La Pineda, Catalonia

Claire Young on 05 January 2018
Having already visited in Summer 2016, we decided to return to La Pineda in August 2017, taking my friend and her family along. You would think a party made up of two 60 year olds, three in our late 30's, two aged 11, an 8 year old and an 18 month old, you wouldn't be able to please everyone - but you'd be wrong.

Only 1hr 50m flight and a short 30-minute transfer by coach from Reus airport, with great day flights made the trip with a baby really easy. We left Manchester at 7am and were at Estival Park Hotel & Apts by 11am. Hotels in the region rarely complete check in before 1pm but we had popped some swimwear into the hand luggage so when we arrived we left the cases with the friendly staff at reception, paid 10Euro each by the pool for pool towel (refundable on return of towel) then let the kids hop in the pool so they were entertained while we waited for our room.

Reception called us on our mobile at 12.15 and we left the kids in the pool with Grandad whilst we went to unpack. Having been before I emailed ahead to ask if we could have the same rooms as last year - that's what we got. We loved the view of the beautiful parkland and golf course facing the hotel, so this was a great start to our second stay.

The complex itself is made up of three main hotel blocks and several apartment blocks in the grounds of the complex. If you are staying on all-inclusive you have use of all three restaurants in any block. For other board basis’ the options are a bit more limited. We usually stay on all-inclusive and I have to say as a family with mixed tastes and ages we never struggled to find something we wanted to eat. That said kids will be kids and as a mother I spend most of my days forcing vegetables and salad into my children, so when we are on holiday anything goes. They loved the all-inclusive snack bar where they feasted on chips, chicken breast pieces, burgers, hot dogs or ham and cheese toasties plus the odd smattering of lettuce.

The main bar was great. All the staff were brilliant especially Pepe who makes sure it all runs smoothly. There is a supplement for branded spirits and some beers. My dad loved the self-service bar area where he could help himself to Sangria, there was also beer, soft drinks, milkshakes and ice cream. But the best part for me was the large fridges filled to the brim with bottled water which you could help yourself to all day. Small drink size bottles and large bottles for when you were heading out.

The hotel also allows you to use any of the three pools at the main hotel blocks and facilities in each. The grounds of the complex are beautiful and there is also a sheltered play area with swings and slides next to the hotel run kids club. The animation staff are the heart and soul of Estival, with their own mascot Estivi who comes out to see the children at various times of the day. There is aqua-aerobics, games, water volleyball throughout the day as well as an amazing evening entertainment either by the hotels own animation team or acts who come in from outside. Strolling out of the hotels and down to the sea front you pass the hotels Aquum Spa. Can you believe you can have a spa treatment which is a bath in chocolate!

Once you get down to the front you will find La Pineda is a beautiful alternative to Salou and Cambrils. In the town of Vila-Seca which is divided into two, between Pineda and the pretty old city centre of Tarragona. It has everything a family needs for a great summer getaway. Platja de La Pineda is a large curved bay with lovely shallow waters for families with younger children. The pretty sea front is lined with shops and restaurants to cater to every taste.

Traditional Catalan restaurants serve all manner of local dishes including fresh sea food, if that isn't what you're looking for there is a selection of other restaurants to choose from. Denise, Paul, Dan and Liss can thoroughly recommend the Italian option! In the evenings you can stroll down the front and watch the lights of the cruise ships sailing past into Tarragona harbour. It's all flat too, so it's great if you have a pushchair or those travelling with a wheelchair. When we were not spending days round the pool or on the beach, it’s a 10-minute walk to Aquopolis Water Park, I never thought I would see my dad Colin (69), Daisy (11) and Daniel (11) race each other down the Kamikaze slide. Darcy (8) loved the play area for younger kids and Alyssia was well away in the baby area.

Just 15 minutes by bus the old city centre Tarragona, the City of the Human Towers (festival for this can be seen between 24 June-24 September), is simply beautiful. We spent a full day here just wandering down the Rambla Nova (a mini Las Ramblas) and into small squares where we watched the locals go about their day. The view from the top of the Rambla Nova is amazing. We visited the Roman Ruins, following the Roman route of the town and walked the winding streets up to Tarragona Cathedral. On certain days you can watch an actual re-enactment of Roman Gladiators in the Coliseum too. Our pictures don’t do it justice.

The same journey in the opposite direction by bus took us to a compete contrast to the quiet of La Pined, Salou is busy and full of shops, bars, eateries including a few fast food options. Salou is beautiful in the evenings when the musical light show appears in the fountains along the promenade. Which again is flat making it easy access. The highlight for us this year was the Sant Magi Festival. We watched the procession of the Festival followed by amazing fireworks. Whilst it was busy and eventually the kids were tired I don't think I will ever forget standing with my family and my very best friend sharing the moment with our children. We didn’t visit Port Aventura but it’s a short walk from the centre of Salou. Well worth a visit.

A bit further on from Salou is Cambrils, again easily accessible by bus. The more upmarket area has a yacht marina. The beach is great again here too with not only wooden play areas built under the shady trees that line the front but also lovely boutiques and eateries.

From Cambrils Station you can catch the train into Barcelona, it takes approximately an hour and is well worth the visit. Because I could talk about this city for ever I decided to pop that on a separate blog for you.

If you want to know any more about the Estival Park Hotel and Apartments or see any more of our holiday snaps/videos get in touch.