This is one of my favourites as a Tour Manager because there is so much choice, both in the hotel and in the area that everyone can find something to make their holiday truly memorable.
I have just finished a tour that stayed at the Mediterraneo Park Hotel in Roses on the Costa Brava. The hotel has lovely rooms each with its own balcony and the restaurant has an extensive buffet for both breakfast and dinner providing something for all tastes and catering for special diets. The hotel also boasts extensive gardens, with three pools, a spa and plenty of comfortable sun loungers. All the customers were really impressed with the quality of the facilities and the helpfulness of the staff.
The tour has a good balance of organized excursions and free time; trips to Barcelona are a must, Figueres and the Salvador Dali Museum, Besalu and a boat trip to Cadaques are all highlights in their own right. However, it is what you do in the free time that really makes this holiday something special.
Roses is a beautiful wide bay with sandy beaches, ringed by a pavement all the way round. So, you could enjoy the Spanish sun and relax on the beach, take a glass-bottomed boat trip or enjoy a walk around the bay and stop of in one of the quiet cafés or fantastic restaurants on route. For the more adventurous, I'd recommend a walk into the Cap de Creus National Park for spectacular views of the bay. If walking all that way then the Roses Express land train follows an hour long route around the bay provides magnificent views of the scenery. This is the best land train I have been on.
If finding out more about Catalan and Spanish Culture is more to people's taste then a trip to Girona or the Citadel in Roses will allow you to learn about the history of the area. The Greeks first settled in Roses in the 4th Century and the Romans followed - a guided tour of the Citadel in Roses will give you lots of information on the town's history.
On one of your free days you could also visit Girona, a medieval town with an impressive Basilica and Cathedral. You can visit the Jewish Quarter and find out about the history of the area in the local museum or wander the small narrow streets and enjoy the atmosphere of this old district.
Roses is a fishing port and if you have enough energy left on the last day you can tour the harbor as the fleet comes in and see the catch landed and auctioned. It is really interesting and informative.
There is something for everyone here in the wonderful Spanish sunshine, it is one of my favourite places and is always enjoyed by visitors.
Discover this fantastic tour for yourself on Rail Discoveries' wonderful Catalan Coast escorted rail holiday.
