Getting woken up by a FaceTime call from my best friend asking if I wanted to book a £99 Wowcher Mystery Holiday wasn’t how I expected to start my morning, but it seemed like a no brainer ‘yes.’
Although there was some nervousness around the quality and standard of the trip — a thing like this, you always get very mixed reviews — there’s nothing like a drum roll moment leading up to the much anticipated destination reveal. The spike of dopamine you get from the thrill. We got Salou, Spain. Not the Maldives, but we weren’t scammed, TikTok confirmed it. We were so gutted the reveal was over that we booked another trip on the spot, just to feel it happen again. But that’s another story.
For £99, you can’t be too picky. So we didn’t complain when the door to the bathroom in our room was completely transparent. Aside from that fact, the resort was clean, well located, and set out in that cute little ‘village’ way that made us think actually, this really was a bargain.
No expectations for us also meant no plans, which didn’t suit us when we arrived past midday having not eaten, and realised everything would be shut until the evening. Apple Maps became our worst enemy on the trip, dangling false hope that we would be fed with the promise that certain shops and restaurants would be open, and then when we reached said location all we saw was emptiness. Promised shops and restaurants did not exist. Same goes for the transport directions to bus stops. We waited an hour at a stop for a bus that never came, while Apple Maps counted down the minutes until its arrival. Only to find out much later that the buses never went that way.
Bolt was then our trusted friend, or rather, the singular Bolt driver that picked us up every time without fail. This man was singlehandedly keeping the Bolt economy alive in Salou. Not the best tour guide, however. When we asked where the ancient ruins, Murallas de Tarragona, were in Tarragona (¿Dónde están las ruinas?), he looked at us very confused. “¿Las ruinas?” He shook his head. There are no ruins in Tarragona, he said. Whilst dropping us directly opposite the ruins. He seemed a little concerned he wasn’t able to direct us to the right place. No worries bud, we managed to figure that one out on our own. Even Apple Maps couldn’t mess that up.
The historic sites lived up to the hype. Tarragona is full of ancient Roman sites. The amphitheatre looked out over the sea, and you could see the glisten of the sun on the water through the stone of the ruins.
The medieval stone houses of the Old Town, winding narrow lanes, and cathedral ensured there was no shortage of things to do or see, and we must have walked for about four hours before we even realised how much time had gone by. We walked through a road behind the cathedral lined on either side with blossoming orange trees, and I never knew something so simple could brighten up my day that much. Well, that and all of the stray cats.
The restaurants didn’t disappoint, and I survived pretty much on Greek salads and ice cream sundaes (sue me, it was hot!). We sat out on the restaurant terraces basking in the sunshine and joked with the locals. Or rather, they joked with me. After asking one of the restaurant workers if they had toilets inside, he looked at me very seriously and informed me that no, they didn’t. I thanked him anyway and went to carry on with my food. He then stared at me as if I was the strange one and said of course there were toilets inside. I’m sorry I believed your sincerity!
If beaches are more your thing, Salou has multiple pristine beaches and caves, all with that soft, golden sand and crystal clear sea. Our first night there, we caught the sunset by a cave on the beach. The sky felt like a painting, rich and saturated with oranges, pinks and yellows. Watching the sun go down above the caves and the sea, you’re reminded that the world is so much bigger than whatever you’ve been worrying about.
My friend and I took full advantage of the quiet beach, and with an airpod in each, danced on the sand until it was pitch black outside, listening to the Wicked soundtrack. Specifically, Dancing Through Life. Which clearly, we took literally.
By the end of those three days, we felt like we’d been there a lifetime, in the best way. We got to the airport a little stunned, saw there was a flight to Paris leaving at the same time as our flight home, and got on it instead.
