Hotel La Gavina

Plaça Roserar, s/n | 17248 S’Agaró, Girona
Coordinates: 41.7905480000, 3.0558070000 (map)

The most famous hotel in the Costa Brava is located in S'Agaro. Its name, Hostal La Gavina¹, can be deceptively confusing for those new to its splendor, as the Spanish word "hostal" sounds very much like the English word "hostel", with all the attendant associations of bunk beds and sharing bathrooms with strangers. That's mistake number one: hostal with a silent "h" is simply an inexpensive hotel that offers private rooms. Mistake number two is using the information in the previous sentence to try and save a little on the accommodation in the Costa Brava — one night in Hostal La Gavina costs about 300€ in the low season and about 1000€ in the high season (advanced bookings are very much recommended).

The modest name of the hotel is simply a relic of the simpler times when it first opened its doors in 1932 as a newly renovated chalet with two buildings and a turret between them. 11 guest rooms were added almost as an afterthought. Even back then, spending a cheap night there wasn't really possible, as S'Agaro had been building up its reputation as a garden town for the upper class and the bourgeoisie, so its first hotel had to fit the bill. Its modest outward appearance was the only reason for the simple name.

The hotel outgrew its eleven rooms quite quickly, and for years after the grand opening Hostal La Gavina had been in the state of permanent expansion. The Spanish Civil War put a pause on the construction work, but once it had ended the hotel continued changing, this time drastically. The way Hostal La Gavina looks today is the result of an ambitious project led by the architect Francesc Folguera. Only the tennis courts and one hallway remain from the original buildings.

The list of celebrity guests of La Gavina is enormously long and keeps growing. The cream of the crop among famous politicians, royalty, actors, and musicians visiting the Costa Brava make it a point to spend the night at Hostal La Gavina. So if stargazing is your thing, perhaps paying 1000€ a night for the possibility of sharing the breakfast buffet with Lady Gaga or Robert de Niro is not such a high price?

¹⁾Gavina means "seagull" in Catalan.