I went to Spain’s Golden Coast – with 50 miles of beaches and huge family resorts

SPAIN’S Costa Daurada simply translates arsenic the Golden Coast.

It’s named aft the colour of the soil erstwhile the prima shines on its 50 miles of Mediterranean beaches, moving south- westbound from Barcelona.

I hadn’t taken the clip to explicate its meaning to my children portion sitting successful the departures lounge astatine Stansted Airport.

But it was the archetypal that happening they exclaimed arsenic they dived into the surf 3 hours later.

“Daddy, there’s golden successful the water!”

They weren’t wrong. Tiny grains of soil floating successful the crystal-clear oversea shone similar a aureate twinkling disco shot suspended successful the sun’s rays.

My 2 grew up paddling successful the acquainted dark-grey murk of the North Sea.

So they were surely thrilled to beryllium snorkelling successful 34C sunshine disconnected Platja dels Pilans.

The formation was conscionable a ten-minute locomotion from our Eurocamp vacation location astatine the Playa Montroig Resort, successful Miami Platja. And that was conscionable arsenic stunning.

Our Ultimate lodge slept six successful comfortableness — with businesslike air-conditioning that came into its ain connected during our scorching summertime holiday.

Outside, comfy patio furnishings connected the shaded decking was cleanable for chilling astatine immoderate clip of day, and the eating array and chairs were large for al-fresco meals.

The beachside edifice is simply a 20-minute thrust from Reus Airport, and astir an hr from Barcelona.

And it lives up to its 5H rating, with immaculate grounds, 3 restaurants, a formation barroom and round-the-clock amusement for some kids and grown-ups.

On our archetypal night, a magician sawed his glamorous adjunct successful fractional to the wonderment of watching children.

The aforesaid signifier hosted intense-looking workout classes successful the mornings, which were decidedly not for the hungover.

And by the day it had turned into a kid-friendly Ibiza foam enactment with immense cannons coating the dancing crowds successful clouds of bubbles.

Gigs connected the beach, fireworks, and a swimming excavation analyzable with triple-flume enactment lone added to the fun.

The poshest edifice connected tract was the Espai Grill, which offered a afloat 3 courses of premier meats, with courtyard amusement from a Beatles tribute band.

Unfussy and simple

Mid-tier was the Terrassa Restaurant, which served accepted Spanish fare and cold lagers, conscionable a stone’s propulsion from the main square.

Our favourite was the Tucanamar formation bar.

Unfussy and simple, caller food and nutrient were grilled present implicit woodsmoke and washed down with copious Del Boy cocktails.

You can’t bushed tapas and an ice-cold mojito portion overlooking the waves with soil astatine your feet.

There was a bakery for greeting baguette runs, and a decent-sized supermarket which offered the fantastic European adventures of 15 types of cocoa dispersed and tinned olives.

Never has the gulf betwixt a British booze aisle, and intoxicant connected the Continent, been truthful vast.

You could get 3 bottles of tip-top rioja and a slab of beers for the terms of a petrol presumption chardonnay backmost home.

For a spot of offsite culture, we headed to the municipality of Montroig del Camp, which was famed arsenic the agrarian retreat of the precocious Catalan creator and surrealist icon Joan Miro.

He began his coating vocation present astatine his parents’ farmhouse retreat and the scenery was the inspiration for immoderate of his astir celebrated works.

Montroig del Camp is overlooked by the singular 13th-century hermitage of Our Lady of the Rock, which is itself topped by the 19th-century Chapel of Sant Ramon.

Perched connected apical of a file of eroded reddish rock, it defies physics portion besides offering panoramic views each the mode to the coast.

Wildlife and waterfalls

Thankfully, you tin parkland astatine the apical earlier clambering up to the chapel.

We past took the abbreviated thrust to Cambrils to spot the beauteous botanical gardens astatine Parc Sama.

It’s similar a National Trust stately-home acquisition parachuted into the Med.

The fantastic 35-acre grounds are packed with wildlife and waterfalls.

You tin provender the cervid and marvel astatine the terrapins successful the water wherever food volition nibble your fingertips.

But it’s the peacocks that are the prima of the show.

Chicks beside showboating grown-ups, and adjacent their uncommon white- feathered cousins, strut among the tourists.

The coastal superior is Tarragona, location to the ruins of a magnificent Roman amphitheatre and an astonishing 12th period Cathedral.

But it’s quality structures that are the modern marvel — the metropolis hosts the Castells competition, the world’s largest quality operation contest.

The gravity-defying, centuries-old Catalan contented sees unthinkable towers created from the crowds which basal up to 40ft high.

A fantastic life-size metropolis centre-statue pays soaring tribute to their efforts.

There’s nary uncertainty that the Costa Daurada, with each its sun-soaked household amusive and Catalonian culture, delivers a gold-star break.