We went to Fanals, Lloret in August.

Had a great week even though weather was not as hot as previous years. Fanals is really nice. We stayed in an apartment but used the pool at a nearby hotel every day as it was much bigger and better than ours. Lloret was great too, we went there a few times - much busier than Fanals.
We ate out every night and our worst experience was at an English bar, The Hungry Horse. The food was poor, cold and over priced. We complained and got free Baileys!!

Travelled with Sunways coach holidays and the journeys both ways were good. We were able to spread out as there were empty seats both ways too. That was definetly a bonus. Have used Sunways 4 times and would recommend them.

Don't know what we are doing in 2008 as yet. Fanals is an option though.

One thing that always seem to come up in these threads (wonder why!) is the price of drinks in the area ... some people seem to think they are cheap, some people dont

Having spoken to some people, i think it depends on where you are in the UK ... At La Siesta in CDP i paid €3.90 for a vodka and coke, and i'm afraid i don't find that cheap when i can get a double in my local Goose or Wetherspoons for £2! However, speaking to some people from the bigger UK cities, they would pay £3.50 for the same double back home, so i guess it depends on where you are!!!

Calella in august, travelled with Ferris which i have done 9 times now , must admit though the journey was hard going , but i think that's me geting older and nothing to do with ferris drivers or hostesses. we booked an A1 AOA for the first time as it was only hubby and myself , ended up in the hotel Olympic never again . The weather wasn't very good , but better than the hotel . Didn't spend much time at the hotel, caught the train and went to other resorts for the day eating and drinking out , absolutely loved Tossa. Not sure if i will be using coach travel again , unless its with a different company and go somewhere else . Have booked to go to Rhodes next year .

Lynne

We went to the Costa Brava in May
We went to the Montagut hotel in Santa Susanna for our first week and then moved to the Augusta Club hotel in LLoret for our second week.
We had reasonaly good weather for the whole fortnight.
We enjoyed using the train for trips out whilst in Santa Susanna which include Barcelona.
I booked our hotels with Travel Republic and flights with Ryanair and was well satisfied with both.

Sue

Anyone thinking of going to the Costa Brava in 2008?

I have to say that after my experience of CDP in 2008, i might be tempted .... the new Interbrava brochure for 2008 will be out shortly, so i'll be watching with interest

I would go back to the costa brava , and recommend it to others . But i think i would have to think about having an over night stop in france now as i found the travelling too much this year.

I don't really sleep on the bus, but i can still just about put up with it .. both journeys were really good this year, with only the slight exception of the coach being a tad hot coming back through France on the way home!

Like Lindy I chose the All Inclusive Ferris option and ended up in the Olympic at Calella. The journey got off to a bad start as we left two passengers in Manchester and had to return for them, adding two hours, we then were checked by the MOT inspectors for an hour and a half, and were stopped on the spanish border because the drivers documents were not up to date, we arrived at our hotel at 3.30 p.m. a journeyl of 33.5 hours.

The Olympic is a rough and ready hotel, but the food was quite good, we based ourselves at the Calella Palace and thoroughly enjoyed the holiday,

The return coach was late and we were picked at 5.00 p.m. outside our hotel. The problem with Ferrising, it is so cheap. I booked all inclusive for four adults(my wife , I and two teenagers) , two rooms at peak holiday times for £1500.

We will probably return next year, using budget flights because the accomodation only option with Ferris is also a good value deal.

That coach journey sounded horrendous, Pancho .. that would have had me tearing my hair out, and there aint much left to tear!!!

It puts it all into context for me when i went from Central Scotland i was only on Interbrava's coach for around 28hrs compared to your experience, and that is me coming from the wild north!!

The missed pick up is avoidable, and the drivers documents, well, that is a really bad mistake!

while i always used to go by coach while my partner was alive -she hated flying -i am now going by ryanair and booking my accomodation on-line.
travelling as a single person this is much better VFM than using a T/O who wants to charge all sorts of extortionate supplements.
i have been to lloret this year about 7 times so far, all 5 or 6 day trips and one 10 day trip, and am looking at going again next month.
i expect to go to malgrat or calella next year with friends on a boys holiday, one 70 year old and two 55 year olds, but other than that i expect i will carry on with the same policy next year of a lot of short breaks rather than one long holiday.

hi.all.....going to the amaika hotel calella on thursday........yippee.......
regards.............john-doe.......

We have had our holidays on the costa brava for 5 years now, twice to estartit and three times to camping solmar in blanes , we did the coach for 4 years but like others found the journey hard going , so this year we booked cheap flights with ryanair and booked acommodation seperately , everything went smoothly with the flights and although i was very nervous when boarding the plane it was fine , and what a difference it made not having to sit on that coach for all that time , dont think id travel by coach again now, however will still be going to the costa brava next year although i have noticed the last 2 years that blanes seems to be getting quieter each year ! there are nt nearly as many english going there now and local pubs and restaraunts are more rellient on the dutch holiday makers to keep them going ,it was unbelievable how many of cantabrica s lodge s remained unoccupied while we were there , and this was in the summer hols which is usually the busiest time !
We may try lorett for a week earlier in the season next year although we will probably still have our usual 2 weeks in blanes aswell !

Ye know, the one thing i enjoyed about Calella de Palafrugell and the La Siesta campsite is that there were NOT as many English holidaymakers (and the rest of the Brits!) as there would have been at places like Castell Montgri

No coincidence then that the behaviour onsite was a lot better ... says a lot for Brits abroad, eh?

Hi

For me this year it was CM, Estartit but only for a 4 day break in the first week the park was open. Normally we go at peak times when theres loads of people there but it was really quite which I found strange, but nice.

For us this was the last year there. The kids are older, the local prices were the highest ever and even in the town is becoming a ghost town which is a shame.

We have always travelled by coach with Siesta and loved it every time.

Next year were of to Benidorm without the kids so I'll be switching forums but if ever the Costa Brava reduce their prices I may be back

Spent a week in Lloret first week in August.As you can expect, and I was expecting,it itwas heaving with people, mainly youngsters.French, Dutch,Germans, Scandinavians.English were I think in the minority.
Apart from the discos there wasnt many places to go for a drink and a chat to other middle age Brits like me and the wife.There was the Eastenders,and that was about it.I think every British person with family that was on holiday at that time were there, as there was no where else to go.
There was another British couple at our hotel,who told us they were glad we had turned up,as they could not face their second week of holiday without someone English to talk to.
I had a hire car and I believe was targeted by the police.Was issued with two seperate parking tickets,on two seperate days,whilst other "private foriegn plated cars" parked exactly as I was didnt get tickets.The parking tickets had "tourist" clearly writen on them.
The weather was good and the company we had was good,but would I go back to Lloret?No

HI...Calella de Parafrugel was my alternative to Salou this year. We went to the Siesta site on siesta coaches. Absolutely brilliant place and site. So quiet and peaceful that it was a real surprise to find how much there was to do for all the family. My thirteen year old heard a lady say she was staying for a third week and all the way home he was asking could we go again and stay for the 3 weeks too.
The lodge we had was a delux executive 8 and I couldnt fault it. There were 2 bathrooms one ensuite. Truelly useable kitchen even had a full size fridge freezer. Tv ,DVD , and play station in lounge, and a second TV in main bedroom. Fans in every room as well as full air-conditioning unit in lounge/kitchen area (which worked for heating up or cooling down).
I am usually very praiseful of the siesta coaches but something was not the same this year. Crews were great as usual, but I just couldnt get comfortable. The seats seemed smaller both side to side and back to front, the back of my knees hung over the front about 2 or 3 inches and so my legs didnt rest properly on the leg rest. The distance from the seat infront seemed shorter and if you put up your leg rest properly you couldnt help but knock the seat infront with your feet. The foot rest wasnt lined up in the center of seat infront and so I could only get half my left foot on it so it kept sliding off and catching on the metal bars of chair infront, and if you raised it a bit to suit your position there were metal bars sticking in your feet from chair infront , if you kept your shoes on there wasnt room and the bars hurt your feet if you took them off.
I have been a size 22 using siesta coaches before now and comfortable ...this time I was an 18 so not down to me being bigger. I am only 5ft 2ins as well. I was not the only one who felt this way. The lady sat next to me said the same and she had lost a lot of weight since previous trips. She had been to Salou and transfered on our coach. In the past we had both been to Salou. We wondered if the Callela DP route was using the older coaches, and the Salou route the newer coaches with more leg room which are the ones used in Siesta's brouchures. When I get time I am writing to Siesta about it.
One good point was we didnt change coaches we went from CDP all the way to manchester on same coach.

Had a wonderful time at La Maisa (too short really) at start of september with siesta. Very very spanish and I felt such a lazy so and so for not speaking spanish, that I is learning it as we type.

We would go back but not just yet. Castle Montgri is next on our list in 2008 and we would never ever be able to cope with the coach journey, so it's ryanair again for us.

hiya all yes we are going to costa brava on a ferris half board special in sep 08, its the first time we have been abroad,the kids talked me into it, after reading up on peoples experiencers ,i wish someone had talked me out of it hahaha, but who knows there are quite a few lucky ones that have been, but as its our first time i,m sure we,ll find lots to do , and we will enjoy our holiday( im thinking with open mind) so if anyones going in sep would like to know ,thanks

Jule40

You will have a great time . I have travelled with Ferris 8 or 9 times now and never had a bad journey. Just remember to make the travelling part of the holiday as it is a long time to be on a coach, make the most of the stops by getting off . I will miss not going with Ferris this year , but thats not say i wont go with them again . Regarding " Specials " you pay your money and take your chance , but we have always found there plenty of choice at meal times , so never starved.
Have a great time