Day 1 4:15am
Ugh... I'm not a morning person, I rarely see this time of the morning and I was fairly surprised at how bright the sky was. But it only got me excited and feeling more awake to have my summer holiday in Spain with my boyfriend! After deciding not to buy each other Christmas presents last year, we decided to put all our money towards a summer holiday so Merry Christmas!
Ugh... I'm not a morning person, I rarely see this time of the morning and I was fairly surprised at how bright the sky was. But it only got me excited and feeling more awake to have my summer holiday in Spain with my boyfriend! After deciding not to buy each other Christmas presents last year, we decided to put all our money towards a summer holiday so Merry Christmas!
5am
Jack and his dad came to pick me up and take us to the airport. After a quick check in and swiftly making our way through security it gave me plenty of time to drag jack around duty free looking at all the makeup before we got breakfast.
Jack and his dad came to pick me up and take us to the airport. After a quick check in and swiftly making our way through security it gave me plenty of time to drag jack around duty free looking at all the makeup before we got breakfast.
7:45am
Take off! Bye bye Newcastle! The 2 hour 40minute journey didn't take long at all thanks to Don't Tell The Bride.
Take off! Bye bye Newcastle! The 2 hour 40minute journey didn't take long at all thanks to Don't Tell The Bride.
12:25 local time
With a flight without any delays we landed at Reus airport (its so tiny!). And managed to get our transfers to our hotel without any problems, I was already liking Salou already with its short transfer times and great views of Portaventura from the coach. After checking into our hotel, Sol Costa Daurada, unpacking and looking around the hotel; we decided to go for a walk to get some food where we stumbled across a little Irish bar called The Dubliner, a cozy little hut with friendly staff and good food. Plenty of vegetarian options for me there which was a good sign.
With a flight without any delays we landed at Reus airport (its so tiny!). And managed to get our transfers to our hotel without any problems, I was already liking Salou already with its short transfer times and great views of Portaventura from the coach. After checking into our hotel, Sol Costa Daurada, unpacking and looking around the hotel; we decided to go for a walk to get some food where we stumbled across a little Irish bar called The Dubliner, a cozy little hut with friendly staff and good food. Plenty of vegetarian options for me there which was a good sign.
8pm
After a spot of sunbathing, we decided to get ready for dinner in the hotel as we were half board. Top tip: the Spanish will assume that veggies like tuna, I felt sick when I tried some of the vegetable pasta and realised that it had chunks of tuna in it. After dinner we decided to go for a drink in the hotel bar where we got roped into quiz night, we nearly didn't stay but once I found out the theme was Musical Theatre Songs I had to stay, especially when I got 18/20... I still didn't win.
After a spot of sunbathing, we decided to get ready for dinner in the hotel as we were half board. Top tip: the Spanish will assume that veggies like tuna, I felt sick when I tried some of the vegetable pasta and realised that it had chunks of tuna in it. After dinner we decided to go for a drink in the hotel bar where we got roped into quiz night, we nearly didn't stay but once I found out the theme was Musical Theatre Songs I had to stay, especially when I got 18/20... I still didn't win.
Day 2
After sampling the hotel breakfast and had a morning sunbathing around the pool, we took advantage of the hotels free shuttle bus to the beach and had a lovely walk along the sea front before getting some lunch. There was so many lovely looking restaurants and bars which were trying to get us in to eat and drink, we usually find haggling annoying but we thought it would be nice to eat outside the hotel some nights. After a early dinner, we decided to go back along the beach front to see what the atmosphere was like at night, we were soon temped by a group of Irish promoters for another Irish bar called Temple Bar down a little alley way from the main mall strip, we were given free tequila and sours throughout the evening, a live band, and 2 cocktails for €7 you can't go wrong.
After sampling the hotel breakfast and had a morning sunbathing around the pool, we took advantage of the hotels free shuttle bus to the beach and had a lovely walk along the sea front before getting some lunch. There was so many lovely looking restaurants and bars which were trying to get us in to eat and drink, we usually find haggling annoying but we thought it would be nice to eat outside the hotel some nights. After a early dinner, we decided to go back along the beach front to see what the atmosphere was like at night, we were soon temped by a group of Irish promoters for another Irish bar called Temple Bar down a little alley way from the main mall strip, we were given free tequila and sours throughout the evening, a live band, and 2 cocktails for €7 you can't go wrong.
Day 3
Early start, big day trip for us as we went to Barcelona for the day! It was so convenient that our hotel was a 10 minute walk away from the train station where we could just hop on the train, chill for an hour and a half, admiring the coastal route, and then be in Barca. In such a big city and on a Saturday we completely forgot that the football would be on and the city was bombarded with Athletico Madrid fans (sorry if the spelling is wrong), except the atmosphere was fantastic and they could just easily walk in a crowd with the home fans, just goes to show the difference in competition between the England and Spain. Anyway, after finally trying to work our way around with the most inaccurate tourist map we got to see the outside of the football stadium, nothing pretty on the eyes mind; might have helped if we had arranged a proper tour of it. After this we decided to be proper tourists (if having a map and a bum bag wasn't enough) and go on the open top bus to see the city. After seeing more and more football fans creating an electric atmosphere around the west of the city, we decided to have lunch by the marina and have a look at all the boats and go in the shopping mall where I treated myself to some Kiko Milano make up (cheap as chips BTW). Another top tip: if you can speak basic Spanish well when you enter a restaurant you will be given a Spanish menu, never felt so awkward to ask for an English one... Its what you get for trying! But after lunch we went back on the bus and into the main part of the city, if you love water fountains and good architecture then this is the place to be, its beautiful once I had a quick stop at the Hard Rock Cafe to pick up a shot glass for my collection we finally decided to make our way back to the train station and got back to the hotel just in time before dinner was finished, had a drink in the hotel bar and had an early night.
Early start, big day trip for us as we went to Barcelona for the day! It was so convenient that our hotel was a 10 minute walk away from the train station where we could just hop on the train, chill for an hour and a half, admiring the coastal route, and then be in Barca. In such a big city and on a Saturday we completely forgot that the football would be on and the city was bombarded with Athletico Madrid fans (sorry if the spelling is wrong), except the atmosphere was fantastic and they could just easily walk in a crowd with the home fans, just goes to show the difference in competition between the England and Spain. Anyway, after finally trying to work our way around with the most inaccurate tourist map we got to see the outside of the football stadium, nothing pretty on the eyes mind; might have helped if we had arranged a proper tour of it. After this we decided to be proper tourists (if having a map and a bum bag wasn't enough) and go on the open top bus to see the city. After seeing more and more football fans creating an electric atmosphere around the west of the city, we decided to have lunch by the marina and have a look at all the boats and go in the shopping mall where I treated myself to some Kiko Milano make up (cheap as chips BTW). Another top tip: if you can speak basic Spanish well when you enter a restaurant you will be given a Spanish menu, never felt so awkward to ask for an English one... Its what you get for trying! But after lunch we went back on the bus and into the main part of the city, if you love water fountains and good architecture then this is the place to be, its beautiful once I had a quick stop at the Hard Rock Cafe to pick up a shot glass for my collection we finally decided to make our way back to the train station and got back to the hotel just in time before dinner was finished, had a drink in the hotel bar and had an early night.
Day 4
Just a chill day around the pool, we went back along the beach front for lunch and a change of scenery and then went straight back to the pool. After our dinner we decided to go out along the beach front once again for a drink however we were stopped by one bar showing the Britain's got Talent final so we ended up in there, (she shouldn't have named the act Jools and Matisse if it included other dogs, just saying).
Just a chill day around the pool, we went back along the beach front for lunch and a change of scenery and then went straight back to the pool. After our dinner we decided to go out along the beach front once again for a drink however we were stopped by one bar showing the Britain's got Talent final so we ended up in there, (she shouldn't have named the act Jools and Matisse if it included other dogs, just saying).
Day 5
I was up at silly o'clock because I was so excited! We already booked our tickets and had a light breakfast as we knew we would need empty stomachs to go on all the rides at PortAventura! Again, just a short walk away we made it to the theme park, and everything was fab! There was such a range of rides, I personally loved all 3 of the water rides, Furious Baco (think Aerosmith Rock n Rollercoaster if you've been to America) and Dragon Khan even though it took me 45 minutes to pluck up the courage to go on it. The park is known for its tallest rollercoaster in Europe, Shambala, however we didn't go on it because Dragon Khan messed our heads up so much! I do regret not going on it but its just an excuse for me to go back :P it was nice to be at the park when it was their 20th anniversary, the whole park was decorated accordingly and it was so pretty. The only downsides to the park were lack of signage and them using the same tongs for meat as they do for veggie food in the resturaunt (one for trip advisor). Even though our day in the park was long, we decided to eat out of the hotel tonight and went back to The Dubliner bar to tea as they literally served every kind of my favourite veggie food, I opted for nachos then pizza but I do regret not getting the veggie fajitas or the curry (just another excuse to go back).
I was up at silly o'clock because I was so excited! We already booked our tickets and had a light breakfast as we knew we would need empty stomachs to go on all the rides at PortAventura! Again, just a short walk away we made it to the theme park, and everything was fab! There was such a range of rides, I personally loved all 3 of the water rides, Furious Baco (think Aerosmith Rock n Rollercoaster if you've been to America) and Dragon Khan even though it took me 45 minutes to pluck up the courage to go on it. The park is known for its tallest rollercoaster in Europe, Shambala, however we didn't go on it because Dragon Khan messed our heads up so much! I do regret not going on it but its just an excuse for me to go back :P it was nice to be at the park when it was their 20th anniversary, the whole park was decorated accordingly and it was so pretty. The only downsides to the park were lack of signage and them using the same tongs for meat as they do for veggie food in the resturaunt (one for trip advisor). Even though our day in the park was long, we decided to eat out of the hotel tonight and went back to The Dubliner bar to tea as they literally served every kind of my favourite veggie food, I opted for nachos then pizza but I do regret not getting the veggie fajitas or the curry (just another excuse to go back).
Day 6
Recovery day around the pool, lunch at the poolside bar, back to sunbathing. A very unproductive day. However after dinner in the hotel the evening was interesting. Flowers bar is a great place but dangerous. There was a music quiz where you had to guess the name of the song and the artist and whoever guessed it first got a free shot... Well I got 7 so you can imagine what I was like, and Jack was roped into a pint downing competition where he disappointed me. However there was some other girls who had to play a game called Roxanne and was played with mixed shots (Google it, its dangerous). I met one of the girls, Amy, in the toilet and I let her know how impressed I was at her ability to down a pint in a competition between herself and the DJ, later on I was helping her assist her Roxanne opponent who was so drunk her boyfriend had left the bar without her, and once she left assist Amy's friend, Emily, who was being sick at the table- all of this in between playing pool and singing on karaoke. Me and jack ended up bumping into Amy and Emily on our way home as they were in the hotel next door to ours- best Glaswegian girls ever! After finally making our way back home it was a rough night...
Recovery day around the pool, lunch at the poolside bar, back to sunbathing. A very unproductive day. However after dinner in the hotel the evening was interesting. Flowers bar is a great place but dangerous. There was a music quiz where you had to guess the name of the song and the artist and whoever guessed it first got a free shot... Well I got 7 so you can imagine what I was like, and Jack was roped into a pint downing competition where he disappointed me. However there was some other girls who had to play a game called Roxanne and was played with mixed shots (Google it, its dangerous). I met one of the girls, Amy, in the toilet and I let her know how impressed I was at her ability to down a pint in a competition between herself and the DJ, later on I was helping her assist her Roxanne opponent who was so drunk her boyfriend had left the bar without her, and once she left assist Amy's friend, Emily, who was being sick at the table- all of this in between playing pool and singing on karaoke. Me and jack ended up bumping into Amy and Emily on our way home as they were in the hotel next door to ours- best Glaswegian girls ever! After finally making our way back home it was a rough night...
Day 7
A pretty low spirited morning. We missed breakfast and was eating cold pizza. With sore heads and nothing on our stomachs, we decided to make the most of our last day and go to the water park next to PortAventura. After lunch and going on the slides for a few hours we got quite tired quickly and decided after one of the 'baby' flume slides we would go home... Well this kids slide in the kids section was the most terrifying slide I had been on all day, even worse than how I felt about Dragon Khan. It was terrifying, even jack agreed. After a recovery from that slide we made our way back to the hotel, slowly began to pack then went for tea and had some games of pool in the hotel bar. We heard that a band was on by the pool so after a few games of cards we watched the band from our room balcony before bed.
A pretty low spirited morning. We missed breakfast and was eating cold pizza. With sore heads and nothing on our stomachs, we decided to make the most of our last day and go to the water park next to PortAventura. After lunch and going on the slides for a few hours we got quite tired quickly and decided after one of the 'baby' flume slides we would go home... Well this kids slide in the kids section was the most terrifying slide I had been on all day, even worse than how I felt about Dragon Khan. It was terrifying, even jack agreed. After a recovery from that slide we made our way back to the hotel, slowly began to pack then went for tea and had some games of pool in the hotel bar. We heard that a band was on by the pool so after a few games of cards we watched the band from our room balcony before bed.
Day 8
Bye Bye Salou :-( an early breakfast and checkout we got our transfers back to Reus airport. The airport is so tiny! I'm sure it is literally a square, well that's what the departure lounge was like anyways; 1 clothes shop to the left, duty free to the right, a tiny food court behind and the gates in front. This was it. Anyways after boarding the plane and sticking on 2 episodes of Don't Tell The Bride, we were back to Newcastle in no time: back to Newcastle, back to reality.
Bye Bye Salou :-( an early breakfast and checkout we got our transfers back to Reus airport. The airport is so tiny! I'm sure it is literally a square, well that's what the departure lounge was like anyways; 1 clothes shop to the left, duty free to the right, a tiny food court behind and the gates in front. This was it. Anyways after boarding the plane and sticking on 2 episodes of Don't Tell The Bride, we were back to Newcastle in no time: back to Newcastle, back to reality.
So, Salou itself... I really enjoyed this holiday, there is plenty to do, plenty of bars and restaurant and is a very friendly and likeable resort. I could hardly fault the Sol Costa Daurada hotel, the staff were friendly, it was very clean and the pool area and entertainment team were very good.
I would 100% go back and definitely recommend to a friend. Will miss you, Salou.
I would 100% go back and definitely recommend to a friend. Will miss you, Salou.
Elisa :-) x
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