Santa Susanna, Costa Brava

Santa Susanna in located on the Costa Brava in Spain are the perfect getaway for a family holiday in the sun without breaking the bank. 

Santa Susanna is located in the Spanish region of Catalonia on the Costa Maresme. The resort is commonly regarded as being on the better known Costa Brava (which strictly speaking starts a little to the north east at Blanes). A popular holiday destination with Spanish and foreign tourists since the 1970s, this is a relaxed resort with plenty of entertainment in the summer months and a host of major attractions within easy reach.

Our cheap hotels in Santa Susanna have exactly what you’re looking for in a holiday. The accommodation is reasonably priced and well located for you to enjoy the best of the nightlife and the beach. What more could you want?! 

The old town of Santa Susanna, set back from the beachfront, retains much of its original charm with narrow cobbled streets, ancient buildings and monuments and traditional way of life. Down at the seafront you’ll find all the trappings of modern tourism with international bars and restaurants, ice cream parlours and a wealth of water sports to serve the seasonal influx of summer visitors.

The resort is sandwiched between the Mediterranean and the mountainous wooded hinterland of the Massif Montnegre, a beautiful national park which attracts nature lovers, hikers, mountain bikers and horse riders.

Barcelona is just 64 miles down the coast and Lloret de Mar, the lively tourist capital of the Costa Brava, is 14 kilometres to the north east.

In medieval times, Santa Susanna came under the jurisdiction of the Castillo de Palafolls, the nearby walled town which is now one of the area’s most popular visitor attractions. It only became a town in its own right in 1842 and when the first town council was established, 20 years later, it represented just 350 inhabitants.

The first school was built in Santa Susanna in the 1930s but it wasn’t until the 1970s that the town’s fortunes really took off with the advent of international tourism.

Fertile fields surround the town which has a strong horticultural tradition. Tomatoes are among the most important of the commercially produced fruit and vegetables which flourish here under an environmentally friendly system that relies on nature’s own regulators to protect the local crops from harmful parasites. Crop friendly insects which feed off damaging crop pests are propagated in the fields, so reducing the need for potentially harmful insecticides.

Thing to do

You’ll find locally produced fruit and veg in the weekly municipal market held in the town every Tuesday morning. And during the summer months there’s an artisans’ craft market every afternoon.

If you’re visiting in August you’ll be able to join in the biggest fiesta of the year in honour of the town’s patron saint, Santa Susanna. The celebrations involve round-the-clock music, dancing and feasting in the streets, children’s games and sports competitions. This is a chance to see the famous Sardana – a local folk dance in which the participants join hands and dance in circles to symbolise the brotherhood and unity which have long bound the people of Catalonia.

There are some major visitor attractions on Santa Susanna’s doorstep including nearby Marineland where there are more than 300 animals, dolphin and sea lion shows and a water park.

Water World, Europe’s biggest water park, is just outside Lloret de Mar and makes a great family day out with a 250-metre long raft ride, dare devil slides, fun pools and bungy jumping.

The Weather

There’s one thing you can be sure of; you don’t get cold on Santa Susanna holidays. The Mediterranean climate means long hot summers, with average temperatures reaching 30° Celsius, frequently giving 12 hours of sunshine a day. The hottest months of July and August are often tempered by coastal winds. If you would like to escape the summer crowds with a holiday to Santa Susanna, the best time to visit would be in late September or late spring when the weather is good.

Nightlife

Santa Susanna may not be the Costa Brava’s wildest nightspot, but you should find enough bars and restaurants staying open late, and the resort has a few clubs. If you really want that riotous all-nighter, Lloret is only a short cab ride up the coast.

There are fun family nights out to be had at nearby Castell Medieval del Comte de Valltordera, where medieval banquets are followed by displays of jousting, duels and flamenco.