Caleta dels Gossets (Santa Pola dog beach)

Caleta dels Gossets (also Cala dels Gossets) is the dog beach of Santa Pola, the town’s playa para perros: a 256 m strip of sand and stone, about 15 m wide, on the east side of the Cabo de Santa Pola, 5 km from the town on the Camí del Carabassí. Dogs are admitted, with rules the town spells out: two dogs per person, microchip and worming, and no training on the sand. Parking is right beside the cove. It suits dog owners; skip it if you want a sandy resort beach or a swim without dogs around.

Quick facts

• Names: Caleta dels Gossets or Cala dels Gossets, Valencian for “cove of the dogs”; officially the third of the Calas del Cuartel. In Spanish it is the playa canina or playa para perros (dog beach) of Santa Pola. OpenStreetMap maps the three coves together as Caletes del Cap.
• Where: Camí del Carabassí, Cases del Cap, Santa Pola (Alicante). About 0.6 km north of the CIMAR marine research centre and 0.8 km from the Santa Pola lighthouse.
• Coordinates: 38.2148, -0.5077.
• Size: 256.58 m long and 15 m wide (Santa Pola tourist office).
• Opened as a dog beach: 30 April 2016.
• Official bathing zone: since 2024, together with the two other Calas del Cuartel; Santa Pola’s tenth.
• Facilities: beach bar with a public toilet in high season; in 2026 the kiosk (Rocky’s Beach) is licensed until 30 September.
• Entry: free.

Access and parking

By car: the cove lies on the cape road between Santa Pola and the Carabassí beach, on the Camí del Carabassí, about 5 km from Santa Pola town. The three Calas del Cuartel line a 700 m stretch of shore below the cape: the first faces the CIMAR marine research centre, a former Carabineros barracks, and the Caleta dels Gossets is the third, furthest north (Santa Pola town hall).

Parking: two small parking areas sit 75–80 m from the sand, and two more car parks, marked free on OpenStreetMap, lie 300 m and 475 m further south along the road towards CIMAR.

Without a car: OpenStreetMap shows no bus stop within 750 m of the cove, so plan on a car, a bike or a taxi.

From Alicante: the cove is about 15 km south of Alicante city centre in a straight line. It is not the same place as Alicante’s city beach, Playa del Postiguet.

What to expect

A natural beach with basic facilities, described by the Santa Pola tourist office as a zone of special protection and high landscape value. It is not a resort beach: the surface is sand and stone. Santa Pola won the TravelGuau 2018 award as the best pet-friendly destination (Santa Pola town hall).

After storms, banks of dead Posidonia seagrass wash up on the cape’s natural beaches. In 2020 the town explained that removing them makes the beach lose sand, and that the Caleta dels Gossets was covered again the day after each clean-up (Santa Pola town hall, 2020), so do not expect a raked sand beach.

Practical details

These are the rules on the tourist office’s dog beach page:

• No more than two dogs per person.
• Dogs must be microchipped and wormed; bring the vaccination record.
• Owners are responsible for any damage their dog causes and must pick up after it.
• Not admitted: dogs with infectious illness, females in season, puppies without all their vaccinations, and dogs with a history of aggression towards animals or people.
• Breeds classed as potentially dangerous must wear a muzzle and collar and stay on a lead.
• No dog training or obedience classes on the beach.
• Use the dog toilet area (pipi-can) before going onto the sand.

The town’s page gives no season or hours for dogs; check the signs on site before you go down to the sand.

Accessibility and safety

Best time to visit

Go early in the morning or out of the summer season. Already in its first weeks in 2016, local press reported that the beach risked being overcrowded (Información). The water quality of Santa Pola’s natural beaches is tested from March to September.

Nearby alternatives

• Santa Pola town guide, 5 km away: the town, its port and the boats to Tabarca.
• Tabarca Island, 6.3 km away: the small island off the cape, reached by boat from Santa Pola.
• Salinas de Santa Pola, 10 km away: the salt pans and lagoons of the natural park, known for flamingos.
• The other two Calas del Cuartel, just south along the same road: official bathing coves, but not dog beaches.

Distances are in a straight line from the cove.

FAQ

Is there a dog beach in Santa Pola?

Yes. The Caleta dels Gossets on the Cabo de Santa Pola has been the town’s dog beach since 30 April 2016. Up to two dogs per person are allowed, microchipped and wormed.

Where is the Caleta dels Gossets?

On the east side of the Cabo de Santa Pola, on the Camí del Carabassí about 5 km from Santa Pola town, 0.6 km north of the CIMAR marine research centre. Coordinates: 38.2148, -0.5077.

Is Cala dels Gossets the same as Caleta dels Gossets?

Yes. Both names are used for the same cove, the third of the Calas del Cuartel, which is Santa Pola’s dog beach.

How many dogs can I bring?

Two per person. They must be microchipped and wormed, and potentially dangerous breeds must be muzzled and on a lead.

Is there parking at the Caleta dels Gossets?

Yes. Two small parking areas sit 75–80 m from the sand, with more car parks 300 m and 475 m south along the cape road.

Are there toilets and a bar?

In high season there is a beach bar with a public toilet. In 2026 the kiosk is licensed until 30 September.

Sources and freshness