The Place
Built in 1965, the three-storey whitewashed and terracotta-roofed hostal is now almost completely obscured by the evergreen trees of its own garden, together with those of the neighbouring civic park.
It is a white-walled and wooden-beamed labyrinth inside. The many-chambered dining hall, with its wooden balconies, nooks, crannies and murals of country scenes, is highly festive when full, and pleasantly intimate when not. The five-course Menu de Calcotada is an appropriately medieval feast – a traditional celebration of the vine and onion crops specific to the area (calcots is Catalan for shallots).
There is yet more timber and pottery in the salon, together with well-upholstered reproduction furniture from which the garden can comfortably be viewed. On Saturday evenings in August there is a splendid barbecue under the trees.
The bright bedrooms have stout wood and leather chairs, and decent-sized tables in addition to good, solid beds. Generous rugs add warmth to the red-tiled floors, and plants, pots and original oil-paintings are dotted around.