Rob on Holiday

Golden Hotels are well known for their ability to deliver exciting all-action holidays for families. But did you know that they also have a few hotels that cater for a more laid-back trip? One of these hotels, the Golden Mar Menuda, is located in Tossa de Mar, a lovely little resort on the Costa Brava in the Catalonia region, in Spain’s North-Eastern corner.

During our stay at the nearby Golden Bahia de Tossa, we were offered the opportunity to take a look at this little gem of a hotel, and it was an offer that we here at Rob On Holiday weren’t going to turn down!

If you want to see a video covering our visit to the Golden Mar Menuda, you can watch a detailed review on our YouTube channel:

Getting to the Golden Mar Menuda

Visitors flying into Spain to stay at the Golden Mar Menuda will arrive at one of two airports: Girona or Barcelona.

Girona is the main airport used by package holiday companies. TUI provide package holidays to the Mar Menuda and the price you pay includes a free transfer from the airport, which takes 40-45 minutes, depending on traffic conditions and the number of drop-offs. Note that there’s an extra little step required to get to this hotel: all of those narrow streets make for a great holiday atmosphere, but it also means that coaches can’t access the hotel directly. So, guests will be dropped off at the Golden Bahia de Tossa, and then a 5-minute minibus transfer will see you arrive at the hotel.

If you are flying independently, Ryanair fly from several UK airports to Girona in the summer season. In this case, you’ll need to take a taxi to get to the hotel. You can book transfers in advance, which is what we did, but there are usually plenty of taxis waiting outside departures and the fare to the hotel is approximately 75 euros. Transfer time will be marginally quicker than the coach at around 35-40 minutes.

For a wider choice of airlines, you could fly into Barcelona. Ryanair, EasyJet, Jet2 and Vueling all operate flights from the UK. This does mean a 75-minute taxi ride that will cost you in the region of 150 euros.

A final note on taxis: if you are worried about not being able to get a taxi at the airport, you can always book directly with the hotel. Just email them and they will be happy to make the arrangements for you.

Check In

The Mar Menuda has a small reception area appropriate for a hotel that has just 55 rooms. Check-in is from 2pm, but if you arrive earlier than your check-in time, you can leave your bags in the luggage storage area and get straight on with your holiday.

The Catalonia tourist tax is just €1.32 per night per adult (17 and over), and it is only charged for a maximum of 7 days. This means that the total tax for a couple staying 14 nights would only be €18.48.

You can also save yourself some luggage space when staying at the Mar Menuda because the hotel offers free towels for use around the pool.

Rooms

There are a number of room types available at this hotel, with the Premium Sea View Terrace being the pick of the bunch. As its name suggests, this room comes with a fabulous long terrace that offers unrivalled views over the Platja Mar Menuda, the famous lone tree that grows on a rock in the sea and of course, Tossa’s crown jewel: the Vila Vella.

Other rooms offering a sea view, or partial sea view, are also available, including family rooms that sleep up to 4 guests. Some rooms look away from the sea and this is reflected in a lower price.

Pool Area

The Mar Menuda has a small pool, but it’s large enough for a relaxing swim to cool off on those red-hot days by the sea.The tiling that lines the pool gives it a deeper green look than your average hotel pool. The pool is surrounded by more than enough sun loungers for the hotel’s small capacity.

The pool terrace stretches out to the front of the hotel, where you walk up to the low fence to gaze out across the beach and to the Vila Vella.

Bar

Next to the pool terrace is the bar, which is open daily from 11am and in the evening you can walk straight out onto the terrace to enjoy the ambience as the sun goes down. Whilst there is no day-time entertainment programme at the Mar Menuda, there are three music acts every week, and the terrace is a great place to have a drink, chill out, and take in both the music and the beach atmosphere at night.

Breakfast

The breakfast room is also connected to the bar, and you eat either inside or out on the terrace. There’s a good selection of cereals, pastries and croissants, in addition to hot food and show cooking.

SaCalma Restaurant

SaCalma is the hotel’s restaurant. You don’t have to be a hotel guest to eat here, but if you are staying there on a half-board basis, this is where you will eat your evening meal or your lunch (you can choose which).

Every day, the restaurant offers a choice of five starters, five mains and five desserts, and the combination of choices changes daily. When we visited Tossa de Mar, we ate at SaCalma and the food was excellent. The restaurant is situated at the front of the hotel so you have a great view of the sea as you eat.

Overall Review

We’ve stayed at Golden Hotels many times, and as I intimated at the top of this article, we like their all-action entertainment style. With no daytime entertainment schedule, the Golden Mar Menuda is set up to cater for guests looking for a more relaxing holiday.

Its location is the true selling point: I’ve already mentioned twice that you can see the Vila Vella from the hotel’s rooms and terrace, and any trip to Tossa de Mar wouldn’t be complete without a walk around the Costa Brava’s oldest surviving fortress. Combine all of this with the friendliness of the Golden Hotels staff, and the Mar Menuda represents a perfect place to spend a week or two winding down from the stresses of modern life.