This August, I went on a girly weekend in Costa Brava on a minimum budget. Two weeks before the departure date, our project did not look promising. We did not have a specific destination, we did not have accommodation, and of course, we did not organize the rest of the trip. But in the end, it turned out to be an excellent and relaxing weekend in Calella de Palafrugell.

Carpooling and bus trips to Calella de Palafrugell

The best way to visit Costa Brava is by car. However, travelling by car is difficult when you don’t have 1) a car and 2) a driving license for it – which was our case.

So we looked at our transportation options. The bus trip to Calella de Palafrugell was quite long, around three hours, and involved two bus changes. The train involved three changes (one train and 2 buses). So, I checked my preferred way to go to Costa Brava: Blablacar.

Blablacar is a platform that puts in touch drivers and passengers (normal people like you and me). The drivers ask for contributions towards toll fees and petrol. They are not allowed to make money out of the trip as per the platform rules. Just share the costs.

Drivers and passengers have a rating given by previous drivers if you are a passenger and vice versa. As such, future drivers/passengers have an idea of who they are dealing with before deciding to book. My rating says I am “Outstanding: punctual, great conversation, friendly” – yep, that is me!!

We booked a trip for 7 euros per passenger to Palamos. Not quite our destination but very close. I paid online.  I like Blablacar because it is a more accessible, fun and faster way to get to Costa Brava. It can also be cheaper than the bus and people are usually friendly, making the drive enjoyable.

From Palamos bus station, we took the bus to Palafrugell and from Palafrugell another one to Calella de Palafrugell. The bus fare from Palamos bus station to Palafrugell bus station is 1.70 Euros. Same amount for the distance Palafrugell to Calella. The only downside of our trip was the wait at the station of Palafrugell (40 minutes). The rest of it was relatively smooth.

That cottage

We were not too sure about what to expect in terms of accommodation. We organized our weekend two weeks before departure. That was a very tight time to find suitable accommodation in busy Costa Brava, in addition with a low budget AND during the summer.

In the end, we found a cottage, Puig Gros, on a booking platform. It was located on the outskirt of Calella, 20 minutes away by foot from the town centre. It was a nice place with a rustic charm and a bit old fashioned. The property was huge with its grounds and house. It had a big and clean swimming pool, very basic furniture in the rooms and shared bathrooms. I am ok with sharing a bathroom for a weekend, so I did not mind. Our stay was pleasant because we worked at it.

We were not very impressed by the owner. When we checked in, he made a snide comment about my name and nationality. Mmh… Every evening, when we came back, the door of our room was open. Not sure why.  But it felt like the owner did not respect our privacy. This man gave me bad vibes. The only person working for him also complained about him to us. Not great…On the last day, we asked to leave our luggage until we left town – baggage hold is a standard service in the hospitality business, paying or free.

He refused to keep them inside the house but told us to leave them in the garage where anyone coming from the street could quickly enter and snatch them. It seemed he had no room for our two small bags in his empty 385 square meters house. Then he complained to the booking platform that we did not respect our check-out because of our bags. Right…

That place was the driver of our decision to go to Calella. Of course, we did not have any idea of the kind of welcome we would receive. I won’t hold a grudge against the owner, though. Thanks to our booking, we discovered Calella de Palafrugell. I won’t recommend his place unless you don’t mind a (beyond) disagreeable host. There are plenty of apartments to rent in Calella. Check the following websites: booking.com, hostelworld.com, tripadvisor.com or expedia.com.

Discovering Calella de Palafrugell during our week-end in Costa Brava

Calella de Palafrugell is a picturesque little town. A former fishing town, it has white houses with turquoise water, a few small coves and beaches.

We went for lunch to Els Golfus de Calella, a restaurant close to the Cala del Golfet. I had one burger and one caña (one small draft beer) for 16 euros. The burger was very thick with a strange texture but tasty. The personnel was amicable. Then we went food shopping at the Spar: fruit, snacks, water, beer and wine. You know, for survival goods. I have also seen a supermarket inside the town.

After lunch and food shopping, we went to the Cala del Golfet, a dramatic cove landscape when watched from above the stairs. The cove was empty, so we could fully appreciate its beauty. We spent a couple of hours there with our drinks. Then, we chilled in the swimming pool for a while. It was great. As our place was “far” from the town, we dined in. We ate salads, drank beers and wine we bought earlier at the Spar.

The morning after, we had a lovely cappuccino at Can Palet in town, in front of the beach. They also served breakfast. The Spanish tortilla was tasty, homemade and runny in the middle, the way I like them. The service was slow but friendly.

While you wait, you can people-watch or read a book. I read “The happiness project” (you can get it on taschen.com. The book was about a woman’s steps to become happier. Some actions resonated as I took them myself, like clutter clearing and writing a blog… She seemed to have written more posts than me, though :). After breakfast, we walked around the town of Calella. Very charming.

Camino de Ronda to Llafranc and boat trip

In the afternoon, we looked for a boat trip and headed to Llafranc. From Calella, it is a 15 minutes walk on the “Camino de Ronda”. The Camino de Ronda is a circular road along the Costa Brava. It was used to link the towns on the coast and protect their ports from pirates. Today, it is a walking path that goes along breathtaking landscapes.

We booked a 2-hour tour with Serveis Nautics Llafranc for 21 euros each. While waiting for the tour, we had lunch at La Plaça. I had a moist and tender Iberian pork steak (12,8 euros). My friend had spaghetti with prawns (12 euros). Both dishes were simple and tasty.

During the boat trip, we had a pleasant navigator. He seemed very passionate about the area. I like passionate people. Their whole face light up when they speak. He talked about the surroundings and skillfully navigated us. We dropped anchor in a cove and then went on a pneumatic boat to discover narrower coves and caves. We were split into two groups, and while the other group was waiting for their turn, they could snorkel (an activity included in the price).

We did not stay long in Llafranc. It was bigger than Calella but much less charming, in my opinion. I leave here one place of interest that we did not check but could be interesting: Llafranc’s lighthouse with its panoramic views and historical interest.

Drinks, dinner and gardens in Calella de Palafrugell

Back to Calella, we had a drink at the highest terrace in Calella, the 3 pins. The service was very slow. It is a good thing that the terrace is great and the view nice to compensate. Then we dined at Tragamar de Calella on the sea front. Their menu is based on seafood and fish. I had sardines for 14.80 euros. We finished the night at Habana café’s terrace for a drink.

The next morning, I went to the Botanic garden of Cap Roig. It was 15mn away by foot from Cala del Golfet. The entrance is 7 euros. I was the first visitor on-site. And it felt good to wander around on my own for a while. I experienced peace and tranquillity during the first 30 minutes inside the sophisticated and elegant garden.

The main attractions are the castle, the 3 terraces, the views and the cactus garden. One of the cactus was called “mother in law’s behind”. That made me laugh. I was thinking of all the stories and jokes about mothers-in-law people share. There was also art from local and international artists displayed along the pathways and in the middle of the plants. In some ways, it reminded me of City Park in New Orleans.

The botanic garden hosts Cap Roig’s music festival during the summer. When I have a driving license, I will come back and attend. After the visit, I headed to Cala del Golfet to join my friend. This time around, it was so crowded, that one could barely move around. But the water was fresh and invigorating. We came back to Tragamar de Calella for lunch. This time, I tried their fish and chips (16 euros) with cava. They were crunchy and very well cooked but unfortunately over salted. Pity, it could have been an even greater dish.

The bus trip back to Barcelona

We booked a taxi to Palafrugell bus station on our way back to Barcelona. The taxi trip cost us 18 euros and lasted 10 minutes. Then we paid 18,50 euros each for the bus from here. The bus journey was quite fast and without any incident. We came back safe, sound and relaxed at Barcelona – Arc de Triomf bus station. And that was the end of our weekend in Costa Brava.

Addresses

Visit Palafrugell website: https://visitpalafrugell.cat/en/calella/

Els Golfus de Calella, Carrer balears 1, El Golfet, 17210 Calella de Palafrugell, Girona

Cala del Golfet, follow the signs.

Can Palet, Carrer Calau 8, 17210 Calella de Palafrugell, Girona

Serveis Nautics Llafranc, Carrer Cypsela, 40, 17211 Llafranc, Girona

La Plaça, Plaça Promontori,2, 17211 Llafranc, Girona

3 pins, Calella de Palafrugell

Tragamar de Calella, Platja del Canadell s/n, 17210 Calella de Palafrugell

Habana Café, in the center of Calella de Palafrugell

Botanic garden of Cap Roig, Camí del Rus, s/n, 17210 Calella de Palafrugell, Giron