Luxury Villas on the Costa Brava

Rent a luxury villa on the Costa Brava to traverse hairpin coast roads that will have you gasping in awe around every corner, splash in inky-blue seas, and dine on pintxos beside boat-dotted marinas under the shade of fragrant stone pines. Or head inland and enjoy the serenity of the countryside in an expertly restored farmhouse.

The beaches are the draw that most people chase. Not as famous as the sands of other Costas – del Sol, Blanca – they’re often uncrowded and downright stunning. You’ll navigate pockets of spiny cacti to reach the cove at Platja de Treumal, a scythe of golden sand flanked by craggy sea boulders. You’ll drop from the medieval keeps of Castell de Sant Joan to the long beach of Playa de Fenals, a great family option. You’ll scale cliff paths to wave-bashed Cala Figuera and Cala de l’Ull de Vidre for sunbathing in complete seclusion.

Quaint fishing towns and salt-washed hamlets pepper the Costa Brava from top to bottom. Among them is Calella de Palafrugel, a whitewashed mass of villas that spills onto pristine shores and boat slips. There’s also Cadaqués, romantic and ready to pull at the heartstrings. It huddles on a marina beneath scrub-topped hills, hosting a curious museum to its onetime native, Salvador Dalí. As you head inland, the villages become extra rustic and old, like Besalú, a stone-fronted town with a Roman bridge and stoic Christian monasteries.

Of course, Barcelona is within the reach of travellers who pick a luxury villa on the Costa Brava. That great city is riddled with wonders, from the towering spires of La Sagrada Familia to the maze-like Gothic Quarter and its mix of old chapels and hip roastery coffee joints.

Whether you choose the coast or the countryside, a luxury villa rental in the Costa Brava region will make for a truly memorable holiday.