Travel: Perfect parklife in sunny Spain

It's a family beach holiday, a city break, some rest and relaxation and a chance to soak up a bit of culture.

Can there be such a holiday, satisfying each member of the family however old they are? It is no mean feat for a parent to find something to please everyone – I know – but Eurocamp are pretty much ticking all of the boxes here at Vilanova Park.

This is a large parc with exceptional facilities in a beautiful setting between the mountains and the sea but a stone's throw from several of the Costa Dorada beaches. It's even close to a large nature reserve and, importantly, it is just outside the magnificent city of Barcelona.

With everything to hand, you make this holiday exactly what you want it to be – we certainly did.

As a family, with two teenage children, we like the independence that self-catering offers which is why we often opt for a mobile home holiday. There is a range of accommodation at Vilanova – whether you want to take or hire a tent or opt for one of the comfortable, or maybe even pretty luxurious, mobile homes.

Several companies from across Europe have homes on the site but we went with self-catering specialist Eurocamp, who offer a choice of some 180 parcs.

Our Eurocamp home was in a quiet, wooded area, with room for the car, sun loungers to hand and a covered decking area too. The temperatures were in the eighties most days so it was wonderful to have breakfast outside watching the red squirrels and enjoying the peace. Although to be honest, at some points of the day the air-conditioning inside was very welcome.

We had the three-bedroomed Esprit model and, having opted to fly-drive, pre-booked linen hire, beach towels and an essentials pack. That said, the parc shop was one of the best I have encountered. It is a fully stocked supermarket and reasonable prices too – there wasn't the usual journey to the nearest big store to stock up.

A barbecue came with the home and this was used a couple of times although there are many tempting choices on the parc which make it very difficult to justify cooking (on holiday, obscene!)

There are two restaurants – a buffet restaurant and Mas Roquer which has a varied menu and very accommodating staff. Another attraction for my children was the free wifi there for diners. There is also a takeaway if you just want to sit out on your decking without having to hit the kitchen.

Or you could just take the short drive/bus ride into Vilanova where there are a choice of restaurants. There is certainly plenty to keep you entertained on the parc. There are two large pool areas and an indoor pool. Our favourite was the outdoor pool at the top of the parc, with a wonderful view out to sea. There was plenty of beds and a snack bar to hand. It was also close to the multi-use games area, the crazy golf and 'jumping pillow' play area – just in case the young ones want to play while you enjoy some sun worshipping.

In addition there are children's clubs, nightly entertainment from a busy, multi-lingual team and guest acts, there are sports competitions and there is even a spa on site. There is plenty to do all day, if you have the energy.

If not, the Catalonian seaside resort of Vilanova is just 3km away (buses run frequently from the parc) where there are six beaches within walking distance of each other. We preferred the Sant Cristofol beach which was kept spotless, had plenty of parking, clear blue waters, water sports and a snack bar.

Vilanova has a large marina home to some spectacular vessels with their well-to-do owners keen no doubt to check out the many restaurants and bars in the town. There is also quite a range of shops. Some time was spent on the promenade just people watching.

But Barcelona is the jewel in the crown. Public transport from the parc is quite straight forward with regular trains from Vilanova or you could brave the drive yourself, bearing in mind it is a busy city and therefore necessitates manic driving. I was a big, brave girl and did make my own way to Camp Nou – the home of FC Barcelona – although this is on the outskirts.

The stadium offers a fascinating hour and a half tour of the enormous stadium – even going into the luxury changing rooms and down to the dug outs – as well as a visit to the museum with the endless lines of silverware on display. Barcelona is one of the world's oldest clubs and this is the world's second largest stadium. This was the highlight of my football-mad teenage son's trip.

But if you don't want to risk damaging your own or your hire car, then there are regular trains from Vilanova or there are guided tours running from the parc. We chose the latter, easy option for the sight-seeing.

The first half was a guided tour which enabled us to see the architectural work of Antoni Gaudi such as the breath-taking Casa Mila building, as well as the beautiful beach area, a guided trip through the heart of the city and up into the mountains.

The Games of 1992 saw a Renaissance in Barcelona and the tour takes in the former Olympic village city, there is a chance to get off the bus and visit the Palau Sant Jordi arena where U2 played last year and the Olympic ring complex.

The bus stops at the must-see Sagrada Familia, the emblem of Barcelona which Gaudi devoted four decades of his life to building and which is still unfinished. When he died in 1926 he had only completed one of his planned 18 towers.

Afterwards you are dropped off in the Placa de Catalunya when there's time for shopping, art museums or to sit in the bustling Las Ramblas boulevard and enjoy a meal. The tour is a snapshot of Barcelona which is definitely worth a return trip

There is plenty to do in the region if you want to travel further afield. Tarragona (45km), Sitges (9km), Salou (50km) and the large PortAventura theme park (68km) are all accessible. Trips to the theme park ran from the park.

Many families take a ferry crossing and drive to the site. We decided to fly from Birmingham then picked up a hire care at the airport. It is 25-mile drive to the park so you could get a taxi for a reasonable price. The choice is yours.

And that is the key to this holiday, the choice is yours but there is plenty to choose from. The freedom of self-catering, the great facilities and the fantastic location (all helped by the sunshine) gave us the chance to make this holiday our own with something for everyone.

Now over to you...

By Diane Davies