The question from everyone who has visited one or the other of Marina di Venezia on Italy’s Venetian coast and Sanguli in Salou when they hear we have been to both is to ask which is better. It’s an impossible question to answer but suffice to say we’d happily return to both!
I’ve broken down the different categories to compare so you can see if one sounds like it might have the edge for your family, we’re all different.
Distance from Airport
Sanguli is 20 minutes from Reus airport but flights to Reus can be very expensive. It’s an hour from Barcelona El Prat. Marina Di Venezia is about an hour from Venice Airport.
Location
Marina di Venezia is in a rural location with very little nearby, Sanguli is in Salou town. MdV has direct private access to the beach, in Sanguli the beach about 100m away across a busy road. Marina wins for beach, Sanguli for town.
Sports area
Sanguli wins – multiple pitches, table tennis and basketball, and the pitches are open and Irish and Spanish kids play together til 11.30pm, in MDV mine played on beach. Both have gyms and mini golf that you pay extra for.
Playgrounds
MDV has a big (extra cost) amusement area that Sanguli doesn’t have similar. Both have playgrounds dotted around.
Organised Sports activities
I thought these were better in MDV, there’s more consistency in the timetable, classes every morning on the stage. I really enjoyed SUP yoga in Sanguli but it’s only once a week.
Food
The food on site is definitely better in MDV but Sangulí is in a town so there is more choice of restaurants. Food is a big part of holidays for our family and MdV is a clear winner.
Drinks
In Marina Di Venezia on site supermarkets you can buy Prosecco and wine on tap for pennies, I loved this! That’s not available in Sanguli but the Blackberry mojitos are fantastic and there’s a swim up bar at the Fiesta Pool.
Pools
In MDV the pools are all all in one complex, so the whole family can go together and get a base, there are multiple pool areas at Sanguli (both work!) so saying to someone I’ll meet you at the pool needs further clarification – Africa Pool, Fiesta Pool, Sports Pool or Relax Pool?
MDV has one really big slide, and three medium sized and then kids’ ones, Sanguli has many, many medium sized so you’ve more choice, but no whopper one like in MDV.
The one odd thing is that the pool at Marina Di Venezia closes between 1pm and 3pm. We got used to this very quickly and either headed to the beach or back to the mobile for lunch and a rest. In high season the pools at Sanguli close from 1pm to 2pm.
Loungers
MdV you can prebook loungers but there’s a charge, Sanguli they’re free and plentiful but need to put your towels out within half an hour of the pool opening in June, and be there for opening in high season. There is room in both to sit on towels etc too.
Accommodation
We stayed in mobiles in both so they were very similar to each other. Both have lodges and mobiles. The lodges look newer in Sanguli. There are more camper van pitches in MdV.
Site size.
Marina Di Venezia is nearly twice as big as Sanguli, but with different sections and a central area it doesn’t feel over big as you don’t need to go through the other parts ever.
Cost
Marina Di Venezia comes in at about €500 cheaper for a family of four for a week in June.
Cleanliness
Equal. Both campsites are well kept and spotless.
Supermarkets
The on site supermarkets in MdV are better with fresh pastries, meat etc and there’s a fruit and veg shop and a bakery on site too. The supermarkets aren’t as nice in Sanguli but there are two huge supermarkets just off site.
Daytrips
Sanguli wins – it’s a few minutes from Port Aventura and an hour from Barcelona. There’s lots of daytrip options. Marina di Venezia is a great place to visit Venice for the day from but otherwise daytrip options are limited. That said, we didn’t daytrip from Sanguli other than going to Port Aventura as there was so much fun to be had on site.
Teenagers
My teenagers found it hard to choose. At Marina di Venezia the teenagers hung out on the beach in the evenings, in Sanguli they went to the pitches and older teens went to nearby off-site cafes and into Salou.
Choose one
It’s hard, but I think Marina Di Venezia won for me. I love Italy and I love Italian food and with the quality of food on site it made up for its more rural location.
Activity and social life wise I think my kids would choose Sanguli, they were 11, 13 and 15 and had a lot of freedom with their rented bikes to get around the campsite.
