Dublin Airport, Girona and finally Empuriabrava!
On Saturday morning both Jill and I woke very early and relaxed in the room for the morning. Our flight wasn´t leaving till 4, so I rang reception to ask to extend our check out until 2pm, and this was not a problem. We went down to the hotel bar (also called Kudos, like the restaurant) to get some lunch. I requested a burger I had seen on the room service menu but was told this was not possible which irritated me a bit! I then ordered the Asian wrap, but when I got my food I was actually given a plain chicken wrap. At the time I was just too hungry so I left it go and did with what I was given, but this was definitely the lowpoint of the entire stay, which was otherwise very good!
I left my car at the Clarion for the week, which costs 7 euro a day, which is apparently cheap in comparison to the airport´s long-term car park, which is also further away! We then took the hotel´s free shuttle bus (which leaves every 20 minutes) to the airport. I wish I could give the same praise for the airport as I did the Clarion. It was ridiculously busy, packed and notoriously difficult to navigate around. And once we had checked in, we went to get some food in the airport bar/brasserie, which was in fairness very good. Once we finished eating we made our way to the gate, and at this point we discovered that it was a good 10 minute walk to the gate!
To make things worse when we got there, the area where our gate was located was more of a prefab temporary building than an airport terminal, with no air conditioning and a lot of impatient, sweating people. Other than perhaps Charles De Gaulle, I have never come across anything as bad as it in an airport, and I would recommend anyone to fly through Cork or Shannon if at all possible when visiting Ireland, because Dublin Airport is appaling!
We arrived in Girona on time however and happily made our way to the taxi rank. We got a taxi from Girona to the house in Empuriabrava, costing 86 Euro. While this sounds expensive, it is a decent journey and it is just easier to get a taxi than the bus! The taxi driver had very little English but seeing as I´m learning Spanish and all, my basics got us by just fine!
Empuriabrava was as good as ever, although it was quite windy so we feared the trementana was around. That didn´t stop us from heading over to El Churrasco, an excellent nearby steakhouse, to get our dinner. I will post a review of this restaurant soon, but needless to say it is superb! After dinner we went for a few drinks in the Barazza, a French-owned bar near where we were staying before retiring for the night!
Just a note, please check my Twitter site at www.twitter.com/joelennon for more frequent updates on this trip, as I will be sending updates from my phone to Twitter on a regular basis!
|
|
Most of the staff have been working in the restaurant for many years (since I first went there in 2002 at least!) and are generally friendly and helpful. They have basic English, but they appreciate you trying your hand at Spanish or better yet Catalan. It is advisable to make a reservation for large parties, particularly in the high season.
When you order your meal (which is taken with a PDA) you are then brought out bread, allioli, oils, tomatoes, garlic, olives and either salami or potato chips. If you haven't tasted allioli, I advise you try it, it is so, so good! It could be compared with garlic butter, but it is just so much nicer! El Churrasco offers the nicest Allioli in the town, and its very nice when mixed with the tasty herbed oil.
The restaurant has a decent selection of wines and a small variety of cavas (Spanish champagne equivalent). They are generally quite inexpensive. If you're a white drinker, Vina Sol is very thirst quenching and is usually served super cold which goes down well in the summer months! The restaurant also serves beer, I think it's San Miguel. If you want mineral water, ask for Agua sin gas (still) or Agua con gas (sparkling).
There are many starters available, and I would recommend Sopa de Tomate, Calamars a la Romana or Peppers stuffed with meat. The choice with main courses is also quite large, with some brought out on a spit. Most dishes are cooked on an open fire which is visible from the rear of the restaurant. The entrecote is very good as are most of the steak options! The mixed grill offers an uncompromised challenge to those willing to accept it, a pork chop, a chicken breast, a steak, a sausage and fries. Be hungry if you're ordering it, it's an almighty feed!
I'm not usually big on desserts so I can't offer too much advice, other than like most restaurants in the area, the menu appears to be from a wholesaler and most desserts are pre-packaged fare. There may be some handwritten desserts on the back of the menu, which are usually homemade. I sometimes choose an orange sorbet to help digest the whopping main course! :) I can confirm that the cafe solo (espresso) in the restaurant is good!
Overall El Churrasco is a great restaurant, usually highlighted by its business. For the best atmosphere, dine after 9pm as that is when the locals prefer to eat. If you're making a trip to Empuriabrava, I can't recommend highly enough that you eat at El Churrasco (unless you're a vegetarian!)
Finally, just to point out that this restaurant closes on Thursdays (I presume to give the staff a day off!)
Empuriabrava is a resort that is very popular with sailing enthusiasts, with many houses having a boat mooring to their rear garden. Empuriabrava's many canals provide excellent boating facilities, and the town was built specifically for this purpose.
Possibly the best feature of Empuriabrava is it's huge, deep beach, which is vastly spacious and provides plenty of room. Unlike other beaches which can get very crowded, in Empuriabrava you can always find a decent space to set up on the beach, which is very handy if you like playing sports or games on the beach!
There is an aerodome in Empuriabrava that is very popular thanks to its skydiving facilities. There is a rarely a fine day that you won't see many divers floating in the blue skies above you! Light aircraft and ultra-light aircraft also are catered for here, so it's ideal for those with their own small jets.
Nightlife in Empuriabrava, like most of Catalunya, doesn't start until the early hours. There are several night clubs around the town, including Passa Rella, which is on the beach. This night club boasts an indoor pool and you will find "free" passes in every store and bar in the town. It's worth mentioning that these passes grant you free admission into the club but have an obligatory drink condition, so even if you don't purchase drink while in the club, you'll still end up paying for them!
There are several excellent bars in the town, including The Orange Kiwi, whose previous owner was from New Zealand, although it's recently been taken over by a Spaniard. This bar has an ultra-relaxed atmosphere and serves decent lunch fare. The Barazza is a French owned bar which is very popular during the day for coffee. It can be a little quiet between 10 and 12 at night, but it's a nice place to drink in. Another good place to go is Si Kim. They have some delicious fruity cocktails that you should try. They are loaded with alcohol so prepare for a stumbling walk home :)
The general tourist population of Empuriabrava is comprised of German, Spanish, French and more recently, English, visitors. Staff in most places speak Catalan and Spanish, and most places have basic German and French. You will find that some places don't speak any English at all so it's best to know the basics of Spanish at least to get by.
There are many good restaurants in Empuriabrava, including several Chinese restaurants. My favourite is Bahia De Oro, on the Gran Reserva section of the beach. It's very inexpensive and defines the meaning of service with a smile! The Pattaya is an excellent Thai restaurant located on the port. El Churrasco is a steakhouse that makes a mean Chicken Curry on a Spit and excellent entrecotes and other steaks. The peppers filled with beef is a nice starter here. El Capitan is one of the more expensive restaurants here, and serves a good range of fish. Their Cream of Leek soup starter is to die for! Port Grec (next to Pattaya) is a sensational Spanish restaurant. If you eat here, expect Spanish (slow) service, so relax and make a night of it, and be sure to try the Stuffed Pork Steak (Port Grec).
In many restaurants you will be given bread and allioli (sometimes at a charge) after you order. Be sure to taste this allioli, it is heavenly! Some may also bring you shot-type drinks at the end of the meal, and will ask whether you want sweet or dry (seco). Most places don't add a service charge, and a few euro tip is usually sufficient, and 10% is generous. It is customary to tip in bars if there is table service or if you order food.
I have been to Empuriabrava many times now and hence know the place fairly well. If you want any particular info don't hesitate to ask me!
