Holiday Rental in Costa Brava

Along with the Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol, the Costa Brava has carved out its own niche as a busy resort for sun-starved tourists. Lying in the Cataluna region, this 60km stretch of coast offers tremendous ranges of commercial beachfront, rugged countryside and picturesque fishing villages. The Costa Brava is also said to be the friendliest place in Spain with many inland are fascinating medieval towns. Girona, the largest city of northern Cataluna, has an impressive medieval centre, which is easy to explore on foot and makes it well worth a visit. Its many fine Romanesque and Gothic buildings have survived several attacks over the centuries. Its splendid cathedral has, at 23 meters, Europe's widest Gothic nave.

The picturesque medieval town of Besalu has a crooked 11th-century fortified bridge and a 12th-century Jewish purification bathhouse by the river. The atmospheric medieval town of Tossa De Mar was once popular with artists and
bohemians and now popular with holiday makers. Other resorts and towns in the area provide rental accommodation to include villas in L'Estartit, apartments in Lloret de Mar and holiday rentals in Empuriabrava. Even older is the ancient Greek and Roman town of Empuries, near the resort of L'Escala, which includes a small museum. Castello D'Empuries, the former capital of the county has a large 13th and 14th-century Gothic church, the Eglesia de Santa Maria, which features some superb medieval carving.

For much of his life Salvador Dali lived in this region. In the 1960s he bought the Castell de Pubol, near Girona, for his wife. The bizarre castle is now open to visitors with Dali's blue Cadillac still in the garage, who also bought the municipal theatre in Figueres which he renamed Teatre-Museu Dali. The delightful fishing village of Cadaques offers some lovely traditional holiday apartments but if its a busy holiday in a private home you want then why not try and villa in Pals where Dali spent his childhood holidays. His surreal images owe much to the moon-like landscape and oddly -shaped rocks. Costa Brava, with its rugged coast and underwater caves, has long been popular with divers. The Iles Medes is perhaps the most sought-after dive location. The seven islands are part of a underwater natural reserve and harbour hundreds of animal and vegetable species. Boat trips and equipment are available at L'Estartit beach and a two-hour snorkeling trip costs about £10, including equipment hire.

This is a year-round destination. May, June and September are the ideal months if you want to avoid the summer crowds. Temperatures range from 8C (46F) in winter to 29C (84F) in summer.

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