Hotel Trias

A seaside hotel with a long memory, placed in the middle of Palamós rather than tucked away from it. Hotel Trias keeps a maritime character, with sea and bay views, wooden floors and a design that feels more connected to the town than to a generic resort strip.

You will be understood in English, Spanish, Catalan and French by the hotel team. That matters when you are discussing an early breakfast, a late return, or simply trying to work out where the harbour begins and the promenade ends. The building reopened after a major renovation in 2005 and has hosted figures from the arts and culture, including Ava Gardner and Truman Capote.

The tone suits divers who want the sea close, a proper restaurant downstairs and a town to wander through in the evening. There is also an outdoor pool, because even committed divers occasionally prefer water that does not require a briefing.

You are in Palamós, Spain, directly beside Platja Gran de Palamós. The beach is reached straight from the hotel, while the town’s fishing harbour is a three-minute walk away. Palamós Marina is about five minutes from the hotel and adds boat trips and water sports to the local options.

This is a genuinely walkable base. A coffee shop and several bars are within a few minutes, and restaurants sit close to the entrance rather than requiring a taxi after dinner. The Fishing Museum is around a five-minute walk away, with Parc del Convent dels Agustins taking roughly six minutes on foot.

For a change of scenery, Cala de Morro del Vedell is about 0.6 miles away on foot, and Cala Margarida around 0.8 miles. Pals and Peratallada are within a 30-minute drive, while Girona-Costa Brava Airport is about 18 miles away.

The rooms are bright, with elegant styling and wooden floors. Air conditioning gives you a practical way to cool down after a warm day by the coast, while the choice of outlook makes a real difference: street-facing rooms keep the focus on location, whereas pool, garden or sea views give you something better to look at when the curtains open.

For two divers travelling together, a sea-view twin is the obvious choice if the bay matters to you. The beds are singles, including in the sea-view double category, so check the arrangement carefully rather than trusting the word “double” to do the thinking. A terrace and garden view suit anyone who would rather have outdoor space than a postcard vista.

If you are travelling as three or four, the family-sized options use single beds and give everyone a proper sleeping place. The Junior Suite is the room to consider when a little more separation matters, with its own bathroom. Daily housekeeping, a flat-screen TV, heating and a wake-up service cover the unglamorous but useful parts of a diving stay.

Restaurant Trias serves lunch and dinner on the terrace, with traditional Mediterranean cooking, a daily menu and a broad à la carte choice. This is the part of the hotel that works particularly well for a diver: you can sit down hungry, order recognisable regional food and avoid turning the evening into a hunt for an open kitchen.

The menu includes local signatures such as Palamós prawns grilled simply, canelons Maria Trias and crema catalana. There is no need to dress the food up with grand language; the point is that the kitchen connects the hotel to its fishing town and the wider Costa Brava. Breakfast is served as a buffet.

Ruark Bar sits beside the pool and has an outdoor terrace, making it the place for a drink without committing to another full meal. A snack bar, an on-site coffee house and limited room service from 11:00 to 23:00 give you alternatives when lunch needs to be quick or your legs have had enough of restaurants.

The outdoor pool is the straightforward answer when you want a swim without sand, swell or another piece of equipment to assemble. Pool and beach towels are available, and the sun terrace, garden and outdoor furniture give you places to stop moving for a while. After a demanding day, that can be the entire programme. No apology required.

For a more active afternoon, the hotel offers bicycle rental and can arrange bike tours and walking tours. Cycling, hiking, windsurfing, snorkelling and horse riding are also available as activities, with some taking place away from the property. The tour desk and concierge service are useful here, especially if you would rather have the practical details sorted before setting out.

A full-body massage or back massage is available when shoulders and lower backs have accumulated the usual holiday complaints. Couples can also use the beach, harbour and promenade as an easy evening circuit, while board games and the shared lounge provide a quieter option when the weather or energy levels call for staying in.

Check-in starts at 16:00 and check-out runs until 12:00, giving you a reasonably useful final morning by the sea. The reception is open around the clock, with luggage storage, concierge service, a tour desk and car hire available. Free Wi-Fi covers all areas of the hotel.

Parking is available in the hotel’s garage, with reservation required. Girona-Costa Brava Airport is about 18 miles away; car hire is available at the hotel, which may be useful if you plan to visit the medieval villages or the wider Costa Brava rather than stay entirely on foot.

Children of all ages are welcome. Cots and extra beds can be requested, subject to the room option and availability, and babysitting is available. Pets are not allowed. Laundry, dry cleaning and ironing services are also available for a longer stay or for anyone who has discovered that salt water is remarkably good at finding every item of clothing.