SPAIN’S BEST KEPT SECRET
Barcelona, the Catalan capital offers extraordinary architecture, incredible food and delectable wine. So I'm told!
I've never actually been! I’ll get around to it, don't you worry! But as a golfer, the stronger pull has always been the courses, culture and cuisine of the Costa Brava!
COSTA BRAVA
Costa Brava was popular with ‘package holiday’ Brits bound for the beach towns of Tossa de Mar or Lloret de Mar. Now, more discerning travellers are discovering the wider Costa Brava corner.
Stunning coastal scenery, magnificent medieval villages and a mild Mediterranean climate make it a perfect golf getaway with a host of added benefits!
EMPORDÀ RESORT
Two hours north of Barcelona, Empordà Golf Club makes an ideal base. I knew the two courses here from previous visits on behalf of the book ‘Globetrotters Golfers Guide to Spain’ in the mid-90s. With the development of the exquisite ‘Terraveda Hotel’, Empordà is now the perfect portal to this corner.
The 18th on the Forest is a testing conclusion to this excellent course.
The two courses, Empordà Links and Empordà Forest are a dynamic duo that golfers love to take on! There’s not much between the two but for my money, the Forest pips the Links in terms of playability. Avenues of tall pine trees and gently rolling fairways, seasoned with a splash of water remind you this is not a stroll in the park.
The recently refurbished 86-bedroom Terraveda Hotel ties this resort together. I’ve stayed in plenty of golf hotels and this one is especially comfortable, spacious and modern with a great breakfast and a driving range an easy pitching wedge from the breakfast bar!
AIGUABLAVA
The water at Aiguablava is so clear that the boats seem to ‘float’.
Minutes from Empordà is Aiguablava, one of Catalan’s best-kept secrets and one of my favourite spots. A crystal-clear Mediterranean laps honeycomb cliffs overlooked by tall pine trees, this coast's most visually charming parts.
Inland, timeless medieval villages are peaked with panoramas of the Alberes Mountains, the tail-end of the Pyrenees separating Spain from France.
PALS GOLF CLUB
Like a Lilliputian landscape, Pals reminds me of a field of broccoli.
Also nearby is Pals Golf Club. The course is close to the beach but you can hardly tell, so thick are the pines that line each fairway. The relatively flat terrain and copious trees make this more of a parkland while the sandy subsoil is linksy and a joy to play off.
This was Costa Brava’s very first course. Designed by Fred Hawtree in 1966, it has hosted the Spanish Open and several other major events. The course’s opening four holes are easy but as you progress into the canopy of umbrella pines, if they don’t catch you, the cleverly placed bunkers will!
THE CITY OF GIRONA
“They say that the city of Girona is for those ‘in the know’. ”
‘Palau Fugit’ is a trendy boutique hotel at the heart of Girona’s Old Town.
Moving into the city of Girona, we stayed at the Palau Fugit, a trendy boutique hotel in the heart of the Old Town. Once an 18th-century palace, it has been artfully restored into a comfortable, modern accommodation, an ideal base to explore the Old Town.
THE OLD TOWN
The narrow cobblestone streets of the medieval Old Town lead to an ancient cathedral with picturesque views of the Onyar River.
Our new friend, James from South Korea by way of LA, explores Girona’s ancient alleyways.
The Jewish Quarter (El Call) is one of the best-preserved in Europe. Colourful apartment blocks line the riverbank, best appreciated from the Pont de les Peixateries Velles (Eiffel Bridge), designed by Gustave Eiffel two years before he erected his famed Parissiene Tower.
Girona in the moonlight… this is a wonderful old town to stroll around in the evening.
Scenes from the ‘Game of Thrones’ were filmed here in Girona’s Old Town…
And here too!
TAPAS TOUR
We took a ‘Girona Tapas & Wine Tour’, a great way to explore the Old Town while stopping in to various tasty tapas bars.
Jambon with ‘pain et tomate’ is a Spanish favourite.
“Girona is something of a foodie hotspot stemming in large part from the activities of three brothers.”
Roca On! El Celler de Can Roca was named the best restaurant in the world in 2013 & 2015 by the Restaurant Magazine.
Brothers Joan, Josep and Jordi Roca have created something of a food dynasty here in Girona, their hometown. Their oldest establishment, El Celler de Can Roca opened in 1986, has attracted 3 Michelin stars and is regularly lauded by fellow celeb chefs such as Michel Roux as "one of the top restaurants in Europe" and Michel Roux Jr. as one of his all-time favourites.
“Restaurant Magazine named it ‘the best restaurant in the world’… twice!”
The brothers’ most recent restaurant is called ‘Normal’. “A Normal Restaurant on a Normal Corner in a Normal City” is how they describe it.
BUSTLING BARCELONA
It’s worth noting that the city of Barcelona is easily accessed from Girona. The super-slick Spanish train system gets you there in just 40 minutes for around $25 return so you can enjoy the Catalan capital and return home to the calm of Girona in the evening.
THE RYDER CUP COMES TO CATALONIA
“And now, the big news! The Ryder Cup is coming ! ”
Camiral Golf & Wellness Resort has been selected to host the biennial bash between the USA and Europe in 2031. On the outskirts of Girona, Camiral, formerly known as PGA Catalunya, has been a contender for the event no less than three times over the past three decades. Now, it’s Camiral’s turn time for glory!
BUILT FOR GLORY
The PGA Catalunya resort was built with the 1997 Ryder Cup in mind. That event ended up going to the southwest of Spain at Real Club Valderamma, the first Ryder Cup to be held outside the British Isles. Seve Ballesteros led the European team to secure the first of seven consecutive victories at home by Europe, a streak that remains intact today.
The resort made a bid again in 2022 but lost out to Italy, which eventually staged the Covid-postponed match in 2023. Next year, 2025, sees Bethpage Black in New York, followed by Adare Manor in Ireland for 2027 then back to Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota for a second time in 2029.
Then, in 2031, after a 34-year wait, The Ryder Cup will be staged at Camaril finally fulfilling the venue’s original purpose and potential.
SPAIN’S NO 1
The event will be staged across a hybrid of the two golf courses that exist within the resort. The Stadium Course is long-established as one of the best courses in Europe while the adjacent Tour Course is more for us mere mortals with wider fairways and easier-to-putt greens.
I played the Stadium when it first opened nearly 25 years ago and it hit all the high notes. European Tour legends Ángel Gallardo and Neil Coles crafted both courses from hilly, heavily forested land.
Draw it over the trees or fade it over the bunkers! The Stadium is a shot-shaper’s delight!
Considered Spain’s Number 1 and among the top 5 in Continental Europe, the Stadium routes through high-sided banks and a melange of natural pines, firs and old oaks. Constant elevation changes create endless variety from hole to hole, the 1st dropping and doglegging left, a strong opener while the 2nd gradually ascends again. Water graces the greens for the first five holes. The Signature comes at the 13th! An open tee shot sets up for a green that sits perpendicular to the approach, out on a lake, wide but not deep so laying up might be the wiser option.
The Stadium is a strong test for any level of golfer, demanding in length, well-placed bunkers and water hazards. For visitors, it’s essential to choose your tees wisely.
IRISH EYES
It’s interesting to note that Camiral Golf & Wellness is now run by the same group that owns and operates Quinta do Lago on the Portuguese Algarve, a group that, in my opinion, knows exactly what they’re doing! Over the last 50 years, QDL has just gotten better and better! There’s property development here at Camiral in the form of contemporary villas, not as pleasing to the eye as those discretely tucked away around Quinta do Lago’s courses. But we can forgive Camiral for that as the visitor experience here is second to none and course conditions also excellent.
GOLF & WELLNESS
The ‘wellness’ element at Camiral comes in the form of the usual pilates, yoga and gym sessions but if you want to take your ‘well-being’ to a deeper level, how about a session of cryotherapy, oxygen chamber therapy or photo bio modulation?
A cryotherapy session was scheduled. Coming from Scotland, for me this was a breeze! Complete with woolly mitts and tammy, we stood for a minute or two in a freezing-cold cryo-chamber. “What’s the big deal?” I asked the ever-vigilant therapist as we stepped out. “I could have stayed in there for another hour. It was like waiting on a bus on Sauchihaul Street in mid-February.” Us Scots are a seasoned race when it comes to tolerating a bit of cold!
Situated just 10 minutes south of Girona Airport and an hour north of Barcelona there is plenty of accommodation on offer for the Ryder Cup with the 5* Hotel Camiral, a member of ‘The Leading Hotels of the World’ being the top choice.
HOTEL GOLF PERALADA
Our motley crew gathered outside the Starters Hut at Golf Peralada.
Just to the north of the town of Figueres near the French border, the Hotel Golf Peralada makes yet another very comfortable base with golf on the doorstep. Again, I knew this course from earlier visits and things have come along nicely since then. The course is a rolling parkland through olive groves and pine trees, with the 5-star Hotel Peralada as its centre.
We didn’t have time to play the course on this visit but an early morning stroll gave me a visual update. It’s a fairly easy, undulating amble through not-so-troublesome trees. Unfortunately, there were water issues at the time of our visit which were affecting the fairways but I was assured the ‘solution’ was in the pipeline.
PERALADA WINERY
A highlight of Peralada was a visit to the Peralada Winery. This is a unique ‘bodega’ that brings together contemporary architecture and cutting-edge practices with centuries-old wine-making traditions. Located between the foothills of the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean Sea, Peralada’s vineyards are blessed with a unique combination of a Mediterranean climate and the influence of the nearby mountains.
Old farm buildings have been repurposed into an underground, futuristic facility that employs the most modern winemaking equipment and techniques. You can take a guided tour before ending the visit with a tasting of their best wines.
DALI THEATRE-MUSEUM
“I don’t do drugs, I am drugs!”
In 1904, the extravagant character Salvador Dali landed on Planet Earth in the town of Figueres near the French border. In the 1960s, the mayor of the town asked the artist to donate one of his works to the local Ampurdán Museum. Dalí decided that his home town deserved much more than just one piece of his art. Instead, he created an entire, living work of phantasmic art in the form of the Dalí Theatre Museum.
The surrealistic artist took 10 years to conceptualise and curate every aspect of the project. If you like Dali’s surrealistic slant, you’ll absolutely love this place! Take a guided tour and be prepared to immerse in Dali’s unconventional universe!
When asked if his dream-like depictions were drug-induced, Dali famously said, "I don't do drugs, I am drugs!"
We had lunch in the nearby Hotel Duran Restaurant which Dali frequented for food and meetings.
