TRAVEL: PortAventura World unites the whole family

WHILE the concept of a family holiday abroad always sounds idyllic, the reality can often be quite different. In fact, trying to please everyone is possibly the greatest dilemma facing parents when travelling with children, particularly if there are age gaps to be factored.

Our recent holiday to Spain was a case in point. How do you keep the whole family happy when your nine-year-old boy competes with the demands of a sulky teenage girl? The solution, it seems, is to book a holiday to PortAventura World, the award-winning resort in Salou on the Costa Daurada in the Tarragona province.

While we were based in Barcelona for most of the week, PortAventura was just over one hour away by train, making a short mid-week break to the resort a very viable option. The park is walking distance from the train station, but I would recommend that you organise transport with your hotel in advance as there were no taxis waiting outside.

We were staying in the fabulous Wild West themed Hotel Gold River, which was an instant hit with the younger kids who instantly felt like real-life cowboys. Our accommodation was in one of the new Deluxe Callaghan rooms, which shares all the facilities and services of the main hotel but has its own reception area (the staff here were incredibly helpful and friendly).

There are a number of dining options at the hotel but we chose the Grand Hall Buffet, next to the City Hall building, where a range of international dishes was on offer to cater for all tastes. 

Located beside the Far West area of PortAventura World, the hotel’s guests enjoy full access to the park and rides. The only problem – if it can be described as such – was that the children enjoyed the hotel’s outdoor swimming pools so much that we literally had to drag them out.

There are six themed areas located within the vast reaches of PortAventura World, each with its own distinctive atmosphere.  

‘Far West’ is an American-flavoured Wild West area, dominated by the famous wooden Stampida rollercoaster and the Grand Canyon Rapids. And if you fancy a decent steak cooked to your liking, this is the place to be.

A personal favourite of mine was the ‘Meditterania’ area, which takes the form of a quaint fishing village, although the tranquillity is regularly shattered by screams as the Furius Baco – a horizontal catapult that flings you at 135 km/h in just three seconds – roars overhead.

The Polynesia area has some great family rides, particularly the Tutuki Splash where you are all guaranteed a good soaking. You can also climb aboard the Kontiki catamaran which allows you to experience what a tropical storm feels like.

Only our 18-year-old teenager was brave enough to take on the challenge of two of PortAventura’s most daunting rollercoaster rides, both of which are located in the ‘China’ section of the park.

 The Shambhala is the tallest rollercoaster in Europe and is not for the faint hearted. I was equally queasy as I watched her board the iconic Dragon Khan rollercoaster, with its eight loops and speeds of more than 110km/h. As for our daughter, these two rides were the indisputable highlights of her PortAventura experience.

A close rival in the thrill stakes is the Hurakan Condor, located in the ‘Mexico’ area, where adrenaline addicts can enjoy the rush of a 100 metre freefall drop. 

But it’s not just about scary rides – each world within PortAventura has plenty of attractions to keep the younger members of your family happy. The SésamoAventura area, inspired by the ‘Sesame Street’ TV programme, is particularly suitable for children under the age of 10.

Like any major theme park, PortAventura World can be a busy place, especially during peak holiday season. I would strongly recommend that you upgrade to express passes which will dramatically reduce queuing times on most of the major attractions.

We made this fatal error when we visited the adjoining PortAventura Caribe Aquatic Park, which offers an incredible range of pools and fun waterslides. While we enjoyed the cool, crashing waves of the main pool, the long queues for the main waterslides made us wish we had invested in express wristbands. We’ll know better next time.

My enduring memory of PortAventura will be the spectacular fireworks display in the Meditterania area which capped off one of the most enjoyable family evenings we’ve ever experienced. 

The only complaint from the kids was that our two-day visit was far too short. Already plans are being hatched for a full week’s holiday in the resort next year. Speaking of which, 2017 will see the highly anticipated opening of ‘Ferrari Land’ which is set to further consolidate PortAventura’s reputation as one of the greatest holiday parks on the planet. It will be home to the Vertical Accelerator, which will be both the fastest and highest rollercoaster in Europe.

For further information, visit www.portaventuraworld.com