Golf, tapas and the beach, skysports.com visited the Costa Brava as they look to provide the perfect golf escape.
skysports.com picks out a hidden gem in the Costa Brava
Not quite a hidden gem, more an overlooked little treasure, the Costa Brava is more than just a shot-haul beach holiday, it is now vastly becoming a superb all-round golfing location.
The Costa Brava has long been a destination for sun-seeking Brits, but now the region is showing itself to be far more than just being close to Barcelona.
Many travellers, including myself, have previously only been to Girona airport when flying on a budget airline to visit Barcelona only to find it a good hour away... cue a mightily expensive taxi dash to make a football game at Camp Nou!
Ironically it was at Barcelona airport that I landed before making the journey in the opposite direction, and finding that the Costa Brava region has plenty to offer all of its own.
With ten superb golf courses in the Costa Brava-Girona region, an average temperature of 16.5 degrees, wonderful Catalan food on offer and a myriad of beaches to relax on it really does have everything you need for a golfing break.
Accomodation
Our accommodation - the Silken Park Hotel San Jorge in Platja d'Aro - was, like so many hotels in the area, placed right on the seafront with a quiet sandy cove and brilliant views out onto the Mediterranean.
Breathtaking views are something you will soon get used to though as many of the courses in the area offer spectacular vistas either down into the sea or up towards the mountainous region of the Pyrenees - such is the unique positioning of the area as a destination.
The renowned Stadium Course at PGA Catalunya is the undoubted highlight of the area, with it having staged European Tour events and Qualifying School and being a regular in the shake-up for the best courses in Spain, Europe and the world.
PGA Catalunya has a stunning clubhouse, futuristic hotel complex and a wonderful tree-lined Stadium Course that is as beautiful as it is difficult, and the entire place just smacks of being a tournament-ready venue.
The course is part of a group of nine courses (G9) in the region which are all charged with offering the very best services for golfers both on and off the course - and this together with the plethora of hotels who also work closely together makes building your own package the simplest of tasks.
Being just an hour from Barcelona gives you the chance to put a visit to that great city on the agenda, while the multitude of beaches offer places to relax after an early morning round or an alternative to being tested out on the course for the day.
Spectacular
We also played the spectacular Golf Club d'Aro at Mas Nou, which for me provided just as much enjoyment as PGA Catalunya with the course almost as high in standards but with marvellous views.
Perched up 300m above sea level, d'Aro is another tree-lined track with over 1,000 olive trees and pine trees guiding you along whilst regular stops for views and pictures of the La Selva valley and up into the Pyrenees make a camera as vital in your bag as any club.
D'Aro also has an Spanish-style villa of a clubhouse and offers out wonderful traditional Catalan tapas goodness on the menu - most of which I think we sampled as golf manager Rocio Aranda was determined we would not be leaving with empty stomachs!
Golf Girona also had a brilliant clubhouse with an expansive terrace area to display the fantastic views of its own - unfortunately for us we just saw the impending thunder storm heading our way on our visit!
Our man there, Abel Morros, helped smooth things over with some Catalan Cava to wash down the disappointment, but although we only managed to play eight holes I saw enough to want to go back and finish the job off another day.
Pitch & Putt
The most surprising experience had to be our 18 holes of pitch and putt at Gualta. Think par three course rather than pitch and putt and you have a better idea of what was on offer here, but it was an eye opener for a number of reasons.
Firstly it showed just how popular par three (pitch and putt as it's known in Europe) is becoming and just how it gets beginners involved in golf in the first instance, and also because it showed up how hit-and-miss I was with a wedge!
True, I did scoop the prize in our mini media competition, but with tricky holes over water and through narrow gaps in trees it even managed to changed the cynical minds within our small but select group of golfing 'experts'.
I'd thoroughly recommend a trip to the Pitch and Putt Gualta for those on longer trips or with a morning to kill before a full round - it really will get you thinking about your short game - and if you bump into our hostess Petra her enthusiasm will make a believer out of anyone.
With stunning views, a host of high-quality courses and scrumptious tapas galore, a trip to Costa Brava comes highly recommended; it will definitely change how you view the Costa Brava for the better.
