Spain Holiday Reviews

    Canary Islands

    The Costa Almeria is as varied as any of the Spanish Coasts. The coast is completely unspoilt. To the east of Almeria we find the rugged and desolate coast of the Cabo del Gato-Nijar natural park. This is an arid desert landscape and the annual rainfall here is less than 200mm. It is sparsely populated, few villages and a very low population density. Visitors feel a sense of exploration here as many of the coves can only be reached on foot. This area is particularly popular with nature lovers and back-packers. The most popular coastal village is San José

West of Almeria is the highly developed tourist resorts of Roquetas de Mar and Aqua Dulce. These have all the facilities of any modern resort to support the package holiday market.

At the north of the Costa de Almeria is the naturist beaches of Vera, a number of new complexes are being constructed here. A little further south is Mojacar which successfully combines the popular beach holiday with the hillside white village that tourist love to explore.

    On the East Coast of Spain, the Costa Blanca, or ‘white coast' is part of the Valencia region, and runs alongside the Mediterranean sea. The Costa Blanca was one of Europe's first holiday destinations and is still visited by around 5 million holidaymakers every year.

The beaches of the Costa Blanca are some of the best in Europe and many have Blue Flags for cleanliness, even though they are often busy and overcrowded. The well known resorts of Benidorm, Alicante and Torrevieja are popular with young groups after wild nightlife and fun-packed days. Watersports are available in high season, there are clubs and pubs galore, and a day out to Terramitica theme park is a must.

Away from the main resorts, inland or on the coast, there is a different side to the Costa Blanca. North of Benidorm lies the jagged mountain range of the Sierras, and the rural village of Gudalest with its castle built into the rock is well worth a visit. To the South, land is mainly very barren, but don't miss the beautiful palm forests at Elche, or the stunning town of Murcia.

    The Costa Brava has become on of Europe's most popular holiday destinations in recent years and lies in North-east Spain adjacent to the French border. Served by Girona and Reus airports, the area features beautiful, long, sandy beaches, hidden coves and open bays. Unfortunately parts of the area have become rather over-developed as huge numbers of people stay here every year, but travel away from the larger resorts and you will find small, traditional fishing ports, medieval villages and fine local cuisine.

This really is a holiday destination with something for everyone. Sports enthusiasts can choose from horse-riding, canyoning, mountain biking, hiking and more, and for the nature lover there are many national parks and fascinating marine life. Those taking children should not miss a day trip to Port Aventura theme park, or one of the waterparks or funfairs nearby.

Many of the beaches here including Tossa de Mar, Lloret de Mar and Blanes have received Blue Flag awards for cleanliness. The Costa Brava caters for all ages and all types of holidaymakers and has a lovely summer climate. Flight time from the UK is approximately 2 hours – look out for great prices from low cost airlines such as Ryanair.

    The Costa de la Luz is a pretty area in the South of Spain that is becoming more and more popular with UK holidaymakers, and is served by nearby Jerez, Seville and Faro airports. Blue Flag awards were given to the beaches of Punta Umbria, Islantilla and Isla Cristina in 2000 acknowledging their cleanliness, and the area is well known for being unspoiled, unlike some of the bigger Spanish tourist destinations.

There are no big developments in the Costa de la Luz, most resorts have low-key nightlife and a small number of restaurants and bars for evening entertainment. This is a popular destination amongst families and couples.

The provincial capital is Huelva, which is only 25km from the Portuguese border and is well worth a visit. Day trips to Seville can be booked in resort, and country walks are a firm favourite with visitors here. The climate is slightly milder than other parts of Spain due to the strong Atlantic breeze, and this means perfect conditions for windsurfing and surfboarders.

    The Costa Del Sol is one of Spain's most popular holiday destinations and Malaga airport is only around 2.5 hours flight time from the UK. Known for it's sun, sea and sand, this area of Andalusia is ideal for those wanting to get away to good beaches, hot weather and relaxed evenings.

Stretching from San Pedro in the West, to Nerja in the East, the Costa del Sol offers a fantastic choice of resorts from fun filled, busy and bustling Torremolinos, to picturesque and calm Nerja, to upmarket and modern Puerto Banus. The beaches of the Costa del Sol are shallow and sandy and perfect for children, and watersports facilities are excellent.

There are endless possibilities for excursions and day trips which can be booked in resort. Gibraltar is within driving distance, the caves at Nerja should not be missed and numerous Flamenco shows at hotels and bars. Don't forget to sample the local Andalusian cuisine at one of the traditional Spanish restaurants.

    The Costa Dorada is over 150km long and runs South from Barcelona along the Mediterranean coast. This is one of the most popular regions of Spain and it is easy to see why. The Costa Dorada has entertainment, rocky coves perfect for diving and snorkelling, ancient monuments, fantastic beaches and even a theme park - Port Aventura. This is the perfect area for a family holiday.

The ‘golden coast' is still being developed and now has a number of large resorts such as Salou, which is geared completely towards tourism, and offers long, sandy beaches and a good nightlife. Cambrils is quite the opposite - a small, traditional fishing village with a handful of bars and restaurants around the port.

There is always plenty to do here. Hire a car and visit the Ebre Delta natural park, take a boat trip along the river or see the flamingos. Couples and families alike will enjoy wine-tasting in the Penedes region.

    The coast of the province of Granada, recently given the name of Costa Tropical, is one of the less developed areas of the Spanish Mediterranean. This fact, its climate and the proximity of Granada, the Sierra Nevada and La Alpujarra make it highly attractive to those wishing to avoid the high-rise Med.

    Ibiza is a small island, only 45 km long and about 25 km at its widest point. Ibiza has a year round population of about 100.000. Although it does increase dramatically over the summer months when many young people throughout Europe make the 'pilgrimage' to Ibiza to spend the summer working there. Ibiza can be found 90 km off of the East Coast of Spain in the Mediterranean. Ibiza is part of a small chain of 3 islands known as the Balearic islands.

Due to its location in relation to the Spanish Mainland, Ibiza is only a two hour flight from most of the UK's main airports.Visitors to Ibiza will find that the Island has a very modern infrastructure, with many of the comforts and services you are used to at home all being found on the island. Such as an excellent public transport system, running water and electricity in all the towns and villages to name but a few.

Ibiza has a relatively mild climate throughout the year. During the year Ibiza enjoys an average of 300 days of sunshine with a daily mean of five hours in winter and more than ten hours a day in summer. Temperatures can reach over 30º C in the summer months. Expect rain and colder days from October through mid-June.

    Majorca or Mallorca is the largest of the three Balearic Islands and is about 100 kilometres long and about 75 kilometres at it's widest point. Majorca (Mallorca) is visited by over 6 million people a year, ranging from Budget Package Holiday makers to Celebrities to the Royal Family.

Flying time from most UK airports to Majorca (Mallorca) is only a couple of hours. Flights to Majorca (Mallorca) can be picked up for very, very little with airlines such as Easyjet flying from about £10 each way in the low season.

Visitors to Majorca (Mallorca) will find the younger more lively resorts are located in the south of the island. With the quieter more family orientated resorts being in the north. With the Airport being located in the South, beware of longer taxi's transfers should you arrange your accommodation separately.

The climate in Majorca (Mallorca) is almost identical of its sisters Ibiza and Menorca. Mild weather is the norm here for most of the year where temperatures can reach well over 30º C in the summer months. October through to Mid June bring cooler Nights.

    Menorca or Minorca is the second largest and most easterly of the Balearic islands. Menorca (Minorca) has a length of approximately 50 km and a width of a maximum of only 17 km. In Menorca (Minorca) the population consists of a respectable 67.000. Most of the population - about 2/3 are employed in the islands Tourism Industry. Once again like its sisters Ibiza and Majorca (Mallorca) the island is only a short flight of less than 2 hours from the UK.

Most of the beaches on Menorca (Minorca) are well worth a visit and Hiring a car is definitely recommended to see the best the island has to offer. A good tip here is 'If the wind is blowing from the north visit the south coast beaches, and visit the north if the wind is from the south'

Menorca's (Minorca) climate, like the other 2 islands is very mild. Enjoying an average of 300 days of sunshine with a daily mean of 5 hours a day in the winter months and over 10 hours a day in the summer months. In the summer temperatures do reach over 30º C and with water temperatures of 25º - 27º C, beach fans are right in their element.