THOUGHT my bikini was packed away for the year.
After all, it was October. But here I was, swimming in the Med, dazzling sunshine bouncing off the white sand and palm trees.
And I didn’t have to endure a long-haul flight to get my fix of Vitamin D.
I was in Sitges, a seaside paradise 20 minutes from Barcelona.
The Spanish town gets an average of 310 days’ sun a year but October is a particularly good time to visit, as it hosts an international film festival.
Some 200,000 movie fans descend, with screenings around the clock and film stars such as Susan Sarandon and Cameron Diaz turning up to join the fun.
We caught an 11pm showing of Yorgos Lanthimos’s critically acclaimed thriller The Killing of A Sacred Deer, with Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell.
The film festival has been running since 1968 and was originally devoted to horror movies. Today it claims to be the No1 fantasy film festival in the world.
Sitges celebrates its scary heritage with the annual zombie walk, which ends with a free party and concert on the beach — for zombies and non-zombies alike.
The people of Sitges love a party and there’s a busy calendar, from the carnival in March to a flower carpet festival in June. The town is known as a gay mecca, testament to the locals’ laid-back, open-minded way.
Think of it as Spain’s answer to Brighton, without all the marauding stag and hen parties.
All that partying is, of course, fuelled by cava, Catalonia’s most famous export — and Sitges is the perfect base for exploring the Penedes wine region.
If you think cava is just cheap and cheerful supermarket fizz, think again. The winemakers of Penedes prove that cava created with passion and expertise can rival the best champagnes.
One of the best cellars in the region is family-run Agustí Torelló Mata, which produces a cult vintage called Cripta that sells for about £80 a bottle. It’s a fascinating place to visit, not least because of its history. Founding father Agusti Torello decided to start creating premium cava in the 1950s and has pursued that dream ever since.
Tours of the family’s stunning cellar — including tastings — start from ten euros per person, but be sure to make a reservation in advance.
For a sense of cava production at the more commercial end of the market, visit the vast headquarters of Corduniu, winegrowers that have been producing cava for more than 450 years.
Their wines are aged in a sprawling labyrinth of underground tunnels, which you can tour in a miniature train.
When you emerge blinking into the sun-kissed estate, you’ll be ready for a glass of cava or three — and it is the most beautiful setting for it.
But for the best cava experience of all, try to time your visit for Cavatast, a celebration of the sparkling wine that takes place in the town of Sant Sadurni D’Anoia every October.
Nearly 50 local winemakers and restaurants set up stall and sell samples of their wares in exchange for tokens.
You can wander the streets, glass in hand, enjoying different cavas and snacks, tapas style — the perfect way to spend a warm autumn evening.
Cavatast is a glitzy showcase of the best local produce the region has to offer. But the quality should be no surprise if you’ve had the chance to try any of Sitges’ fabulous restaurants.
Highlights include the “slow food” at La Salseta, where organic ingredients meet home-style cooking, the seafood at Can Laury with its magnificent views across the marina, and fine dining at La Fragata, where Catalan dishes are transformed into works of art.
GO CATALONIA
GETTING THERE: Vueling flights from Gatwick to Barcelona from £32.84 return, December and January. See vueling.com.
STAYING THERE: Hotel Capri re-opens in March 2018. Rooms start from £90 per night. See hotelcapri.es.
MORE INFO: See visitsitges.com and catalunya.com.
After a lazy lunch, it is a joy to walk off all that food and wine by wandering through Sitges’ old quarter, which has enchanted artists and writers for centuries.
Among the traditional fishermen’s cottages are grand villas built by returning “Americanos” at the end of the 19th century. They made their fortunes in the States and competed with each other to have the most opulent home.
Many of these are now hotels — we stayed in Hotel Capri, a restored villa that has been in the hands of the same family since the 1950s and provides a healthy dose of old-school glamour.
Others, such as the Palau Maricel, have been turned into museums. It was originally built in 1910 to house the art collection of American millionaire Charles Deering and is worth a visit.
Then, of course, there are those fabulous sandy beaches — 17 of them, to be precise. Unlike many Spanish seaside resorts, Sitges has no high-rise developments and there are picturesque views from every angle along the coast.
Really, with all this on offer, the biggest mystery about Sitges is that it doesn’t feel overrun by tourists.
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Even in the midst of the film festival it feels authentic and cosmopolitan — a place where people actually live rather than a tourist trap.
Swimming in the sea after a wonderful few days in Sitges, I can’t help but feel like I’ve stumbled upon Spain’s best kept secret.
It’s welcoming, convenient — and sunny. Surely it won’t stay a secret for much longer.
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