Cala S'Alguer is that place where we would like to retire for a while. A watercolor of lime and saltpeter whose fishermen's shacks overlook a gravel cove barely 60 meters long. Declared a Cultural Asset of National Interest by the Generalitat de Catalunya in 2004, this group of seafaring houses on the Girona coast was born in 1521, when the attorney for the counts of Palamós gave permission to the fisherman Pere Resador to build the first house. Since then, its history has seen wandering fishermen and even deserters during the Civil War. Years later, Cala S'Alguer has not lost one iota of its status as a refuge.
Access to this cove is usually done on foot from Palamós (2.8 kilometres) through its coastal path, one of the old paths laid out along the coast of the Costa Brava to prevent silk smuggling in the 19th century. . Today, these furtive routes are the best way to link one town to another between beaches, cliffs and castles.
Wrapped in a ball of pine trees, Cala S'Alguer is an ode to light and color that has managed to adapt to its surroundings and history. As a backdrop, its few inhabitants await modernity around an Italian coffee pot while they remember the nights when they came hand in hand with their parents to fish for squid, whose sparkles illuminated the horizon.
The best panoramic view of Cala S'Alguer is obtained from the Pineda d'en Gori, a white pine forest that is so abundant in this corner of the Costa Brava. After touching the forgotten shacks of Cala Pallerida, you recognize the boats tattooed with the names of mermaids and full of whores - the name of the fishermen's harpoons - waiting like the best Mediterranean whisper. You approach with the fear of going through hordes of instagrammers colonizing every angle, but the calm prevails coming from a sometimes choppy sea, other times, translucent.
The fishermen's huts of the Costa Brava, also known as "botigues", are part of the maritime heritage of this corner of Spain. Structures that once served to store typical belongings and where today fishing has mutated into tabletop.
Some of these houses hide geranium and bougainvillea gardens; Others cover the residents who spread out their hammocks looking for the sea to kiss their feet with their picturesque porches. And there, one of the neighbors goes in and out of it with a basin full of soap while the butterflies chase her.
In Cala S'Alguer, its inhabitants live in a community, although adapting to the environment is not always easy, especially when drinking water is scarce. Winters are harsh and drawing water from the freshwater well located a few meters from the sea is only suitable for the brave few. And melt into the silence, only interrupted by the waves, perhaps by the ancient rhythms of Micaela Flores Amaya La Chunga, a dancer who used to rent one of these houses in the 1960s to end up tapping barefoot on the table.
The charm of Cala S'Alguer has been the claim of brands such as Estrella Damm for their advertising spots, as well as various tourism campaigns, but its charming appearance is just an excuse. In this Mediterranean oasis it is worth staying to chat, but also to enjoy the experience of reaching all its secrets.
The portion of the Costa Brava that includes the towns of Palamós and Calella de Palafrugell, separated by 13 kilometers, hides fascinating routes through corners where pine trees seek to caress the sea and furtive paths challenge history itself.
The route to Cala S'Alguer begins in Palamós, a town famous for its red shrimp and its marina. From the urban center we can drive to the parking lot of the cove, or follow -more recommendable- one of the two routes on foot: a first option leaves through the Palamós campsite through the interior, and a second route takes the camí de ronda from the car park of Cala de la Fosca. The name of this paradise refers to the type of rock that divides the beach in two: la Fosca and Sant Esteve de la Fosca beach, surrounded by restaurants nestled in former summer houses of the Catalan gentry.
After leaving the beach behind, we link up the cliffs to the remains of the castle of Sant Esteve de Mar, built on an old Roman villa and whose first reference dates from the 13th century. Pine trees, falling pineapples, the untamed nature that acts as a perfect shelter until you reach Cala S'Alguer.
Once there you can also continue to Platja de Castell, where you will find the Mas Juny estate, bought by the muralist Josep María Sert in the 1920s and whose guests included Orson Welles, Coco Chanel and, especially, Salvador Dalí. Alberto Puig Palau, one of the owners of the farm, was so devoted to the icon of surrealism that he had a small workshop built for him a few meters from the farm, which can now be visited from the outside and guarded by squirrels.
Without straying too far from the coast, you may want to continue to the charming town of Calella de Palafrugell (10.2 kilometres), or perhaps go back. As a reference there is always the panoramic view from a cloud of white pines, even if you keep wondering why they are called that. Maybe you have to ask science. Perhaps it is because Cala S'Alguer kept all the colors.
