The short version: Stay. The Gold River wins on location. There’s exclusive park access that drops you straight into the Far West section of PortAventura, including the Uncharted ride. The lobby is genuinely beautiful, the rooms are great, and the Wild West theming actually works. The buffet is fine rather than special, and you don’t get drinks with dinner (unlike Hotel El Paso across the resort), but the location and rooms make this an easy stay-again for me.
Quick facts
| Location | PortAventura World, Salou, Catalonia, Spain |
| Star rating | 4 star |
| Board basis reviewed | Full board (drinks not included with dinner) |
| Best for | Theme park families |
| Pools | Three (tiered: shallow adult, deeper adult, baby pool) |
| Heated pools | Yes (water warm throughout the day) |
| Kids’ club | Yes, plus playground and evening mini-disco |
| Park access | Exclusive direct gate into Far West, one of three hotels with this perk |
| Visit date | 30 July to 3 August 2024 |
First impressions
You arrive at Gold River and the first thing that hits you is the scale. There’s a huge wagon statue out front, bigger than it looks in any photo, and behind it the grand brick property sets the Wild West tone the whole hotel commits to. Plenty of parking, no stress on arrival.
Inside, the lobby is genuinely beautiful. There’s even a signature scent to the property, which is a nice touch. Check-in is on the right as you come in, and I’ll be honest, the queue can get long at peak times. If you’re arriving at the wrong moment you’ll be waiting. Each PortAventura hotel has a model of one of the parks in the lobby. At Gold River it’s a Ferrari World model, which adds to the anticipation if Ferrari Land is on your itinerary.
Pools and grounds
There are three main pools, all surrounded by little showers (cool in the morning, hot in the afternoon, whichever’s nicer for the time of day). The pools are tiered: a shallow baby pool in the middle, a deeper pool below. We think they’re heated because the water’s warm at all times.
Here’s something the brochure doesn’t mention. You’re right up against the theme park. So when the roller coasters are running, you hear the screams and cheers from the pool. Some people will love that energy. Some won’t.
There’s a food and drink outlet at the top pool. The bedroom blocks wrap all the way around the pool area. The buildings you can see going off into the distance are nearly all rooms (one block, Maison de Lucy, is a separate property, you can spot the slight style change at the top).
The rooms
Standard rooms are fine. Exactly what you’d expect at a 4-star. Two-plus-two configuration, big window, decent view (in our case across the car park to the mountains, which is more pleasant than it sounds). Big TV, fridge underneath (we put our water bottles in), lamps, air con. The air con is unremarkable, same as I’ve come to expect at these properties, and you’ll need to put your key card in the door slot to get power on.
Bathroom is shower-over-bath, four towels, basic toiletries. More than adequate. Plenty of storage. Nothing exceptional, nothing wrong with it.
Dining: the Grand Hall buffet
Time to be honest with you. The buffet is fine. Not exceptional. Fine.
For dinner you’ll get the standard set: tomato pasta, lasagna, paella (and fideuà, paella made with noodles instead of rice, worth trying), various kinds of chips, some kind of burger, meat being cooked by the chef, and always a pizza. The dessert station isn’t outstanding for diversity but it’s decent. There’s a chocolate fondue which the kids will love.
Here’s the catch. At dinner, drinks are water only. Two years ago at Hotel El Paso on the other side of the resort, you got wine, beer and soft drinks included with the all-inclusive package. Either that’s changed or we were on a special offer at El Paso. Either way at Gold River it’s water with dinner, unless you order from the bar and pay separately.
Three dinner sessions starting at 7:30pm, one every hour. At peak it gets a bit chaotic. Top tip: there are two identical buffet sections and you can approach the salad and cooked food bars from either side. Go to the left. The queue’s shorter.
Best value tip: if you’re on full board, eat dinner in the parks rather than at the hotel. The park restaurants give you much better value and it gets you out of the buffet rotation. Book your slots though, that needs doing in advance.
Breakfast in the same Grand Hall is better. You get juice and coffee included (unlike at dinner), there are smoothies (though they go fast, get there early), the bacon’s done well, plenty of pancakes and sausages. The bread and pastry section is a strong point, donuts especially, with proper glazing. If you arrive at the latest slot some things won’t be replenished, so factor that in.
You will see some people drinking spirits at breakfast. They’ve ordered them from the bar separately, they’re not part of breakfast.
Park access: the real reason to stay here
This is the standout. Gold River has one of three exclusive hotel gates that drops you directly into the Far West section of PortAventura. That gives you a head start every morning. Crucially, it gives you fast access to the new Uncharted ride, which is incredibly popular and has long queues from rope drop.
If you’ve ever stayed at a Disney hotel for the Extra Magic Hours benefit, this is the closest equivalent at PortAventura. It alone justifies booking a hotel on-property over an off-site option.
Photo opportunities and entertainment
Around the resort you’ll find themed photo booths. The wanted-poster one is great fun for the kids. In the evenings the central plaza becomes the kids’ disco, with Woody the Woodpecker (PortAventura’s mascot) doing a few sessions of entertainment.
Theme park notes
Three parks: PortAventura World (the main one), Ferrari Land (effectively a half-day park, but worth it for Red Force, one of the best roller coasters in the world), and Caribe (the water park).
A few honest observations:
- Pick up a fast pass if you can. The queues are real.
- The park staff are, how do I say this politely, very Spanish about boarding rides. Things take longer than they would at a US, UK or German park. Patience required.
- Book your meal slots if you’re on a meal plan.
- Some shows require booking. Get there early.
- Not all shows run all the time. We were here for several days and Dreams in the City didn’t run once during our stay. So if there’s a show you want to see, check the schedule on day one.
Who is this hotel for?
- Families with theme park kids. The themed rooms, kids’ disco, character appearances and direct park access make this a strong family pick.
- Couples who want PortAventura with a bit of style. The lobby and grounds are genuinely beautiful. This isn’t just a functional theme park hotel.
- Anyone prioritising park access over food. If buffet quality matters more to you than getting to Uncharted before the queue builds, look elsewhere.
Probably not for you if you want all-inclusive drinks bundled in, you need a balcony (Hotel El Paso has these, Gold River doesn’t), or you find theme park noise from the pool annoying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Gold River Hotel all-inclusive?
No. The Gold River is sold on full-board or half-board, but drinks are not included at dinner. You get water only at dinner unless you buy from the bar. Breakfast does include juice and coffee.
Is the pool heated at the Gold River Hotel?
The water feels warm throughout the day, suggesting it’s heated. There are three main pools, a shallow pool, a deeper pool, and a baby pool, all in the same outdoor area.
Does the Gold River have direct park access to PortAventura?
Yes, and this is one of its biggest selling points. Gold River is one of three hotels with an exclusive gate into the Far West section of PortAventura World, near the Uncharted ride.
Is the Gold River Hotel better than Hotel El Paso?
They have different strengths. Hotel El Paso has balconies and previously included drinks with dinner. Gold River has a more impressive lobby, the direct park gate, and arguably a better location for getting onto Uncharted quickly.
What’s the buffet like at Gold River?
Standard 4-star buffet fare. Pasta, paella, pizza, burgers, decent breads and pastries. Not bad, not memorable. Best value is to eat in the parks instead if you’re on a meal plan.
How early should I arrive for breakfast?
Earlier is better. The buffet runs in sessions and the latest session has noticeably depleted stock, smoothies and certain pastries especially, by the time you arrive.
Verdict: stay or stay away?
Stay. Despite my honest comments on the buffet, the lack of dinner drinks, and the absence of balconies you’d get at Hotel El Paso, the Gold River wins on the things that actually shape a theme park holiday: the location is fantastic, the rooms are great, and the direct park gate is genuinely valuable. It’s a stay from me.
Full video transcript
Welcome then to the Gold River Hotel here at PortAventura World. I’m excited to give you a short tour of this property and tell you the ups, downs, rounds and rounds. Here at the front we have this fantastic wagon statue. It is huge. Being behind me there you can’t quite see the scale. And then we have the grand brick property behind me. Let me take you through the lobby now.
There is plenty of parking here so no need to worry about that. And so as you enter this Grand Lobby, reception check-in is here on the right. You can see the long queue line here. That does get full at certain parts of the day. I know that’ll be disappointing for people to arrive and have such a long wait to be able to check in. But this lobby is beautifully fantastic, fantastic. There is a signature scent to this property, which is lovely.
Each of the hotels here at PortAventura World has one of these models showing Ferrari World. Looking forward to going in there. This queue that you can see in front of me is the queue for breakfast. Depending on which session you go for you’re going to be queuing for a little bit, and I’ll take you in the Grand Hall a little later on. We have the shop, which I’ll take you in in a second, but before I do let me take you into this bar area. Excuse me sir.
This is one of the bars here. Picks up obviously later at night, you’ll see some people using it throughout the day regardless though. Let me take you out back here.
So here we have two seating areas, one here for the bar and another there for the restaurant for breakfast diners. This nice plaza area is used for the kiddy disco, so Woody the Woodpecker’s out here a few times in the evening with some entertainment.
Yeah, look, beautiful building. Around the resort you’ll find these photo booths, this one being a wanted poster, good fun for the kids and family. Now these buildings that you can see around me here, and they go off into the distance, they are bedrooms. Up there is Maison de Lucy, which is another property. If you can see the style change at the top there, but the rest of these are all bedrooms.
So three main pools here. You do have a food and drink outlet just there at this top pool. It is tiered, so you have this baby shallow pool in the middle and then another deeper pool at the bottom. The pools are surrounded by these showers. The water is cool in the morning, hot in the afternoon. And we think these pools are heated because they are warm at all times. Depending on the time of day you get the screams and jubilation of people on those roller coasters because you’re right up against the park here at the Gold River. And then here’s that lower pool. And as I say these are all bedrooms all around us.
The gift shop can be accessed from inside and outside. It’s got lots of fantastic merchandise. Everything you’d expect, t-shirts, caps, toys, but handily also has some limited snack options. See the bottles there as well as some toiletries as well, which is of course very helpful.
Welcome then to the Grand Hall here at the PortAventura Gold River Hotel. This is the main buffet for this property. It’s a pretty standard fare. I’d say we’ve got two segments just like this. We’ve got hummus, a bit, some breads, you can see some salads, there is some sushi over there. In this main section you have your cooked food. There’s almost always tomato pasta, there’s lasagna, there’s paella, those, paella last night as well, chips, different kinds of chips, always some kind of burger, some kind of meat being cooked up by the chef there, there’s always a pizza. Tonight is margherita, yesterday was ham. Just note the difference in queue here. You can just get on from the other side, so top tip, go to the left side.
Here is the dessert stand. Again, not exceptional in its diversity, but decent enough. You know, you’re not going to be happy if you come here, you’re not going to be unhappy if you just come here once. Nice little chocolate fondue. Through this side is further seating, and obviously not being used just yet, but this is, or was at least last night, another salad and mini dessert station for this seating area. They must temper that depending on demand.
Three sessions, first one starting at 7:30 with relays every hour for a new group of people. It does get a little bit ary bary I would say. And as I alluded to before, the quality is okay. I wouldn’t say it’s four star, but I’m happy with it. I enjoy it. The kids enjoy it. The best value when staying here at PortAventura is to go into the park and have your dinner booked in the park.
So there are ice creams here. Tonight it’s just little pots. There was some nice lollies, Cornetto-style lollies as well last night, but not tonight. Maybe a trade-off to those fondues. Drinks-wise you’re stuck with just water, just water at dinner time. Interestingly, at the Hotel El Paso on the other side of the property where we were two years ago, you got wine, beer and soft drinks included within the all-inclusive package. Either that’s changed or we’re on a special offer, not sure, but either way you don’t get it here. It’s just the water here at dinner time. And you can order drinks on arrival and pay for them on exit.
So back into the Grand Hall for breakfast. The key difference is obviously the foodstuff’s available, but also you do get juice and coffees available. Now, we’ve come at the latest slot and you can see there’s fair amount of stuff not replenished, which I guess makes sense given it’s towards the end of the shift. But yeah, some people would struggle with that. There are smoothies, although again, it looks like they’re almost entirely depleted. No ice cream for breakfast, sorry kids. But you do have, as at dinner, this wonderful yogurt contraption which the kids enjoy with lots of different toppings.
Plenty of bacon, lots of pancakes, sausages, etc. Some kind of quiche, I don’t know what that is. Here you can see the meat. They do the bacon well done. Looks good. This is a better stocked cell bar similar to the other side. And then over here we do have the breads and pastries. Good selection, good quality. The donuts are very good as well. Really nice glazing on them. And for those that want a little bit extra on your bread you’ve got salsa and some olive oil there.
At breakfast you will see some people drinking hard liquor or soft drinks as well, other than what’s available, and they would have got those from the bar rather than the people serving them to them here. Any questions on the buffet, on the food, let me know in the comments below.
So from this angle you can see the beauty of the main hotel and its brickwork. On either side of me here you have more bedrooms. And this way is the exclusive access to the park for this hotel and a few others. That’s my daughter. But yeah, only three, I think it’s three hotels get this access straight into the Far West part of the park. Really good feature to get you right into the park, especially to that new Uncharted ride, which is incredibly popular.
So welcome to a standard room here at this wonderful property. The rooms are fine. Obviously a two-plus-two configuration. Nice big window that can let plenty of, let view be in. Views over the car park to the mountains. Suitable chair there. Big TV. Underneath here we do have a fridge. We’ve put our water in there. Lamps. Air con to get that going, obviously you need, much like the lights, you need to put your key card in the door. Not the most exciting of air-cons, as I’ve come to expect from these properties.
Let me get the lights on in here. So the toilet then. Fairly standard affair. Shower over bath. Four towels. Some toiletries. And there you go. So more than adequate there. I am hello. Plenty of storage underneath here. And yeah, that is this standard room here. Prefer the view this way.
So general theme park points. It’s a fantastic theme park. Three theme parks. Clearly we’ve got PortAventura World here. We’ve got Ferrari Land. And then there’s Caribe the water park. The theme parks, both of them, are excellent. Ferrari Land is half a day park really. There’s some rides there including Red Force, which is just one of the best roller coasters in the world. The main park here is fantastic. You can spend several days and not get round it all.
I would recommend picking up a fast pass if you can. That’s going to help out with a lot of the queues. They are very, how do you say, Spanish about getting on and off rides. So things take a long time. People get confused. And yeah, they just aren’t as efficient as you might like, or you might expect having come from the States or Great Britain or Germany.
It’s important for you to book your meal slots. If you’re staying in the hotels then you do, and you’re on that all-inclusive basis or that full board basis, you can dine in the parks. And I would recommend doing that. You get much better value, as I’ve mentioned. And then, but do book your slots. Some of the shows require booking. Get there early. The shows are one of the best bits of this theme park. But please note not all shows are on all the time. So if you’re here for like four days you might miss out on a show entirely, like this one, Dreams in the City, hasn’t been on the whole time that we’ve been here.
So final thoughts on the Gold River Hotel here at PortAventura World. Is it a stay or a stay away? Well, despite the food offering, the buffet, and my comments there, and not having a balcony like Hotel El Paso, and not having drinks included like Hotel El Paso, the location here is fantastic. The rooms are great. And it’s a stay from me. If you’ve enjoyed this please leave a like and consider subscribing, and thank you very much.