First 3 solo nights (wingfoil + waiting)¶

Alessio's base on the coast for the whole solo stretch, from arrival through Elisabeth's landing to Sat 29 morning. Alessio flies in on easyJet LGW→BCN, Wed 26 Aug 2026, arriving 19:55; Elisabeth lands Fri 28 Aug 22:50 but sleeps that night with a friend near her uncle's in Vallvidrera, joining Alessio in the rental car on Sat 29 morning — so this is 3 nights Alessio-solo at Hotel C31, Wed 26 → Sat 29 Aug (check out Sat 29). The first 2 nights (Wed–Fri) cover the two wingfoil lesson days; the 3rd (Fri–Sat) fills the gap between Elisabeth landing and the car pickup at Barcelona Sants Sat 29 morning. See Alessio's solo start & meeting Elisabeth for how this leg fits the wider trip, and TODO → Wingfoil for the school shortlist.

Booked: Hotel C31 (Wed 26 → Sat 29 Aug, 3 nights, breakfast included) — closer to Escola Garbí but still walkable to Shaka Surf's end of the beach. See the Booked section below for details; the two candidates that were being compared before this booking are kept lower down as considered (not booked).

Earlier Castelldefels hotel booked, then cancelled (20 Aug 2026)

Hotel Ciudad de Castelldefels (Wed 26 – Fri 28 Aug, ~300 m from the beach) was booked, then cancelled inside its free- cancellation window once it became clear the nearby wingfoil school it was picked for (Mojokite) had no availability, and the alternatives checked so far (Escola Garbí) didn't either. Deliberate order this time: find a school with confirmed availability first, then book accommodation near it. In the end, with Shaka Surf confirming a Thu 27 Aug slot and Escola Garbí available too (both on the same beach), Hotel C31 was booked as a walkable compromise between the two — see below.

Booked — Hotel C31¶

Hotel C31 - GMaps view 🌍

Booked Wed 26 → Sat 29 Aug 2026 (3 nights, Alessio solo), breakfast included — original 2-night booking (Wed 26 → Fri 28) via booking.com, extended by 1 night (Fri 28 → Sat 29) once it was clear Elisabeth would sleep at her friend's in Vallvidrera the night she lands. Address: Avinguda de Catalunya 4-6, 08860 Castelldefels (+34 936 009 646 / info@hotelc31.com). A modern 2-star with pool; not beachfront but a short walk in (~750 m / ~9 min to the sand, per the hotel's listing).

Why this one: sits between the two confirmed/available schools — closer to Escola Garbí (beachfront, Passeig Marítim) yet still walkable to Shaka Surf's eastern-end meeting point — so it works whichever session(s) go ahead, without a car.

Transport links (approximate — verify on Google Maps):

Beach / Escola Garbí (Passeig Marítim 11): ~10–12 min walk down to the seafront.
Shaka Surf meeting point (east end, 41.263585, 1.944049): further along the beach, roughly ~20–25 min walk (or a short bus/taxi) — the school→school walk itself is ~30 min (see the two-sessions-in-one-day plan on TODO → Wingfoil).
Castelldefels train station: central Castelldefels, walkable for the R2 Sud line / the airport transfer below.

Stay: 3 nights — 2 wingfoil-lesson days (Thu 27, Fri 28) each ~2h/half-day, then a Sat 29 morning check-out ahead of the Barcelona Sants car pickup at 09:30.

Getting there from the airport (arrival ~20:00 Wed 26 Aug)¶

Landing at BCN 19:55 — trains still run at that hour, so all three options are open (sources: aeropuertobarcelona-elprat.com, holidaycastelldefels.com, checked 23 Aug 2026):

Taxi / rideshare — simplest with luggage in the evening: ~15 min, roughly €25–30 (Castelldefels is only ~8 km from the airport). No car is being rented until Elisabeth lands.
Train (Rodalies R2) — no direct airport→Castelldefels train: take R2 Nord from Terminal T2 to El Prat de Llobregat, change to R2 Sud (dir. Sant Vicenç de Calders) to Castelldefels. ~30–40 min incl. transfer, ~€2.50. Last services run until ~23:38, so a 19:55 arrival is fine — but T2 only (free inter-terminal shuttle if landing at T1).
NitBus N16 — night bus from T2 to central Castelldefels (Plaça Estació, by the train station), ~€2.40, every 20–30 min — mainly a fallback if trains have stopped.

Either hotel is then a short hop from Castelldefels station (see each below).

Other candidates considered (not booked)¶

These two were compared before Hotel C31 (above) was booked — kept for the record.

Hotel Canal Olímpic (£191, breakfast incl.)¶

Hotel Canal Olímpic - GMaps view 🌍

The cheaper option and the early lean. £191 for the 2 nights (Wed 26 – Fri 28 Aug), breakfast included — price seen 23 Aug 2026 on booking.com. Address: Carrer de la Ginesta 13, 08860 Castelldefels (official site). Inland, quieter, near the Canal Olímpic rowing venue — ~1 km / ~12–15 min walk to the beach / Escola Garbí and to the train station, with a bus stop ~200 m away. Not booked.

Hotel Ciudad de Castelldefels (£253, breakfast incl.)¶

Hotel Ciudad de Castelldefels - GMaps view 🌍

The earlier booked-then-cancelled hotel (see the note near the top). £253 for the 2 nights, breakfast included (seen 23 Aug 2026), ~300 m from the beach and — per the booking-site map — nearer to Shaka Surf's end than to Escola Garbí. Train station is ~2 km / ~25 min walk inland (approximate). Not re-booked.