Arrival Information

A customer once said to us: "Expectations for a holiday makes up for half of the joy of a vacation". So when you actually arrive in Catalonia the second and best half begins! However, a travel day can indeed be stressful and everyone is tired and simply just looking forward to arrive and relax in the wonderful weather. In order to make your jouney run as smoothely as possible, we provide all guests with driving instructions and detailed information regarding arrival and departure. We therefore recommend that you read it thoroughly and follow our instructions here.

The homeowners have ensured that the house is ready for you and are eager to know when you arrive so they do not have to wait at the house all afternoon / evening. They will therefore be very pleased, if you could indicate your expected arrival time on “my page”. Once you have got your rental car or are approximately 1 hour away from the holiday home please write a text message to homeowners informing them that you are now on your way. The owner's number is on your driving directions along with the Spanish text that can be sent to homeowners.

Early arrival time - Please remember.

Your earliest arrival time is on your confirmation of reservation form!

Before you arrive at your holiday home, the local homeowners have said their goodbyes and checked out the previous guests at 11 o’clock.

Once they have left the house, a gardener will usually arrive with a lawn mower, the swimming pool will be cleaned and the flowers in the garden are watered.

Inside the house, everything will be done in order to have the house ready for your arrival. In the larger houses, typically 3-5 cleaning people will have to change bed linens on all beds, clean up the very large houses, the bathrooms are thoroughly cleaned, vacuum cleaned and washed floors. So they are very busy doing everything they can to ensure that the house is spotless and perfectly cleaned at 16:00 when a new holiday group arrives.

Some guests ask if they can come earlier if they "just" hang out by the pool. Unfortunately, that can not be done. Cleaning staff are very stressed, because as a guest one will often like to juuuust take a peak at the house, visit the bathroom or the the kitchen to get some refreshing drinks. And therefore, they do not get the peace and working environment they need in order to deliver the house perfectly.

We have therefore made a list of suggestions for what you can do to make the waiting time pass, in case you are arriving with an early flight. In doing this, we hope that we can help you have a few enjoyable hours instead of wasting the waiting time on being frustrated and bored.

Things you can do if you have arrived in Catalonia early

1. Grocery shopping

In all "bigger" cities there are supermarkets. Most holiday homes in Spain have change-over day on Saturdays and most supermarkets are closed sunday. It is therefore a great idea to do your grocery shopping whilst waiting for the houses. You are welcome to contact us for information on nearest supermarkets etc.

2. Spend your day in Barcelona

If you arrive in Barcelona or pass by the city, you should definitely consider parking the car in a car park and enjoy half a day in the city. Barcelona is always exciting!

3. Enjoy a delicious lunch

In Catalonia you rarely go out and eat in the evening. However, locals eat out many times a week for lunch instead - usually they will enjoy a menus del dia / Menú del mig dia. This usually consists of a starter, a main and a desert for around 10-15 € and often a drink is included. In the weekend, however, the menus are usually a little more expensive. A local would usually never choose a la carte for lunch, so do it the Catalan way and cut half of the bill.

We would therefore recommend that you spend your afternoon for a "three course" meal at one of the small local restaurants. And if you find a restaurant with a garden, the waiting time will be passed quickly for the youngest members of the group, as they can enjoy their time playing.

4. Beach trip with subsequent lunch

If you are arriving by plane to Barcelona, ​​there are some lovely beaches just south of the airport. Gavá, Platja de Castells defels (or Sitges if you have rented a holiday home in southern or central Catalonia)

If you arrive at Girona airport there are all the nice Costa Brava beaches, for instance: L'Escala (nice / touristy), Platja de Pals, Calella de Palafrugell (nice), Tamariu (nice), Platja de Aro (touristy)

If you arrive at Reus Airport, we recommend the beaches of Costa Daurada, for instance: Tarragona, Cambrils (touristy), Salou (touristy), Altafullla (nice)

If you arrive by car from France, you can drive off the coastal road (D-914 / N-260) and make a stop at for instance: Port Bou, El Port de la Selva or Llancá.

IMPORTANT !!! Never leave your valuables in the car if you leave it and always park where there are many people !!

Arrival at your Catalan holiday home

If you have to pay the remaining rent on arrival, this will be handed over to the house owners when they welcome you. Homeowners will also charge you for tourist tax and ask you to fill in personal information which is to be handed over to the Catalan authorities.

We inform all visitors about responsible tourism. We believe that travel and learning should go hand in hand and that you with a local homeowner have a unique opportunity to learn about the culture. There is a high probability that your homeowner do not understand English, but with a smile, friendliness and google translate you can go far. And on top of that, we're just an email or a call away if should need extra help.

If in anticipation, things do not live up to your expectations, we recommend that you contact us immediately.