EXPLORING BARCELONA & COSTA BRAVA

When British Airways got in touch and asked me to talk about my favourite holiday moment with you all, there was no doubt in my mind that it would be my most recent trip to Barcelona and Costa Brava in Spain. Once again my friend Jeyda and I wanted a girly getaway in Europe, and we decided on Santa Susanna which is in the Costa Brava region about an hour away from Barcelona. We wanted sun, sand and to create some wonderful memories and we sure did!

We booked the holiday about six weeks ago for a bargain price of £150 each which included the flights and hotel for four nights. We stumbled upon a great hotel called Hotel Florida Park in Santa Susanna, the pictures looked great and it’s a four-star hotel which got us really excited.  Once we had arrived and stepped into the Spanish sun I just knew I was going to love it here in Spain, it almost felt like home weirdly enough. The hotel staff were so friendly and accommodating it really made our stay that extra special. Santa Susanna itself is really beautiful, it’s quiet, family friendly and doesn’t have a nightlife which is exactly why I loved it so much. All the locals were so lovely and it really felt like a positive community which meant we felt really safe and comfortable during our holiday. The beach was just across the road from the hotel, and on the second day, we went to the outdoor market which was really fun and a great opportunity to experience the culture. There was also great entertainment in the hotel at night from flamenco dancers to karaoke, we really enjoyed the flamenco dancers as it gave us a real sense of Spanish tradition and they even pulled me up onto the stage to try it out! I loved relaxing by the hotel pool, reading my favourite book and watching the world go by it really made me feel so proud of myself for overcoming my fear of flying and allowing myself to experience these incredible moments in life.

On the third day we took a day trip to Barcelona on the train, out of the whole trip travelling to Barcelona was the one day that I was most excited for as it’s one of the places on my manifestation list! The train was really easy to catch from Santa Susanna, although you have to validate your train tickets out there on a separate machine so that part was a little confusing. Once on the train, it took about an hour to reach Barcelona city centre. We found everything really easy going and simple in Barcelona, the open top tour buses were right outside the station so we hopped straight on. At €29 for the day, I highly recommend doing this if you only have a day in Barcelona, there is so much to see and do in the large city, the tour takes around two hours and you can hop off and hop on as many times as you like throughout the day. Our first stop was the famous Sagrada Família cathedral which is still being built, I absolutely love architecture so capturing these stunning historic buildings through my photography and YouTube video really made the holiday for me as I can look back at these pictures and remember the beautiful warm weather, the people and the experience. Next stop on the bus was Park Guell, now being one of the most Instagrammed locations around Barcelona we really expected a stunning park, in reality, you have to pay for all the beautiful parts of the park. When we went to get tickets they explained they were all sold out until 8:30 pm, so my advice would definitely be to book tickets in advance. It took us about fifteen minutes to walk around the free part of the park which was still enjoyable and the views above Barcelona are simply breathtaking it was well worth the trek up there. We then hopped back on the bus back to the centre and headed up to the biggest food market in Barcelona the famous La Boqueria located in La Rambla. This was one of the highlights from the day for us both as we both love food! There was such an incredible selection of seafood, meat, fruit, juices, sweets and confectionary there really was something for everyone and it was great value. I’m so glad that I’ve now experienced Barcelona and would highly recommend going, a lot of people warned us about pick pocketers but honestly again we felt really safe and didn’t feel once compromised and I had my camera’s and phone out all day.

On our last full day we decided to hit the beach in Santa Susanna, sadly in the morning it was raining but by lunch time it was perfect blue skies. We were recommended a bar called Maui Beach Club by some locals and we were so glad we went! The vibe was incredible and it felt so tropical overlooking the sea, surrounded by palm trees, cocktails and the Spanish sun. First of all, we had lunch and a drink there then we hit the beach to soak up the sun. In the end, we stayed all day we loved it that much! So if you’re planning to go to Santa Susanna make sure to pop along for a cocktail. The beaches were beautiful although a little rough on your bare feet, the sea was also a little cold for May but that certainly didn’t dampen our spirits!

Spain certainly changed my life and allowed me to experience even more beauty in this world. It was great to relax, soak up the sun and experience the great culture of Barcelona. I would go here time and time again I enjoyed it that much and Santa Susanna made a quiet, beachy and cheaper alternative rather than staying in Barcelona, it was great to experience two sides of Spain on this trip. I just wish we could have had longer, although it’s not long until I’m back in the sun next month when I visit Crete, Greece for a week so I will see you then for another travel diary here on my blog.