This review is for our month long stay at Ricardo’s place.
LOCATION 5 minutes walk to old town, the beach, and all essentials. Everything you need is a short walk away. On Tuesday and Saturday mornings, there is a local market with fresh produce. During the week, the fish market is held in the afternoon.
THE ROOM We had the room with a Murphy bed, a small desk, a portable fan, and a folding chair. There are plenty of storage space for us to get organized during our staying. The room featured a window that overlooked the courtyard. The room is clearly small for two people, but we understood this before we booked, so we planned our day routine such that we rarely stayed in the room at the same time (except sleep).
APARTMENT The apartment has three levels. The first floor houses two airbnbs, as well as a living area, kitchen, bathroom, and a small patio. There were a few guests staying in the second airbnb for the first portion of our stay. We shared the bathroom and refrigerator area with other guests at the time. Throughout our stay, we have access to the kitchen. The host family invited us to use their kitchen utensils and dishes. We were the sole guests for the second half of our visit. We shared the bathroom with Maria and Emanuel after they moved to the second airbnb room. The vacuum cleaner, Nespresso coffee maker, and washing machine were all available for our use. Throughout our staying, we felt incredibly at home.
THE HOST FAMILY Ricardo and his parents are wonderful human being that we had pleasure to get to know. They are kind, genuine, caring, and thoughtful. Ricardo’s mother, Maria, works hard to keep the apartment spotless. She constantly offered her help and advice to help us cook better and live comfortably. The warmth we experienced from this family affected us deeply. By the time we departed, Ricardo and his family had become more a friend to us than an airbnb host. Emma, Ricardo's daughter, is a stunning and intelligent young lady. Her presence in the apartment brought us a lots of joy. Living with Ricardo and his family has made those of us with distant relatives realize just how much we missed having family members nearby.Thank you Ricardo, Maria, and Emanuel for opening your home to us!
ENVIRONMENT The old town is beyond charming. Doesn’t feel touristy like most towns in costa brava. Very authentic and local. Amazing butcher shops, bakeries, restaurants … we loved the hiking on either side of the shore. The hike towards the north to Palafrugell is a little more wild and had some really good mountain trails so you get both seas and mountain vistas … they are breathtaking!
PARKING There are numerous free parking lots nearby (slightly outside the center). You simply need to look for the parking lot with the symbol P. The free ones have no extra signs or payment machines, just a lot with sign P at the entrance. Of course, there are street parkings if you know how to read the marks, but we were content with the free parking lot and found it to be easily accessible.
Finally, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Ricardo for returning early on Sunday morning to say goodbye to us on the day of our departure. Thank you for offering a ride to the station. The efforts were deeply appreciated.
We also want to give a special shout-out to Maria!!! Despite the fact that we did not speak the same language and rarely used translater, we were able to communicate through body language, facial gestures, and lots of laughter. Living with Maria for a month was such a heartwarming experience. She demonstrated how the human spirit can transcend cultures, languages, and generations.