L' Escala Resort

L'Escala Resort is an aparthotel for divers who prefer a proper base rather than a standard hotel room. You get an air-conditioned apartment, a private terrace and enough kitchen equipment to manage breakfast, a late snack or a full meal when your appetite has caught up with the day's salt and sun.

The atmosphere is informal and self-contained. Landscaped gardens, sun loungers and seven small outdoor pools give you places to sit without turning the afternoon into an organised activity. English is spoken by the hotel team, alongside Spanish, Catalan and French, so you can sort out the useful things without performing a dramatic mime routine at reception.

You are in L'Escala, on the Costa Brava, at Carrer dels Masos. Riells Beach is about 0.9 miles away on foot, with the walk taking around 15 minutes. The centre of L'Escala is about 1.2 miles away, or roughly a 20-minute walk, putting the fishing town's cafés and waterfront within reach when you want to leave the apartment behind.

The resort sits inland from the sea rather than directly on the beach. That matters when you are carrying beach gear or returning warm from a swim, but it also gives you the useful option of staying around the gardens instead. Nearby food options include Ca L'Enric, about 0.3 miles away, Restaurante Red Pepper at roughly 0.5 miles, and McDonald's around 0.3 miles away. Bar Ca L'Antoni is about 0.8 miles from the resort.

For a change of scenery, the Salvador Dalí Museum in Figueres is around a 30-minute drive. Girona-Costa Brava Airport is about 30 miles away by road, with the drive taking roughly 44 minutes.

Choose the apartment rather than thinking in hotel-room terms. The smaller options make sense for a couple who want a private terrace and a kitchenette; the larger apartments are the more comfortable choice for a family or a group that would rather not queue for the bathroom or negotiate every square inch of floor space. Garden and terrace options give you a little more reason to stay put between dives.

Inside, the layout is designed for actual living: a seating area, sofa, dining table, desk and kitchen equipment including a microwave, fridge, coffee machine and kitchenware. There is also a washing machine and tumble dryer, which are useful when swimwear and ordinary clothes begin to form their own ecosystem. Each apartment has a private bathroom, flat-screen TV, wardrobe and free WiFi in the public areas.

Air conditioning deals with the hot, sticky part of the day, while the natural light keeps the apartment from feeling like a place used only for sleeping. Quiet hours run from 23:00 to 10:00, worth knowing if your idea of a good evening involves an early night before a morning in the water. Daily housekeeping is available as an additional service, while stays of more than a week are cleaned every seven days.

This is a kitchenette holiday rather than a dining-plan resort. Your apartment gives you a fridge, microwave, coffee machine, dining table and the basic kitchenware needed to put together breakfast or deal with the post-dive hunger before it becomes a diplomatic incident. There is no breakfast or board formula to plan around, so you can set your own timetable.

For food outside the apartment, Ca L'Enric is around 0.3 miles away and Restaurante Red Pepper about 0.5 miles. McDonald's is also nearby at roughly 0.3 miles, useful when convenience wins the argument. Bar Ca L'Antoni is around 0.8 miles away, while cafés in L'Escala are roughly 1.1 miles from the resort.

The private terrace and dining area give you the option of eating outdoors without having to dress for the occasion. Bring something back, make coffee, sit down and let the day stop there. It is not glamorous, but neither is trying to choose a restaurant while dehydrated and still wearing yesterday's rash vest.

Seven outdoor pools are spread around the resort, open from March to October with variable opening times. They are small rather than designed for serious lengths, but that is hardly a tragedy after diving: you can cool off, find a sun lounger and read a few pages before falling asleep in the shade.

The gardens include sun terraces, outdoor furniture and loungers or beach chairs. Kayaking is available for a change of pace on the water, while cycling and hiking give you ways to explore on land without turning your holiday into a training camp. Golf is another option for a day when your legs want activity but your lungs have had enough of being inspected by physics.

The layout suits mixed holidays particularly well. You can take a walk or head towards the beach while your companion stays by the pool, then meet back at the apartment's terrace. A private apartment, rather than a single room, also gives you somewhere to sit properly when the sensible plan is to do absolutely nothing.

Check-in runs from 16:00 to 19:00 and check-out from 10:00 to 12:00. You need to tell the property your arrival time in advance, and you will need photo identification and a credit card at check-in. The minimum age for check-in is 18.

A refundable damage deposit is required and is handled by credit card before arrival, with reimbursement after check-out subject to inspection. Cancellation and prepayment conditions vary with the accommodation type, so check the terms attached to the apartment you choose. Cash is accepted as a payment method.

Smoking is not allowed, parties and similar events are not permitted, and quiet hours apply overnight from 23:00 to 10:00. Children of all ages are welcome, although children aged 13 and over are charged as adults; cots and extra beds are not available. Girona-Costa Brava Airport is the nearest listed airport, about 30 miles away by road. Arrange your arrival around the resort's check-in window rather than discovering the closing time with luggage in the car.