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Costa Brava Villas : Can Carboner : Comments

Feedback on Can Carboner





----- Original Message -----
From: Dave Cooley
To: 'villasbarcelona'
Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2005 1:02 PM
Subject: RE: Can Carboner, August 22 to 29, 2005

Hi Charlie

We loved Can Carboner - it was the cleanest - well appointed villa we have ever hired - we broke the washing machine door lock & Miguel couldn’t have been more Spanish about it -shrugging his shoulders and giving me the look as much as to say - these things happen!!

Overall great holiday - loved the lake - close enough for a day at the beach - we may come back!

All the arrangements went well - think it would be better if there was a way we could have paid by credit card!

Thanks for your help.
Regards
Dave Cooley



----- Original Message -----
From: John Paine
To: Charles Williams
Sent: Monday, July 19, 2004 1:00 AM
Subject: Re: Can Carboner in June 2004

Hi Charles,

We're back in Australia now after a really wonderful holiday in Catalunya and thought that we should send some feedback on our stay in Can Carboner. The house and location were absolutely wonderful and we really enjoyed our stay there. The location was great for us as it allowed us easy access to the coast and the mountains and the shops in Banyoles were very easy to get to. Miguel's parents were wonderful and very helpful and we especially enjoyed our encounters with Miguel's father and his donkey (although somewhat hampered by our very poor Spanish). The house itself was beautiful and very easy to stay in with a well set up kitchen and dining area, wonderful garden with BBQ and very comfortable bedrooms and beautiful bathrooms. Our one minor complaint is the lack of fly screens as the flies in the day and mosquitoes at night a bit of a nuisance, but a bit of flyspray and insect repellent solved that pretty effectively.

We visited quite a few places mentioned in your notes. Too many to detail, but one of the highlights for us was the Placa Major in Banyoles which is wonderful. Sitting there with a coffee was a pleasure, especially on market day. The people at Galeria 35 Fotografia on Alvarez de Castro, 35 deserve a medal for their wonderful (and cheap) service in transferring the photos from our digital camera to CD (which encountered difficulties because of a problem with the memory card). The beach at Rosamar was as beautiful and quiet as your notes stated, and the service and food at the restaurant was great (not slow at all, just relaxed and friendly). Cadaques was a little off-putting at first, but a walk through the back streets soon changed our opinion.

All in all we enjoyed every day we had in Catalunya and all of the people we met and look forward to our next visit.

Many thanks for all your help.
Best regards
John Paine

PS we did manage to get in touch with our friends staying at El Moli and we had a wonderful lunch at Mieres



----- Original Message ----- From: Andrew Moore
To: Charles Williams
Sent: Sunday, January 11, 2004 8:08 PM
Subject: Re: Can Carboner, August 2 to 23, 2003

Dear Charlie,

As you know we have four very small girls under five years old and I was looking for somewhere where we could stay for three weeks which was child friendly, quiet and good value for money, lucky for us all the criteria were met. Miguel's family who were our adjacent neighbours were extremely helpful when need but generally kept a discreet distance. His sister and brother were charming showed the children all their pets and were helpful if we needed any advice on were to go/ shop etc. One point of interest I had travellers cheques to cover the rental cost this caused me a lot of time, hassle and very poor rates of exchange until Miguel stepped in and resolved the situation. I wouldn't recommend this method of payment.

The house itself was delightful, living up to and probably surpassing its description on the web sight we were very grateful for the air-conditioning unit as it was extremely hot whilst we were there. We took a paddling pool which proved to be an instant hit with the local wasp population. Once we took the pool away no more problems with the wasps. We regularly fumigated the house for flies as would be expected in the Spanish countryside in hot weather so make sure you have some fly spray at hand.

Locally around Banyoles there were good supermarkets, with Champion being our favourite as this had a greater selection. The town square was very attractive and we joined in with their local festival parading through the streets which the kids really enjoyed especially for the finally there was a foam cannon that sprayed the children and filled the square. Within Banyoles we found in the back streets a traditional Spanish restaurant from memory it was called Hostal Fonda where the hosts and the older clientele were charming. Other attractions for the children locally were the Noddy train, the Eco boat trip and the small amusement park on lake Banyoles. Further a field there are plenty of beaches to choose from within forty minutes to an hour drive our favourites were Agua Blava, a very pretty horseshoe bay but very crowded and St Marti de Empurias but watch out for jelly fish especially at the latter beach.

There are also many interesting historic towns and villages the best of one of which was Girona and we regret not discovering it earlier.

In summary we were delighted that everything was in order and in place although at the time it felt like a leap of faith renting our accommodation of the internet.

We would like to send you and your family are best regards and thank you for arranging our accommodation. We would like to wish you well in the future.

Raffaela and Andy Moore



----- Original Message -----
From: Dave Huxley
To: 'Charles Williams'
Sent: Thursday, April 24, 2003 11:53 AM
Subject: Can Carboner

Hi Charlie

Just a quick note to say thanks for all the help and advice with our recent holiday at Can Carboner.

We were very impressed with the cleanliness and quality of the accomodation - far more than we were expecting. The weather was just about OK, but we were glad to have central heating as the evenings were a bit chilly.

Please pass on our thanks to Miquel and Maria. We would have no hesitation in recommending Can Carboner to anyone wanting to stay in the Banyoles/Girona area

Many thanks
Dave and Family



----- Original Message -----
From: Carolyn Gilles
To: Charles Williams
Sent: Tuesday, November 26, 2002 3:07 PM
Subject: Re: Rec Comtal and Can Carboner bookings

Hello Charles Everything went like clockwork with not a single hitch, so our sincere thanks for arranging our accommodation in Barcelona and Banyolas. Can Carboner:

This house is beautiful, and we enjoyed a lovely week here just outside the town of Banyolas.

The place was spotless on our arrival and Miguel and his family were on hand to deal with any problems - There weren't any!

Everything we could have wanted was provided. It suited 6 of us very well, and we made full use of the kitchen, the garden, and the barbeque during our stay.

We also made good use of your handbook Charles, and enjoyed trips to Gerona with a walk around the old city walls, to Figueres to the wonderful Dali museum, to Basalu and Pals, and to Santa Pau and a lovely walk in the Garrotxa Volcanic park.

We also made several trips into Banyolas. I was last there 30 yrs ago as a teenager and was pleasantly surprised to find the lake quieter than then, and the town unspoiled ( although expanding with new building). We swam in, cycled round, and rowed on the lake - swimming mainly at the free public bathing "beach".

I think my only (and serious!) disappointment was going into the town square one night, where years ago I had danced Sardanas with the local people, to find a half-hearted Karaoke in progress instead. I guess times change!

One point: Hardly anyone speaks English. We had made the effort to learn a little ( a very little ) Spanish, and with our few words, and bearing in mind that most of the locals spoke Spanish as a second language to Catalan so sometimes they were struggling too, we got on remarkably well.

Thanks again for arranging such a lovely place for us to stay.

Carolyn


----- Original Message -----
From: quarryhaus
To: Charles Williams
Sent: Monday, September 25, 2002 4:49 PM
Subject: Re: Can Carboner

We loved the house and the location...what an idyllic setting....and the owner and his family were so gracious and accommodating....the view from the master bedroom was picture perfect and we sat many mornings and evenings on the upper deck....watching the beautiful sky and listening to the animals call to each other.....the house was very clean and comfortable....since there were only the two of us we did not use all the bedrooms....the third bedroom might be a little noisy since it is over the owners sitting/TV room....we were first a little concerned that the houses connected and we might not have privacy...but that was not the case....we felt very isolated and came and went as we wished.....the owners grandmother was a delight and we were able to communicate very well....while we did not find Banyoles particularly beautiful....the location of the house allowed us to easily travel to many terrific locations........I would highly recommend this home to anyone.......if we return to that area of Spain...we will definitely check to see if this home is available.........

Please let me know if you need anything else....feel free to re-write it for your use.....our names are Karen Stafford Rouillard and Jerry Rouillard.....California.......thanks for all your help and kind patience with all my questions...we will use your service again.... karen


----- Original Message -----
From: Robin Sinclair
To: tourism@catalonia.net
Sent: Friday, March 22, 2002 6:57 PM
Subject: (no subject)

Dear Charlie,

Thank you for your e-mail with concerns for the weather which in the event proved groundless as we enjoyed sunshine and heat for most of the week. Mas Carboner was a delightful bijou residence as you described, beautifully appointed and in a very attractve rural hamlet. As a base for four golfing adults it proved ideal.

Jo Gascoigne came up trumps with his courses and all the arrangements went like clockwork; we will certainly use him again and unhesitatingly recommend him to our golfing friends.
Hope your season is getting busier.
Kind regards
Robin Sinclair


----- Original Message -----
From: neil.court
To: Charles Williams
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 9:46 PM
Subject: Re: Mas Carboner

Charlie

Having now returned and had a thoroughly lovely holiday I thought I would drop you a line as promised.

Firstly thanks for phoning the house for us, horrendous jouney down saw us arrive at 11.00pm, some 6 hours late due to the traffic(stuck in jams for over 6 hours)

Despite no English we were shown round by who we assumed were Maria & Miguels parents who were very nice. I elected to pay there and then (even though it was by now 11.30pm) and managed to pick up the fact that they would pass it on to Miguel.

What can we say about the house, it has everything and is immaculate!With just the 3 of us we could have one bathroom each - great- no ques in the morning!! As we do not have a dishwasher at home this was an added bonus and we now just have to get one!! The master bedroom was magnificent and just to sit on its private balcony in the peace and quiet of the morning with only the sounds of the cockerel and donkey for company was worth a lot.!! I spent hours watching the swallows buzzing around.

Perhaps you can clear up one thing for us, who lives where? On the sunday we saw a number of people in the pool next door, but as nobody introduced themselves (even to acknowledge they had received the money), we were unclear if any were Miguel or Maria or if they lived on the other side of the road in the large house with the tower. Perhaps you could enlighten us.(We did make friends with Grandma - the deaf one who cheerily waved and said hello every time she saw us. The sight of her sat outside shelling peas is one I will not forget, what a lovely lady)

Our only gripe (apart from 4 days of cloudy weather) was the comings and goings of various people between the 2 houses via the path outside the lounge. On the Friday before we left someone turned up to mow the lawn seconds after we had come in from sunbathing. It did not bother us that much apart from when we were eating, as it was only natural for theml to look in as they walked past, which could be a bit offputting.

That minor point aside we had a wonderful time in a beautiful area. Particularly loved the "Eco" boat trip on the lake, which in lovely hot weather with English narration and at 10 Euros for 3 adults was well worth it. Good day also in Barcelona with all the usual sights.

Beach wise we would recommend St Marti Emporas, excellent beaches within about 30 minutes and also excellent restaurants/bars to relax in the shade afterwards. Beaslu was particularly fascinating and well worth a wander through the old streets and Gerona on the Ramblas was great for a drink and people watching!!

For someone who reads half a page a night before his eyes close at home, to read two and a half books myself gives you an idea of just how relaxing this holiday was for the three of us. Your guide book was excellent and we used it on a number of occasions. One useful thing may be a few Spanish phrases to get guests over the "hurdles" of how do we ask for this and where do we leave the keys on departure etc.

Once again thanks for all your help Charlie, hope you too had a nice holiday, we would certainy recoomend this property and your site to anybody interested in a holiday to Spain.

Regards
Neil, Edwina & Natalie Court
Go back to Can CarbonerGo back to Can Carboner
Nottingham UK


----- Original Message -----
From: Barrie Miller
To: Charles Williams
Sent: Sunday, March 17, 2002 8:32 PM
Subject: Re: Can Carboner March 2 to 9 (A Thank You)

Dear Charlie

Just to say thanks for all your help. The villa was excellent and we had a good time there.

Please thank Miquel and his wife for us. We had trouble speaking with him as we speak no Spanish and he spoke very little English.

We shall certainly book the villa again when we want to go to that area again.

many thanks

Barrie and Pat Miller
Rachel and Steve Fradgley

----- Original Message -----
From: chris.butt
To: Charles K. Williams
Sent: Monday, September 17, 2001 1:20 PM
Subject: Re: Can Carboner

Dear Charlie,

Just a quick e-mail to thank you for your help in setting up our rental at Mas Carboner. The house was delightful and although I last visited the region in the late 1960's as I child, It surpassed my expectations and memories. The setting there is stunning and so varied, we found it to be a perfect location to explore. Our children loved it, and were very excited to watch forest fires caused by lightning being extinguished by helecopter from the lake at Banyoles. They also loved the fact that our little garden was invaded by turkeys who refused to budge! Less welcome was the arrival of a hornet's nest above our bedroom window, but Miguel and his lovely family dealt with it straight away, and at least one word in Catalan that we now know is hornet!

Anyway thanks for making it a simple and straightforward proceedure, it was a pleasure to book through you and I'm sure we'll be looking towards next summer very soon.

Best Regards- Kim and Chris, Rohan and Roberta Butt


----- Original Message -----
From: Laurel
To: tourism@catalonia.net
Sent: Wednesday, May 09, 2001 12:25 AM
Subject: Re: How did it go?

Charlie,

I have been meaning to email you since we got back from Spain. Can Carboner was just beautiful and very tasteful just as you described it! The setting was idylic and yet convenient for touring. There was so much to see nearby. In one direction was pristine rolling farmland and in the other the snow covered Pyrennes. . It was ideal for our 7 year old daughter too. There were lots of animals to amuse her: 2 big pigs and piglets, a donkey , lots of cats and dogs right on the property. Every morning we took a walk down the lane to the 12th Century church and made friends with all the dogs and horses along the way. She fell in love with a little dog named Cuca, who waited for us every day.

The house was as I said tasteful and very comfortable. I especially liked the stone balcony off of the master bedroom with the rolling hills beyond. The bathrooms and kitchen were beautifully tiled. You should include a picture of the kitchen on your website. I enjoyed going to the market in Banyoles on Wednesdays and then cooking in the lovely kitchen and outside on the outdoor grill. At the market we found wild asparagus, so thin and different than any I've ever tasted. We also found excellent sausages, aged sheep cheese, Montserrat tomatoes, olives and the sweetest eggplants I've ever had.

On our last day we discovered a very good restaurant in Banyoles, on Placa Major, El Capitale. I think it's new, run by a nice young couple. We had excellent Salmon and pork tenderloin, too bad we didn't try it sooner. Charlie, we used your guide all the time and found it very detailed and insightful for both restaurants and sight seeing. By the way, one day we drove to Coulliure, France along the coast and they are actually working on improving that last stretch of road in Spain, its about halfway done.

We enjoyed being close to Girona and went there often. We had a very elegant lunch at another new restaurant, Galligans, Placa Santa Llucia, near the Museu D'Arqueologia and the Pont de Pedret. There we had Salmon Wellington and an excellent salad with goat cheese and wild mushrooms. And our waiter, probably the owner, was so nice and helpful explaining the interesting menu.

We really felt at home at Can Carboner and were all so sad to leave such a wonderful place. We would love to come back and stay there again.

Go back to Can CarbonerGo back to Can Carboner
Fondly, Laurel, Ken and Calla Perkins
Catalan Tourism Authorities

This sign indicates that the Catalan Tourism Authorities regularly inspect and license the property. We have also visited and recommend all the properties we have selected for our listings.