Hotel Santa Marta

Hotel Santa Marta is built around the things that matter once the fins are back in the bag: a beachside setting, proper places to eat, a spa, and rooms that range from garden-facing accommodation to sea-view suites. It is a full-service hotel rather than a small dive base, with space to slow down between outings and enough on site to keep a non-diving companion occupied.

The atmosphere shifts with the weather and the hour. You can take a table on the beach terrace, retreat to the spacious lounges around the fireplace, or head for the spa and its water circuit. English is spoken by the hotel team, alongside Spanish, Italian, German, Russian and French, so practical conversations need not become a game of underwater hand signals.

The hotel is in Lloret de Mar, on the Costa Brava, around 1.2 miles from the town centre. That keeps the main resort close enough for an outing without putting you in the middle of it. Santa Cristina Beach is directly accessible from the hotel, with sand, sun loungers and parasols waiting outside rather than down a long road.

Santa Cristina Sanctuary and Cala Sa Boadella are among the nearby places to explore, and the surroundings work well for a short walk when you want land under your feet again. Blanes is also within reach, while a golf course lies around 2 miles away. The hotel has its own garden, terraces and outdoor seating, giving you several ways to spend the afternoon without making a project of it.

The room choice is mainly about what you want to see when you draw the curtains. Sea-view doubles and suites put the coast into the first and last part of the day, while the Forest and Nature categories turn towards the surrounding greenery. For a couple, a sea-view double keeps things straightforward; for more space and a more deliberate evening, the junior and full sea-view suites are the ones to consider.

Several room categories come with air conditioning, a private bathroom, a hairdryer, a safe and a television. Toiletries, towels, mirrors and a telephone feature in the suite categories. The Family Double room faces the garden and accommodates two guests, while the Grandiose quadruple suite is the practical choice when four people need to share one booking rather than split themselves across rooms.

Sound should be less of a nuisance in the quieter hours: the hotel has soundproofed rooms, alongside non-smoking accommodation, heating and room service. That matters when the alarm is set for a boat, or when the body has decided that dinner was an ambitious plan. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel.

The food offer is more varied than a single buffet with a different garnish. Restaurant 58 serves lunch and dinner on a terrace, with Catalan cooking rooted in seasonal and local produce. Its approach updates the traditional marine cooking of the Costa Brava and Catalonia, which gives the menu a clear sense of place rather than generic holiday food.

SantaMar works the Mediterranean angle: market-fresh fish, carefully selected meat and traditional recipes given a creative turn, with the sea as the backdrop. It is the obvious table when you want dinner to feel like part of the coast rather than an interruption to it.

Bar Santa Marta covers the less formal moments, serving snacks and sandwiches with mixed drinks on the beach terrace or in the lounges around the fireplace. The hotel also has a restaurant buffet, a snack bar, café service and breakfast, including the option of taking breakfast in your room. A dietary menu can be arranged on request.

The beach is the main outdoor proposition, with direct access to the sand, sun loungers, parasols and beach or pool towels. Back at the hotel, the swimming pool, outdoor pool and water park give you alternatives to another walk along the shore. A solarium terrace is there for the important business of doing very little while looking vaguely purposeful.

The spa is the more serious recovery option. Its facilities include a relaxing water circuit, saunas, a jacuzzi, massage and facial treatments, with Scens Cosmetics used for the treatments and available in the spa boutique. There is also a dedicated room for couples' shiatsu massage, plus a fully equipped gym when stretching out properly feels preferable to simply claiming that carrying dive gear counted as exercise.

For a change of pace, the hotel offers yoga, fitness equipment, table tennis, tennis, cycling, hiking and fishing. Excursion assistance, bicycle hire and car hire make it easier to explore beyond the grounds, while a barbecue area and the terraces suit evenings when the plan is to stay put.

Reception is open around the clock. Check-in runs from 3 pm to midnight, and check-out is by midday, which leaves a little room for a final breakfast before heading out. The hotel offers airport transfers, shuttle services, vehicle hire and parking, and it has a charging station for electric vehicles. Transfer arrangements should be made with the hotel before travel.

You will find a lift, accessibility facilities, luggage storage, a concierge, a currency exchange service and a 24-hour reception. Laundry, dry cleaning and ironing are available, and the hotel accepts Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club and cash. Wi-Fi is free throughout the property, while the rooms and common areas are non-smoking.

Pets are admitted, and the hotel also provides babysitting and a children's playroom. That gives families and travelling companions a little more flexibility around a dive day, although the room categories and their stated capacities are worth checking carefully before reserving. Excursion assistance is available when the next plan involves something other than bubbles.