TRAVEL DAY

DEPARTURE

Travelling from Newcastle airport was very efficient as their new security machines let you keep all liquids and electronics in your bag. However, the machines flag some liquids, so we recommend you refrain from taking any expensive liquids in your hand luggage as they may dispose of them. 

The flight was under 2.5 hours, which is great for families or people who prefer shorter flights. Throughout the flight, we were consistently offered hot meals and drinks. 

We got to the hotel by private transfer using Holiday Extras. They were waiting at arrivals with a sign with all our names on, so they were easy to find and helped us with our luggage. The transfer was only around 15-20 mins, again, great for families.

DAY ONE

THE H10

We arrived at H10 Salarius Palace, and our room was not available for check-in as we arrived at 12 pm. However, we were able to store our luggage until it was ready. The receptionist advised us of the H10 app, which allows you to get all the details of the hotel and its facilities. There is a supermarket a 5-minute walk from the hotel, which is handy.

The hotel is average—not too big, but not too small. A supermarket is a 5-minute walk from the H10 Salarius Palace. There is plenty of space by the pool and a rooftop terrace with a Jacuzzi. The hotel also has a spa, sauna, and indoor heated pool. You can book these easily using the H10 app. The hotel reception also has schedules with daily entertainment and details about the kids' club. 

The rooms were clean and spacious and have a good-sized balcony. They also have refillable toiletries, which is great for sustainability. The hotel is also using 100% renewable energy. 

The hotel's food was great. We had breakfast and an evening meal. Both had great food and variety, including a kid's section at the buffet with plenty of choices for fussy eaters. 

Tea and coffee are not automatically provided in the room; however, you can purchase them at the bar for 1.50 euros. 

The H10 Vintage is an adult-only hotel. It has a more relaxing feel and is suitable for a wide range of ages, meaning it would be great for anyone. A unique feature of this hotel was the rooftop bar, which had great views and reasonable drink prices. Soft drinks were around 2 Euros, and beer was around 3.50 Euros. The rooms were spacious, and the dining area had a lot of choices. The hotel offers reusable water bottles for 4.50 euros with free refills to compact single-use plastics. 

This hotel was closer to the Salou resort centre than the Salarius Palace if someone is looking for more of a 5-10 min walk to the beach. 

Salou has plenty of choices when it comes to bars and restaurants. We walked along the main street, which had various options, which was good because there was something for everyone. The beach was lively but not too crowded, and the weather was around 20 degrees. In the evening, we walked along the beach and wanted to see the sunset, which was beautiful. 

DAY TWO

PORTAVENTURA WORLD AND FERRARI LAND

The park is only a 15-minute walk from the H10 Salarius Palace, so it is an excellent location for access to the park. Getting in was easy; you only had to scan your ticket at the barrier. 

There is an app with a map of the park and free Wi-Fi. We pre-booked the tickets with Do Something Different, which was significantly cheaper than buying them there. A day pass for both parks was 80 euros when bought there! There was plenty of choice for food, with various cuisines. 

There were bins all around the park, so it was spotless. There were lots of toilets available, and I didn't queue once. The park was very accessible. Everywhere had ramps, and there were mobility scooters available to rent. They also have disability fast-track zones. 

As someone who doesn't like rides, I was unsure whether I would enjoy this, however, I loved it. Port Aventura world has different themed areas, including the Mediterranean, Mexico, China, Far West and many more. The other areas felt like you were in different worlds, and the attention to detail was excellent. Various shows are going on throughout the day. We watched the Polynesian show, and it was spectacular. Plenty was going on for people who didn't like rides and would still recommend going if you don't. 

The park is very sustainable. They have recycling points all around the park and a reusable cup scheme. You are automatically given a 1-euro reusable cup at the price. You can keep this as a souvenir or return it and get your money back. This is a great way to combat the use of single-use plastic. 

Ferrari Land opens from 16:00 to 22:00. Because it is so close to the park, we left around 4 pm and went back around 8 pm after dinner. I recommend this, as it meant we had time to relax, and the queues were a lot shorter. Ferrari Land was much smaller than Port Aventura World, but it was still great. 

DAY THREE

BARCELONA DAY TRIP

The train station is only a 15-minute walk from the H10 Salarius Palace. 

I recommend buying the train tickets in advance as the line for the ticket machine was huge when we arrived. We could buy them on the train but recommend going to the station in advance to get the train schedule details as it was slightly confusing.

We arrived around 12 pm, and the train arrived right at the centre of Barcelona. We walked 20 minutes to see the Sagrada Familia and explored Las Rambles. It was a brief visit to Barcelona but a great trip from Salou to explore a new city. It was hectic, so I wouldn't recommend taking families, but if you fancy a change of pace, this would be great.

For our last evening, we walked down to the beachfront for a drink. There were plenty of bars, each with a different atmosphere to suit anyone.