Spain: Travel Information, News and Opinion
All the latest news views and opinions on travel to Spain and on other Spain-related issues.

Archive for: October 2010



October 31, 2010

The Ultimate Hotel Guide - Tenerife

Filed under: Vacations Spain - 31 Oct 2010 from Emma Kent

Holidays to Tenerife come in all shapes and sizes, from all-inclusive resort complexes with private beaches and sculpted gardens, to budget guest houses on the beach. With over 800 hotels and apartment complexes to choose from, Tenerife has something for everyone.

Most holidays to Tenerife are taken in the cluster of resorts around Playa de Las Amricas. Playa itself has 8 fantastic beaches and is known as the party capital of the Canaries. Top end is the Cleopatra Palace, part of the 5-star Mare Nostrum resort, with a huge range of leisure facilities. Budget-conscious families will enjoy the 3-star Caribe apartments complex, which has a kids pool and tennis courts. Other choices include the Best Hotel, Bitacora Hotel and the California apartments.

Los Cristianos, located nearby is a quieter resort retaining much of its traditional fishing village charm. The sophisticated Arona Gran hotel, overlooking the harbour, is popular with older couples while the Paradise Park Resort and H10 Oasis Hotel offer a range of leisure facilities in elevated positions. Budget choices include the Bahia Colon, Andreas, Sol Princess and Costa Mar, all located close to the beaches.

Costa Adeje is Playa Las Americas sophisticated sister. Its 73 hotels include exclusive 5-star resorts like the Vincci La Plantation Dream Gran Tacande, Jardines De Nivaria Hotel and magnificent Gran Bahia Del Duque. The Tinerfe Garden and Villa Las Flores are among the best budget hotels. Other choices include the Costa Adeje Gran, Castalia Brezos, Bahia Princess and Pueblo Torviscas Hotel - built in the style of an Andalucian village. Costa del Silencio, one of Tenerife’s first purpose-built resorts, is close by.

Tenerife has a number of other resort areas. Puerto de la Cruz, on the north coast, is a popular winter sun destination that includes the 5-star Botanico Grand Deluxe, the most prestigious hotel in the Canary Islands. At the other end of the scale, the Bambi is a small, family-friendly complex that’s among the cheapest hotels on the island.

This article was written on behalf of Co-operative Travel, For more information see Holidays to Tenerife Tenerife

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October 30, 2010

Family Holidays To Majorca

Filed under: Vacations Spain - 30 Oct 2010 from Bob Jenkins

Many people book cheap holidays to Majorca knowing there will be something for everyone. Scenery and cultural attractions for the parents; lively discos and water sports for the teens, beaches and water parks for the little ones. Going all inclusive to Majorca guarantees you will have a great family holiday.

If you have young children, there are plenty of family resorts with safe, sandy beaches and child-friendly activities. Most resorts have kids clubs, children’s entertainment and child-minding facilities. Among the best resorts for families are Puerto Pollensa, Santa Ponsa, Magaluff and Alcudia, which has the longest beach on the island.

Majorca’s water parks are found everywhere. Aqualand, near El Arenal, is popular with families booking cheap holidays to Majorca’s south west coast. Close to La Palma airport, there are slides, flumes and splash pools for every age group - as well as a dolphinarium and spa area. Aquacity in S’Arenal, and Aquapark in Magaluf are equally entertaining

Go all inclusive to Majorca’s popular Costa d’en Blanes resort, and you can visit Marineland, an award-winning marine zoo with sea lion, parrot and dolphin shows. There’s also a penguin pool, mock pirate ship, mini-train and shark aquarium. Cala Millor, a popular resort with some great diving beaches, has the Auto Safari wildlife park, where you will find giraffes, zebras, elephants, monkeys and reptiles. Whether you book cheap holidays to Majorca’s capital of La Palma, or to one of the quieter resorts like Porto Cristo, you’ll never be bored. La Palma has a beautiful mediaeval Old Town and Europe’s biggest aquarium, while Porto Cristo has an aquarium with piranhas and electric eels, and the magnificent Caves of Drach to visit.

Glass-bottom boat rides are found throughout the island. Go all inclusive to Majorca’s largest resort, Magalluf, and you can even have an underwater adventure on the Nemo Submarine. Alternatively, book tickets to the Pirates show - one of Majorca’s top family attractions.

This article was written on behalf of Co-operative Travel, For more information see cheap holidays to Majorca all inclusive to Majorca

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October 29, 2010

Best Hotels In Valencia For Your City Break To Valencia!

Filed under: Vacations Spain - 29 Oct 2010 from Carole Alexander

Have you been thinking about where to stay in Valencia? There are various beautiful hotels in Valencia in the surrounding areas of the city but if you want to be in the center of things there are three main areas to stay. Most Valencia hotels are located inside the old town, around the City of Arts and Sciences and Turia Gardens and close to the beautiful sandy beaches of Valencia.

Valencia Old Town The old historical quarter of Valencia is one of the most well-liked places to book a hotel because there is everything on your doorstep. The nightlife is good, there are several restaurants, pubs and clubs and all the cultural places of curiosity such as Santa Catalina Church, the Cathedral of Valencia (Le Seu), Basilica de la Virgen, La Lonja and also the stunning modernist Mercado Central which is overflowing with incredible fruit, greens and other traditional foods.

The trendy area of Barrio del Carmen is situated in the north east of the historic old quarter and this is also where you will find IVAM (Valencian Institute of Contemporary Art) and many other interesting places to visit. Even though peaceful throughout the day, at night time the area is buzzing with people having fun. A stroll down Calle Cabelleros brings you to popular eating places, bars, tiny cafes, jazz clubs and discos.

City of Arts and Sciences & Turia Gardens The stunning City of Arts and Sciences is at the far end from the Turia Gardens which stretches from within walking distance of the port and beach to the Old Quarter of Valencia. This futuristic metropolis was designed by the Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava and features the Palau de les Artes, the largest Aquarium in Europe, an IMAX Cinema and a museum of science. There are numerous accommodations around the City of Arts and Science and close by is the shopping district of El Saler.

Valencia Beaches The beautiful city of Valencia is located by the Mediterranean sea and you’ll find some fantastic beach side accommodations only a fifteen minute bus or tram ride from the center of town. Take a stroll along the beautiful promenade and enjoy views of crystal blue sea and wide sandy seashores edged by some of the best eating places in Valencia. Las Arenas and La Malvarrosa are two of the principal beaches close to Valencia City and there are numerous more further along the coast.

Want to know more? Check out Valencia Tourist Guide and choose from a selection of lovely Valencia Hotels in the magical city of Valencia Spain. Unique version for reprint here: Best Hotels In Valencia For Your City Break To Valencia!.

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October 28, 2010

Have Fun Learning Spanish In Spain!

Filed under: Vacations Spain - 28 Oct 2010 from Sam Tinkenger

If you wish to live for awhile in Spain, it will be necessary for you to get a fuller grasp of Spanish, especially if you are living outside places like Madrid where many people know your native language. In other regions will probably find that they won’t.

You have many choices for learning Spanish, and your learning style will be a factor, but usually the best choice of all is a combination of formal study, study on your own, and using the language in immersed situations where you really need it.

Neither is very hard to find, but sometimes formal instruction can be very expensive. If you learn best in a school setting or structured environment or with one-on-one instruction, a language school may be the way for you to go.

Most city governments sponsor classes for immigrants, and most of the time they are free. In any case, the local government should be able to find language instruction to help you.

Learn Spanish at Advanced Levels

Once your language skills become a little more advanced, you won’t want to stop studying. A really excellent way to continue to advance is making friends with people whose native language is Spanish. Usually local people are more than happy to have a conversation, so don’t be afraid to initiate one. Talk to people wherever you go, the market, the store, shops, and restaurants. Regular conversation will help you fine tune your skills. You will develop new friends and you will also begin to feel more and more at home in Spain. Your Spanish will improve markedly, and the rush you will feel as your Spanish becomes better and better will be worth all the time you spent studying all those difficult verbs!

When you reach the advanced levels of Spanish, it’s time to subscribe to written and audio materials for non-native speakers. A good choice would be Puerta del Sol, a bimonthly. Through your reading material you will gain more and more understanding of the country’s culture. Reading skills are very valuable for themselves, of course, but the added value is a deeper knowledge.

Language exchange clubs sometimes meet during dinner, a more relaxed environment. They are not just time for study but they help you socialize as well, and participating in these is great because you will increase your number of friends. This informal method for learning to speak Spanish might be the most fun. Rather than having a set curriculum that you will follow, you will talk about whatever you would like!

Another skill you need is to gain more and more social knowledge. If you really want to know Spanish, you will need to take advantage of every situation and opportunity that you have.

Sam Tinkenger continually publishes reports on subjects dealing with make a living in spain and cost of living in spain. His comments on tips for living in spain are found on his site .

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October 27, 2010

Your Essential Tenerife Travel Guide

Filed under: Vacations Spain - 27 Oct 2010 from Faith Sinclair

The largest of the Canary Islands, the volcanic island of Tenerife is just 300 km off the coast of Africa. Renowned for its cheap holidays and pleasant climate, Tenerife is dominated by the Mount Teide Volcano - the third largest in the world. With fantastic forests, arid deserts, and beaches of black volcanic sand, holidays to Tenerife offer a truly unique experience.

When to go Tenerife experiences temperatures ranging from 24C in the summer months, to 15 C in the winter. Tempered by the Trade Winds, and with little climate variability, it’s the perfect year-round holiday destination. The island’s unique localised microclimate system means that those booking holidays to Tenerife in winter can enjoy swimming and sunbathing on the beach, before riding the cable car to the snow topped summit of Mt Teide.

In February, Tenerife’s capital, Santa Cruz, hosts the world’s second largest carnival. This historic city is where the first shots of the Spanish Civil War were fired, but it also has broad sandy beaches, shops, restaurants and cultural attractions. To the south, the mysterious Pirmides de Gmar, ancient step pyramids of uncertain origin.

Best beaches

The volcanic nature of the island means the beaches tend to be black shingle, interspersed with imported golden sand. Los Gigantes, named for its towering cliffs, is a popular resort close to the scenic Teno Mountains.

Playa Las Americas, Tenerife’s biggest resort, has cheap holidays to suit all ages, with sandy beaches, water sports, nightclubs and bars. However, families prefer the soft yellow sand and quieter ambience of the Costa Adeje resorts like Fanabe and Los Cristianos. Holidays to Tenerife’s Golf de Sur golf resort are popular with older travellers. Historic Puerto de la Cruz offers colonial buildings, guided walks, botanical gardens and a zoo. As with all holidays to Tenerife, the forests and lunar landscape of Teide National Park are never far away.

This article was written on behalf of Co-operative Travel. For more information see - cheap holidays holidays to Tenerife

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October 26, 2010

Tips On Finding A Barcelona Center Hotel

Filed under: Vacations Spain - 26 Oct 2010 from Carole Alexander

Finding a Barcelona Center Hotel in Spain for your Barcelona City Break entails getting the correct hotel which will ideally be in the heart of the city. This way you won’t waste time traveling and will have more time to discover this fantastic town. You’ll find a lot of beautiful hotels in Barcelona and the following are just a handful of the many charming hotels waiting for you in Barcelona.

BARCELONA CENTER HOTEL

For a mid range hotel in Barcelona the 4 star Gran Hotel Torre Catalunya is modern in style and equipped with all the amenities expected from a hotel of this class. The hotel spa is a great way to unwind and the roof top restaurant/bar is definitely not to be missed. Great for afternoon tea or a romantic dinner overlooking Barcelona. The location is perfect as it’s not far from Sans station so easy to reach from Barcelona airport.

In the event that you should want that additional bit of luxury you can’t go wrong with the Hotel Majestic on Paseo de Gracia also in the Eixample district. The hotel was built in 1918 and is situated next door to La Pedrera which was designed by Antoni Gaudi. There is a popular swimming pool on the rooftop and the Majestic Spa offers an extensive range of treatments. The Majestic is the brother of the 4 star boutique Hotel Inglaterra which is close to Las Ramblas and the Gothic Quarter. In addition to the Inglaterra the 4 star Murmuri boutique hotel on Rambla de Catalunya is the sister hotel of the Majestic.

The 1989 Hotel is a luxury hotel in Barcelona situated at the top of Las Ramblas near to Placa Catalunya. As well as totally free WiFi within the rooms and business center there is an indoor swimming pool, steam-room and sauna which are also free. For a lot of visitors to Barcelona the roof terrace and swimming pool are the icing on the cake and you also have stunning views of Barcelona.

There are so many lovely Barcelona center hotels in this magical city and so many exciting things to do that you will never tire of this amazing city. The Gaudi architecture is awesome and the food, restaurants and La Boqueria market just off Las Ramblas are top tourist attractions. The shops, cafes, bars, museums, art galleries, beaches and night-life are just another reason why so many people enjoy a Barcelona city break.

To find out more about these lovely hotels visit Barcelona Tourist Guide where you can choose from a wide selection of Hotels in Barcelona This article, Tips On Finding A Barcelona Center Hotel is available for free reprint.

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