With a good selection of shops and restaurants, a marina and a long sandy beach, Platja d’Aro is a great summer location. In fact it’s popular all year round.
Platja d’Aro boasts a loooong sandy beach. Photo by David Leigh.
The big attraction of Platja d’Aro is the sandy beach, which runs for several kilometres down to the marina. With free parking on offer even in the summer you might think that the beach would get overcrowded, but on the whole it manages to avoid becoming unbearably so. South beyond the marina you’ll find Sa Conca beach and the gated community of S’Agaró.
The town also has a good selection of shops including a number of large supermarkets, and the high street (Av. S’Agaró) is full of Spanish and international chains selling clothes, shoes, beachwear, mobile phones, jewellery, tourist trinkets and any number of other products.
There are also plenty of restaurants and bars, to relax after a hard day on the beach both on the high street and along the beachfront, which is permanently busy in the summer months. Many of the bars offer cocktails including the ubiquitous Mojito, with comfortable sofas allowing you to really feel totally relaxed.
There is also a cinema where they show an English language film every couple of weeks, a bowling alley and amusement arcades and the good second hand furniture shop for owners to equip holiday properties cheaply. Another great shop is Decathlon, selling every manner of sports equipment you can think of.
Golfers might also like the nearby course at Club Golf d’Aro, while there is also a local tennis club with around 20 courts.
Against this, the town has little reminder that it was once a small village, with rather bland architecture, while the beach loses sunlight relatively early thanks to the high rise apartments constructed close by.
Beaches
One of the big attractions of Platja d’Aro is the long beach of coarse pink-hued sand. Around 2400 metres long, it’s one of the most most popular on the entire Costa Brava. Mostly the beach here is urban but head for the rocky coves to the north and you’ll find yourself in a more natural environment. The section of beach near the harbour is also distinct to the main beach with pine trees instead of apartment buildings. There is a campsite just behind the beach here and tree shaded car park if you’re travelling from outside the town.
Platja d’Aro’s long sand beach. Photo by David Leigh
The shelf on the main beach is quite steep so it’s not the best beach for young kids but it does mean that when you enter the water you have to really commit! There are floating platforms some metres off shore to swim out to and dive in.
Looking towards Cala Rovira. Photo by David Leigh
The shelf at the smaller Cala Rovira is better though and may suit you. If you continue along the coastal path you’ll reach a couple of small rocky coves. Given their small size they can get rather packed despite the lack of easy access and maybe better to go to first thing in the morning before the inevitable crush.
On the main beach you’ll find sun loungers and parasols available to rent should you need them. You often encounter volleyball players on the beach setting up their nets when the heat of the afternoon is starting to wane. The sun disappears quite quickly from this section of beach as it disappears behind the high rise apartment buildings on the promenade. If you want to enjoy the later afternoon sun on the beach you’ll need to move down the beach.
Where to stay
Most people visiting Platja d’Aro stay in private apartments, but there are a large number of hotels as well as a several large campsites in and around the town.
The 3-star Hotel Costa Brava is perched on the rocks overlooking the main beach with wide terraces giving guests spectacular views out over the Mediterranean. It’s a traditional Costa Brava hotel and with a great restaurant and has direct access to the beaches. If you’re looking to really pamper yourself the the 5-star Hotel Cala del Pi is close to the rocky cove from which it takes its name. It has a really top class restaurant and a good pool. If you’re looking for something more modest the the 2-star Hotel Bell Repos is a family run hotel with private gardens just a block from the beach. The hotel has a restaurant on site but there are numerous restaurants within walking distance. More on Platja d’Aro’s hotels.
If camping is your thing then the tree shaded Camping Vall d’Or is a good bet. Platja d’Aro also has on street parking for caravans and campervans a few blocks from the beach. Not the most comfortable option perhaps but it should do for a night or two if you’re passing through. And on the edge of town are two large campsites with good facilities, Camping Riembau and Camping Valldaro. More on camping in Platja d’Aro.
Eating out & eating in
Most of Platja d’Aro’s restaurants are concentrated along the promenade and the high street. You get excellent choice when staying in in the town. The promenade restaurants tend to specialise in local dishes, so you can expect plenty of seafood including paella or just a selection of tapas. It’s extremely pleasant to sit out on the promenade in the shade while looking out to sea.
Enjoying a beer and tapas on Platja d’Aro’s promenade. Photo by David Leigh
Some good choices here are Restaurant M&B, Tapes Alexandra and La Calma. They all serve seafood, including paella, as well as serving tapas and meat dishes.
On the high street and the streets leading from it you’ll find a greater variety of restaurants including a number of fast food joints. They offer a variety of cuisines from around the world, so you’re sure to find something to suit your taste.
Platja d’Aro high street. Photo by David Leigh
La Tablita (Avinguda del Cavall Bernat, 260) is an Argentinian restaurant specialising in steak and pizza, lovers of Indian food are catered for by the Taj Mahal just off the high street on Carrer de Josep Maria Vila and if Chinese is your thing then Fulin (Carrer Juli Garreta, 10) specialises in Cantonese dishes. On top of that McDonald’s has restaurants near the port and in the heart of town near the roundabout, there’s a Burger King, a KFC and numerous other places serving burgers, kebabs and other fast food.
The town is fairly large and there are a number of big name supermarkets with good parking. On Avinguda de Castell d’Aro, the road leading to the C-31, you’ll find Carrefour opposite the large free car park, which is used for the weekly market every Friday morning. Head out towards Castell d’Aro and find Mercadona opposite Esclat. There is also a retail park on the S’Agaró side of town where you’ll find Caprabo, Aldi and Lidl. There are numerous smaller supermarkets too, including specialists with Russian produce.
What to see and do
The very obvious attraction in Platja d’Aro is the long sand beach, which is why the town is so popular for city dwellers with second homes as well as holiday makers from around the world. And with a fair sized permanent population there is something going on throughout the year. It’s not like some Costa Brava towns that become ghost towns off season.
Like any other holiday destination on the Costa Brava you can participate in all the obvious water sports while staying there. However, Port d’Aro is a large sports marina with accommodation as well as the usual yacht club. If you’re a keen sailor you might like to stay here with a mooring for your boat, or you can arrange to hire for for the duration of your stay.
During the summer Nits de Jazz sees Friday night jazz concerts by a variety of artists on the beach but there is a lively nightlife with plenty of bars and a variety of nightclubs. Be warned that Spanish nightclubs often open after midnight and go on until dawn.
There are numerous shops on the high street, including a number of big name fashion brands, as well as jewellers, stores with home decor and furnishings and ice cream parlours. You’ll find more shops clustered in the retail park towards S’Agaró and the Friday market has stalls with clothing, shoes, kitchenware and food.
Kids will love the water park and amusement arcade, there is a bowling alley and the local cinema often shows English language films. History lovers will be intrigued to visit the Roman remains or you can explore mediaeval Castell d’Aro or nearby Sant Feliu de Guíxols. Other possible days out include Figueres, Girona or Barcelona.
Residential areas
Within short walking distance to the beach, many properties along the promenade have a view directly out over the Mediterranean. Typical properties in this area located in large apartment blocks with communal facilities, but may not have adequate heating for use in the winter. Once you get away from the beach area you still have many of the advantages of Platja d’Aro but without the sea views. Depending how far out, you may need to drive to the beach unless you’re a really keen walker.
The properties built in the Port d’Aro area are fairly modern and mainly consist of apartment blocks overlooking the water of the marina. Ideal for keen sailors or anyone who likes being around boats.
Out of town there are a number of urbanisations where many people own holiday homes. They tend to be suitable for year round living but have the disadvantage that you must travel for shopping and medical services are less convenient. These include Mas Nou, an exclusive urbanisation is located in the mountains overlooking Platja d’Aro and close to the golf club. And don’t overlook the medieval town of Castell d’Aro, which consists of a small number of quaint houses set amid narrow winding streets.
This gated community of S’Agaró is right next to Sant Pol and Sant Feliu de Guíxols. It dates back to the 1920s when the land was bought by a wealthy Catalan family with the idea of developing it as a small community of villas designed sympathetically blend into the landscape. Today there are around 60 houses in this extremely exclusive are, as well as the 5-star Hostal de la Gavina.
How to get there
Located a little more than half an hour from Girona airport or an hour and a quarter from Barcelona, Platja d’Aro is situated in the southern Costa Brava between Sant Feliu de Guíxols and Palamos. The town is well connected to the AP7 autopista via the C31/C65/C35, while the C31 northbound swiftly connects Palafrugell, although the going gets slower from there on to Estartit and l’Escala.
