Hotel Riomar

Sea air, a sandy beach, and a hotel that has been welcoming guests since 1969: Hotel Riomar is built for days spent outdoors and evenings kept uncomplicated. You can step towards the shore, settle on the terrace, or let the garden and pool do the work while you decide whether anything more ambitious is required.

English, French, Spanish and Catalan are spoken by the hotel team, so you can deal with the practicalities without resorting to improvised sign language. The atmosphere suits travellers who want the coast close at hand, a proper meal within the property, and enough space for a few different kinds of holiday in the same group.

You are in L'Escala, on Spain's Costa Brava, with the hotel directly on the seafront and beside a sandy beach. The town centre is 4 km away, which leaves you close to the coast without putting the hotel in the middle of the town's daily traffic.

The surroundings give you several reasons to leave the sun lounger. The Museum of Archaeology of Catalonia at Empúries, Platja del Pedrigolet and Cala Canyelles Beach are among the nearby places to explore. The setting also works well for anyone travelling by car: parking is available at the hotel, and the property is positioned for days split between the beach, the water and the wider L'Escala area.

The room choice is broad enough to match the shape of your trip rather than forcing everyone into the same arrangement. Travelling alone, as a couple, or with a family group, you can look towards single, double, triple and quadruple categories, with family rooms available as well. Some rooms face the sea, the water, the garden or the river; others are located in the basement, which is worth bearing in mind if the view matters to you.

The practical basics are in place for a straightforward night's recovery: air conditioning, heating, a private bathroom and free Wi-Fi. Many categories also include towels, a television and a hairdryer. Double rooms with a double bed suit a conventional two-person stay, while the larger family and quadruple categories give groups more room to organise themselves without turning the bedroom into a luggage puzzle.

A seasonal coastal hotel is not the place to overcomplicate the evening. You can use room service, connect to the Wi-Fi across the property, and keep the air conditioning running when the day has been hot. The main decision is therefore less about decoration than about choosing the view, floor and room format that fit your party.

The restaurant serves Mediterranean and local cuisine on a terrace, with breakfast, lunch and dinner available. Breakfast is a buffet, and you can book the stay with breakfast included, half board or full board, depending on how much planning you want to do before the day's activities begin.

There is also a bar and a snack bar for the less ceremonial moments, when a full restaurant meal feels like unnecessary admin. For a more beach-facing option, an external beach restaurant operates daily from May to October, close to the shore and with sea views. It serves sandwiches, grilled dishes and salads.

The arrangement suits a diving holiday because you can choose between a proper sit-down meal and something quicker, while the terrace keeps the coast in view. Do check the exact meal arrangement attached to your booking, since the included format varies with the selected board option.

When the sea has taken enough of your attention for one day, the hotel gives you several ways to slow the pace. There is a swimming pool and a seasonal outdoor pool, with pool equipment available, as well as a solarium terrace, garden and beach equipment including sun loungers and parasols. You can also walk straight onto the sandy beach and let the afternoon become pleasantly unstructured.

The small spa is aimed at recovery rather than ceremony, with massages, facials, hammam sessions, peels, pedicures and manicures. Yoga is available for those who prefer stretching to complete idleness. It is the sort of menu that makes sense when shoulders, legs or general enthusiasm need a little assistance.

For something more active, the hotel offers tennis, table tennis, billiards and bicycle hire. Paddleboarding and windsurfing are also available, giving couples or mixed groups a reason to head back towards the water without repeating the same activity all day.

Check-in runs from 14:00 to 21:00, and check-out is by 10:30. That gives you a clear arrival window to work around, particularly if your journey reaches the coast later in the day. Parking is available, and the property has accessibility facilities.

Free Wi-Fi covers the hotel, while air conditioning and heating are available for the rooms and common areas. Visa, Mastercard and cash are accepted. The hotel is non-smoking throughout, and room service is available when you would rather stay put than make another trip downstairs.

The beach is directly accessible from the property, and a beach storage facility is open throughout the year for surf, kitesurfing and windsurfing equipment. That is a useful practical detail if your holiday includes more than one sort of water time. The hotel also offers bicycle hire, so you can cover the surrounding area without making every outing a car journey.

The hotel is directly beside the sea, with the beach, garden and outdoor areas forming part of the everyday setting. Its long-established coastal position makes the surrounding landscape part of the stay rather than a backdrop you only notice on arrival.

For you, the practical point is simple: much of the area can be enjoyed on foot, from the sandy beach beside the hotel to the nearby coastal sites and beaches. The property also provides storage for surf, kitesurfing and windsurfing equipment, keeping those activities tied to the shore rather than the boot of the car.