From Barcelona up the Costa Brava

By:  Jennifer Milano, traveled in June-July 2014, July 2019 and November 2024

"My stomach hurts," my seven-year-old son moaned as our rented Fiat took the twists and turns of the mountain road through the northern Costa Brava in Spain.  "Mine, too," complained my ten-year-old daughter.  It had been 20 minutes since we had passed the last of the popular seaside towns dotting the coast north of Barcelona, and the combination of reading in the backseat and the hairpin turns on the mountain road had proved to be nauseating.  My husband pulled the car over in a small turn-off area by the side of the road.  A massive sign in front of us containing a mural of a white-washed town announced, "Welcome to Cadaqués". 

At a snail's pace, we made our way down the last portion of the steep road, and into the small town of shops and restaurants.  The road ended at the sea, and we turned left toward our hotel.  Another precarious road - this time, flat, but with no barrier between the street and the sea to our immediate right.  Waves crashed up onto the street, seawater running under our car.  My husband drove slower than I have ever seen him drive.  "One overcompensation of the steering wheel and we are in the Mediterranean," he muttered.  I wondered if we should have chosen one of the popular seaside towns off the highway.

We found the Hotel Playa Sol, and were relieved when the staff told us we could park our car in the hotel's garage and leave it there for our entire four-night stay.  Maneuvering into the European garage's tight parking spot was a challenge, but my husband's reward was a car-free existence in a Spanish seaside town.  We walked through the front doors of the hotel, passing a pale blue and white living-room style lobby that was reminiscent of a seaside Cape Cod resort, and were given keys to our room.  All nausea and doubts vanished as we entered our lovely, airy hotel room, with two sets of double glass doors leading to a long balcony.  We dropped our bags and went straight out to the patio.  We sat in the four deck chairs lined up in a row as though they were waiting just for our family.  We gazed at the little beach below, with colorful rowboats stacked on the sand.  We watched vacationers stroll by, either disappearing around a curve in the road beyond where we had driven, or strolling into the town by the sea.  We could barely take our eyes of Cadaqués, a cluster of whitewashed buildings lining the bay and leading up the mountains, the setting sun reflecting off the sea and the boats in the harbor.  The setting was perfect, and I hoped to spend a good portion of my stay on that terrace.

We spent the next three days exploring the town and surrounding area.  Walking along the coast away from town, we had our pick of little beaches.  We would place our towels on a rock, walk down the sand and cool off in the aqua-colored sea.  The Hotel Playa Sol has a large swimming pool, with ping pong, and a combination basketball-tennis court just adjacent.  The hotel was filled with families, mainly French, it seemed, with some German and Spanish guests, as well.  The poolside restaurant was convenient, although we would have preferred poolside service so we could have waited for our food from the pool or lounge chairs rather than at a table.  When my kids saw people riding around in golf carts, both of them turned immediately to my husband and me with excited, expectant looks on their faces.  Deciding it would be a fun way to explore the nearby national park, we rented a golf cart and spent a few hours driving the area.  We saw Salvador Dalí's house with its famous rooftop eggs.  We drove through the park, climbing to the top of a cliff to a quasi-visitor's center where the wind was so powerful my husband had a difficult time keeping the golf cart on the road (his usual love of driving was tamed by the northern Costa Brava).  In the evenings, we would stroll into town, eat tapas or paella at an outdoor cafe, and the kids would join the continuous soccer game going on in the town square.  But our favorite spot remained our balcony overlooking the town and the sea, the setting even inspiring our kids to take out their Spanish workbooks from their Barcelona language camp and study in the Mediterranean evenings.  Now that's one powerful view!

Barcelona

Barcelona Logistics:  We started our 2014 Spanish adventure in Barcelona, where our kids spent a week learning Spanish and playing with children from all over the world at Enfo Camp.  My husband and I would take the kids by metro to the camp and drop them off at 9:00 am, and spend the day wandering the city, eating tapas, working from our apartment rental, reading and relaxing.  Then we would return to the camp at 8:00 pm to pick the kids up, feed them dinner, and carry their exhausted little bodies to bed.  When we offered to pick them up early so they could get more sleep, they immediately protested and begged to stay at camp for the full eleven hours.  Eleven hours to ourselves?  How could my husband and I argue with that?

Where to Stay:  We started our trip at the absolutely perfect Mercer Hotel, located in a medieval building on a quiet side street in the Gothic Quarter.  The staff was out-of-this-world amazing, the rooms were gorgeous and the rooftop pool and bar was a welcome respite from the city.  The catch?  It's expensive - we managed to have the huge suite for the four of us for the price of a regular room, but at 400 Euros per night, we stayed there for only three nights. 

We spent the remainder of our week in a perfectly clean and affordable, yet somewhat bland, apartment through BCN Gotic, which owns several apartments in a building centrally-located in El Born, just near the Gothic Quarter.  We also spent a night at the end of our trip in Hotel Granados 83, which had a reasonably priced suite for the four of us, and a semi-private skinny little lap pool.  But the room's decor was dark and kind of strange, and while the location was central, it was not the most charming part of the city. In 2019, we enjoyed our stay at the H10 Madison, an inexpensive but well-located hotel with a small rooftop pool.

Where to Eat:  I should have titled this section "when to eat", to which the answer would be "constantly."  The food in Barcelona is incredibly good.  Here were our favorite spots:

• Tapas:  In 2014, Cal Pep and Tapas 24 were our favorites.  Get to Cal Pep when they open (or a few minutes before) to get a seat at the bar, it fills up fast.  We put ourselves in the waiter's hands, which was expensive, but tasty.  Go to Tapas 24 off-hours - we went around 5:30 pm for an "in between" light meal and it was half-empty.  Sitting inside is actually nicer than outside, because of the open kitchen.  Order the peach smoothie.  Every dish we ate was phenomenal - we had "bombas", pork tacos, beef with mushrooms and boneless chicken wings.  In 2019, we liked Tapas 24 a bit less than the first time. Our new favorite tapas restaurant was 2254, named after the number of kilometers that separate Barcelona from Palermo, the chef-owner’s hometown. Make a reservation! We also liked Taller de Tapas okay, but it wasn't as good as Cal Pep and Tapas 24.  The tapas bar at The Mercer Hotel was also excellent, but not necessarily worth a special trip.

• Paella:  7 Puertas had amazing service and the best paella of our trip.  We also loved the spinach balls and all of the fish dishes we ordered.  They don't take reservations, but if you show up early, around 7:00 pm, you will get seated easily.  In Barceloneta, sit outside at Can Majo, with ocean views and delicious paella.  We went at lunch time and did not need a reservation, but they do take them.

• Catalan, but different:  Cafe de l'Academia on Carrer dels Lledo.   If you're sick of tapas and typical dishes, call ahead and reserve a outside table at this delicious restaurant on an adorable little square in the Gothic Quarter.  I had the fresh fettuccine with garlic shrimp, which I can still taste, and my mother had the cod with pistachios that was one of her favorite meals.  Note that the cod dishes are often made from salted cod, so the dishes will be on the salty side.

• Upscale meal:  The same friend who recommended Cal Pep, Tapas 24 and Can Majo suggested Cinc Sentits for a romantic, couples dinner, but we never made it there.  I can only assume based on his other recommendations that the restaurant is fantastic!

• Bakery:  Baluard in Barceloneta is amazing!  It faces the square just behind the market.

• Market:  The fresh juices in the Boqueria market were a great way to start the morning.

• Dessert:  Cafe Granja Viader (on Xucla, off Las Ramblas behind Betlem Church) is a cute cafe that has good crema catalana and churros with hot chocolate.  The hot chocolate at the Chocolate Museum is amazing, and our favorite churros were in a tiny shop on Princesa Street.  If you walk on Princesa Street east of Jaume I metro stop toward the Chocolate Museum, on the right-hand side of the street there is a hole-in-the-wall place with a woman making churros.  On the same side of the street nearby is an "organic bakery," which had delicious sweet treats (the savory ones were just okay).

What to Do:

• Activities:  Renting bikes in Barceloneta and riding along the seaside was a lot of fun.  The beachfront area reminds me of southern California, with beautiful beaches and a promenade lined with surf shops and smoothie stands. The kids loved the fountain show at Montjuic - shows begin at dusk but check as they don't run everyday throughout the year.  Enfo Camp was a huge hit with my kids.  The location was far from the center of the city, but was accessible by a 30-ish minute metro ride and 10-minute walk.  The kids learned some Spanish, ate a lot of junky snacks from the vending machines, and played soccer in the yard for hours with children from Poland, Russia, Canada, Dubai, New Zealand, Mexico and Spain (morning lessons are also given in English for native Spanish-speakers).

• Museums & Churches:  Barcelona's museums and churches are well-organized for receiving visitors.  Reserve your tickets at least the day before for major sites to avoid the lines, especially for Park Guell, Sagrada Familia and the Picasso Museum.  Our kids really enjoyed the Museum of the City of Barcelona, which my friend Kristen had recommended.  The museum consists of Roman ruins under the city, with a good audio tour and no lines.  Reservations are also unnecessary for the Chocolate Museum, and while the kids were fairly bored by the history of chocolate, the air-conditioned museum has a great cafe and amazing chocolate creations on display, both of which the kids enjoyed.

• Flamenco Show:  Our daughter really wanted to see a Flamenco show, which we worried would be cheesy.  We all ended up loving the one-hour show at Palau Dalmases, located at Montcada, #20 in El Born, because it felt very authentic (granted, every audience member was a tourist).  Set inside an intimate palace courtyard, the passionate musicians were infectious.  We called a day ahead to reserve, which wasn't necessary but secured us front-row seats.  Prepare for it to be very loud.

What to read:  "The Shadow of the Wind," by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, is a gripping work of fiction set in Barcelona.  It is a long book, but well worth a read, so start it before your trip!

Cadaqués

Logistics on Cadaqués:

How to Get Here:  We rented a car in Barcelona and drove two hours north to Cadaqués.  If you read the article above, you'll see why I recommend you take this drive only in broad daylight, and bring a strong stomach with you.

Where to Stay:  Hotel Playa Sol , where my friend Kristen had stayed with her family a few years before our trip, was perfect for us.  Located on the seaside, yet only a 5-10 minute walk to town, the hotel has spacious rooms for four (ask for a room with a balcony facing the sea), a pool, games and restaurants.  The tiny beach in front of the hotel is pretty, but better beaches lie slightly north.  The pool towel policy, whereby you can only check one towel out per guest, is slightly annoying, and lounge chairs in the shade can be hard to come by during peak travel times.  Hotel breakfast, service and wifi were all fine, but not phenomenal; however, the setting, room, balcony and pool all more than made up for any shortcomings.

Where to Eat:  We found the food in Cadaqués to be average, especially coming from the culinary haven of Barcelona. The pizzeria adjacent to Hotel Playa Sol is not great.  We ate at recommended Can Rafa on the main square, which was good but not amazing.  Lebanese restaurant El Barroco's owner was so welcoming and kind to our children, and the food was good, but not amazing.  Casa Anita sounded like the town's best restaurant, but we did not try it as the seafood-heavy dishes, which are brought out to tables (i.e., no menu) suit my husband and me, but not my picky kids.  We did like Enoteca MF for tapas, and it was probably the tastiest food we had in Cadaqués.  After trying three different shops, we declared the ice cream in Cadaqués to be average.

What to Do:  Cadaqués seems to cast its most charming spell on those who do little.  Walk around town, sit in the square, explore the beaches and breathe in and out until you are inhaling relaxation.  For an adventure, rent a golf cart and explore the surrounding area.  Cap de Creus National Park is beautiful (but beware that it is windy and there are steep drop-offs).  If you want to visit Salvador Dalí's house, secure tickets in advance as the number of visitors is strictly limited.  While Dalí's museum in Figueres is technically "nearby", as is the French border, we found driving the mountain roads in and out of Cadaqués to be joyless, at best.  You will love Cadaqués most if you just settle in.

Madrid

If you are heading to Madrid and want a decent hotel that represents a good value, check out Catalonia Los Cortes. We spent only one night here in 2019, but it was clean and well-located, even if the room was slightly worn. My friend, Almudena, was born and raised in Madrid and recommends these sites and activities:

• Museums: visit the Thyssen-Bornemizsa, which has a collection that covers all periods. El Prado is amazing, but can be overwhelming. El Museo Sorolla is also really nice as it’s small and easy to visit.

• Walk El Paseo del Prado

• Walk through the Madrid de los Austrias

• Visit El Parque del Retiro, and be sure to see El Palacio de Cristal

• Stroll around Opera and the Royal Palace

• For a good day trip, take the train to Toledo, and El Escorial for the palace.

  Almudena recommends these dining experiences:

• Go to the La Latina area and either go from bar to bar or eat at a restaurant (Casa Lucionis the most famous one). If you want to do bar to bar go to El Almendro 13 and Tempranillo.

• Check out the bard in Ponzano Street.

• Eat paella at Arroces de Segis, and choose the location on Infanta Street. Almudena took my husband and son here in 2019 and they still talk about it!

• Sample tapas at Cerveceria Cervantes.

• Visit Mercado de San Miguel, an old market with many food options.

• Explore the El Retiro area for great tapas bars, including Arzabel and El Raquetista.

• Head to the El Lateral area for modern tapas.
  

A Hidden Gem

Almudena’s family introduced us to the marvelous town of Navaleno, a 2-hour and 45-minute drive from Madrid, but oh was it worth it! Our kids ran around the piazzas, swam in the local pool and played soccer on the town's field with their new Spanish friends. We took beautiful walks in the forest. We had incredible meals, the highlight being at the Michelin-starred La Lobita where the locally-sourced food was so incredible I actually teared up during one of the courses. The owners were so warm and welcoming, and explained each inventive course with so much passion that you cannot help but have a memorable dining experience. El Hachero is also excellent. We stayed at the lovely El Nido de Pinares.

Where to next?

Ninety minutes north of Madrid lies a medieval walled village where you can meander through cobblestone streets called Pedraza.  Click here for more information from Condé Nast Traveler.