By Stewart Fisher

IT is amazing how quickly your bravado deserts you when you are trudging wearily to the top of the highest free fall water slide in Europe. That was just one of the unhelpful observations which occurred to me in the hours which seemed to pass as I ascended the 31.4m superstructure of an evil vertical drop device called King Khajuna, the jewel in the crown of the recently re-opened Costa Caribe aquatic park at PortAventura, near Salou on the Costa Dorada.

As the construction has only been christened earlier that very day, somewhat randomly by members of the Spanish Olympic synchronised swimming team, neither is my gathering sense of dread put at ease too much by the lifeguard stationed at the top. After offering a peremptory tutorial on the merits of leaning my head back, and crossing my arms and feet lest I over-balance and belly flop directly to earth, he casually informs me that my wedding ring must be removed just in case. Just in case what, exactly? Presumably, his next two demands are that I scrawl out a draft will and pledge to donate my organs to medical science. Just in case.

But no, my Felix Baumgartner moment arrived soon enough, just as soon as I was utterly convinced there was absolutely no way to graciously back out of the whole enterprise. To be fair, I don't deserve that much credit - gravity put in most of the work. But for the record, as Herr Baumgartner might say, the next few seconds were out of this world.

The experience was entirely appropriate as PortAventura prides itself on its ability to transport you to another place. It regards itself as a resort destination, rather than a theme park, and little wonder when you consider that with four four-star hotels on site, golf courses nearby, the attractive beach front at Salou within walking distance, and the city break delights of Barcelona some 45 minutes away by car, it can be regarded as a number of different holidays all rolled into one. But it is the park itself which is the star, an enjoyably grown-up alternative for those who might just have had their fill of fairyland and fantasy princesses or simply feel another trip to Disneyland Paris is taking the Mickey.

Don't get me wrong, you will still bump into Woody Woodpecker, Betty Boop and half the cast of Sesame Street milling around here, but the main theme of this park is family fun with the emphasis on full-throttle. There are more than 40 rides here, comfortably more than Disneyland Paris, and King Khajuna is not the only one which is distinctly of the white-knuckle variety.

Adrenaline junkies can experience the rollercoaster equivalent of the Himalayas in Shambhala, a series of smooth parabolas which drop you from heights of up to 76m at speeds of up to 83mph, vital statistics which make it the highest and fastest in the continent. Old favourite Dragon Khan is smaller, twistier, and even more likely to see an extended work-out to the muscles of your neck fixing you with the widest smile imaginable when you come off. A fiendish creation called Furius Baco briefly threatens to deposit you in a lake, and Hurakan Condor is another which will appeal to lovers of being propelled vertically downwards at breakneck speeds. But don't panic: with families comprising 74% of visitors to the park, most of the rides also have junior relations more suitable to younger travellers, and children's zone SesamoAventura contains rides and log flumes which can be used by children aged one year and over.

But then I guess you might know some of this already. PortAventura, after all, isn't exactly a secret. Or perhaps it just a very well kept one. It is the third largest and sixth most visited theme park in Europe, and has a loyal following with 70% of its clients being repeat business, a model which has proved remarkably resistant to the vagaries of the Spanish economy in these times of global recession.

Its operators clearly believe there is room for expansion in foreign markets, however, and they might just be right. For the uninitiated out there, the park was opened back in the mid 90's by a combination of the Tussauds group responsible for Alton Towers, Anheuser-Busch and Universal Studios, and after a brief spell as Universal's official Mediterranean arm, it is now owned and operated exclusively by the La Caixa banking group. The site is served by two airports, Barcelona and Reus in Tarragona, both of which offer direct flights to and from Scotland, with the latter particularly cheap and handy for Ryanair flights from Prestwick Airport. The park closes down between late December and March every year, and while temperatures were soaring when we went during late May, we nonetheless had the misfortune to bring at least a little drop of Scottish weather with us, precipitating a mad dash to the multi-coloured poncho shop.

As usual where Theme Parks are concerned, the 119 hectares of Spanish sprawl are subdivided into six zones - Mediterranea, Far West, Mexico, China, Polynesia and kids' area SesamoAventura - and the food and accommodation tends to follow suit. Travelling with my wife Mairi-Anne, and two boys Ewan (11) and Oliver (6), we stayed in the Mediterranean-themed Hotel PortAventura - the others are Hotel Caribe, Hotel El Paso and Hotel Gold River - and found the rooms spacious, clean and generally perfect for the occasional siesta.

Breakfast was also a treat, with hot and cold options served at the Port Regatta restaurant, and there wasn't much to quibble with either in the Mexican restaurant at La Hacienda, the Italian food on offer at El Raco del Mar, or the tapas at El Posit, just three of the 75 food outlets in the parks. There are children's menus for youngsters with less adventurous palates and wherever you go, you will pay little more than Glasgow prices for a glass of wine or a beer.

Costa Caribe, specially refurbished and extended at a cost of 10m Euros to cater for increased demand and avoid overcrowding, doesn't have to be all about death-defying drops either. Almost a quarter of the total surface area of 50,000 metres squared is simply given up to water, with generous swimming pools lined by 50 different palm and plant species. You can grab a mat and race all the family down a six-lane straight line flume called Rapid Race or just chill out on a water bed at Playa Paraiso, a generously-sized family pool, while Galeon Pirata is a pirate ship replete with Sesame Street characters and three mini water flumes. Whatever floats your boat, you might say.

But perhaps what struck me most about the place was its unique ambience, how skilfully PortAventura walks the plank between being properly family friendly and also genuinely catering for pre-teens and teenagers. The designers have somehow managed to manufacture a mature, non-threatening environment where thrillseekers can do their thing, reluctant rollercoaster riders can test the water gradually, and gawky teenagers aren't tempted to spend the whole time staring at their shoes.

The splendid long weekend which we spent there culminated with a crescendo at one of the four annual 'white nights'. This is when the park and all the main rides stay open until 4am and teenagers from all over Europe - many seem to traipse directly over the Pyrenees from France - turn up here for the privilege of thundering around the mild night air under the cover of darkness.

The usual bill of 100 daily shows - they tie in with each of the park's themed zones - continues into the wee small hours, with any comprehension issues with the language barrier more than superseded by stunts and slapstick physical humour from the performers on show, before spectacular pyrotechnics at the conclusion of the night send everyone home happy. You can imagine the kind of high jinks which tens of thousands of Scottish teenagers might get up to in a theme park in the dark, but that is perhaps another story.

PortAventura is convenient for both Barcelona Airport (BCN, around an hour by taxi, or longer by bus) and Reus Airport (REU, approximately 15 minutes), and there are numerous direct flight options to both. Ryanair operates a budget service from Glasgow Prestwick to Reus, starting from £37 one way, while Jet2 can take you to Barcelona for prices starting from £78 return. Thomson (from £129 return) and FlyThomasCook.com (from £142 return) are also in on the action, while British Airways operate a more luxurious route from Glasgow into Barcelona, via London Gatwick or Heathrow. FlyThomasCook.com operate a route from Edinburgh to Reus route with prices starting around £200 return. An adult 3-day/2-park ticket costs 79 euros, a child 63 euros (white knight tickets 15 euros) with a family room in Hotel PortAventura from £162 per room per night.