CAN a mobile home in the Spanish sunshine really match up to hotel life for a comfort-loving family of softies? KATHY GRIFFITHS takes the plunge and heads off to the Costa Dorada.

I AM not a girl who likes roughing it — indeed, we are not family who likes roughing it. Perhaps that's why I have steered clear of anything that remotely resembled a caravan site.

This might also be because of too many chilly school PE lessons spent puffing my way through Kiln Park in Tenby during cross country.

But, for the sake of the kids — who I had been reassured would love it — I decided, for one holiday only, to turn my back on a hotel and try something a little closer to nature.

Now holiday firm Keycamp are very particular to point out they don't do caravan holidays, and when we arrived at Vilanova Park I could see why they wanted to disassociate themselves from a vision of endless identical bricked up static vans.

The accommodation waiting for us certainly deserved the title mobile home.

We had opted for one of the larger sized units, the Villagrand, which had three bedrooms, decking, air conditioning and ample room for all our clutter. In fact, we had far more space than our usual one-bedroom apartment in a hotel. There was also a separate outdoor area with sunbeds.

Where the mobile home really upped its game was the kitchen.

Instead of a tiny microwave and a hotplate, it had a proper cooker, with fan oven and bags of the kind of utensils and pans you actually could use to cook a meal.

It was so well-equipped it seemed rude not to try a few things out, but with a gas barbecue outside, why slave over a hot stove when you have a man desperate to get his hands on some burgers and a set of tongs?

We chose Vilanova Park for its location — a straightforward 20-mile drive from Barcelona Airport, perched on the outskirts of bustling Vilanova I la Geltru.

Now, this is a proper town, not geared up to massive tourism even though it possesses an attractive promenade lined by bars and tapas restaurants. Don't expect to be able to get your kids fish fingers and chips or cheap football shirts there.

The parc itself is big, with more than 1,300 pitches in landscaped grounds, attracting touring vans, motorhomes and campers from all over Europe.

And the advantage of being big is it boasts an impressive range of facilities — two large outdoor pools, paddling pools, an indoor one as well as football pitches, cyber cafe, bar, laundrette and an outdoor stage (well away from where we were, thank goodness).

There is also a supermarket which was competitively priced and made for fascinating visits to see all those essentials different nationalities can't holiday without. Sauerkraut anyone?

The on-site restaurant provides a perfect setting for a meal, overlooking one pool with spot-lit fountains, but the menu isn't extensive and it's a bit on the pricey side.

Perhaps the best thing about the parc was how safe you feel.

When my husband asked our rep if there was a safety deposit box available, the genial chap looked genuinely shocked at the thought of anything bad happening in this little piece of Catalonian paradise.

One of the reasons for this was probably the security patrols which scooted at regular intervals.

A special mention must also go to the lifeguards, who are on duty all day. It meant you really did feel you could immerse yourself in your latest chick lit on your sunbed while the kids enjoyed freedom to make friends and play. Tempting though it was to flit from one pool to another, we thought we had better venture further afield.

A hire car was useful and allowed us to discover some of the beautiful coastline — particularly La Mora, which has the kind of beach that would look more at home in Gower.

Sitges, about five miles away, has to be one of the most splendid seaside Spanish resorts you are likely to see. Known as the St Tropez of Spain, it just invites you to waste an hour or two exploring its winding backstreets and pavement cafes — sadly both things filled our twins with horror, so it had to be a quick cappuccino and off again.

To come here without visiting Barcelona would have been a sin, and the easiest way to get there is by public transport.

The train service is punctual to the point of embarrassment for us Brits and, a couple of minutes spent getting to grips with the underground system sees us deposited in the Playa De Catalunya, at the head of Las Ramblas — the most exciting, exhilarating, exotic (and, if you ask my son, terrifying), kilometre in Europe.

And though you can't miss the Burger Kings and McDonald's, try one of the traditional restaurants instead, which are cheaper than you would think and far more fun.

So, after 10 days of barbecues, baking in the sun and browsing in Barca, was I a convert to holidaying the Keycamp way? I have to say yes. The relaxed mood is infectious, no reps trying to flog you daytrips, no lager louts and no need to get changed out of shorts all day.

And the clincher — (especially for any frazzled parent who will know the significance of this fact ) I read four novels in 10 days. Yes, that's almost up to pre-kids days.

So where do I sign for next year?