Before there was the old world charm and luxury of the five star "Hostal de La Gavina", there was s'Agaró. S'Agaró came first. In the early 1920's, Josep Ensera Gubert, the son of a successful Gerona industrialist, persuaded his father to buy the land between the arcing bay at Sant Pol and the long beach at Sa Conca north of Sant Feliu de Guixol's above Barcelona on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. At that time the area did not even have a name, so the family chose to call it after the Agaró stream that ran through it.
Today the community has grown to capacity. A new town of S'Agaró occupies the beach area offering attractive condominiums, super markets and all the necessities of life. But the controlled community on the peninsula remains the same. It cherishes it's age, it's commitment to continuity, it's peace and old world charm. The hotel now has fifty six rooms and sixteen luxury suites. Bathrooms have kept up with the times almost. A coffee shop has been added. Chic boutiques are tucked under the portico. A new pool has been installed with a restaurant alongside that looks across the pool and over the bay. Now they just need to do a little work on the broken and uneven flag stones.
Although its beauty has developed the patina of age, it's lovely gardens, afternoon tea in front of the walk-in fire place offering 50 varieties of tea from all over the world, attentive service and beautiful views of the beaches of the Costa Brava not to mention the high quality of the cuisine make for a most enjoyable visit. The original antiques line the hall ways. The several public rooms are mellow with wood paneling covered with hanging tapestries, wing backed chairs and writing desks abound. The high ceilings are a maze of wooden motifs. The huge entrance lounge stays cool with inlaid marble floors yet bright with the sun streaming in the wall of windows. Reception is a simple massive Catalonian antique table. The computers are relegated to a back room. The bar is created like a sailing schooner's cabin.
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Fruit Dessert with
Ginger Sorbet and a chocolate basket
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Gavina from the gardens.
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This hotel has played host to the world's elite, from S.M.D. Juan Carlos 1 (King of Espana) to Elizabeth Taylor, Eve Gardner, Orson Wells and Sammy Davis Jr. In more recent time, Val Kilmer, Robert de Niro, Sean Cannery and Harry Belafonte are just a few of well known personalities to enjoy the luxury of peace and quiet far from their maddening crowds.
No enterprise this special would be complete without marvelous food. So to guild the lily, the extremely pleasant and capable chef Joaguin Oriol Coll heads the kitchen. He has been with Hostal de La Gavina since the mid 1970's. He has honed his cuisine over the years with forays into London and Paris and often spends time a the Ritz in Madrid to expand his creative talents.
Chef Coll, as with most fine chefs in Europe today, insists on using as many regional products as possible in his dishes as well as the freshest ingredients available to him. We fell in love with his Andaluzian Gazpacho (for the recipe click on the name of the Gazpacho) starting almost every meal with a bowl. The waiters just arrived at the table with the urn and two bowls as they took the rest of our order. Chef Coll incorporates mayonnaise and almonds into the creamy mixture. This creates a very mild and mellow texture with a soft, velvety taste.
Another extremely successful dish was the Timbal de Arroz Negro con Salmonetes Aceite de Langosta (Black Rice with Salmon and Lobster oil). It takes longer to say than eat. Beautifully presented, the taste was marvelous. He bakes a local fish enough for four people in a cocoon crust of rock salt that lifts off like a lid. Beneath the fish is succulent and tender, cooked sealed in it's own juices. He does not stint on vegetables. He provides enough for a meal just of vegetables. Deserts are mainly drawn from formidably fresh fruit available in abundance. Pastries are offered but are not a local favorite. But his ice creams and sorbets are superb. His puckering lemon sorbet is served with thin shredded chocolate sticks.
The wine cave is stocked with fine wines and refreshing local labels. Their sommelier just came first in competition ranking in Catalonia April 1999. He happily guides you through interesting choices of Spanish wines, guided only by your interest, not by price.
This classic Catalonia Hostal offers today the graciousness of times past. It has as much a feeling of a well worn slipper as a luxury hotel. Perhaps today, that is indeed a luxury. A delicious stopover in the lovely Costa Brava region of Spain.
Hotel de La Gavina
17248 S'Agaró
(Costa Brava) Girona, Spain
tel: 011-34.972.32.11.00
fax: 011-34.972.32.15.73
eMail:gavina@iponet.es
For more on the Costa del Sol visit their own official web site at
http://www.visitcostadelsol.com
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