Spain - Costa Brava
The Costa Brava is the most northeastern coastal part of Spain. Lot’s of French, lot’s of hills, lots of awesome. I drove to 2 cities there…
Cadaques – Nice little town. The 2 hour drive from Barcelona was slightly more than I bargained for…and I might argue that the last 45 minutes of twists and turns and fear and nausea and mountain passes and speeding Spanish trucks is the most exciting and interesting part of Cadaques. The old town is cool, very windy and streets only wide enough for a couple people abreast to pass by, plus you stumble upon all these shops just buried in this old town area (but the shops carried shit for the most part…even in an isolated town like this, doesn’t anyone make anything anymore?). These walks do make you feel like you’ve gone back in time though…shale under your feet, walls much higher than anyone could see, and turns and bends that either lead to salvation or disaster… They have a somewhat nice walk/hike along the coast, heading towards Picasso’s old place. I’d also add that the beach itself has some seaside restaurants which was nice and much appreciated, but the beach was rocky and very much meh. Don’t get me wrong, the town was gorgeous and the old church (their highlight) was pretty remarkable honestly, and the views from multiple heights were great, but it just wasn’t good enough. If you’ve been to similar places, and there are soooooo many, then no need to go here at all really. Guidebook…fail.
Tossa De Mar – Holy frijoles, I love this place. The town itself is gorgeous, restaurants and shops everywhere along windy, small, cobblestone roads. The vibe here is good. The “beach side” restaurants can’t really see over what I would call a sand “hump” but I guess it’s a really long dune blocking the sea from the ground level view from the town. I say ground level because there are cliffs everywhere. They have this giant fortress/castle on one side that knocked my socks off. It truly was like walking through medieval times, but without all the t-shirts and bullshit. I don’t think I’ve seen something so preserved and wide open (you can walk around pretty much anywhere) without all the tourist crap nuggets associated with it. I mean there are nooks and crannies everywhere, you are high above everything so there are views everywhere, it’s free, it’s intact, it’s pretty damn amazing. I mean I literally got lost at one point on these tiny streets high above the beach trying to find my way back to the castle. It was awesome. Everywhere I turned I felt like Jennifer Connelly in Labyrinth. And by that I mean David Bowie. They also have many beach nooks around the castle and moving away from the castle (where I ended up buying the most expensive towel and sunblock of my life!). This town has a bunch of restaurant rows even, where the tiny streets are just lined with patios…something near and dear to my heart. Guidebook….pass. Just wonderful
Notes to self:
-The above says it all. From my limited experience…there is one place to go.
-I did want to go to Montserrat but alas time was not on my side. Sounds cool…next time. (I did end up going and I think I put it in “Normandy”)
Hotel Delfin Tossa De Mar - May 2015
Great pick. Cheap as shit (not like they have a W in places like this) and kind of perfect. Classic rooms with a few modern touches. Hard wood floors and the rooms are pretty big…bed was a remarkable piece of shit but that’s what red wine is for. They have room service (not 24 hours but that would be weird if they did), they have mini bars (big surprise!), they do not have pay per view but the TV was of moderate size. My somewhat basic room had 2 balconies! One off the foyer and one off the bedroom, each balcony was big enough for a chaise which was nice (one of my balconies looked over a side road and one looked over the main street, so it was kind of perfect for when you wanted privacy versus action…I do think I preferred not looking over that main street). Wifi was free but it truly sucked anus hole. The location of the hotel was absolutely perfect, less than 2 minutes from the sea, definitely in the center area. The lobby has a bar/restaurant and the people are nice. I parked on the street but I guess there’s a parking lot you can use for 10 euros a day (I parked right in front but had to move my car the last morning to the other side of the street…I guess for street cleaning, but it was a show). Ummmmmm, jacuzzi on the 4th floor…perfecto santiago. 75 euros a night I think (about 80 dolares).
Notes
-Would definitely come to this town again, and stay in this place again.
-Breakfast was included and they had eggs! EGGS! I mean, come on Europe, get your shit together. Viva la France and their wonderful world of omelets.
Taronget Cadaques - May 2015
You know what, good for these folks. They call this a 2 star hotel (it was pretty much the best available left from a shitty list), and I would bet that many around it claim more stars and offer worse accommodations. The people here are super nice, it’s a 5 minute walk to the beach or center, the rooms are perfectly clean and spartan modern, the bathrooms are completely new and work great, they have a little TV, free wifi, free parking, they have balconies big enough for 2 chairs and a table (I apparently booked a double room, but the balcony didn’t look at much other than an apartment buildings apartment balcony), and they include breakfast, which I haven’t had yet but even if it’s shit I still think this place deserves some cred (I tried it now…yup, shit). No mini bar, fine. No room service, ok. No pay per view, they didn’t even have 1 single English channel, ha! This area ain’t exactly teeming with resorts, so you need something close, clean, safe, and comfortable. Mission accomplished. Seriously, good for these wonderfully nice people. 65 euros a night.