****Winery review only***** The winery is brilliantly…read moredesigned. They uprooted and replanted a section of the vineyard, dug a cave built walls and a steel roof. It was covered with earth and then the vines returned to their original location. Its a beautiful design that can be partially viewed from the side through glass walls Nice wines. Below boutiqe production levels. So low I was surprised they had wine tastings. Nice guided tour 20E Great olive oil. We left with both wine and oil. Drank the wines in Spain and brought the oil home. The property was beautiful the hotel looked amazing. Highly recommended

Finca Bell-Lloc is truly a special place. It is better known for the winery on the property, a…read morebeautiful recycled steel structure designed by the firm, RCR, that makes it the coolest winery you will ever go to. In addition, the wine is delicious, and uniquely and beautifully packaged. However, few people stay at the farm house when they visit and they are really missing out. The house itself has been thoughtfully and masterfully updated and modernized and has many comforts including some of the most comfortable mattresses I have ever slept on in Europe, high thread-count sheets and pillows, super-plush towels, and beautiful bathtubs. Every detail is in good taste, the house is kept immaculately clean, and the staff is lovely from the groundskeepers, to the host, to the cleaning ladies. Breakfast was delicious and offered local products, some of which they produced themselves. There is a beautiful, and very private, pool to take a dip in at any time. And after breakfast we fed the Iberian pigs on the property breakfast scraps which was a lot of fun. Both the location and the woman managing the property, Lory, made our trip to Catalonia and the Costa Brava. We had such a great time hanging out and Lory's recommendations were incredible. The beaches she suggested were the cleanest, least touristy, and most picturesque I've ever been to in the Mediterranean, and I've been to some incredible beaches. She made reservations for us at incredible restaurants, places that were small, used food from their own gardens and local artisans, and off-the-radar spots no visitor could ever find on their own. Again, she made our stay there our most favorite place in our month long trip across Spain and France. Lory alone makes staying at Bell-Lloc more than worth it. Thank you Bell-Lloc for a wonderful experience.

Gayle and I loved our visit to the Costa Brava and our stay at the Parador De Aiguablava. Begur is…read morethe nearest town and we enjoyed exploring its Castle and the surrounding Mediterranean beaches. This is one area Gayle really wanted to spend more time, particularly regarding a side trip to Cadaqués that never happened. In fact Gayle would have gladly cut a day off our Barcelona plans to stay here longer. Maybe next time? Begur is small (~4000 inhabitants) and is an important tourist attraction in the Baix Empordà. During the summer, the population can exceed 40,000 people. Gayle and I were here in October and we pretty much had the place to ourselves. The Village has an important historical remnants that go back in early history. The Castle of Begur is a good example of medieval remains. The Town of Begur also includes Esclanyà (with a Roman town centre), Aiguafreda, Sa Riera, Sa Tuna, Aiguablava and Fornells. Some of the most prestigious beaches of the Costa Brava can be found here. It was too cold to frolic in the water, but the scenery and crashing waves were outstanding.

I had a 3-day window in between a business trip and a family vacation and Jaume was able to find a…read moreway to work in a mini tour for me. BikeCAT was about the 3rd cycling tour outfit I called in Girona. Juame's responsiveness and flexibility made it an easy call to go with him. We started corresponding around December time and answered all the questions I peppered him over the course of the 3 to 4 months. I went with a 2-day tour and 2-night stay at the Hotel Historic at the heart of the old city center. Xavier over at Historic (another great place to consider even if you're just visiting Girona) has worked closely with Jaume and the 2 hand off taking care of me - especially the getting me feed part! They are much as a team so I really had to think of the overall cost as 2 packages in one. Bike - Jaume had a challenge with fitting me (a size 48cm frame) with a bike for the 2 days I was here. We ended up using a 51cm Felt from a the Pro Garmin team with modifications to the handle bar to accommodate my 44cm wide preference and stem, saddle position and stack height. It seemed a bit strange at first but the fit was spot on right so I was very happy I didn't have to fiddle with anything. Tour - I've requested an early March time so this was a gamble with the unpredictable weather. Also, being one of the first guest of the season, I was the only rider. Nevertheless, Jaume took care of me and was ever vigilant to watch after a new rider from the US who was used to wider and straighter roads. On the second day, young Albert came along for the ride to keep company as well as learn the ropes of the business. I honestly had a great time - usually a quiet rider even in large group rides - Jaume put me at ease keep good company adjusting to my riding style and doing all the support you would expect. Jaume was even provided photographer service. Got a few good pictures to remember the experience. In looking back, I really have no complaints about the cycling adventure I had and BikeCAT has meet and exceeded most of my expectations. Girona was all that I had hoped for; historic European city, a fantastic cycling community and a quiet change of pace from the busy city hub of Barcelona. The weather mostly cooperated with us (save the cold morning temps - that's just from my spoiled southern California perspective). If I had the time to do this again, I would definitely go with Jaume and BikeCAT preferably in a larger group setting. If you're in the market for a memorable cycling adventure, I highly recommend Girona and BikeCAT.

Spent four days with three couples between our Madrid and Barcelona travels. The home was built in…read more1500. It is stone, wood warm and beautiful. Multiple small out buildings show the history of the home. A pool is available for warm weather days. The inn keepers are outstanding. Gloria and Coldo are warm and welcoming. They both have a wonderful sense of humor. We were in early off season so we had it all to ourselves. A walk in french couple passing by joined us for dinner and breakfast on our first night. For a ridiculously low price they will prepare dinner for you. Humbly I'm a really really good cook. Koldo blew me away. The B&B is out of the town area so I highly suggest eating there. Wine is served made by a local cooperative which was great. Gloria helped us will all our needs. We love vinyards and she helped set up a local one which was one of the most inserting ones we have ever seen ( we have seen a lot). We had time for great tours with beautiful vistas. Absolutely loved Girona!! Very highly recommended Slanche!!

PARTY TIME IN SPAIN…read more.. What a wild wedding at the Mas Huix rural compound in Santa de Coloma Farners, Northern Spain. I researched this unbelievable countryside residence on Google with 127 reviews at a strong 4.9 rating, and noticed that Yelp had zero reviews, so the Elite Yelper that I am, of course I added Mas Huix to Yelp. This wedding was crazy amazing with unimaginable countryside views that are insane sights in person. The bus took us toward the top of the mountain with a scary far drop off (and I do mean far) on both sides with some rugged roadway. Upon the approach to the compound, the house boasted strong Spanish architecture and the green pasture grounds were immaculately manicured. The views were directly out of a "Home of the Month" gazette. The home offers plenty of parking, swimming pool,BBQ grill, bocce ball, soccer & basketball court, miniature golf, and even a church. The wedding lasted eight crazy hours which began at the pool house patio with an enormous carbon steel pan cooking up a paella masterpiece, which was the appetizer in addition to small mediterranean style foods served by waiters. The slow cooked beef and well sauced chicken dishes were served an hour later with jars of cheese cake as dessert. Beer and wine were flowing continuously throughout the multi room spacious compound. Mas Huix provides a unique serene countyside setting and the perfect place to lease out for a wild party.

Enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Makes any place unique and…read moreinteresting. His knowledge of the area, either medieval history, arquitecture, art, modern history is wide and impressive.

While I was staying in Lloret, I wanted to get authentic food in a place that conveniently located…read morenext to the beach and the "hot spots" of Lloret de Mar. This spot had everything! The place is exactly what I want in a Spanish restaurant. Not too hot, not too cold, and a warm staff that greets you and jokes around with you if you are looking to make friends with them, otherwise is professional in serving you food with a simple smile. They have this green liquor too called "Lauretum" that I haven't been able to find anywhere else in the world, it must be exclusive. You should definitely ask for it. You won't find this place in any magazine, but this is the classic "tucked away" restaurant with perfect looks, food and service that people are always looking for.

This place was great! They were really friendly, the drinks were yummy along with the paella and…read morethey were really great with the kids! I would definitely recommend it!!

A couple of friends and I decided to rent a car and take a trip to Costa Brava, an amazing…read morehistorical and coastal region quite close to Barcelona. Our plan was to check out as many towns as we could during the one weekend we had off. After long deliberation, we opted not to book a place to stay in advance, as we were not sure how far we'd get on the first day of travel. After stopping by Blanes, Lloret del Mar, Tossa del Mar and Sant Feliu de Guíxols, we decided it was getting late and it might be time to stop for the night. We managed to drive to Begur, where we parked the car on a free parking lot and headed to the little medieval town on foot to try and find a place. It was dark and cold and we really wanted to get some rest. There were plenty of hotels, but the price range was a little too high for us. We had heard from locals about this hostel but had been unable to find it until I finally asked someone on the street to point me the way and guess what -- we were standing right in front of it! The reason we had not seen it is that there are not signs or anything, it is quite a hidden gem, so beware. It must have been around 8 pm when we rang the bell and the sweetest old lady came to the door. We asked how much would it cost for an accommodation that would fit the 3 of us and she said she only had 2 rooms left and they each cost 50 euros. We told her we'd love a little bit of a discount, since there were only 3 of us, and fast enough she said her best price would be 70 euros for both rooms, with breakfast included. That was by far the cheapest option we had found in the city. The whole conversation took place on the stairs, so she invited us to come up and check the rooms out before making up our minds. As soon as we entered the hostel, we were like OMG, this is AMAZING! The whole place was super cute, very nicely decorated, and it was so clean I couldn't believe how good it smelled! There was plenty of cute common areas, even one with a fireplace, and they were all super cozy. The rooms were very nice and the bathroom was perfect, with a very good shower and a bath. We almost could not believe our luck! The owner was very sweet and talkative and kept telling us about the story of the place, that is located inside of a building built in 1866. She asked us what we wanted for breakfast and made sure we were 100% accommodated before going to bed. By now I was literally in love with this place! She gave us keys so we could come and go as we pleased and the next day we woke up to an amazing breakfast that she prepared herself. This was simply one of those experiences that will have you truly fascinated once it's over, thinking "what a wonderful world"... We left early the next day, not without having her tell us to not forget her, our "Begur Mama". I told her I would not, and here I am, trying to tell the world about this super cozy little hostel in the super cozy little town of Begur...