The Real Costa Brava by Francisca Kellett

The Costa Brava suffers from something of a split personality. It is still best known for the big, bland resorts of Estartit and Lloret de Mar, as well as the much prettier Tossa de Mar, which were among the first in Europe to be developed for mass tourism. But tucked among the rugged coves and pine-covered hills of Spain's "Wild Coast" lie some wonderfully unspoilt resorts.

Heading north from Barcelona, you soon break out along one of the most stunning coastlines on the Mediterranean. Wooded hills and vineyards roll gently to a series of salmon-pink headlands and secluded bays. Skirt the bigger beaches, ruined by heavy development, and you'll find whitewashed villages clustered around small beaches, more reminiscent of Greece than the Costas. Instead of arcades and burger bars there are shady promenades lined with pavement cafes. Instead of vast, crowded beaches, you'll find picturesque and secluded coves (though they too can get busy at weekends).

There is plenty of variety among these smaller resorts too, from Aiguablava, with nothing but a sheltered beach and a couple of hotels, to the much busier Llafranc - an old favourite of Salvador Dali.

Calella de Palafrugell

Calella is the largest of three resorts tucked along this craggy stretch of coast, yet it remains an attractive base for a holiday. In part it is still a fishing village, with a series of small, rocky bays backed by winding alleys of whitewashed houses and cool squares. Although the seafront is usually busy, the pine-shaded headlands and maze of streets remain reasonably peaceful, even in high season.

An excellent, if pricey, place to eat is the restaurant at Hotel Batlle, which serves great seafood; a meal with wine costs about £18 a head. There are a few low-key bars, but little else in the resort. For something livelier, head to one of the two nightclubs, Arena and Per Que, on the main road to Palafrugell.

Llafranc

A gentle walk above the rocks from Calella brings you to Llafranc, a smaller resort with a more upmarket air. The town is made up of whitewashed streets winding up into hills studded with elegant villas. A steeply shelving beach stretches across the small bay, with a marina at one end and a pine-shaded promenade running along its length.

The restaurant at Hotel Llafranch spills out on to the square and serves good Catalan specialities. Expect to pay about £14 a head with wine. El Far's dining room offers excellent dishes at slightly higher prices. The resort is quiet at night. The bar at the Hotel Terramar has seating just above the beach, perfect for watching dusk fall over the bay.

Tamariú

This is one of the smallest, least developed and most appealing Costa Brava resorts. Set around a secluded bay of sand and pink rocks, its narrow streets radiate from the seafront up steep, wooded hills ringing with the rasp of cicadas.

The small cove is backed by a shady promenade of whitewashed houses which overlook the small arc of coarse sand that often gets busy with young families. It's a wonderful setting - the Costa's colours are at their most vivid here - deep green pine, startling blue sea and the warm pink of the rocks, which glow almost red in the sunset.

Seafood lovers are well served here - the restaurants along the promenade offer a good choice of grilled fish and tapas. The Hotel Tamariú serves an excellent paella at about £6 a head, or try the Es Dofi for grilled seafood - a two course meal with wine will set you back around £16 a head. The resort shuts down at 11pm, so don't expect wild evenings. But if you enjoy leisurely meals and a few drinks in a bar, you'll be happy.

Aiguablava

Surrounded by wooded hills and orange cliffs, Aiguablava is not really a resort but a small village with an immaculate arc of sand, cobalt blue water and a couple of excellent and smart hotels. It gets fairly busy during the day, but in the early evenings the couple of restaurants behind the beach shut and it becomes very quiet.

A handful of restaurants/bars back on to the beach, but tend to shut in the evenings. Both hotels mentioned have excellent restaurants, or head to nearby Begur for a wider choice. As most of the guests here are young families and older couples, nightlife is minimal. There are hotel bars and the disco in Hotel Aigua Blava, but, as with restaurants, for some variety head to Begur.

L'Escala

Avoid the bland sprawl of sand and high-rises to the south of L'Escala and head instead to the more traditional centre of sleepy streets and tiny, rocky coves. A confusing maze of houses leads to several sand-and-pebble beaches, busy with French and Spanish families. The main beach, although small, is the most attractive, with a steep shore shelving into clear, rocky water. This is a good resort for families with older children as it is busy enough to keep different ages entertained.

L'Escala is renowned for its local shellfish; try the Pescador, by the main beach, or the Roser around the corner. A two-course meal with wine costs about £15. Evenings are reasonably relaxed in L'Escala. There are plenty of people-watching cafes by the main beach and several local bars in the back streets. There is also a disco below the pool in Hotel Voramar.

Cadaquès

Accessible only by a steep, winding road through rolling hills, Cadaquès retains an atmosphere of seclusion. It has an exclusive, arty feel to it (Dali lived on the outskirts). The beautiful main bay, with its lines of whitewashed, blue-shuttered houses, became trendy in the 1960s and it remains fashionable, with plenty of boutiques and galleries scattered along its slate paths. This isn't really a resort for beach lovers - the main beach is small, pebbly and busy with boats.

A wide selection of restaurants and cafes line the seafront. El Pescador has pleasant open-air seating under a mosaic ceiling, with views of the whole bay. Main courses cost about £7. Bar Meliton, on the seafront, is good for sandwiches and tapas.

Tossa de Mar

The modern town of Tossa de Mar, dominated by the walls and turrets of a ruined castle and fortified old town, is by far the best of the larger resorts, and one of the most attractive in Spain. The modern town on the outskirts is unremarkable, but between here and the castle ruins is the heart of the resort - a grid of worn, cobbled streets flanked by flaking white houses with colourful window boxes.

Take the steep walk up to the ruins and you get wonderful views of the town and the beach. Although the wide sweep of coarse sand gets very busy, it is large enough to find space to sunbathe.

The road leading from the beach to the old town is lined with restaurants spilling out onto the sand-coloured stone. The menus offer well-prepared seafood and local specialities, but prices are dear at about £10 for a main course. Although a far cry from the nocturnal debaucheries of Lloret de Mar, Tossa gets fairly lively at sundown, with a wide choice of music bars, some English pubs and a couple of nightclubs.

Lloret de Mar

The vast beach is backed by high-rise, concrete blocks, arcades and burger bars and gets very busy; finding a spot to sunbathe can be an arduous task. In the evenings the pace becomes frenetic - expect loud, lusty discos frequented by the young clubbing brigade. Avoid.

Estartit

The sizeable bay of Estartit, with its huge beach and multitude of fun-pubs, has been popular with British families for decades. The soft-sand beach is vast and lined with tall apartment blocks, hotels and a seasonal funfair. The resort becomes more attractive to the north of the beach, and there are beautiful views of the close-by Medes Islands, famous for their scuba diving. All in all, however, Estartit is rather uninspiring.

Day trips

- Barcelona: Catalonia's vibrant capital is an easy day-trip from any of the resorts mentioned, but there are other options well worth exploring.

- Empúries: Five minutes' drive from L'Escala is the archaeological site of Empúries. Founded in the early sixth century BC, it developed into a thriving city under the Romans - the ruins include the remains of villas, streets and mosaic floors.

- Begur: The medieval hill-top town of Begur is a delightful place to spend an evening. The narrow, crumbling streets twist between sand-coloured houses and congregate on the main square, home to a squat church and plenty of good restaurants.

- Girona: Girona is one of the Costa Brava's highlights, although many visitors see only the charter airport on the plain to the south. There is an impressive cathedral, a well-preserved Jewish quarter and an array of museums and art galleries. Wander through the maze of back streets for views of the river and the multicoloured rows of houses set in tiers above it.

- Figueres: Designed by the surrealist himself, the Dali Theatre Museum is a bewildering and fascinating collection of some of his stranger works. It takes most of a day to take in all the museum's exhibits, including a giant sculpture/portrait of Mae West, a life-sized orchestra and galleries containing sketches, paintings and sculptures.

When to go

May and June are ideal times to go. The season has only just begun, the resorts are tranquil and the weather beautiful, with temperatures in the mid-70s. July and August are very busy, though not too hot, but the traffic can be unbearable. September is another great time to visit, but there is the risk of an odd day of rain.

Planning a trip to the Spanish coast? See all our luxury hotels on the Costa Brava. For a more comprehensive selection of places to stay, check out all our luxury hotels in Spain.