Friday 25 April 2014

Calella de la Costa, Pt 1

Calella de la Costa is about 45 minutes away from Barcelona by road, and about an hour by train.  A train from the airport will add another 30 minutes, give or take.

Travelling by Train from Barcelona El Prat airport, this will be your first view of the town, albeit from a slightly lower perspective.


It really is a lovely beach at Calella, and unlike its better known neighbour, Lloret de Mar a few miles up the coast, it never gets over filled, even in the height of summer.  It is raked everyday, there are recycling bins at regular intervals and these are actually emptied!

There are several entrances on to the beach, which for the most part, is reached by subways passing under the railway track.  There are a few wooden walkways out onto the sand for easier pushchair and wheelchair pushing.  There are also plenty of showers available if you want to wash up before getting dressed and leaving the beach.  Unusually for Europe, there are free to use public toilets located by the subways.

Hotels. hostels and chalets.

There is accommodation to suit all budgets in Calella, from hostels costing £10 per person per night, up to hotels costing £150 per person per night.

The cheaper hotels are fine, the decor may be a bit outdated and in need of some updating, but all of the hotels I have stayed in have been spotless and the staff fantastic, the only issue I have with them being the German teenagers.

There are several companies in Germany who's sole purpose is to bring teenagers over to the Costa Brava and to all intents and purposes, abandon them to their own devices, apart from the occasional pub crawl.  There has been occasions when I have seen people, of all nationalities, lined up along hotel balconies cheering and applauding as the coaches are loading up to return to Germany  I remember a few years ago, a British company tried to do the same and were barred from the town.

I tend to pay a little bit more for my hotel as I know it will be teenager free, the hotel I favour is generally chosen by older couples, of all nationalities it has to be said, and I have never had a bad stay.

The view from the roof top sun terrace at my favourite hotel.

The Town

There has been a lot of work carried out in Calella, and the Costa Brava generally, in recent years and you can see the difference.

There is a running track along the beach (not that I have been guilty of using it) with stretching posts, pull up bars and other wierd and wonderful things along the way.  The turn at the end of the beach can be seen below, run any further than this towards St Pol de Mar, and you will be running through cliff!

Photo courtesy of CostaBravaTourism.net

The track is also suitable for bike riding, and bikes can be hired at various places along the beach.

A few years ago, the main street down to the beach was two lanes separated by a storm drain.  The storm drain has been covered over now and the space is huge.  It is used for parades and parties and is surrounded by bars and restaurants, it is a great use of space.



Be warned, when it rains in Calella, it really does rain!


The tinny noise you can hear is the rain hitting the balcony.


This is the main car access point to the beach car park, it is also the run off from the covered storm drain

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