LLAFRANC

Llafranc Location

Just a few miles south from Tamariu, you will find the pretty village of Llafranc where again you will find an excellent beach, a small marina and a beautiful tree lined promenade with several excellent restaurants by the waterside.

A gentle walk above the rocks from Calella brings you to Llafranc, a smaller resort with a more upmarket air. The town is made up of whitewashed streets winding up into hills studded with elegant villas. A steeply shelving beach stretches across the small bay, with a marina at one end and a pine-shaded promenade running along its length.

The Costa Brava suffers from something of a split personality. It is still best known for the big, bland resorts of Estartit and Lloret de Mar, as well as the much prettier Tossa de Mar, which were among the first in Europe to be developed for mass tourism. But tucked among the rugged coves and pine-covered hills of Spain`s "Wild Coast" lie some wonderfully unspoilt resorts.

Heading north from Barcelona, you soon break out along one of the most stunning coastlines on the Mediterranean. Wooded hills and vineyards roll gently to a series of salmon-pink headlands and secluded bays. Skirt the bigger beaches, ruined by heavy development, and you`ll find whitewashed villages clustered around small beaches, more reminiscent of Greece than the Costas. Instead of arcades and burger bars there are shady promenades lined with pavement cafes. Instead of vast, crowded beaches, you`ll find picturesque and secluded coves (though they too can get busy at weekends).

There is plenty of variety among these smaller resorts too, from Aiguablava, with nothing but a sheltered beach and a couple of hotels, to the much busier Llafranc - an old favourite of Salvador Dali.

Calella de Palafrugell Calella is the largest of three resorts tucked along this craggy stretch of coast, yet it remains an attractive base for a holiday. In part it is still a fishing village, with a series of small, The Costa Brava suffers from something of a split personality. It is still best known for the big, bland resorts of Estartit and Lloret de Mar, as well as the much prettier Tossa de Mar, which were among the first in Europe to be developed for mass tourism. But tucked among the rugged coves and pine-covered hills of Spain`s "Wild Coast" lie some wonderfully unspoilt resorts. Rocky bays backed by winding alleys of whitewashed houses and cool squares. Although the seafront is usually busy, the pine-shaded headlands and maze of streets remain reasonably peaceful, even in high season.

The restaurant at Hotel Llafranch spills out on to the square and serves good Catalan specialities. El Far`s dining room offers excellent dishes. The resort is quiet at night. The bar at the Hotel Terramar has seating just above the beach, perfect for watching dusk fall over the bay.

Llafranc Villas

Llafranc has a lovely sandy bay and small marina sheltered by the towering hill of El Far where you have a handful of good developments offering from 2 to 5 bedroom houses and apartments with communal pools and tennis courts overlooking the bay of Llafranc and those at Calella de Palafrugell.

Haven On Earth have a number of villas with shared and private pools overlooking the beach and straight out to sea. The standard is high in Llafranc and you should expect to pay a little more than you would in Begur. We also have a number of apartments on the promenade at Llafranc and others set back from the beach with shared pools.

If you are considering renting an apartment or villa and want to be able to walk from beach to beach and have a host of restaurants and bars at your disposal then Llafranc is a very good option but don’t forget to visit Begur in the evenings.

Llafranc Article

Article taken from the telegraph.co.uk:

British visitors to the north Catalan coast return year after year. Sophie Campbell discovers why

It takes three policemen to look after Llafranc, on the Costa Brava between Barcelona and France. "I do a full day, the others do half-days," said a tall, handsome officer in a short-sleeved shirt and peaked cap, his eyes flickering over my shoulder in search of possible problems - an exploding Lilo, perhaps, or illegal dog`s mess - on the crescent beach beyond.

"I saw one of them yesterday with a beautiful girl in a bikini," said one British visitor, enviously. "She was wearing his hat. It`s got to be the best job in the world."

"Really?" said the policeman in surprise, when I told him how lucky he was. A troop of French teenagers sauntered past, all long hair, long legs and bikinis. He still looked puzzled.

The police post is at the northern end of the beach, where the swimming area gives way to a little harbour (two fishing boats, which will sell you fresh fish if you`re there at the right time, a beached flotilla of sturdy weekend dinghies and some glamorous yachts). At the southern end of the beach are three brown and limber female lifeguards in red swimsuits with a white cross, white T-shirts and red shorts. This is the Creu Roja (Red Cross) and Soccorista (first aid) post.

In between, on a lovely stretch of coarse coral sand, is arranged the full spectrum of beauteous Mediterranean youth: golden-chested boys and flat-bellied girls wearing wisps of colour, gracefully twirling volleyballs and making that silly game with wooden bats and a fluorescent ball look like something invented on Mount Olympus. Beyond them, at the water`s edge, little girls with water wings glistening in the sunshine skip about like chubby fairies. The whole scene is framed by tranquil green water of startling clarity, edged with bright yellow floats.