Au Soleil Mongol

It's only 15 minutes' drive from your quiet yurt base to the busy Catalan seaside town of Argelès sur Mer, known for having the longest beach in the Pyrenées-Orientales. Sea fishing, sailing, windsurfing and scuba diving are all popular here; as night falls, take yourself off to the town's many bars and clubs for eats, drinks and possibly a little dance. From Argelès, drive south for five kilometres to the port town of Collioure, for its handsome Old Town and colourful buildings, and from there south again to Banyuls-sur-Mer, 25 minutes from the site, for sea kayaking or diving around the marine reserve of Cap Rederis. If you're a coastal hiker, the 866-kilometre GR 10 winds up here on its way from the Atlantic Ocean's Bay of Biscay. More hikes are easily had in the spectacular countryside around the site: toddle off, for example, to meet the lumbering creatures of the most excellent Valley of the Turtles, three and a half kilometres away.