Barcelona and Tossa de Mar. September 2001.
Barcelona
We stayed at the Hotel Continental, La Rambla 138, 08002 Barcelona, tel 933 012 570, www.hotelcontinental.com. Being only 50 metres from Placa de Catalunya, the location of the hotel is the best reason for staying there. No real complaints. The room itself was small, but functional. Breakfast is served in a lounge that has a small balcony overlooking the Ramblas. The hotel previously occupied the entire building, but now only occupies the second and third floors. Apparently, George Orwell stayed here. The hotel has a faded charm that will appeal to anyone with a sense of history. Dont be put off by the tout standing at the ground floor entrance to the building trying to entice everybody to buy leather goods on the first floor.
We had no problems with petty theft in Barcelona. The usual sensible precautions will suffice. However, see text below relating to other criminal activities.
Taxis are cheap and plentiful.
The city tour buses are good for getting your bearings. One bus route covers one area of the city. A second bus route covers a second area of the city. The buses meet at Placa de Catalunya.
Warning. Be prepared for an uphill walk of about 750metres if you take the tour bus to Parc Guell. Elderly or frail should instead take a taxi to the park. The park, however, is well worth the effort.
We left Barcelona from the Coach Station. Buying coach tickets is easy. You must note that tickets are allocated to specific seats. If you sit in somebody's seat you will be asked to move.
Warning Take special care of yourself and your property here. While we were waiting for the bus we watched as a single young man was approached by a young lady. Soon they were talking happily. Then the young lady's shifty boyfriend joined the couple. It was clear that the young man was uncomfortable about his presence. It also became clear that the couple had "attached" themselves to the young man. When we boarded the bus, the couple sat next to their new friend, and when the coach stopped at Lloret they made sure that he was not allowed out of their sight. It appeared to us that a sting of some description would eventually take place, probably resulting in the young man losing his cash or luggage or both. There was little we could do as no laws were broken. You cannot complain if someone makes new friends. Be on your guard.
I also watched to ensure our luggage was not surreptitiously removed at Lloret de Mar.
Tossa de Mar.
Tossa is a small town/large village a few miles from Lloret. It is not as developed as Lloret, and is more peaceful. Once you have explored the Old Town , there is not much to do in Tossa. Many people like it this way. It is a place to unwind.
We stayed at the Best Western Hotel Mar Menuda. This is only a five minute taxi ride from the coach station. The hotel has no pool, although the brochure says it does. Our room was a reasonable size with a reasonable partial sea view, and a terrace. Breakfast is the usual fare. The beach is next to the hotel.
Hotel Mar Menuda is about 10 minutes walk from the town along the picturesque sea front. There are many restaurants in the town and along the front. Internet access was available in the town.
Warning The beach is shingle, not sand. It is also steep at the water's edge,with strong undercurrents. It is unsuitable for paddling or weak swimmers. The beach at water's edge is steep enough for the tour boats to moor close enough for loading/unloading.
This is a popular spot for scuba diving. There is a scuba shop on the sea-front.
Some new construction work was underway in the town while we were there, but it did not prove intrusive.
We found one antique shop in Tossa. Unfortunately, it did not open during the four days we were there.
Tossa de Mar is a very pleasant place to stay for a few days.