Presthaven Sands - North Wales

I have just spent a weekend at this Haven site and it is fantastic.  Fantastic to the point I have been looking into how much it would cost to buy a caravan here.

It is located just off the A548 and it is huge.  The main building is a mile and a quarter from the entrance, driving up I did think I had missed a turning somewhere, but then the buildings appeared in the distance.

Check in was easy although the standard of accommodation I had booked meant that I couldn't actually get into my caravan until 4pm, but the more expensive the caravan, the earlier you get access.

In the main building you will find the pub - the Mash and Barrel (WiFi is available in the pub and on the terrace outside), the Carousel Bar and the Live Lounge, where the entertainment takes place.  There is the usual amusement arcade, plus Burger King and Papa John Pizzas.  As it was sunny, sitting on the terrace of the pub was fantastic. 

There are two free to use cash machines in the main building.

Also in the main building, although only accessible from the outside, is the Cooks fish and chip shop.  

Set slightly back from the main building is a large Spar shop.  Refreshingly, having stayed on various holiday parks, the prices in the shop did not appear inflated.  

There is another free to use cash machine at the side of the Spar.

Way back by the entrance, there is a further pub.

There is a leisure complex with an indoor pool, an outdoor pool which was closed as the main season had ended, a jungle gym and an indoor sports court.

Outside there is an aerial play area, think Go Ape but smaller, and a Go-Kart track.  There is also archery, darts, pedal kart hire and bike hire.  There are several play areas too.

Some of these activities are chargeable.

The bars are expensive, but that has been the same at every holiday camp I have visited, but offers are available which can work out better than buying one drink at a time.

I chose a Superior caravan, it was a Rio Mk III, and it was lovely.  It was a 2 bedroom - one double and one twin - the seating in the living area could be converted to a further 2 beds.  There was an en-suite toilet and washbasin in the double bedroom as well as the main shower/toilet room.

The gas hob/oven was twice the size as the one I have at home and there was plenty of seating and storage.

The numbering of the caravans was a little confusing, the park is split into areas which are all named and numbered.  It took me a while to find my van, in the end I just parked the car in one of the many parking areas and walked around to find my van, it turns out that I was driving in circles around it.

Although I was quite a way from the main building, I was very close to a beach access, which was great although when the sea goes out here, it really goes out.

  

The only drawback was that toilet rolls were not supplied, so it was a quick dash to the Spar to get some!

I was here as part of a club weekend so had special rates, but I will definitely be coming back by myself and paying the full price (I paid per person, however standard rates are per van).

Calella de la Costa, Pt 1

Calella de la Costa is about 45 minutes away from Barcelona by road, and about an hour by train.  A train from the airport will add another 30 minutes, give or take.

Travelling by Train from Barcelona El Prat airport, this will be your first view of the town, albeit from a slightly lower perspective.

It really is a lovely beach at Calella, and unlike its better known neighbour, Lloret de Mar a few miles up the coast, it never gets over filled, even in the height of summer.  It is raked everyday, there are recycling bins at regular intervals and these are actually emptied!

There are several entrances on to the beach, which for the most part, is reached by subways passing under the railway track.  There are a few wooden walkways out onto the sand for easier pushchair and wheelchair pushing.  There are also plenty of showers available if you want to wash up before getting dressed and leaving the beach.  Unusually for Europe, there are free to use public toilets located by the subways.

Hotels. hostels and chalets.

There is accommodation to suit all budgets in Calella, from hostels costing £10 per person per night, up to hotels costing £150 per person per night.

The cheaper hotels are fine, the decor may be a bit outdated and in need of some updating, but all of the hotels I have stayed in have been spotless and the staff fantastic, the only issue I have with them being the German teenagers.

There are several companies in Germany who's sole purpose is to bring teenagers over to the Costa Brava and to all intents and purposes, abandon them to their own devices, apart from the occasional pub crawl.  There has been occasions when I have seen people, of all nationalities, lined up along hotel balconies cheering and applauding as the coaches are loading up to return to Germany  I remember a few years ago, a British company tried to do the same and were barred from the town.

I tend to pay a little bit more for my hotel as I know it will be teenager free, the hotel I favour is generally chosen by older couples, of all nationalities it has to be said, and I have never had a bad stay.

The view from the roof top sun terrace at my favourite hotel.

The Town

There has been a lot of work carried out in Calella, and the Costa Brava generally, in recent years and you can see the difference.

There is a running track along the beach (not that I have been guilty of using it) with stretching posts, pull up bars and other wierd and wonderful things along the way.  The turn at the end of the beach can be seen below, run any further than this towards St Pol de Mar, and you will be running through cliff!

Photo courtesy of CostaBravaTourism.net

The track is also suitable for bike riding, and bikes can be hired at various places along the beach.

A few years ago, the main street down to the beach was two lanes separated by a storm drain.  The storm drain has been covered over now and the space is huge.  It is used for parades and parties and is surrounded by bars and restaurants, it is a great use of space.

Be warned, when it rains in Calella, it really does rain!

The tinny noise you can hear is the rain hitting the balcony.

This is the main car access point to the beach car park, it is also the run off from the covered storm drain