S’Agaró ... the pueblo down the road ...

Do you know what I'd do if I won the lottery - well, what I'd do after I'd picked myself up off the ground in astonishment cos' I never buy a ticket!!

I'd buy my perfect beach house, which is this lovely, but sadly neglected, little gem sitting quietly by the Platja de Sant Pol, in S’Agaró.

What do you think of my dream home?

Xalet de les Punxes, S’Agaró, Costa Brava, Spain

It was built back in 1890's by the Estrada family, who were the big guys in town with a major-league cork business. Although way back then, there wasn't much of a town to speak of. It was designed by Josep Casals i Goday, who was part of the Catalan Modernist movement. There had been some sort of old fisherman's shack on the site, which was re-developed and turned into this zany house with spires pointing up to heaven, and something that looks like a minaret in the centre.

Xalet de les Punxes, S'Agaro

Can you imagine how fabulous it would look if it were to be restored to its former glory? And the garden behind ... well I'd arrange that like one of the great Moorish gardens of the south: all lush green leaves and sweet-smelling damask roses, jasmine and orange blossom; there'd be the tinkle of running water from a little fountain, and light dancing across a lily pond. I'd have a few cunningly placed alcoves, where I could sit and enjoy the sunshine from the cool of the shade. It would be somewhere beyond amazing.

And can you imagine waking up in the morning and looking out at this:

Platja de Sant Pol, S’Agaró

That, my friends, would be the view from my bedroom window.

S’Agaró is a bit of a jewel on the Costa Brava. For one thing it boasts a glorious sandy beach with the most wonderful fine golden sand. When the sun shines down on the breaking waves the grains of sand suspended in the water sparkle like gold dust. The beach is crescent shaped, and you can walk quite a distance out to sea before there is much depth to the water, making it perfect for the little ones.

The only down-side to all this wonderfulness is that the secret is out, and in the summer it's gets really, really busy. For me that's a bit of deal-breaker, so I'll only go there late in the afternoon during July and August. It tends to empty out a bit as the day goes by, which suits me just fine. I love people, but I hate crowds. And I hate crowds of people all jostling for a square metre of sand to lay their towels on. Life's just too short ... .

Here's a photo from last August of my boys putting to sea in their very own super-yacht. As you can see, the water is also a tad on the busy side ... .

They've got a very funky water-sports centre in the middle of the beach where you can kit yourself out with whatever kind of equipment you need.

And if you go down there these days you more or less have the place to yourself. At this time of the year it's a great beach for walking, kite-flying and, during the Easter holidays, we've been known to go for the odd spur-of-the-moment swim.

Dotted along the seafront are some acceptable restaurants ... but the best place in town is the Taverna del Mar. This gets my vote for being the prettiest restaurant on the Costa Brava. Inside it's decorated with a beautiful deep sea-blue and white colour scheme that shouts seaside chic, and if you get a table by a window you will have the most amazing views out to sea. The food is top notch with a firm emphasis on seafood as you might expect from its name and location. I've spent many happy nights of my life in there feasting with friends and family.

The fabulous Taverna del Mar

Also sitting regally on the shoulder of the hill on the other side of town is the hotel, La Gavina, the grand old lady of the Costa Brava. This is one of the very nicest hotels in Spain with a swimming pool terrace that is to die for. It has a salt water swimming pool - so much nicer than chlorine - and amazing views down across the bay. In summer they do open-air weddings up there on a rather splendid terrace with people taking their vows against the glorious backdrop of the bay. Back in the golden age of Hollywood loads of the big stars came here. Charlie Chaplin, Orson Welles, Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Elizabeth Taylor, Peter Sellers, John Wayne and Dirk Bogarde have all passed this way. And for my money they've left a sprinkling of their glitzy star dust behind. It's a special place.

One of my favourite things about S’Agaró is the Camí de Ronda, the coast path, that leads off to either side of the village. I can start out in my village, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, and take this little path, up over the cliffs, down into secluded coves, past the bare, rugged rocks where the seagulls build their nests, through the pine forest and then on to the Platja de Sant Pol.

I hook up with the path just above the harbour in Sant Feliu. It takes me over the cliff where I can look back and see my village and its harbour wall below:

Sant Feliu harbour

At this time of the year wild flowers bloom in profusion. Spanish lavender, with its big blowsy flowers, grows everywhere, and wallflowers cling to the faces of the cliffs. As you walk along the path you brush against wild rosemary releasing that lovely aromatic smell that always makes me want to go home and roast some lamb for dinner. Little white rock roses, with starry yellow centres are everywhere, and unlike normal roses they don't have any bothersome thorns.

Then you can chose to take a detour down the steep, stone steps to this little hidden cove. It's a good place to sit and think as the sunlight dances across the water illuminating the rocks beneath.

The path goes up and down, steps, steps and more steps, but they're all worth it, because around every corner there's something stonkingly, jaw-droppingly beautiful to look at.

I mean, just look at the mesmerising colour of the sea in the photo above. I've done nothing to it, no Photoshop jiggery-pokery, nothing at all to change the saturation or the temperature.

This hillside was covered with Spanish lavender. It smells divine as you walk through it in the hot sunshine, and on the rocks below a colony of sea gulls are guarding their nests, calling out into the still air as they watch the water below for any tasty morsel that they can swoop down and catch for their hatchlings.

Keep on going and you'll come to Platja de Sant Pol. Just before you hit the sand you'll find some great rock pools, where you can hunt for aquatic mini beasts if that's your scene. My son, Emi, is a big fan. Here he is, net in hand, Maxi the wonder dog by his side.

And if you keep on going across the beach, you'll pick up the Camí de Ronda coast path again just below La Gavina, the famous hotel.

On this side of town the path becomes broader, there are fewer steps and it feels more like something that's been developed for the guests of La Gavina to take a pre-prandial stroll along in their dressed-for-dinner finery. That's not to say that it isn't beautiful: it is, but it just feels a little bit more suburban.

It winds around coves and rocks, and past some seriously expensive real estate. Lots of people come here for a run, or to walk their dogs.

Camí de Ronda

I love the Costa Brava pine trees, which look particularly wind-blown along this stretch of the pathway. They smell wonderful as the hot sun beats down on them, and, as the summer progresses, the local children make a play to collect their pine nuts.

Camí de Ronda

There are plenty of shelters, viewing points and benches to sit on and admire the scenery.

Camí de Ronda

The path meanders round the cliffs until it reaches the Platja Sa Conca, a wonderful beach which usually has bigger waves than Platja de Sant Pol. A word of caution: the sand drops away more dramatically here and the beach, in profile, is quite strongly concave so it's a bit more challenging for swimming in. Watch your little ones carefully if they aren't confident swimmers.

Platja de Sa Conca

Platja de Sa Conca

If you fancy some tamer water there's a stretch at the far end of the beach that is a little more protected by the rock formations that jut out into the water. There are lots of huge rocks in the water, but you can avoid them as they stand out clearly against the sandy bed. The sand down that end is finer and much better for building sandcastles with.

Platja de Sa Conca

Platja de Sa Conca

This beach gets pretty busy in high summer as well, although maybe not quite so much as the Platja de Sant Pol. With its bigger, rolling waves it's a great spot for collecting sea glass. There's a little cafe beside a pyramid climbing frame at the side of the beach, which is a good spot to grab a sandwich and a cold drink.

We can happily spend the day here, jumping in and out of the water, playing beach football, gathering sea glass, making friends with the multitude of children who play on the climbing frame and exploring the rock pools. It's all very relaxed and family friendly.

And then, at the end of the day, we'll retrace our steps along the Camí de Ronda, tired, sun-kissed, wild-haired and ready for dinner.

Bonny x

Also shared with  P52 Sweet Shot Tuesday

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