Hotel Palau Macelli

Hotel Palau Macelli

Windows in the Rec del Sirvent room look straight onto the walls and stained glass of the Basilica of Santa Maria, and that view alone tells you where you are: the medieval centre of Castello d'Empuries, not the resort strip along the coast. Hotel Palau Macelli opened in 2021 with just 14 rooms, split across six categories that run from a 32-square-metre standard double to a 50-square-metre master suite with its own bathtub. What sets it apart from the boutique hotels scattered through this part of the Empordà is the pool, both indoor and outdoor, alongside a massage room and a restaurant, in a house this small. There's an elevator for guests who need it, laundry and ironing on request, and staff who work in English and Spanish. This suits travellers who want a historic base with modern plumbing rather than a beach hotel with a view of other beach hotels: people happy to walk cobbled streets to dinner and drive or cycle to the water. It won't suit anyone chasing a lively bar scene or ground-floor sea access, both of which are a short trip away rather than outside the door. From here, the coast opens up fast: sailing trips leave the port of Empuriabrava for Cala Rustella, tandem parachute jumps go up over the bay of Roses, and bikes can be delivered to the hotel for rides towards the nature reserve of Aiguamolls de l'Empordà. Spain-wide gala dinner charges can apply here too, so it's worth checking directly with the hotel before booking. Check-in runs from 3pm, check-out by noon. Fourteen rooms, one basilica outside the window, and the whole Costa Brava within reach. A 14-room boutique hotel in the medieval centre of Castello d'Empuries, opened in 2021, with basilica views from some rooms and an indoor and outdoor pool rarely found at this size. Suits travellers wanting a historic base near the Costa Brava, not those after a beachfront room.