Due to forecast rain we canceled Tamarit camp site(looks good but not in rain) and headed to Salou for 2nd bank hol in may. Hotel is just as everyone said in other reviews. We arrived at 1030 and were let into our room which happened to be a corner one on the 4th floor closest to sea with a big rap around balcony! Breakfast was included and what you expect. Didn't eat in hotel for dinner or use pool but several people were. Overall the hotel was very impressive and wouldn't want to stay anywhere else in town.

First impressions of Salou were terrible as you drive through it but the hotel is far enough south to avoid all the cheap nasty hotels and noise.

Despite what others have said there are some nice places to eat in Salou. South towards the marina there are some impressive houses opposite the beach and one is a nice restaurant which is going for an upmarket feel. Heading back towards the point near the main streets there are some waterfront places past the main taxi area which are quite nice to sit and watch the sun go down and are good value with nice big salads and paella.

We went to Port Aventura and managed to do everything including the water park(no one there when it rains!) in 1 day. Had another day ticket but it was full with school kids so we went back to the beach as the sun had come out. 1 day is enough.

The best thing to do is head to Tarragona which we had gone through on a previous trip but only saw the train station and thought it was a very small ordinary town but upon a good walk around its more like a mini Barcelona. Can't understand why there aren't more upmarket hotels in the town?

I wouldn't want to be Salou during peak summer but other times its cheap and a world away from being in the UK .

I went to Salou & stayed at the Magnolia for 2 nights with 3 friends to celebrate my birthday. I didn't really know what to expect from Salou or the hotel, but was pleasantly suprised by both.

The photos & reviews are correct. It's in a central location & it was great for a 2 night break out of season. There weren't lots of bars/
restaurants open but there was enough to do for 2 nights & the weather was warm & Sunny.

Highly recommend it for a short break out of season.

We stayed in this hotel last year for a much needed weekend away from kids for a rest. It was fantastic. The rooms are gorgeous. The staff were lovely and the food was nice. V central. Near bars, restaurants and beach.... I have stayed in two of port aventura hotels and this is much nicer. There were no children there when we stayed there. It is not really suitable for them. No kiddies pool etc. V quite hotel. This suited us at the time we went but would not bring young children to it. So if you are looking for a fantastic adult only hotel this is it! V stylish hotel.

I chose the Magnolia because it had such good reviews here and I wasn't disappointed. I work in the travel trade so always get a bit nervous booking my own holidays and had suggested Salou to my boyfriend so if it was awful it was my fault! But we had the best time. The Magnolia is so clean and modern, we had room 201 which was a corner room so had a huge terrace overlooking pretty trees, some apartments and a pool belonging to another complex. The bed was huge and the shower was to die for, with lots of space to get ready in the main part of the bathroom!
Dinner was really cheap, they have a set menu then certain dishes have supplements that you add on. We got a bottle of rose for 7.50!! I thought it was 7.50 a glass! It wasn't the best wine but so cheap. The courses were a bit small although you can stock up on your first course which is a buffet style. The staff were very nice and you can use the internet to check emails etc in the lobby, 1 euro for 20 minutes.
There are a lot of tacky shops and fast food outlets on the strip (2 minutes walk from the hotel but you don't hear any noise) but we found a really nice steak restuarant and a lovely cafe with gorgeous pasta/pizza. The beach was lovely, so clean and we had great weather. The promenade has lovely palm trees as far as the eye can see and at night the fountains are lit up and coloured. The booze is so cheap! Three times the amount of vodka you'd get here in Dublin with a 7Up was only 5 Euro.
You can get the bus to Port Aventura which takes only 10 minutes and costs 1.55 each on the strip across from McDonalds. We loved it so much we went twice, Sunday the queues were quite long but Wednesday was really quiet and we got on everything within 10 minutes. You can pay for a fast pass though which is 20 Euro although midweek you'd probably only need this in busy summer months.
The only thing we found a bit puzzling was that the fitness area/pool only opens at 5pm till 9pm - my boyfriend wanted to use the gym but between those hours we were out or getting ready to go out. But we would definitely go back to the Magnolia, it was so lovely and chilled out, my man was v impressed! The location cannot be beaten.