You'll find thrills and spills, plus beautiful beaches, in Spain's Costa Dorada
THE DELIGHTS OF DORADA You'll find thrills and spills, plus beautiful beaches, in Spain's Costa Dorada
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HURTLING around a bend at 135km an hour, I scream my head off and try to catch the eyes of my husband Alistair and our twins Riley and Harris.
We laugh with delight as the ride comes to a halt, then unclip ourselves, get off and immediately rejoin the queue for another go.
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You'll find thrills and spills, plus beautiful beaches, in Spain's Costa Dorada
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Take a history lesson within the ancient walls of Tarragona Cathedral
Credit: Getty
This is Furius Baco, just one of the more than 40 adrenalin-fuelled rides at Spain's PortAventura World, which celebrates its 30th birthday this year (Portaventuraworld.com).
RIDE THE ROLLER-COSTAS
We last visited the park when the twins were seven, and while it was great fun, there were tears of disappointment at the rides they weren't tall enough for.
Seven years on, they can now go on every single rollercoaster, and we are making the most of it!
After our second go on Baco, it's off to China to try Dragon Khan and Shambhala – both terrifying coasters that I bow out of so I can 'take pictures'.
Really, I am far too scared, but the rest of the fam love them.
With three of the scariest rides under our belt, it's time to refuel.
We head to The Iron Horse in the Far West and tuck into delicious chicken wings and stuffed jalapeños, both £7.70, followed by a chicken Caesar salad, £12.50, for Riley and me, and The 30th Anniversary Iron Horse Burger, £16.30, for the boys.
We arrived at PortAventura World from Reus Airport early doors and still haven't checked into the on-site four-star Hotel Gold River.
So, after enjoying the incredibly popular dark ride, Uncharted, we stroll the five minutes back and explore our spacious family room with two double beds, before heading straight to the three pools for a swim.
Dinner is a buffet, where starters include salads, cheeses and cold meats, while for mains there's a choice of pasta, grilled fish, chicken and veg.
Meanwhile, there are so many tempting desserts, it's almost impossible to choose!
PortAventura World
MAKING A SPLASH
One day is not enough at PortAventura, so the following morning it's time for a trip down memory lane at the Silver River Flume.
On our last visit, we rode this on repeat.
This time, it's not quite action-packed enough for the twins so, after one go, we head to Tutuki Splash in Polynesia, which is brilliant fun and leaves us all drenched.
With the thermometer hitting 30°C, though, we soon dry off.
Afterwards, we hit the wooden Stampida coaster, which has parallel tracks to allow two sets of carriages to race each other.
We are in the red team, which sadly loses.
To get over our defeat, we head for tapas at on-site Vinosfera restaurant and dig into glass bread with tomato, £3.25, Russian salad, £8.60, houmous, £3.25, beef croquettes, £7.75, and mussels, £13, accompanied by an ice-cold Estrella, £3.29.
We finish our fun-fuelled days with a trip to PortAventura's sister park, Ferrari Land, where we try out the terrifying Red Force – which goes from zero to 180km an hour in five seconds and is 112m tall.
All I can say is, it's not for the faint-hearted!
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Get your adrenalin rush from Furius Baco and Dragon Khan
Credit: Furius Baco - PortAventura Park
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Or try the terrifying Shambhala coaster
ADMIRE THE PYRAMIDS
Of course, there is more to Costa Dorada than PortAventura World.
The whole area is steeped in history and you cannot visit without a trip to the coastal city of Tarragona.
We take a guided tour to learn about its history at the Roman colony of Tarraco, where many ruins remain and the city is committed to restoring as much of them as possible.
Make sure you visit the Praetorium and Roman Circus, where up to 30,000 spectators would gather to watch chariot races.
This Jet2holidays excursion costs from £92.50 for a family of four.
A visit to the stunning Tarragona Cathedral is also well worth it, as is popping into Colla Jove Xiquets de Tarragona to see the locals practising their human towers.
This old Spanish tradition sees the whole village – from the very old to the very young – climb on each other to form a tower, entering competitions that take place across Spain.
My very first girls' holiday as a teen was to the beach town of Salou, so I am keen to see how much it has changed.
We begin our day with a catamaran trip from nearby Cambrils pier – it's a beautiful way to take in the coastline.
A four-hour cruise costs £38 per adult, £22 per child (Nauticparc.com).
We stop for lunch at gorgeous beach eatery, Bluüma Salou (Bluumasalou.com).
From the outside, it looks like any other beach cafe, but the food here is sublime.
We feast on tapas, including olives stuffed with anchovies, £2.60, Tarragona shrimp, £10.40, Costa Dorada sardines, £9.90, steamed mussels, £9.10, patatas bravas, £6.50, and beef carpaccio, £12.50, all washed down with a crisp glass of rosé, £2.60.
Afterwards it's time for a lie down.
Luckily, the restaurant also has sunloungers on the pristine beach, so we soak up some rays before a quick swim.
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Get a taste of something grape in the vineyards of Spain's Priorat wine region
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Sinead McIntyre in Spain's Costa Dorada
Credit: Supplied by Sinead McIntyre
A FINE VINTAGE
This region is also well-known for its wines, so we spend our final day touring the Priorat vineyards (Montsantnatura.cat).
Our one-hour trek starts at the Hermitage of Sant Joan del Codolar, in the foothills of the Serra de Montsant Natural Park.
We walk a path called the old Carthusian Way, visiting vineyards as we go, until we reach the village of Cornudella de Montsant, where we taste some of the vintages (which are delicious) and are taken through the wine-making process.
Our guide Paul explains it is geared towards ensuring the wine is the star of the show, rather than the barrel.
A 3.5-hour guided tour costs £19 per person (Siuranatours.com).
We lunch in the most fantastic restaurant, hidden up a side street, called El Palauet del Priorat (Terradelpriorat.com/en/gastronomic-space).
The owner, Delores, has created a beautiful dining experience in her luxury boutique hotel, and after aperitifs in the stylish living room, we head downstairs for a three-course gastro delight of Michelin-quality, home-cooked meals.
This includes a tangy tomato salad, tasty ox cheek, mouth-watering lasagne and grilled cod, £29 per person, which, for an extra treat, can all be paired with wines from Delores' husband's vineyard.
We return to Hotel Gold River in time for a final dip in the pool and dinner, before leaving the following morning.
But, in the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger, we'll be back – and hopefully it won't take us another seven years!
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