Carpe Diem Cadaqués

Carpe Diem Cadaqués is an aparthotel on the Costa Brava for divers who prefer a proper apartment to a room with nowhere to put the coffee machine. You get self-catering accommodation, outdoor space and a heated pool, with the beaches and the town close enough to reach on foot.

The setting has a practical, easy-going feel: a garden with olive and almond trees, terraces, a sea-view restaurant and enough facilities to keep a non-diving partner occupied. Families and groups can use the larger apartments, while couples can choose between an apartment and a more compact double room. English, French, German and Spanish are spoken by the hotel team, so you will be understood without turning the arrival into a language exercise.

You are in Cadaqués, Spain, at Ctra. Cap de Creus, 1, on the seafront side of town. The nearest beaches are around 600 metres away on foot: Platja Gran, Platja Es Poal and Platja de Portlligat all sit within an easy walk, with Platja Es Pianc a little farther on. The sea is close, but this is not a hotel where you step straight from the terrace into the water.

Cadaqués town centre is 5–10 minutes away on foot. That puts cafés, bars and restaurants within reach when cooking feels like an unnecessary second occupation. Salvador Dalí’s House at Portlligat is around 700 metres away, while Torre de Norfeu is around 6 miles away and the Ciutadella of Roses around 6 miles away.

The main choice is between the independence of an apartment and the simplicity of a room. Apartments come with a kitchen, terrace, refrigerator, coffee machine and washing machine, which matters when you want breakfast on your own timetable, cold water ready in the fridge and somewhere to deal with wet holiday clothes without making a production of it. Outdoor furniture gives you a place to sit outside rather than balancing a mug on the windowsill.

For two people, a studio or a superior one-bedroom apartment keeps things straightforward; a double room is the simpler option if meals will mostly happen in Cadaqués. The deluxe double room adds a balcony, while the single room comes with its own terrace. For families or groups, the two- and three-bedroom apartments provide separate sleeping areas and a kitchen, making them more workable than trying to fit everyone around one small hotel room.

Air conditioning and heating cover the less glamorous but important parts of the night, whether you return warm and salty from the coast or need a cooler room in summer. Every unit has a private bathroom with a shower, towels and toiletries, plus a flat-screen TV and free WiFi. Quiet hours run from 23:00 to 09:00, useful if you want an early start rather than a late-night soundtrack from the terrace.

The hotel’s restaurant, Carpe Diem Japonès, serves dinner in a contemporary izakaya style. The idea is Japanese food made for sharing, which suits a table of divers comparing the day’s underwater gossip while ordering several dishes rather than one solemn plate each. It is a change from the usual resort buffet, and a good reason to stay in for the evening when the legs have had enough walking.

Breakfast is available in continental form, and the hotel also offers half-board for families. Gluten-free breakfast is available. The apartments’ kitchens give you another route: coffee when you want it, a refrigerator for supplies and the option of keeping dinner simple after a long day outside.

A bar is available at the property, while the centre of Cadaqués adds more choice within a short walk. Café Tropical and Shaiows are around 450–500 metres away on foot, and Bar Marina is around 700 metres away. Restaurants including Coco Cuina Viva and Beirut are around 450 metres away, with Es Balconet around 500 metres away.

The heated outdoor pool is the obvious landing place when you are not diving, eating or sitting at the bar. It comes with a large terrace, a view across Cadaqués Bay, sun loungers and pool or beach towels. The garden, with its olive and almond trees, gives you somewhere quieter to sit when the pool terrace has done its job.

For a little movement, there is a fitness room with a treadmill, stationary bikes, an elliptical trainer, a weight bar and a weight machine. Tennis courts and equipment are available, as are table tennis, an indoor play area and a games room. In other words, you can choose between gentle exercise, competitive exercise or the noble pursuit of doing very little.

Massage is available in high season. The hotel also offers cultural excursions and evening entertainment, giving couples and families something to do beyond another walk along the waterfront. Portlligat and Salvador Dalí’s House are around 700 metres away on foot, so one of Cadaqués’ best-known cultural stops is close enough to visit without planning an expedition.

Free parking is available on site, with an electric vehicle charging station. WiFi is free throughout the property. The hotel also has a reception safe, and smoking is not allowed. Payment is by cash, so this is worth arranging before arrival rather than discovering it at the desk with a damp wallet and a long day behind you.

Check-in runs from 14:00 to 21:00, and you need to tell the property your arrival time in advance. Check-out is from 08:00 to 11:00. The minimum age for check-in is 18, while children of all ages are welcome; cots and extra beds are not available.

Girona-Costa Brava Airport is around 50 miles away by road, with a drive of roughly 1 hour 7 minutes. Perpignan–Rivesaltes Airport is around 57 miles away by road, taking roughly 1 hour 8 minutes. Cadaqués is reached by road rather than by train or metro, so the arrival is best planned around a car or a pre-arranged transfer.