Mary PaffardYoga for All

It’s a modest little flat in exquisite surroundings. It has a sitting room (two couches that could be beds), a bedroom (two individual beds), and a sizable balcony. It has a small but adequate interior kitchen and a regular bathroom (with bath and shower). And it’s in a wonderful setting.


The flat is part of a building with holiday flats in one of the most lovely parts of the Costa Brava. It is surrounded by views of the sea and pleasant villas and second homes mainly of Barcelonian residents. The area and building are well taken care of–there is a caretaker year round and in the summer months a small bar/shop. The swimming pool is fabulous and the gardens very pleasant for doing the odd bit of yoga under the willow tree.

The sea itself is a 20 minute walk away or mini drive and is a beach that doesn’t usually get overly crowded or noisy as it is down a long staircase, ie you cant park right at the beach. And there are many other quintessential Costa Bravan coves around this area short drives away.
Begur – a well preserved medieval village –is about 2 or 3 miles away and has fancy restaurants and clothing stores – to be avoided if you are on a budget! Bernie, my husband, described it as a medieval Sausalito! Wonderful crumbling castle/fort walk and just a pleasant place to find the farmers market and get essentials.


Girona, where I lived in the late 70s-early 80s, is 40-minute drive away from here as is the Girona airport. This has a fabulous, well preserved medieval section; in fact as you go up to the Cathedral along the winding cobbled streets, I used to live at the top of one of these ancient ancient stone buildings (oh! if I had only understood real estate in my youth!) The outskirts of Girona are generally a bit ugly but the center is lovely and an easy place to pass away a day. Exhibitions, music, theatre exist now that were never apparent in a much poorer Catalunya of the 70s-80s.
Barcelona is about a 90 minute to two-hour car trip depending on traffic. You might be better off taking a train from Caldas de Malavela or Girona (40 minute drive) to go there for a day or two. The train service is inexpensive and reliable. One hour 20 mins usually unless you get the milk run. If you have never been to Barcelona, you have to go. The Gothic area, Picasso and Miro museums, cathedral, Ramblas, Gaudi’s amazing and ridiculous monuments, the port, Montjuich...it’s endless what you can do and see here.
But if you wanted to just kick back, then the whole coast has some quieter places to visit. There is golf, biking, traditional spa hotels, Roman remains, and the beauty of the actual coast line which I believe you can walk along almost all the way. There are many sections of the coast with walkways. For example, around Fornells, the lovely little port next to Aigua Blava, and the nearest beach. There are nudist beaches - very few people wear tops on Spanish beaches – in the 70s you would be arrested for wearing anything mildly revealing! You could also take a trip to the Pyrenees which lie just west of Girona. Or just lie still by the pool and contemplate your tanning navel!

Girona is the nearest airport. The easiest route would be to fly into Girona and rent a car. www.DoYouSpain.com is where I usually rent my cars and get rates of 60 euros a week. The more sustainable way would be to take the train from the UK or wherever you are in Europe and get the express super fast service from Paris to Figueres which is about an hour north of Girona, 1.5 hours drive from the flat. You could then rent a car there or take another train to Girona and rent a car there. You can bicycle a lot in this area and much of the zone between Girona and the coast is undulating—no major hills until you get close to where the flat is. Cliff-like drop from the main road to our Dos Calas entrance. So that would be another possibility for the valiant and young among us. However you do need some kind of transport unless you are coming at peak summer times and are ok about using the occasional taxi.
PCI, the company that manage the flat, leave information in the flat with helpful local information and are always a resource if you need to know something. Most towns have OK tourist offices also.

In this area most people speak Catalan so don’t worry if you think your Spanish is rustier than you thought! They will usually oblige you with speaking Spanish but it is not their natural tongue and after so many years of repression under Franco they understandably see no need to compromise their language these days. However, you can get by with Spanish and a lot of people speak English in tourist areas. Well worth the effort of studying up a bit if you want to communicate while you are there.

Gone are the days when everything in Spain was so much cheaper than in other parts of Europe. Food is moderately priced especially if you go to markets. Restaurants are surprisingly expensive (I think but my UK friends say not so) for variable fare. Bernie and I spent very little of our time there in restaurants and this is where a flat is so helpful as you can make all your meals and picnics so easily. Transport, museums, rentals, are okay price wise compared to the States but don’t expect things to be rock bottom especially in the tourist areas and cities. Those who travel often to Spain: any of your opinions or cautions here would be welcome.

Usually hot in summer June–September but can be variable. Cool if not occasionally cold in December–March. Some strange winds can occur at odd times in Girona area. Quite pleasant if not the best swimming weather in April, May and October. And you have to remember less heat equals fewer tourists. In March, for example there is hardly anyone around!

If you do go, let me know how your trip went and any photos or anecdotes to share. I am so happy others can use this space and I also appreciate that these visits allow me to cover my communal costs there which are quite high. If you were happy there, please do encourage others to go. For a couple, solo, or even a small family who are not going to spend loads of time indoors, it’s great.