Staying at Playa Montroig Camping Resort with Eurocamp

You might have seen me excitedly sharing that we were off to the Playa Montroig Camping Resort on the Costa Dorada, Spain with Eurocamp and now we are back it is my pleasure to share with you how our holiday went. 

This is the first part of two posts about our holiday away, I've split it into a post about the Eurocamp accommodation and one about the Playa Montroig Camping Resort facilities and services.

Rather than leave you in suspense as to whether we liked staying with Eurocamp, I'll give you the headline quotes from my kids first and then get into the full review -

Miss M "where are we going next year with Eurocamp Mum? I love it! Can we try a new camp with even more pools?" 

Miss E "I've had so much fun Mummy, I don't want to go home but I'm so tired as I've had so many late nights!" 

JJ "I've really enjoyed chilling on the deck of our mobile home in the shade with my iPad. Oh and the pool is pretty cool too but does it have to be so hot in Spain?"

A bit about us

We are a family of 5, two forty something adults, a 13 year old (tech-mad) boy and near 10 year old twin girls. This is the first time we have ever taken a European campsite holiday. For the first 11 years of life with children we always holidayed in the U.K. and stayed at places like Butlins and Haven or hired a house in a seaside town. Then last year we took our first abroad holiday staying in a hotel and the kids loved the outdoor pools in the sunshine so much we wanted to do it again but we had found being in a hotel on a half board basis a bit restrictive and we wanted the freedom of self catering, hence trying out Eurocamp.

Who are Eurocamp?

Eurocamp started in 1973 (just as I was born) and established themselves as a market leader in the European Camping scene and over the last four decades they have grown and morphed into the reputable brand they are today and the UKs leading European Camping specialist. Whenever I mention the name Eurocamp everyone knows it and so many of my friends say they went to Eurocamps as kids. Then some have seen my pictures from the last week and said "wow, it's changed" and of course it has, Eurocamp now operates in 10 countries and in approximately 180 parcs, so there is plenty of choice and something for every type of family.

Eurocamp do not own the parcs where their accommodation is sited but they have rigorously checked all the parcs they operate on and made sure they meet their high standards. This means that you will have differences from parc to parc as to what activities and amenities are offered and the way they are presented and for me this is part of the fun.

Beautiful Palm Tree lined Avenues

Our Experience of Eurocamp Accommodation

We were booked in for a Vista 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom mobile home with double French doors opening onto a partially covered deck with air conditioning. The cost for this during the May school half-term break was around £750 but then at Christmas we got a lovely surprise email saying we had been upgraded to a 2017 Azure model which meant we then had a newer home and a queen size bed in the master bedroom. If we had booked for the Azure the cost would have been £840.50. I now realise we probably got the upgrade as the parc is constantly updating their homes to ensure only the newest ones are on site and they no longer have 3 bedroom Vista's on this particular parc.

I'll say from the start that we all loved our Eurocamp mobile, the whole Eurocamp area of the parc was really well maintained and the homes all looked in great condition. Whatever grade you booked, there didn't appear to be any that were getting a bit tired. The homes were cited along avenues just like at home and by the side of your home was room for one car. The avenues were lined with palm trees and there was plenty of shade and lots of beautiful birds.

In the middle of the Eurocamp area was the office where you could find the Eurocamp couriers or if they were not there you could leave them a message on the pad and when one of them popped back they would come and see you about whatever question or issue you had. The reception was open 9.30am to 8pm every day and they also gave us a UK mobile number so we could get in touch. We met a number of different couriers during our stay and they were always very friendly and helpful. I liked the fact that the Eurocamp Couriers were more mature than the average holiday reps I've met in resorts.  

Our 2017 model Azure 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom mobile home

Azure Mobile Home

We stayed in a 3 bed, 1 bath Azure mobile home and it was of a high quality. As it was new for 2017 we were only the second family to stay in it. I'm pleased to say that when we first let ourselves in we were very pleasantly surprised by the home that greeted us. As a family of tall and larger people we have been disappointed by many mobile home models in the U.K. in the past but not so with the Azure. It all looked modern, clean and welcoming.

Every home has a deck with plenty of outdoor dining furniture, relaxing seats, sun beds and washing dryer. You'll be really glad of the deck as it becomes part of your living space, where you enjoy the gentle breeze and eating Al Fresco. Each home has its own charcoal BBQ and tongs for your use during your stay and the charcoal was reasonably priced onsite at €3.40 for a bag that lasted about 3 or 4 nights.

Our kitchen was well equipped with an oven/ grill, hob, microwave, fridge/ freezer and whole range of eating and cooking equipment. There genuinely wasn't anything that we required for cooking that we didn't have and we made spaghetti Bolognese, BBQ and pancakes amongst other meals. It felt wonderful to be able to have ice and cool drinks anytime we fancied this holiday after the restrictions of being in a hotel last year.

I was surprised at just how well equipped the kitchen was

The living space has a very comfy corner sofa (which opens up to be another bed if you need it) and we had a central table with chairs, which to be honest we didn't use as we chose to do all our dining outside on the deck. Above the seating is some extra storage which is useful and there is air conditioning and a fan provided which are really needed as it can get very hot. I love the fact that all the curtains are insulated to help keep the sun out and the windows can be locked open for a bit of air.

The bathroom was a good size and the shower full size too, there was always plenty of hot running water and we had booked linen and beach towel packs which meant we had plenty of soft navy towels to use. There was also useful storage under the sinks and some shelves and you'll be pleased to hear there was a toddler step in case you have a little one and hairdryer provided. You can book in advance all your equipment if you are bringing a baby or toddler with you on holiday.

Our Azure home had three bedrooms but there are also two bedroom models as well. We had two twin rooms which had full sized beds and overhead storage space, as well as a small closet for hanging clothes. To be honest there was enough room to store things in these twin rooms but they are compact and if you had two adults sharing they would most definitely be getting on top of each other. Luckily due to the wonderful weather and great outdoors space you don't spend much time in the bedrooms and generally the twins will be used by children.

You can see the lack of space in the master bedroom, there was about 6 inches each side of the bed

The master bedroom has a queen size bed (5ft) which we were really pleased with but that does come at the expense of any space. Even the skinniest person would find it hard to move around the Azure master bedroom without stubbing their toe and I found myself grateful that the hanging space doesn't have doors as it meant I could fit under the overhead cupboards to get dried and dressed.

It was perfectly manageable for a week and if you're looking to not spend so much on your holiday the Azure is a perfect way to stay but if you want to splash out then I'd highly recommend the Aspect or the Avant which have more space in the bedrooms. During my stay I went and had a look around both and to be honest I'm in love with the Aspect and want to move into one permanently, they are so plush.

I asked my husband how he found the space in the bedroom (as every day we had to push the bed back and forth) and he asked me if I had slept well? To which I replied, "yes, wonderfully" and he quite rightly said that was all that was important as he had slept like a log too and he was going home refreshed and happy.

We all spent so much time on our shaded deck, it was fabulous!

Eurocamp Independent
It is also worth me mentioning that you can stay with Eurocamp if you have your own tent, mobile home or caravan as many of the parcs they are on have pitches available to hire for independent travellers. Find out more information about Eurocamp Independent over HERE.

The Bits We Loved

• UK/ Ireland based booking staff to help you choose the perfect holiday if you want to chat by phone or online
• Clear communication prior to our stay and a 'My Eurocamp' area on the website so I could check information or book extras at any time
• I received a text the day before we left the UK saying the Couriers were looking forward to welcoming us and what time would our arrival be? I then was able to ask a couple of questions and got a prompt response
• We were able to gain access to our mobile home at about 1.30pm, earlier than the regular arrival time of 3pm. It made such a difference to get straight in and unpack before we headed to the pool
• Friendly and helpful English speaking couriers on hand throughout our stay
• Quality accommodation with everything we needed
• The siting of the Eurocamp area is close to the pool and many of the activities which makes it very easy for the children to be able to move about safely
• The shaded deck area for eating, playing games or just generally chilling as a family
• Our air-conditioning broke and was fixed by an engineer with 24 hours
• Hot water for the shower constantly on tap
• The bedroom windows all had black-out blinds and also fly covers if you want them open for air
• Beautiful clean mattresses and bedding provided
• Ability to hire linen and towels for a reasonable price and the towels were super soft
• When we asked for extra pillows and hangers we received them quickly and without charge
• On the day before departure one of the Couriers came to see us at our home to give us information about what we needed to do for check-out and departure. This made things super easy.

The great window coverings in the bedrooms, fly mesh and blackout blinds

The Niggles

• The air conditioning engineer trod dirt all through our home and left it for us to clear up
• The lack of space in the master bedroom

Room for Improvement?

I think the only thing I'd have liked was a little more information when I arrived. I was left wondering if I had to buy drinking water, whether I could flush sanitary products away and where the bin was. Of course these questions were easily answered by the Eurocamp couriers but for someone like me I'd welcome a more comprehensive arrival information pack.

The Other Eurocamp Customers

This might seem an odd element to add in but I feel I have to comment as the other Eurocampers were amazing. You got to see the same faces again and again and it made me feel my home was safe. On a UK camp site I've rarely seen those in the homes next to me, here because everyone is on their decks you get to see and say hi to them all. During our stay it was mostly families with children of ranging ages but there were also some retired couples. 

We also found in our nights out that the Eurocampers were mostly British or Irish and were the fun ones. It was a fairly quiet week at Playa Montroig so when we went to the late entertainment at 10pm and got chatting to other families we found out they were all staying here with Eurocamp. We did chuckle!

Conclusion

I think you can tell from what I've written that we had a wonderful week away and all of our family will happily stay with Eurocamp again. I would have no hesitation recommending them as a reputable holiday provider and I'm looking forward to searching out where we might visit next year. The kids have suggested Portugal but I quite fancy Italy - who knows!

Thanks so much Eurocamp for allowing us to stay with you. We all had a wonderful time and I look forward to sharing more about the Playa Montroig Camping Resort in my next post.

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! Go on, what are you waiting for?

Why not pin this post for later?

Disclosure: We received our accommodation free of charge for 7 nights for the purpose of this review. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest. 

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