The drag between Easter and Summer has been a long one with the spartan trip to Athens a distinct memory. The planning for a summer trip was long in process it all started with my arrival back in the UK with the family declaration of another villa vacation. Only this wasnt Asia with the luxury, people and service you come to expect as standard. This was Europe, the land of DIY, where people want to spend a long weekend painting a spare bedroom.
First was the location, with the criteria of a hot climate, a young baby (so not too far on the aeroplane) and some oldies thrown in. A close location with a host of thing to so was called for. Naturally in Europe only one location fits the bill and that is Barcelona. Without too much research we picked Sitges a town slightly outside Barcalona but with excellent link to the airport and Barcelona environs.
I picked Sitges by looking at google maps and images on the internet and that only the first few images. Little did I know that our extended family was headed towards a gay and lesbian holiday hot spot and beaches popular with nudists. While neither is a relevant factor for me as I am of a liberal mindset be aware if you are not. With that said we had a fantastic time.
We booked out Villa through Sitges Hill Villas (link) and their service was good. The villa immaculate and the normal issue you do find with an large building were attended to quickly. Overall we have a great time with a great location.
Sitges Villa - Location and Pictures
We had a four bedroom villa looking out over the hill above Sitges in a town call Olivella. The town is surrounded by forests and vineyards and is the home of Cava sparking wine.
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| Looking across our village - Olivella |
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| Sitges Hills - Olivella |
Sitges
Sitges is a fantastic town with excellent beaches. The town is conveniently accessible from Barcelona. It has all the major shops to stock up on groceries and a host of good restaurants.A number of small villages radiate around Sitges and the road leading from Barcelona to Tarragona.
We also spent a lot of time in Sitges around the its beach, on the marina where there are a number of good restaurants. The sunset around Sitges were stunning although you're not looking due west.
Barcelona
Barcelona has a host of things to do in its own right and there are many internet pages dedicated to it. My only piece of advice is that part of Barcelona are not free so a number of the Gaudi places should be booked in advance on-line (Sagrade Familia, Park Guell and check the others. We went to Park Guell at mid-day and the next available slot was at 6pm)Here are some shots at the Sargada Familia the most famous of Gaudi's monuments in Barcelona.
Monserrat
We did a day trip to Monserrat and its a place well worth a visit with its stunning views. Its a strenous hike to the top or there are finicular railways and cable cars as less strenous routes to the top. We drove to Monserat and took the funicular train up to the top. Here are some pictures of the views from Monserrat |
| Looking up at Monserrat |
Closing
We hired cars and its worth noting that when you hire a vehicle you should check the insurance cover and that you're paying in the right currency. From the same website we have an instance where we hired one car with insurance paind for in GBP and one car paid in USD without insurance. Both from the same company - Europcar. The were vehement in stating its not their issue but I think they are doing their customers a disservice so be aware.
Well worth doing a villa holiday in southern Spain and Sitges is a great location to visit. Our family loved it and its worth going. Below are some more Flickr pictures.
2014 - 3 mins in Barcelona and Sitges
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