Puerto del Carmen has three main beaches strung along its six-kilometre seafront. Playa Grande in the centre is the busiest, with the calmest water and the most facilities — sunbeds, restaurants, lifeguards. Playa de los Pocillos to the west is longer and breezier, popular with windsurfers. Playa Matagorda, further west still and right under the airport flight path, is the quietest of the three.
All three are golden imported sand and gently shelving, with water that holds 19–24°C year-round. For a more dramatic Lanzarote beach experience, drive 35 minutes south to the wild dunes and turquoise water of Playa de Papagayo near Playa Blanca, or 25 minutes north to Playa Famara for the long surf beach below the Famara cliffs.