If your thinking of relocating to Spain or even Estartit, its good to know that their is a large English community based not just in Estartit but in the surrounding towns of Empuriabrava, Roses and Lloret de Mar.
Lots of people actually move here to escape away from England altogether, but some like the fact that its the English community that can help you out, when you dont speack the language. For some, Spain is just full of brash English people who moved here to drink more and work less, this may be true for some, but you will also find a great number of English families who have moved here to work hard and enjoy the better lifestyle which is on offer.
Their are quite a number of British Societys up and down the Costa Brava. Most of these hold monthly fuctions of meals and nights out, but a lot of them do a huge amount of work and fund raising for local charities, childrens homes and hospitals.
Here is a list of some local Societys in the area.
BSC - British Society of Catalunya Bay of Roses.
British Society of Catalunya - Barcelona
Relocating to L'Estartit - British Societies
Golfing in Estartit - Golf Courses and Resorts.
Playing Golf in L'Estartit is not a difficult thing to do.
In the near by area their are a great selection of Golf Courses for the beginner and even the seasoned pro.
The Emporda Golf Course or Courses as this is now a 36 hole course is known as one of the best Golf Courses in the whole of Spain. Thought at first glance to be very simple and easy, The Emporda is not one to underestimate. Located only a short drive from Estartit, this resort has all the things you could ever need for a great round.
- Forest and Links Course
- Buggy Rental
- Golf Lessons
- Driving Range
- Restaurant and Bar and Excellent Clubhouse
Harveys Bar and Diner - Estartit
If your looking for a great place to eat or a great place to have a drink, Harveys is one of the most exciting places in Estartit to do so. With a great menu of English and American based foods, Huge Burgers, Sandwiches and Chicken Wings to name a few, Harveys is a great place to grab a bite to eat.
Drinks, now Harveys has Traditional English Ales and also Beers from all over America. Budweiser, John Smiths and Guiness are just some of the great drinks that Harveys has to offer. The list of Beers the serve is enormous, from all over the world. The bar and Restaurant are decorated with all kinds of Music, Tv and Iconic Images from all around the world. Harveys also serves up Cocktails, from Harveys Wall Bangers to Long Island Ice Teas, Harveys can mix up anything your heart desires.
Estartit Tourist Information
The Tourist Information Office is located on the, Passeig marítim Street, on the beach front of Estartit. The office which will help you with any questions you need answering, in English.
The centre will also have many leaflets and flyers to help you find out whats happening in the area, during your stay. Here is a map to show you exactly how to get from your lodgings to the Tourist Information Office. The Green A Marker indicates where the Tourist Information Office is.
View Larger Map
Beaches in Estartit
The beach front of Estartit is one of the cleanest and largest beaches in the area. From the town centre, the beach can be seen and admired. The beach also has adequate parking for hundreds of cars, this can be great in the summer season, as parking on the main street in Estartit can be difficult. If you are staying in Estartit, it's very easy to walk to the beach from almost all areas of the town.
Scuba Diving in Estartit
Estartit has some of the most beautiful areas for Scuba Diving in Spain. The coast around Estartit is dotted with small islands, with some of these having some great areas for seeing Spain's underwater sealife. One of the biggest Scuba Diving centres in the area is Calypso Diving Estartit, Padi Certified, so they have fully trained divers that will show you where and when best to go.
They offer all kinds of deals, for learning how to dive, and package deals for trained divers.
Also in the area is, Dive School Poseidon another Padi Certified Dive Centre and Medaqua which is also listed with Padi. Medaqua has been in business since 1995, and is one of the regions most popular dive centres.
Check out all the information on all the dive centres before making your choice.
Calypso
Medaqua
Poseidon
Check out this video of Scuba in Estartit-
Things To Do In Estartit
Their are many things to do in Estartit, whether its for you, or for your children, their is so much to do, that you dont even have to worry. Jocs, is one of the biggest childrens amusement parks in the area. Based at the entrance of Estartit, Jocs will easily keep your kids quiet, whilst the parents have a nice relaxing drink in the bar.
Hiring a peddle car, is great fun, and will help you take in the views of the town, it will also get you fit, as estartit has quite a few gentle slopes.
Outside of the town is Torroella de Montgri, which has one of the regions most outstanding castles, this can be seen for miles around, as it's located at the very top of the mountain that surrounds Estartit.
Travelling to Barcelona and Girona is quite easy, it's only a short car drive, bus ride or train journey from Estartit. Check out the local tourist information, as they will have special deals and tours that leave from the town centre. If you hire a car, i also suggest you get good directions, as driving and parking in the city centre can be quite difficult.
Car Rental in Estartit
Renting a car in Estartit is easy. One of the simplest and most popular ways of getting hold of a car rental is at Girona Airport when you arrive. With Hertz and Europcar being inside the Airport, this can be great for getting from the airport to your accomadation and then back. But having the car for the period of your holiday can be great, visiting lots of places in and around the Estartit region.
Not only is Estartit a beautiful resort, but outside of the town their are many places to visit. A short drive and you can visit Girona, great for shopping and historic tours of the town. Barcelona is about 1 hour 30 minutes from Estartit, as long as you get good directions from the Tourist Information and you can see the famous city. Dont stay inside the town, but drive out and see some great places, remember France is only 1 hour away.
Santa Anna's Day
The festival that attracts people to the Estartit is now back for another year. The Santa Anna festival is full of things to amuse your eyes and ears. During the day you can take in, The Street Parade, Church Servie with Orchestra, Catalan Folk Dancing and Lots of Childrens entertainment, all throughout the day.
Santa Anna Day - 24th - 29th July 2008
Estartit Nightclubs and Discos
Looking for some extra night time activites in Estartit?
Estartit has some superb nightclubs and discos to keep you dancing through the night, in the summer months most bars and nightclubs stay open until at least 2am, if not longer.
One of the most popular haunts is The Podium, which hosts a selection of special party nights throughout the summer months. Another few popular nightclubs are Rockafellas, Maxims and Simpsons. So if your visiting Estartit this summer or in the near future, make sure ou check out the clubs in around the town.
Places to see around Estartit
When visiting L' Estartit, their are many things and plaves to see, in around the area of Estartit.
Some close towns and cities include, Girona, Empuriabrava and LLoret D Mar.
Girona is one of the biggest cities close to Estartit. Girona has many paces to see, and plenty of shopping, including the Espai shopping centre. Girona is also very historic, with many old Cathedrals and many Historic places of interest. LLoret D Mar, is one of the most well known places on the Costa Brava for English tourists. Empuriabrava is also a town close by, the town is home to one of the largest inland marinas in the world. The canal system runs directly through the town, and has many villas that are built yards from the canal. If you are visiting Empuriabrava, a trip around the canal system on a boat is a must, you can rent your own boat for around 40 euros, or take a pleasure cruise around the canals and out to sea also.
Estartit free property listing service
If you have a property in Estartit and would like to rent it, you can do so using our free property listing service. Their is no charge ever for listing your house, apartment or studio, and i will do all the hard work for you. I will list it with pictures, detailed description and all the info you like.
Because this is a blog, every property i list will have its own seperate web page, this is great for your house or apartment, other websites dont do this, i do it for free.
I currently have one for Empuriabrava, click here to visit the site.
E mail us here to get your property listed today.
Places to stay in Estartit
If your holidaying in Estartit in the summer 2008, you will probably need somewhere to stay.
Their are many options to choose from, Hotels, Camping and Renting a Private Villa or the obvious choices. Hotels might be the easiest option, but in some cases not the cheapest, Camping or staying on a Campsite in a Log Cabin or Static Caravan can work out a lot cheaper.
Their is also the option of renting a private Villa or Apartment. This can be done through rental agencies or through websites like Owners Direct. Owners Direct is one of the biggest websites online for renting without an agent, saving you money.
Try searching on "Google Rentals Direct From Owner" it will turn up some surprising options.
Empuriabrava Property Rentals Direct - A website i run for Empuriabrava Rentals.
Restaurants in Estartit
One of the most important thing you need on Holiday after Accommodation is, Food, and the best way is eating out. Their are many Restaurants in Estartit, all serving good food, with a great service, but how do you know which one to choose?
Here is a list of restaurants in Estartit, these are in order of ratings from customers.
Cafe Barracuda - Built for the English market, having Sunday lunch, pub food and a great pub atmosphere, the Cafe is rated#1. Great prices and terrific service too.
Las Salines - Seafood Paellas, are a must if visiting this restaurant. Huge starters, excellent choice of seafood and great fast service make this #2. The Price can be quite high, but the food is top quality.
Gran Cafe Unic - Lots of people have commented how good this bar is. Live football matches are shown here, making this one for the boys. Drinks are not expensive, and having a large selection of international beers, this is a great international bar. This is rated very well on travel websites, usually coming in at #3.
Please don't take these reviews as personal, some people like some types of food and some don't, you must judge a restaurant for yourself. Their are many more Cafes and Restaurants serving great food in and around Estartit. A little drive out and you will find even more excellent restaurants for you to enjoy.
Estartit Property for Sale
Looking to by a property in Estartit or the surrounding area?
Their are many Property Agencies that can help you find the perfect house or apartment.
One of the biggest is ThinkSpain.com, a very extensive and helpful website, that takes you throung and explains exactly what you have to do to by a property in Spain.
The webiste is in English, and has houses all over Spain, and especially in the Costa Brava region.
The website also has help if your looking for a mortgage, with helpful tips and links to banks and professional financial advisors.
ThinkSpain also has rental listings, so if your visiting first before you move into your new property, this is also very helpful. With a job section also and links to classified ads, weather and also local clubs and societies, so that you can meet up with other British expats.
Estartit Property Rentals
If your visting Estartit, either for a holiday or looking into buying a property in the area and need a short term rental, their are many agencies in the area that can provide the service you need.
Short Term Renatsl are very easy to get hold of, its long term that can be sometimes a problem.
Their are many rental agencies in the town, most if not all of them will speak English, the most popular being, Estartit Rentals. The have many properties rentals available including, Apartments, Private Villas and small Studio Apartments for a single person or couple.
Estartit Weather
Visiting Estartit, you might like to know what the weather is before you travel.
You can find many websites that offer that service, the main one being, Weather.com.
On this page you will find the weather forecast for Estartit and the nearby region.
The weather in and around Estartit can be challenging, in fact the whole Costa Brava region has a wide variety of weather changes. Lot's of people think that the whole of Spain is at a constant 30*, do they know that in winter the temperature can drop to -5 and even colder. The reason for this is the Tramontana, the wind that blows mainly during the winter time. It blows in a NE - SW direction, and can be very dangerous also.
"According to a piece written on Iberianature, when the Tramontana blows, on the first day children are giddy, after ten days adults have had enough, and even murder rates and suicides in animals and humans have been known to rise"
Hotels in L' Estartit
Their are an abundance of Hotels in Estartit, many of them open all year round, but a few only open for the busy summer period. Hotels are one of the main ways that people use as accomadation when visiting the town. Most of the Hotels are directly in the town centre, making it ideal for guests to travel around the town without transport. You can also find hotels that are separated as private apartments, one being The Hotel Club Torre Vell, which was built in 1999, and is terraced houses split on two levels, quite unique for summer renting.
You might also like to rent your own property, a private villa or apartment, these can be found on websites like Owners Direct and many more.
Make sure you check out all the Hotels before making a decision, some might be in the town centre, but some also may be cheaper, because they are out of town.
Camping in L'Estartit.
If your visiting L'estartit for your holidays, camping is one the cheapest options available, it can also be the funnest way.
Their are many camp sites in the town, and also on the outskirts of the town too.
Most of them allow Tents, Caravans and also have Log Cabins on their sites.
The main advertised camp site is, Camping Estartit, which has its own rental of Tents, Caravans, Apartments and Cabins. The campsite is located in the heart of Estartit, and is very near to, Shops and Supermarkets.
The Camp Site also has many amenities that you require, Supermarket, Bar and Swimming Pool, making it ideal for children and adults too.
