Boutique hotels
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Hotel del Teatre
- Style
- Converted Catalan farmhouses
- Setting
- Rural Regencos’ oaks and fields
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Castell d'Empordà
- Style
- Catalan castle cool
- Setting
- Costa Brava countryside
Empordà Eating, drinking and dancing
Restaurants
(+34 972 458050)
Bitàkora
Enjoy regional fare, such as confit of duck with orange moscatel sauce and gratin potatoes, at a harbourside table at this super-sleek bistro, north of La Bisbal.
Port de Roses, 17480 Roses, Spain
(+34 972 634217)
Candelaria
A warm welcome and a glass of rosé await at this kitschly styled restaurant, which manages to combine excellent service with a relaxed atmosphere and generous portions of seasonal Catalan cuisine such as diced beef with pork and duck stuffed with strawberries.
9 Major, 17113 Peratallada, Spain
(+34 972 150457)
El Bulli
If you want to dine at this legendary Michelin-adored restaurant, we do hope you’re not hungry… It has a tendency to get booked up way in advance, but optimists should ring with 10 days’ notice to see which if any fools have cancelled their Wonka golden ticket of a reservation (Mr & Mrs Smith members should phone us to see if we can’t work some magic on your behalf).
30 Cala Montjoi, 17480 Roses, Spain
(+34 972 222157)
El Celler de Can Roca
This Michelin-starred family affair makes for a world-class treat at the end of your trip. A traditional stone villa houses a clean-lined interior with a Scandinavian feel, where Roca brothers Joan, Josep and Jordi mastermind technically brilliant reinventions of Catalan classics, such as turbot with goat’s milk or braised cod with spinach.
48 Can Sunyer, 17007 Girona, Spain
(+34 972 757773)
El Fort
Sample seasonal Catalan cuisine including dishes such as slow-cooked local lamb or lobster with rice in a romantic setting on the lantern-lit terrace at this hotel restaurant.
2 Carretera de la Preso, 17114 Ullastret, Spain
(+34 972 634069)
El Pati
A huge outdoor terrace shaded by mature walnut trees gives way to a stone-walled dining room, where the simple, rustic decor lets the hearty Catalan fare and tremendous desserts do the talking.
13 Carretera La Roca, 17113 Peratallada, Spain
(+34 972 490487)
La Plaça
Built inside an old Catalan country house with vaulted stone ceilings and terracotta-tiled floors, La Plaça has a tranquil vine-covered, jasmine-scented terrace where you can enjoy nouvelle cuisine-style Catalan dishes.
17 Sant Esteve, Madremanya, Spain
(+34 972 490211)
La Riera
Linger over portrait-worthy seafood and fish dishes in this elegant 18th-century stone house or on the spacious outdoor terrace.
Carratera de Madremaya, 17462 Sant Martí Vell, Spain
(+34 972 634125)
Mas Pou
Feast on traditional Catalan cuisine at this former family home. This restaurant is full of local character (and characters) and snails – apparently they serve up to 26,000 a week.
4 Plaça de la Mota, 17256 Palau-Sator , Spain
(+34 972 622198)
Sa Tuna hotel restaurant
Perched prettily by the beach in Sa Tuna, this small restaurant is famed for its irresistible rice dishes and romantic situation.
Platja Sa Tuna, 17255 Begur, Spain
(+34 972 614336)
Tragamar
In a seaside village of postcard-pretty whitewashed houses, Tragamar’s beachfront terrace would need armbands if it were any nearer the sea. Perfect for a sunny lunch or romantic soirée, it serves fabulous seafood.
Calle Platja Canadell, 17210 Calella de Palafrugell, Spain
Bars
(+34 677 458854)
Mas Sorrer
For beers in bohemia, head to this open field drinking-hole, which hosts regular live jazz performances and has a covered outdoor bar, pool tables and a caravan selling crêpes. Inside is a pretty candle-lit restaurant (Menjazz) and the bar stays open until around 6am in summer.
Km 0.5, Gi-643, 17257 Gualta, Spain
(+34 972 622162)
Parador El Aguiblava
This clifftop Begur venue has a terrace bar where you can sit and watch the waves crash on the rocks 200m below – perfect for post-beach sundowners.
Platja D’Aiguablava, 17255 Begur
(+34 972 622384)
Recer de la Mar
Cool artwork on the walls and a softly sultry soundtrack make the white stools next to the scarlet bar in this cool and contemporary den as inviting as the pavement-side tables.
Platja de Sa Riera, 17255 Begur, Spain
Cafés
(+34 972 634868)
Café Art
Stop here for mid-morning coffee surrounded by art-adorned walls in the shade.
9 Plaça de les Voltes, 17113 Peratallada, Spain
(+34 972 640375)
Sans Bisbalenc
Señor Sans trained in Paris at hallowed pastry den Fauchon and now works wonders at the family patisserie, where the must-buy is Bisbalenc, a puff pastry cone filled with sweet angel hair.
4 Avenida les Voltes, 17100 La Bisbal, Spain
