Salou-Costa Dorada (Costa Dorada)

Member Name: michelle670

Product:	Costa Dorada
Date:	04/09/08 (14 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Clean beach,Port Aventura,

Disadvantages: Bit boring, not fantastic for families

I went to the Costa Dorada the resort of Salou last year and stayed in the Salou Princess on a half board basis. We picked this particular Costa because we heard some good reviews and wanted a bit of a variety of things to do.

The view from our room was fantastic, we were able to see the Port Aventura theme park in the distance of which some of the rides looked terrifying! The stroll to the beach wasnt too far and there was plenty of space on the beach so people weren't sat on top of each other. The beach was parallel to the Jaime 1 promenade which was often nice to stroll along but quite slippery! If you keep walking along here you come to an intersection which takes you right up to the train station where you can get a short train ride to Barcelona. What we didnt realise is that we were standing right on the road which was infact the railway line, so perhaps it would help if you looked out for this. We stumbled upon this amazing ice cream shop, it had every flavour you could imagine! I had pistachio my all time favourite with a large scoop of coffee, it was quite possibly the best ice cream i have ever tasted, expensive but worth it!

During the evening along the beach there are numerous fountains which come to life. They display various formations and colour combinations with one being different to the next. It was very relaxing just sitting there taking in the beauty of the water falling in various ways.
In the corner, off the beach there is a nice little bar called Lunattic which serves generous portions of food right by the beach without getting sandy feet. I was completely spoilt for choice and made a change from eating the same old boring stuff that the hotel had to offer.

We decided to get a water park and Port Aventura three day pass. So on one day we went to the water park which was absolutely packed, full of screaming children! The rides were nothing new but was just nice to relax without having sand flicked everywhere. One thing to mention is the safety of one of the water rides. There is a particular section with rides inside. These were the only ones that we hadn't been on so we thought we might aswell have a go. I went on one and my friend went on the other. It was a massive slide which twisted and turned which required you to launch yourself into a tunnel of darkness. Now Im not one to moan but i was petrified! For starters I was going way too fast and lost all sense of direction. I ended up having water splashed up into my face because of the force and when I came out of the shoot another wave hit me smack in the face and sent me under. Now im pretty good at swimming and im a qualified life guard and that experience wasnt funny. I had swallowed too much water to the extent I was struggling to breathe. I pointed to the life guard to hit me on the back because I couldnt breathe and she responded by blowing her whistle telling me to get out! My friend came down in a right state clutching her head. She could see I was on the floor having problems breathing and immediately took action. After I composed myself she told me what happened. She said she was also going too fast down the slide and ended up going upside down smacking her head whilst coming back down again. She had a huge bump on her head which drew blood. I was a little shocked if anything. We didn't go back on those slides again. So perhaps a word of warning, be careful on the green and white slides at the water park!

The following day we went to Port Aventura. To be honest I wasnt sure what to expect but the thought of not another over priced theme park to waste my money on. It was okay, full of children again. There were so many ques it got quite boring after a while especially in the heat. We made sure we went on everything, although we both refused to go on hurricane condor as we both agreed we wouldnt be able to handle it. There were plenty of water rides for those who dont like rollar coasters so there was definately something for everyone. There were also many shows that you could go and watch; bubble man(or something of the like), an Asian acrobatics show, hawaiin dancing so many things to watch and not enough time. The food in the park was a bit bland for my liking and over priced. I was completely put off when I found a massive hair in my food. I went and told them and they started shouting at me in Spanish. I couldn't be bothered so left them the "hairy" food.
The second day we only went back in the evening because we wanted to see the night show at 12 midnight. This was a nice experience and it was surprising to see so many people. The fireworks over the lake looked amazing!

The hotel we stayed in was okay. Room was cleaned regulary and on one occassion the maid came in at half 6 to find us both asleep! On a few occassions the door didnt shut properly and we often woke up with the door wide open. We found it strange that you couldnt lock the room from the inside. The food in the hotel was okay. Had something for everyone which was nice, but i was getting a bit bored by the amount of chips being served up. But I shouldnt moan there was always several meat dishes available, salads of all varieties and vegetables to accompany. I preferred breakfast because it was nice to have a change every morning, but I must admit the orange juice was rancid!So really for the price we paid I shouldn't moan. We also on one day had a packed lunch instead of an evening meal which meant we could go away for the day and not worry about eating.

With most resorts which are heavily aimed at the English tourists, there were many resturants along the strip with waiters hanging around outside waiting to grab your custom. I found this a little uneasy especially when I was literally grabbed to come into one particular resturant. We were polite and made a swift exit.

One thing I regret with this particular holiday is the fact that we didn't have the opportunity to go to Barcelona or explore the whole area for that fact. I would strongly recommend anyone going here to make the most of the fact that there are so many places to visit in the surrounding areas which are just a short train/bus journey away.

A good family resort, but doesnt have much for families apart from the water park and Port Aventura. I feel it is more suited for people wanting a cheap escape to the sun!

Summary: Sun, Sea, Theme Parks and Tacky shops!