Top 10: the best luxury hotels on the Costa Brava
An insider's guide to the top luxury hotels on the Costa Brava, including the best places to stay for rooms with sea views, beach access, Catalan cuisine, spas and golf courses, in locations including Begur, Girona and Peralada.
Five-star luxury with top-class service, facilities and food. Completely rebuilt by star Catalan architect and interior designer Lázaro Rosa-Violan, the hotel feels classy, eclectic and modern with a sense of contemporary grandeur, but isn’t at all stuffy. In the lounge, retro chandeliers sit alongside tan leather sofas, orange rugs and white drapes. Corridors are carpeted with black velvety moquette and grandiose Grecian-style pottery urns that look like they could be on loan from the British Museum. As well as the golf courses, there’s a large infinity pool and small paddling pool and a terrace with sun loungers. There’s also a wellness centre with treatment rooms.
? The best hotels on the Costa Brava
A luxurious Costa Brava hotel with its own golf course, spa and the fine dining Aires Restaurant. Not to mention a winery, wine museum and castle nearby. It's a true wine lovers’ paradise. The modern red brick exterior belies the comfort within. As soon as you enter the foyer, the plush carpeting, spaciousness and lofty ceilings give a sense of class. The style is modern without being cutting edge and the restaurant’s brick arches nod to the medieval heritage of the village just up the road. The spa also stylishly references the hotel’s wine connections, with large wooden barrels for used towels and tasteful, wine-related images on the walls.
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With its sleek, contemporary interiors and seaside location, this is every inch the hip beach hotel. Next door to the sprawling Greco-Roman ruins of Empúries, the hotel sits directly on the wonderfully wild bay of Playa del Portitxol, with nothing more than wooded pines and a couple of xiringuitos (beach bars) for company. The original building still has the feel of a grand old hotel with high ceilings and an old-school, almost colonial air, while the new extension is all sleek, white Modernist rectangles. Huge glass picture windows flood the public areas with natural light while solar panels heat the building.
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This 14th-century castle, perched on a hilltop just outside the ceramic-making town of La Bisbal, has been lovingly converted into a tasteful four-star hotel offering excellent Catalan cooking, contemporary interiors and spectacular rural views. It's exceptional value for money, particularly in low season. The Dutch owner, Albert Diks, has managed to maintain the original Rapunzel-like character of the castle while also making the whole place feel beautifully contemporary. There’s a gorgeous mix of Indian silks, Moroccan floor-tiles, Far-Eastern antiques and show-stopping glass chandeliers.
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This classy hotel overlooking the beautiful bay of Aiguablava has one of the most stunning locations on the Costa Brava. It may only be a four star, but its old-world charm, superb restaurant and spectacular views are unquestionably five. Most of the rooms are stylish and contemporary, while some of the lounge areas are charmingly old-fashioned with traditional Spanish pottery and gilt-framed Impressionist-style oils on the walls. The wood-panelled bar area has large black-and-white blow ups of some of the hotel’s historic guests, from bullfighters to film stars like Rock Hudson and Kirk Douglas.
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The Hotel del Teatre is a chic, intimate boutique hotel converted from two 18th-century farmhouses and a theatre, near Begur. Destination restaurant La Calèndula is a real draw, serving Catalan cuisine that uses seasonal ingredients as well as locally foraged wild herbs and flowers. There’s a focus on meat, with dishes such as young lamb with chickpea puree and lemon thyme as well as super fresh fish from the nearby coast and Catalan stew with marine plankton. The seven rooms (including five suites) are a stylish mix of airy, Zen simplicity, 21st-century mod-cons and rustic beamed, vaulted ceilings.
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A small, converted farmhouse with exceptional food on the edge of the medieval town of Begur. It offers contemporary interiors with beamed ceilings, and chunky, exposed stone walls, attentive service, and an exceptional restaurant. The husband-and-wife owners have retained much of the original character of the 18th-century stone building, while introducing their own warm, contemporary style, with quirky individual features in the rooms and hallway. The restaurant offers a contemporary take on traditional Catalan and Mediterranean dishes. Gorgeous beaches and coastal walks are within 20 minutes’ drive.
? The best four-star hotels on the Costa Brava
A luxurious five-star country house hotel and spa, within easy reach of the Costa’s beaches and golf courses. A favourite of the rich and famous, from REM to Kylie Minogue. Converted from an 18th-century farmhouse, with restored original fa?ade and interior arches, it’s traditional, luxurious and slightly formal. There’s a lovely outdoor pool, a spa, tennis court, bicycles and beautiful gardens. The 38 rooms come in three categories, seven of them with two bathrooms and a private pool, and 20 with direct garden access. The 10 Masia suites in the original farmhouse building have the most character and the best views.
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A glamorous if slightly formal five-star hotel converted from a traditional Catalan country farmhouse in the midst of green fields and fig orchards, with little more than the sound of birdsong from the surrounding trees. There’s also an elegant, upscale restaurant. The 14 rooms are spacious, light and airy with high ceilings and white walls. Black, extra-large, four-poster beds lend a contemporary touch, while antique-style bedside tables, original fireplaces and marble bathrooms add to the general feel of luxury and grandeur. There’s a large pool at the end of the gardens surrounded by sun loungers, as well as a library and bar.
The panoramic views from the roof terrace and pool of this stylish, contemporary hotel are hard to beat. It’s a short walk downhill to Girona’s medieval Old Town and Jewish Quarter and less than 15 minutes into the main town centre. You’re far enough away however from the narrow cobbled streets and early morning alarm call of the cathedral bells to be wonderfully quiet. Staff are helpful and there’s a good grill restaurant. The impressive roof terrace has an outdoor pool, sun loungers and comfy seating for an afternoon or evening drink.
