Llançà

It's a little cooler this afternoon. There is a stronger breeze blowing down from the north, and we can see there is quite a bit of cloud towards Perpignan. Last night, a thunderstorm passed overhead during our evening meal and we had to retreat inside. There is only so much protection a pine tree can offer!

The restaurant has open air seating round the back of the hotel, on a terrace overlooking the sea. We've used it every night except Monday when it was raining in the evening.

We've paid for a half-board service, so it's basically breakfast and lunch, or breakfast and dinner.  The breakfast is a buffet, offering a selection of cereals, pastries, cold meats, breads and cheeses. The lunch and dinner menus, for guests who have the half-board package, are the same, although they change every day. The menu consists of a full three-course meal, with three options for each course.

So far, we've had Pesto Pappardelle, Serrano Ham & Melon, and a Goat Cheese & Walnut Salad for starters. There was also another curious dish of creamed mashed potatoes, with crisped Serrano, topped with a very lightly poached (slightly undercooked?) egg. It was actually a lot nicer than it sounds.

The main courses are all typically Spanish.  On Monday, it was Poussin served on a bed of flavoured white rice, very much like a risotto.  We also had Fideuà  which is a Valencian paella made with pasta instead of rice.  And last night, we opted for Arroz Negro, a paella dish coloured with squid ink to give the rice a distinctive black appearance.  The paella dishes included a variety of seafoods such a mussels, prawns, squid and octopus.  All of the mains are ceremoniously wheeled up to your table on a trolley, and then served by your waiter onto separate plates.

Dessert courses tend to be light and simplistic, such as sorbet, cheesecake, ice cream etc. It's all that's needed, since the mains and starters are quite filling.

Terrace outside the hotel