Last month we went on a Catalan adventure and enjoyed our first experience of the Costa Brava as guests of the Catalunya Tourist Board. We were all looking forward to experiencing a different region of Spain and seeing what it had to offer for families. Of course, my first issue was trying to explain to Monkey that we were going to Spain, but not to see Granny and Gramps. It’s difficult for a nearly 5-year-old to grasp distances! In the end I got the map out and showed him exactly where we were going on our trip.
This is where we are going Monkey. We are flying into Barcelona, and then travelling to our base in L’Estartit and then up the coast to Roses. It’s a long way from Granny and Gramps in Andalucia. Ok Mummy, we are going to a different Spain!
So off we set one Friday morning, down the motorway to Gatwick for our flight with Vueling. I hadn’t flown from Gatwick in well over 20 years, the traffic was kind to us on the motorway and we found the Valet Parking within the short stay car park easily. The service was quick and efficient and we could walk to the airport terminal under cover a few minutes away.
Being me, we arrived at the airport early, so were one of the first to check-in for our Vueling flight when the desk opened. We were taking our luggage as hand luggage, checked in and went off in search of lunch. I was slightly bemused to then discover that we hadn’t been allocated seats together, not an issue we’ve encountered before, even more puzzling was the fact the check-in lady had put Monkey 10 rows away from us. The gate staff were very helpful and got us all seats in the same row. I could relax. We were off on a Catalan adventure.
Once we arrived at Barcelona airport we were guided to our minibus by our tour leader Gemma and whisked off to our base for the nest couple of days, the Hotel Medes II in L’Estartit. It was late by the time we arrived, with fireworks crackling overhead (for the arrival of the Pirates, not us! More on that tomorrow), so we left our bags in our room and hurried down for our evening meal. There was a set menu with a couple of options per course as well as a childrens menu. The food was delicious, and much appreciated after our journey.
Monkey had coped really well with the first leg of our Catalan adventure, but he was exhausted. It was time for bed. Our room was spacious, and would sleep a family of four easily. Everywhere was spotlessly clean and the bathroom even had a bath. Yes, I know we were only staying for two nights, but if we were staying for a week or more I do like to be able to have a soak if I can.
Wow Mummy, this bed is big! This was going to be a good test for Monkey as his single bed would be arriving soon after. Would he sleep? Well, we all slept very well and when we woke up we were dying to look out on our balcony – what did L’Estartit look like in daylight??
We discovered that our hotel was just a few roads back from the seaside and behind us was a mountain. I’m not sure what impressed Monkey the most!
I could tell instantly that I was going to like L’Estartit. Our hotel was perfectly located to explore the town and beach and I was already telling Daddy P that I could imagine us staying here again. It’s a lovely, small, family run hotel. Everyone was very helpful, it offers 3 meal plan options, a car park and swimming pool.
Time for a Catalan adventure to really begin! I could have just written one long post giving a short version of what we experienced during our stay, but the area deserves more than that. So I’m going to leave you with a few taster shots and will be posting over the next couple of days with our thoughts on L’Estartit itself, an evening watching Daddy P cooking with I Cook It at La Vinyeta (trust me that was a fab experience!) and then two different takes on a day spent in Roses.
What I can say, is that all three of us fell in love with this area of Spain and we will definitely be returning. A Catalan Adventure continues tomorrow …….
disclaimer: we were guests of the Catalunya Tourist Board throughout our taster weekend. Our comments still remain our own, honest opinions
Looks amazing. An area I have never visited.
Beautiful photos it looks like an amazing place!