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Costa Brava Villas : Cal Rajoler : Comments

Feedback on Cal Rajoler





----- Original Message -----
From: ROY QUIDDINGTON
To: tourism@catalonia.net ; charlie@tourismcatalonia.com
Sent: Monday, September 05, 2005 12:13 PM
Subject: Cal Rajoler - THANKS

Dear Charlie,

I just wanted to say that we had a great holiday at Cal Rojoler (13-27 Aug). The property was perfect, with lots of character, and plenty of room. Josep and his family were all extremely friendly, hospitable and accommodating. The kids loved the pool and grounds and had great fun. Shame it’s all over!

Please thank Josep again on our behalf. Thank you very much for arranging everything and ensuring that everything went so smoothly.

Best regards, Roy Quiddington



----- Original Message -----
From: sarahd@dormin.com
To: Charles Williams
Sent: Monday, October 03, 2005 5:23 PM
Subject: Re: Cal Rajoler, September 17 to 24 - Happy Anniversary!

Charlie,

Sorry for the belated response, I have been meaning to write you an email to thank you for all your help and I simply haven't yet found the words. To put it simply, my mother had the best birthday ever, Cal Rajoler exceeded all of our expecations, and I am putting about 20 people in touch with you to rent homes in Spain.

La Barrentina (nearby restaurant) was so fantastic that we went back again at the end of the week and I think my husband said he had the best veal of his entire life at La Serra. Josep and his family are truly LOVELY people who epitomize the experience we had with everyone we interacted with in Spain, warm, thoughtful, caring and truly a delight.

The only complaint we have is that we inadvertantly traveled during a holiday season and several local restaurants were closed. We just had to travel farther afield to find what we were looking for, which made the trip that much more of an adventure.

I have taken the liberty of cc'ing my mother, who I am sure will want to chime in, and I will write you a more detailed review of Cal Rajoler for your site very soon, but I just wanted to send you a quick thank you - it was amazing!!!

All the best,
Sarah Smart



----- Original Message -----
From: hope zoss (Sarah Smart´s mother)
To: charlie@tourismcatalonia.com
Sent: Saturday, October 08, 2005 9:18 PM
Subject: Cal Rajoler

Charlie,

I just want to echo my daughter's thank you. We had a great time and only regret coming home.

Thanks for everything and please extend a special thank you to Josep and his family.
Hope Zoss



From: denisekirkham
To: villasbarcelona
Sent: Tuesday, August 16, 2005 10:12 PM
Subject: Re: Cal Rajoler, July 23 to 30

Hi Charlie - as usual we had a wonderful stay at Cal Rajoler this year with Josep and all the animals - an increased number of dogs this year due to the birth of a (rather mad!) puppy! The girls loved it!

We would like to book again for next year - for the week commencing 29th July 2006. We will be the same party as this year.

Please can you confirm with Josep that it is OK to take just one week, and also that it is available?
Many thanks for your help again
Denise



----- Original Message -----
From: Derek Carruthers
To: villasbarcelona
Sent: Monday, October 03, 2005 4:40 PM
Subject: [Norton AntiSpam] Re: Cal Rajoler, July 30 to August 13, 2005 -how did it go?

Charlie

We had a wonderful time at Cal Rajoler and found Josep and his aunt extremely friendly and helpful, practically - when the washing machine overflowed and they did our washing for us (!) and with information about all sorts of things. I particularly enjoyed conversations in Castillian with both Josep and his aunt, who was such an interesting person to talk to.

Everybody enjoyed the pool and the grounds and we made numerous excursions to numerous places - enjoyed Dali's houses at Pubol and Cadaques ( we've already visited Figueres 3 times), Empuries, Girona and Ullastret.

The house was great with lots of space for everyone, except in the kitchen, but then we tried to spend as little time in there as possible.

Apart from the fact that our son had a bag containing £500 on euros, driving licences and directions to the house stolen when they arrived at Girona airport, we couldn't say there was any downside and Paul and his family were thinking of a simmilar holidfay with friends at some point in the future......perhaps when they've recouped their £500!

With best regards
Eileen C



----- Original Message -----
From: Ian Howes
To: villasbarcelona
Sent: Friday, September 23, 2005 3:41 AM
Subject: Re: Cal Rajoler, early July, how was it?

Charlie,

We had a lovely week. Joseph was very helpful and kind and we loved the dogs. I've beem living in the US for 20 years now but as a kid in the 60's my parents used to drive to Benidorm and Sant Feliu. Wow - how things have changed. We did spend a day in Cadaques (sp) which was lovely. No complaints. Thanks for following up.
Ian

Charlie adds (and with Mr Howes´ permission): I bet Benidorm has changed a lot more than San Feliu de Guixols! The two towns shouldn´t even be mentioned in the same sentence, except maybe to describe opposites! Benidorm, with its tacky casinos and sky-scrappers is a perfect example of what not to do to in a coastal resort. I would argue that low-key San Feliu, where the huge old town and market and rambla have been lovingly revamped, is a good example of what can and should be done...


----- Original Message -----
From: Andy Johnston
To: 'Charles Williams'
Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2003 6:00 PM
Subject: RE: Cal Rajoler -

Charlie,

I don't know how many people write to you after the event, but just to say we had a fabulous time at cal Rajoler last week - we shall certainly be recommending it to our friends. Many thanks for your help,

Yours
Andy Johnston

Go back to Cal Rajoler listingGo back to Cal Rajoler


----- Original Message -----
From: Stephen Thompson
To: Charles Williams
Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2003 8:46 PM
Subject: Cal Rajoler, 19/7 to 2/8

Dear Charlie,

This is just a quick note to express our appreciation of our recent stay in Cal Rajoler.

All directions and arrangements were spot on, the house and pool were just as we hoped they would be and the surrounding area was beautiful - even the weather was fantastic! Only minor disappointment was not having a sheet change at the end of the first week.

Josep was a cheery and kind host and I wonder, if you speak with him in the near future, whether you could convey our thanks to him for his hospitality (my Spanish was not up to the job).

On a final note, Josep is planning a holiday in Ireland soon. If he thinks we could help in any way we would be most happy for him to get in touch via e-mail or post.

Once again many thanks and good luck in the future.

Yours sincerely,

Stephen and Lesley Thompson and family



----- Original Message -----
From: Matthew Roberts
To: Charles Williams
Sent: Thursday, November 28, 2002 12:29 PM
Subject: Re: Cal Rajoler

Hello Charlie,

Thanks for your message. It's a pleasure to send you some feedback on Cal Rajoler; the memory of a really excellent holiday was beginning to fade and it's very nice to be reminded of it!

I'll start at the beginning:

I thought your website gave an excellent impression of the house. So often the reality of holiday accomodation is a million miles from the brochure/website and one is disappointed. This was certainly not true for Cal Rajoler. Our only complaint (and it is a very small one as we did not spend a lot of time indoors) was that the stereo mentioned on the website was not there. Had we not been expecting it, though, I don't think we would have given it a second thought.

The house itself was clean, in excellent condition and well equipped with several very nice extras: the outdoor dining table next to the kitchen was in constant use and the light by the barbeque was also much appreciated!

Josep and his family were cheerful, friendly and helpful; Josep was always happy to be quizzed about the local area and made several restaurant booking for us by phone, our Catalan being just about sufficient to buy bread.

Everyone in the party thought a great deal of the local area. We came away feeling that in terms of exploring Catalonia, we had barely scratched the surface. We also greatly enjoyed the excellent quality of the local food, which seemed (to our English wallets) almost miraculously cheap.

I forwarded your email to the others who came in case they wanted to add any comments. One in particular seems to sum it up:

Can't fault it really, beautiful, well equiped, very helpful hosts, well worth the money!

I'm sure you'll be hearing from us again soon!
Best wishes,
Matthew Roberts



----- Original Message -----
From: d.verney
To: Charles K. Williams
Sent: Sunday, October 14, 2001 2:47 PM
Subject: Re: Cal Rajoler, 28 July to 11 August

Dear Charlie

What can I say. The property was superb, as was the hospitality shown by the Llovera family. In fact everything about the trip was excellent, your directions were great (although we did struggle a little in Bascara, where I think there must have been some roadworks previously), as was your guide book.

Our only disappointment was that we had to come home. The size of the property, the lovely grounds, swimming pool and table tennis made for a relaxing stay, whilst providing an excellent base to explore the surrounding area.

Please tell Nels (I am not sure that my spelling is correct) that the jam and marmalade were lovely, providing a reminder of our holiday everytime we sat down for breakfast on our return.

Overall it is a property and an area we would highly recommend. I think we have been a little spoilt because we are trying to find a property in the South of France (albeit only needing 3 bedrooms this time) for 2002 and have not been able to find anything of the same value (as you pointed out when we first approached you, they all seem to have a significant agent's fee).

I am sure that in the next few years we will return to Catalonia and will have no hesitation for looking you up to arrange a suitable property. In the meantime if any friends or family wish to visit the area we will certainly recommend your services.

Once again, our thanks to you for your excellent service and to our hosts for the use of their home and for their hospitality.
Regards
David

Go back to Cal Rajoler listingGo back to Cal Rajoler

----- Original Message -----
From: Keith Daniels
To: Charles K. Williams
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2001 1:59 PM
Subject: mid May visit to Cal Rajoler

Hello again Charlie,

Well, I must say that we all had a wonderful time in Catalunya. The weather was just about perfect, not too hot, and the rain held off for the duration. As you know we were on motorcycles, 12 people on 8 bikes. This is the best way to explore and it enabled us to navigate the towns and cities very easy, and to get ahead of the traffic jams.

The house was perfect and accomodated all 12 of us with ease. Many an evening was spent around the large dining room table eating & drinking. When we were not off on the bikes we would lounge around by the pool enjoying the quiet and privacy that Cal Rajoler provided.

The hosts Josep and Lourdes were splendid and gave us a warm welcome. Josep gave us a daily weather forecast and tips on which best roads to take.

We went on trips almost every day to see as much as possible of the region. A day trip to Andorra for stunning scenery and bargain shopping. Some of the group made a trip into Barcelona to visit the cathedral, in fact a couple from the group are returning to the city within the next couple of weeks for a longer visit. We spent a day at the beach in Bagur. The twisty road from Tossa to Lloret was memorable, as was the ride over the mountain from Roses to Cadaques. We made many trips into Banyoles to stock up, the Lidl store being very handy.

Your directions are just about right, although we got a bit confused about the left turn on entering Bascara. We took the left just before the lights, but we subsequently found it easier just to take the left turn at the lights.

Anyway, thanks for your excellent service. I will certainly recommend your site to fellow visitors to the area.

We really love Spain and especially Catalunya and will be returning soon. In fact myself and my partner are considering buying a house there.

Hasta la proxima vez.

All the best.
Keith



----- Original Message -----
From: Mary Lou
To: Tourism@catalonia.net
Cc: Haldane, Penny ; McPheron, Tara
Sent: Friday, November 02, 2001 12:54 AM
Subject: Just wonderful

Dear Charlie,
We all had a great holiday,enjoyed every minute being in Spain, it was everything you told us it would be plus more. It was nice meeting Josep. We had sunshine every day.

Thanks again for all the help you gave us.
Mary Lou



----- Original Message -----
From: Fiona Leslie
To: tourism@catalonia.net
Sent: Thursday, July 05, 2001 2:55 PM
Subject: Re: Cal Rajoler 16th-30th June

Hello Charlie,

I just wanted to get back to you with some comments which I thought you might want to post on the Comments page for Cal Rajoler.

"We had the most magnificent holiday. Sr Llovera and his family were extremely friendly and hospitable, and were able to accommodate our request for 3 cots and a highchair as we we were a large family with babies and toddler. My 2 year old son was in seventh heaven with the pool and the grounds to toddle around in. The adults were in seventh heaven with places like Girona, the Dali Museum and Cadaques all quite close by and well worth a visit. Just one point that caught us out - the local restaurant in Orfes, La Barretina, only had Catalan menus, not menus in Spanish, our Spanish phrase book could not therefore help us and you have to take pot luck. Its worth referring to Charlie's guidebook and remembering some of the phrases on Catalan cuisine before you go!! (Or take the guidebook with you to the restaurant! - Charlie's note.)


Thank you for all your help. We very much hope we will be able to visit again in the future.
Fiona Leslie



----- Original Message -----
From: J Rothman
To: tourism@catalonia.net
Sent: Sunday, August 06, 2000 7:56 PM
Subject: mil gracias por cal rajoler

Hi Charlie,

We loved Cal Rajoler! It was a heavenly combination of rural tranquility and great sightseeing opportunities. We became friendly with Josep and Lourdes, and they even invited us back for a town dinner in Orfes later this week (We´re in Cadaques at the moment). Thanks for all your help. We have a new cell phone number which I´ll e-mail to you tomorrow. If you need to reach us in the meantime, we´re at the Hotel Playsol (which we highly recommend for families) in Cadaques until Saturday, when we head for Can Palau. Hope you´re having a great vacation and you´re not affected by the fires (most of the roads here are closed, but the village is fine).
By the way, your guidebook has been invaluable! We had to leave it at Cal Rajoler and we really miss it We went to the volanoes at Olot, the Dali castle, Besalu & Girona by day and night, Banyoles (where we met Melo at the internet cafe, Empuries, and also had lots of time for mountain biking, hiking and hanging out on the farm. I´ll write up everything in more detail (so you can use it on the website) when we return.
We´ve been at the internet cafes every two or three days, so you can also e-mail me if you need to get in touch.

Best regards,
Go back to Cal Rajoler listingGo back to Cal Rajoler
Judy Rothman Rofe



----- Original Message -----
From: Cimino Farms (USA)
To: charles williams
Sent: Monday, July 10, 2000 3:39 AM

Charlie,

Billie and I want to thank you for recommending Cal Rajoler. Everyone with us had a wonderful time. It was a perfect location from which to visit the areas we wanted to visit in Cantalonia.You were correct about the Llovera family.They were helpful and friendly but never intrusive. Please give our thanks to Josep and his family for providing such comfortable and pleasant accomodations. We will and have already highly recommended you and the Lloveras. We will return to Spain in the very near future. Can't decide on Asturias or Cantalonia or both again. Spain was magical for us.

Thanks again. Best regards,
Peter Cimino



-----Original Message-----
De: steve cheyne (U.K.)
Para: ckwilliams@nexo.es
Fecha: miércoles 2 de junio de 1999 20:31
Asunto: Cal Rajoler

Charlie,
Just to let you know that we had a brilliant time.
The accommodation was excellent. We didn't get a chance to say thanks to Josep and his wife so please convey our appreciation. They could not have been more helpful.
The guys at Easylink were also great and the vehicles were new. Like you said they upgraded us.
Thanks again for all your help.
Regards
Steve



-----Original Message-----
De: Lisa Cox of New York
Para: Charles Williams
Fecha: viernes 21 de mayo de 1999 2:39
Asunto: Thank you (Gutenberg, Cal Rajoler, Car rental

Dear Charlie,
Before the memory of a wonderful week in Catalunya fades any more, I would like to let you know how much we appreciate your kind help in putting together our trip.
Cal Rajoler was a perfect place for the eight of us, and the Gutenberg would make a great base for a longer stay in Barcelona. All the folks we met--Josep, Pedro and his friend from EasyLink whose name I forget, and in fact people throughout Catalunya--were friendly and helpful. Your guidebook, too, was invaluable, though I never seem to cover quite as much territory as I expect.
A few reactions to Catalunya. . . We live on a small farm in Vermont, and the Pla d'Estany is very reminiscent of some of the more beautiful areas around here (although the Green Mountains are certainly not the Pyrenees!). Vermonters are very conscious of who belongs and who doesn't, and it takes many generations before one can be considered a Vermonter. (Famous story: a couple from New York move to Vermont and mention to the farmer next door that they are pleased that their children will now be Vermonters. The farmer begs to differ, telling them, "If your cat had kittens in the oven, you wouldn't call them biscuits, would you?") We were all quite struck by the similar sense of place that Catalonians have, except that the time scale is so utterly different. It is humbling, indeed, to think of one's people's roots going back over a thousand years.
Again, that sense of historical continuity was strikingly different from what I have felt in Greece, where I lived for a year. In Greece the antiquities seemed to be on the other side of a great temporal chasm. While there is little that is quite so old in Catalunya--and a site like Empuries does have that feeling of foreignness--it is very moving to visit Ripoll and Sant Joan and other small towns and to feel the connectedness with the medieval heritage.
Go back to Cal Rajoler listingGo back to Cal Rajoler
Thanks again for your help in making our trip such a rich experience.
Lisa
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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.