Last August we took our first holiday abroad as a family and we had an amazing time. So amazing in fact that we are again this year heading back to the Catalonia region of Spain and will be enjoying a holiday with Eurocamp at the Playa Montroig Camping Resort in Miami Platja, Costa Dorada and I was very impressed to see that it has made it onto the Guardians list of the top 20 family friendly campsites in Europe. We are all getting excited!
Situated right on the Beach and there are 4 Swimming Pools
I think this year we will probably spend most of our time on the parc, at the local beach or maybe just travelling into the nearest port town of Cambrils, which is about 15 minutes away. Of course it is the pools that the kids are most looking forward to enjoying and there are four of them so they won't be short of water-filled fun. This was in fact one of the main reasons we choose this particular site as the kids had such a ball in the water last year that I knew this would be what they would want to do at least 80% of the time. We just need to pray for some good weather now!
What I didn't realise when I booked this parc was that the beach it is situated alongside is so amazing, just look at it. I now need to find a babysitter so my husband and I can enjoy this alone on an evening!
Accessible by Plane - no Driving Necessary!
For years I've assumed that a European parc holiday wouldn't suit our family as I don't want to camp and neither my husband nor I want to drive abroad. I stupidly thought the only options open to us were hotels and villas but upon more investigation this year I realised how wrong I was. You just need to choose a parc that is easily accessible to an airport, rail station or dock.
We will be flying in to Reus from Stanstead and heading to Miama Platya by car, which takes about 20-30 minutes. We have booked our airport transfers through Hoppa and got a fabulous return price of just over £99. You can't go wrong with that for five of us.
Award winning Parc
I notice that the Playa Montroig Camping Resort has received a Trip Advisor certificate of excellence in 2016 and the reviews on there are overwhelmingly good. It appears that this site is well run and staffed. I saw so many comments about friendly staff, good food in the Terressa restaurant, beautiful lush grassed areas, amazing pools, stunning beaches and clean accommodation. Bring it on....
Updated this year
It also appears that the team at Playa Montroig Camping Resort are continually working to ensure the parc is the best it can be. I notice that for this year the children's play parks have been updated, there is a two-story fitness centre with state-of-the-art equipment and group classes and the two night time venues, Disco Paipai and Disco Rock & Roll have been reformed.
I was also stoked to get an email from Eurocamp at Christmas to say we had been upgraded into a 2017 model Azure mobile home. We'll have air-conditioning, a shaded deck area, BBQ, fully equipped kitchen including a microwave and even a queen size bed (5ft) which will make such a difference to my husband and I.
So much to do
As I said before I think the kids will spend most of their time in the pools but if they fancy something else to do on-site then maybe they will play mini golf, have a game of tennis, use the play park, go to the beach club for some water sports or kids games, attend the mini club and make friends, do some crafts in the hobby centre, play table tennis, hire some bikes or relax with a movie.
I seriously don't think they will have the chance to be bored and my husband and I are welcoming the opportunity to have a disconnected week as we won't be paying for Wi-Fi but I will be making sure I get at least one session at the spa! I deserve a treat, right?
Eurocamp making it easy
Of course when you are flying rather than driving you want to keep your luggage to a minimum and I was pleased to see that you can hire many of the things you'll want when on holiday - bed linen, towels for the bathroom and beach and all the baby essentials you could need.
There is also the option to book for your essentials like tea towel, washing up liquid and matches for your BBQ or a welcome pack if you arrive light and need a cup of tea, a biscuit for the kids or just maybe a nice glass of wine.
Probably one of the things I have loved most about my interactions with Eurocamp so far is how easy they have been to do business with. I've received regular email updates and I can log into my account anytime and see/amend my booking.
I booked our flights independently with Jet2 from Stanstead as I got the best prices with them and it meant travelling Monday to Monday and I was ecstatic to see that Eurocamp are so flexible with their booking dates, there are no set arrival and departure dates, they will fit in with your travel plans if they have the availability.
I was even more pleased at their service when Jet2 emailed me a couple of weeks ago to say they had cancelled the flights and would I like a refund or to travel on a Friday or Sunday. The actual date change to a Sunday was perfect for us in many ways but like anyone I panicked a bit as we had the Eurocamp booked and also our airport hotel and parking but Eurocamp came up trumps and were able to change our booking to Sunday to Sunday.
Thanks for being fab so far Eurocamp, I have high hopes for our stay and I feel sure you won't let me down. Just 34 sleeps to go. Yippie!
For further information on Eurocamp, please call 01606 787787 or visit www.eurocamp.co.uk. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter. I've seen some amazing offers on the site when I've been looking today and not just for term time either!
Disclosure: We will be staying at the Playa Montroig Resort for 7 nights courtesy of Eurocamp in May this year and I'll be really happy to share my honest experience with you. Keep an eye out in June for my full review.
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