BACK TO FEATURES HOMEPAGE

PORT AVENTURA

Petra Shepherd joined Travel Channel for its launch back in 1994. She looks after our research and works on all original productions. Petra’s one of the most recognisable faces in the travel industry and when she’s not on the canapé circuit promoting the channel, she spends every free moment travelling. She’s visited over 70 countries and prefers back packing to 5 * luxury, unless of course it’s in the name of research!

This month a misunderstanding leaves her stranded on a mountain with her skis...

Everybody has a secret and I hate to admit it but mine is a love of theme parks! I know, I know. It's slightly at odds with my other great love, getting off the beaten track and exploring, but I annually try out at least one new European park or ride. Disneyland Paris tick, Legoland tick, Alton Towers, Chessington World of Adventures, Phantasialand, De Efterling, Futurescope, even Parc Asterix, tick, tick, tick. However, an obvious omission from the list is PortAventura, Europe's second most popular and largest theme park, so that's where I headed with my eight year old god-daughter Cordy in July last year

PortAventura consists of two parks: PortAventura theme park and Caribe Aquatic Park. There are also three themed hotels: Hotel Port Aventura, Hotel El Paso and Hotel Caribe Resort. The theme park is located in the heart of Spain's Costa Dorada between the coastal towns of Salou and Vila-seca, barely 100 kilometres from Barcelona. It's easy to get to, just an hour from Barcelona airport or 15 minutes from nearby Reus Airport, and makes for an easy weekend break.

Like its Disney rival, PortAventura is laid out in five themed areas: Mediterranea, Polynesia, China, Mexico and the Far West. Within these themed areas there are more than 30 attractions, 100 daily performances, 75 places to eat, 28 shops - we're not talking small here and you need to plan your strategy. Otherwise you'll find yourself all over the place; at the Great Wall of China one minute and the ruins of Mayan Mexico the next, before joining real live cowboys for a taste of the Far West.

The most popular attractions are Dragon Kahn followed by Stampida and Silver River Flume whilst the most popular shows are Aves del Paraiso (Birds of Paradise Show), El Sol de Oriente (Sun of the Orient Chinese Acrobats) and Fiestaventura (the evening firework extravaganza and voted best live show in the world). Dragon Khan is Europe's biggest roller coaster and the world's loopiest. Don't miss this ride with it 70 mph first drop, 8 inverted loops and great views across the park. That's if you dare to look.

To celebrate the park's 10th birthday, a major new attraction Hurakan Condor was launched in 2005. Hurakan Condor is the highest free fall ride in Spain, a 325-foot adrenalin rush at 71 miles an hour, with 3 seconds of vertigo. Theme park fans will feel their weight multiplied by three as they plummet. You're also able to choose the type of sensation you wish to experience depending on which of the three seat models you opt for. There are static seats or slightly tilted ones so that the sensation of falling becomes even more intense. Beside the tilt, the third type of seat has no leg support. The fall is housed in a 79-foot high building, inspired by the real Torre de Palacio in the Mexican city of Palenque. Hurakan Condor is a photo ride, so you're able to get a permanent record of yourself at the most intense moment of descent. All I can say is that the 3 seconds of vertigo felt like a lifetime and this ride is not for the faint-hearted! www.themeparkinsider.com gives it and Dragon Khan a 9. 10 is a perfect score but PortAventura's emphasis is on atmosphere and that's where it really succeeds.

For the very little ones, there's the usual slew of carousels and spinning teacups. Our favourite rides were Tutuki Splash in Polynesia, plummeting fun on a wild boat ride. Pray that it's a warm day as you'll definitely get drenched, and the ever popular Stampida , an electrifying race on a wooden roller coaster. We were also impressed by the dazzling fire and water special effects in the Templo del Fuego, and Fiestaventura a midnight pyrotechnical extravaganza that takes place on the lake at the entrance to the park. This was definitely worth staying up for. Worst ride was the bumper cars designed for kids called Buffalo Rodeo in the Far West Zone. Cordy came off terrified and feeling sick, whilst I not only felt sick but had whiplash as well. Once they've started, it's obviously difficult to get out.

One of the main downsides of visiting a theme park is usually the food - a mixture of fast food, burgers, pizzas, chips, hotdogs, candy floss and it's all generally bland and over priced. Not so in Port Aventura, I was genuinely impressed. As you'd imagine, each area has food in keeping with its theme, so you'll find great Mexican cooking in Mexico, exotic Polynesian produce, delicacies from China and famous Mediterranean dishes; proper food and proper restaurants.

Disney has Mickey and Minnie, Parc Asterix has, well obviously Asterix and his sidekick Obelix as well, and not to be outdone PortAventura has Woody Woodpecker. You'll find him strolling around the park and hotels, sometimes with his other half, Winnie. They have a sweet niece, Splinter and a tiny nephew called Knothead. Also in the park, for those photo opportunities and autograph grabs kids love, you may see the Pink Panther; the king of spinach himself, Popeye, or even Betty Boop. The various characters appear in the different lands at certain times throughout the day or if you're staying at one of the onsite hotels, it's possible to book a Character Breakfast. The timetable for character appearances in the park is included in the show times schedule within your pullout map guide; you'll find it under Woody Y Sus Amigos. Autograph grabbing however doesn't seem to have caught on in the same way it has at Disney. No bad thing if you ask me as you don't have to queue for hours to get that "treasured photo". The characters wander around the themed areas at their allocated times so there's again no fixed place to see them and queue up for an autograph or photo.

PortAventura can easily be done in a day but if you want to make the most of the rides and shows, as well as taking in Caribe Aquatic Park, it's well worth staying overnight. We stayed at Hotel Portaventura, a charming four-star hotel evoking the romance of a Mediterranean fishing village. It's ideally located at the entrance to the theme park and you're not disturbed by the noise, apart from the midnight fireworks. It also means you can pop in and out of the park whenever you want.

Other hotels include the Mexican themed Hotel El Paso, designed specifically for families and built around several huge swimming pools, one of which features a sunken pirate ship, and The Hotel Caribe Resort, a unique tropical paradise with the biggest white-sand swimming pool in the world. Another benefit of staying in an onsite hotel is you have direct access to the most popular rides, minimising waiting time, and you get VIP seating at some of the show

PortAventura's second theme park is Caribe Aquatic Park, a Caribbean-themed water park. It's 34,262 square metres of fun laid out in two zones, one indoor and one outdoors. A separate swimming pool has been built for the little ones, including an artificial lake with water jets where children can enjoy the fun of 'baby bungee'. The Mouse might have chosen Paris but Port Aventura's location has THE winning factor, sun, making the inclusion of a water park a very popular choice.

PortAventura has great plans for the future. Construction has recently begun on a 9 million euro beach club extension. The extension will feature seven themed swimming pools and several restaurants; it's due to open next summer.

Meanwhile, there's still time to enjoy the park's Christmas celebration. Up until the 8th January you'll be able to take a magic tour of Santa Claus' secret home at El Bosque Encantado. The Christmas programme also includes an original parade of Christmas characters on the Mediterranea Lake, prelude to a grand musical fireworks display, and other favourites such as Woody on Ice and Can-Can Christmas.

PortAventura's location, entertaining and innovative shows and truly stomach churning rides are proving to be a winning formula. Three and a half million people visited during the 2004 season. I thought I was a pretty experienced adrenalin junkie but when it comes to white-knuckle, nail-biting, cheek-trembling thrills Port Aventura has it all. Why cross the pond when European Theme Parks offer everything the Americans can? All in all, PortAventura gets a big thumbs up from both Cordy and myself.

To find out more about Port Aventura visit

If you've visited Port Aventura , I'd like to HEAR FROM YOU

January 2006