of buildable land, multiplying local property prices per square metre by its total surface area.
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The estimates are purely theoretical, CV Villas said, and none of the beaches are for sale.
“[But] there’s something fun about seeing what those stretches of sand might be ‘worth’ if you valued them like the land behind them,” marketing manager Hannah Marshall said.
“The good news is that spending a day on the world’s most valuable sand costs nothing at all, and investing in a beachside villa stay is a far more sensible way to enjoy it than buying the beach itself,” she added.
Two more Spanish beaches feature in the study’s top-15: Fuerteventura’s Alzada beach, in fifth place, and Formentera’s Ses Illetes, which ranks 11th.
The former, valued at €104 million, is a long, golden-sand beach backed by the sweeping dunes of Corralejo Natural Park.
Ses Illetes, a postcard-perfect stretch of white sand and turquoise water on Formentera’s northern tip, would cost much less at just €39 million, according to CV Villas.
But while the price tags might sound eye-watering, they are all dwarfed by the world’s most valuable beach.
That title goes to Siesta Beach in Florida, which CV Villas estimates would be worth a staggering €1.08 billion.
The US beach is famous for its fine, almost pure-white quartz sand, which remains cool underfoot even in the Florida sunshine.
Further down the global ranking, Turks and Caicos’ Grace Bay comes fourth at €376 million, while Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach is fifth at €365 million.
The study also found that The Baths on Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands has the most expensive sand per square metre, at an estimated €8,846.
However, its relatively small size means the entire beach would be worth around €19 million – a fraction of Bolonia’s theoretical price.
“What comes through is how much location drives the figure: a beach in St-Tropez or on Siesta Key carries a value that a quieter shore – even just as beautiful – simply won’t,” Marshall explained.
“It’s a good reminder that the pull of a favourite beach comes down to how it makes you feel.”
And for now, thankfully, Spain’s most beautiful beaches remain free for everyone to enjoy.
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