Since 1955
The Hotel Sant Roc opened its doors on a rainy night in June 1955, but the beginning of this story dates back two years before, when Joan Boix and his wife Neus acquired a small piece of land on a hill south of Calella de Palafrugell, with the intention of building a summer home for the family.
The Costa Brava was a treasure yet to be discovered and tourists were just beginning to show up. S'Agaró and Aiguablava were the destinations chosen by those first tourists. That was what was called class tourism.
Apart from the hotel, a pier was built, the rocks were leveled to make a solarium with umbrellas included and stairs with 112 steps were made to access from the hotel. All of this made up a wonderful environment and a harmonious whole.
The French arrived in droves; Catalans and some absent-minded Englishmen also began to frequent it, but whoever discovered this little piece of Costa Brava fell in love and would surely return next year. Among those pioneers were very notable people from French and Catalan society. Today, some of those first clients still visit us regularly and this fact fills us with satisfaction.
In the 1950s, the concept of tourism and staying in a hotel were activities reserved for high society. Clients came for stays that lasted up to three months; They were large families with their own staff who, for a few months, turned the hotel into their home.
Joan Boix understood the hotel as a place of rest, but also an establishment where fun and leisure were essential. The Fridays of Sant Roc were unavoidable events at night on the Costa Brava; a Costa Brava that during the sixties had such illustrious characters of the night as the Gitano of the Costa Brava, Tomás Cervera from Chez Tomás, etc. A platform raised the orchestra above the guests, including piano, the main one from La Bisbal and Palafrugell, and artists such as Carmen Amaya, Chunga and José de la Vega delighted the enthralled tourists.
In 1985, Joan and Neus handed over the responsibility of running the hotel to their daughter Teresa who, together with her husband, Bertrand, began a new stage, not only in the hotel, but also in the world of hospitality, since at the end In the 1980s this sector was in the process of renewal.
The client made shorter stays, requested more services and a change of direction was necessary. The hotel made efforts to continue offering quality service and improve its entire infrastructure.
Currently, the third generation is in charge of the hotel. Teresa and Bertrand's children, Bárbara and Nicolás, continue with the same spirit of service as grandfather Joan and grandmother Neus. A generation that enters with drive and enthusiasm.