Hello dear travel enthusiasts. Today we arrived in Platja d'Aro a town in Costa Brava. This is our first time here. The view along the way was quite beautiful, with golden leaves and Christmas decorations.
At first we saw a beautiful winged statue, a great spot for those who want to take photos.
We then walked towards the beach and continued exploring the town. There are many restaurants on this street, all with charming and warm atmospheres. We were definitely going to enter one, but first we wanted to walk around a bit. Although we weren't staying overnight, it's really enjoyable to visit Costa Brava in the autumn and winter. Plus the parking here is either free or cheap. In summer parking costs about 3 Euros, so parking here is quite easy and even free. If you stay for a full day, which is about 10 hours the parking fee is 30 Euros. The good thing is that, starting from October, many parking spots are free, so you can park as long as you want.
We walked towards the seaside, where there are beautiful palm trees. However, nearby there is an unfinished new building by the sea. Such views can be seen often in Costa Brava. In winter the windows are closed because there are no tourists. This area is made up of holiday apartments and right now it's the off-season. There are very few people around. In summer this place is really crowded with a completely different atmosphere. We had considered coming here in summer but couldn't make it. Winter here is wonderful, with a wide sandy beach that can easily accommodate a large number of tourists. There's no problem finding a spot on the beach. A few people were walking and we also went for a walk. This is a tourist area with only tourists walking around. Almost everything is closed: shops, cafes and restaurants. This makes me think that living here in winter might be really difficult because everything is shut.
We walked inland towards the city center. We saw many open restaurants on the main street and we thought it might be a bit warmer there since it was very windy at the beach. My nose even froze. We looked at the streets on the second beach line, where there are many pine trees, adding a warm vibe to the city. I wanted to check the prices of apartments here, so I researched on Idealista. The prices here are around 300.000 Euros, which isn't very cheap.
The area is very calm during the off-season. There is no visible movement, but there is still life with a few cars parked. We saw a large parking lot that was completely full and we passed through a lot of streets while looking for parking. On the second beach line everything is also closed, except for one restaurant and across from it, there's a place called Ibiza Lounge, but there are no tourists. Still a few bars are open and there are a few customers. The Manhattan Disco Bar doesn't seem to be opening, but some other places are still open. Also a few shops are open, like a perfume shop. Chestnuts are also being sold here, with prices ranging from 5, 7, to 12 Euros. However, the chestnut season is almost over and these are the last days to eat them.
The situation here is a bit odd. while everything is open in Barcelona, everything is closed here. Only a few shops are open, like a perfume shop and some small stores. There are also a few casino signs and there are places where you can try your luck.
We decided to have lunch at a restaurant called Llevant. We placed our orders and my friend, without breaking any rules ordered ribs, while I wanted to try something new and ordered oxtail, a dish that is quite common here. This dish is known as part of Catalan cuisine and people here often eat escargots, pig’s trotters and other different meats. Today I decided to try oxtail. They also brought us chips and we had a question in our minds: Were these chips free or would they charge us for them in the end? We hadn’t ordered them, but they brought them with the menu.
I started my tasting. The oxtail arrived and it really looked beautiful, with meat, potatoes and peppers. My friend had barbecue ribs and potatoes and he said the meat was very tender. I was definitely eager to try the oxtail because it was a completely new dish for me. So, I tried it right away. It was really delicious. I don't know how it's made in other restaurants, but here it was absolutely fantastic, the meat melted in your mouth and the sauce was amazing. I definitely recommend trying this dish here.
We loved the food. The portion of meat was generous and it came with a fantastic sauce. For me, it was a real discovery. I also really liked the Catalan-style escargots, which are prepared locally. Oxtail is definitely a dish worth trying.
They brought the bill, which was about 47 Euros. The chips were complimentary and they didn’t charge us for them. And they offered us a "chupito", a small shot, which is usually a sweet drink. My friend had apple liqueur and I ordered limoncello. The limoncello was a bit stronger, but very tasty.
While walking around, we also checked out the real estate prices in this small town. You can buy a house for around 620.000 Euros or a duplex for about 640.000 Euros. Generally, the prices here start at 300.000 Euros. It’s really a calm and beautiful place.
We really liked this small town. It’s very peaceful but also lively. On Sundays everything is open on the main street. You can shop in the city or sit in cafes. If you’re looking for a place to visit in Costa Brava during the winter, I would definitely recommend this town. Sending you all lots of love, see you soon.
