Alegria Caprici Verd

The Alegria Caprici Verd is a modern base in a top location. This sleek, glass-fronted hotel is in the centre of Costa Brava’s Santa Susanna neighbourhood, right across the road from a perfect sandy beach and a few yards from the area’s namesake station. Catch a train from here and you can reach Barcelona in around an hour and a half, so spending a day exploring the city’s shops and sampling the offering in the tapas bars will be a breeze.

Back at the hotel, most of the action revolves around the palm-freckled sun terrace. It’s home to two swimming pools and a generous supply of loungers and parasols, and there’s a children’s playground right around the corner. You can get cocktails and snacks from the bar adjacent to the water, and there’s a shaded open-air section with al fresco seating.