Irish Rambler
Guru
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2014
- Messages
- 1,811
- Location
- FRANCE
- Vessel Name
- 'Snow Mouse.'
- Vessel Make
- BROOM FLYBRIDGE 42.
I mentioned in an earlier post that the admiral wanted a 'beach' holiday as a change because we live on board full time and took our summer holidays in our cruiser along the canal du Midi.
We chose Spain for this break for several reasons, one getting dental implants in Spain is much cheaper than in France, and a bit like an excavator bucket needing new teeth after working hard, I also needed new teeth, I had jaw bone re-enforcement before we went to Australia last year (Paddy's Flying blog) the implants were done 6 months later, now it was time for the porcelain tops to be fitted which would entail two visits.
The Spanish border is only 40 minutes by car and the dental clinic is in Barcelona which is two hours away, so we booked a hotel near to Barcelona with the thinking that as I had two appointments, one for impressions and another a week later for fitting it was cheaper than driving back and forth.
We chose a 3* hotel in Pineda de Mar which was on offer on the site www.groupon.fr it turned out to be a wise choice. Pineda de Mar is not as commercial as some better known resorts and has a laid back family orientated atmosphere.
The hotel is clinically clean, even the cleaning maids bid you a cheerful Bueno dia, dining room is buffet style with ample choices and the young ladies who set tables and cleared the place were happy, friendly and very hard working. The young attractive lady who runs the bar is very generous with her spirit measures, a half large brandy balloon of Spanish brandy will set you back the princely sum of 4 Euro's, there's entertainment in the bar 5 nights a week. Yeah ! some good old Rock 'n' Roll, Spanish guitarists are noted for their skill and these guys were no exception.
Its the only hotel I've ever seen customers give the waitresses a hug and kiss on the cheeks as they were leaving and the waitresses were visibly upset at the customers appreciation of their work, I've been in 5 star foxholes and never seen such kindness shown like that before.
The staff of this hotel make the atmosphere into more of a family holiday feeling and of course this is passed on to the clients and makes their holidays memorable. Ours was, and we'll definitely go back again.(If only for the bacon and egg breakfast, they don't do bacon in France).
Photo's,
1, Our hotel.
2, The local chapel as built in 1700.
3, Catholic mass was in progress when this photo was being taken and like the photo being turned, being a WASP I didn't want to be turned either !
4, Monkey puzzle tree in the middle of the town.
5,9. I just can't keep away from boats. The tour boat runs a water bus service along this stretch of coast and the freighter was passing offshore.
6.7. The beach at Pineda de Mar is of coarse sand and shelves quite quickly and more suitable for older children who can swim already.
8. Great family bonds begin with bringing up happy children and the Spanish are very family orientated. Its not unusual to see families of 8/10 people including the children sharing a meal at 9 or 10 at night in a beachside restaurant chattering away ten to the dozen with lots of laughter.
10. I should've put this photo first to help to orientate you.
The area outlined is the Catalonian part of Spain, more on that in the next post. The three blue marks on the coast are from the top, our home in France, Pineda de Mar and Barcelona.
We chose Spain for this break for several reasons, one getting dental implants in Spain is much cheaper than in France, and a bit like an excavator bucket needing new teeth after working hard, I also needed new teeth, I had jaw bone re-enforcement before we went to Australia last year (Paddy's Flying blog) the implants were done 6 months later, now it was time for the porcelain tops to be fitted which would entail two visits.
The Spanish border is only 40 minutes by car and the dental clinic is in Barcelona which is two hours away, so we booked a hotel near to Barcelona with the thinking that as I had two appointments, one for impressions and another a week later for fitting it was cheaper than driving back and forth.
We chose a 3* hotel in Pineda de Mar which was on offer on the site www.groupon.fr it turned out to be a wise choice. Pineda de Mar is not as commercial as some better known resorts and has a laid back family orientated atmosphere.
The hotel is clinically clean, even the cleaning maids bid you a cheerful Bueno dia, dining room is buffet style with ample choices and the young ladies who set tables and cleared the place were happy, friendly and very hard working. The young attractive lady who runs the bar is very generous with her spirit measures, a half large brandy balloon of Spanish brandy will set you back the princely sum of 4 Euro's, there's entertainment in the bar 5 nights a week. Yeah ! some good old Rock 'n' Roll, Spanish guitarists are noted for their skill and these guys were no exception.
Its the only hotel I've ever seen customers give the waitresses a hug and kiss on the cheeks as they were leaving and the waitresses were visibly upset at the customers appreciation of their work, I've been in 5 star foxholes and never seen such kindness shown like that before.
The staff of this hotel make the atmosphere into more of a family holiday feeling and of course this is passed on to the clients and makes their holidays memorable. Ours was, and we'll definitely go back again.(If only for the bacon and egg breakfast, they don't do bacon in France).
Photo's,
1, Our hotel.
2, The local chapel as built in 1700.
3, Catholic mass was in progress when this photo was being taken and like the photo being turned, being a WASP I didn't want to be turned either !
4, Monkey puzzle tree in the middle of the town.
5,9. I just can't keep away from boats. The tour boat runs a water bus service along this stretch of coast and the freighter was passing offshore.
6.7. The beach at Pineda de Mar is of coarse sand and shelves quite quickly and more suitable for older children who can swim already.
8. Great family bonds begin with bringing up happy children and the Spanish are very family orientated. Its not unusual to see families of 8/10 people including the children sharing a meal at 9 or 10 at night in a beachside restaurant chattering away ten to the dozen with lots of laughter.
10. I should've put this photo first to help to orientate you.
The area outlined is the Catalonian part of Spain, more on that in the next post. The three blue marks on the coast are from the top, our home in France, Pineda de Mar and Barcelona.
Attachments
-
DSC01123.jpg133.3 KB · Views: 65
-
DSC01122.jpg124.3 KB · Views: 68
-
20181013_185840.jpg140.2 KB · Views: 64
-
DSC01125.jpg121.2 KB · Views: 69
-
DSC01128.jpg80 KB · Views: 65
-
DSC01129.jpg151.7 KB · Views: 72
-
20181009_122039.jpg104.5 KB · Views: 69
-
DSC01134.jpg127.5 KB · Views: 66
-
DSC01126.jpg100.3 KB · Views: 68
-
MAP OF SPAIN AND FRANCE._LI (2).jpg140.6 KB · Views: 61
Last edited: