Costa Brava Weather in May and June

How to Get The Best Out of the Weather in May and June?

Costa Brava weather is always a topic of conversation close to everyone's hearts when they are either in the hospitality industry or vacationing in the area. It makes a world of difference to what you wear, how much clothing you bring with you, what you pack and how much you enjoy your holiday.

May and June are my favourite months of the year in the Costa Brava - well in Spain altogether! Bright, warm, sunny days with none of the accompanying humidity which can blight the hotter months of July and August await the visitor in May and June.

With 300 days of sunshine, Spain is ahead of the European pack when it comes to sunny weather conditions and May and June are the best of the bunch!

Blossom and flowers bedeck the trees and flowerbeds. Jasmine scents the air. Everywhere looks clean and fresh from the spring rains. Peace and tranquillity abound.

It's the time before the madding crowds arrive and fill the beaches with their suntan oils and noisy ball games. Yet all the restaurants and cafes are open and keen to serve you.

Colourful sun-brolly's and awnings spread their cheer across the pavement, enticing you to take life at a slower pace, stop awhile and enjoy the view.

Stroll around ancient towns like Besalu and imagine the Roman soldiers of old garrisoning the beautiful houses lining the River Fluvia, which flows down from the volcanic mountains of the Garrotxa region of the Costa Brava.

A number of these houses, built on four or five levels are today fine restaurants with first-class service and menus.

Try Pont Vell with its wonderful narrow staircases and spectacular views, great food and lovely ambiance; La Curia Reial or El Fogons de Can Llaudes in the Square, all of whom subscribe to Volcanic cuisine using traditional methods of cooking local produce to entice all tastes.

Wend your way down to the coast and the lovely fishing villages of Tamariu, Aigua Blava and Llfranc. Sit in the warmth of the Spanish sun and soak up the relaxed, easygoing atmosphere in one of the small cafes or restaurants that line the small bays.

That's one of the beauties of the Costa Brava. Because of the naturally wild make-up of the coastline with plunging cliff-faces and treacherous seas crashing into the rocks, the area has been preserved from high rise hotels. More sympathetic building has taken place, which moulds itself to the surroundings - much of it traditional, lending an air of permanence and dependability.

Why not pack up a picnic and hike down to one of the myriad picturesque little coves tucked away off the beaten track. Swim in the warm, clear waters of the Mediterranean. Discover the old goat-herd and smuggler's pathway which hugs the coastline and find deserted inlets to eat your lunch.

Plan a day-trip to Barcelona and stroll the wide boulevards of this fascinating Catalonian city, with its Gaudi buildings and unfinished Sagrada Familia which will remain a work in progress until at least 2041, but is the region's most important landmark with its 18 soaring towers.

Costa Brava weather in May and June allows you freedom from coats and scarves. A time to cast off the winter woollies and fully embrace the warmth and light of summer!

Get out those summer clothes now and make a plan to visit and allow the Costa Brava weather in May and June to seduce your senses and restore your joie de vivre!

There's so much to see and do here, I've only touched on a few. I invite you to use these suggestions to help you plan your Costa Brava Spain vacation. and I'd also like to offer you free access to my short report, Costa Brava Holiday - What Else Is There Apart From Sun, Sea and Sangria on a Costa Brava Holiday? You can download it by going to Costa Brava Spain.

Location Costa Brava - The Lakes at Banyoles on a Costa Brava Holiday

Location Costa Brava: A summer's day in August. Your mission is to venture into the hinterland to discover the Lakes at Banyoles.

Drive down the main road out of Girona, through the splendour of the dormant volcanoes of the Parc Natural de la Garrotxa and you will be forgiven for thinking that you have arrived at a very un-prepossessing town on your Costa Brava holiday.

The rather grey town of Banyoles does not encourage you to rest a while and discover its charms, but Banyoles secret lies not in the town itself, but to the west where the distinctive figure-of-eight lake, the Estany de Banyoles, occupies centre stage.

Surrounded by wooded hills, reflected in the still waters on a hot summer's day, the lake gives the feeling of a step back in time to a genteel Victorian age, redolent of elegantly dressed ladies with parasols and gentlemen with stripy jackets and boaters.

Rowing boats for hire and boat trips round the lake add to the mirage of a bygone era, with stylish stone built boat houses dotting the shoreline. Swimming is allowed in the lake at designated areas and you half expect everyone to be wearing the long, wool bathing costumes of our ancestors!

However, the Estany de Banyoles is firmly in the 21st century with cafes and restaurants surrounding the eastern side of the lake where the pleasure boats depart from. A delightfully restored boat house also provides an information bureau, where you can hire bicycles and discover walks around the lake, buy guide books and learn the history of the area.

Prepared routes for both cyclists and walkers encircle the 8km lake, along clearly marked paths. The leaflet, printed in a number of different languages, directs you to various points of interest along the way, such as the lovely twelfth-century Esglesia de Santa Maria, perched on a knoll above the lake on the south-western side.

The peace and feeling of space is remarkable, even in the height of the summer. Not crowded or hurried, this is a place to take your time, drink in the views and relax your mind.

We think you will agree for this location Costa Brava has it exactly right. Your mission has been successful!

I invite you to use these tips to make the most of your holiday on the Costa Brava.

And with your permission, I’d also like to offer you free access to my short report, Costa Brava Holiday - What Else Is There Apart From Sun, Sea and Sangria on a Costa Brava Holiday? You can download it by going to http://www.costa-brava-spain.com/shortreport.html

From Helen Palmer – The Exclusive Vacations Guide and Tailor Made South Africa Travel

Costa Brava Weather - 3 Special things to do when the Costa Brava Weather doesn't Play Ball

What do you do when the Costa Brava weather doesn't shine? Most of the time you can golf, walk or visit the beach, but when you haven't planned for inclement weather where do you go? Read on to find out 3 special things to do when the Costa Brava weather doesn't play ball ...

Costa Brava weather is usually very clement with warm winds, endlessly sunny days and very little rain. On occasions when the weather is not its usual sunny self, which one has to admit does happen from time to time, like today, what do you do?

Here it is the 3rd week in September and the day started out promisingly enough, but by lunchtime, Spanish lunch that is, it has degenerated into a deluge which seems to have no let up.

Away in the distance from our hilltop eyrie in Castelldefels, Barcelona appears to have escaped with sunshine pouring down over the capital of Catalunya with impunity.

Upon the Costa Brava coast though, things can be mightily different from the weather experienced here in Barcelona - even on the same day. So what to do when the weather is not kind enough to play golf or visit the beach?

Even when the Costa Brava weather is sunny there are always those times you wish to do something other than golf or play on the golden sands of the beach. Here are 3 special things to do when the Costa Brava weather doesn't match up to its usual sunny self.

1. Plan a trip to the historic city of Gerona. Gerona is the provincial capital of the Costa Brava and has been shaped by its past. Famous local writer, Josep Pla called Girona a "small and delicate city", which is a fitting description.

Consistently rated in national polls as the most desirable place to live in Spain, Gerona has modernised itself into a dynamic and prosperous university city whilst maintaining its marvellous historical and cultural heritage. With the beautiful old quarter, world famous culinary traditions with Michelin starred restaurant, El Cellar de Can Roca and a lively nightlife, Gerona encompasses all that the Costa Brava has to offer.

2. The Dali triangle shows off the best of one of the Costa Brava's much loved sons. Salvador Dali, love him or hate him, certainly left an exceptional legacy to the world in the shape of three very different museums.

The Casa-Museu Dali was Dali's main residence for some 50 years. Booking here is a must, but is well worth the effort to explore the labyrinth effect created from an original fisherman's hut and subsequent purchase of surrounding huts.

The extraordinary Teatre-Museu Dali is, in Dali's own words, "not just a museum, but a monument to the senses" and that feeling of 'extraordinary' starts from the moment you lay eyes on the spectacular façade with its magnificent giant, creamy eggs sitting aloft the velvety-looking scarlet walls.

Making up the third side of the triangle is the Castell Gala-Dali, named after Dali's Russian born wife, Gala. Mischievous Dali even manages to create an alcove in the Salo del Piano - piano room - to look like a radiator, as Gala ordered all the radiators in the castle to be covered up!

3. Visit the medieval prison museum in Castello d'Empuries. This has to be on of the most novel museums in the Costa Brava. 500 year old graffiti can be seen on the walls of this tiny prison, quite out of proportion to the huge cathedral church in the centre of this small village.

Long ago attempts to become the centre of importance for the region came to nought, but left us this impressive church with its unfinished belfry, unique double font and towering alabaster altarpiece. Take a wander round this amazing medieval structure and wonder how they came to build it.

The sun has come out now. It doesn't stay wet for long - just long enough to allow you to experience another aspect of this fascinating region of Spain called Costa Brava, which is far more than just sun, sea and sangria.

I invite you to use these tips to make the most of your holiday on the Costa Brava.

And with your permission, I’d also like to offer you free access to my short report, Costa Brava Holiday - What Else Is There Apart From Sun, Sea and Sangria on a Costa Brava Holiday? You can download it by going to http://www.costa-brava-spain.com/shortreport.html

From Helen Palmer – The Exclusive Vacations Guide and Costa Brava Spain