Santa Susana (Costa Brava) 2007

We flew to Santa Susana for the weekend in November to see if it was suitable for a possible summer holiday in 2008. We flew with Ryanair from Blackpool to Gerona and had booked Resorthoppa to take us from the airport to the resort. We have used Resorthoppa a few times for transfers and they have always been very good. It cost about £17 return and took about 45 minutes to get to the resort from Gerona.

We booked into the Aqua Onabrava Hotel which I highly recommend. The Hotel is on the main promenade, and has an indoor and outdoor pool, gym and spa. All rooms have a balcony and air conditioning and the Hotel has entertainment. We had booked on a bed and breakfast basis for three nights. There is also a snack bar in the Hotel selling Burgers, Hot Dogs and Pizzas etc.

The weather was quite warm. You could walk around in a T shirt, but it was not quite sunbathing weather or warm enough to use the Outdoor pool...

Santa Susana is not a huge resort and there is a train line across the road from the Hotel with regular services to Lloret de Mar, Barcelona and the resorts in between. The beach is a five minute walk under the train tracks. There was not a lot open when we went in November, but we just wanted to see what it what like. There are a few shops and restaurants in the resort and in the season (which is from Easter until October) there are stalls along the promenade at night selling arts and crafts.

The resort next to Santa Susana is Malgrat de Mar, and is about ten to 15 minute walk away. This is a larger busier resort than Santa Susana and has a few more shops and restaurants. We also noticed that there are quite a few camp sites in the area. As most of the shops and restaurants were closed in Malgrat and Santa Susana, we decided to get the train to Calella which is an even busier resort two stops away and has lots of shops and restaurants open all year round. The train took about ten minutes and cost EUR2.90 return. The tourist shops and restaurants in Calella were closed but 5 minutes walk from the promenade is the main shopping area with lots of narrow streets each filled with shops, bars and restaurants.

The area was quite busy and there is every kind of shop selling clothes and shoes to cheap tourist tat, but it was nice to wander round and see different shops. We also found a nice restaurants to eat in. We had a walk along the promenade and there were a few bars open on the beach. The trains run quite late back to Santa Susana so we had a few drinks in Calella before returning to our hotel. On the Sunday we had a walk along the beach from Santa Susana to Malgrat then found a cafe selling delicious ice cream on our return.

The food in the Onabrava was very good with lots of choice. I would definitely recommend Santa Susana, even though not much was open (we knew this would be the case but wanted to see what it was like!) we got an idea of what kind of resort it is. It is a quieter resort than its neighbours and I would say suited more to families and couples, but then you can have the best of both worlds as Malgrat is within walking distance and Calella ten minutes away. You can also get the train to Barcelona if you fancy a day away from the beach.

Calella (Costa Maresme) 2008

We flew with Ryanair from Blackpool to Gerona and booked ResortHoppa to our Hotel. Ryanair are really rubbish and the customer service skills are severly lacking, but they are convenient for flying from Blackpool and that is the only reason we use them. I would rather pay more for an alternative carrier if I could as long as it was from my local airport, but they seem to have the monopoly at Blackpool. The baggage allowance is 15k (and the cost for booking a bag has just gone up - to pay for the penny flights I guess!!!!!) which is fine but Gerona is not really a commuter route and most people are going on holiday have more than 15k (you are also not allowed to combine baggage!!!! As we were only going for a week, we tried to travel light but we were 9k over (between 3 of us!!!!), but the check in person took pity and only charged us for 2 kilos - well done her.


Th excess baggage fee has also just gone up to £12 or EUR15 per kilo, so it would have cost us a fortune had we had to pay the correct fee. The cabin crew also are not very friendly and we could not understand a word they said (I asked other people on the flight and they couldn't understand them either!!!), so God help us if they were announcing anything of any importance!!!!!. We had used Resorthoppa before and found them to be very good, it cost us £17 per person return to Santa Susanna which is about a 45 minute drive away, and you can book online. We had another mix up when we arrived at our Hotel, as we thought we had booked into the Maritim at Santa Susanna, when we got there we were told we had actually booked into the Martim at Calella two resorts along!!! (bloody travel agents!!!!!!).....





We jumped in a taxi to Calella disappointed and wondering how the mistake was made, but we had nothing from the Hotel except an email saying we had booked a sea view room (it had no address on it!!!), we got to the Hotel and decided to make the most of it. The Maritim we had booked into was nice enough and part of GHT Hotels. We had booked a Double Sea View room and was actually allocated a twin sea view room (which hubby was not happy about - we have twin beds to come later when we are about 70 and booking Shearings Coach Holidays!!!!!) They did change us to a double eventually, the room was clean and had a nice size balcony. My poor sister had a single room at the back with a Juliet Balcony (you could stand on it but would not have been able to shut the door!!!) which is fine except they do advertise every room as a balcony!!!! Apparently there is only 1 x single room per floor and they are in the same position!!!!!



We had booked half board, so went for tea after we had checked in, which was OK but typical Spanish Package Holiday food (i.e unidentifiable meat and fish - if it needs a label should you eat it?) We had a wander around the resort after tea and found we were in the centre of everything so that was good as there were loads of shops, bars and restaurants all within a few minutes walk of our Hotel, there was also the Train tracks across the road which has a regular service to Barcelona, Santa Susanna and other resorts along the coast. I must be getting old as the first night was the worst night's sleep ever. It was about 0430 in the morning when we got to sleep as there was a German Bar next to our Hotel and Germany had just beaten Poland in their first game of Euro 2008 (you would think they had won the Cup they were that noisy!!!!) To be fair it wasn't really their fault as I am sure any other fans would have been just as noisy, it was down to rubbish double glazing in our room. There was no difference when the doors were open or shut!!!!(We were also only given one pillow each!!!!)





On our first full day, we decided to spend the day at the beach as it was lovely and warm plus the Hotel was just across the road. We hired sun loungers and a parasol at EUR4 per item which I thought was quite reasonable. My sister has a learning disability and is also very fair and burns in the sun in the UK so we had to make sure she was covered up well. The beach was nice and never got too crowded, although it was stony and hurt your feet a little when walking on it. There are lots of beach bars and stalls selling light refreshments and drinks. There are peddle boats that you can hire as well. My hubby went for a swim but did not stay in the sea long as he said it was freezing!!!!!!



We stayed on the beach until about 2.30 ish and decided to go for a Siesta to catch up on some sleep!!!! We decided to go to Santa Susanna that evening to see what we were missing!!! We got the train which took about 10 minutes and cost EUR2.60 return. Santa Susanna is much quieter resort than Calella, we had been to a really nice restaurant on our last visit in November and were hoping to have a meal there. Unfortunately for us there was a sign on the door saying closed for personal reasons, so we had to find another place to eat. There are lots of restaurants around, but like in Calella the food on offer it what they think British tourist's want - pizzas, hot dogs, English breakfasts etc... We did eventually pick a restaurant, but in true MaccyD's style the food looked nothing like the pictures on the menu - why have pictures of the food then?





We decided to watch the Holland v Italy game in a pub, as there were hundreds of Dutch supporters all dressed up and we thought it would be a good atmosphere. I was surprised as even 20 minutes after kick off there were dutch fans walking the streets (that would never happen for an England game!!!!!) There are lots of stalls on the promenade selling arts and crafts, but everything seemed to shut down about 2300. The streets became deserted and the only entertainment seemed to be in the Hotels. We also missed the last train back, so had to get a cab which cost us EUR20. This was when we decided we were glad to be in Calella where at least there was still things going on (although as least we would get a quiet night sleep here!!!!) We went back to Santa Susanna by train on Tuesday for the weekly market and the heavens opened. The main road is closed off for the market which was interesting!!!!! It is full of stalls selling copy perfumes, wannabe Louis Vuitton and Gucci bags and cheap copy football shirts and clothes. The only stalls we liked were the fruit and veg selling huge spring onions (you don't get them that big in Asda!!!!!), apples and every other fruit and veg you can imagine. We bought some apples, grapes and cherries.








We spent a couple of days sitting by the pool which was good as it never seemed to get too busy, this may have been because there was a roof terrace on the 7th floor which was a sun trap, but as there was no shade or parasols, we decided not to risk getting burnt. We went to Marineland which is two parks in one, being a small mini version of Seaworld but also had a water Park with slides etc. There is a free bus from various resorts to the park and it costs EUR22 entrance fee (worth every penny and a great day out!!!!) Marineland is in Palafolls nr Malgrat and takes about forty minutes from Calella (depneding on how many pick ups there are). There is a Dolphin and Seal Show and a Parrot and Exotic Bird show. You can also see Dolphins, Seals, Pink Flamingoes and other exotic birds. There is also a Dolphin Encounter which is an extra EUR50 and involves getting your picture taken with a Dolphin and educational facts. The Water Park has lots of slides for adults and kids and is quite big. The only drawback is the food is very expensive EUR6.90 for a Hotdog which is a rip off (and not very nice - how do you make a mess of a hot dog anyway?), but this is the case with all parks unfortunately. I would definitely recommend this as as great day out and it is worth the entrance fee.





There is the main Water Park at Lloret De Mar which we did not get to. We visited Malgrat de Mar one day and then walked to Santa Susanna and got the train back to Calella. There is enough to do and Calella is a good base (although quite noisy), you can get the train to Barcelona and Lloret de Mar and the other resorts along the coast, and it is very reasonable. I know I am getting old when I want a quiet nights sleep (about ten years ago the first thing I would do is find the nearest night club!!!!!) I did enjoy this holiday, and without sounding like a snob (cause I am not!!!!), it is not really my idea of a holiday (bucket and spade holidays are not my thing!!!), the restaurants are full of english food and english pubs. The Hotel would not lend us an iron as they send ironing and laundry out for a fee - so we bought a cheap one and considered setting up a rival service in reception!! This holiday was ideal for my sister and that was the reason we booked it but it was a break and 15 years ago it probably would have been my ideal holiday!!!!!

Girona Costa Brava

We flew to Girona from Blackpool on 17 November 2006 with Ryanair. The transfer to Girona is about 20 minutes and it is about EUR20 each way in a taxi. We had booked into the Hotel Historic as recommended in the Sunday Times Travel Magazine. The hotel is 4* and has rooms and apartments. It used to be a prison and is family owned and very old and still has a lot of original features. It is very handy for the centre of Girona which is a beautiful old city. The hotel Historic is at the top of a hill next to the church and sometimes you can hear the church bells, but it is not too bad and gives it character.

I feel that Girona is a forgotten city as most people only tend to use the airport to go onward to the beach resorts of Costa Brava and never see outside the airport. We went in November and the weather was in the 60's so we could walk about in T shirts. Girona is a very old city and it is nice to walk around the city walls and see all the old ruins and beautiful old buildings. The main street has lots of cafes, bars and shops on it but be mindful that it is not Barcelona so most of them close earlier and are closed on a Sunday. There is a train that takes you round the centre and is good for families.

It reminds me of Chester and it has lots of narrow cobbled streets to get lost. There are lots of old shops and new shops and sidewalk cafes where you can people watch. There is a bridge which separates the old town from the new town. On the old town side there are lots of old buildings and ruins, and on the new town side the buildings and shops are more modern. Girona is cheaper than Barcelona and not as commercialised.

They use the Euro. I would recommend Girona if you want a cheap weekend away with direct flights, a short transfer and if you like old buildings. I would definetly recommend Girona so go and check it out and dont just pass through it.

Barcelona and Nou Camp Stadium

We went to Barcelona for the day on 19th November 2003. It was a birthday present for my husband and sister to go and see the wonderful Nou Camp Stadium as we are all football fans!!!!


We booked the early morning flight on Easyjet from Liverpool and Easyjet were actually very good, I was surprised at how organised they actually were considering they are a cheap and cheerful low cost airline.


We arrived at Barcelona at 1030 and took a taxi to the Camp Nou Stadium which took about 20 minutes and is approx EUR20. The stadium is huge and looks fantastic. The cost for the museum tour only is EUR7.50 and the Museum and Stadium Tour is EUR11.50. If visiting the Nou Camp, I would strongly advise doing both as you really need to see inside the stadium to appreciate how great and huge it is. The tour is fantastic and to see how steep it is inside (not for those scared of heights!!!!). You do not really appreciate when you see it on television how big the stadium is. It holds 98,772 at full capacity.

You are shown the home and away dressing rooms as well as the tunnel and into the stands. It has a chapel going off from the tunnel for those players who want to have a few moments before a game!! The museum is well worth seeing as well, they have won an extra European Cup since we were there. They have an enormous amount of trophies and souvenirs from different teams across the world. I would allow about 3 hrs to do the stadium and museum and a little bit longer if you want to browse the Barcelona shop which is also huge. It is open most days except on match days.

After the Nou Camp Tour we took a taxi to Las Ramblas which is the main street in Barcelona with lots of different sidewalk cafes, shops, stalls and street entertainers. The weather was actually warm (T shirt weather anyway!!!), so we were pleasantly surprised after leaving cold, wet and windy Liverpool!!!! It is very nice, relaxing and a good place to people watch on Las Ramblas sitting outside in a sidewalk cafe watching the world go by!!!! A life I could get used to!!!!

If there is one thing you have to see on a visit to Barcelona its the Cathedral. Its nuts!!!!! It is still not finished even though it was originally started in 1893 by Gaudi. He died in 1926 so it has been left to others to finish what they think he would have wanted. It is one of the most fascinating buildings I have ever seen, it reminds me of the icing you used to have as a child to squirt on ice cream then it goes hard.

It is a really nice city to visit and was recently voted Sky 3's number 1 city in the world to visit. It has lots of shops, museums. bars and restaurants and is close to the beach if you fancy a chill out. It is also easy to get around, a lot of the attractions are within walking distance. There is also a metro transport system which is very good and easy to understand.

We got a taxi back to the airport for the 2115 flight so we had a good 8 hours in Barcelona, and I will definitely go back for longer to do some more exploring and would like to go and watch aa game at the Nou Camp.