Located in the north eastern region of Catalonia, la Costa Brava stretches from Blanes, 60km northeast of Barcelona, to the French border, from here, we have found some stunning luxury villa rentals. This Catalan region it is like a canvas where nature has intended to combine with exquisite delicacy the intense green of the pine groves, the massive steadfastness of the rocks, the softness of the golden sands and the deep, dazzling blue of the sea, perfect for a luxury villa holiday.
From Blanes to Portbou, the list of things to visit in la Costa Brava includes the Cap de Creus Natural Park, with the monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes and the villages of Cadaqués and El Port de la Selva, the marshes of the Aiguamolls de l´Empordà Natural Park and the Illes Medes Marine Reserve, and unique settings such as Roses bay, the roman ruins of Empúries, the coves of Begur and Palafrugell, Sant Sebastià lighthouse, Cap Roig gardens, the old town of Tossa de Mar and Marimurtra botanical gardens, between Lloret and Blanes.
Other places such as Peralada, with its castle and casino, Figueres, with its museum devoted to the universal artist Salvador Dalí, medieval villages such as Pals, Peratallada and Púbol, the pottery shops at La Bisbal, the scenery of the Pla de l´Estany county with its capital Banyoles, and the city of Girona, with its cathedral and internationally famous Jewish Quarter.
On top of all this, one of the features la Costa Brava displays with great pride is the quality of beaches and coastal waters, the result of considerable work put into quality monitoring and water treatment which has over and over again been praised for its quality by the European Environmental Education Foundation, as seen from the many blue flags which flutter in the breeze along our coastline.
In addition, the beaches of Lloret de Mar and Fenals have obtained the “Q” certificate of tourism quality awarded by the ICTE, and the beaches of Santa Margarida, Salatar, El Rastell, La Nova, La Punta (in Roses), those of Sant Antoni, Cala Cristus-Ses Torretes and Es Monestri (in Calonge) and platja d´el Pas in El Port de la Selva (the best beach of Catalonia this year once again) have won the EMAS environmental quality certificate.
The combination of a very good summer climate, nature and excellent beaches, this holiday destination was exploited by the construction of large numbers of hotels and apartments in such seaside resorts as Blanes, Tossa de Mar and Lloret de Mar, mainly for package holiday tourists from Northern Europe and the United Kingdom and France. Tourism rapidly took over from fishing as the principal business of the area. Whilst part of the Costa Brava coastline lent itself to tourist developments on a very large scale; other parts have retained a more traditional look and have become "hidden gems" for visitors who want a little more than sun, sand and sangria. Small towns like El Port de la Selva, surrounded by the natural park of El Cap de Creus and known by its amazing beaches to the foothills of the Pyrenees or Cadaqués have attracted artists such as Salvador Dalí and Pablo Picasso and are now fashionable resorts.
Costa Brava Info
Country |
Spain |
Airports |
Girona–Costa Brava Airport (GRO) |
GMT |
+ 2 hours |
Currency |
Euros |