3 Days in Salou, Spain

Salou is an amazing holiday destination for families with children, and I recently visited with Dylan, Archie and some friends with children the same age (and of course Rex came along too). We spent most of our time at Port Aventura and Ferrari Land, two theme parks that are sure to keep children of all ages (and parents) entertained.

One of the best things about Salou is its proximity to the beach. We balanced the busy days in the theme parks with a quieter one at the local beach, which was only a couple of minutes walk from our hotel. The sand was soft and white and during the Easter holidays it was so quiet. The seafront and town were full of souvenir shops, restaurants and cafes and some beautiful fountains. It wasn't quite warm enough for sea swimming in my opinion but we all had a paddle.

Salou is definitely a tourist destination and there are so many hotels to choose from. Our hotel had a huge pool with some fun water slides and plenty of sun loungers for relaxing. The kids could spend hours swimming and playing, and we could easily keep an eye on them while enjoying the sun (or chasing a toddler around). There was also a playground, games room and mini soft play for younger children as well as entertainment during the days and evenings. I imagine it gets very busy in the summer months but during our stay it was quiet. The restaurant on site is a buffet so you can book the hotel as an all inclusive or with just breakfast like we did.

One of the things I appreciated most about Salou was how child-friendly the town is, even late in the evening. There were always families out and about, enjoying the many shops, cafes, and restaurants. We never felt unsafe or unwelcome, which made our trip that much more enjoyable. We ate out in the evenings and I can highly recommend The Guiness Tavern which did excellent food and catered well for vegetarians and vegans.

Of course, the highlight of our trip was visiting PortAventura and Ferrari Land. There were so many thrilling rides and attractions to explore, and we loved every minute of it. From the adrenaline-pumping roller coasters to the interactive 4D experiences, there was something for everyone. Whilst the bigger kids went on the fastest rides and were being spun upside down, Rex and I could have a wander through Sesame Street Land and we even found some rides that he could go on (Some of them had no minimum height but you had to prove that your child could walk to go on them).

We also enjoyed exploring the different themed areas of the parks, like the Wild West and Mediterranea. The attention to detail was impressive, and we felt like we were transported to a different world. When we needed a break from the rides, there were plenty of snack stands to refuel and recharge and there were shops dotted around for buying souvenirs.

Ferrari Land boasts Red Force, a ride that goes from 0-180km in only 5 seconds and that Rex couldn't take his eyes off of. The park was open from 4pm-10pm during our visit and there are shows and exhibits as well as rides for all ages. Tickets are available that cover both parks and we chose a two day-two park ticket.

Overall, Salou is an excellent holiday destination for families with children, especially tweens. The proximity to the beach, the numerous hotels with great pools, and the child-friendly atmosphere of the town all make for a fantastic family vacation. With PortAventura and Ferrari Land right on your doorstep, theme park lovers are guaranteed an unforgettable time. If we had longer in Salou we would have loved to travel an hour up the coast for a day trip to Barcelona and to explore more of Catalunya.

We stayed in Hotel Jaime 1 and booked as a package. As the weather isn't guaranteed over Easter time the prices are cheaper than peak, so I paid around £500 in total for Myself and the three children which covered our flights, accommodation and breakfast for our 3 night stay. It was between 20 - 25 degrees during the day but dropped down in the evenings.

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Family Friendly Travel in Spain

Blue Monday has inspired me to think about our travel plans for the year and there are so many places I would love to visit with the children.  Having four aged six and under means we are most likely to stay in Europe and we need to choose places that have activities to suit all our small ones.  We visited Barcelona when Dylan was little and Spain is definitely high on our list of places to consider.

Hotels are pretty tricky now so we will have to check our Spanish mansions and villas to find the perfect accommodation for our family.  We prefer to stay somewhere that allows us to put the children to bed and still have a living space,  somewhere we can be a bit noisier, where they can spread out their toys on the floor and villas seem like the best option.  Spain is full of variety and I have been looking up some of the best places to take small children on holiday.  I would love to hear if you have visited any of these places or if there is anywhere else you think we should add to our list?!

Barcelona 

We visited Barcelona years ago and loved how much there was to do for families.  Park Guell was probably our favourite place and it features Gaudi's mosaic dragon.   There was something for everyone,  the stunning architecture, the beautiful colours and textures and the history fascinated us, whilst the fun grottos, the picnic area and playgrounds are the perfect places to let the children run free.  Barcelona is full of fascinating architecture, green spaces and child friendly restaurants.

Calpe

Beautiful beaches, child friendly restaurants and amazing ice cream.  Situated between Valencia and Benidorm you can make the most of all the city and resorts have to offer including an amazing aquarium in Valencia with a walrus and a beluga whale but you can also enjoy the quieter side. (recommended by Edspire)

Salou

Salou is the perfect place for a family holiday with it's golden beaches and busy strip with restaurants and shops. The Orient Express restaurant comes highly recommended and there is a huge variety of delicious food to suit everyone. Port Aventura is a huge theme situated close by and is easy to get to via coaches. (recommended by mum of 2point5)

Calella de Palafrugell

Such a typically Spanish place, the beaches are beautiful with calm seas and crystal clear waters, there's an ice cream parlour with 40 varieties of ice cream, you can buy stonebaked pizzas to eat on the beach with a blanket (and a bottle of cava for the grown ups) at night time and the staff in all of the restaurants here are so lovely and hug you like old friends. (recommended by North East Family Fun)

Ibiza

Not just for the clubbers, Ibiza is full of child friendly beaches with soft golden sand, lifeguards in the summer, crystal clear water and sun loungers.  Captain Bobcat has written about some of the best child friendly beaches on the island. 

Menorca

As well as the beaches that surround the island, Menorca boasts caves that are a little explorers dream, seas so clear that young swimmers can go snorkelling and plenty of waterparks for the big and little kids in the family.  Menorca is fantastically family friendly. ( Recommended by Truly Madly Kids)

Benalmadena

With a theme park, crazy golf, sealife centre, parks and a zoo this is a great destination for families that like to keep busy.  Situated on the Costa Del Sol and close to Malaga and Marbella, you can even take a cable car to the top of Mount Calamorro to take in breathtaking panoramic views of the Meditteranean. (recommended by Five Little Doves)

photo credit - BabyFoote

There are so many options to consider from beautiful beaches to pretty cities and the wonderful islands that offer quiet retreats.  I loved the Spanish attitude on our city break there, how even the teenagers would smile at my one year old, how it was never frowned upon to have your toddler in a restaurant and everyone would help us when we needed it.  Spain is such a great place to visit as a family and we will definitely be considering it for our summer holiday.

Where is your favourite Spanish destination?

This post is in collaboration with Luxury Retreats

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Budget Holiday Tips for Families

We are a family that loves to travel, but as we have grown, we have had to think more about how to make our holiday's as cost effective as possible.  With four children we don't often fit the standard family requirements and we have had to change the way we travel to reflect this.  Here are some of my top tips for travelling on a budget.

1) Flexibility makes it easier to get a better price so search for flights for the week you want to go away and check if one day is significantly cheaper than the others.  Fridays are usually the most expensive so being able to go midweek can pay off.  Flexibility on location helps too, you may want to go to Spain for example but browsing a site like Spain-Holiday.com and checking out different regions means you can find something to fit every budget.

2) Book each part of the holiday separately to ensure you are getting the best deals.  Check out sites like skyscanner to compare flight prices and book everything direct with the company to avoid paying any additional fees. 

3) It can pay to stay a little further away from where you want to be to save some pennies and also give you more living space for your money.  Choosing to rent a holiday house can be much easier with a larger family too as you have space to settle the children to bed and still have some adult time rather than playing cards by the light of your phones in a dark hotel room (which we have done more than once). Check out the local transport to see how this could work for you.

4) Choose what is important to you.  We often fly with the cheapest budget airline and don't pay for any frills like choosing seats or quick boarding.  We are happy to stay in cheaper accommodation if it means more money for eating out and going on trips.  If you are planning on cooking more then spend a little more choosing the right holiday home with a decent sized kitchen.

5) Travel with friends - if there are a group of you looking for the same kind of holiday then check out some bigger rental properties.  On Spain-Holiday.com you can filter by the number of guests and there are stunning villas that sleep up to 16  - you get to split the cost and have a private pool!

6) Booking early is the best way to guarantee low prices and ideally 11 months before you want to travel is the cheapest.  Alternatively, wait until 3 days before you want to go away to make the most of the last minute deals.  Both have advantages of course but planning early gives you more chance to save and pay things off slowly.

7) Before you go away look for discounted entry tickets for local attractions, whether there are any festivals on, free days to visit things or cards that offer entry to multiple places.      

We love to travel and try and cut down costs so that we can go away more often.  Do you have any great budget tips to share?

Collaborative Post

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