Costa Brava in July/August: Is Air-conditioning really necessary?

February 10, 2015 4:06 PM

Booking my 5 day stay in the Costa Brava at the height of the season right now, and I've kept it confined to small towns to mitigate the crowds. We are looking at houses on the coast in wooded environs, and I've noticed many of the best houses seem to have no A/C. Since they're right on the water I imagine that keeps the heat from being unbearable. Still, my partner is very heat sensitive, so just how comfortable is it without A/C?
posted by stranger danger to Travel & Transportation around Vilobi de Onyar Girona, Spain (2 answers total)

Look for houses built in the traditional manner with thick stone walls: that'll provide good protection during the day (and stay warm at night) because the stone absorbs the heat.
posted by holgate at 4:42 PM on February 10, 2015 [1 favorite]

We don't know when you're going, and we don't know what you're used to, or what is unbearable to your partner. So this answer will be of limited value.

Looking at a climate chart, it seems that in July/August (the hottest months) the average temperature is 28°C. In a thick-walled house on the cost, that is probably not at all unbearable to most people. That is probably the reason why many of those houses don't have air conditioning: it's not seen as a necessity.

In Europe in general, air conditioning may not be as common as in the US even in comparable climates. But everyone still wants to be comfortable if they can afford it. If the heat in these houses were unbearable to most people, the owners would have air conditioning installed, if only for commercial reasons.
posted by Too-Ticky at 3:38 AM on February 11, 2015 [1 favorite]