{"id":871011,"date":"2023-05-16T12:48:31","date_gmt":"2023-05-16T09:48:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=871011"},"modified":"2023-05-16T12:48:31","modified_gmt":"2023-05-16T09:48:31","slug":"why-now-is-the-perfect-time-to-visit-spains-costa-brava","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=871011","title":{"rendered":"Why Now Is the Perfect Time to Visit Spain\u2019s Costa Brava"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Travel<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Forget the Balearics\u2014Now Is the Perfect Time to Visit Spain\u2019s Costa Brava<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n
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By <\/span>Siobhan Reid<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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The town of Cadaqu\u00e9s.<\/span>Photo: Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n
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The charms of Spain\u2019s Costa Brava (which translates as \u201cwild coast\u201d) are well known. Stretching north from Barcelona to the French border, the rocky stretch of coastline is beloved for its picturesque seaside towns, exquisite beaches and coves, and for being the playground of some of the most influential artists of the 20th<\/sup> century\u2014from long-time resident Salvador Dal\u00ed to Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, and Truman Capote, who penned his masterpiece,\u00a0In Cold Blood,<\/em> from the fishing village of Palam\u00f3s.<\/p>\n

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Playa de Castell near Palam\u00f3s.<\/span>Photo: Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

While the sun has never stopped shining on the Costa Brava, a new creative energy can be felt along its shores. It\u2019s all thanks to a younger generation of artists and creators who have emerged across the region, breathing new life into its fishing villages and medieval towns. Some are newcomers to the region, while others are descendants of Costa Brava\u2019s old guard. Take James Pons, the proprietor of the 12-room\u00a0Casa Nereta guesthouse, in Cadaqu\u00e9s, whose grandfather Joan Pon\u00e7\u2014a friend of Dal\u00ed and a member of the Dau Al Set artistic movement\u2014lived and worked in what is now the reborn hotel.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere are new breezy seaside restaurants, art galleries, and tailormade adventures like\u00a0foraging excursions with plant-obsessed perfumer Ernesto Collado. Now, the Costa Brava is making room for a wider set of travelers beyond sun-seekers and fans of Surrealist art\u2014giving the neighboring Balearic Islands a run for their money.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Tossa de Mar.<\/span>Photo: Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\u201cThe region has way more to offer than just sun and sand,\u201d says Pablo Rovira, the founder of\u00a0VIU Empord\u00e0, a collection of restored farmhouses and modernist homes in Costa Brava and l\u2019Empord\u00e0. \u201cPassionate people have launched exciting new projects that are drawing modern travelers from around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, this summer, skip the over-buzzed Balearics and set out to discover the Costa Brava\u2019s newest hotspots.<\/p>\n

Palau de Casavells<\/h2>\n
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Photo: James Rielly<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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A 16th<\/sup>-century farmhouse in the Baix Emporad\u00e0 countryside is the unlikely satellite location of the Barcelona-based\u00a0Alzueta Gallery, which represents artists including Portuguese painter Francisco Mendes Moreira and Madrile\u00f1a artist Violeta Maya. Last month, the gallery reopened its doors with a new M.O., shifting away from its previous life as a traditional exhibition space to offer a more monographic focus, with single artists taking over the soaring space for three months at a time. First up is British artist James Rielly, whose colorful, cheeky paintings serve as an irreverent contrast to the palau\u2019s vaulted ceilings, terracotta floors, and monastic white walls.<\/p>\n

La Bionda<\/h2>\n
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Courtesy of La Bionda<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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An eight-room hotel with an outsized personality,\u00a0La Bionda made a splash when it opened in 2020. Owner Carla Lloveras called on the team at Barcelona-based firm Quintana Partners\u2014whose work she had discovered at Casa Telmo in Menorca\u2014to reimagine the 17th<\/sup>-century townhouse in the town of Begur, filling the petite space with a mix of vintage treasures and bespoke furniture: cane chairs, velvet headboards, fringed ottomans, beaded casino lamps from Avignon. Lloveras can set up a boat trip to discover the coast\u2019s unspoiled beaches and coves, but most guests will be tempted to hang back at the hotel, relaxing on the sunny courtyard or enjoying a massage on the roof terrace.<\/p>\n

BOOK NOW<\/span><\/div>\n

Caterina Roma<\/h2>\n
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Courtesy of Caterina Roma<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Ceramicist Caterina Roma sources her own clay and grinds down stones and other foraged materials to craft exquisite dinnerware and other wood-fired works with a sense of place.\u00a0In 2020, she opened a\u00a0studio and gallery inside a 17th<\/sup>-century building\u2014a former hostel for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago\u2014adjacent to Salvador Dal\u00ed\u2019s P\u00fabol Castle. (Gala Dal\u00ed is said to have been so enamored with the building\u2019s features that she reproduced some of the moldings and other elements in the castle.) It\u2019s a singular environment for admiring Roma\u2019s delicate pieces, including fossilized-looking bowls and vases and elaborate dishware that can be found in Michelin-starred restaurants around the world, including Restaurante Lasarte in Barcelona and Bianc in Hamburg.<\/p>\n

VIU Empord\u00e0<\/h2>\n
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Courtesy of VIU Empord\u00e0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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A\u00a01970s modernist home hugging the cliffs of Begur. An impeccably\u00a0restored farmhouse dating to 1844. An\u00a0architectural masterpiece surrounded by farm fields and olive groves in the Baix Empord\u00e0. This handpicked collection of homes\u2014many of which are owned by the region\u2019s best architects, designers, and winemakers\u2014gives travelers next-level access to the best of the Costa Brava and the surrounding area.<\/p>\n

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Courtesy of VIU Empord\u00e0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Guests unlock some of the region\u2019s most exclusive experiences, like boat rides in a traditional wooden lla\u00fct,<\/em> a wild foraging excursion with perfumer Ernesto Collado, a chef-led coastal hike culminating in a seaside aperitif like vermut<\/em> or xampanyet de sa\u00faco<\/em> (elderberry champagne).<\/p>\n

Margarita<\/h2>\n
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Courtesy of Margarita<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Antonella Tignanelli and David Caro are the duo behind Barcelona\u2019s stylish Baldomero restaurant. Their latest venture,\u00a0Margarita, brings the same convivial atmosphere and home cooking to the seaside town of Calella de Palafrugell. Inspired by \u201cla dol\u00e7a vida mediterr\u00e0nia\u201d\u2014a Catalan spin on la dolce vita\u2014the breezy waterfront restaurant serves regional takes on classics like vitello tonnato and torta pasqualina in a homey space decked out in antiques, checkered floors, and billowing curtains. An instant classic.<\/p>\n

Casa Nereta<\/h2>\n
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Photo: Ash James<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The former home of painter Joan Pon\u00e7\u2014a friend of Salvador Dal\u00ed and a member of the pioneering Dau Al Set artistic movement\u2014is now a\u00a012-room hotel run by Pon\u00e7\u2019s grandson James Pons. The 1950s home in Cadaqu\u00e9s still feels like an artist\u2019s residence, with soulful interiors done up in threadbare rugs, Santa & Cole lamps, and painted ceramics, while soft Mediterranean light pours in from the arched windows. This season, the hotel reopens with a rebooted bistro fusing Mediterranean, Japanese and Peruvian influences and a coffee shop carrying Barcelona\u2019s NOMAD beans and sustainable Spanish beauty products from Rowse, mid\/night, and Rassa. Pons is also dreaming up on-site music sessions with singer-songwriter Le Nais and DJ sets for the summer months. \u201cCadaqu\u00e9s is the coolest spot where everybody wants to be,\u201d says Pons. \u201cA little like Ibiza with the party scene but also the quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n

GRAVA Pals<\/h2>\n
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Courtesy of Grava Pals<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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This laidback\u00a0bike caf\u00e9 doubles as a community gathering space, with unisuit-wearing cyclists mixing with locals over specialty coffee, wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, and natural wine. The action goes down on the sun-splashed patio, where picnic tables and a vintage airstream set the tone for chilled-out fun. The multi-purpose space also offers yoga classes and group bike rides through the surrounding countryside\u2014the perfect way to experience the region\u2019s natural wonders.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

Source URL: http:\/\/vogue.com\/article\/costa-brava-spain-guide<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Travel Forget the Balearics\u2014Now Is the Perfect Time to Visit Spain\u2019s Costa Brava By Siobhan Reid May 16, 2023 The town of Cadaqu\u00e9s.Photo: Getty Images The charms of Spain\u2019s Costa Brava (which translates as \u201cwild coast\u201d) are well known. Stretching north from Barcelona to the French border, the rocky stretch of coastline is beloved for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":871012,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[50],"class_list":["post-871011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-vogue-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/871011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=871011"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/871011\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/871012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=871011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=871011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=871011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}