Hotel Sol Ixent

Sol Ixent, in case your Catalan isn’t up to scratch, translates as ‘rising sun’. The name comes from the location - this is the Cap de Creus, the easternmost point of the Iberian Peninsula and the first corner of Spain to see the sun every morning. Of course, the sensation is much the same as it is just along the coast, it just happens to take place five minutes earlier; but that still doesn’t stop us getting up early on our first morning, feeling so very privileged to see our early sunrise and full of the giddy excitement of newly-arrived tourists. Mission accomplished, we successfully rise out of our comfy bed before the sun, and gaze from our private terrace as it peeks out from behind the Mediterranean horizon. A remarkable way to start the day, I have to say.

One of the first things we notice once we’re outside is the feeling of peace; we are here slightly out of season, which is definitely the time to see Cadaqués – just us and the locals revelling in the breathtakingly dramatic natural scenery. There is something so mystical about the setting, and a quiet feeling of history and seclusion drifts through the streets regardless of how many people are here.

Mystical is a good word to sum up the whole town, in fact. With its old-world charm and peacefully remote location, it is easy to see why so many of the most famous artists and creative minds down the years have come to find themselves inspired here. Picasso, Matisse, Duchamp, Lorca, Jagger, Miró, Disney… all visited, but there is one man with a closer relationship to the town than any of them. Salvador Dalí described it as “by far the most beautiful place in the world”, making Cadaqués the muse for one of the most creative artistic minds of all time.

At the end of the day, exhausted from all the exploring, we have an evening meal at the Vert restaurant. Before we know it, we have taken our seat in the romantic setting of the poolside terrace, illuminated by the golden light emitted by the dying embers of the day’s sunlight. The food is all exquisitely fresh and perfectly cooked, the flavours are authentically Catalan, and we take our time to savour each dish and soak in the friendly, relaxed atmosphere with a delectable bottle of local Emporda wine. It is quite late and we are feeling rather lethargic by the time we retreat back to our bedroom, but we still can’t resist setting the alarm to get us up in time for that sunrise again in the morning…