EVERYONE who visits Barcelona falls under its spell. What's not to love about the beautiful Catalan city with its heady mix of beautiful architecture, spectacular food and laidback inhabitants? The place seems to have a special resonance for Irish people, so it's quite likely that you'll bump into someone you know as you wander around Las Ramblas markets. But for those who want to experience the Catalan magic and who would prefer to stay off the typical tourist trail, a charming solution lies 22 miles southwest of Barcelona. The resort town of Sitges - cosmopolitan, upmarket and very hip - has been likened to Cannes and is the destination of choice for holidaying Spaniards and in-the-know Europeans. The former fishing village is also extremely gayfriendly, a fact made obvious by the lively nightlife and welcome lack of holidaying lager louts, or burger joints for that matter.

If your impressions of Spanish resorts have been hitherto based on Torremolinos or even Ibiza, a visit to Sitges will make you reassess. It's the kind of town that provokes a Peter Mayle A Year in Provence type desire to up sticks and move here. However, this is a dream that is unlikely to become a reality for most, considering that property prices here rank among the most expensive in the country.

Because of its unique microclimate, there are on average 300 days of sun in Sitges, from February to November, making it an excellent choice for a winter/spring break.

Go at this time of year and you'll avoid the franticness of high season and still catch E some unhealthy but life-affirming rays.

So, what to do in Sitges? Actually leaving your hotel would be a good start and it's a lot more difficult than you'd imagine if you stay, as we did, in the luxurious Dolce Sitges, which nestles on the hills. You could happily spend your entire visit here, with its views of the Mediterranean Sea, spa, and gourmet food. Ah, the food. Sitges has a fine selection of really good bars and restaurants, and if you were to dedicate your time solely to eating and drinking, you'd still have a memorable time. As a fishing town in a wine-growing region, gastronomy plays a pivotal role in the Sitges experience. You'll find the traditional dishes of tapas and paella here, but more adventurous palates should seek out Catalan specialties like xato. This is a salt cod and tuna salad with an almond, garlic, nyora pepper, vinegar and olive oil dressing, served usually with onions and olives, and traditionally accompanied with various kinds of omelettes. Arros negre, a paella cooked with black squid ink, is another essential dish to try, as is a glass of the local wine, malmsey, a liqueur wine of which only 4,000 litres a year are produced.

In terms of fine dining, they certainly know how to pull out all the stops. Any chance of not returning half a stone heavier disappears in the face of delights like a smoked potato soup with foie gras and lentils in the pretty beachside restaurant of Pic Nic on Passeig Maritim, or the meltingly tender beef cheek terrine in the Esmarris restaurant in the Dolce Sitges hotel. In terms of nightlife, make your way to the area behind Platja de la Ribera and Platja de la Fragata, the quarter where all the best parties happen. Also, head to the sea front on the 1er de Maig and Placa Industria, where you'll find some hopping bars. Sitges' reputation as a party town is enhanced by the fact that there's always some kind of festival happening.

Next up is the carnival from 15-21 February, at which 250,000 attendees are expected, and which includes 'Fatty Thursday' where local dishes are offered, as well as drag shows. Other notable fiestas are the vintage car rally on the first Sunday in March, the international jazz festival in July/August, the grape harvest festival in mid September and the October film festival, which is regarded quite highly on the international film circuit.

Culture mightn't be the primary reason for visiting Sitges but there's much to discover. The town is strongly associated with the artist Santiago Rusinol, (1861-1931) the Barcelona-born artist and founder of the Catalan Art Nouveau movement, who made his home here. You can visit Cau Ferrat, his home-workshop, where his works and some of Picasso and El Greco are displayed, as well as Rusinol's collection of wrought iron. The explanation for the latter is that he collected them because they symbolised traditions lost during the revolution.

Close by is the Maricel Museum which houses works form the middle ages and a collection of seafaring instruments and model ships. Across the road is the wildly impressive Palau Maricel, built by the American millionaire Charles Deering who wanted to buy Cau Ferrat from Rusinol and when he couldn't, decided to emulate it and store his prodigious art collection here. It's now used for civil weddings and other events.

As these museums are all located in close proximity, you can probably get the cultural bit over and done with in one morning and tours of the old quarter, lasting from one and a half to two hours in length can be arranged. This will leave you plenty of time to concentrate on one of Sitges main attractions, the beaches, of which there are 17 in total stretching for four kilometres.

They're of the beautiful, sandy variety, populated with appropriately beautiful people. In summer time, it gets very crowded with families and sun seekers but not distressingly so.

Of course, one of Sitges' most appealing qualities is that it's perfectly positioned for exploration further afield. If you do feel like a little bit of Barcelona action, the city is only half an hour away, offering more shopping possibilities than Sitges, which has plenty of chic little boutiques, jewellery and craft stores but lacks the high-street thrill of Zara Home and Pull and Bear.

Another day-trip option is a visit to Montserrat, the most important holy place in Spain after Santiago de Compostela.

Located on a mountain, this was where a black statue of Mary was found and declared to be a miracle. Alternatively, take a trip to one of the vineyards as we did, visiting the Bodegas Torres. It's a relatively well-known label in Ireland and it's fascinating to see the winemaking process and explore the property, not to mention sample some of the high-end produce.

It's said of Sitges that the light here is different, which sounds like classic tourist brochure speak, were it not true. It's all about the colour - the blue sky and sea; the white buildings; the red sunsets, which have a mystical quality to them. Watching the explosions of reds and oranges over the Med Sea, glass of malmsey in hand, is a sybaritic moment, never to be forgotten.

GETTING THERE STAYING THERE Getting there Aer Lingus flies to Barcelona airport and a return flight, departing Dublin at 7.15am, 22 January, returning from Barcelona at 11.30am, 27 January, costs Euro127.37. Sitges is approximately 30 minutes away by car and by train.

www. aerlingus. com Stay at Dolce Sitges, Av Cami de Miralpeix, 12, 08870 Sitges, Spain; tel: 0034 938 109 000;

Double rooms from Euro252 in low season and Euro319 in high season email:

www. sitges@dolce. com; sitges. dolce. com www. sitges. com www. gayinsitges. com www. sitgestur. com