Our family, Mum (39) Dad (49) Son (14), Son (9), Daughter (6).
This is quite a long review so please take the time to read it. There are not many reviews on these apartments so I have decided to take the time to let everyday families know how the experience of staying at the AqQuaria was for us.

Here goes........... Having stayed in Salou previously in high standard self catering apartments I can honestly say that I have genuine comparisons to make.

We arrived in Salou at midday on Wednesday 27th April 2011 for a 7 night stay. Having checked with our booking agent (travel republic) we knew that the keys for our apartment had to be collected from the Salou Suites and that a deposit of 100 euro would be required. We took a taxi from the airport and asked him to wait while we collected the keys. This was absolutely no problem and went very smoothly. It is important to check with your booking agent before you arrive as to where to collect your keys and booking in procedures. This will avoid any delay in getting into your apartment.

We arrived at the aqQuaria and because it is more of a residencial complex rather than a busy bustling resort hotel you are left to find your own way to your apartments.Again we knew this before we arrived and it is a different experience to having a rep to deliver you to your hotel and look after you when you are there, thats a choice for individuals to make before booking these apartments. Your apartment number is stated clearly on you keys and there is a clear map at the main entrance showing you where the block is that you will be staying. You will be given 2 keys, 1 is for the outdoor gated entrance to the complex and the other for your apartment. This makes these apartments very secure as there is no entrance without a key to get in through the outer gate. Reception is open for a few hours a day but depending on your arrival time they may not be open when you arrive. Reception opening times are clearly posted in the reception area.

Having found our apartment easily this was our first impression............ ground floor apartment ok in the sense that we had no stairs or lifts to contend with.......... dissapointing in that we had no view from the balcony. When I first went out onto the balcony my heart sank because it was surrounded by a brick wall and a metal gate which we were unable to unlock. If we had of been able to unlock it then we would of had access to the beautiful grounds in which the complex is set (upon further investigation of this gate we were informed that they are kept locked due to the high winds........ we were in low season beginning of May so I guess this is understandable).

Having gotten over the balcony dissapointment (more about this later) heres what we found throughout the apartment.

Very spacious 3 bedrooms. One room had double bed,and access onto balcony, one room had 2 single beds,and access onto balcony and one room had 1 single bed. Enough rooms and beds to meet the needs of our family. I have to add here that in reading other reviews on these apartments there were some complaints about the beds being uncomfortable, we found them to be adequate and comfortable for our stay.

Bathrooms 2 , one of them ensuite to the main bedroom with a bath and shower. The other with a shower and toilet. Ideal and very good power shower.

Lounge area had a sofa which we later discovered pulls out to a sofa bed, we didnt use it as a bed as we didnt need to. A very small television with only spanish channels not ideal if you have children who enjoy their programs. A dining table and chairs large and spacious to fit family around. Access onto balcony from Lounge. No internet access.

Kitchen - long and narrow with a door exiting onto the balcony, fridge freezer, cooker / grill, microwave, kettle, washing machine. Very sparse on cups, only 1 small cup in the whole apartment. Plenty of plates and cutlery, a few pans including frying pans, but in general kitchenware a little inadequate for self catering families. We did manage to cook a fried breakfast every morning and one or two meals while we were there. So if you are practical you can make do with what you have available.

Balcony !!!! Very spacious running the whole width of the apartment kids enjoyed playing football and games out there. Clothes Airer for drying, Patio table and chairs.

Security - Excellent apartments for security. Inside the apartment all patio doors and windows are lockable and then there are metal shutters which pull down outside of the windows for added security. Access into the apartment is by intercom system and the main door into the apartment is triple locked - a very very good locking system.

Cleanliness of apartment - could of been much cleaner upon arrival. Floors dirty, bath dirty and general grime throughout the apartment. Night time was a nightmare with ants crawling around in bathrooms and kitchen. Don't leave any food out in the kitchen area as the ants will find their way into it. I don't know if this was the time of year (May) or if these apartments are just prone to this type of thing throughout the year. No cleaning service whilst we were there.

Towels- Not enough for a family of 5 for 1 week. There was no towel change whilst we were there. Towels are not allowed out to the pool area so be sure to pack some or buy them while your there. We got 3 beach towels for 12 euro so cheap enough at that.

Pool Area / Grounds/ Indoor Pool and Spa - Beautiful grounds very well maintained and lovely palm trees for shade. Bench seats around the grounds to sit on.

Outdoor pool, very clean and well serviced. No lifeguard on during the time we were there (May) we were informed of this at reception. I nearly didnt book these apartments as it stated that outdoor pool is only open from June to September, so if anyone is looking to go during the month of May the pool was open but just no lifeguard on. No balls, toys, lilos allowed at all in the pool area which means it can be a little boring for the children. No sunbeds to sit on around pool just the grass area and your own towel, so not very comfortable I'm afraid.

Indoor pool opened at 5pm during the time that we were there. It was ok - Got a little crowded in there as its not that big. Swim hats have to be worn in the indoor pool so if you are planning to use it take your own hats or be prepared to pay 5 euro for one there. The Jacuzzi and Sauna were a nice addition too. We didnt use the Gym but it appeared to be well equipped if your into that kind of thing.

General Ambience of the apartment complex - A different experience to being in a hotel or in apartments offered by the likes of Thomson etc. A mixture of French, Spanish and English whilst we were there. No problems with noise at night (although it was early in the season when we were there). A definite residencial feel about the place but it is a modern complex. Extremely secure. No bar or snack shop available on site. No evening entertainment. Reception staff very helpful when they are there, they were able to book a taxi for us the night before we left and it arrived at 4am on the dot the next morning. (Taxi to airport from these apartments was 30 euro).

Location - Excellent for what we needed. Within walking distance to Portaventura (15 - 20mins) lovely walk along a tree lined street. These apartments are literally 2 minutes away from the actual portaventura hotels that you are paying a fortune to stay in so that you are close to the park.

Walking distance ( 5 mins) to the beach.
On the outskirts of the centre of Salou so you don't feel wedged in amongst lots of other hotels and shops.

The best bar that we found was Linda's Bar absolutely amazing value for money and hospitality was brilliant.

The Salou experience - If you have children and you havent done portaventura before then its a must. A little pricey for tickets but if you buy before you go they are cheaper.
Eating out every night can be a little expensive even in the cheapest of bars. If you wanted to cook a meal in the apartments on the odd night then you will be able too. The supermarkets have a good range of food in them, pretty much like home.

Thats about it .............. I think !!!!
I hope this has been helpful to anyone thinking of staying in these apartments. I would definetly stay in them again. They are good value for money.

If anyone would like to contact me with any further questions I will be more than happy to answer you if I can.

Thanks for reading.
Kerry.