Casa Migdia is an old rectory (parish priest residence) of the 18th century that has been restored and converted into a pleasant house to rent for 12 persons. It is located in Sant Jordi Desvalls, a medieval hamlet 20 minutes away from Girona and hidden within the green and lush region of the Ampurdán. The house has 5 bedrooms among which one could highlight La Carmen, with a private terrace full of flowers and plants that can be used as a solarium; an old-fashioned bath tub with claw legs; and a floor of Moroccan tiles – all have flat-screen TV, DVD and Wi-Fi. From Reception, with the typical Catalan vaulted ceiling, two staircases take us to the bedrooms and a sitting room with several snug sofas around a fireplace where winter evenings can be spent chatting or reading the books from the library.

There’s a spacious dining room for 20 people where you can tell that this used to be a rectory – and a bar leading to the garden, where we can have breakfast or a relaxed drink. Close by – around twenty minutes – we can explore the beaches and coves that are so characteristic of the Costa Brava, where we can practice ski, wind and kite surfing and diving. An alternative is an excursion by horse or bicycle, as well as trekking and jogging. Should you feel like doing a bit of tourism, Sant Jordi Desvalls is in the middle of the “Dali Triangle” with Figueres, Cadaqués and Púbol where his museums and residences are to be found. There are other Middle Ages villages around, such as Pals, Peratallada or Ullastret that are a joy to visit.