One of the favourite dinner-table conversations of Catalans, especially during the winter, consists of remembering days on the beach of summers gone by. It's not surprising: they’re essentially sun-loving beings and the younger generations – not the older ones; 60 years ago, there wasn’t the same obsession with going so regularly to the beach – have grown up diving into the waves and sunbathing without proper protection to an extent that's bound to catch up with them one day.
When a dinner is particularly cosy and the company exceptionally pleasant, it can lead to so much relaxation, both physical and mental, that the beans get spilt on those secret coves ('cales') or corners of the Costa Brava where people go to lose themselves even at the height of summer – where you're basically guaranteed to not even find a hermit crab. Everyone knows which are the best beaches on the Costa Brava, but the ones listed here are the most secluded: sandy areas that it’s difficult to get to but for which the effort is completely worth it, because the memory of that day in the sun will keep you going until next spring. Take note because we might not tell you again.