Well, if it’s good enough for Salvador Dali-

Destination round-up by Rachael Oakden

Well, if it’s good enough for Salvador Dali-

Catalonia boasts chic villages as well as mass-market resorts

It may be a region and not a country but the Catalan people are fiercely proud of their individuality and heritage. And rightly so.

The attractions range from chic beach resorts such as Sitges and Cadaqués, once the home of Salvador Dali, via small and friendly villages to the cosmopolitan hub that is Barcelona. The city provides enough attractions to keep you busy all holiday.

Scenery varies wildly from one coast to another as well.

The Costa Dorada is less overwhelming than that of the Costa Brava but prepare yourself to be stunned by the pure beauty that surrounds Girona.

Here we round up what’s on offer so you can check out the region’s hot spots in our homage to Catalonia.

Costa Dorada

South of the Costa de Garraf, the Costa Dorada runs from Tarragona to the Catalonian border. The coastal scenery is less spectacular than that of the Costa Brava and mass tourism is centred on the four-mile stretch between Salou and Cambrils.

Salou is a purpose-built, heavily developed resort full of British pubs and international restaurants. It is popular with families, not least because of its proximity to Universal Studios Port Aventura theme park. There’s also a water park at La Pineda, just a short bus ride away.

JMC senior product manager Myles Hazebroek said: “Salou has got something for everyone. It tends to be made up of older, established hotels and has all the attractions you would expect, such as beaches and family entertainment. There is a lot of nightlife but it’s not Benidorm.”

Cambrils is much smaller and still has a working harbour, though it is heavily developed and very busy in the high season. It has good fish restaurants and a weekly market.

Tarragona, the provincial capital, was Spain’s most elegant city in Roman times and is rich in Roman ruins and museums, such as the Museu i Necropolis Paleocristians. At its heart is the medieval old town and the Cathedral, which combines Gothic and Romanesque architecture. The Catalan Tourist Board hopes the city’s airport will be expanded to allow international scheduled flights in 2001, boosting Tarragona as a city-break destination.

Sitges: gay men have made this resort one of the most stylish on the coast

It may be a region and not a country but the Catalan people are fiercely proud of their individuality and heritage. And rightly so.

The attractions range from chic beach resorts such as Sitges and Cadaqués, once the home of Salvador Dali, via small and friendly villages to the cosmopolitan hub that is Barcelona. The city provides enough attractions to keep you busy all holiday.

Scenery varies wildly from one coast to another as well.

The Costa Dorada is less overwhelming than that of the Costa Brava but prepare yourself to be stunned by the pure beauty that surrounds Girona.

Here we round up what’s on offer so you can check out the region’s hot spots in our homage to Catalonia.

Costa Dorada

South of the Costa de Garraf, the Costa Dorada runs from Tarragona to the Catalonian border. The coastal scenery is less spectacular than that of the Costa Brava and mass tourism is centred on the four-mile stretch between Salou and Cambrils.

Salou is a purpose-built, heavily developed resort full of British pubs and international restaurants. It is popular with families, not least because of its proximity to Universal Studios Port Aventura theme park. There’s also a water park at La Pineda, just a short bus ride away.

JMC senior product manager Myles Hazebroek said: “Salou has got something for everyone. It tends to be made up of older, established hotels and has all the attractions you would expect, such as beaches and family entertainment. There is a lot of nightlife but it’s not Benidorm.”

Cambrils is much smaller and still has a working harbour, though it is heavily developed and very busy in the high season. It has good fish restaurants and a weekly market.

Tarragona, the provincial capital, was Spain’s most elegant city in Roman times and is rich in Roman ruins and museums, such as the Museu i Necropolis Paleocristians. At its heart is the medieval old town and the Cathedral, which combines Gothic and Romanesque architecture. The Catalan Tourist Board hopes the city’s airport will be expanded to allow international scheduled flights in 2001, boosting Tarragona as a city-break destination.

Barcelona

Sometimes, all it takes to make the world sit up and listen is a well attended launch party. Since the 1992 Olympics, Barcelona has become one of the most popular city-break destinations in Europe for UK visitors.

Serviced by flights from Birmingham, Luton, Edinburgh, Manchester, Glasgow, Heathrow and Gatwick, the city offers art, culture, architecture, shopping, restaurants and nightlife as well as being just 25 miles from the famously trendy resort of Sitges.

Must-dos include the Museu Picasso and Fundació Joan Miró art museums; the tree-lined Ramblas, with its endless selection of pavement cafes, bars, shops and restaurants as well as artists, musicians and mobile pet shops; the surreal architecture of Gaudi’s unfinished Sagrada Familia church; the Cathedral, one of Spain’s greatest Gothic buildings; and the elevated Olympic area, with its impressive views over the city.

The redeveloped dockside, with its numerous bars, is also a firm draw with tourists young and old. There are also several new attractions that have been added to the city, such as tethered hot-air balloon rides from the Olympic park, offering bird’ eye views from 500ft; and the new displays at the Planeta Aqua aquarium.

Catalan Tourist Board director David Miró said: “Barcelona is a very trendycity. Its popularity is unprecedented. Everyone who’s heading for the beach always ends up there.

“It’s in the centre of the coastline and everything there has been upgraded – it’s a really attractive destination.”

Costa de Garraf

Sitges is the major resort of the Costa de Garraf, which runs south of Barcelona as far as Tarragona. Just 25 miles from Barcelona, it was founded in the 1960s but has remained free of high rises and excessive development.

Today it is a weekend escape for young people from Barcelona and gay men, who have turned it into a fashionable, if pretty expensive, Barcelona-on-sea, with interesting shops, hip bars and clubs and restaurants of much the highest quality and service around.

The Real Spain commercial manager said:”It’s chic and pretty – the original Spanish resort. It has a ‘je ne sais quoi’ feel to it that the other resorts don’t have. There’s no mass tourism because the hotels are too small to take big operators.”

Inland from Sitges, the other attraction of the Costa de Garraf is the wine route of El Penedes, one of Spain’s most varied wine regions and source of one of Catalonia’s best-known exports – the sparkling wine Cava.

Costa Brava

From the high rises of Lloret de Mar to quaint fishing villages such as Cadaqués and Palamós, the Costa Brava is one of Spain’s most varied stretches of coast, offering destinations to suit all tastes and budgets. Running from Blanes, 37 miles north of Barcelona, all the way up to the French border, the rugged coastline is heavily developed at its southern end but gets more remote further north.

Lloret is the biggest, brashest resort, complete with thriving nightlife, a wide choice of restaurants and a crowded sandy beach. Some 12 miles south, Santa Susana is an up-and-coming purpose-built resort with plenty of new hotels for the family market.

Tossa de Mar, eight miles north of Lloret, mixes the old and the new – the modern resort is built behind the old town, which retains ancient city walls, cobbled streets and a castle. After Tossa, the beaches and towns of the northern coast are virtually untouched.

Mundi Color sales and marketing manager Tony Maniscalco said: “It’s the most beautiful stretch of coastline I’ve ever seen, with coves reminiscent of Cornwall and hidden medieval villages.”

The tiny beach resort of Aiguablava, with its two upmarket hotels, is particularly popular. Even more fashionable is Cadaqués, a pretty fishing port where Salvador Dali once lived that has been adopted by Catalonia’s beautiful set.

Further south, the provincial capital of Girona is an ancient walled city with medieval streets and an eclectic architectural heritage. Easily reached by train from Barcelona, it is also a popular base for exploring.

Cadaques: the village was once home to Salvador Dali

Barcelona: popular with the trendy set