I've just returned from a break in Salou, Spain and during my stay there visited this theme park. It came highly recommended but did it live up to my high expectations ?

Location
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Port Aventura is a theme park owned by Universal and is located right next to the popular Spanish resort of Salou on the Costa Dorada. It is situated in the new town of Salou and can easily be reached on foot by hotels in this area. Alternatively if your not within walking distance it is only a two minute train journey from Salou's railway station (3 euros). Buses, taxis and road trains also do services which drop you off right outside the main entrance. There are two hotels onsite also owned by Universal which add extra convenience if your really lazy! Local towns such as Tarragona, Cambrils, Cap Salou and La Pineda also offer a bus service.

Opening times
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The park is open from March right through to January with the park being closed three months from January until March. In the peak season (Jun-Sept) the park opens at ten in the morning and closes at twelve midnight and at other times it closes at eight in the evening.

Tickets
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Kids under four can get in free. Children from 4 -12 are classified as a child whereas adults are classified as 13-59 (bit of a rip off there me thinks!). Anyone over sixty gets in on a senior citizen ticket. There are a wide variety of tickets and how to buy them. You can buy from your tour operator before you even fly, you can buy from your tour rep in your hotel, you can also buy at the gates or you can buy from ticket touts which hang around outside the gates. My advice is to shop around for a special offer which suits your needs. For instance if your in a group of adults, one day should be enough and you just need an offer on a one day pass, the touts probably being your best bet. If your taking kids you could well need a 2 or 3 day pass to take in everything that the park has to offer - in this case the tour operators and reps have some exceptional deals such as buy 2 days and get a third free! For a few extra quid you can buy express passes which get you on the rides without queing and theres also a summer pass if your staying for an extended visit. A typical one day pass at the gate is 26 euros so judge for yourself what your entry budget will be.

When to visit
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This park is very very popular indeed and is very open to the elements too. Therefore the park can be very hot and stuffy which can be magnified by the crowds. If your not partial to extreme heat (35 degrees +) then I would suggest avoiding July and August which are traditionally the busiest months due to the school holidays. One thing to note is that Fridays is when a lot of local Spanish schoolchildren visit on school visits so Friday is not the best day to visit. Also bear in mind that the water rides soak you to the skin unlike British theme parks so if you burn easily, take plenty of sunblock. I would suggest June or September early in the week (Mon/Tues/Wed) as the ideal time to visit and to arrive as the gates open (10 am) so you can do a lot of the busy rides before the hourdes arrive.

Whats on offer ?
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I would hazard a guess that the whole park is roughly three quarters the size of Alton Towers. There aren't as many rides but there are loads of activities other than the rides. The park is split into five different zones; Polynesia, Mexico, Far West, Mediterrania and China. Each zone has been designed in that zones architecture, culture and feel thus creating an eerie feel of authenticity. For example the Chinese zone has a great wall of China and junker boats sailing past and the Far West zone has wild west saloons and stagecoaches. It really does emit an atmosphere in each zone which is heightened by several shows scattered throughout each zone. The wild west saloon has a shoot out/ dancing show and the Mexico zone has Mexican amigos doing a tapdancing show - all great fun and well worth seeing. The scenery and gardens are a delight to behold offering no end of photo opportunities. But let's not forget about the rides ;

Dragon Khan Rollercoaster - Claims to be the largest coaster in Europe and is terrifying to even look at, lots of twists, turns and loops.

Grand Canyon Rapids - Make no mistake you will get wet unlike most other rapid rides. This is heightened by people squirting water cannons at you as you float by!

Log Flume - There are no fewer than four drops on this soaking wet ride, the last one being a huge drop. Everyone coming off this was soaked to the skin.

Tatuki Splash - Another absolutely soaking wet ride, people sit six abreast in boats and travel at high velocity down waterfalls, this ride also soaks the people queing to get on !

Tomahawk - A shaky wooden rollercoaster which travels at high speeds, no loops but high speed turns and drops make up for it.

Stampede - Two rollercoasters race against each other on parallel tracks, very jerky ride due to the very fast turns and not one of my favourites, gave me a headache.

Sea Odyssey - Virtual reality submarine cine-film. Basically this ride is crap, avoid !

There are dozens of other smaller rides and activities, especially for the younger children where there are whole areas designated for them.

Food, service and facilities
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The food is zoned into which area of the park you are in. For instance it's burgers galore in the wild west, tortillas in Mexico and noodles in China. Choose your preference, the food standards are just average and are quite expensive. I would recommend the shows where you can order food and which tend be of better quality. Toilets are plentiful in each zone and are well maintained. One area which could be improved is the service which isn't consistent - for instance some staff didn't understand a word of my English and others quite happily ignored us and one even smoked while he served us.

Summing up
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One the whole the park was a great day out, loads of stuff to do and a very enjoyable time was had by all. A day was enough for us as our limbs ached like mad but if your with kids than I would suggest two days minimum. The park is a bit pricy once your inside but that goes without saying at themeparks (30 euros minimum spending money!). I loved the effort that has been put into theming each zone, there is literally something to see and do around each corner. I would visit again if I visited Salou and would highly recommend that you do too if your staying locally.

Park rating 8/10.

Thanks for the read

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WormThatTurned2003