An oasis in the woods to escape the big city embracing nature in its finest is what you can expect on your next holiday to the Costa Dorada, Spain, with Alfresco Holidays. It may be situated away from tourist hotspot nightlife, but you needn’t worry about getting bored when there’s a range of sports, pools, indoor spa and entertainment on site. The best thing? You can be in the heart of Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, appreciating La Sagrada Familia or leaving footprints across the sand of the Park Güell in less than an hour. That’s right, family fun mobile home holidays that you know and love combined with an easy visit to one of the most beautiful and cultural cities in Europe.

Regular mobile home holiday lovers will appreciate the range of facilities onsite at an Alfresco Holidays resort, gone are the days of searching around for somewhere to eat or trying to light a fire for the BBQ, as on site you have access to a Finca style restaurant with stone washed walls and good value food and a BBQ outside. After I finished chatting to you all on Facebook live, I spent some time just looking around. Sitting on the decking with a glass of wine, I couldn’t help but focus my attention on all the dads doing their BBQ’s for their families. It felt kinda like home. Seeing all the kids run around playing, whilst the mums all pottered around and the dads were busy cooking. It was pure bliss to just sit there and take it all in. The smell of a BBQ cooking is just the epitome of summers gone by to me.

It was the Saturday night that really let me appreciate the Vilanova Park. Although we had a few mishaps on arrival, we’re putting it down to experience! After all, we’re all in strange times and although we visited before the new restrictions came back in, it was evident that they were working on reduced staff so things were a little hectic.

Due to the current climate, the representatives aren’t as easy to find as pre-covid times, with the cabin next door the mobile homes being closed. Having never visited before, it took a while to click that this was a staff cabin, so if you do go, there’s a number stuck to the window to get hold of the rep. We were greeted by an enthusiastic and welcoming member of staff who showed us around our mobile home. It was relatively basic accommodation but it did the job for a couple of days break. There were very narrow doorways and steps leading up to the mobile homes so do keep this in mind as it isn’t accessible for wheelchairs.

Please bare in mind that the accommodation at Vilanova requires taking some short steps leading up to the decking of the mobile homes, which are visible on the photos. It’s worth knowing as well that the site itself is quite hilly. There are disabled toilets on site and the following areas on the site are wheelchair friendly:

• Bar
• Pool area
• Reception
• Restaurant
• Sanitation blocks
• Shop

What was a major plus for the mobile home for us was the beautiful surroundings in the heart of what felt like the woods in the midst of nature and a gorgeous decking area which was perfect for BBQ’ing and alfresco dining. There’s nothing quite like sitting out with only the sounds of birds singing, faint sounds of the entertainment being carried by the wind and shrieks of laughter of the kids playing. Friday evening weather wasn’t great, but Saturday evening, although it was cold, was ideal for sitting out in a hoodie just chatting away.

Disconnecting from electronics is something we can all benefit from now and again, so you’ll be pleased to know that we did manage to have some down time from our screens. With no WiFi or TV, we had to put our phones and iPads down to appreciate the surroundings. Listening to the rain hitting the mobile home roof is a pleasant and relaxing sound that we sometimes take for granted and blur out.

I think we can all appreciate that after the last 12 months, we’re all taking time to reset and just be. Sometimes, we forget that the little things are some of the most important moments in life. Just sitting with a cup of coffee in the morning listening to the sound of the trees blow, watching your other-half laugh over the BBQ, smiling at the family across the way. The past twelve months have taught us to appreciate every single moment. Stepping away from the iPads and phones was a welcomed escape from the never-ending Teams meetings and online activities. Being able to physically see people, even from a distance, is something we won’t take for granted anymore.

We did take a stroll around the Vilanova park too which was beautiful. With entertainment, pools, an indoor spa area and bars and shops, there’s plenty to do to keep the kids and the adults occupied. Unfortunately, due to the time we visited, the weather combined with the current climate, we were unable to make use of most of these facilities. Fortunately, we have a lot of followers who were keen to share their experience with us at the park, so I thought I’d pass on their lovely messages.

One of our followers vouched for just how lovely the ice cream parlour is onsite, which unfortunately was closed. Another follower shared how the pool is a perfect depth for relaxing and just at the right temperature. Another followers shared that their kids loved visiting Barcelona on the bus, however, did say that they’d recommend having your own vehicle access with young children as their own experience meant they ended up getting a taxi back (which of course wasn’t cheap!). With the dance club going on (socially distanced), it was refreshing to see bits of normality and finding ways to adapt to our new rules and regulations. It was so welcoming to see people dancing and having fun by the main stage with the Vilanova entertainment team. We were also informed by another follower that the children’s club was the major highlight of their kids holiday and they loved the activities that they did.

Conveniently for us, Barcelona was only a short drive away, so we were able to head into Barcelona to explore a little. Our fourth visit to the city was quiet and different, but just as enjoyable as it has ever been. We’ve never had a bad experience in Barcelona and always found it to be a city filled with culture, adventure and architecture to make your jaw drop. Standing looking up at La Sagrada Familia never ever gets old and you have to take a moment to just breathe, take it in and appreciate it fully. We had the most wonderful of times following the footsteps of Antoní Gaudi and appreciating his fine artwork. The beauty of the Vilanova park meant we were in to Barcelona city centre in less than an hour.

If you are without a car, or don’t fancy driving whilst you’re on holiday, there are good transport links between the park and the city centre. We were told by another follower that there’s a regular bus that takes guests to the train station which connects you to Barcelona. They also let us know that the nearest beach is quite a trek away and didn’t look the sort of walk we’d have fancied doing, but there’s also a regular bus from the park to the beach, too.

On the whole, if mobile homes are the sort of holiday you love, then Alfresco Holidays is a great choice for family fun. There’s plenty of entertainment and facilities on site to keep the whole family entertained.

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Al Fresco Holidays offers a seven-night holiday at Vilanova Park on the 12^th June 2021 for £284.90 (discounted from £353.50) and based on a family of six sharing a two bedroom Standard mobile home including air conditioning. (OFF-PEAK)*

Al Fresco Holidays offers a seven-night holiday at Vilanova Park on the 24^th July for £1200.85 (discounted from £1263.50) and based on a family of six sharing a two bedroom Standard mobile home including air conditioning. (PEAK)*

*See terms and conditions 

All parks have a range of entertainment and facilities. Travel by ferry or flights can also be arranged by Al Fresco Holidays. 

For more information or to help find the perfect park for you and to book, please visit www.alfresco-holidays.com or call 0161 332 8900

Al Fresco Holidays is one of the largest mobile home operators in the UK, with over 16 years’ experience as European specialists in mobile-home holidays, offering a wide range of the best quality 3-5 star camping resorts.

Vilanova Park is a large and lively campsite offering plenty of activities for the whole family. There’s sports, an indoor spa, a children’s club and live shows to name but a few, as well as a bar and restaurant. And yet with vibrant Sitges, PortAventura theme park and even Barcelona only a short trip by public transport, there’s plenty off-park too, to keep everyone amused.