Hotel URH Molí del Mig ★★★★

There are many things I love about travelling…new foods and flavours, different smells and even in the way people walk! But one of my favourite things is the feeling of waking up in a new place, especially when whoever has designed the room knows how best to wake up their guests. Start the day as I did at the URH Moli del Mig; to the sound of the great old oak tree outside, leaves rustling in the wind, birdsong, and nothing else. A good breakfast only took us to new heights of joviality.

As we’d arrived pretty late the night before, I hadn't really absorbed much of my surroundings. Waking up to the meditative sound of the breeze before opening the curtains to see the beautiful gardens right outside our huge windows was wonderful. The room was very modern in its innovative design; we felt like we’d been placed inside the garden in a little glass capsule. The décor was fresh and pure, with ubiquitous white and bright, summer colours. Part of the wall was exposed brick, bringing a touch of rustic chic to an otherwise streamlined and contemporary room. There was plenty of space, Swedish-style comfy chairs and coffee table, and a bench and desk by another window, making a beautiful little office space. The bathroom also had a lovely view over the fields and a designer edge to it. The peaceful bucolic view from the room was not the Costa Brava I used to think of!

The main building of the hotel is an old mill, full of old-world charm and elegance, lovingly restored to capture its heritage heart and bring it gently into the present. Dependent on the weather, you can dine on regional dishes either shielded from the great outdoors by a wall of windows, or immersed in it on the patio, in the shade of a mulberry tree. Inclement weather, there's also cushioned rattan furniture to relax in outside, a spacious heated pool, and the grounds themselves to explore. For your wellbeing, there's the Zen-like atmosphere of the modern spa, large tennis courts and the option to hire bikes and explore the flatlands in the surrounding area and their picturesque villages.

This was a thoroughly wholesome and rejuvenating holiday which was peaceful, beautiful and steeped in culture. I am happy I can rethink my associations with the Costa Brava, and I thank the elegant URH Moli del Mig for that too!