Universal Mediterranea Resort, Port Aventura Review

Overall Rating

The park was incredibly well-maintained and spotlessly clean. The rides were fun and the queues were lovely and short at this time of year, so much so that we did not need to use all our free 'jump the queue' passes. The park stays open until midnight at weekends which is great as you can enjoy the rides in the dark - so much more fun! The staff were helpful and friendly and (if the queues were very short) will let you stay on the rides again! Also great pride in the cleanliness of the toilets is obvious! They are plentiful and were cleaned regularly with no shortage of loo roll or soap! A lovely treat for us girlies!!
We stayed at the hotel El Paso which, again, was kept very clean and tidy. There was a huge variety of tasty food in the evenings to choose from including fish, pasta, meat, salad, vegetables and the desserts were out of this world!! The breakfast choices were abundant and very filling - ideal to set you up for the day!
Also, there is a little train which is free, that will pick you up from outside the hotel and drop you at the park and will then return you to your hotel again.

Sadly, one major downfall was that people tend to smoke in the queues - a lot. No consideration is given to children or non-smokers.
Staying at the Hotel El Paso was lovely but be warned that if you fly with First Choice you arrive at the hotel before midday but cannot access your room until 3pm. We were not made aware of this before we went but, luckily, you can leave your bags in a safe storage room. Important - remember to check in at reception and they will give you your pass keys to the park. Minimise any hand luggage and wear comfortable shoes, as the park is on a hill, and you can head for the rides straight away!
In April, the outdoor waterparks and swimming pools are shut. Also, there is not much entertainment at this time of year for children in the evenings.

We flew from Stanstead Airport and the flight time was less than 2 hours - perfect if you have fidgety kids.
We stayed at the El Paso Hotel, a skip from the park. A courtesy coach will take you directly to the hotel.
The weather in April was not too bad. In a week we had 2 bad days of rain but it did not stop the rides or us from having fun on them!
All in all we would recommend Portaventura to our friends. It is a lovely place for a short break whether the weather is in your favour or not.
The locals are friendly, the hotel is clean and comfortable and the food was excellent.
The rides were great, the food and drink in the park was not overly expensive. Fun was had by adults and children alike.