Hotel Port Salins by Pierre & Vacances

Hotel Port Salins by Pierre & Vacances sits in the middle of Empuriabrava Port, where the Salins canals do much of the visual work and the beach is close enough to keep the sea in your plans even when you are not diving. The setting suits you if your ideal evening involves a shower, a drink, a proper meal and a view that does not require another expedition.

The hotel keeps things fairly straightforward: air-conditioned rooms, a restaurant on site, a bar, a rooftop hot tub and a pool. You also have free WiFi throughout the property, room service and a 24-hour reception. The website is available in English, as well as French, German, Spanish and Catalan, which is useful when you are sorting out the practical details before arrival.

You are in Empuriabrava, Spain, at Av. Fages de Climent, 10-15, rather than in Girona itself. Empuriabrava Beach is about 1,000 yards away by the direct distance given for the property, with the walk taking roughly 5 minutes over a longer route. La Rubina Beach is about 1.2 miles on foot, while Platja Petita is around 1.3 miles away on foot.

The immediate area is practical rather than remote. Restaurante Capitán is about 50 feet away, El Churrasco about 200 feet and Siam Shiki roughly 450 feet, so you can vary the evening without turning it into a taxi mission. For a change of scenery, Aiguamolls de l'Empordà is around 2.7 miles away, Cap de Creus Natural Park is 4 miles away and Cadaqués is approximately 8 miles away. Girona-Costa Brava Airport is about 39 miles by road; Perpignan–Rivesaltes Airport is around 46 miles.

For two people, the canal-view room is the obvious choice if the outlook matters as much as the bed. It gives you more room to spread out than the standard double and pairs the larger super-king bed with views over the Salins canals. Most rooms have a balcony, which gives you somewhere to sit with a drink while the day’s salt dries off — much more civilised than perching on the edge of the bed.

The standard double is the compact option for a couple who mainly need a cool, clean place to sleep, while the single room does exactly what its name promises. If you are travelling as three, the canal-view room with an extra bed is the practical choice, with a sofa bed rather than a heroic attempt to squeeze a third adult into a normal double. The rooms use blue tones and include air conditioning, satellite television, a private bathroom and a minibar. Some bathrooms use a glass wall, so privacy is worth considering if you are sharing with a friend rather than a partner.

There is also a desk, wardrobe, hairdryer, bathrobe and free toiletries. Daily housekeeping is included, with bed and towel linen changed every four days. A lift reaches the upper floors, and rooms and facilities are adapted for guests with reduced mobility.

Restaurant Noray handles lunch and dinner on a terrace beside the pool and the Salins canal. The cooking is Mediterranean with a Catalan base, using seasonal organic and locally sourced products, with some French influence in the dishes. The menu changes with the seasons, which is a sensible approach in a region where produce does not need much disguising.

Breakfast is served as a continental, vegetarian, American and buffet selection, giving you a reasonably broad start before heading out for the day. You also have a bar, an on-site coffee house, room service and breakfast in your room. Special-diet menus can be requested, and gluten-free options are available. In summer, barbecues take place on the restaurant terrace, with views across the Bay of Roses.

There is plenty within walking distance if you want to eat elsewhere, but the useful point here is choice: you can stay put for a proper meal, order something to the room or walk a few minutes for another restaurant or bar. No need to make every evening an organised operation.

The rooftop hot tub and pool give you somewhere to sit with your legs up while the body works through the day. Sun loungers, outdoor furniture, a sun terrace and a further terrace cover the less ambitious version of recreation: find a chair, find some shade or sun, and do very little for a while. The wellness area adds to that post-dive decompression without demanding a timetable.

Boat excursions are available for a change of pace on the water. On land, Cap de Creus Natural Park offers hiking, while the nearby Aiguamolls de l'Empordà gives you a different kind of coastal landscape. Cadaqués and Dalí’s house make a worthwhile cultural detour, and the Dalí Museum in Figueres is about 8 miles away by the listed distance. For a couple, that makes the hotel useful on non-diving days as well: water, food, a walk and a little art, without pretending you need an animation programme.

Check-in starts from 14:00 and check-out runs from 07:00 to 12:00. You need to provide identification before arrival, show photo identification and a credit card at check-in, and let the hotel know your expected arrival time. The reception is open around the clock, with private check-in and check-out, luggage storage, concierge service and a tour desk available.

Private parking is available in the hotel’s garage, with reservation required. Car hire can be arranged, and laundry, ironing and dry-cleaning services are available. The hotel has a lift, facilities for disabled guests, non-smoking rooms, a safety deposit box and free WiFi throughout. Children of all ages are welcome; a cot can be requested for younger children, while the room options determine how many people can sleep comfortably.

The airport transfer arrangement is not listed as a hotel service, so plan your road journey from Girona-Costa Brava or Perpignan–Rivesaltes accordingly. The railway stations at Vilamalla and Figueres are around 7 and 9 miles away by road, respectively.

The hotel’s restaurant bases its cooking on seasonal organic and locally sourced products, with the menu changing as the produce reaches its best quality. That approach keeps the sustainability point tied to something you can actually eat rather than to a slogan on a wall.

The menu also draws on products from the surrounding territory, combining Catalan and Mediterranean cooking with French touches. There is no named environmental certification attached to the hotel, but the restaurant’s sourcing and seasonal cooking are part of its stated environmental commitment.