Please tell us more.........what was wrong with the holiday, was it the coach company as we have used them many times and never had a problem, was it the hotel ? if so which one

Hi

Well we went with Ferris and they werent that bad considering this was our first time by coach but we will be flying next time. I just found it so uncomfy during the night when the kids are trying to sleep and sooo cold!!!
We spent a fortune before we even got to calella in all the stops.

We went to the hotel Catalonia and hated it, dont get me wrong it was clean but the hotel was full of germans, italians etc and they were all gangs of young ones so it was really noisy and not a very nice thing for the kids. When they were coming in from the clubs they were banging on the edroom doors running off etc.

Also the tiny swimming pools were full of fags and other bits.

The staff in the hotel were so miserable too, if they smiled it would of killed them.

The road where the hotel was situated was dangerous too if you have kids and full of dog muck.

We will not be retuning to calella again.

Catalonia - thats the one on the main road (beach side - no footpaths)

The Dog Shit issue was ok when we were there a month ago (different hotel) - see my Bon Repos hotel report...there were other issues however

Hi there

Yes Catalonia is on the main road and was full of smelly dog s*** everywhere. We even seen mice around the hotel too.

I just didnt like Calella at all and next year we are off to alcudia.

kellyx

In my opinion kelly you picked the worst place on the costa brava, it is awful there, we were in santa susanna, 5 mins on the train from calella, we like to travel around and decided to go for the day, our neighbours had warned us it was a hellhole but we wanted to judge for ourselves, we only stayed an hour and got back on the train what a difference our resort was, when we got off the train we breathed a sigh of relief, if that was your first visit to costa brava it's a shame it put you off, there are some lovely resorts there,

There have been advertisements showing pictures of calella de palafrugell but advertising calella holidays, which to me is an insult, palafrugell is a lovely spanish village nothing like calella, mind you having been to calella and getting out of it as quick as possible, i can understand why they want to avoid photos of it, we were at the la siesta site with redcrest in palafrugell there is only one english pub which is outside the campsite, a family who were on the campsite thought they had booked for calella, they expected burger bars and discos so they spent day and night in this pub, so last year staying in santa susanna we took a trip to calella to see what it was like, stuck it an hour, horrible dirty place could,nt wait to get back to santa susanna, palafrugell is a lovely resort a complete get a way chilling holiday

I totally agree with you Rosie, I think Callella is a dive too! We were staying in Pineda and popped into Calella on the train, we couldn't get out fast enough!!!

C x

Hi kellyd77, sorry to hear you had a bad time. I can understand that you will not return to that place but don't dimiss other areas of Costa Brava.
We travelled to Estartit this year for the first time and would recommend to anyone with kids, we stayed in Castell de Montgri campsite.

We flew into Girona from Dublin, took just over two hours and less than an hour later we were at our resort. If you book early enough flights and car hire can be relatively inexpensive even when booking for a family

I noticed that you did not like young gangs of germans and italians running around, can't blame you, but word of caution spent some time in Alcudia a few years ago and depending what part you go to you could have the same problem.

One big downside of Alcudia is the mossies, never was bitten by one until I went there. Anyway that is a different thing. If you need any further info send me a pm

I have to disagree with all your comments on Calella - As it is the best resort on the Costa Brava. The Hotel Catelonia is a dive - I'll agree with you there - but then it is only a 2* hotel (you should have realised this when booking) and the brochure does say it is on the main road. The cheaper the hotel the more screaming teenagers you will find as this is all they can afford.
I've just come back from a holiday in Malgrat and every one on the coach back (I was with Ferris) most of the bus had all stayed in Calella all said they really enjoyed. I've been to Calella lots of times and the shops and cafes down the side streets are fantastic in the day and night. I travelled back to the resort last week as it only takes 10 mins by train to do some present shopping, and have a few beers in my favourite bars (My wife complained that you can do all the shops in Malgrat in 10 mins).
Yes the coach can be cold and uncomfortable (that's why everyone on my bus had a pillow and sheet with them). If the Aircon was turned off in the night you would soon realise it. Also I would recommend you upgrade to Platinum as the extra leg room and reclining seats were worth the extra £25.

We went to Calella last year and we loved it. The people were lovely and everyone was cheerful and the festivals were spectacular. Even the Safari Appartments where we stayed were OK. It was cheap but cheerful, the staff were welcoming and the restaurant and bars associated with the Safari were great.
We liked the area so much we have booked to go back in 2006.

We went to calella in july.I loved the place one of the nicest places i have visited.Infact have booked to take my mum with us next year.

We normally fly down to andalucia or take the car over to Asturias so for a change was thinking of giving a coach holiday a go would be looking to go with ferris. Reading some of the posts on here it seems a bit off putting, being a non smoker is there a problem with smoke on the coaches, how long does the actual journey take, is their sufficient leg room we would use the platinum service, and having been put off calella what other resorts that ferris use would you recommend? Not into places full of drunken brits etc tend to like the local culture mixing with the locals etc, any pointers would be welcome .

Many Thanks.

go to
http://www.ferriscoachholidays.co.uk/
to get ideas on ferris destinations.
always found Malgrat nice resort(it's flat) and not too full of lager louts.
also like calella and its old town atmosphere.
smoking on coaches is only in designated smoking room so doesn't have much effect on non-smokers as there are enough stops to cater for most.
from folkstone/dover you get picked up about 1.00pm and arrive in first resorts around 7.00am.
would definitely go platinum if you need leg room.
always found that if you treat the coach journey as a part of your holiday, and get off at every opportunity to stretch your legs it makes the journey better. note that they also show dvd's on journey to pass some time.

Thanks for the information will have a look at the site.

well I am totally confused.... I have to decide between bell sol camp site calella with cantabrica or blanes campsite solmar? any ideas

Calella is very loud, blanes not so loud, the choice is entirely yours.

I have staryed at La Masia campsite in Blanes which is next to Solmar. That part of Blanes is called Los Pinos and also known as the campsite area of town. It's a good half hour walk from the old town and a bit further still to the harbour area. I really enjoyed myself in Blanes. It was very busy but you expect that in August. There are a good mix of Spanish and English bars in Los Pinos and plenty shops and supermarkets. If you choose Blanes, have a walk round La Masia campsite. It is lovely! I can't comment on the site in Callela. I have stayed in hotels in Callela and although I really like the long shopping street which stretches all the way to the next resort, I found Callela quite dirty and run down.

I stopped in the Catalonia five years ago and found it quite good for a 2 star hotel. the rooms were spotless and I have had worst food in a 4 star complex. The entertainment was almost non-existant but what I liked about Calella was, in my view it has the best nightlife in the Costa Brava and I would definetly give it another visit.

Hi,

We have just come back from Calella yesterday and can certainly say it was probably the best holiday we have had in 25 years. I think if you are going to be put off by Italians and Germans, then this type of resort is probably not for you. It's a resort for all nationalities, and you will also notice more Eastern Europeans there now (Romanians, Polish etc).

Calella has a good mix of all aged people and the young people can be noisy, but it would be a bad thing if they couldn't enjoy themselves.

Unfortunately there are some poor standard hotels, and I think maybe you should research more before making a choice and think about not going with a package holiday and tailor the hotel and flight to suit yourself.

Beware when doing this as the hotel we booked was closed and padlocked on arrival, and we spent 6 hours securing another hotel, but that is a totally different story.

Hope you next holiday is a better experience and that you will visit Calella again, because it IS the best resort in the area in my opinion.