Pineda de Mar Holidays

A beautiful town on the Costa Brava, Pineda de Mar is an all-in-one sort of place geared towards lazy breaks. Restaurants, bars and shops are all here, and the quaint main squares fill up every evening with local families. In the town there are whitewashed houses, tree-lined streets and an 11th-century church, while down by the water there’s a cute pint-sized harbour and a white sand beach that just runs on and on.

Pineda de Mar’s main draw is its beach – it’s really a stunner, with three kilometres of wide sandy shoreline dotted with sunloungers and umbrellas. The water shelves gently so it’s safe for swimming, too. Running all along the shore is a leafy boardwalk with cafes and bars. Or for something a bit smaller, there’s Sant Pol beach. It’s a pretty little bay backed by sand dunes, pine-fringed hills and seafood restaurants – and it’s only 15 minutes’ drive away.

Barcelona, Catalonia's captial, is just 35 minutes’ drive away, and boasts a beach, some of the world’s best modern architecture, and a rather good football team. You can’t miss Gaudi’s unfinished one-off, the Sagrada Familia cathedral, or La Rambla, a long boulevard filled with lively street performers and al fresco cafes. Then there’s the Museu Picasso – home to art from the artist’s youth – and Plaça Reial, a beautiful square with neoclassical architecture, trickling fountains and towering palm trees.