Escaping to the beach from Girona is easy by car. Once you’re out of the city and on the C-65 / C-31 road it’s only about 33 km to St Feliu de Guixols. Upon entering the town’s outskirts you can catch a glimpse of the sea, way down below.
Just follow the beach (platjas) signs which lead you onto a long straight road that runs parallel to the beach. There’s paid parking here, to your left and right in the blue bays, hard to find though at the peak of summer.
There’s a perceptible feeling of a working town cum one-third resort. Much a place for locals as for tourist visitors. Even off-season and wintertime it still retains a modicum of vibrancy. It has a bustling weekly general market every Sunday worth perusing. All over by mid-afternoon, ready for that perennial problem of where to go for lunch.
The long broad seafront esplanade smacks of a bygone era or former glory. The Casino La Constancia building along here (Rambla del Portalet) stands as a curious testament to the towns’ colourful past. The ‘stuck in the 50’s’ internal decor, it’s still utilised as a social / community centre. Worth taking a peek inside or stopping for a coffee.
Choose a suitable beach plot along the gently curving, well-groomed beach. Glance to your right to an elevated cornucopia of holiday apartment buildings, perched along its pine-strewn promontory. Crank your neck leftwards and the beach ends with the town’s port / marina area.
If you decide to venture over there it has a worthy seafood restaurant, Sa Marinada. A further 15 minute curving uphill stroll will take you to S’Agaro, a much smaller upmarket chic resort.
If you’re staying in St Feliu for a bite to eat in the evening, stroll through its central areas starting at the Rambla, a short hop away from the beachfront. El Dorado is one favourite we keep returning to, but less so these days, as prices have risen beyond the ‘let’s eat out and not worry about the price’.
Friends who live nearby inform me that the pizzeria la Locanda Di Nonna Flo is also good.
Behind the seaside facade the interior town areas verge on the largely unremarkable scale as a 6. That’s not uncommon and rarely the real reason for a visit. St Feliu fulfills its duty and works perfectly fine as a beach-day-treat antidote to city living.
