Description of the Hotel
The structure of the establishment is that of a typical turn-of-the-century Catalan inn and hostelry. The current dining room is housed in the former stables and still preserves the original drinking trough and manger. Next to it were the porters' dining room, the village café and the gentlemen's dining room, which was right next to the kitchen to provide the appropriate level of service. Facilities on offer to guests include a reading area in a multi-use lounge with a TV, billiards, a fireplace and board games where guests may spend a pleasant few hours. The hotel also features conference rooms.
Location description
With over one hundred years of service, this hotel is landmark in the world of inn-keeping in La Garrotxa and in the region of Girona.
Description of the rooms
The renovations carried out in 1995 consisted mainly of redoing the second floor of the building and converting it into more spacious bedrooms, with larger bathrooms, easier access and with the same services as on the first floor, i.e. a TV, a telephone and heating. Some rooms also have air conditioning and all retain a feeling of the beginning of the 20th Century, but with all the conveniences of the 21st Century. The hotel offers rooms with two single beds and rooms with double beds with most of the furniture dating back to the beginning of the 20th Century. The photo shows a matching headboard and night table which were rescued from the bonfires made by the troops of the ?national' army when it occupied the hotel in 1939.
Entertainment and sports facilities
The hotel offers a swimming pool which is located in the upper part of the inn's grounds, the Turell. Access is via the gardens, along a dry river bed and up some steps or from the rooms along the path leading to the Can Ring. This high spot was the site of Besalu's first drinking-water tanks. Once the new water tanks had been built opposite the swimming pool, a little further up the lane leading to Hospitalet, the swimming pool was installed in the holes left by the removed water tanks. A lawn, changing rooms, showers and a machine house were added. There is also cold drinks dispenser, parasols and sun loungers as well as litter bins and ashtrays. Due to its elevated position it enjoys a bird's eye view of Besalú, la Mare de Déu del Mont and the Sagrat Cor. The gardens surrounding the building offer swings for the younger guests, a playground and a dry river bed path leading to the terrace with a view of the swimming pool and a beautiful panoramic view over Besalú and its surroundings.
Further details
The hotel has an unattended open-air car park at the bottom of the road for its hotel and restaurant customers. It has space for about 20 cars and is very near the historic centre and the Roman Bridge.
