Everything we needed for a golden family break

Costa Dorada

Holiday snapshot: The pristine Playa Montroig Camping Resort is beside miles of golden sands.

Climate check: The Costa Dorada, on Spain's north-east coast, enjoys long hot summers with a cooling sea breeze.

Return visit? Definitely.

Contact: Keycamp: Visit www.keycamp.co.uk or call 0844 406 0319 for the latest deals at Playa Montroig, Spain.

Jet2: Visit www.jet2.com

Mercure Leeds Parkway Hotel, near Leeds Bradford Airport: Visit www.mercure.com or call 0844 8159020.

Leeds Bradford Airport: Visit www.leedsbradfordairport.co.uk

Trudi Davidson visits Spain

T he barbecues were lit and we could almost taste our holiday as we arrived at Playa Montroig Camping Resort, on Spain's Costa Dorada.

Like the barbecues, the weather was sizzling hot and families had left the beach and pool for some lunchtime shade.

Palm trees lined the avenues of gleaming white mobile homes, all furnished with outdoor dining areas for al fresco meals.

Spain's Golden Coast seemed a million miles away from wet and windy Yorkshire.

It had been just a few hours since we'd left Leeds Bradford Airport on our Jet2.com fly/drive. Within an hour of landing at Barcelona Airport we had the keys to a new Seat Altea hire car for the 90-minute drive south.

Our first impressions of Playa Montroig were excellent. It was an attractively landscaped parc, everything looked pristine and the welcome was friendly.

We had booked our accommodation with Keycamp and our rep was there to welcome us. Thankfully, our immaculate three-bed Villagrand mobile home was equipped with air conditioning.

Two bottles of wine were also waiting for us – yes, the holiday was going to be a corker.

On the decking we had a table for six complete with a parasol, plus a couple of sun loungers.

Along the palm-fringed road, children were riding bikes and playing ball games while the dads manned the barbecues.

It was traffic-free because once you arrive, cars are parked up alongside the mobile homes and there's no driving about.

We took the short stroll to the supermarket and bakery and began to unwind. We spotted tennis courts, table tennis, bike rentals, play equipment and football pitches. The focal point was the attractively landscaped pool area. There were no ugly lines of plastic sun beds here. The pool, which had water chutes and a waterfall, was surrounded by grass, so people just laid out on their towels.

Alongside there was a terrace bar for drinks and ice-cream.

Next, we took a peek at the fitness centre, which was equipped with cross-trainers, rowing machines, exercise bikes and treadmills, as well as a weights room.

At the commercial centre there were several shops with all we needed for our holiday.

There was also a performance stage as well as a big screen, which was popular with football fans from all nations following Euro 2012.

A restaurant serving a wide range of Mediterranean dishes had tables inside and out and there was also a cyber café.

We then walked the short distance to the beach, where the sand was groomed daily to keep it clean.

You could walk for miles along the Costa Dorada, and we did. The beach was quiet and we were drawn back each day for seaside strolls in the gentle cooling breeze.

There were also some excellent beachside restaurants serving fish and paella dishes.

In the distance, we could see the giant loops of the white-knuckle rides at the Port Aventura theme park in nearby Salou.

The park was just a short drive away and it was top of our daughters' to-do list.

There were queues for the rides but we packed plenty in as we hurtled through the themed areas – Polynesia, China, Mexico, the Mediterranean and the Wild West.

During our stay, we also visited Cambrils, an attractive seaside town with a marina and lots of good restaurants.

Also nearby is Tarragona, which boasts some of the best-preserved Roman remains in Spain.

But in truth we were happy to just chill out at Playa Montroig, which had everything we needed for a relaxing break.

It was the first time we had taken a holiday in a mobile home and we were pleasantly surprised with the high-quality accommodation for our family of four.

We also booked bed linen and beach towels so we didn't have to take our own.

Keycamp's reps were based in a mobile home on site so there always was someone on hand if needed. They also offered guided cycle tours of the area.

We discovered that Keycamp offers self-catering holidays to 99 parcs in ten European countries, as well as the US, so we'll definitely be looking for another destination next summer.

Keycamp can arrange travel but we booked our fly/drive separately through Jet2.com for its low fares from Leeds Bradford Airport.

We stayed overnight near the airport at the three-star Mercure Leeds Parkway hotel.

The hotel, in rolling countryside and next to a wildlife reserve, has excellent facilities including an indoor pool and fitness centre.

It's just ten minutes from the airport so it was perfect for our 7.35am flight but it would also be a great spot for a mini-break.

Parking at the airport was easy, with just a few minutes' walk to departures. All in all, it was a hassle-free trip to the sea, sun and sangria.