Last August, we spent two blissful weeks in the Begur area of Costa Brava, Spain.

This holiday had been a long time coming. We actually got half way to booking stage for the previous summer, but couldn’t quite make it work financially that year.

This is the first time since starting our family that we’ve actively gone and chosen a holiday location abroad. So, figuring out exactly what we wanted from a holiday was all new to us, but we had a few things on our family holiday checklist:

I wanted somewhere that would keep my camera happy. Beautiful scenery, turquoise coves, and pretty medieval towns? Check.

Both Sam and I wanted somewhere with lots to do nearby. We didn’t just want one beach and one seaside town for two weeks. The great thing about the Begur area of Costa Brava was being completely spoilt for choice with plenty of beaches and towns to explore, and all within a 30 minute drive or less. 

We wanted somewhere that wasn’t garishly touristy in the way that some European beach destinations can be. We were thinking more along the lines of fresh seafood restaurants than novelty English pub food.

We wanted to give the kids a holiday where they could be in and out of the pool all day. We’ve never really done a pool holiday before, and we knew they’d love it. With Otto being a baby and nap time being quite an important factor in our day (my book reading time!), we figured that a resort holiday would mean we spent quite a lot of time separated – Sam at the pool with the boys and me indoors with Otto whilst he napped or played. So, we decided on a villa holiday, to bring the pool as close to us as possible and to work better with our current routine.

Also, with a well stocked villa, Sam could cook away to his heart’s content, which is truly his favourite part of a holiday (that, and daily trips to the local supermarket / markets to peruse the fresh meat and fish).

When we researched the Costa Brava, it literally seemed to tick every one of our boxes. Essentially, the booking process sounded a little something like this: We read an idyllic sounding article from the telegraph, google imaged the nearby beaches, and were sold.

Begur, Costa Brava

We decided to focus our search for a villa in the Begur area, as it seemed to be nearby to a lot of the beaches and towns that we had researched.

Initially, we had a hard time deciding whether to stay near the town of Begur, which is inland, or to rent a seaside villa at one of the nearby beaches. We decided to rent near Begur in the end, mainly because it was closer to the supermarket. I am really glad that we made this decision because it was a far easier jumping off point to access many of the surrounding beaches and towns. If we had stayed close to one of the beaches, in order to drive anywhere else, we would have had a windy coastal road to meander out of, adding an extra 15 minutes to every journey. 

Car rental is pretty vital in the Begur area of Costa Brava. If you don’t plan to drive, you are definitely better off in a hotel or villa right by the beach. There is a bus system if you want to get around and do some exploring, but we have no experience of that or how extensive the route is.

What we loved about the Begur area of Costa Brava as a family holiday destination

The beaches are all in coves. Meaning that the sea was flat as a pancake, sheltered from waves and currents, making it the perfect environment for non-swimmers and young children.

The Costa Brava is incredibly scenic. From the botanical gardens, the cliff top panoramas and the crystal clear waters, there are breathtaking sights everywhere you turn in the Costa Brava. My camera was very happy indeed.

The Begur area felt like a really central location, with lots to do and see, and nothing more than a 30 minute drive away.

The weather was great for children. We had highs of around 30, with a nice breeze. As the Begur area is very close to the border with France, you don’t get the sweaty mid-30s heat like some parts of the med (which I love, but isn’t as comfortable for the children).

I have also written an article on things to do in the Begur area of Costa Brava  – check it out for my favourite Begur recommendations.

If you’d like to see more of our holiday to the Begur area of the Costa Brava in Spain, I made a video of our holiday which you can view below:

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More photos from our holiday to Begur in the Costa Brava – there were too many to choose from!