Now, I guess most people wouldn't think of Peace when they think of the rather Touristy Spanish centre that is Salou, but living with five other people in a rather small bungalow going away with just my husband for a week anywhere would be peaceful. Anyway, peace is in the mind rather than in the place I find, and my husband is the most peaceful person I know to be with so peace is what I am expecting.
We have been to Salou before and there are lots of things that I remember, but the bulk of this review will be written on a notepad while I am away and typed up when I get back.
Find below bits taken from my notes.
Where is it then?
A friend of mine guessed Greece! I always thought her geography was loads better than mine. Salou is in Spain. About 50 kilometres south west of Barcelona, on the Costa Dorada.
What sort of place is it?
A huge tourist centre. One of those places that started out as a small fishingvillage and was found in the 1960's by people wanting fun in the sun and it just grew. It is now the busiest holiday destination on the coast
of Spain.
Why we went. (The personal bit)
Six years ago we went to Salou and stayed in a noisy hotel about two kilometres outside the centre. The hotel food was pretty awful and apart from having it's own little beach right on the doorstep (literally) we were sorely disappointed. Having said that, and probably because of that, we went out a lot and had the best holiday we had had for a long time.
This year, we have had a busy time, with family living with us, and a new grandson here as well, we work hard and long hours, I work shifts and often we miss each other for several days at a time. We leave little notes and text messages so decided it was time to go away and spend some real quality time together.
Back to Salou.
The weather was wonderful. Hot and sunny with a little cooling breeze off the sea. This is pretty much what one would expect at this time of year.
The beaches.
Salou has one really long beach, where you can participate in pretty much any sort of water sport that you want to. It also has a series of smaller coves at each end of it that serves the out of town hotels and apartments. We stayed in a hotel just 800 metres from the main beach but only 100 metres from a small cove.
The beaches are clean and well kept. They all have the blue flag, which shows that they comply with the European standard for cleanliness and water quality. The water is almost warm in July, clear so you can stand shoulder height and look down and see your feet and in this part of the Costa Dorada the beaches shelve gently so it is safe for children to splash in the shallows.
The main beach has a long tree lined promenade for gentle walks or even a jog if you feel inclined. There are showers every so often to wash the salt and sand off after being on the beach.
Shops.
In Salou you can buy anything from cheap beach wear, gaudy gifts to take home for family and friends to designer clothes and expensive perfumes, most of which are cheaper than you can get in Britain.
The streets are lined with shops and bars and cafes. It is a great place for letting your other half sit and enjoy a pint or two while you wander in and out of the shops.
Getting around.
Walkng is good, the streets are smooth and mostly fairly wide, it is a bit hilly on the outskirts and we did see a couple of people struggling with wheelchairs so if you have one of these then I would suggest you stay in the centre and don't venture too far out of town.
A fairly regular bus service seems to run. A time table could be collected from the tourist centre.
Taxis are reasonably priced and simple to call. Most hotels will call a taxi for their clients.
One day we caught one of the train/buses that go from one end to the other. These look like trains but run on the roads, they are a bit like a tractor with a couple of tailers and are pretty bumpy but it was quite cheap and fun. They would make a good sight seeing trip if you just got on and stayed on for the whole journey.
Things to do, places to visit.
Once the novelty of wandering aimlessly along the seafront, or round the shops or sitting drinking and eating has worn off there are lots of places nearby to visit.
A short bus ride or train ride east along the coast is Tarragona, with its Roman arena and it's beautiful monastery.
Just outside Salou is a wonderful theme park called Port Aventura. We visited this park and enjoyed a few of the rides there. The place is set out as different countries very much like most theme parks. A great day away from the beach for young and not so young alike.
You can take a coach trip up into the mountains and visit Andorra. A tiny place situated between France and Spain. Here you can buy duty free items or even go skiing for a large part of the year.
The skyline of Salou has been spoiled somewhat by the hotels and apartments. Look anyway you want and you will see building after building but behind those there are the beautiful mountains offering a lovely backdrop.
If you hire a car or even a scooter you can quite soon venture out of town and into the peace and tranquillity of the rather barren countryside.
Nightlife.
Pubs and clubs stay open for most of the night in Salou. Wherever you stay you will hear music and youngsters having fun. We didn't stay out late but could hear quite a bit of noise in out hotel room into the early hours of each morning. This didn't bother us, we sleep through just about anything but if you are looking for peaceful nights then this wouldn't be a place I would suggest.
Who goes there?
People of all nationalities and of all ages appear to enjoy holidays in Salou. The clean safe beaches are a perfect place for families to enjoy a holiday in the sun. The nearby places to visit are perfect for people wanting to spend their days exploring or having fun.
Accommodation ranges from cheap apartments to share with friends to quite expensive four star hotels that offer a bit of comfort and luxury.
The official website for Salou is full of information and can be read in several different languages. It opens in Spanish but if you click the Union Jack it will display in English. I have included the link below.
http://www.salou.altanet.org/
Also for anyone interested I have included a website link for a map of Salou.
And did we find our peace? The answer to that question is yes we did. We sat on the beach, swam in the sea, wandered round the shops and ate and drank far too much but in our own way our holiday restored a bit of peace and togetherness so was perfect for us.
Tarragona is an amazing place to travel... Right now I'm expecting to make an stage in Port Aventura.... Receive my regards....
Moogiekupo 11.01.2006 17:23
It has been a good 10 years the last time I was there. Being an adult now, I might appreciate what you have written in your review more. I still want to go to Park Adventure, which started building whilst I was there.
VC81 30.11.2005 20:06
Congratulations on the Diamond. Spain is somewhere I haven't been yet, but hopefully one day I'll get there. Vic
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Jul 8th, 2005
(Aug 25th, 2005)
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