Salou discovers its Modernista and Noucentista Route

Salou. Costa Dorada. 06 February 2026. A total of 14 buildings and constructions are included in the recently inaugurated Modernista and Noucentista Route of Salou, one more step of the municipality to highlight its rich architectural heritage of the early 20th century. Chalets, a water tank, a hotel and an apartment building are part of a guided tour that completes the tourist offer of the capital of the Costa Dorada.

Most of the buildings are located on Paseo Jaume I, which began to be urbanized with the construction of the first chalets right in front of the sea by the hand of the architect Josep Simó i Bofarull. The economic power of Reus, just 10 kilometers from Salou, drove the wealthy families of Reus to build these architectural jewels to spend the summer. Today, the preservation of these buildings becomes a symbol of the tourist identity of Salou.

On Passeig Jaume I the route includes:

• The Xalet Bonet or Voramar of 1921, by the architect from Reus Domènec Sugrañes Gras, disciple of Gaudí, who succeeded him in directing the works of the Sagrada Familia. The promoter was the textile businessman Ciriac Bonet i Escarrer, and is the most outstanding building on the route.

• the Villa Enriqueta chalet or Pellicer Querol chalet, from 1923, in the Noucentista style.

• The Xalet Torremar or Recasens chalet, from 1928-1929, designed by Josep Simó Bofarull, commissioned by the financier and politician Eduard Recasens i Mercadé, who was mayor of Reus and promoter of the banks of Catalonia and Reus. It is currently the headquarters of the Salou Municipal Tourism Board.

• The Xalet Miarnau Navàs, from 1928, in the Noucentista style that Josep Maria Miarnau Navàs commissioned to his son architect Josep Miarnau Ciurana. It is also known as the Virgin of La Pineda chalet because the facade is decorated with a mosaic with the image of this mother of God.

• The Xalet Mallorquí, from 1928, promoted by the Mallorcan family that was dedicated to the export of nuts. Later it was known as the chalet of Germany, since it was bought by a family originally from that country. It was a more modest construction than the current one, since it only had two floors. 

• The Xalet Loperena, from 1925, a Noucentista residence designed by Domènech Suga.es i Gras commissioned by Josep Loperena i Romà, a notary from Girona who worked in the Camp de Tarragona. The use of brick as a constructive and decorative element stands out.

• The Xalet Miarnau Ciurana, built in 1932 by order of Joan Miarnau Ciurana, in Noucentista style and with elements that recall a traditional Catalan farmhouse. 

The route continues along Carrer Barcelona, on the second line of the sea, where you can admire:

• The Hotel Niza, from 1929, which combined the Noucentista and Neoclassical style, to offer the first holidaymakers an ideal accommodation due to its proximity to the beach. The dome and vases that crowned the building are no longer there, and the roof space is entirely dedicated to hotel rooms.

• The Xalet Salas, from 1917, is a Noucentista work by the architect Josep Simó i Bofarull. It is a detached house.

• The Xalet Fort, from 1922, promoted Francisco Fort Romeu, is a summer house that in 2013 became municipal property and in 2025 the rehabilitation was inaugurated as the headquarters of the first Chair of Tourism Innovation and Research of the Costa Dorada of the Rovira i Virgili University (URV), in addition to hosting an Information Point and spaces for cultural and citizen activities. 

The rest of the buildings of the Modernista and Noucentista Route of Salou are:

• The Water Depot on Carrer del Nord, 26. The businessman Ciriac Bonet built a well and this raised tank to supply water to the new houses that he promoted in the future Paseo Jaume I. Later he converted the space into the Garden of the Fountains. 

• The 1930 Houses on Major Street 12-18. They are two terraced houses from 1932 that initially formed part of the Miarnau Ciurana chalet estate to house the service staff. Later they became summer houses to rent.

• The Xalet Pujades on Carrer Guillem de Montcada, 15, built in 1928 in the Noucentista style. The main uniqueness of this summer house is that it included pavilions connected to the main house to facilitate sports without leaving the farm, following the European trends of the time.

The Sol i Mar Apartments, from 1925-29, by the architect Domènec Sugrañes i Gras. It was the first apartment building built in Salou and throughout Catalonia. In 2011 the building was saved from demolition by a public campaign. The restoration was carried out by the Tarragona architect Xavier Climent and was reopened in 2006. It is located on Ponent street, 9/carrer de Joan Miró, 19 / Mestral street, 9 and Iglesia street, 20.

Each building of the Modernista and Noucentista Route of Salou has an identification plate with a QR code from which you can access an audio guide in Catalan, Spanish, English or French, which explains the main characteristics of each building of the route, as well as old photographs. It is also planned to make dramatized visits of the route.

In the presentation of the Modernista and Noucentista Route, which has been made in the Xalet Fort, the mayor, Pere Granados, stressed that these architectural movements in Salou have the particularity that they are linked to the summer, especially of the wealthy families of Reus and Barcelona. 

The mayor also said that “Culture and historical heritage are essential to break with seasonality”, and recalled the remains of the Roman villa of Barenys and the Greek colony of Kallipolis, which are part of the rich and diverse tourist offer of the municipality.

For his part, the general director of the Catalan Heritage Agency, Quim Borràs, has especially highlighted the works of Gaudí's disciple, Domènec Sugra'es, such as the Xalet Bonet, the Villa Enriqueta and the Xalet Mallorquí. Borràs added that betting on heritage as Salou does means betting "for a model of sustainable and balanced development."

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