After their trip to Singapore and Bali was sadly cancelled due to the pandemic, Paula and her daughter, Maddy, were keen to get away on a last-minute mini break. Julie assisted in arranging their trip to the coastal town of Sitges in Spain's Catalonia region, southwest of Barcelona.
Julie was extremely helpful in providing guidance and reassurance about the necessary travel requirements and we were delighted to be getting away for a few days.
The journey from Stansted to Barcelona was smooth with a private transfer to our accommodation in Sitges.
We stayed five nights at the excellent ME Sitges Terramar, which scored highly on service, spec, and location. The hotel was immaculate; the bathroom, bed and balcony in our room were huge; and the pool was lovely, too.
The staff could not do enough, always attentive, helping us hire bikes, bringing a kettle so we could make tea in our room and all very beautiful (must be a requirement of the ME chain!).
The Terramar has a sheltered beach, great outlooks and is a pleasant 15-minute coastal walk from the old town along a wide promenade where most people, bicycle, skate or walk their dogs.
There is also a useful tourist hop-on/ hop-off ‘choo choo’ type train that runs back and forth along the coast, which was useful.
We only ate once at the hotel as it was a bit pricey, but breakfast was extensive and ample, and if a family are on a tight budget, lunches for the day could easily be made up and stored in the room fridge.
Sitges old town is exquisite for a wander, with lovely museums and galleries, such as the Cau Ferrat and Maricel Museums in beautiful adjoining buildings - they're not too large and have friendly, helpful staff.
We were delighted to be informed that they were free to us, as Maddy was classed as a student and me a teacher. Apparently in Spain this is the case for most museums and galleries!
We ate really well at numerous places in town, which we found lively but also with a pleasant, chilled vibe - with mostly Spanish, French and German inhabitants, predominantly gay men, couples, groups and pet dogs everywhere. It's a very dog friendly town.
On our final night, we had been recommended a Michelin star restaurant, the Opera Bistro, in the harbour area, overlooking the marina.
The hotel rang to speak with the chef and owner, Albert Jubany, about veggie options.
When we arrived, he made us feel so welcome, making delicious special dishes for us. I was delighted to write him a good review in contrast to some of the English reviews that had said he was rude with the restaurant having little choice for vegetarians!
Our return to the UK was equally efficient. The hotel had a Covid PCR service which we could probably have found cheaper elsewhere, but it was very convenient and only Maddy was required to complete it.
I would most certainly recommend Sitges for a relaxing short break and as an alternative place to stay outside of Barcelona, which is only 40 minutes away by direct train.
