Picasso

“Paradise”

We stayed in this hotel three years ago and really enjoyed it so were delighted to have the opportunity to return last week. Last time we stayed our boys were younger so we shared a room, this time we booked seperate rooms side by side. Both rooms were bright and quite spacious, nicely appointed,… more

We stayed in this hotel three years ago and really enjoyed it so were delighted to have the opportunity to return last week. Last time we stayed our boys were younger so we shared a room, this time we booked seperate rooms side by side. Both rooms were bright and quite spacious, nicely appointed, and both with balconies - ours overlooked the lovely pool area and the boys one looked on to a stables. I have stayed in many hotels over the years but this is without doubt one of the cleanest hotel I have ever been in. The fact that all floors are tiled helps obviously, but regardless the cleaning staff were fantastic and there was always a lovely clean fresh aroma throughout the building. The pool is lovely and seems to have a mix of salt water in it so you don't have an overwhelming chlorine scent and therefore also seems softer on ones skin. The food is amazing, breakfast was included and we had a plethora of fresh fruit, spanish meats, and pastries to choose from. At €14.50 for a three course meal lunch and dinner (18.50 on Saturday and Sunday and Bank holidays), also a very extensive and very reasonably priced a a la carte menu, the food is very fresh, very tasty and lovingly prepared. The interior of the hotel is nicely decorated, bright, modern but with plenty of charm and you have the option of dining outside either by the poolside or the front of the hotel on a very quiet side road setting. There are some lovely paintings on the walls (many of which were for sale and I would have been seriously interested if it wasn't for luggage restrictions on the flight). The owners and their staff are highly professional yet very warm and accommodating. The surrounding area is unspoilt and very scenic. Within five minutes of walking you are at a beautiful sparsley populated beach, take another slightly different route and you arrive at a lovely lagoon where you can indulge in kayaking and other low key water sports. I could happily lounge at the hotel for a week but we did hire a car as there are many interesting and beautiful towns nearby (approx 20 mins in a car) e.g. Toroella de Montgri (good market on Mondays), Pals (old town), Peratallada (stunning), Begur (buzzing and amazing aspect), Callela de Pallafrugel/Llafranc(walked from one resort to the other in 15 minutes on a gorgeous coastal path. For somewhere purpose built for the holiday crowd (not my thing but my teenage sons liked it) Estartit is also nearby - 20/25 minutes by car or it can be reached by walking (probably take an hour at most). Girona city is approx 50 minutes away and is a ovely city with something for everyone - beautiful buildings, history, great shopping, high quality restaurants, atmosphere. Anyway to conclude if you want sun and stunning blue skies, unspoilt scenery, culture, relaxation and fabulous (great value) food and wine in authentic surroundings then this hotel and location are hard to beat.

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