“IT’S almost as if Disneyland Paris was made with kids in mind,” my sister said after one too many rugrats ran into me.

She wasn’t wrong.

2

2

Advertisement

It had been a childhood dream of ours to go.

Now we were ditching the little ones for an adult-only trip to the famed Paris theme park.

Without children, it meant we could avoid the long waits for character meets, skip the Disney dining and not worry about limiting wine.

And having opted for the Premier Access Ultimate, I realised you can easily do both of the parks in one day, if you are savvy.

The pass, admittedly an extra £83 on top of the park entrance fee, can be used once on several rides, usually those with the biggest queues.

My sister couldn’t quite stomach Hyperspace Mountain, known for hitting speeds of 71kmph.

Didn’t matter to me, I hopped through the fast queue and rejoined her barely five minutes later.

Also worth the queue jump are Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, where wait times can be more than an hour, and Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast.

I’m not sure how, but I ended up with 60,000 points after frantically zipping and zapping the villain Zurg, much to my sister’s chagrin.

The photo at the end may have caught us grappling with each other as we tried to block the other’s laser gun.

The pass can be used on other long-wait rides including Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril, one of the scarier roller-coasters, as well as the laid-back driving Autopia ride.

But there is also the second park, Walt Disney Studios, to make the most of too.

Home to both Toon Studios and Avengers Campus, our competitive nature was tested once again on the Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure ride.

Similar to Buzz, this time we had to fling “webs” using our arms to stop the multiplying Spider-Bots.

My winning streak ended here, and I was smashed on the scoreboard by my very smug sibling.

I cheered myself up with a glass of champagne from a cart back on Main Street.

Unique to Disneyland Paris, it comes with a €20 price tag although you get to keep the souvenir cup.

Continuing our “hooray no kids” theme, our evening carried on at the Disney Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel, a five-minute walk from the park gates.

We made the most of joyously late dinners at the Manhattan Restaurant with huge plates of pasta, followed by drinks at the Skyline Bar.

Firework show

That rollercoaster adrenaline hadn’t worn off, so after watching the final firework show in the park, we opted for a late night at the Disney Village.

With some bars open until 2am, we danced and sang to live pop and country music at Billy Bob’s.

It was our aching feet that brought us back to the hotel after racking up 32,000 steps.

We gorged on turkey legs, creamy tartiflette and sickly sweet Darth Vader waffles to keep us going throughout the day

Kara

Our only day-time respite was at the hotel’s Metro Pool, brisk at first but with a warmer hot tub to help our sore toes.

The park is currently undergoing a transformation ahead of the new Frozen land, so expect some closures and boarded-up areas.

Thankfully all the important stops were open – and by that I mean the food stands.

We gorged on turkey legs, creamy tartiflette and sickly sweet Darth Vader waffles to keep us going throughout the day, before packing a Mickey cookie for the train home.

We’ll just pretend the bickering on the Eurostar about who gets to keep the ride photo didn’t happen…

A PIRATES of the Caribbean theme park could be set to open on a very stunning tropical island.

The island of Saint Vincent has revealed the plans, after it was used as as filming location for the films.

4

4

Advertisement

Since 2003, the Pirates of the Caribbean films have become family favourites, with Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley’s adventures on the high seas spanning five movies.

Carlos James, minister for tourism for the government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, has promised the park will provide a huge boost to the popularity of the island nation.

He told Planet Attractions: “We’re looking at scouting lands closest to the beach to accommodate a state-of-the-art theme park, which will include a restaurant, pool, and more.

“This year, we will also explore and conceptualise designs for a Pirates of the Caribbean-themed park at Wallilabou.

“It is important that we look at how we can further develop our tourism product offering.

“We have to ensure that we have all of the right services and sites that meet quality standards to ensure that people who come to the destination can really see the true benefit of our product.”

The plans are set to be put in place in 2025, although not a lot is known about what the park would actually feature, in terms of rides and attractions.

However, it will offer a new way for fans of the films to get a taste of the pirates’ lives, with other attractions already showing off the swashbuckling side of Saint Vincent.

One such tour invites visitors to head to the actual set of the popular movie.

On the tour, they can “see an abundance of props and costumes that remain onsite” while also dressing up to look like a real pirate.

Other tour stops include Fort Charlotte, the fishing village of Layou, Barrouallie, Wallilabou Recreational Park, and Buccama Beach.

The tour is described by Viator as “a must-do for fans of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies”.

However, there’s plenty to do on Saint Vincent for people who haven’t heard of Jack Sparrow as well.

In addition to its many stunning beaches, the island has sights like the Dark View Waterfalls – two spectacular falls, one above the other, that tumble down sheer cliff faces and plunge into natural pools.

4

Sea kayaking, volcano hiking and nature trails are also available for those looking for adventure.

Virgin Atlantic has flights from the UK to the island, taking around 11 hours with a stop in Barbados.

They also offer holiday packages, with return flights and seven nights from £,1,078pp.

It’s not the only Caribbean island with a huge theme park.

Perfect Day at CoCo Cay, a Bahamas island owned by Royal Caribbean, has its own theme park and water attraction on it.

Meanwhile, these eight real life Disney locations can be found in the UK.

And these are the Indiana Jones filming locations you can visit.

4

SPAIN’S Costa Daurada simply translates as the Golden Coast.

It’s named after the colour of the sand when the sun shines along its 50 miles of Mediterranean beaches, running south- west from Barcelona.

6

6

Advertisement

6

I hadn’t taken the time to explain its meaning to my children while sitting in the departures lounge at Stansted Airport.

But it was the first that thing they exclaimed as they dived into the surf three hours later.

“Daddy, there’s gold in the water!”

They weren’t wrong. Tiny grains of sand floating in the crystal-clear sea shone like a golden twinkling disco ball suspended in the sun’s rays.

My two grew up paddling in the familiar dark-grey murk of the North Sea.

So they were certainly thrilled to be snorkelling in 34C sunshine off Platja dels Pilans.

The beach was just a ten-minute walk from our Eurocamp holiday home at the Playa Montroig Resort, in Miami Platja. And that was just as stunning.

Our Ultimate lodge slept six in comfort — with efficient air-conditioning that came into its own on during our scorching summer holiday.

Outside, comfy patio furniture on the shaded decking was perfect for chilling at any time of day, and the dining table and chairs were great for al-fresco meals.

The beachside resort is a 20-minute drive from Reus Airport, and around an hour from Barcelona.

And it lives up to its 5H rating, with immaculate grounds, three restaurants, a beach bar and round-the-clock entertainment for both kids and grown-ups.

On our first night, a magician sawed his glamorous assistant in half to the wonder of watching children.

The same stage hosted intense-looking exercise classes in the mornings, which were definitely not for the hungover.

And by the afternoon it had turned into a kid-friendly Ibiza foam party with huge cannons coating the dancing crowds in clouds of bubbles.

Gigs on the beach, fireworks, and a swimming pool complex with triple-flume action only added to the fun.

The poshest restaurant on site was the Espai Grill, which offered a full three courses of prime meats, with courtyard entertainment from a Beatles tribute band.

Unfussy and simple

Mid-tier was the Terrassa Restaurant, which served traditional Spanish fare and cold lagers, just a stone’s throw from the main square.

Our favourite was the Tucanamar beach bar.

Unfussy and simple, fresh fish and meat were grilled here over woodsmoke and washed down with copious Del Boy cocktails.

You can’t beat tapas and an ice-cold mojito while overlooking the waves with sand at your feet.

There was a bakery for morning baguette runs, and a decent-sized supermarket which offered the wonderful European adventures of 15 types of chocolate spread and tinned olives.

Never has the gulf between a British booze aisle, and alcohol on the Continent, been so vast.

6

Advertisement

6

6

You could get three bottles of tip-top rioja and a slab of beers for the price of a petrol station chardonnay back home.

For a spot of offsite culture, we headed to the town of Montroig del Camp, which was famed as the rural retreat of the late Catalan painter and surrealist icon Joan Miro.

He began his painting career here at his parents’ farmhouse retreat and the landscape was the inspiration for some of his most famous works.

Montroig del Camp is overlooked by the remarkable 13th-century hermitage of Our Lady of the Rock, which is itself topped by the 19th-century Chapel of Sant Ramon.

Perched on top of a column of eroded red rock, it defies physics while also offering panoramic views all the way to the coast.

Wildlife and waterfalls

Thankfully, you can park at the top before clambering up to the chapel.

We then took the short drive to Cambrils to see the beautiful botanical gardens at Parc Sama.

It’s like a National Trust stately-home experience parachuted into the Med.

The wonderful 35-acre grounds are packed with wildlife and waterfalls.

You can feed the deer and marvel at the terrapins in the lake where fish will nibble your fingertips.

But it’s the peacocks that are the star of the show.

Chicks beside showboating grown-ups, and even their rare white- feathered cousins, strut among the tourists.

The coastal capital is Tarragona, home to the ruins of a magnificent Roman amphitheatre and an amazing 12th century Cathedral.

But it’s human structures that are the modern marvel — the city hosts the Castells competition, the world’s largest human tower contest.

The gravity-defying, centuries-old Catalan tradition sees incredible towers created from the crowds which stand up to 40ft high.

A wonderful life-size city centre-statue pays soaring tribute to their efforts.

There’s no doubt that the Costa Daurada, with all its sun-soaked family fun and Catalonian culture, delivers a gold-star break.