Spain Travel Guide

Benidorm has throughout the years become a coastal town like no other. Intrinsically Spanish, this little town of sorts has been touted by many travellers throughout the years for its bacchanalian fiestas that also draw some inspiration from certain religious aspects that have been adhered to since the days of antiquity. Whilst many a visitor to Spain or any of its neighboring islands would enthusiastically uphold the party lifestyle that is common to such a destination, any visitor who chooses to visit Benidorm would readily tout the numerous fiestas that are at hand during anytime of the year. Indeed, there are as many as twenty such fiestas and events taking place annually. They do create a delightful and welcome time of partying and relaxing for both locals and tourists.

From a geographical standpoint, Benidorm is situated near to the comarca of the Marina Baixa within the municipality of Alicante in Spain. Visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists every single year, it comes as no surprise that the hotels in Benidorm are of a superlative standard. What is even more noteworthy is that many of the attractions and places of visit are in close proximity to many of these hotels. Hence the issue of convenience becomes in effect a "non-issue".

Another snippet of information would be that there are close to 12 national public holidays celebrated in Benidorm. Yes, according to some accounts it truly does seem as if this wee little Spanish location is all about the holidays and rejuvenation! Tourists would also happily affirm that the Benidorm hotels provide the best in amenities and facilities. Many also do provide a plethora of information concerning some of the most attractive fiestas to partake in.

For the sake of chronology, it would be prudent to start with one of the most famous fiestas that takes place at the start of every year. It duly symbolizes the end of an old year and the start of a new and hopefully more vibrant and blessed year. Celebrated every 5th of January, the Calvalcade of the Three Kings is a parade of the three biblical kings on horseback. This royal procession of sorts is closely followed by a bunch of decorated floats where the occupants dole out different coloured sweets to children lining the streets.

As one would expect there are quite a few fiestas that take place between the months of January and December. Each fiesta is a celebration like no other. It would be an injustice at this juncture to avoid mentioning the most famous fiesta of all which takes place during the time of Christmas. A worthy precursor to the latter fiesta would be the festival celebrating and giving due respect to the Patron Saint of the Town. As any information desk of any hotel in Benidorm would recommend - this is a festival that is a must for tourists!

The above mentioned festival which takes place in late November provides a colored parade of carnival floats. There are also a heady mixture of street parties, fireworks and revelry-inducing fireworks during the night. Christmas means that the entire town gets dressed up for celebrations and to partake in absolute revelry. Christmas does mean that there are celebrations throughout and everyone is duly invited to enjoy the universal celebrations. New Year's Eve is also cause for celebration as well. One would find that Benidorm's Triangle Square is bedecked in various decorations and baubles. The usual street party, fireworks display and sweet treats are to be expected.

Truly a place to relax and rejuvenate, Benidorm Hotels are hotels like no others. Catering specifically to tourists from all over the globe, this is one Spanish town that should be enjoyed for its hospitality, cuisine, accommodation and cornucopia of fiestas and festivals.

Spain is home to some fabulous hotels and paradors. Paradors are castles, monasteries and other historic buildings which have been tastefully converted into hotels. They are often set in spectacular locations and staying in one can make your visit to Spain even more memorable. There are a massive range of hotels available in most regions of Spain and booking online today is easier than ever.

The advent of budget airlines to some lesser known destinations has made the real Spain well within reach of today's travelers. City breaks, once confined to the likes of Barcelona and Madrid are now a reality in places like Granada, Santiago de Compostela and Palma. Holiday hotels in the popular Costa's, Balearic and Canary islands are always in big demand and as the summer season approaches, the prices start to shoot up.

If you are thinking of booking a hotel for your next summer holiday in one of these areas, book as early as possible, many sell out before the season starts. There are numerous online hotel booking agencies all vying with each other, many offering the same hotels at vastly different prices. Not so long ago, finding the best price was an almost impossible task and could take hours of sifting through a mass of information. Specialty search engines have now reduced the work involved down to a few mouse clicks.

Hotels Combined is a free to use hotel price comparison site which uses highly sophisticated technology to scan all the major online booking agencies and present the results in an easy to understand format. Each hotel can be listed by price, name or popularity and the price from each booking agent is clearly displayed, making it easy for you to see who is offering the cheapest rate. When you have decided on a hotel and the best available price, its simply a case of clicking a link and making your reservation online. To use the Hotels Combined search engine click here

Menorca is, arguably, the most beautiful of the Balearic Islands. It is known for being a relaxed and tranquil destination offering a handful of family-friendly holiday resorts. Menorca takes its name from the Latin word for 'minor', due to the fact that it's smaller than the neighbouring island of Mallorca. Despite measuring just 32 miles (52km) long and 9 miles (15km) wide, Menorca has many fine beaches and secluded coves along its unspoilt and picturesque coastline.

The Menorcan countryside is mostly green and is characterised by distinctive stone walls which divide the fields. The northern half of Menorca is generally more rugged than the southern half. There are many Bronze Age sites scattered throughout the island. Navetes or tailaiots - stone monuments resembling an upturned boat - are particularly common.

Menorca's two main towns, Ciuldadela in the west, and the capital Mahon in the east, are situated at opposite ends of the island. Both are full of historic buildings and pretty squares. The Placa des Born in Ciuldadela, bordered by impressive 19th century mansions, is regarded as one of Spain's finest squares. Other important sights in the town include the 14th century cathedral and the excellent municipal museum which houses a notable collection of prehistoric artefacts.

The island's capital, Mahon (also written as Mao), is arranged along a cliff top overlooking a large natural harbour. Due to its strategic location the town was fought over many times. The British captured Menorca during the War of the Spanish Succession in the early 18th century, and a strong British influence can be seen in the town's Georgian architecture. One of the Mahon's best-loved attractions is the church of Santa Maria, notable for its huge 19th century organ which has around 3,000 pipes. The little island of Illa d'en Colom, situated in Mahon bay, has some lovely beaches, but is accessible only by boat.

Menorca's longest beach - a 2-mile (3km) stretch of gently sloping white sand - is situated in the southern resort of Son Bou. A short distance along the coast from Son Bou is the spectacular beach of Cala en Porter, protected on either side by two large cliffs. Other resorts on the island's southern coast include Calan Bosch and Cala Galdana, while S'Algar and Cala'n Forcat are situated on the east and west coasts respectively. The scenic and peaceful resort of Arenal d'en Castell, with its beautiful horseshoe bay, is situated on Menorca's northern coastline. Close to Arenal is the nature reserve of Albufera d'es Grau and the island's highest peak, the 358-metre Monte Toro.

There are plenty of outdoor activities available in Menorca, with scuba diving especially popular. The island has a 14-hole golf course, situated at Son Parc, and a water park near Calan Bosch. Menorca is not known for its nightlife, although Mahon has several late night bars around its harbour.

Menorca has one airport situated about 3 miles (5km) southwest of Mahon. Transportes Menorca operates the island’s bus network, and there are regular services between the major towns and resorts.

Are you planning a trip to Spain? You've probably heard stories from friends and relatives of there adventures in this beautiful country. There are some things not to be missed and other places that will appeal to you depending on your tastes. Here is a quick orientation of this amazing country.

First off, make sure you get a good detailed map of Spain so you have a visual reference while you study you plan your tourist itinerary. Make sure you have map of Spain that shows the surrounding countries so you'll have proper orientation. Not only will you be able to see where you'll be visiting but a map will also give you other information. This includes distances between places and the geography of the land including elevation and typography. You'll be able to see where possible mountain retreats are as well as sunny beaches.

Here are some quick facts about Spain. The mainland is located in Western Europe and is large but small in comparison to the U.S.; it is a little more than the size of Oregon. Spain also includes an island chain off the coast of Morocco. The mainland of Spain borders France and Portugal and has a coastline of almost 5,000 kilometers. The lowest point of Spain is along the Atlantic at sea level and the highest (more than 3,700 meters) is in Tenerife at the Pico de Teide in the Canary Islands.

Cities and Regions of Spain

The capital of Spain is Madrid and is located in the center of the country near the Tagus River. It will probably be your first stop in Spain and it is well worth a visit. Don't plan less than three days in the historic and culturally rich city.

Seville is known for its rich Spanish culture as well as being a financial center. It lies in the southwest of the country and is a must see. Other seaside cities that are musts for your tourist itineraries is Barcelona and Cartagena.

The Alicante region is located along the Mediterranean coast and is a popular beach area with visitors from all over Europe. The Straight of Gibraltar is located at the southern tip of Spain and is the entrance from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. Algeciras is the port city for the straight. Spain is heavily involved in fishing and that can be seen in the north of the country. On the northern coast lies the beautiful cities of A Coruna and Vigo. On the Bay of Biscay are also the cities of Gijon and Santander.

Spain has so much to offer that it will surely be difficult to see all that you want. Use the internet and a good travel guide to determine what cities and sights interest you the most. Make sure you give yourself enough time to see the sights at a relaxing pace so your holiday doesn't become stressful.

Alicante is one of the most popular tourist destinations in all of Spain. The busiest period of time is during the summer, during these months tourists flock to this area in their droves. If you want to plan your summer holiday here then you should book well in advance. If you book early then you will get much better deals.

Getting the Best Deal when you are Travelling to Alicante

The majority of tourists will come to the area by flying into Alicante airport. This is a large international airport which has a wide range of choices when it comes to international flights, you can also get some great flight deals if you shop around. In order to get the best value deal you should book as early as possible, this is even more important if you are travelling during the summer.

In order to get the best value flight to Alicante you should spend some time shopping around. A very good place to start shopping around is to look on the internet. There are many travel sites which offer you the option to compare the prices of flights fairly easily. There are also some discount flight websites that you should check out. It can be difficult to book discount flights, you may have to contact the company directly which can take quite a long amount of time.

You should start searching for good value flights early, especially if you are planning to fly during the summer. The summer is a very popular time of the year for tourists to visit the Costa Blanca. Flights can book up very quickly to this destination, and so the prices can rise very quickly.

You should also check that you compare different days of travelling. The different days of the week that you travel will change the cost of your flight tickets. If you travel at the weekend it is normally more expensive than during the week. Make sure you try looking for flights that are on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday in order to get a better price. This difference can be quite a lot, so it's worthwhile comparing.

Getting from the Airport to Alicante

When you arrive in Alicante you will need to make arrangements to travel from the airport to whenever you are staying. You will discover a fairly good public transportation system in order to travel between the locations. If you do not plan on doing much travelling then you might be able to put up with using public transport, however if you want to do a lot of travelling then you might want to consider hiring a car.

If you plan on visiting many different areas in the region then you should probably considering hiring a car. There are quite a few car hire companies which are located in and around the city, some of these are also located in the airport. These make hiring a car very easy and convenient. Even if you hire a car from the city they will pick you up and drop you back at the start and end of your holiday.