When presented with the opportunity to attend a special friend's birthday party in the other side…read moreof the Atlantic, we hesitated for about 3.5 seconds, and then quickly dove into the travel plans. It was literally a royal couple, our friend being the daughter of a Spanish Marquess (in fact his complete title was: and a Marquess of Tejada, Bailiff Grand Cross of Justice and Member of the Deputation of the Constantinian Order) was dating the Duke de Girona at the time, and for her 30th birthday, her boyfriend decided to celebrate a 4 day party at a medieval castle in the outskirts of Barcelona. So in order to stay close to where the main festivities will be held, we booked a room along with many of the guests in the Hotel Arc de Monells. This is place is nothing short of magical and spectacular, nestled in the medieval Catalonian town of Monells the building is a historical building made of stone but completely modernized inside with comfortable rooms and beautiful decor while maintaining its quaint and historical feel. The service was always fantastic, as a matter of fact, on the night of the 18th Century ball, we were having trouble getting a cab to come out to pick us up and the concierge gracefully drove us to the castle not even accepting a tip. Our room overlooked to roof of the new building which houses the dining area, pool and spa, a modern glass building with a lush green rooftop garden, it merges with the local scenery of green fields and beautiful forest perfectly well, without disturbing the feel of an idyllic place that you may find described in local folklore or tales. Our life purpose is to return to Girona, an area where many professional bike riders call home because the terrain and the weather is perfect for training for the spring classics, we will come back with our bikes and definitely stay at the Arc de Monells.

We booked a bike tour through Creative Catalonia, and our last stop of the tour included a two…read morenight stay at Arcs de Monells. It was a lovely hotel with wonderful spacious rooms, outdoor patios and a pool. There were few dining options in the quaint little village, but fortunately the restaurant at the Arcs rivaled a 5 stay restaurant at a 2€ price - he Baked Cod and Salmon were delicious) Visit here, get to known the owners, and bask in the history of Monells and the surrouding mid-evil towns.

On a first visit to Espana we only made reservations in Barcelona and decided to 'wing it' for…read moreother accomodations... we got lucky! This hotel was a working farm for several hundred years before being converted to a hotel. The main building is original (with some addition and modifications of course) Guest rooms are a separate building on the grounds and nicely done. Ample closets, comfy beds, modern bathrooms (bidet too) Beautiful lounging areas in the old house - VERY charming and warm. Outdoor pool with seating patios, bar in season. Glassed in heated pool, large jacuzzi, sauna, bathroom and shower as well as a sauna. Huge mature trees all around, grass fields and forest with views of green forested hills. NO traffic noise. Only sound is the breeze in the trees and singing birds. First class restuarant for dinner with breakfast included. The staff is friendly and professional. We hate to leave! 30 min drive to the Dali museum 15 min to the beach and other small towns. Can't stop taking pictures! Reasonable rates (paid more at the Hilton) Cannot say enough.

Great hotel next to the beach. Small and good for couples or families with kids. The pools are…read morenever too busy and the gym is always available with clean showers and sauna. The pool has full service straight from the great restaurant and complimentary towels and lounge chairs. When one cannot make the great complimentary breakfast the staff will create a nice picknick basket any time of the evening or morning. The rooms are very nice with a/c and a small kitchen. The housekeeping is great and even did our dishes one day after we had forgotten to do it. Now the best part. We enjoy good food and while we also explored many restaurants in the area and neighboring towns, the restaurant 'catamaran' in the hotel actually trumped all of the restaurants we visited (and often drove 30-45min for). Their menu is not very large but their daily three course menu-del-dia can hold its own with some Michelin star level restaurants. It was different every day and all nine options between starter, main and dessert were great. On some days we enjoyed both lunch and dinner from the same menu! Parking was very good too. Enough space in their own covered area so we never had problems finding a space. Did we not like something? Not really...and I realize it makes this review almost too good to be true... But we just liked everything and recommend it to anyone. Thanks