A very pretty Playa

Go Spain: Madeleine Lyonsand her family were looking for a holiday destination with guaranteed sunshine, within walking distance of the beach, and found it on Spain's Costa Dorada

THE MOBILE home holiday. Shudder. For many it evokes memories of long card games and wet afternoons on an exposed precipice somewhere in Ireland. Not long before thoughts turn to murder. God knows how Brian Cowen does it.

This summer, after four years on the trot in Connemara, Mayo and West Cork, our faith in the magic of the Irish holiday had been seriously eroded. Its meant to be a holiday, after all, not a prison sentence.

We had done “Le Camping/Caravaning” in France 10 years ago with great success. Priorities this year were simple – somewhere with guaranteed good weather and within walking distance of the beach. Cue Spain, and Playa Montroig where Keycamp has been taking up a small presence since 2009. Located on the Costa Dorada, about an hour and a half south of Barcelona, its in a tourist region, but one that’s less developed than its southerly counterpart, leaving some room for an authentic Spanish experience.

Getting there is a cinch, with Ryanair flying into Reus airport a mere 30-minute drive from the campsite. Note to Michael O’Leary: full marks for getting us mugs to do everything, including printing off the boarding passes. But surely all the time saved by this is used up again in the delays caused by those penny-pinching weight restrictions.

Everywhere in the airport queue there were harried faces as families and friends played ridiculous games of Pass the Towel/Book/Toiletries bag in a bid to lighten one of their party’s load. It’s ridiculous that parties travelling together can’t aggregate the weight allowance between them.

Then there’s the rushing from one queue to another. And when they finally do trap you on their airplane they loudly push merchandise and overpriced products at you for the duration of the flight.

Happily, the travel experience was the only stressful element of the holiday, and with two teenagers (16 and 17) and two smallies (2.5 and 4) to keep happy, that’s no mean feat.

The first thing that strikes you on arrival at Playa Montroig is its cleanliness which is evident everywhere from the restaurants to the pool, to the beach, to the washroom facilities located everywhere. And the staff are super friendly, despite the language barrier.

With over 1,400 mobile homes, this is a busy site. While we met some Irish and Scottish families around our site, there were very few English, and the clientele was mainly Dutch.

Prior to our departure, reports on TripAdvisor of a busy train track running through the campsite had caused some concern. This did turn out to be the case, and our mobile home was located about 100ft from it.

But the track was elevated and it didn’t intrude on our enjoyment, and in fact the kids got quite a kick out of it. One day, playing crazy golf one, they even witnessed the drama of a crow come a cropper on the wrong side of a hurtling train.

A real highlight of this type of holiday is checking out how the other (more practised) half live in the outdoors. It’s a people watcher’s paradise.

There seems to be an intriguing preoccupation with transforming camping pitches into mini-homes, complete with swish lighting (candles, tealights, fairy lights, lanterns), matching outdoor furniture, and vases filled with fresh flowers.

Our own accommodation came as a pleasant surprise, because mobile homes seem to have evolved greatly since last we did this.

Ours, rather imposingly named VillaGrand, slept six. The deck is where all the dining and living happens, leaving plenty of room inside for preparing food and sitting under the air conditioning (a must-do).

The fridge was full-sized so could accommodate the Big Shop. And the shower was huge, with more than enough warm water for daily de-sanding and hose downs. The kitchen was very well equipped too.

Once we had settled in, the holiday formula was fairly simple – beach or pool, or both? The pool area was pleasant with two huge swimming pools, and, most importantly, the children’s pool – a virtual paradise for the kids to exhaust their repertoire of water toys.

The site is situated right on a beach with tranquil waters and pristine sand. It’s a long, straight stretch that can become tedious after a while, so we opted most days to drive five minutes to nearby Miami Playa.

From the main road this is a town so ugly and soulless it wouldn’t look out of place in a David Lynch movie. But a few blocks behind are some beautiful authentic Spanish sandy coves, with great access and lovely beach bars.

Back at the campsite, there’s a free kids club daily for children from three and a half years upwards, with a separate club for slightly older kids. We tried it one day, but the mix was just that bit old and non-English speaking for our two.

There are regular evening concerts at around 8pm with a children’s focus, and later on at 10pm there’s a slightly older more adult-oriented version. Kids can attend both, and tend to get the most out it.

Let’s just say it involves audience participation, including shouting at the stage and clapping along enthusiastically to the music .

A decent-sized, non-ripoff supermarket, fishmongers, a pizzeria and even a bakery located on site made life very easy.

The usual hypermarkets were 10 minutes up the road, but they couldn’t beat walking five minutes in the morning to pick up a fresh baguette and croissants.

There are two restaurants on site, with one billed as more fancy than the other. We tried both, and funnily enough, preferred the cheaper, more cheerful Grill Restaurant.

I wouldn’t have held out much hope for the quality of a campsite restaurant, but we ate here twice and loved it. Fresh calamari, juicy veal steaks and great wood-fire-oven-baked pizza.

On site there are two nightlife options, both of which would give most Dublin nightclubs a good run for their money.

They are not labelled teen discos, nor are they limited to adults only, so anyone can go along, but obviously they are mainly attended by the “yoof” because most parents are exhausted from chasing kids or weathering teenagers all day.

There are more low-key “neighbourhood” bars pitched on corners, perfect for a beer and an ice cream with the kids after the beach, or before bed.

It’s worth noting that the real entertainment and nightlife on the site only kicks off in early July, and we did hear complaints that there was nothing to entertain teenagers in the preceding weeks.

For jaded parents in need of a break, and kids who have no interest in doing anything that doesn’t involve water or ice cream, the mobile home holiday is perfect.

It’s a great opportunity to enjoy simple sandy pleasures as a family, and given that this writer had read three books by the end of the holiday, it held its individual pleasures too.

What to do

THE CAMPSITE

Playa Montroig Camping Resort (playamontroig.com) A VillaGrand three-bedroom, two-bathroom mobile home, with air conditioning, deck and linen, costs €2,300 for two weeks in mid-July. 021-4252300, keycamp.ie

WHAT TO DO

PortAventuratheme park located in the resort of Salou – the big nearby attraction – is about 40 minutes from Playa Montroig. Its the Disneyland of Spain. A family of six with just one child aged under four, can expect to pay about €180.

Aquapolisaqua park in the nearby La Pineda. A slightly more modest option. A family of four will pay about €70, but expect to pay extra for sun loungers, lockers for bags, etc . Aquopolis Costa Daurada, Tel: 00-34-977-371640

Golf: The Robert Trent Jones Jr-designed Club de Golf de Bonmont Terres Noves is about 10 minutes drive away. Its a well-laid-out course carved out of the rock, presenting a good physical and mental challenge. Green Fees are around €70 in high season. Tel: 00-34-97-7818140 bonmont.es/golf/

CAMBRILSis a working port with a beautiful marina located about 10 minutes from Playa Montroig on the Costa Dorada. The busy promenade features the usual swathe of tat-filled shops, but they are balanced by some decent boutiques and seafood restaurants renowned for their quality.

Behind the main drag we found an excellent taverna serving tapas. Lizarran Taverna (Tel: 00-34-97-7794695, Calle Barques, 6), has two entrances running a block deep. Its a buzzy place patronised by hungry locals.

The star diversion in Cambrils is the working port. At around 4pm the trawlers come in to unload the day's catch. Within half an hour the port is transformed, as about 20 trawlers jostle to get their fish on ice and into distribution vans, while locals with buckets and bags forage for what they can haggle.

Cambrils has an old quarter about 15 minutes from the port. It's a pleasant place to wander, and the indoor market is legendary, but get there early as produce sells out fast.

There's also a small tourist train that does a whistlestop tour of the old town and the port in about 40 minutes. (cambrils-tourism.com)

Go thereRyanair flies from Dublin to Reus, a 25-minute drive from the campsite.

For a family of six in mid-July the cost is €1500.