20 charming places to stay in Catalonia

A five-star hotel with a one-star Michelin restaurant located in a unique setting, and as of summer 2017, it's barely ten years old. The Villa Retiro is close to the River Ebre, in the south of Catalonia, and has just nine very well-appointed rooms. It also has a fully equipped spa to complete the feeling of relaxation and well-being.

In a country house with over 600 years of history, near the River Ter and amid fields and mountains, this rural hotel provides rest, peace, comfort and direct contact with nature. It offers a family service and the possibility of enjoying many different activities in the surrounding area. It also has a swimming pool, bar-restaurant and a pleasant room for reading and relaxing.

We don't know everyone reading this, but we would hazard a guess that few of you would be disappointed with a stay in this hotel and spa. Le Meridien de Sant Salvador is located on the seafront, with direct access to the beach and thalassotherapy treatments (using seawater). This is a five-star hotel that has it all, in a beautiful building and with the Restaurant D.O., which only uses ingredients of local origin and with a quality certificate.

This idyllic spot is a gastronomic hotel in an old, completely restored country house, where you can eat well and sleep soundly, surrounded by the mountains of the Serra de Llaberia and close to Pratdip. In summer you can take a dip in the swimming pool or soak in a hot tub beneath the stars. A word of advice: do book ahead if you want a room. There are just seven, all of them spacious, modern and with a balcony.

Here you'll find a perfect courtyard that looks like something from a film set, and will definitely make your Instagram page shine. Framed by a large stone arch and with a staircase connecting both sides, the courtyard of the Hotel El Far is a venue anyone would choose for important celebrations. The hotel was built on the site of an 18th-century inn and is perched on a cliff. Gaze out the windows at the back of the courtyard and marvel at the postcard views of the Costa Brava. The hotel restaurant is the legendary El Far Restaurant (next to the San Sebastià lighthouse), a Mecca for anyone looking for an unforgettable dining experience in L'Empordà.

The refurbishment of the original country house, for which there are references dating back to the early 11th century, was completed in 2015, resulting in an exclusive hotel open to the four winds and surrounded by meadows, forests and silence. It has 13 luxury rooms, very luminous and in perfect harmony with its medieval architecture and antiques. It boasts a fine restaurant that serves up creative cuisine.

This is one of the best-known hotels in the region, since practically everybody around has been here to attend a wedding or other type of celebration. It’s also known because it occupies a 16th-century fortified mansion house. It has 11 rooms, and many of the packages it offers are golf-related, due to its proximity to the Sant Vicenç de Montalt golf couse.

You'll find ideal accommodations here, especially if you're planning to ski on the prestigious slopes of Baqueira Beret, as the hotel is located 50 metres from the Esquirós ticket offices and ski lifts. If you're not planning any swooshing down slopes, the hotel is still well worth a visit, with its cosy, bright and spacious rooms, a spa area, a restaurant that serves both international and local dishes, and very complete breakfast buffets. 

Can Cuch opened its doors as a hotel-restaurant in 2011, so, despite being a house dating back to the 10th century, it still smells new. It oozes charm from every corner, with cosy well-appointed rooms, a chill-out terrace with spectacular views of the El Vallès region, and a wine cellar in a natural rock cave. Just the spot if you're after an unforgettable romantic getaway.

A very charming four-star hotel located in the medieval heart of Solsona inside a 14th-century house, of which some elements are still standing, such as the remains of capitals and semicircular arch windows and doors. Today, La Freixera is a modern elegant hotel that celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2017 and boasts services such as parking, WiFi, dining room, bar, and the possibility of arranging activities and excursions.

Exclusivity, privacy and some dreamy panoramic views. Trossos del Priorat is an oasis of peace amid vineyards in the wine-producing region par excellence, with all due respect to El Penedès. The hotel has six double rooms, each with a balcony and views, and a spectacular suite. In the wine cellar you can learn all about the world of the wines of El Priorat. They also cook up innovative and surprising breakfasts.

A stone’s throw from one of the last virgin beaches of the Costa Brava, La Malcontenta is a luxury hotel with 14 charming rooms (some with a private garden), a swimming pool, a massage area and a Michelin-starred restaurant. It's located in an old fortified country house and among superlative natural surroundings.

The Hotel Museu Llegendes is located in a restored 18th-century building, in the old quarter of Girona, 150 metres from the cathedral and the Arab baths. It offers rooms with a flat-screen TV, a rain shower and free WiFi. This designer hotel has sophisticated rooms individually decorated and equipped with air conditioning, a safe, a minibar and a modern elegant bathroom with toiletries and slippers for guests. It has views of Girona's cathedral and is 200 metres from the beautiful Jewish quarter.

One of the greatest exponents of haute cuisine in the province of Girona is the restaurant Mas de Torrent Hotel & Spa, near Pals. This small hotel is part of the prestigious Relais & Châteaux network, which recognises the most charming hotels in the world. Presiding over the kitchen, as culinary consultant, is chef Fina Puigdevall, one of the greats of contemporary Catalan cuisine, who has been awarded two Michelin stars for her Les Cols, in Olot. She's the creator of fine traditional and seasonal cuisine that's always innovative and enjoyable, and in this case complemented by a cellar boasting more than 400 varieties of wine, some of them hidden gems from small wineries. A charming hotel where a visit to the dining room is a must.

The Mas la Boella boutique hotel is a premier four-star hotel located in the centre of La Boella, a 12th-century country house surrounded by olive trees and gardens. The landscape is completed by the 4.5 hectares of vineyards with which it produces its own wine, DO Tarragona. The hotel, located in a newly constructed building, has 13 suites that include, among other services, iPod players and a selection of pillows. Its elegant restaurant offers Mediterranean and local cuisine using top-quality products.  

This complex is located in the heart of the Costa Brava, in the tourist resort of Lloret de Mar, and specifically on Fenals beach. It has three restaurants, swimming pools, spa areas, a gym, a sauna and a whirlbath, among many other services. As for accommodations, you'll find different kinds of rooms, very elegantly decorated, with carpet, cherry-wood furniture and walls covered with fabrics of natural colours. Luxury by the sea!

In a desirable location on the outskirts of the town of La Seu d'Urgell, this hotel is surrounded by gardens, with views of the Pyrenees and the Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park. Its grounds feature swimming pools, a gym, a wellness centre, free parking... The food is equally impressive, as there are two restaurants, one serving creative dishes and the other traditional cuisine.

In the beautiful town of Tossa de Mar on the Costa Brava, Casa Granados Boutique Hotel is a small and charming place to stay, with seven rooms, an outdoor swimming pool and romantic gardens. 'Elegance', 'sophistication' and 'privacy' are some of the words that spring to mind to describe Casa Granados. You'll also find a wellness area and an exquisite restaurant serving creative dishes.

This small hotel, with eight rooms and a suite, occupies a typical 16th-century Catalan country house, which has been restored but without disturbing its charm and the elements of the Late Gothic period. Very close to the medieval town of Pals, and also the beaches of the Costa Brava, Es Portal's restaurant offers top-quality cuisine thanks to masterfully selected local products and a recipe book that expertly combines tradition and innovation.

Always a good choice, this hotel in Botarell has modern-style rooms that contrast exquisitely with the original structure and stone walls of the house, which dates from 1798. It also has a spa zone that, while not huge, exudes charm. It's set in a prime location at the foot of the mountains of the Baix Camp, which is an easy drive away from the region’s beaches as well.