OK. So this will only be a brief write up on this site as I didn’t get the opportunity to get many pics of this site this year. Hopefully, there will be sufficient detail to provide info for anyone considering a visit to the site.
First up we visited out of season at Easter (26th of March to the 2nd of April, 2024). Due to school holidays in Spain falling for the week of the 25th of March this year this meant the site was busy when we arrived, near full capacity for the Easter weekend and at (by my estimate) 25% capacity when we left. Approximately 85% of the site visitors were Spanish (again this is my estimate based on hearing people speak and looking at number plates). In the high season I understand it’s a more international mix with a greater volume of Irish and English families. This can make a big difference as young children are not as likely to be comfortably bi-lingual so having more children with the same mother-tongue can make for easier socialising. the high volume of children young and old means that there are a lot of bikes and scooters on site which can mean you need to be careful with young children or when driving on site but that’s to be expected with the majority of family sites.
In case you don’t know, the Spanish know how to party and the entertainments on site run up to 11:30 at night. As we were located near the amphitheater this meant that things were relatively noisy up to 11:30 but quieted down considerably thereafter. There are a number of bars and restaurants on site with the amphitheatre having a dedicated bar and restaurant. The kids disco ran from about 20:30 to 21:00 as far as I recall and the main show starts after the kids disco wraps up. There was entertainment every night in the first week but it dropped back to Thursday to Saturday when the Easter holidays finished up.
In the local area you have the beach a couple of minutes walk from one gate and Portaventura World approximately 5km away. While we were in Salou the weather wasn’t fantastic for the beach but it was a really nice walk along the promenade into the centre of Salou and we walked along the boardwalk most days during our trip. We also did a day trip to Portaventura world and found that to be an excellent trip for the kids (and adults). We asked the staff at the reception for the options to travel to Portaventura. The staff recommended either the bus which ran every 20 minutes or a taxi. We went with the taxi which the reception staff ordered for us it cost 18 euros and took about 10 minutes. Aside from that most of our time was spent on site.
The site has five swimming pools and as many sanitary blocks. The block nearest our pitch was amazingly open, well equipped and had a full time cleaning crew keeping it in top shape. The washing block even had three dishwashers which can clean and dry a small load of washing in 5 minutes. Showers were hot all day, but busy in the mornings and evenings when the site was at full swing. As the weather was mild we didn’t experience any of the pools but would imagine they would be more than enough to keep the family entertained and cool in the hot weather. In addition the site features a gym which can be accessed for 3-4 euros, a large dedicated outdoor play area, kids clubs, a train to bring you around the site (more of a novelty than anything), on-site shops, bars and restaurants and the option of either self-service laundries or a service which will wash and dry your clothes for a fee.
The main Salou and Cambrils boardwalk is located 2 minutes from the beach-side entrance to the site. In addition to on-site shops (three I think) there is a small convenience-the supermarket (Michelangelo) located just outside the beach-side gate and a larger supermarket (Mercadona) five minutes walk from the main gate. So shopping for a family for a week is easily accomplished with a minimum of fuss.
Getting to the site can be easy or difficult depending on how much hardship you want and how much planning you are willing to put in. If you are driving to the site aim to arrive at the main gate. We received an email instructing us to do so and you will no doubt receive something similar should you book this site. The ‘old’ gate does not have sufficient space for parking while checking In so – as far as I am aware – you will be redirected to the main gate should you arrive there. We followed our (normally reliable) sat-nav which brought us through the busy town centre to the old gate and then down a dirt road along the side of the park before trying to guide us in through an emergency exit. A bit of thinking on our feet and a few swear words and we managed to find the main gate. Had we thought it out properly we could have avoided the town centre and arrived much calmer and relaxed at the main gate. I’d like to think we’ve learned our lesson though.
Price-wise Sanguli isn’t cheap but you get what you pay for. If you will use the on-site facilities it represents good value for money. We paid approximately 60 euros per night for our pitch. We opted for a larger pitch (Master plus) pitch with on-pitch water and drainage but there are more and less expensive and well kitted-out options available. There was a significant slope on our pitch which we couldn’t correct with levelling ramps and this seems to affect some of the pitches near where we were staying but we still managed to get our van and awning set up. I did notice a lot of motorhome near us had self levelling systems and made a mental note to myself to investigate them when we got home. We did take a look around the mobile homes and chalets and they are of a really high spec and standard and would be a good option for those who would rather not do the whole camping thing. Reus airport is located close by and surely keeps the site supplied with visitors throughout the season.
Our motorhome and awning set up on-site in Sanguli, Salou. The sandy pitches mean that a floor mat would be very welcome to avoid getting sand all over the inside of the motorhome. The levelling ramps did help us take a good chunk of the slope out of the equation but the remaining slope was significant.
Overall I think Sanguli is hard to beat for the money. If you have a young family there’s something there for every age and the facilities are sufficiently luxurious to satisfy even the most demanding of adults. Pitches can be booked through Sanguli’s website and chalets can be booked through the website or through third party operators such as Eurocamp.