I remember the first time I went to Colera. I had heard several people talk about this place and they all came back saying the same thing: A summer without Colera is not a summer. That is exactly how I felt after spending my own first summer there, I knew I would go back for sure.

If generation after generation has come back saying the same thing, there must be something about it. Colera is an unpretentious paradise that captivates everyone who visits with its honesty. It feels like seeing an old pal again after a long time. What Colera is cannot be described simply in words. One just has to feel it.

The Mont-Mercè offers the same as Colera. Together they are the perfect pair. The secret behind people going year after year, is the location. Not the easy accessibility, the ‘Iam-at-home’ room service or even the it-crowd. In fact, the coolest people there are the grannies that sit together every afternoon, sipping their teas under the watchful gaze of Enric and Albert. (Especially since their mom, Mercè, is amongst them).

The two brothers, Enric and Albert have been taking care of the hostel and restaurant for a lifetime now, along with the tireless Sara, Enric’s wife. They have created a place that takes you back to the basics. Gone is the 4G, whatsapp and the non-stop hectic buzz of the city. With a nice cold beer and some olives to pair it with, the only thing left is the sea which is just 10 steps away. Oh! And not to mention the Tramontana (name of a catalan wind), just in case you didn’t want to miss it.

They open their doors for Easter and summer, from late June until the last days of September, when the village party takes place, which you had better not miss. Because the grannies having tea on the terrace of the Mont-Mercè switch to cava (catalan champagne). And that’s one heckuva nice post-card to keep for years to come.