Tossa de Mar, Spain Trip Report

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TOSSA DE MAR, SPAIN – JUNE 2023 FAMILY VACATION

In 2010, my husband and I took a day trip to Costa Brava from Barcelona and fell in love with it. It was always a hope that we would return one day. Then, when we decided we wanted to do a European beach vacation for our summer trip, I knew we had to visit this area.

HOW TO GET THERE

We flew from Chicago (ORD) to Barcelona on Air France business class. We transferred Capital One Miles to FlyingBlue, 51,792 miles per person (+$ 206.50 in taxes/fees per person/one way).

We priced out renting a car or hiring a private transfer. In the end, the costs were nearly the same so we went with a private transfer. We hired Juan Carlos Moreno from Taxi Tossa and highly recommend him. His car is spotless, he was waiting for us at arrival and was great to talk with on the ride to the coast & back. This service was 300 euro (roundtrip), but I do believe it has increased since. It is about a 90 minute drive, but on the way TO Tossa it was around 2 hours due to traffic.

WHERE WE STAYED

Tossa is a very small town and did not have any of the chain brands we’d usually use points for. We stayed 3 nights at Golden Mar Menuda in a Premium Sea View room, that included breakfast. At first I thought the room felt a bit basic, but as we settled in, I ended up loving it. It was very spacious. The AC worked fantastically (believe me, this is not always the case in Europe). I loved our balcony & view. The bathroom was smaller than I would like but very clean. This hotel was at the end of the town which ended up working out perfectly. As the beach out front was less crowded, it was directly next to the trails to walk to other beaches, had kayak rental right out front. One other thing I loved about this hotel… the pool! We would venture out every day then enjoy the pool around 3pm and it was NEVER crowded!

The included breakfast is 10/10. Everything you could want. And you can sit on their covered patio that overlooks the beach. Each morning we had incredibly leisurely breakfasts because it was just so hard to leave that view!

WHAT WE DID

HIKE: The hotel is directly next to an incredible hiking path. This path has absolutely gorgeous views of the water and coves below. The 1st swimming cove you get to on this hike (after leaving the hotel) is Cala Bona. It has great shallow areas and plenty of rocks to hang out on. Can get crowded. From there, you can continue to Cala Pola, a much larger beach area with a beach restaurant and bathrooms. The restaurant makes the most incredible rotisserie chicken you will ever eat. There’s a wooden deck with tons of seating. This path can be steep at times, but I had on very inappropriate shoes with little traction and did fine.

KAYAK: When we were doing the hike, we saw so many kayakers in all the coves below and so the next day we decided to do this. The tours were all sold out, which turned out to be a blessing. Renting kayaks on our own was much cheaper and we actually loved being able to take our time. My husband and son even got out of their kayak at one of the cove beaches only accessible by water and swam there for a while. It was an absolute dream day and I can’t recommend it enough!

CASTLE: Murallas de Tossa de Mar is the castle that lies in the opposite corner of the town (from the hotel). It’s a short walk there. And definitely worth walking to the top. You’ll have incredible views and there are even a few restaurants as you walk up into the castle.

WHERE WE ATE

The food in Tossa was fantastic. So much amazing seafood. And very reasonable prices. There is a little downtown area with winding streets, tons of cafes, restaurants, gelato shops. There are also lots of beach front cafes. When we were there we never had to make a reservation or wait.

Siena – We ended up eating here twice the food was so incredible. The outdoor seating in the courtyard is great for people watching and one night there was also live music.

La Grotta – This adorable Italian restaurant was SO good!! Like some of the best pizza I’ve ever had. And in an adorable back alley.

THOUGHTS

3 days in Tossa de Mar is not enough. None of us wanted to leave. It is the PERFECT beach vacation. Laid back. But active. Inexpensive restaurants. We were there in mid June and it wasn’t crowded. It is honestly the type of place you visit and feel so lucky to have had the experience. It gave very Greece meets Croatia vibes. If you ever get a chance to visit this little slice of amazingness, take it!

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