Terrafonda — Restaurant in Gualta

Golf Emporda: Can you say “turd in the punch bowl”? If you agree its absurd guests are not notified by the hotel BEFORE you’ve booked and prepaid for golf and hotel accommodations that: no libations are allowed or to be consumed on the golf course, no cigars or smoking of any type is allowed on the golf course, no personal music is allowed on the golf course and a descendent of Nurse Ratched will greet you at the first tee as the golf Marshal to inform you of these uniquely ridiculous rules, this place might not align with your idea of a fun golf resort vacation.

Admittedly, the golf Marshal descendent named Simon (self acclaimed without a last name, who's, the only Simon there) informs you that 'no alcoholic beverages are allowed on the course'…. right after you've purchased them by the first Tee box moments ago - really?! “Take it back to the hotel”…just as you were mentally preparing for the first drive off tee box one and the start of a pleasant round of golf. Unfortunately, Golf Emporda may not be for you......or any seasoned golfer seeking a pleasant vacation!

Paradoxically, the resort happily sells various to go alcoholic beverages to golfers at the turn, only to have Simon later lurking thru the trees near the 10th tee box waiting to escort you off the course if you've happened to have purchased or consumed any alcoholic beverages during your round of golf (during mid-day, 80-degree weather). Yes, that's what happened, without a polite reminder, just a sudden interruption of your round of golf, pick up your balls, you're coming with me, your round is finished with a stoic escort proudly parading you off the course. No polite explanation, no condolences for the absurdity, no partial refund, no offer to take beverages back for consumption later....just an I'm in charge and you broke the rule escort to terminate your round of golf.

Let's hope these policies change soon, along with the “I'm the in-charge golf Marshal' attitude”, in favor of a more hospitable approach. Perhaps a polite reminder if these non-traditional policies remain in force due to an unpleasant encounter a couple weeks prior? I fully understand that disruptive, misbehaving drunken golfers should not be tolerated, as it could affect others' enjoyment of their expensive golf vacation. However, that's was not the case here. The course is challenging, but the overall customer service experience is significantly marred by these absurd policies and the overbearing Marshal, who lacks basic hospitality skills. Hey Simon, based on the recent news, there seems to be an open senior position at the Wagner Group - would you like a 5-star endorsement?

By the way, do not order the 'grilled chicken' dinner. It consists of three drumsticks and a small serving of mashed potatoes, which hardly qualifies as a proper grilled chicken dinner, unless, of course, all chickens in Spain have only three drum sticks for legs and no thighs or breasts. Could it be?!

Most of the staff is friendly, including an apologetic hotel manager but it takes more than one bad experience to taint the whole bunch. For destination golfers seeking an enjoyable golf resort experience, this may not be the ideal place to play or stay. It seems promising, but it's like someone selling you a Ferrari, then taking it back with no refund if you drive it over 60 mph - because that’s the new speed limit for EVERYONE.

Clearly Golf Emporda swerves away from the typical traditions expected from a golf vacation destination. More head on tragic collisions expected -...

Elegant. Classic. Respectful.

We stayed for one week. They really set the standards for many aspects, from the service, hotel, restaurant up to the golf. What we mostly liked, among other things, is the environment that they have set around, and the way they make you feel. Customer service and attention was top. For critics, you have to play your part, customer is not always reasonable.

Hotel is very nice. It has a nice interior and exterior design, congrats to the designer. Breakfast is tasteful and it is quite diverse. Felt really special to have the breakfast outside in the nature, together with the little birds which are part of the stay/environment.

Hotel has a big underground parking, there are chargers for electrical cars. The room we had was Matrimonial, very comfortable and well equipped. It was cleaned daily.

Staff is very friendly, helpful, attentive and open. Liked their service.

Golf. Two beautiful terrains and two practice areas. You can rent a club for 4 euros and for 2 euros you can have 30+ golf balls. It’s a nice experience for beginners; for professionals, check their website or the golf reception were you get all info and etc.. Restaurant is top. One of the best meals we ever had. You won’t regret, quality, aspect and service is top. Restaurant design is elegantly fancy. Staff is very attentive and nice. As regards the beaches, within a radius of max. 20km, you can reach all of them: Aigua Xelida, Aiguablava, Plaja Fonda and Platja de Sa Riera (at least these were the ones we liked, check my reviews on them and their practicalities). There are three beautiful villages that I would highly recommend to visit them: Pals, Begur and Peratallada. Check hotel website for details.

If you want a place that is geographically positioned in the middle of all these attractions, plus some golf experiences, tasty local food, good hotel and services, then...

At first sight the hotel and the rooms look great. It is very quiet, located in the beautiful countryside. The parking lot is free of charge. But as soon as you look closer, you see how dirty, broken and poorly renovated the rooms are. In addition, the “fresh” towels we had in our room, were still dirty. The restaurant serves below average food at astronomical prices. Here I had the worst patatas bravas I have ever eaten, they cost more than 15€.

During the day, there is no service on the terrace, you haye to go to the bar and get the drinks by yourself. Snacks are not served (only club sandwiches and burgers).

The communication with the staff is often difficult, because they hardly speak English. The wifi is so slow that even simple pdf documents load slowly.

All in all, I cannot recommend this hotel to anyone. I regret having paid so much money for the...