Baia le Grotte

Balestrate sits on the Gulf of Castellammare, the long curve of coast between Palermo and Trapani where the mountains fall back and the shoreline flattens into sand. Baia le Grotte runs an equipped section of it from the Lungomare Felice d'Anna, close enough to Palermo for a day trip and far enough from the city beaches to feel like the countryside. The setup is straightforward: umbrella with two loungers per pitch, laid out in numbered rows so the front line carries a premium and the fourth row back costs meaningfully less, plus SUP and canoe rental for the flat morning water. What genuinely distinguishes the kitchen is its gluten-free work, which is treated as a proper parallel menu rather than a single token dish, alongside standard Sicilian plates. A cocktail lab handles the drinks side, and through the season there are events and live music evenings, with the site available for private hire. The club publishes a full 2026 tariff grid, which is more transparency than most Sicilian lidos offer: season and monthly passes by row, daily rates that climb from June into August, an extra lounger at ten euro, and a cheaper variant of every subscription if you agree to skip Sundays. Open every day from eight until seven, June through mid-September.