Fair Girona
Luke Beardsworth heads to a world famous golfing resort, and tries out the local cuisine
Idon’t like golf. It’s with that knowledge firmly in mind that I set out to Girona to stay at the PGA Catalunya Resort. Hotel Camiral is luxurious but it’s the setting for one of the most recognisable golf courses in the world. the goal for me is to see exactly what the resort, and the iconic city neighbouring it, can offer someone like me. We arrive at the hotel and immediately change for dinner. the higher end of the resort’s food offering is 1477, which is situated in the hotel itself. A tasting menu follows and anyone familiar with the Michelin-style offering you might experience at some of the better restaurants in the UK is immediately going to feel at home. the food takes influences from across Europe but the influence here is the Catalan origins. With all of this we also get wine-pairings which, while I’m far from an expert on that specific subject, seem well-chosen. the high quality of the food we eat is a recurring theme. 1477 offers something special, but it’s hardly what those who live in Girona are going to eat on a regular basis. Fortunately the next day we’re treated to the ‘Flavours of Girona’ food tour. this lasts most of the day and takes in a large part of region, which serves two purposes; letting guests explore while filling up on what the city has to offer. Mercat del Lleo stands out as the most authentic of these experiences, and marks the midpoint of the day. For those who bemoan the lack of market culture in the UK, this is a perfect antidote. Rows of fresh fish and meat, and even a bar where you get a very reasonable half pint of lager and some of the most addictive olives. We also try some sheep cheese, which I wouldn’t be in a rush to try again. though the history stands out as the most memorable part of the tour, there are other highlights. the butchers Can Juando teaches us the difference between serrano and iberico ham. Serrano can occasionally seem luxurious in the UK for anyone brought up on thinly sliced sandwich meat; the reality is that it’s actually the budget option. Iberico offers something different altogether. While serrano is pale in colour, iberico is bold in both appearance and flavour. It’s certainly something to be considered a treat. We take the opportunity to stock up and it later forms part of a great breakfast back home in Bristol. Before we leave, we also get to try carving some of the ham, which is much harder than you would imagine. the last stop on the tour is potentially the most impressive. Fittingly, it’s somewhere to get something sweet. Unfortunately, I may have ignored the warnings to go easy on the tour and by this point the thought of more food is a struggle. Rocambolesc turns out to be the sort of place that convinces you to forgo such common sense. It’s an ice cream parlour, or a gelateria. What makes it so impressive is that it was opened by the Roca brothers. the Roca brothers, Joan, Josep and Jordi, opened a restaurant known as Celler de can Roca back in 1986. It holds three Michelin stars today and is widely considered to be one of the best restaurants in the world. the chief offering here is the ice cream sandwich, or bagel. It’s served warm but the ice cream holds its temperature. It’s bizarre and has the potential to rule itself out to anyone with particularly sensitive teeth. It’s also delicious and manages to be both warming and refreshing at the same time. those who don’t want to spend most of their day eating, as we did, still have plenty of reason to explore - and the hilly nature of the city means we manage to work off at least some of that food. the city is undoubtedly beautiful; yellow ribbons adorn the balcony of nearly every property. these ribbons represent solidity with political prisoners in Spain, as many in the Catalan region desire independence. You may recall Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was charged by the FA earlier this year for choosing to wear the symbol. For any Game of Thrones fan, the main lure of exploring the city will come from seeing the sites of both Westeros and Essos. Fans will recognise the streets from season 6, when Bristol-born Maisie Williams, portraying Arya Stark, is chased through the city’s Medieval Quarter by the Waif. dominating the skyline is Girona’s cathedral. It’s the sort of structure that inspires awe, as evidenced by the scores of tourists queuing to take selfies in front of it. this serves as arguably the most iconic structure in both the real Girona and Game of Thrones’ King’s Landing (as the Sept of Baelor). Whether you’re a superfan of the show or just vaguely interested in architecture, it’s going to impress you.
That evening we somehow find room for more food. We head over and dine at the Lavida Hotel - which is the more casual of the accommodation offerings on the resort. Let’s be clear though, this is not slumming it. Its more accessible price point ultimately gives it a similar vibe to the main Hotel Camiral but with some of the more luxurious features switched off. There’s no fine dining here - but the iberico pizza I have caps off a wonderfully gluttonous weekend nicely. The following morning the two gentlemen on the trip with me decide to tackle the golf course. It’s a PGA resort, so you’d be foolish not to try it. Unless, that is, the last time you held a golf club resulted in your Grandad going to hospital. I opt to head out on a bike and explore the resort in a different way entirely. With a recommended trail, a map and a lot of water, it’s a good way to have a look around if golfing is not your thing. Cycling around in the Spanish heat is an effective way of realising just how huge the site is. It feels like the ideal way to spend the morning of the final day. A quick look out from the balcony of my room at the hotel is enough to show off the site, but having a real look around, it’s clear that with the villas here some of it is feels very resi- dential. You can spend a weekend here, as we did, or you can spend months of the year if you’re so inclined. That’s the main conclusion; I stayed on a golf course for the weekend with no interest in golf whatsoever and had a great time. There are plans to provide more for people like me and that’s welcome, but the weekend I spent at PGA Catalunya left me feeling like I’d hardly scratched the surface anyway. If you’re a foodie, a Game of Thrones fan, or just like relaxing in luxury, there’s something here for you.