(www.Iberia.com)

Iberia is Spain’s premier airline and specialises not just in Spain’s airports, but in Spanish-speaking countries. You can fly with Iberia to popular holiday destinations from as little as £77 return to Barcelona or £128 return to Palma Mallorca.

The great advantage with Iberia flights to Spain is that Iberia flies from regional airports in the UK such as Manchester, as well as London  – and you can also search for flights according to your budget and not just your destination; so if you want to fly to Spain for a holiday, but are not set on a particular destination or holiday resort, you can not only pick up a bargain flight with Iberia but also try a new holiday resort without spending a fortune on the flight.

Photo by admin

Some of the Spanish airports Iberia flies to include:

• Barcelona
• Bilbao
• Gran Canaria
• Madrid
• Palma de Mallorca
• Seville
• Valencia.

Monarch

(https://www.monarch.co.uk/spain-mainland/flights)

Monarch can fly you to the most popular Spanish holiday resorts, including Alicante, Almeria, Barcelona, the Canaries, Costa Brava, Costa Blanca and the Costa del Sol (Malaga). You can also fly Monarch to Gibraltar – a British island but joined to the Spanish mainland.

Monarch flies from the following UK airports

• London Gatwick (Alicante, Barcelona, Malaga)
• Luton (Alicante, Malaga, Gibraltar)
• Birmingham (Alicante, Almeria, Barcelona, Gibraltar, Malaga)
• East Midlands (Alicante, Malaga, Gibraltar)
• Manchester (Alicante, Almeria, Barcelona, Gibraltar, Malaga)
• Leeds/Bradford (to Barcelona).

Monarch not only offers cheap flights to Spain (from around £35 one way off peak), but you can also select from three different Monarch Airpacks which will upgrade your flight with extra leg room or more luggage allowance, according to your needs.

Ryanair

(www.ryanair.com/en)

Ryanair takes the chore out of choosing a flight to Spain with a handy online route map (https://www.ryanair.com/en/cheap-flight-destinations) which will tell you at the click of a mouse where you can get to from your local airport.

Ryanair flies to all these destinations in Spain, so whether you are looking for a city break or a beach holiday, there is plenty of choice available.

• Alicante
• Almeria
• Asturias
• Barcelona
• Bilbao
• Fuerteventura
• Girona
• Gran Canaria
• Ibiza
• Jerez
• Lanzarote
• Madrid
• Malaga
• Menorca
• Murcia
• Palma
• Santander
• Santiago
• Seville
• Tenerife North
• Tenerife South
• Valencia
• Valladolid
• Zaragoza.

In the UK Ryanair flies from

• Birmingham
• Bournemouth
• Bristol
• Derry
• Doncaster
• East Midlands
• Edinburgh
• Glasgow Prestwick
• Leeds Bradford
• Liverpool
• London Gatwick
• London Luton
• London Stansted
• Manchester
• Newcastle.

You can also register with Ryanair for cheap offers on flights – and there are also discounts on Hertz car hire in Spain.

When a holidaymaker is ill at a hotel in Spain, and it is a package holiday, it is the tour operator that sent the holidaymaker to that hotel that is liable for their welfare. This is thanks to the Package Travel Regulations.

Peter Anderson – I love to blog about holidays in Spain Google+

The post Top 3 Airlines To Book a Holiday To Spain appeared first on Europe Explored.

There are quite a few restaurants, cafés and shops along the promenade overlooking the beach. You will also find several mini supermarkets and a larger one (called Baptista) in Luz.

There are many good water sports facilities on the beach of Luz. You will be able to try out scuba diving, waterskiing, boat trips and much more. If you prefer to stay on the mainland you will be happy to know that there are a two great and well known golf resorts within a ten minute drive from Luz. The Boavista and Palmares courses make Praia da Luz an ideal base for golfers in Portugal.

Praia da Luz beach, Algarve, Portugal by MamaPyjama

It is really easy to see why Luz is so popular among tourists. The town has practically everything you need. Everything is very close at hand when staying in Luz. Therefore it is also a great family resort as you don’t really need to travel very far.

If you choose to explore other areas of the Algarve coast you will have an excellent starting point in Luz. Luz is only a very short drive (10 minutes) from the larger city Lagos. In Lagos you will find numerous dining opportunities (including a Michelin starred restaurant!) and also a weekly market as well as a large selection of shops.

Other points of interest near Luz are the two large shopping centers in the area (one of them is one of the largest shopping centers in Europe). You will also find that the ZOO near Lagos is a great idea if you have children. The ZOO is only a short drive away from Luz.

The holiday resorts on the Algarve coast normally close up at the end of the season but on Praia da Luz they will remain open all the year round because of the large amount of English people staying there year round. Note that you probably will find the opening hours are much reduced if you visit Luz during the off season.

If you want to experience Portugal it would be a great idea to rent a holiday villa. There are many holiday villas in Portugal in Portugal and you can find many online.

The post Praia da Luz – a small town on the Algarve coast | Portugal appeared first on Europe Explored.

Benidorm, Spain by Siocaw

Change Up The Quids When You Get There

You will get a better rate in Spain than back home in the UK. However, be careful as there are many con artists who will rip you right off if you give them half a chance. A common trick many of the exchange shops pull is by advertising that they do not charge commission. On closer inspection, you will notice that written in tiny letters under the main attraction is a disclaimer which normally states that commission won’t be charged when exchanges of over 3000 euros are made’. Most people are not changing that much money in one go so you can imagine how many people get nipped this way. That is not to say all exchanges in Benidorm are like this. One of the most popular and reputable places to switch up your cash is ‘Sheila’s’. Run by a British woman, you can guarantee a fair transaction.

Stock Up On Suntan Spray

If you forget to bring this, two things are bound to happen. Firstly, you will get burnt to a crisp and look like you have holidayed under a cloud of acid rain. Secondly, the local vendors are extremely aware that holidaymakers will be hunting for sun protection lotions and will want them quickly so they can enjoy the rest of their day ‘tanning it up.’ Therefore, prices are sky high for run of the mill products. However, if you shop at home, your choices are basically unlimited. The way to go is organic. These types of creams contain no harmful ‘parabens’ and will comfort your skin whilst at the same time protecting it from harmful rays.

Benidorm, Spain by Ross Hawkes

Buy A Decent Book

Most of your time will be spent on the beach, lounging in a deck chair or chilling out in the air con room. During these relaxing moments, having a good book by your side can be a great companion. As I am sure you are aware there are plenty of bookstores and magazines outlets in the departure lounge of any international airport. Most will stock the newest and hottest releases around as well as some good old gossip magazines. ’Beni’ itself is great for second hand books. You will find many paperbacks for less than three euros in  the used book shops, so it might be worth holding on to see what you can find when you get there. One place to recommend is the ‘book swap shop’ located in the indoor market.

Don’t Forget The Adapters

How many times has it happened that you have gone to plug something in and found out that the socket is different from the connection you have at the end of your lead? As most of Europe is different to the UK power outlets, you will need some sort of convertor to change the voltage for your electrical goods. Again, buy one before you get there. The adapters you find in the pound shop are just as good as the ones in the local chemist , but they are a lot cheaper. If you wait and expect to grab one easily when you arrive in Benidorm, and then think again. These are one of the most popular ‘forgettables’ among visiting tourists. Because of this, they run out of stock very quickly and are priced astronomically.

Noel Gallagher’s favourites

I’m not sure if I should be encouraging this, but both cigarettes and alcohol wondrously cheap. Rather than buying duty free at your departure lounge, wait until you get there. Boxes and bottles of these two vices can found everywhere and are a great solution to beating the bar prices if you fancy a warm up before a night out. However, if you really want to save money on tobacco, my best advice is to kick it to the curb.

Summary

Benidorm is great fun. Whilst taking some of this on-board, remember you are going on holiday, so don’t stress yourself out too much. Due to the amount of people vising the resort, things normally run very smoothly and the list above is probably all you are going to have to worry about, except having a good time!

Enjoy!

This article was written by Ted Hunter on behalf of Travel Republic. Travel Republic offers some of the Holidays to Benidorm available. Ted is a seasoned traveller having visited many of the world’s travel destinations and enjoys submersing himself in the local culture to gain the true experience of the country he visits.

The post The Bargains of Benidorm: What to Purchase When You Get There and What to Buy At Home appeared first on Europe Explored.

The problem is though that we can only get one holiday per year. Some of us might be lucky enough to get too, but for the most part our finances and our time off work are restrictive and we’re limited to just the one. When you’ve got so many places to choose from, and only two weeks to enjoy them, how do you decide where to go?

Well there are plenty of places to choose from indeed, but here for your consideration we shall be looking at Lanzarote and putting forward the case for making this beautiful island your next stop. Here are some of the top reasons you should choose Lanzarote…

El Golfo – One of the famous points on Lanzarote!, Canary Islands, Spain by Moni Sertel

The Weather: The weather in Lanzarote is what you would expect from one of the Canary islands – sunny and warm and actually ideal for lounging in the sun. However at the same time there is also a constant cool breeze which many people find highly relaxing and which prevents the heat from becoming overbearing and unpleasant. There are plenty of holiday resorts on the island too.

The Desert: Almost all of the holiday destinations most people consider have great weather though. They also have great beaches and lots more for the casual holidaymaker besides. One thing that you can get from Lanzarote that you wouldn’t get from just ‘any’ holiday destination though is a desert – and short of travelling to Egypt this is the best way to combine a little desert trekking with your other more standard holiday activities. El Jable is a small desert, but that’s part of the charm meaning you’re perfectly safe and unlikely to get badly lost – it’s just enough to try something different and get some great pictures (or a great day out riding camels).

Volcano: One of the big advantages of all of the Canary islands is the volcanic landscapes that they feature. It’s beautiful in a desolate kind of way, but it also makes for some interesting natural demonstrations and days out. Visit Timanfaya Volcano National Park for instance and sample meat cooked by volcano…

Lanzarote Coastline, Canary Islands, Spain by Luc Viatour

Surf: The beaches are ideal for relaxing and chilling out in the sun, but that’s not all they have to offer. If you really want to experience them in a more active way then this is also an ideal holiday destination for surfers. Head to Famara and you’ll have plenty of great surfing beaches and a vibrant community of enthusiasts.

Mountains: Okay so you’ve already got great beaches, a desert and a volcanic park. However what Lanzarote can also offer you – and what you won’t get to the same degree many other places – is a great mountain landscape which can make for scenic walks or just a fantastic backdrop while you’re swimming in the sea.

The Green Lagoon: For a stunning and unusual natural phenomenon, head over to El Golfo Beach to witness the green lagoon. Separated by red rock, this is generally a very colourful site and well worth seeing.

Vueva de los Verdes: And while you’re visiting wonderful natural formations, why not go to Cueva de los Verdes and explore beautiful caves formed by natural volcanic eruptions.

Variety: In short then you really can’t beat Lanzarote for its variety. It has all the shops and amenities you would expect of a holiday hotspot, and it has great weather and resorts. But at the same time this is also an island that can offer volcanoes, mountains, caves, lagoons and even desert…

James Ben is a renowned adventurer who started his own travel and adventure blog, featuring holidays tips and advice. He recommends Lanzarote as a top holiday destination.

The post Top Reasons to Go to Lanzarote, Canary Islands | Spain appeared first on Europe Explored.

In the shadow of Ischia and Capri is small, only 2.5 km long and fewer tourists visited island of Procida. However Chiaiolella offers good swimming and, like Ischia, also cheap accommodation. In a neglected town of Procida is the main ferry port, Marina Grande.

View Ischia and Procida – two gems of the bay of Napoli in Italy in a larger map

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