Camiral Golf & Wellness, in Catalonia, Spain, is conveniently located between Costa Brava and Girona, close to many great medieval villages and beaches, and near the French border. With a rental car, you can easily choose between village exploration and galleries, or beach time by the sea, and still get back in time for your next meal. Within an hour’s drive of the resort, some popular destinations are Tossa de Mar, Lloret de Mar, Begur, Pals and Girona.

Then it’s time to get back on property, where you can be as active or sedentary as you choose. Do a gym workout, hang out by the pool, have a copa (glass of wine) and meal at one of the resort’s several restaurants, or spend a half day at the Wellness Centre on-site.

Street cred: It’s all about location

Just over an hour’s drive from the Barcelona airport and about 10 minutes from the Girona airport, this 514-hectare property set in a Mediterranean forest is easily accessible. Highlights for us were Girona with its old town, cathedral and funky vibe and walking a pretty section of S’Agaro’s Cami Ronda, an historical seaside path that runs for a mile and a half along the town’s promontory.

Who hangs here: Is this hotel for you?

Ranked among the top 20 golf resorts worldwide, Camiral has two world-class golf courses and the largest practice complex in Europe, so it is not surprising that about 70 per cent of its guests are golfers. But the property also attracts families, along with leisure travelers and wellness seekers like me, most of whom stay at the main 138-room five-star Hotel Camiral, part of Leading Hotels of the World.

Also on property, the smaller, four-star, 50-room LAVIDA hotel overlooks the golf courses and attracts mostly sports enthusiasts, whether there to cycle in the region or hit the links.

The straight goods: What’s in the room?

My husband and I were fortunate to stay in one of the property’s Camiral Suites, designed by Brian O’Sullivan Studio. These 775-square-foot suites felt more like a luxurious apartment. We had a living room with enormous flat screen TV and wet bar with a powder room off it. The bedroom was large with a connected dressing room and ensuite bathroom with terrazzo tile floors and gilt-edged mirrors, a bathtub and glassed-in rain shower. With a pillow-top mattress, Egyptian cotton sheets, a pillow menu and a gifted pillow spray at turndown, I definitely had three great nights’ sleep during my stay.

The main color palette for the suite was white with soft pinks and blues. This, combined with oak furniture, diffused lighting and floor-to-ceiling glass doors overlooking the pools and mountains, made the suite feel bright and airy. A yoga mat and gym balls for in-room stretching were great wellness additions.

Good eats: Cocktail and cuisine

Among the several options for dining, our favorite was its high-end Camiral Bistro restaurant, serving excellent char-grilled meats, fresh fish and Mediterranean vegetables. Highlights from our dinner was the acorn-fed Iberico ham from the tapas menu in the adjacent lounge bar, a salmon tartar and French rack of lamb with a side of sautéed broad beans. We also loved the extensive wine list, which includes by-the-glass wines from the restaurant’s own vineyard, where they grow five grape varietals. As well, there’s a menu with about a dozen types of gin and tonics, from six countries and various regions. Admittedly, I couldn’t sample them all.

For the buffet breakfast at Camiral Bistro, I was amazed at the selection. You could get sugared up on an array of desserts, including chocolate mousse cake, xiuxo (Girona’s famous doughnut-like dessert with custard cream inside) and even a chocolate fountain. Or you could go the granola, cold cuts and cheeses, omelette, farmhouse bread and detox juice route. There’s a bit of everything.

The Club Café overlooks the hotel’s Stadium Course and offers a bistro menu with “a modern take on clubhouse classics.” With a focus on healthy Mediterranean cuisine, we enjoyed the regional coca bread (bread rubbed with tomato and garlic and drizzled with olive oil), tuna tataki with avocado, Caesar salad and a wild mushroom risotto.

At Bella’s Pizza & Salad at the LAVIDA hotel, the vibe is warm and welcoming with golden yellow banquettes, sage green walls, oak wood features and brightly colored cushions. Its Italian restaurant serves classic Mediterranean dishes, such as a wide choice of pasta, pizzas (try the Iberica) and desserts like tiramisu and panna cotta.

Bragging rights: What else has it got?

Camiral’s Wellness Centre, which opened in 2021, is available to the public as well as hotel guests. It takes a holistic approach to wellness with everything from traditional spa services (such as massages and facials) to fitness facilities, yoga, stretch and Pilates reformer classes, 24-hour gym access, and time before or after a treatment in the private indoor/outdoor hydrotherapy center. This Thermal Pavilion has a sauna, steam room, hot and cold pools, lounge area and outdoor pool. Because only a maximum of six people is allowed at a time, the experience felt private and luxurious.

The Wellness Centre also offers state-of-the-art technology-driven treatments for sports injuries, aging well, detoxification, immune boosting, lymphatic drainage and other conditions “where hands can’t reach,” as Wellness Centre manager Núria Camins noted.

I tried the cryotherapy, which included “chilling out” for 30 seconds at minus 85-degrees Fahrenheit and for about half of the two minutes and 30 seconds maximum in their minus 166-degree Fahrenheit double chamber! I also got the photobiomodulation or light therapy, which involved lying in an enclosed chamber for 20 minutes to experience the effects of red light and infrared, purported to activate mitochondria energy, and help with inflammation, pain relief and other forms of healing. As well, I had a one-hour ICOONE body treatment. For that one, the practitioner used a handheld device with rollers that she moved across my body, lingering on various lymphatic drainage points to improve my immune system and tone my body. It is too early to tell if, after one treatment with each therapy, whether there will be any long-term transformative effects. But I certainly felt lighter after each session.

While I was only at the resort a few days, Camiral also provides personalized programs focused on everything from immunity support and detoxification to aging well, lasting anywhere from one to five days. As well, they host two scheduled retreats per year.

Camiral also has a schedule of fun summer activities with everything from art workshops to fitness classes, mini golf and bike tours. They even have a “winefulness” workshop, where participants are blindfolded while they visit the resort’s on-site vineyard for a sensory experience of smelling, touching and finally tasting the organic wine they produce.

A few of our favorite things: What stood out?

I loved the interior design of this resort, especially the open, triple-height main lobby. The lower level was filled with massive bookshelves and had a fireplace, while on the upper level, open shelves contained everything from collections of colored glass bottles to beakers and hand-drawn pictures of birds and other animals, the inspiration of artist and interior designer Lazaro Rosa-Violán.

I also greatly appreciated this hotel’s achievements around sustainability. The Camiral boasts a brand-new photovoltaic power station (converting sunlight into electricity), along with 316 solar panels. And it uses 100% recycled water for its golf courses. These and other efforts have earned the resort an award for sustainability along with GEO certification.

And finally, the service at this resort was first rate. By that, I mean not just impeccable — I would expect no less from a member of Leading Hotels of the World — but staff were friendly, warm and approachable, which made me feel instantly at home.

Parting shot: If we could change one thing

It doesn’t hurt to “uncharge” on a holiday, which I did with all the fine food and wellness services I got at this resort, but the WiFi was a bit unreliable at times.

We found rooms in September for €276 (USD$301).

Diana was a guest of the hotel. It did not have editorial approval.