Close to the beach

Stay to forget. They rented the house to us knowing that there would be noise from 8 in the morning due to construction work in the adjoining house (the noise was unbearable, even the wall of the room was shaking), we spent two whole mornings without running water without being offered any kind of solution or alternative and, finally, they sent us an email saying that we had to leave the keys in the office to check out, however, the office was closed for holidays and we had to go back to the house (which was about 5 km away). Also, the ad does not state that the balcony is directly above a restaurant, so ambient noise and the smell of shrimp throughout the day is unavoidable. I will not rent this house again, nor any managed by this company.

The best thing about the apartment is its great location, above a beach & close to others, great for restaurants, supermarkets, bars etc. In spite of some average Trip Advisor scores we found plenty of decent restaurants both in Calella and in nearby Palafrugell. Live free music in both places, including a memorable performance on a temporary stage on the waterfront, was excellent. If you don't have a car you could still have a very good beach holiday based at the apartment. The beaches are relatively small, but there are several of them, and the larger beach at Llafranc is about 40 minutes walk away. We always found places to lay our towels in September and the water was lovely. The apartment kitchen looks like it has been refurbished recently and has good modern appliances, including a large fridge for the cava for the balcony. The balcony is a good spot to sit in the sun or in the evening (bug spray needed), and to have breakfast listening to the waves. We had a good stay at Les Formigues and would stay there again. I wish they would get better beds and install some air con in the bedrooms though!

There is no designated parking for the apartment so we had to find places in the streets, usually a 5 to 10 minute uphill walk away. There was a fair amount of noise from the restaurant below, but it stopped before midnight. On one occasion only the apartment was filled with the smell of cooking oil. Access to the property is up a single flight of stairs, making it unsuitable for people with mobility problems. The beds were very hard and there is no air conditioning in the bedrooms. There is mosquito netting at the bedroom windows but we still had to kill mosquitos that got in through the balcony sliding door. The glass sliding door is unmarked glass, making it a potential safety hazard. The apartment could do with some refurbishment. For example the shower cubicle is water stained. One of the lights in the living area is broken. The second bedroom is small for two beds.

The views over the beach and sea, location in the centre of the village.

The forniture and the bed could be nicer and more comfortable, but overall the apartment is fine.