Costa Dorada holidays - travel guide - lifestyle

Shopping

The Costa Dorada offers a variety of shopping opportunities. From the fashionable boutiques of Barcelona and Sitges to the street markets of Cambrils and Salou. Cambrils holds a market in the centre of the old town every Wednesday which draws crowds from far and wide. Salou also stages a weekly market and is home to a wide selection of shops ranging from souvenir bucket and spade shops to high-class perfumeries. Tarragona's main thoroughfare, La Rambla Nova, is lined with exclusive Spanish boutiques and on the outskirts of the city you'll find a large modern shopping mall and hypermarket.

Cuisine

Every resort on the Costa Dorada has its fair share of cafes and restaurants, and the seafronts are full of opportunities for al fresco dining. Cambrils is renowned as the place to sample fresh fish. Each evening, small, brightly coloured fishing boats weigh anchor in the little working harbour and fishermen bring ashore their catch of day - much of which makes its way to the local restaurants and is baked, grilled or turned into sumptuous dishes such as suquet, a Catalan fish stew, and paella, Spain's ubiquitous seafood dish. Nearby Salou offers a large range of British eateries, pizzerias and burger bars as well as a few classy restaurants serving traditional Catalan fare. Sitges's promenade is renowned for its profusion of attractive glass-fronted fish restaurants which look out to sea. Tapas dishes can be enjoyed at the beachfront chiringuitos, beach-hut bars, where you can try albondigas, tasty meatballs drizzled in a fresh tomato sauce, tortilla espanola, a Spanish-style omelette made with onions and potatoes bound with egg, or sepia, fresh cuttlefish drizzled with lemon. The grapes in the Catalonian vineyards produce popular local wines such as penedes and priorat as well as the sparkling Spanish version of champagne, cava.

Night-life

Salou is undoubtedly the liveliest resort on the Costa Dorada and comes into its own after dark, lit up by the neon signs of British-style pubs, bars and discos. Sitges is also renowned for its nightlife and boasts a plethora of gay bars, discos and flamboyant drag queen cabaret shows. After a day on the beach, there's plenty to do in La Pineda once the sun goes down. During the summer months, the resort's celebrated 'strip' comes to life and boasts an array of vibrant salsa and disco bars, and towards the outskirts of the town there's a large 'super-club' where both visitors and locals dance the night away until dawn. Tarragona, too, is home to a cluster of uptempo bars and clubs, which have a distinct Latin flavour about them, focused mainly around the port area of town.