A Catalan BBQ at Torre del Sol

We are now continuing our coastal tour from Barcelona to Tarragona - a short distance and journey compared to our more recent trips between sites. After an hour of driving south, we arrived at the Torre del Sol site which only opened the day before. This enormous site is extremely popular and was gearing up for the numerous arrivals forecast imminently (2000 Portuguese students). Its regular customers include mainly Dutch and French caravans and motorhomes but large numbers of German, Portuguese, Spanish and English people come to stay too either in their caravans or motorhomes, tents or on-site bungalows / chalets. At its height Torre del Sol reaches a capacity of 8000 and was referred to by one member of staff as being like a town.

 

The main area for pitching up is located by the beach. In order to get there from the reception, you need to pass under a railway line which crosses through the site. The underpass is 3.1m high and very narrow. Perturbed by this, we chose to take the alternative entrance around the side of the site. The gateway in was locked and had to be opened by a security guard but at least it meant we avoided any scrapes. 

 

We were one of about 15 other caravans and motorhomes on the site, a small number in comparison to the full capacity. Our pitch was a grass  pitch surrounded manicured palm trees and only 25m away from the beach - idylllic! The facilities were also nearby: a beautiful, clean toilet block with powerful, warm showers; immaculate dishwashing facilites; laundry room; and a mini spa that had jacuzzis and a steam room...and all pretty much to ourselves!

 

If the girls had been impressed by the previous Villanova Park site, then they were equally pleased by the offerings of this site, even though a lot of it was not open. But there are pros and cons; coming at this time of year meant that we were able to appreciate the site and its facilities without the crowds.

 

A timetable of 'animacion' is displayed throughout the site. There is a range of activities on offer for younger children from face painting to pirate parties and a range of sporting activities for older children. Most of these take place in the Animacion area. In this area there is a football pitch (hard surface), mini skate park, aerobic area and teen chill-out area. We made the most of the lack of crowds and enjoyed a family game of football. During peak times, this must be teeming with children and activities.

 

Elsewhere on the site there are two outdoor swimming pools, a diving club, gym and squash courts, hairdressers (which Tim used), pharmacy, supermarket and cinema! Dotted around the site are restaurants and bars (including a typically Spanish bar by the reception) and ice-cream bars for a sweet cold treat in the hotter weather. 

 

Whilst we weren't able to appreciate all the activities that are on offer later in the season, we did enjoy a wonderful Catalan BBQ - the first of the season. We arrived a little after one and joined a large Dutch group and a German couple sat at picnic beaches. Our glasses were immediately filled with sangria and continued to be topped up for rest of the time that we were there. We did a toast and then the owner's son demonstrated a couple of Catalan delicacies. First of all he showed us all how to eat the BBQ'd onions. These were large spring onions with a characoaled appearance. We had to twist the inside out and then dunk it generously into a roasted pepper sauce (similar in texture to houmous). They were truly delicious. These were served alongside nibbles (crisps, olives and bread) as well as 'coca' - a Catalan version of a pizza. The other party trick was to try to drink red wine out of a shaped decanter. The trick was to begin pouring the wine into the mouth and then move the vessel away while the wine continued to flow into your mouth. It appeared an easy trick when performed by the owner's son but as we soon discovered it wasn't as easy as it looked. The meal was finished off with roasted nuts and cake soaked in Muscat wine. Spanish music was playing throughout and the girls were given a few Flamenco moves by one of the women that was serving us food. It was a fantastic lunchtime activity full of fun and atmosphere. I'm sure this weekly event, along with the Flamenco evenings that are offered are popular throughout the summer.

 

After our Catalan BBQ, we decided to walk along the beach. The clean strip of sand sandwiched between the campsite and the Mediterranean  sea stretched for as far as the eye could see. We chose to turn left and walk to the quieter nearby fishing resort, passing numerous other campsites along the way. The village was not surprisingly quiet with holiday lets that faced the sea, boarded up waiting for their residents to appear. In the distance we could see the built up town of Salou and behind was Tarragona, both of which were a short drive away but we were happy to enjoy the location we were staying at.

 

@meekroadventure