If you love a good winding road, twisting and turning going up and down mountainsides, with glimpses of the azur blue of the Mediterranean poking through the rich olive trees every once in a while, then the drive into Cadaques is for you! Tucked between wind-sculpted cliffs and a crescent bay, it is a whitewashed maze with bougainvillea and blue doors sprinkled throughout. I am certain that it was the perfect backdrop for perhaps its’ most famous resident, Salvador Dali, and his wicked creative mind.

When you arrive by car you will need to park before you actually get into town, or that was at least our choice method of arrival. You walk down the narrow streets, paved in dark, herringbone-patterned stone, worn smooth by centuries of footsteps and steep enough to remind your calves that this beauty makes you work for it! The cobblestones feel ancient, uneven and full of story, and remind you why there are so many travel blogs dedicated to packing for your European vacation!

Backpacks and comfy shoes, people, backpacks and comfy shoes.

After dropping off our bags at Hotel Playa Sol we set out to find our breakfast spot and couldn’t pass up Maritim Bar right along the shore. The breakfast was perfection and the view was BEYOND! We enjoyed mimosas while soaking it all in.

Pro tip – order glasses of cava and an orange juice to share – otherwise you might just get charged for a mai tai instead 😉

The day called for wandering and we found ourselves in some incredible spots. Esgelsia de Santa Maria is a must see for the altar alone. It was absolutely stunning and then walking out to being serenaded by an acoustic guitar with the Mediterranean in the background, truly an experience!

You can tour Salvador Dali’s house and garden, but you must book tickets in advance, so if that is of interest to you definitely take care of that. Otherwise it is such a great place to wander around all of the winding streets and discover the great shops and artists. There was a local pottery shop that I could have filled all of our suitcases with, and then I would have cushioned it all with the local pastries – ha!

We passed an artist, Suzanne Kirk, painting multiple times during the day and I had to stop and talk to her. It was the perfect backdrop to be inspired by and she is so talented! We are excited to have one of her original pieces to hang to remember our trip by. When we get it in I will be so excited to share!

Speaking of pastries, a treat that you MUST try, other than the local gelato, which is fabulous by the way, is the “Taps de Cadaques”. They are small, sponge-like pastries shaped like corks. Light and fluffy – they most closely resemble an angel food cake with lemon zest. So. Good. We visited Can Cabrisas for ours so if you find yourself there wondering if you should go in, then yes, yes you should. For gelato we visited multiple spots (haha) but one of our favorites was Joia, where they specialize in natural and organic ingredients, made in Cadaques.

If you are looking for a spot to swim in the Mediterranean there is one right in front of the hotel but it is a very small area. If you want to lie out on the shore and just take in the view, there is plenty of room for that on some fabulous rocks that you can look through while you relax or if you stay at Hotel Playa Sol and have a balcony you can take it all in from your room.

Where Begur was a highlight for the cuisine, Cadaques was our interesting food stop. Now don’t think that means I am saying it was bad, and I know that there were other great spots to eat, but we decided we wanted fish since we were of course in a fishing village. So we got fish. Entire fish.

Look. I am adventurous with food, we both are, and thankfully our children are as well, but I don’t particularly like my food staring at me… that is all.

That being said, the fish was fantastic. And the sangria and olives were once again, 11/10!

Breakfast at the hotel with a FABULOUS view was perfection and that orange juicing machine that I covet… FABULOUS!

Overall Cadaques was a great stop in our Costa Brava adventure and felt like a painting we didn’t want to leave – sun-bleached walls, blue doors and slow, salty days. It was time however to head inland and follow the curving road toward something entirely new: golden stone, ancient arches, and the quiet hum of history and a particular famous throne… Next stop: Girona!

Peace, Love and Fabulous!