The Costa Daurada (Catalan; Spanish: Costa Dorada; Golden Coast) is a 216 km long coastal strip in the north-east of Spain, stretching from Vilanova i la Geltrú in the north to Alcanar in the south, immediately south of the Ebro Delta, thus forming the entire coastal area of the province of Tarragona. SeaHelp visited the Catalan region, which is ideal for marina hopping like no other and offers plenty of leisure activities in addition to culture and culinary delights. Part 1 of our marina special Costa-Daurada (from north-east to south-west): Club Nautic de Salou, Club Nautic Cambrils, Marina Cambrils, Club Nautic Hospitalet-Vandellos, Club Nautico d’Amettla de Mar.
In contrast to the Costa Brava further north, the Costa Daurada is characterized by long, fine-grained and gently sloping sandy beaches, which are ideal for bathing tourism. The proportion of sandy beaches on the Costa Daurada compared to rocky coasts is significantly higher than on other Spanish coastlines.
But that is by no means all that the 216-kilometre-long coastline in north-eastern Spain, which stretches from Vilanova i la Geltrú in the north to Alcanar in the south, immediately south of the Ebro Delta, and thus forms the entire coastal area of the province of Tarragona, has to offer.
For the SeaHelp editorial team, there has been nothing better in the last two seasons than spending days sailing from marina to marina off the Golden Coast, spending time at anchor in dreamy bays, getting to know the interesting history and rich culture of the region on shore excursions and tasting the culinary delights of this part of Catalonia.
If, like us, you want to get to know the Costa Daurada by boat, it is best to fly to Barcelona (alternatively to Reus), and from there drive the 115 kilometers to Cambrils in a hire car for an hour and a half. Just a few kilometers west of Tarragona, you are now right in the heart of the Costa Daurada.
1st CLUB NAUTIC CAMBRILS
In winter you can save 40% if the boat is in the club for at least 4 months. For a 12m yacht this summer you pay €59.75 / day, €418.25 / week, €1,383.24 / month and €5,532.89 for a year (net, plus water and electricity according to consumption). There is a dry dock, a 150-ton travel lift and two cranes of 12 and 10 tons, a petrol station, parking spaces and an excellent restaurant.
The town founded by the Romans, which they called Oleastrum, the town of olive oil, was once a fishing village. There is still a small fishing fleet here today, which arrives every working day at around 4 pm. You can watch the catch being sorted directly in the harbor.
In Cambrils, you can rent a sailing or motor yacht right next to the Club Nautic (just south of it) in the Cambrils marina. This is where the company BeCharter is based, the friendly, young staff provide advice on the selection, also hire out smaller motorboats for day trips and even offer guided trips.
From here, you have a choice: either you sail a little to the northeast and visit the Club Nautic Salou and the port city of Tarragona a little further west, or you do as we do and sail the mostly beautifully situated, safe marinas in a southwesterly direction to the Ebro Delta.
2nd CLUB NAUTIC DE SALOU
Jordi Huguet is the manager of Club Nàutic de Salou. The marina in Salou is managed by the Club Nàutic de Salou and is located in the Gulf of Sant Jordi between the towns of Tarragona and Cambrils. There are 215 moorings for boats and 16 ramps for jet skis, as well as land moorings for 38 boats up to 6 meters in length. The maximum length is 24 meters with a maximum draught of up to 2.20 meters. 11 berths with a length of 16 to 24 meters are available.
For a 12-meter boat, for example, you pay an average of € 64 / day, € 1,458 / month and € 7,295 / year. All prices include taxes, electricity and water. There is a filling station, a crane, parking spaces and several restaurants.
From Cambrils, the beautifully located marinas Club Nàutic Hospitalet-Vandellòs, the marinas Port Calafat, Marina Sant Jordi and Club Nàutic l’Ametlla de Mar, which belong to L’Amettla De Mar, Club Nàutic Ampolla, Club Nàutic les Cases d’Alcanar and Marina Sant Jordi in La Rapita are strung together like pearls on a string in a south-westerly direction (see overview map).
Each of the marinas and harbors mentioned has its own flair and invites you to visit, if you want, you can stop here or there to go on excursions in the nearer or further surroundings or visit one of the restaurants near the harbor, some of which offer traditional dishes and serve the tasty and internationally renowned wines.
3rd CLUB NAUTIC HOSPITALET-VANDELLOS
Ignasi Castellvi runs the Club Nàutic Hospitalet-Vandellòs in the south of Tarragona. There are a total of 572 berths in the water and 60 on land. The maximum length is 18m, the width 4.13m, and the harbor is max. 2.40m deep. For a 14m yacht you pay €69/day in the high season (July and August) and €46 in June and September. Further prices on request. Club Nautic has a crane up to 12 tons and a petrol station.
Restaurants that we have tested and found to be excellent are located directly in the marinas, such as Club Nautic Cambrils with its high-quality seafood cuisine prepared with seasonal and local products with a NIKKEI touch, a traditional cuisine that originated more than a century ago with the immigration of Japanese citizens to Peru, and the restaurant of Club Nautic Ampella, where you should try fresh oysters from the nearby Miradorbadia oyster farm (reservation recommended).
4th CLUB NAUTICO DE L’AMETTLA DE MAR
The Club Nautico de L’ametlla de Mar made a very professional impression on us. The focus here is on service. The club has a total of 255 berths and a small area where dry repairs can be carried out. The maximum length is 20m (one berth, please reserve in advance!). Another yacht of this size can be accommodated at the waiting dock by prior arrangement.
The price per night for a 12-meter boat is €69.11, for a 15-meter boat €97.19 and for the 20-meter boat €143.99, including electricity, water and taxes. The harbor has service facilities, a petrol station and a 10-ton crane, and the fishermen’s 100-ton crane can also be used on request. There are parking spaces and a nice bar-restaurant on the premises. Particularly charming is the proximity to the beautiful small coastal town of l`Àmettla de Mar, which can be explored on foot.
Reus, the city of Modernisme, is also well worth a visit. Here you will find works by Domènech i Montaner, which are among the highlights of modernist architecture in Catalonia. These include, for example, Casa Navàs (recommendation: book online in advance) and the Institut Pere Mata, a predecessor of the famous Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site.
While Gaudí apparently received far less recognition than his colleagues in Reus at the beginning of the 20th century, his home town has erected a grandiose monument to him at the beginning of the 21st century. The Gaudí Centre, which opened in 2007, provides fascinating insights into the life and work of this exceptional architect through a multimedia and multi-sensorial approach.
If you want, you can also discover the cultural city of Reus in a different way. The vermouth route not only brings visitors to the city closer to a gastronomic tradition that has become a legendary Mediterranean lifestyle element. It also reveals a lot about the history of Reus and the intimate relationship that artists such as Dalí, Hemingway and Sinatra had with vermouth.
A good infrastructure and varied coasts make sailing hearts beat faster here on the Golden Coast. Many idyllic bays with fantastic beaches are almost reminiscent of the Caribbean or even the Pacific (such as the beautiful Marquesas Beach near the Ebro estuary), and yet this beautiful Catalan part of Spain is only a few hours’ flight from Germany.
Costa Daurada
Further information about the Costa Daurada, the marinas, culture, gastronomy and possible activities in the region:
Nautic Parc, Pl. Comunitats Autónomes (Passeig Jaume I), Salou, Tel. +34 977 353 592, Mail: info@nauticparc.com, Web: nauticparc.com.
