Hostal de La Gavina
Grand dame luxury — antique-filled corridors, Murano glass chandeliers, silk-upholstered rooms, and a pool that looks like the deck of an ocean liner above a turquoise Mediterranean bay. No interior designers, ever — just the Ensesa family's relentlessly curated eye. Old-world, not stuffy.
Book Candlelight well in advance — it operates just Tuesday to Saturday from 20:30 and fills up fast in summer
Why It Matters
The first hotel in Spain admitted to Leading Hotels of the World. Catalunya's only five-star Grand Luxe resort. Founded in 1932, family-owned through four generations without ever losing its distinctive identity. The hotel's signature coastal path, the Camí de Ronda, was originally built by the founder himself. Distinguished guests span from Salvador Dalí and Ava Gardner to Lady Gaga, Johan Cruyff, and multiple Spanish kings.
Hostal de La Gavina opened on 2 January 1932 on a rocky promontory above the Bay of Sant Pol in S'Agaró — the self-styled Beverly Hills of the Costa Brava. It's Catalunya's only five-star Grand Luxe resort hotel and the first in Spain to join The Leading Hotels of the World. Still run by the fourth generation of the founding Ensesa family, the place feels genuinely, deliberately, magnificently out of time. Every floor tells a different story: Castilian artefacts and religious objects on the first, Asian antiquities on the second, Mediterranean themes on the third. The guest book reads like a mid-century Hollywood roll call — Ava Gardner, Sean Connery, Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, Salvador Dalí. They all came here. Some kept coming back.
Where You'll Stay
9 room types available
Classic
15 rooms looking out over the hotel's gardens rather than the sea. Herringbone parquet floors and marble bathrooms. A solid entry point to the property, but if views matter to you, look higher up the category list.
Classic with Terrace
Classic rooms with the addition of a private terrace — the step up that makes a meaningful difference at this property, adding outdoor space and air.
Family Residence
The hotel's largest family offering — a full residence-style accommodation suited to multi-generational stays or extended family groups. Specific room count and configuration not publicly detailed.
Family Rooms
Designed for families travelling with children. Specific configuration not detailed, but the hotel actively caters to family groups across its three-floor property.
Garden Suites
Two-bedroom garden suites with private outdoor space. A practical choice for families or groups who want more room to spread out. Direct garden access sets these apart from the tower suites.
Junior Suite
Seven Junior Suites with king-size beds and statement headboards set between stylish alcoves. Bottle-green shuttered French doors open onto private terraces with Mediterranean views through umbrella pines. Separate living spaces make these genuinely suite-worthy.
Royal Suite (Suite Real Louis XV)
The most extraordinary room on the property, and one of the most extraordinary hotel suites in Spain. A vast Louis XV-style space dominated by a magnificent marble floor, Mahogany interior inset with gold Rococo/Baroque gilding, and a Bohemian candle-glass chandelier. Houses a collection of Sèvres porcelain vases described as second only to those in the Louvre. Private terrace. Popular with honeymooners.
Suite
Deluxe suites with dedicated sea views and generous proportions. Curated antique elements throughout, consistent with the hotel's floor-by-floor collections.
Superior with Sea View
These are where the front sea views come into their own. Furnished in classic Mediterranean, Imperial, or Elizabethan style — each different, each with antique elements the family collected on their travels.
The Property
Eat & Drink
8 venues on property
Restaurant
Spa & Wellness
Treatment Menu
On Property
How you'll actually spend your days.
During summer, colourful bathing huts based on the original 1920s design are available for hire on Sant Pol beach. Sunbeds and parasols can also be rented on both Sant Pol and Sa Conca beaches.
The hotel can arrange private boat trips along the Costa Brava, including tasting menus prepared onboard by professional chefs using freshly caught fish from Palamós, paired with local Empordà wines. The boat anchors in secluded coves for swimming, sunbathing, and snorkelling.
The hotel's own resort wear boutique, located under the umbrella pines by the main outdoor pool entrance. Stocks Max Mara Beach, Andrés Sardá, Calarena, Castañer, Laura Urbinati, Furotatto, and Fara.
The iconic coastal path that begins directly at the hotel — the first section was actually built by founder Josep Ensesa i Gubert himself. Fringed by tamarind trees and pine groves, it traces the rugged Costa Brava coastline through tiny coves, past Senya Blanca and onwards toward Palamós. Popular with both walkers and runners.
Hotel-designed cycling routes of varying difficulty, including a coastline tour between Tossa de Mar and S'Agaró, an inland Empordà tour, and the Clos d'Agon E-Wine Tour through Les Gavarres ending at a Cubist winery with tasting. Bike rental can be arranged.
Two padel courts accessible via a dedicated stairway above the hotel's garden, directly adjacent to the swimming pool entrance.
Two magnificent clay courts at La Gavina Sports Club with a heritage stretching back to the 1935 Concurso Internacional de Tenis. Rod Laver played here. Pere Masip, Andres Gimeno, and Manuel Santana all competed on these courts. Bookable by guests.
Bespoke personal training sessions available through the Club Deportivo La Gavina sports facility, in addition to the Valmont Spa gym.
Hotel-arranged visits to nearby vineyards including Clos d'Agon and Castell de Perelada — both within easy reach and both welcoming guests for bespoke tours and tastings of Empordà D.O. wines.
Water skiing, scuba diving, snorkelling, kite surfing, kayaking, paddle boarding — all available on Sant Pol beach below the hotel. Hotel can arrange rentals and instruction.
Individual and group classes led by the hotel's professional trainers. Weather permitting, sessions take place outdoors in the hotel grounds or on elevated sea-facing terraces.
Amenities & Practical Info
The details that matter for planning.
Hotel arranges boat trips, cycling routes, vineyard tours, golf tee times, and watersports equipment rentals.
Extensive indoor and outdoor event spaces for weddings, corporate events, product launches, and private celebrations. The hotel leverages its Mediterranean views throughout.
Recently expanded gym within the Spa Valmont with updated Technogym equipment. Open 8:30am–7:00pm.
Parking available for hotel guests, an essential given the property's location.
Hotel is confirmed pet-friendly based on multiple guest reviews. Pets are well accommodated on the property.
Located within the Spa Valmont, with views of the bay. A separate jacuzzi alongside. Open 10am–7pm.
A 25-metre showstopper of a pool on an elevated position overlooking the Bahia de Sant Pol. Dominated at one end by the Venus of S'Agaró sculpture by Joan Rebull (1969). Sun loungers arranged the full length. Private poolside cabanas with terraces available for daily hire. Open 8:30am–8:00pm.
Gift vouchers available for purchase through the official website.
Full Matterport virtual tours of the hotel and rooms are publicly available on the hotel website.
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