Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Beautiful Villa, Scenic Location |
| Disadvantages: |
A little too isolated? |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
The Villa is certainly aptly named. Perched on a hillside high above the historic fishing port of Palamos, El Mirador (which translates as 'the Lookout' in Spanish) commands spectacular, panoramic vistas along the coastline and across the fringes of the beautiful Costa Brava.
We had driven southwards from Girona, towards Palamos, then Calonge. At this point, the crumpled, supplied directions from the owner were tugged out, and we had pressed on. El Mirador, it seemed, was up there on the hill, at the very edge of Calonge. The road wound its way through a fairly modern development, a slightly confused melange of poorly signposted streets, each street lined with new, look-a-like villas, and each villa as attractively bland and featureless as the next. Finally, we passed an older house near the top, with a rocky front garden peopled to overflowing with an assembly of ceramic gnomes. Here, we turned left. Having ascended what by now felt like a smallish mountain, we arrived at the villa. The development en route had seemed almost suburban, but El Mirador itself stands in splendid isolation, overlooked by nothing but the seabirds soaring placidly above. The views below are breathtaking. As, indeed, was El Mirador's long driveway, beyond the locked gates, veering up at an alarming angle. As to the villa itself, it is just barely visible, far above.
Our agent, the sprightly Janet Gomez, arrived with the keys. We parked our two cars at the top of the driveway, before a large double garage, and then followed Ms Gomez up the sandstone staircase leading to the villa. Small lizards scurried off into the rocky soil at the sides. Janet Gomez was relentlessly cheerful, tanned to a deep chestnut and presenting in her person an irrefutable argument for the benefits of the Shirley Valentine lifestyle. Her Spanish husband, she told us, opening the dark wooden front door, would attend to the pool.
THE VILLA: Inside, El Mirador feels cool and spacious. To the right, there is a large 'rotunde' living room with deep red chairs, and to the left, an open kitchen and dining area, a cloakroom, and further to the left, an additional corridor leading to a downstairs bedroom. A wide marble staircase stands beyond the dining area. Having deposited a welcome basket filled with coffee, wine and local bread on the kitchen bench, Janet Gomez departed, all smiles and sunshine, leaving us to explore the villa.
Upstairs, there are three bedrooms, two of which are en suite. Each bedroom is very attractively presented, but the Master bedroom, to the far right, is quite simply superb. It is round in shape, with arched windows and wide French doors opening onto a small balcony complete with table and two chairs, overlooking that ubiquitous view across the Catalan countryside and out over the hazy sea. In our case, a requested
travel cot stood behind the bed, with sheets and soft, baby-friendly blankets beside it.
Downstairs, the lounge proved equally well equipped. Replete with Sky television, a stereo system, video and DVD player and a decent selection of DVDs, and thereby even meeting the approbation of my (über discriminating) teenaged stepson. This villa is privately owned, as evinced by a few stray, framed photographs of the glossily good looking owners, seen reclined on their yacht or assembled in front of a sports-car somewhere in the English countryside. The lounge area has a homely feel, comfortably furnished and spacious. Here as elsewhere in the villa, a large fan flaps its desultory course on the ceiling above. From the living room, two tall French doors open onto the sandstone terrace. The outdoor area is dominated by the pool, rectangular in shape with an arched entrance at one end, glistening a brilliant turquoise in the fierce midday sunshine. Beyond the pool, there is a purpose built pergola. This houses a large built-in BBQ with a tall chimney, as well as a galley kitchen, complete with a food preparation area and a deep sink. A hardwood refectory table, with seating for eight, stands at the centre.
SELF-CATERING: El Mirador is clearly described on the website as a 'Self-Catering' villa, and with very good reason. This villa would prove deeply, disastrously unsuitable to anyone with casual thoughts of strolling to a nearby café for breakfast, for example, or of walking back from dinner along the seafront. In this respect at least, El Mirador's splendid isolation does begin to seem a little less, well, splendid. It is worth pointing out that anyone staying at El Mirador will need to have a car, and to be prepared to use it. The nearest bars, cafes and restaurants are located in the small township of Calonge, approximately a ten-minute drive away. Ditto for the nearest shops, also to be found in Calonge. Incidentally, the very nearest of these shops is a petrol station near the bottom of the hill (and although this may sound rather unpromising, the petrol station concerned is surprisingly well stocked, with fresh local breads, cheeses, decent wines and the like).
At any rate, for those staying at El Marador, self-catering (at least to some extent) does prove to be the best option. Happily, the villa lends itself to this very nicely. The cooking facilities, both in the indoor and outdoor kitchen areas, are excellent. There is a large supply of good quality crockery and glassware, a broad selection of pots, pans, dishes and implements, as well as a comprehensive set of barbequing tools. The outdoor seating area under the pergola is idyllic on warm evenings, with the indoor dining area proving useful for breakfasts, or for a leisurely lunch away from the midday sun. During our stay, we tended to eat breakfast at the villa, have lunch out, and then cook a BBQ poolside in the evenings. Of course, given that we were travelling with a baby, this would have proved an ideal arrangement anyway. We did dine out in the evening on a couple of occasions, once in Palamos and once in Platja D'Aro, but both meals were disappointing, possibly because we had been a trifle too assiduous in basing our choice of restaurants on those most likely to accommodate an infant.
FOOD: Self-catering necessitates shopping, obviously, and in this respect El Mirador is fairly well positioned. There are a number of large supermarkets in the nearby area, however the best of these is probably the Champion in Platja D'Aro, about a 15-minute drive away, to the south of Calonge. This supermarket is new, clean and well presented with an excellent selection of produce. In Palamos, there is an Intermarche, a depressing and frankly grimy affair on the one occasion we visited it, with fat blowflies swirling over semi-rotten fruit, and an untidy and chaotic sequence of aisles. If intending to BBQ fish, it is best to buy this fresh from the local boats in Palamos. There is some exquisite seafood to be had, and the sardines in particular were excellent. Before embarking on a shopping expedition nearby, however, it would be well worthwhile asking Ms Gomez for advice, are alternately, consulting the suggestions in El Mirador's guestbook, as previous visitors will have left some useful (and up to date) advice on the local stores. The same applies with regards to nearby restaurants.
NEARBY ATTRACTIONS: The picturesque port at Palamos is set in a spacious harbour, clearly popular with yachties. There is a long and lively pier, stretching out over the med, where the fishing boats are moored and the freshly caught fish sold fresh. The town itself is very attractive, with an array of crooked little streets and some very nice shops and small boutiques.
The town at Platja D'Aro, further south, is a more distinctly touristy affair, with a number of crowded campsites at its outskirts, and tall concrete apartment blocks in the centre of the town. There is a wide promenade facing on to the beach, with a row of fairly indifferent restaurants and cafés. The beach itself is long and sandy, and absolutely crammed with tourists in the summer.
The beautiful seaside town of Tamariu, is located about 20km to the north of El Mirador, approximately a 40 minute drive away. Originally a small fishing village, Tamariu is set in a tranquil and secluded bay amidst a sequence of coves and pine-covered cliffs. It's geographical setting having rendered overdevelopment an impossibility, the town remains quite unspoilt, and boasts a small but popular beach and a number of excellent (mainly seafood) restaurants. A little further south, the town of Llafranc has a similarly beautiful beach and some very good restaurants.
The coast along this small stretch of the Costa Brava is exceptionally beautiful. The seas are clear and blue, and the coastline is mountainous and densely wooded. There are so many delightful coves and beaches nearby that the casual visitor need never even visit the same one twice. Simply steer clear of the tourist stretches and it would be virtually impossible to go wrong.
FINALLY: Villa holidays are unbeatable, in my opinion, especially if travelling with children. A villa is generally far more spacious than an apartment, and less restrictive than a hotel. You have the freedom to come and go as you like, to enjoy a private pool at your leisure, and to cook or not to cook as the mood might take you. My family and I have rented a villa each European summer for the past four years, both privately and through companies, and have not had a bad experience yet. The owners of El Mirador, who proved to be extremely friendly and accommodating in all of their correspondence, were a case in point. And ultimately, a villa holiday can also prove very economical, especially if travelling with family or a group of friends. Which brings me to the…
FACTS &FIGURES: My husband & I rented this villa in the summer of 2005, together with my in-laws, our small baby and my 15-year old stepson.
El Mirador villa sleeps 8 comfortably, with two twin and two double bedrooms. There were five in our party, and we certainly found the villa extremely spacious. Details of weekly costs are displayed on the website, however, as a rough guide, the weekly rate is approximately £1,800 in the peak season (July August) and £1,400 in the mid season (June, September) with cheaper rates available in early spring and late autumn. The owners also offer a sailing package with a yacht included in the weekly rate, as well as a Maid/Chef and Chauffeur service, the details of which are also available on the website.
http://www.costa-brava-villa.com
The nearest airport is at Girona, located approximately 35km away, but El Mirador is also accessible from the airport at Barcelona. A hire car is essential, and all the usual hire car companies are represented at both airports.
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