This lofty, open-plan home is located within walking distance of the village of Begur in the Costa Brava. Four bedrooms bedrooms are set around a soaring, sun-bathed central atrium with stunning views of the Mediterranean Sea and its storied Medes Islands. Outside, terraces on four levels offer a 360 degree panorama of the sea, the Medieval town and its surrounding hills. Five cove beaches, the sp
ectacular crescent-shaped Platja de Pals, and dozens of outdoor activities lie about within a few minutes’ drive. The village, a breezy five minutes’ walk up the hill, offers myriad opportunities to eat, drink and be merry, Catalan style. Coming back up the hill from a leisurely day at Sa Riera, Begur's premier beach, you'll climb the steeply winding driveway to the four-car garage under the house. From there you'll continue upstairs, (perhaps dropping your towels and swimwear in the laundry room on the way up,) to appear in the center of a two story atrium. A full open kitchen with all the amenities sits in one corner, set apart by a wood-and-wicker bar and stools we brought back from Malawi years ago. The living area includes a new 44 inch LED television with satellite TV and a DVD player
Four bedrooms open directly onto this space, to the North, South, East and West. The North room has a pair of twin beds that can be joined to make a double, each of the others a comfortable double bed. Three of the four have their own independent entrances from the garden. The atrium's long Northern wall is a seaward array of windows on two levels around a grand pair of French doors which open on your private garden. There you can while away the late afternoon under the wisteria-laden pergola catching the Mediterranean breeze that floats in over the neighboring treetops. If you come in 2014, there will be a new terrace with a 23 foot (7m) in-ground, kidney-shaped pool directly overlooking the sea, with a natural stone terrace all around, at the south end of the garden. Back in the atrium, you can cross through the dining area and climb the stairs to the overlooking catwalk, looking out over the atrium and through the upper windows over the Mediterranean Sea. A row of windows at this level can be opened to create a cross current, keeping the house breezy and cool in the hottest afternoon hour. Stepping out onto the high balcony, you’ll see the town of Begur perched before you on a rocky promontory, its medieval Castell for a steeple. At the end of the balcony, a few more stairs lead you up to the sitting terrace, where we hope you can enjoy a peaceful cocktail, or one more flight up to the sunning terrace, where you can catch the last rays of the setting sun with the pastry-like Medes Islands behind you. From there, an open cantilevered stair leads back down to the opposite end of the balcony, the outdoor circuit great fun for romping children. The house sits on the steep hillside leading from the village center to Begur's most popular beach, Sa Riera. The Cap de Begur is a fan-shaped outcropping of rocky cliffs interspersed with deep cove beaches. The Cap is crowned by the picturesque Castell ('castle') around which the little town was built. From the ramparts of the Castell, one can look out over the nearby towns of Palafrugell, Palamos, Pals, and in the distance Dali's home town of Cadaques and even the French Pyrenees. Besides the obvious tanning, bathing, and leisure opportunities offered by the town and its beaches, the area offers many, many opportunities for more organized activities for kids and grown-ups. Horseback riding, sky diving, spearfishing, sailing, go-carts, and of course the obligatory golf courses are just a few of the nearby attractions. Culture buffs will eat up the medieval towns, roman ruins, churches and old 'masias' (manor houses). Foodies will drool over everything from tapas to prime rib, while leisure professionals can just lay out on the terrace, drinking in the sun, the view and the Mediterranean breeze over a good summer read.
