Незабываемый отдых Unforgettable vacation

Hotel and Costa Brava.
We will also leave our review about this hotel, where we rested in July 2012. And so in order; Initially, after a painfully pleasant search and reading a lot of reviews, the Golden Taurus Park 4 * hotel was chosen, but unfortunately, it was not confirmed and we were offered this one 12 hours before the plane. After quickly reviewing a few reviews on our phone, we agreed. The mood, of course, was spoiled and, in anticipation of unpleasant surprises, we set off on our journey.
The next disappointment, at first, was the weather (we flew from St. Petersburg +29o, flew to Barcelona +21o). After that, on hot days, we sunbathed on the beaches of Costa Brava (the hotel is located in the town of Blanes), and on warm days we went on excursions. By the way, there were also such vacationers who frankly froze. But I personally liked the climate, although I easily endure the heat. Suitable for those who cannot stand the summer heat of the more southern resorts of the Mediterranean, but at the same time do not mind hot days.

For us, it turned out to be the best
So, they brought us to the hotel at about 12 o'clock local time and immediately gave the keys to the room (usually check-in is from 12 to 14, and check-out is before 10.00). And lo and behold, the room is wonderful + sea view, though between neighboring hotels, but it must be borne in mind that there are no first-line hotels on the coast at all, in the sense that there is a road (car or railway) between the hotels, because to . . all the beaches are municipal and interspersed with both locals and tourists. The beach is cleaned daily (first, vehicles drive by, leveling the sand, and then they collect all the garbage). The sand is quite large, fractions of millimeters up to five. Entry into the sea is good, but after 3 meters you will hide with your head.
The hotel is located on the outskirts of the "tourist" area of ​ ​ Blanes, so the traffic is extremely calm. The roads, as it turned out, are completely safe later, because it is customary to let everyone through (especially pedestrians).
Even if someone in their car stops on the road with the same emergency gang, it is extremely unlikely that they will start honking; this is not accepted, because there is no rush and fuss. A woman stood in front of me at the checkout for several minutes in the store and simply spoke for life with the cashier; they both smiled sweetly at me and continued to chat - and so it is with everything. In general, the rhythm of life is calm and peaceful, and if someone runs around, it's only the Germans and the British in the mornings. The same stores, if it is written that they are open from 9 to 14 and from 16.30 to 20.30 (2.5 hours of siesta), this does not mean that they will open at exactly 9.00.
The room is clean and well maintained. There is LCD TV, refrigerator, hair dryer, air conditioning (more on this below, but staying for one night in a 4 * hotel in Andorra found the absence thereof) and a safe for a fee.

I liked the food very much, you can’t call it very diverse, but in 12 days we were almost not tired, and besides, decent quality; they cook deliciously, clean quickly and cleanly, use fresh products (if only a salad of raw white fish), fresh pieces of fish, meat, etc. can be fried in front of you. then after all, in hotels they sometimes take out a plate of sweets for the whole evening, and whoever came later did not try it. Champagne was sometimes served for breakfast (who needs it of course) for dinner several times there were squid, mussels and snails. There is a good coffee machine for lovers of cappuccino, espresso and other things for breakfast. The kids especially enjoyed the chocolate fountain. Of the minuses of food, only one is the lack of hot drinks for dinner; you can buy wine, juices, soda, water, but no tea or coffee.
Meals were taken half board, because they were going to travel.
If they stayed, they went to dine at local cafes and restaurants. The hotel itself does not make much sense to eat (mostly fast food for 4-5 € for a simple sandwich), but if you go further, you can, for example, order a full lunch - the menu of the day (menú del dí a) to eat deliciously for 10-12 €. A standard pizza costs 7-10€ on average. From national dishes, for example, paella (with seafood or meat, etc. ). Many establishments have a menu in Russian (a quarter of vacationers in Costa Brava are Slavs). In addition, if you are not going to have breakfast (dinner) at the hotel, you can order a dry breakfast (dinner) in advance - these are sandwiches, juice, water and fruits. Also, if you are going to return to the hotel after dinner, you can order a cold dinner.
The hotel staff is polite and friendly, and two Russian-speaking girls work at the reception.
The hotel has a spa area (no wonder it is called Beverly Park otel & spa  ).
The pool area of ​ ​ our hotel seemed to me the most attractive compared to the neighboring 4 * - there is a small playground and a green square planted with Mediterranean pines. In general, the territory of the Costa Brava hotels is very small, but we came to the sea and we didn’t care at all.
In general, the hotel 100% justified its 4 *. We liked it very much and I would RECOMMEND to consider this hotel as a possible option for a holiday.

Tours.
We chose the Costa Brava area because we wanted to combine beach and sightseeing holidays (located between Barcelona and the Pereneus Mountains), and in Catalonia (which includes the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula between the Mediterranean coast and the Pyrenees and even the south of France) there is something to see. Regarding Catalonia, this is not just a clarification, because.

the locals do not really like Madrid (until recently it took all the money earned by the region) and, like the Basques, they strongly want separation from Spain.
Let's return to the excursions - we spent three days in Barcelona alone and this is only a small part. The hotel will offer you a sightseeing tour (galloping along ... ) - you need to go as soon as possible, then you can decide what to see later on your own. The most convenient way to get around is turí stic bú s - a regular bus that goes along the route. That is, having bought a ticket (€24 for one day and €29 for two), you reach the sights, get off (the bus leaves), inspect everything you want, and after a certain time, the next bus along the route arrives at the stop and you calmly sit down and go further and so on as much as you like during the day. The bus has a Russian audio guide. Buses of 2 types - commercial (slightly more expensive, but newer) and municipal.
We got to Barcelona by train, having bought a ticket at the Blanes stop for 13.90 € (it entitles you to travel Blanes-station (estació n)-Barcelona and back). We got off at the station. Catalonia. There is also a transition to Art. underground. In Barcelona, ​ ​ railway stations (letter R) and metro stations (letter L) are very closely intertwined. I recommend downloading the metro map to your phone. There are very clear signs in the metro itself, knowing the line number you will not get lost. In the carriages, a digital display indicates which station you are arriving at. A one-time ticket costs 2€. I recommend taking a ticket for 10 trips (T10) for 9 € (1st zone) or for 18 € (from 1st to 6th) - you can use it for two people in turn. The 1st zone was enough for us, but keep in mind if there is a fine of 100 € - from both locals and tourists.

During three days in Barcelona we managed to visit:
• Spanish village (Poble Espanyol) - an amazing architectural complex in which handicraft workshops are assembled, in which you can embroider, blow glass, etc. before your eyes.
, as well as retail shops and cozy cafes (located 20 minutes from Espanya metro station);

• Gothic quarter with medieval buildings (metro station Jaume I);
• attractions of the area near the monument to Columbus (metro station Drassanes);
• singing fountains (metro station Espanya) - I think everyone has heard about this miracle;
• an aquarium in which, among other things (a lot of aquariums with octopuses, crabs, penguins, etc. , located in an environment as close as possible to the real one - with me, the crab ate the shell) you will drive on a conveyor through a 70-meter glass tunnel and sharks will swim around you, moray eels, stingrays and other living creatures (st. m. Drassanes);
• quarter of contention (metro station Passeig de Gracia);
• Park Guell;
• and, of course, Sagrada Familia – having arrived for the first time, I considered the cathedral oppressive, gloomy and overly stuffed with all sorts of sculptures and bas-reliefs, but this was the impression of an inattentive person; after deciding to get inside, having stood in line for about forty minutes, I got to the adjacent territory, where I took an audio guide (the price is the same as the usual one, but don’t miss a word, you can repeat and you won’t be in a hurry) began to listen about the elements depicted on two constructed facades of the building. Inside, the cathedral is strikingly different from the exterior; it is bright, light and simply attractive (metro station Sagrada Familia)
We also visited the monastery of Montserrat, the religious center of Catalonia, where the shrine, the Black Madonna, is kept. Worth a visit not only for religious admirers, but also for lovers of ancient architecture (the temple is over 1000 years old).

Another vivid impression was a two-day excursion to Andorra and the south of France (the medieval fortress of Carcassonne - from where the Inquisition began). In Andorra, despite the beautiful landscapes, there is another attraction - this is a mecca for shopaholics, because the country is a duty-free zone (for example, trade in Duty Free is free and it is located on an ordinary street) and there are sales seasons. We stopped in the capital - Andorra la Vella at the 4 * Panorama Hotel. The only plus of the hotel is the city view. The rest of the minuses - there is no air conditioning, the room is shabby, the furniture is old, the carpet on the floor is shabby and this reminded me very much of Soviet hotels. The food is delicious, but very little choice. So 4 * does not pull. For one night nothing, but I would not spend a vacation there. After spending the night, we went to Perenei (what a view!! ) and further to the south of France to Carcassonne.
You can talk about it endlessly, but you need to visit once and learn about the Cathars and Occitans.
So a holiday in Costa Brava offers you unlimited opportunities for relaxation.