Episode 4 Getaways

Hello, welcome to Getaways,

the show where we go where you want us to go.

This week, we're in Salou on the Costa Daurada in Spain,

famous for its miles of sandy beaches and good-value package holidays.

On our website, we asked you for your top tips on what to do here

and what to avoid.

We've taken on board your recommendations

and we're going to try them out for ourselves and for you at home.

Coming up, we visit the mountains

and villages that are just a short hop from the beach,

splash out at one of the largest theme parks in Spain,

and I take a short getaway closer to home, in County Wexford.

Bull's-eye!

To get to the Costa Daurada, there are regular flights from Dublin

and Belfast to Reus, the nearest airport to Salou.

Salou has got appeal for all budgets and ages.

Padraig McKeogh from Sligo and Ruth Miller from Ballymena

were among many of you who told us it was a great place for a holiday.

Costa Daurada is in Catalonia

on the Mediterranean coast of north-east Spain.

Costa Daurada means the Gold Coast,

so-called for its long, sandy beaches.

And this is what attracts over three million holidaymakers every year.

It is less developed than its northern neighbour, the Costa Brava,

but it's still a well-established tourist destination.

Salou is the largest resort in the Costa Daurada

and its biggest attractions are the beaches,

the PortAventura theme park with over 30 rides, and an aqua park,

making it an ideal destination for a family holiday.

Costa Daurada is part of the region of Catalonia,

which has its own history and culture dating back to the Middle Ages.

Many Catalan people feel that they are a separate nation to the rest of Spain

and they have their own regional government, language and flag.

You'll hear Catalan spoken mainly inland off the coast

and the road signs are in Spanish and Catalan as well.

But don't worry because in the resorts,

most people speak English too.

The story of the Catalan flag goes back centuries.

The first Count of Barcelona, Guifre el Pilos,

otherwise known as Wilfred the Hairy to friend and foe alike,

was mortally wounded in battle.

Charles the Bald, another well-named man,

wanted to honour his bravery on the battlefield so he took his hairy,

and indeed bloodied, hand and wiped it down on his golden shield.

Hence we have the four red bars on a yellow background.

It's a nice wee story, isn't it?

And in Spain, there's a flag system on the beach to tell bathers

when it's safe to go into the sea. On the day we visited,

there was a yellow flag flying which means 'enter with caution'.

You're best to wait for a day with a green flag,

which means it's perfectly calm and safe to go in.

We visited at the end of May when the temperature was around 18 degrees,

so not too hot, but in the height of summer it can reach the high 20s.

The sand is lovely, the water looks perfect, but you warned us

that in July and August the main beaches can get very crowded

and the currents can be deceptively strong.

If you have small children,

you might want to go to one of the smaller coves instead.

There are several miles of sea front here, stretching from Salou

to its smaller sister town, Cambrils.

And we wanted to explore this coastline.

Now, you can walk from Salou to Cambrils, but we're going to take

the ferry that leaves from Salou throughout the day.

The boats depart every hour from the port here at Salou

and cost nine euros one-way or 12 euros for a round-trip.

Wednesdays are market days at Cambrils and, look,

it's grand for a browse but if you are self-catering,

it's probably a good place to stock up on fruit and veg.

Quiero un medio kilo de cerezas, cherries?

-Si.

-Apparently the cherries are in season at the moment.

Mm. Oh, my God, that's gorgeous.

This is churro, a traditional Spanish delicacy.

-It's a bit like a doughnut, very sweet and deep-fried.

-Sounds good.

-I'm going to get one. Would you like one?

-No, I'm watching the figure.

-Where does she put it?!

-Una churros.

Joe, I think you're going to have to help me with this anyway.

Don't spoil your tea. I'll try anything once.

Mm.

-Can I have two portions of this?

-Oh, my God.

That reminds me of hot Ready Brek in the morning when you're a kid.

OK, I'm not sharing any more.

You shouldn't be eating them, come here!

Cambrils considers itself a bit more upmarket than Salou.

It's a small resort and has retained more of its Spanish character.

There are lots of lovely boutiques and tourist shops in the old town.

To be honest, the bargains are few and far between,

but if you are looking for a souvenir of your holiday, you could do worse

than get some of the local leatherware or Catalan ceramics.

Although Cambrils is a resort town, it is still a fishing port.

Now, these are the fishing boats. On the back you see these lamps.

They're used to attract bluefish. They go out at night,

shine those down and up they come.

Unfortunately, you won't be able to see them in action

because at night, they're out to sea, but it is very handy

if you arrive here by day, you need space to park up the yacht.

Cambrils is actually considered the culinary

capital of the Costa Daurada.

There are two Michelin-starred restaurants here,

which is impressive considering the size of the place.

But if you don't want to batter your bank account that much,

you will find eateries to suit any pocket.

Now, if you want to try some local delicacies,

probably the best way to do it is to go for tapas.

You get a little bit of everything and there are tapas bars everywhere.

I love eating like this. I think it's great to share the food,

try out all the titbits and just enjoy it with a drink.

You know what, I'm not sold on tapas. I'm really not.

I don't feel I'm getting a meal, you're just taking little bits of everybody else's food.

I disagree, Joe. It can work out the same price as a main meal

but I love grazing, getting to try everything.

-It's relaxed, you're not in a rush and you're sharing your food. I think it's lovely.

-Fair enough.

-You know where the words tapas comes from?

-No.

-It means lid.

So when they used to give you a glass of beer or cava,

they'd put a little plate on top

with a wee nibbly-dibbly to accompany it, like a little lid.

There you go.

Look at this, sausage on bread. Superb sausage.

Fresh bread, gorgeous meat, delicious cheese. Just yum.

-Salud!

-Salud!

And even early in the season,

the place has a great appeal for families.

And I caught up with some young holidaymakers.

So, girls, how long have you been on holiday here?

-We've been here since last Tuesday.

-And are you having a good time?

-Yeah.

-What's been the best part about it?

-The beaches.

-The swimming pool.

OK, the beaches and the swimming pool.

Is it for more your age group or someone older like me?

-Do you think I would enjoy it as well?

-It's for families.

-Family, OK.

Well, that's a good explanation. What about Cambrils now?

This little town that we're in, what's so good about it?

-I like going on walks around here.

-Why do you like walking around?

-Because I like strolling.

-You're brilliant! You're brilliant to take on holidays!

You can do your own travel programme!

Would you recommend that all of your friends' families come here?

It's a nice spot, isn't it? Excellent.

Thank you very much, girls.

For most people who come to Salou on holiday,

this is what it's all about. Lying on the beach, soaking up the rays.

And who can blame them?

If you can bear to drag yourself off the beach, the Costa Daurada has

so much else to offer and you'd be missing a trick

if you didn't get out of Salou and explore the area.

Ten minutes away it's a completely different world.

Freddie Small from Belfast recommended we travel inland

to the mountains of Prades, to explore the monasteries,

churches and small villages.

On Getaways, we like to bring you

somewhere a bit different and unexpected.

We're taking you away from the beach and to somewhere rather special.

With its high peaks, forests and remote villages,

the Prades Mountains couldn't be more different to the coast.

Once virtually inaccessible,

nowadays 30 minutes' drive will take you into the heart of this region.

The Mountains of Prades are an absolute mecca for rock climbers

but it's not for beginners. It is very difficult.

You have to be extremely experienced

and there isn't enough money in the world to make me do it. I'm away kayaking.

With its calm waters and fantastic scenery,

the reservoir at Siurana is ideal if you've never tried kayaking before.

You can hire kayaks and canoes from about 11 euros per hour

or spend half a day with an instructor for 25 euros.

It's all about the surroundings here.

You look at these mountains, beautiful, still lake. Brilliant.

Do you know what, the choice of lying on a beach,

having to listen to other people's music and chat, and screaming kids,

or this?

Graceful as ever. Graceful. Graceful exit.

Ha-ha, that was brilliant.

I highly recommend that.

The Prades Mountains are popular for hiking holidays.

You can get route maps from any of the tourist information offices

in any of the small towns along the way

but it's also really well signposted as well.

Even if you'd like an hour-long stroll

instead of a full day expedition, this is the place to come.

And in the mountains,

I found an oasis away from the everyday tourist trail.

Now, I know what you're thinking.

You've seen one monastery, you've seen them all. Well, think again.

Poblet is basically a medieval fortress.

It is the best-preserved Cistercian monastery in all of Europe

and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Founded in 1151, this was once the great monastery of Catalonia.

The kings of Catalonia and Aragon poured money into this place

and wanted to be buried in this chapel.

This was a place of great wealth and power but during the dissolution

of the monasteries in 1835, it was ransacked and completely destroyed.

It lay derelict until the 1940s, when a group of Italian Cistercian

monks moved in and there are still 31 monks living here today.

This is a working monastery,

so check opening times before you arrive

as the chapel is closed for prayers at intervals throughout the day.

I really highly recommend you visit here.

Such a stunning piece of history that you can actually visit.

And did you know the quadrangle at the front was kind of a playground

to the great architect, Gaudi, when he was a child?

He said that this building informed his future work.

If you get a chance to visit Barcelona, you'll see how that worked out for him.

You told us we had to check out the scenery here

and one of the best places to get a view

is from the medieval village of La Siurana.

Walking around Siurana today,

it's hard to imagine that it wasn't always this quiet.

Located precariously at the top of sheer cliffs,

the village was thought to be impregnable.

It took centuries before anyone was able to conquer it.

In fact, it was the last Muslim stronghold in Catalonia

and was subjected to sieges and fierce fighting

between the Moors and Christians for centuries.

Legend has it that the last Moorish Queen, Abd-el-Azia,

threw herself and her white stallion off this cliff

rather than be captured by the Christian forces.

And apparently you can see the mark in the rocks where the horse

tried but failed to stop itself from falling into the abyss.

So, Joe, was it worth it to get away from the beach for a while?

Absolutely. I'm not a beach person, to be honest.

And if you have all this at your disposal, you really owe it to yourself to see it.

It is a bit of a drive

but I think the walks round here are just amazing and the views!

-I'm so surprised.

-Absolutely incredible.

But you don't have to go abroad to go on holidays.

Here's a short break closer to home.

I'm in Wexford on the sunny south-east coast. With its mountains

and beaches and holiday resorts, it is the perfect tourist destination.

My first stop is a hidden gem. Wells House and Gardens.

It's only been open to the public about a year and a half

so it's a relative newcomer in terms of grand Irish houses.

Wells House boasts a fascinating history,

encompassing Cromwell, rebellion and the famine.

It's located in Ballyedmond, an hour and a half's drive from Dublin

and was built in the late 1600s.

50 years ago, the house was bought by a wealthy German

industrialist, and his son and daughter-in-law now run the house.

Let me introduce you to the lady of the house, Sabine.

Thank you for having us in here first of all.

Why did you decide to open it to the public?

We inherited the house two years ago and we have extensive gardens

and extensive grounds, so how do you keep a house this size

and keep the gardens and everything mowed?

So we decided to open it to the public.

We spent about a year researching the history of the house,

and with that, we built up the story of the house and gardens.

The house tour takes 45 minutes, and you're immersed in the history

of both the inhabitants of Wells and the surrounding area.

You're also introduced to the stunning Gothic Tudor interiors

designed by Daniel Roberson, famed for the gardens of Powers Court.

What I love about this, it doesn't have that museum approach,

that kind of hands-off thing. You can come in, you can lift things up,

you can touch them. It's very tactile.

It makes you feel like you're part of the house.

Once you've had a look round the magnificent house,

you can come out and take a stroll around the gardens

which have been restored back to their original design.

I think I'll take myself a wee dander.

And when I'm here, I'm getting a lesson in the noble sport of archery.

-I'd say that was a bull's-eye.

-It's a bull's-eye?

Very close to it, yeah.

So trained up and tooled up,

there's something unique I just couldn't miss.

Once you get your practice down on the target board,

you can go off into the woods and take down some 3-D animals,

like foxes, tigers and bears.

Oh, my.

Here we go.

Only winged him.

He'll feel it in the morning, though.

And there's other fun stuff to get your "claws" into,

including the adventure playground,

for kids...of all sizes.

Here you go, kids, you can have your... Just testing that for you.

And I've got another historic destination in Wexford.

40 minutes away from Wells House is a park that brings you

even further back into the past.

If you're looking for somewhere unusual to stay in this area,

the Irish National Heritage Park caught my attention.

The 35-acre Heritage Park aims to show how people lived in Ireland

for over 9,000 years.

The park takes you through all the ages, from Stone Age to Bronze Age,

Celtic and early Christian ages

and the invasions of the Vikings and Normans.

Basically, it's a one-stop shop

in relation to the early history of Ireland.

And in these parts, they take their history very seriously.

THEY SHOUT

There are various activities you can try around the park,

including spear throwing.

Shot, sir!

Oh, rubbish. Bow and arrows worked out a lot better.

Ho-ho-ho!

Bull's-eye!

Another activity you can do here is coracle rowing and Damian's going to tell me all about it.

What were they originally made of?

Traditionally, say 1,500 years ago, it would have a hazel frame

and we stretch a cow skin on the outside of that.

So it's very rough and ready, but all the materials

were available in the woodland or farmland around you.

Ours are fibreglass ones today, but when you get into it,

you'll be glad of the fibreglass.

-HE LAUGHS

-My only concern is, Damian, they look rather small.

All right, here we go. Let's take it like a Viking.

HE GIGGLES

Alrighty, here we go.

It's like a weird dodgem car.

I'm just literally going round in circles.

Once you get the hang of it, you get the right punt on, like.

That's me now, I think.

Hang out in forts, throwing spears, rowing a coracle -

who wouldn't be into this?

Land ho.

You can actually stay here and get a wee taste

of what life was like for our ancestors 1,500 years ago

in medieval five-star accommodation.

I wonder what the room service is like.

Look at this - this is brilliant.

You can come in, sleep on furs. This would be like sleeping in Valhalla.

This really is a unique overnight experience.

Cooking is over an open fire in the centre of the house

and there's also a fridge hidden away

at the back to keep your mead chilled.

So if you're looking for somewhere really special

to stay in Wexford, it's going to cost you 300 euros

for up to six people to stay overnight in the Ring Fort.

Back in Spain, we're exploring the Costa Daurada.

We've checked out the best beaches,

seen some hair-raising hill climbing

and chilled out in a medieval village.

And now I'm taking a trip to see one of the Costa Daurada's finest towns.

Just 15 minutes from Salou is the historic capital of this region,

Tarragona.

Once the most important Roman town in Spain,

Tarragona has been awarded UNESCO World Heritage status.

Tarragona's Roman heritage can be seen all across the city.

At one stage, it was Rome's western Mediterranean capital

and one of the richest cities in Europe.

Julius Caesar lived here for a while and, apparently,

Pontius Pilate was born here.

This area is called "the balcony of the Mediterranean"

and on a day like today, you can see why.

You said if there's one thing we must do in Tarragona,

that's come and see the Roman amphitheatre.

This Roman amphitheatre was built in the second century

and could hold up to 14,000 spectators,

and they sat right here to watch the gruesome gladiator contests

and to watch the Christian martyrs being put to death.

This area below me would have been completely clear

as part of the Roman amphitheatre,

but the remains that you can see are of a church built

hundreds of years later to commemorate the Christians

that were burned alive in the third century.

This amphitheatre gives you a real sense of how sophisticated

the Romans were in their architecture

and now the audience is filled with school children and tourists,

but imagine what it must have felt like with 14,000 people

screaming at you and waiting for you to die.

Not quite the entertainment that we have today.

Now, the old town is small enough that you could walk around it,

but I'm going to rent an electric bike for the afternoon.

For 25 euros, you can hire a bike, a guide and two hours' free parking.

Tarragona is a surprising gem of a town

and feels very different to Cambrils and Salou.

It's full of character and both the old quarter

and new town have wonderful squares and plazas.

You can understand why this has been a favourite resort

since Roman times.

I'm really glad I have the electric bike cos there are some steep hills here,

but this is one of the prettiest towns that I have ever seen.

I kept my bike ride to quiet, pedestrianised areas,

but if you do go onto busier roads, then you should hire a helmet.

But now, located on the outskirts of Salou,

the main attraction.

This is what most of you come here to see.

Claire Devine from Strabane told us this was her holiday highlight.

Spread over 119 hectares, PortAventura is a theme park

with loads of rides, restaurants and shows.

It is the biggest attraction in the area,

and if you really want your children to love you,

you have to bring them here.

PortAventura is split into six themed areas,

including the Far West, China, Mexico

and one for the nippers based on the characters from Sesame Street.

But, without doubt, the park's main attraction are its rollercoasters -

Shambhala, which is the tallest rollercoaster

with the longest fall in Europe...

And if you can hold down your dinner, there's also

the Hurakan Condor,

a falling tower ride which is 100 metres high.

And this is the Dragon Khan ride, and Shane Galvin from Cork,

I could absolutely kill you for recommending it,

-cos now we have to try it. Ready?

-Thanks, Shane(!)

THEY SCREAM

Is that all you got, Shane? Is that all you got?

In fairness, he did scream like a child the whole way through.

-Not like a child!

-It was a good laugh, though.

-I liked that one, it was good.

-It wasn't like a child!

There's no getting around just how big this park is.

There's lots of walking involved.

If you have youngsters,

we advise taking the train straight to the Sesame Street area,

where there are lots of gentle rides for the little one.

If you're staying at one of the on-site hotels, like we were,

you get unlimited entrance to the theme park and water park.

There's free transport between the resort hotels and the park,

which run every 15 minutes throughout the day.

It can be expensive.

Day tickets start at 39 euros.

Better value is a three-day ticket for 79 euros,

which includes the aqua park.

Express tickets are available if you want to avoid the queues.

But we like the advice from Helen Bullock from County Cork.

She said, "Come in the evening when it's cheaper, cooler and quieter."

If you need to cool down after all that excitement,

you can stroll just next door into the aqua park.

It's just been extended with loads of new rides,

and it's now got the highest freefall slide in Europe.

You've got to have nerves of steel for this one.

Oh, that must hurt!

But scaredy-cats aren't going to miss out.

There are slides to suit everybody.

I probably should have gone with waterproof mascara.

The water could have been a lot warmer.

One-day tickets to the Costa Caribe Aquatic Park

are priced from 22 euros for children.

That was a fun way to spend the day.

Yeah, and you will find it difficult,

between the two parks, to cram that much fun into one day.

Yeah, it's a great place for teenagers

but you don't have to be a young person to enjoy it.

-I'm wrecked after the day here.

-Yeah, I could do with a wee nap.

Salou has one of the liveliest nightlife scenes on the Costa Daurada,

with its fair share of English clubs and Irish pubs.

But if clubbing is not your bag,

there are plenty of other things to do.

Karen Morgan from Rathfriland told us

that a good family alternative to the usual evening entertainment

is the illuminated fountains on the promenade.

So what did you think about the light show just there?

It was really beautiful and really special.

-We're delighted we came down.

-How did you hear about it?

We found out at the hotel and we heard a lot of people

talking about it was well, so we said we'd come down to see it.

-And it's great for the kids.

-Really enjoyed it.

-They want to come tomorrow night.

-Lovely!

-And have you enjoyed your holiday so far?

-It's lovely.

It's so pretty and clean and tidy and just really nice for families.

And the beach is very safe. There's playgrounds down by the beach and they really enjoy it.

That is so incredibly cheesy but the kids just loved it. It's brilliant.

Most of the accommodation in Costa Daurada is made up

of reasonably priced two and three-star hotels and apartments.

We stayed at the Hotel Caribe,

one of four hotels at the PortAventura theme park.

This is a really family-centred hotel.

There's a pool with a sandy beach, there are playgrounds

and games rooms for the kids too.

The International II Apartments are three-star option

popular with Irish and British tourists.

As far as self-catering goes, this is dead-on.

It has everything you need -

a little kitchenette, fridge, microwave.

It is very clean and it sleeps up to four people,

but the real beauty of this is the location, cos right outside the door

you've got all the bars, restaurants, nightclubs

and beach you could possibly want.

The four-star H10 Salauris Palace is a 15-minute walk from the sea front,

and close to the PortAventura theme park.

We booked our hotel and flights with Jet2holidays.

For more information on all our holidays, please visit:

-So, Aoibhinn, what did you make of Salou?

-Look, it's still a resort,

but it's far nicer than I thought it would be. The beaches are lovely.

My favourite, though, was getting into the mountains

and the hiking trails and the gorgeous little towns that were there.

Yeah, there are tacky sides to this, like any resort,

but, as you say, the landscape lends itself to the activities.

I loved going out kayaking across that lake.

I also loved the visit to the monastery.

That was absolutely stunning, and I would say unmissable.

On top of all that, you've got all the adventure parks,

so I think it's the perfect place for a family holiday.

Absolutely, it is. We will see you next time on Getaways.