Hotel Sant Joan

Hotel Sant Joan is a family-run address for divers who prefer a proper town and a little history to a large seafront complex. The building is an eighteenth-century cottage, renovated but still rooted in the historic San Joan area of Palamós. You get gardens, a pool and a hot tub rather than a resort-sized parade of facilities. Quite sensible, really: once the tanks are off, most people want somewhere civilised to sit.

The hotel website is available in English, Spanish, Catalan and French, so you can at least prepare your stay in English before arriving. Inside, the tone is practical and relaxed, with a restaurant, coffee house, bar, snack bar and shared lounge alongside the outdoor spaces. It suits a couple looking for a quieter base, while family rooms and an indoor play area give the address a broader appeal.

You are in Palamós, Spain, on the Costa Brava, in the historic San Joan part of town. The beach is about 0.6 miles away, with Platja Gran de Palamós and Platja de les Pots both around 0.8 miles on foot. Cala de Morro del Vedell and Cala Margarida are also close by, while Platja de la Fosca is about 0.9 miles away on foot. This is not a hotel where you step straight from the terrace onto the sand, so plan around a walk or a short drive when carrying beach gear.

The town centre is about a ten-minute walk away. El Mercat is roughly 0.3 miles from the hotel, and several cafés, bars and restaurants sit within walking distance, including Rostisseria Coronel, Pizzería L'Arcobaleno and El Gust. The Museu de la Pesca is about 0.8 miles away, giving you something properly local to do when the sea is taking a day off.

For a wider Costa Brava outing, Girona is about 28 miles away. Cala Estrecha lies around 2.4 miles away as the local landmarks are measured, while the more distant historic sites and museums around the region give you room for a non-diving day without needing to invent an excuse.

The room choice is chiefly about how much space and outdoor access you want. The standard double or twin option is the straightforward choice for two, with a large king-size bed, private bathroom, air conditioning, satellite television and a safe. After a warm day by the water, the air conditioning matters more than another decorative cushion. A refrigerator is also part of the room facilities, useful for keeping water cold before the next early start.

For a small family, the Superior Family Room gives you a more practical layout than a compact double. The Junior Suite with Terrace is the one to consider when a private outdoor corner matters: it gives you somewhere to sit without heading down to the garden every time you want fresh air. The terrace also makes the room a more natural choice for a couple who expect to spend part of the evening outside.

Non-smoking rooms, daily housekeeping, wardrobes, towels, toiletries and hairdryers cover the basics without fuss. There is a lift to upper floors, although some upper floors are also accessible by stairs only. Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel, while the flat-screen TV and streaming service are there for the nights when your legs have had enough of the Costa Brava.

El Terral is the hotel restaurant, working in a Mediterranean style and serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Its setting draws on the local landscape: salt air, the harbour and the evening light. For you, the useful part is simpler. You can eat at the hotel rather than organise a second expedition after a full day outside.

Breakfast is a buffet with vegetarian choices. The kitchen also works with options for allergies and intolerances, which is worth discussing when you arrange your stay rather than discovering it when everyone is already hungry. A coffee house, snack bar and bar give you alternatives between meals, and a minibar is available in the accommodation.

There is no stated all-inclusive or half-board formula to build your day around, so treat the restaurant as an on-site option rather than a fixed meal plan. If you want to eat out, Palamós supplies nearby alternatives: El Mercat is about a six-minute walk, while several restaurants and bars are within roughly ten minutes.

The outdoor pool is the natural place to spend a surface interval that has turned into an afternoon. It is open all year, with sun loungers, garden space and a sun terrace around it. The hotel has 550 m² of gardens, so you can settle with a book, find a patch of sun or simply let the day become less organised. No timetable is required; your logbook has already supplied enough administration.

The heated jacuzzi sits in the garden, and the property also has a spa, an open-air bath and a solarium. Those facilities give you a gentler option when you want warmth and stillness rather than another outing. An indoor lounge, board games and a games room cover the less ambitious evenings, including the ones when conversation has run out but bedtime feels premature.

If you want to keep moving without going back into the water, bicycle rental, bike tours, cycling and hiking are available. Fishing and tours or classes about local culture add a few more ways to use a non-diving day. Car hire is also available, useful for reaching the wider coast and its coves.

Girona-Costa Brava Airport is about 25 miles away by road, around a 38-minute drive. A shuttle service is available, and you can also arrange car hire. The hotel has free outdoor parking, but capacity is limited to nine cars. A private garage is available nearby by reservation and carries an additional charge, so drivers should sort out their parking plan before arrival rather than leave it to the last minute.

Check-in runs from 15:00 to 22:00, with photo identification and a credit card required at arrival. Check-out is from 08:00 to 12:00. Luggage storage, a tour desk, concierge service and a 24-hour front desk are available, which is useful if your travelling day does not fit neatly around those hours. Express check-in and check-out are also offered.

Children of any age are welcome. A cot is available on request for children aged from birth to two years, while extra beds are not available. The hotel accepts cash, and pets are not allowed. For heavier luggage, use the rear entrance; it is the practical approach rather than the dramatic one.

The hotel holds an Ecostar Certificate. The certification sits alongside the property's modest scale: a family-run hotel in a renovated historic building, with gardens, an outdoor pool and local access on foot. That gives you a base where the surrounding town and coast remain part of the stay rather than scenery kept behind a resort gate.