A character who knows everything about Cadaqués and is well-known there is Pere Vehí. Wise, eloquent, friendly, a great gastronome, and a huge lover of history and art. For the past few days, his phone has not stopped ringing, and he has been receiving emotional messages from all over the world. “As they say in Cadaqués, let's close the sails,” he nods when asked about the unexpected closure of Boia, the seaside terrace bar run by his son Manel Vehí, as vibrant as his father, who used to prepare the best, most spectacular, and award-winning cocktails on the Costa Brava.
“The Boia closed just a few days ago ('26 employees have been left without a job,' Vehí sadly explains), after the extension of the concession on the urban beach, Platja Gran, where it was located, was denied. The issue of appeals and counter-appeals has been long and tedious, ultimately forcing the Vehí family to dismantle one of the most beloved bars in Catalonia and along the entire Mediterranean coast, with almost 80 years of history. 'I was feeling terrible during the first days, but it has been a short mourning, as I see my son recovering after the initial blow and also that the rest of the family is doing better. And that's the most important thing.”
Cadaqués mourns the loss of a place with a soul that was frequented and enthusiastically praised by figures from Dalí to Foix, Pla, Guillermo Díaz-Plaja; from the Rolling Stones' Ronnie Wood to the artist Richard Hamilton, along with a long list of personalities from various disciplines. Vehí preserves a treasure trove of photos and texts that recount the history of this place, which will be showcased in a book written by the journalist Salvador Garcia Arbós, nearly completed. It will include 200 phrases, explains Vehí, “that make you tremble with emotion.”
The local cultural interest designation has not been enough to prevent the loss of a classic piece of the coast
Having the distinctive designation of a local cultural interest (BCIL) has not prevented them from being mandated to empty the interior, lower the blinds, and hand over the keys. Now there are those who remember that Boia was part of the identity of Cadaqués (they say it was an example of hospitality during the pandemic) and that it is already being missed. But the wise Pere Vehí, beloved in the town and in the restaurant scene (he was one of the most regular customers at El Bulli and continues to be at Miramar in Llançà, among other top establishments), prefers not to be carried away by sadness, anger, or nostalgia, but to appreciate the displays of affection that fill him with satisfaction.
