Even a stressful document mishap can’t spoil the fun on a relaxing family break to Spain
The luxurious Playa Montroig offers everything you could want from a trip away with the kids
THE holiday kicked off with a drivers' licence crisis which sent my blood pressure soaring.
Within 24 hours the crisis was over, my wife had said sorry and I was given a licence .. to chill.
I'll get the - only - bad bit out of the way first.
We're on the plane to Spain and all I'm thinking about is whether we'll be at the beach or relaxing by the pool later that day.
Then my good lady Rachel drops the bombshell that a few months previously she took my drivers' licence out of my wallet, put it in a 'safe' place afterwards, forgot all about it and did I think we'd need it to pick up our hired car at the airport.
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By this point I'd quite happily have recreated the famous slapping scene in Airplane! but at least I was just about to get some serious sunshine, wouldn't I?
Well, not exactly. The thunderstorm that greeted us on arrival at Playa Montroig camping resort captured my mood perfectly but it cleared the air and Rachel and I were just about able to do the same.
After that we had one of the best family holidays ever - and I can't pay an, er, hire compliment than that.
We flew with Thomson, astonished that we managed to get four flights for just £750 at the height of season.
The flight times were great too - out at 7.30am so you arrived by lunchtime, and a 12 noon departure on the way home. Perfect!
Playa Montroig is a fantastic family holiday park nestled in subtropical gardens alongside Costa Dorada's sandy beaches.
It is beautifully landscaped and has four pools - one even had six waterslides and my daughters Rebecca, 11, and Lucy, nine, would happily have played on them all day long.
Our base for the week was a three-bedroom mobile home which easily slept five of us and was perfect for all our needs.
The first thing I noticed was the wifi signal wasn't great throughout the park.
This a blessing and a curse for a journalist specially those of us who are prisoners to our work emails. But no wifi means no access to email and all the more reason to switch off.
Playa Montroig has two restaurants and four bars. On our first night we had a scrumptious dinner at Pai Pai Grill - between us we tucked into steak, ribs, pasta and pizza, with the adults washing it down with a lovely bottle of red.
Afterwards we took a wander down to the beach bar for a late-night cocktail as the kids played in the park and the waves rippled in the background.
This was when we really appreciated we were on holiday .. and we had nine whole nights still to savour.
Next morning it was time to explore and there is so much to do at Playa Montroig you NEVER have to leave the parc .. other than to wander down to the beach.
There are trampolines, mini golf, tennis, basketball, table tennis, crazy golf and football.
The park is entirely self-catering but there is a supermarket and bakery on site so you'll never go short. The store can be pricey - 5 euros for hot dogs, one example - but there is a huge supermarket in nearby Reus town and you can stock up there for the duration of your stay.
There is a Spa on site but - despite the car hire shambles - we were chilled out enough throughout so didn't feel the need to check it out.
If you want a rub-down without leaving the beach there are plenty of locals offering on-the-spot massages for 20 euros, less if you fancy a bit of haggling.
You can get just about anything on the beach - watches, sunglasses, footie strips and hair braids.
There is a gym on-site too but, we were on holiday for goodness sake, so why bother with that nonsense?
Bike hire is also available - by the hour, for the morning or afternoon, or full day - and this as good a way as any to see the whole park.
Like all good family resorts night times always gets started with the Mini disco.
We took my old man on holiday with us this year .. and I quickly discovered his dad dancing hasn't improved since the last time we were away together 25 year ago. Still, as long as he was enjoying himself that's all that matters.
Playa Montroig is big on keeping the kids happy and their entertainment was more than decent with movies, magic shows, acrobatics, bingo, quizzes, theme nights and live music.
There was always something going on during the day too with pool parties, foam parties, aqua aerobics and, my favourite, water polo.
If relaxing is more your thing then the pool bar is ideal for getting out of the sun for a while, grabbing a beer and enjoying a game of cards or reading your book.
I like a mixture of both but being able to read three books in full over the course of the two weeks was a bit of an achievement for me and shows that chillout time was on the agenda.
The pools here are cracking - especially with temperatures in the high 90s - but it was mildly annoying that there were no sunbeds and you had to make do with a towel on the grass.
The pools didn't open until 10am either. I know the Spanish are late risers but we've always enjoyed a swim first thing before my breakfast. On the plus side, it meant we got a lie in most mornings.
While we were happy to cook at home every now and then - each mobile comes equipped with a BBQ - eating out on holiday is my favourite part of the day.
The Espia restaurant was tasty and reasonably priced while the takeaway was top notch serving up a fine range of pizzas, burgers and fries.
Playa Montroig is the perfect base for exploring Costa Dorado.
Cambrils is less than 15 minutes away and is a warm, bustling holiday town with the reputation of being the region's culinary capital serving up the best seafood around.
For my dad it meant a pint of Guinness, cooked breakfast and Sky Sports - you can take the old boy out of Glasgow eh?
Barcelona is little more than an hour away and well worth the day trip to take in the famous Las Ramblas, Sagrada Familia and if you have even a passing interest in football then the Nou Camp of course.
If theme parks are more your thing then Portaventura World is just 20 minutes away. You could easily spend three days at the theme park, water park or Ferrari Land which opened this year and in Red Force the scariest ride I have ever seen. Yup, that's right, I didn't go on it!
After the trouble I had with cars at the start of this unforgettable trip, not even a Ferrari was going to tempt me on board.
GO: EUROCAMP COSTA DORADA GETTING THERE: Thomson fly direct to Reus airport from Glasgow on a seasonal basis. See Thomson.co.uk for best prices.
STAYING THERE: Seven nights at Playa Montroig with Eurocamp, arriving March 31, 2018, staying in a three-bedroom Avant mobile home with decking and air conditioning for a family of up to six people starts from £470. See eurocamp.co.uk MORE INFO: Car hire from Firefly is from £200 per week including insurance See uk.fireflycarrental.com. Taxi from Reus airport around £40. For all you need to plan a trip to the Costa Dorada see costadaurada.info
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