Being back in L'Estartit for the first holiday in 15 years was strange. Nothings changed! It's exactly the same. Anyway I digress.
If you are thinking of L'Estartit as a possible holiday destination, I thought I would give you a bit of background to this beautiful place.
- L'Estartit was once a small fishing village that became popular in the 1950s and 1960s when the Costa Brava was first put on the map and like many coastal resorts on the Costa Brava saw a boom in construction that overtook the original village.
- One reason to holiday in L'Estartit is its fantastic beach running several kilometres south past the mouth of the river Ter, which flows through Girona, and down towards Sa Riera.
- Tourists holidaying in L'Estartit tend to come from France, the UK and Ireland, as well as Germany and Holland and as well as staying in the many private holiday apartments and villas there are a number of hotels and campsites.
- While it is true that much of L'Estartit consists of rather charmless holiday homes, the heart of the village does still retain much of its charm and that combined with a gloriously long beach make it a fantastic holiday destination for families.
- The town has a large marina focused on leisure boats and during the summer there is much activity in the marina area.
- Just a kilometre or so off shore are the Medes Islands, an archipelago that has enjoyed protected status since the 1990s to allow the regrowth of coral and marine life in the area. Traffic to the Medes Islands is controlled and nothing may be taken from there. Diver numbers are strictly controlled and divers must pay a small tax for the privilege of diving there. The result is some of the best diving in Spain, let alone the Costa Brava.