Barcelona and Costa Brava
 

I'm looking for moderately priced hotels in Barcelona as well as some recommendations on places to stay/visit in the Costa Brava area. I hear Cadaques is great. Any hotel/B&B/inn ideas in the Costa Brava area would be much appreciated.

I just returned from a trip to this area last week, and my favorite, by far, was the parador at Aiguablava. It is heaven on earth, and I believe we paid 116 Euros/night for a lovely double room with a balcony overlooking the water. Truly truly amazing.

savvytraveler,
A resounding second for Aiguablava.
If the Parador is full, there's the very nice family run and reasonably priced (without the obligatory July/Aug MAP plan) Hotel Aiguablava right across the cove. The views are astounding, it's so relaxing and the area very upscale, surrounded by gorgeous wkd., summer homes of the Catalán elite.
Aiguablava is my very favorite spot on the Costa Brava.

I'm a much bigger fan of Aiguablava than I am of the more bohemian artsy, laid back Cadaqués (just a personal preference), but the Hotel Llane Petit there is o.k. as is the simple but spotless Hostal Cristina right at the pier, if you want a basic, inexpensive inn, but neither place can compare, I think, to the comfort, spaciousness and expansive views of the Parador or Hotel Aiguablava. But it depends on what you like and your interests.

Thanks--Can you give me specific location details on Aiguablava? I'm having difficulty finding it. Sounds great!

savvy

It is a Parador - the gov't run hotel enterprise in Spain.

see http://www.parador.es/

Click on English in the top right & choose Aiguablava in the 'Select a Parador' box.

For other Costa Brava info see:
http://tourism.catalonia.net/

A private site with good info.

We stayed at: La Riera in Peratallada (Tel 972 63 41 42) several years ago. Peratallada is an ancient stone village.
Very, very spooky at night. We really enjoyed it.

Ian

savvytraveler,
More info on the Costa Brava here:
http://www.costabrava.org/ang/index.htm

And about the Hotel Aiguablava:
www,aiguablava.com

I've visited Peratallada several times, and it's an enchanting medieval village, not on the ocean but inland in the Baix Emporda and very near Aiguablava. Highly recommended for an excursion!

For Barcelona: I just reserved the Gaudi Hotel (just off the Ramblas)for $138 per night for 2 people. Price includes all taxes, fees, and "hot buffet breakfast." I used OctopusTravel.com, which I learned about on this forum, for the first time. That price is just about as "moderate" as anything I have seen in my searches! Actually, I have stayed at the Gaudi before--in 1967. I think it cost about $10 a night then.

Maribel. I have been looking for a very large house in Spain for next year and located one near Riudarenes.
There will be several small children in the group, so activities will be mostly planned around their days.
Thank you for any input.
Sherry

Sher,
I'll do some investigating and get back to you, but just a question: How many people should the house sleep? I assume you'd want it with a pool, correct?

Maribel. Thank you for responding so quickly. The house is for two families. The minimum it needs to sleep is nine. Then during the three or four week stay, they like to invite various friends and family to drop in.
On one of your previous posts, you mentioned villavacations.com and this is where I started.
What happens is that my brother and a friend's family vacationed together in France this past year and want to try Spain next year. There are four small children between the two families and they really do not want to be really far from an airport.

I had looked at the Begur area, but the distance from Barcelona is not appealing. If you look at Can Cunill, this is the type of property that appeals to them. Or maybe two houses either side by side or very close in area. One would have to sleep at least ten, the other six or eight. And a pool is an absolute must.

My email is [email protected]. I would appreciate any help if you have the time.
Thank you.
Sherry

Hi Sher,
Yes, I do remember your post about your brother's rental. I'm glad you started with villavacations.com
Now that I have his parameters, I'll see what I can find.
I would certainly stay either at or preferably above the Tossa de Mar area to avoid the loud party scene and concrete overdevelopment of the lower Costa Brava, from Lloret on down, but I understand too the need to be closer to an airport. The Begur-Pals-Aiguablava area will provide the largest number of luxury properties simply because it's the most upmarket section of the Costa Brava, but there are also some nice places around Sant Feliu de Guixols and inland. If I find something I think would fit the bill, I'll email you directly.

The Parador looks like a great option. One more question: is it best to just stay put at one hotel in the Costa Brava area (i.e. the Parador) and travel to Girona, Cadaques, Figueres, etc. from there or book hotel rooms in each place as we make our way up the coast?

savvytraveler,

I moved around a bit, staying at the parador and then moving to Hotel Peninsular in Girona. If you plan on exploring no farther than Figueres, I would actually recommend NOT doing that. The Parador is so lovely, and the distances are not too bad...I think staying put would be the better option. I didn't make it to Cadaques, but I've read on this board that the drive is a bit more harrowing and time consuimng, for that you may want an overnight stay...but others could help more in that regard. Best of luck.

savvytraveler,
Two summers ago we stayed put for 4 days in Aiguablava (couldn't tear ourselves away from those wonderful sea views) and did the Dali triangle (Figueres, Pubol and Cadaques) from there, also the Greco-Roman ruins of Empuries and the other coves of Sa Riera, Sa Tuna, Aiguafreda, Tamariu, Llafranc and Calella right nearby.
The Cadaques trip is the most taxing and there are literally hundreds of curves on that narrow road from Roses up to Cadaques, but it's doable, you just must drive slowly.
You can also do Girona from Aiguablava and the medieval villages of Pals and Peratallada. One note: that road becomes extremely congested on summer wkds., so I'd advise getting an early start. Sunday afternoons are the worst.

Thanks so much for the advice! I think we will likely follow a similar itinerary on our trip in October. And we're booked at the Parador! Thanks!

Help Maribel! Can I get a copy of your Barcelona file? The Madrid and Seville ones are just great! Thanks
[email protected]