Sunday 25 May 2014

Where we're NOT going on holiday...#1 Port Aventura

Sadly, we will not be going on holiday this year due to some pretty dire financial straits, but hey, we went to Disneyland last year, so we certainly cannot complain.

I'm still not sure how we are going to break the news to the boys, who are desperately excited about summer holidays (all 7 weeks of them!  Help!), but hey, that's life, huh?

Here's a review of all the fabby places we were dreaming of going this year.  I'm running this as series of blogs so as to give each the proper dream-time it deserves.

Dreams are allowed. Always dream big.


1. Port Aventura


When we were last in Port Aventura in 2010, it was amazing!  I am a total rollercoaster freak and really know my Vekomas from my Arrows.

When we booked Port Aventura it was just 1-year-old Thomas, Dave and I.  And what happened before we were due to make a final payment on this amazing, all-inclusive holiday of our lives?

I fell pregnant.

Worst timing ever.


Not only is it completely not fun being hugely pregnant in a hot country, but if you are 'embarassades' you cannot ride. Anything.

I think I was the most gutted I have ever been.

Dave, however, was in his element.  Not only could he ride all of the amazing rides front row as a single rider in the single queue lines, he also had a ready-made baby and bag watcher.


He rode the amazing and completely perfectly named Dragon Khan...


...got cooled down on some truly awesome water-rides...



...and got to take Tom on some of his first theme park rides.





I have to say, although it was pretty much one of the most soul-destroying things ever for such a massive ride and theme park fan to have to sit on the sidelines as a bystander, not all was lost.

Port Aventura offered some of the best themeing I have seen - it certainly rivals Disney in terms of photo-ops and carefully-designed amenities.  There was plenty for people who cannot ride, for whatever reason, including maurauding Mariachi bands, Sesame Street characters so many fantastic side shows like puppeteers, bird displays and tribal dancing, all themed to either Meditteranea, The Far West, Mexico, China or Polynesia.



Staying at Hotel El Paso, we had an all-inclusive holiday, meaning unlimited breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets which offered an astounding array of cuisines, including traditional Spanish fare.  We also had our pick of snacks throughout the day in both the theme park and the hotel as part of our deal, and free refills on drinks to keep us all hydrated.

Imagine starting your day with this!

Staying on-site with a toddler also meant that we were among the first up, breakfasted and to enter the quiet park, which was a lovely way to start the day.  And having 10 nights there meant that we could chill out and take our time to wander around, rather than trying to cram it all in.







We were very lucky to have gone at the 15 year celebrations too - there were loads of extra decorations and activities.











As part of the package we booked through Thomas Cook, we also had a day trip in Barcelona, where we visited the huge Barcelona Zoo and went on a wander down Las Ramblas, the main market strip, which was certainly an eye-opener!





Las Ramblas
I think if we go back (WHEN we go back - I NEED to ride those rides!) we will definitely be going for 10 days.  It was a perfect length of time to accommodate everything that we could do and meant that we didn't knacker ourselves in the heat trying to 'do' rides.

Although, with 2 small boys who take up space on aeroplanes and sleep in real beds rather than a baby cot, we shall have to do some considerable saving up.

Looking at their website, they are teasing me with such beauties as Shambhala, the sister coaster to Dragon Khan


and a great new area that the kids will just die for


I swear, if Dave knocks me up before we can go back, he will be dealing with a home-made vasectomy!

In the meantime, we are saving, saving, saving.  Port Aventura is the perfect mix of sun and theme parking.

Take me back!



Stay tuned for the next instalment....our dreams of Disneyland! Dream big!


5 comments:

  1. OMG, This looks like so much fun. I completely understand having to skip family trips due to momentary financial hardships. You will get to go back and show your lovelies all the fun that is to be had at an amusement park.

    I kind of want to go myself now but I have to save up. Thanks for introducing me to a new place to visit. Great post

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    1. Thanks for looking :) It really is an amazing place! I remember coming home and feeling so very chilled out and happy and so glad we had spent the money. It is expensive, but sometimes you really need this kind of stuff in your life. Yes we are skint now, but we have some amazing memories - and that's what we live for. I could die tomorrow (touch wood) - live life in the moment. I should make this a family motto!

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  2. Went there several years ago (off season holiday i.e. bargain and not stupidly hot - to the nearby Salou). Dragon Khan was awesome as was their halloween theming - mainly ppl being tortured with such detail as them having peed themselves. Oh and the queues were also holoweened up complete with ppl jumping out at you with fake chainsaws. Hopefully get back there some day too.

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  3. Looks like a fun place to visit one day. Hope you get to go back and enjoy some of those rides!

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  4. Elmo is ALOT bigger than I always imagined... I think I should have shares in the place the amount of people I sent there when I worked as travel agent! Looks amazing!

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