Holiday Accommodation Options on the Costa Brava

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Holiday Accommodation Options on the Costa Brava

Spain welcomes over 52 million visitors each year; as such the tourism industry is very well developed in many areas, particularly the Costas and the islands (Balearics and Canaries). The Costa Brava in the Autonomous Region of Catalonia is one of these favoured destinations. 

The Costa Brava ("wild coast") is a long stretch of land lying beside the Mediterranean sea and the Pyrenees mountain range and stretching from Port Bou on the border with France in the north, to its southern point at Blanes, which lies 60 Km north of Barcelona. It includes the city and province of Girona.

The region has a wide range of outdoor mountain and sea activities as well as significant historical and natural sites.

Holiday Accommodation

A wide variety of vacation accommodation is available on the Costa Brava with something to suit all tastes and budgets. There are hotels, self-catering apartments, youth hostels, campsites, as well as rural accommodation in traditional farmhouses and mountain shelters or "refuges" in the Pyrenees.  

• See The AngloFILE directory for Hotels & Holiday Accommodation

Hotels

Accommodation classified as "hotels" includes hotels, boarding houses (or pensions) and hotel-apartments. All hotels are categorised; there are four category types recognised by a letter symbol. 

• H: Registered hotels
• HR: Residential hotel with no dining facility
• HA: Hotels with self-catering apartments
• CV: Holiday complexes

The hotel categories range from 1 to 5 stars Grand Luxe (GL):

• 5 star: Outstanding, luxury hotel
• 4 star: Highly superior hotel
• 3 star: Highly comfortable, tourist hotel
• 2 star: Good standard, tourist hotel
• 1 star: Average standard, tourist hotel

Accommodation may also be graded according to Tourist Quality certification (Q) or its environmental quality (EMAS or the environmental quality guarantee symbol). The large number of hotels in Catalonia means that discounted stays can often be found either on web-based reservation portals or via a travel agent.

Paradores

The government created this hotel chain in 1928. Paradors are luxury hotels or inns located in special buildings such as converted Moorish fortresses, castles or monasteries. There are 85 of them around Spain and they remain state owned.

See these websites for more information and to find paradores:

• Paradores
• Paradores of Spain

Pensión

A pensión is a small but basic hotel usually offering a room but no dining facilities. It is also classified according to star rating.

Fonda/Casa de Huespedes

A fonda is symbolised with a blue letter F on a white background. A fonda is a type of hotel but is more basic than a pensión, with typically, a small number of bedrooms. It may or may not have a bar or dinning room. A casa de huespedes is similar to a guest house.

Hostals

Do not confuse a Hostal with a hostel. A Hostal is small private hotel with limited facilities and services and often a competitively priced alternative to a hotel.

Aparthotel

As the name suggests this is a mix between an apartment and hotel in that it is an individual accommodation unit but is usually within the grounds of a hotel. The hotel's services (cleaning service and dining facilities) can be used by the guests in the apartment.

Casas Rurales, Fincas and Villas

Rural accommodation and country houses range from large sprawling houses with large gardens to small, compact cottages in the country. In Catalonia, rural accommodation is classified regionally and can be either a room, with breakfast service, half-board, full-board service (or access to the kitchen), or a fully-equipped independent house. 

Fincas are rural properties, often former farm houses, that have been converted into tourist properties.

The Inner Catalonia Federation of Agritourism (Federación de Agroturismo de Catalunya Interior - FACI) has information on the various independent rural lodgings, townhouses, country houses and farm houses with rooms available for rental in the interior of Catalonia.

• Federación de Agroturismo de Catalunya Interior
  Tel: 938 691 886
  Fax: 938 684 635
  e-mail
  Website

Villas are often located outside the main urban centres, so private transport is usually essential. Villas often have good amenities including swimming pools and kitchen facilities.

Refuge

A refuge (refugio) or mountain shelter is rural accommodation in the Pyrenees range. There three types of refuge in the Girona province: 

• Hostel refuge: open year round and accessible by road and foot path 
• Attended/guarded refuge: mountain shelter in the highlands which is fitted for over night stays (and may be attended in season)
• Free/bivouac refuge: very remote location, probably accessible by hiking; always open and never attended 

Self-Catering Apartment/Apartamento

The self-catering tourist apartment options can vary in size and standard. 

An ATA registered apartment means the owner is member of a Girona association, the Associació Turística d'Apartaments (ATA) and quality is controlled. The ATA - or Tourist Apartment Association of the Costa Brava and Pyrenees of Girona - is made up of letting agencies and owners of apartment blocks obligated to adhere to quality standards and eco awareness. 

• ATA-registered accommodation can be booked online: Click here
• See The AngloFILE directory for Self Catering Apartments & Holiday Rentals

Habitación

This is bed and breakfast style accommodation (it is not always regulated); often rooms rented out in a private house by the homeowner. Breakfast is not always offered.

• See The AngloFILE for Bed & Breakfast

Youth Hostels

Known in Spanish as Albergue, youth hostels are competitively priced and ideal for those travelling on a budget. They are marked with an Hs symbol issued by the tourist board. A feature of hostels in Europe is the shared, dormitory-style bedroom and bathrooms.

The Youth Hostel Network of Catalonia (Xarxa Nacional d'Albergs Socials de Catalunya - XANASCAT) provides information on youth hostels in of Catalonia, in Spanish only.

• XANASCAT
  Tel: 934 838 363
  Website
• See The AngloFILE directory for Youth Hostels & Backpackers

Camping and Campsites

The Spanish word for a campsite is camping. There are campsites in Catalonia with varying quality of facilities and they are classified into categories from 1 to 3 plus a forth for luxury campsites. As with other holiday accommodation, the Q classification marks a place as Quality Tourist accommodation, while a marking of ISO 14001, EMAS or the environmental quality guarantee symbol shows it operates in an environmentally-friendly way.

• The Girona Campsite Association (Associació de Càmpings de Girona) has comprehensive information in English on campsites on the Costa Brava, the Pyrenees and other inland locations within the province of Girona
• See The AngloFILE for Campsites & Caravan Parks

Further Information

• For a full list of local tourist offices see The AngloFILE: Tourist Offices & Information
• See the Costa Brava Pirineu de Girona official tourism website

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