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Holiday memories from our villa in Costa Brava

“I could lie here and look at those mountains for hours” said Guy, as he sank into the easy chair in the corner of our bedroom. From our villa in Costa Brava, we could look over the countryside to the Pyrenees, the rising sun lighting up the teracotta rooftiles and the mellow stone of the farmhouses in the distance. The small town of Pontos lay below us, with birds chirping and a view of the pine forest where we never did manage to go for a walk. These are the memories that you bring back from a holiday and turn over in your mind when it’s raining in Bristol!

Our villa in Costa Brava Photo: Heatheronhertravels.com

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We were staying at a villa through Charming Villas Catalonia, a company that specialises in luxury villas that are full of character, in the Costa Brava region of Catalunya. Richard and Sara who run the company are based nearby in Besalu and give the villas a personal touch, helping you choose the villa that suits your needs and are on hand to sort out any issues that arise.

At our villa Mas Gorral through Charming Villas Catalonia Heatheronhertravels.com
At our villa through Charming Villas Catalonia

I hope you enjoy the video below about our villa with Charming Villas Catalonia

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Rustic Chic in our Costa Brava Villa

Our five bedroom villa was an old rambling farmhouse that easily accommodated our party of nine, made up of our family as well as Guy’s sister and family. I enjoyed imagining the history of this place, how rooms had been added to over the years, to suit the needs and ambitions of various owners. With everything built of local stone, bound together by ochre mortar, teracotta roof tiles and green creepers clothing the walls, it was difficult to tell what was original and what was modern.

At our villa Mas Gorral through Charming Villas Catalonia Heatheronhertravels.com
Bedroom at our villa through Charming Villas Catalonia

Inside the theme was rustic chic, with mottled plaster walls left natural in places, in others painted creams and yellows. Exposed beams held up the ceiling with stone sinks in the kitchen and three bathrooms. Every room was huge, with imposing antique armoires and chests of drawers to match the scale of the house.

At our villa Mas Gorral through Charming Villas Catalonia Heatheronhertravels.com
At our villa through Charming Villas Catalonia

Quirky artwork and furnishings

From the eclectic furnishings I imagined that the owners had travelled far and wide; a black Chinese laquer cupboard, a carved Asian wooden chest and a large leather topped desk that wouldn’t be out of place in an English gentleman’s library. The quirky feel continued in the bold, colourful artworks – verging on the surreal, and inspired perhaps by Salvador Dali who was born just down the road in Figueres.

Painting in Mas Gorral with Charming Villas
Painting in our villa through Charming Villas

On the landing a larger-than-life lady in an aviator’s helmet, surrounded by startled cherubs; is she kissing one of them or trying eat it? The long legs of a woman diving into a hat were propped near the kitchen and in the dining room we are greeted by the back of a reclining woman with ripples of creamy flesh.

At our villa Mas Gorral through Charming Villas Catalonia Heatheronhertravels.com
Sitting room at our villa through Charming Villas Catalonia

A bracing swim in the pool

On the green lawn below the house, our swimming pool overlooked the valley and the forest. Being from England we are determined to make the most of every ray of sunshine and the girls were dressed as if for the hottest of August days in skimpy tops, loose flowing skirts and strappy sandals. They lay on the sunloungers ignoring the tramontana wind but after a while were forced to retreat to a more sheltered spot on the upper terrace.

At our villa Mas Gorral through Charming Villas Catalonia Heatheronhertravels.com
Swimming pool at our villa through Charming Villas Catalonia

We gathered around the pool daring each other to go in. A toe dipped in the water told us it was not going to be warm, it was April after all!  My son took a plunge and dive bombed in, splashing everyone else. Then the girls followed, surfacing from the cold water, eyes wide with the shock. A brisk couple of lengths and they ran back inside for a hot shower!

Hall at Mas Gorrall in Costa Brava Photo: Heatheronhertravels.com
Hall at our villa in Costa Brava

Lunch on the sunny terrace

In the entrance hall hung a row of straw hats, waiting to be borrowed for a snooze in the sun or a walk around the garden. Although it was only April, the sun shone for us and we took full advantage of the warmth for lunches al fresco on the sheltered terrace. Feeling the sun on your back in the springtime when there’s still blossom on the fruit trees and wildflowers in the fields is one of the pleasures of being in Costa Brava.

Our Villa Mas Gorral through Charming Villas Heatheronhertravels.com
Lunch on the terrace at our Villa through Charming Villas

After a day of walking the town walls in Girona, a seaside jaunt to Cadaques or a Dali inspired visit to Figueres we’d return to the villa to loll around on the white cotton sofas in the barn-like sitting room. Our hire car from Auto Europe was despatched to the local supermarket to return with mountains of food and all the cousins decided what we would eat and cooked it together.

At our villa Mas Gorral through Charming Villas Catalonia Heatheronhertravels.com
Dining room at our villa through Charming Villas Catalonia

Time for dinner at the long table

Later books would be cleared from the long wooden table where the girls had been working on university assignments and the table was laid for dinner. During the day we’d tried the local specialities; dreamy ice cream from Rocambolesc in Girona, seafood tapas and local wine at Enoteca MF in Cadaques. But in the evening we’d fall back on our home-cooked favourites, chicken kebabs barbecued on the terrace or mountains of meatballs and pasta.

At our villa Mas Gorral through Charming Villas Catalonia Heatheronhertravels.com
Dinner at our villa through Charming Villas Catalonia

On our last evening, however we took inspiration from the staff at Enoteca MF in Cadaques who we saw peeling a huge pile of red shrimps which were pulverised to make a shrimp carpaccio. In our version it was seafood linguine but the cousins pitched in to peel all the prawns from the supermarket.

At our villa Mas Gorral through Charming Villas Catalonia Heatheronhertravels.com
Sitting room at our villa through Charming Villas Catalonia

Wine and cards in front of the fire

After a candle-lit dinner around the huge table, the fire was lit to take away the evening chill and we sat around playing cards and drinking local wine. The house became a backdrop for family conversations, catching up on news, planning bright futures.

At our villa Mas Gorral through Charming Villas Catalonia Heatheronhertravels.com
Evening at our villa through Charming Villas Catalonia

The card games were fircely contested, but at the end it’s not about the winning or losing but about the time we spend together. With our children flying the nest to carve their own paths in the world, these memories of time spent together become ever more precious.

All too soon it was time to leave our lovely villa. The views over the garden are still there, the teracotta roofs of Pontas below the house and the snow capped Pyrenees in the distance, waiting for the next guest.

Our Villa through Charming Villas Heatheronhertravels.com
View from our Villa through Charming Villas

As we reluctantly handed back the keys to Richard and drove to the airport past fields of yellow rapeseed scattered with poppies, the sun on the terrace was still warm in our memory. We’d had a chance to catch up, to cook together and splash in the pool. We’d recharged and soaked up the sunshine and made some memories to take home. Isn’t that what holidays are all about?

Have you any favourite holidays memories of spending time with your family? I’d love to hear them in the comments.

Near Pontas in Costa Brava Heatheronhertravels.com
Fields near Pontas in Costa Brava

Plan your stay in Costa Brava

Book through Charming Villas Catalonia who provided our villa near Figueres. Charming Villas specialise in luxury and character villas in Catalonia from rustic villas in the countryside to modern coastal villas. They have over 80 villas to choose from and as Richard and Sara who run the company are based locally they are able to help with planning your holiday and on hand to sort out any issues.

For more information to plan your holiday in Costa Brava, visit the Costa Brava Tourism Website and the Catalunya Tourism Website.

More memories from Costa Brava

A driving tour of Costa Brava – Girona, Figueres and the Dali triangle
Lloret de Mar – sun, sea and so much more…
Val de Nuria – a Sunday stroll in the Pyrenees

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Read about the memories we made in our villa stay in Costa Brava
Auto Europe car in Costa Brava

Thanks to Auto Europe for providing* our hire car for exploring Costa Brava. Auto Europe work with 20,000 car rental locations in 180 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, as well as North and South America.

* More info on my policies page

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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Morris Miller

Wednesday 24th of April 2019

This really a nice photo you have shared. Thanks for sharing this article.

Gary Y. Cooley

Tuesday 9th of May 2017

Great article! It is always good to plan to spend your holiday in a villa. By booking a villa you can enjoy your vacation with your family. Villas are not as expensive to rent as people might think and a villa provide you various facilities for example - games rooms with pool tables, darts boards etc, 3D TV's, Blu-ray players, playstations, board games. Thanks for such a nice post and I also like your vacation pictures:-)

Aaron C

Wednesday 22nd of March 2017

I really like the idea of staying in a villa instead of a hostel. But, as a single male, I'll go with the more convenient hostel. Thanks for writing, your pictures are very well done.

Heather Cowper

Thursday 23rd of March 2017

@Aaron I can understand that, however the villa option is still worth considering if you're planning a holiday with a group of friends.

Felipe Rodriguez

Friday 2nd of December 2016

Your photos are so magnificent; it seems like you had an amazing time with your family.

Penelope

Tuesday 31st of May 2016

What a setting for the perfect holiday ... I'll have to check out the Costa Brava soon!

Heather Cowper

Monday 6th of June 2016

@Penelope I highly recommend it!