Is the Great British love affair with Spain grinding to a halt? Not by a long straw.
We may have moved on from those early package holidays of sun, sandcastles
and sangria, but, as a nation, we are making more trips to Spain than ever.
Not only are there so many ways to get there — budget airlines, cheap charters,
ferries and even trains — Brits are realising that there is much, much
more to the country than its overcrowded costas.
You can hike in the mountains, stay in a castle, learn to dive, tour vineyards,
study art, make a pilgrimage, learn to cook, charter a yacht, play golf or
ride the range. To prove the point, we present 20 great summer holidays in
Spain, to satisfy any taste.
Unless stated, all package prices are per person, based
on two sharing, and include flights from London. For other UK or Irish departures,
contact the operator
1 PLAY TOGETHER
Take the family on an activity-packed week in the Sierra Aitana, a rugged mountain
region near Alicante. Parents and children can have a go at mountain-biking,
sea kayaking, abseiling and caving — no experience is required —
while based at an attractive farmhouse overlooking olive groves and orchards
near the village of Sella.
Each day brings a new activity or excursion — a ferry trip to the small fortified
island of Tabarca, a walk led by a local shepherd and his goats, and chances
to savour traditional village life, helping to pick fruit and press olives.
Eight days cost £575 (under-11s £295, under-3s free), including
most meals, but not flights, with Guerba (01373 826611, www.guerba.co.uk).
Flights to Alicante can be arranged on request. Other operators include The
Adventure Company (0845 450 5311, www.adventurecompany.co.uk) and Explore
(0870 333 4001, www.explore.co.uk).
2 STAY IN A CASTLE For many years, the province of Gerona was barely
disturbed by tourism. Charter flights would land and disgorge coachloads of
package holidaymakers to the grim coastal resorts of Blanes and Lloret de
Mar, but few tourists lingered inland. Now, though, a new generation of
visitors is heading for the hills, forests and medieval towns of this delightful
corner of Catalonia.
One of the finest places to stay is the four-star Castell d’Emporda, a
beautifully restored 14th-century castle, with towering views over the
surrounding countryside. Doubles start at £72, B&B, in May, rising
to £109 in August. Book direct (00 34 972 646254,
www.castelldemporda.com) and fly with Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) to Gerona.
For a package, try Kirker Holidays (0870 112 3333, www.kirkerholidays.com).
3 WIND DOWN If you like your beaches to come complete with straw
donkeys and banana-boat rides, don’t go to Formentera. This languidly
laid-back island, a half-hour boat ride from Ibiza, has sugar-white sand
lapped by clear turquoise waters and just a few flat roads where you can hop
on a rented bike to explore a salt lagoon, a nature reserve and a hippie market.
The biggest cause of stress? Deciding which bar to sit outside to watch the
sunset. Stay at the Hostal Voramar, in Es Pujols, where a week costs £425,
B&B, in May (£585 in August), with Thomson Small & Friendly
(0870 165 0078, www.thomson.co.uk).
4 TAKE A LEAP OF FAITH It’s hard to imagine a more thrilling,
heart-in-your-mouth experience than jumping out of a moving aircraft at
12,000ft and free-falling solo for 90 seconds back to earth. Incredibly, you
can do this after just two days of training. And where better than over the
foothills of the Pyrenees, with glorious mountain scenery unfolding around
you as you race through the air? Spend a week at the four-star Port Salins
Hotel, in Empuriabrava, with two days of skydiving — ground training,
tandem jump, then solo jump — and three days of ground-based
activities, including mountain-biking, canyoning and white-water rafting.
Prices start at £899, B&B, with Black Tomato (020 7610 9008, www.blacktomato.co.uk).
5 GLAM IT UP If you want to take that new Versace two-piece
for a spin, head for the Marbella Club Hotel. Although it enjoyed its heyday
in the 1960s, when it became a renowned party hang-out for film stars and
young Eurotrash, it retains a heady whiff of glamour. It’s the kind of
hotel where ladies get fully made up to go to the pool and boyfriends can
easily be mistaken for indulgent uncles: great for people-watching. If that
begins to pall, you can always head to nearby Puerto Banus to ogle the
billionaires’ yachts. A week costs £1,280, B&B, in May (£1,800
in August), with Seasons in Style (01244 202000, www.seasonsinstyle.co.uk).()
6 TAKE THE FAST TRAIN Spain’s high-speed intercity trains
glide through the countryside at 190mph and are so efficient that if they
arrive more than five minutes late, passengers are offered refunds. Because
of this, it’s possible to embark on a grand tour of the country without
spending days hanging around on branch lines or being held up by engineering
works. Great Rail Journeys (01904 521980, www.greatrail.com) has a 14-day
escorted tour, leaving London Waterloo on Eurostar on May 19 or September 8
and taking in Barcelona, Seville, Madrid, Toledo and Bilbao, as well as
tours of Andalusia, Catalonia and the Basque country. Prices start at £1,950,
including first-class travel throughout, 13 nights’ B&B, five dinners
and three lunches.
7 DIVE IN Spain is not best known as a destination for
scuba-divers, but just off the coast at L’Estartit, on the Costa
Brava, lies a string of islands, the Illes Medes, that are home to about
1,400 species of marine and plant life. A conservation area since 1985, the
area is ideal for first-timers. Stay a mile away at Castell Montgri, a hillside
holiday park that hits the spot for families with teenagers, thanks to its
swimming pools, sun terraces, organised sports, live music and nightly disco.
A week’s self-catering in a mobile home for up to six people costs £502
in May (£1,221 in August), including short ferry crossings, with
Thomson Al Fresco (0870 060 1389, www.thomsonalfrescolifestyle.co.uk). A
five-day Padi course costs £265; minimum age 12. Or try Keycamp (0870 700
0740, www.keycamp.co.uk).
8 SNAP TO IT Sharpen up your camera skills on a week-long
photography course amid the mountains and villages of the Sierra Nevada.
With expert guidance and one-to-one tuition from the travel photographer
Peter Netley, you wander around this idyllic corner of Andalusia, visiting
quiet whitewashed villages and walking in the surrounding hills. As well as
shooting scenes of traditional country life, you will visit nearby Granada,
to see and photograph the Alhambra. Go in June, when the light is perfect
and the temperatures are not too punishing. A week in a small hotel with
swimming pool starts at £899, full-board, including airport transfers
and wine with your evening meals, but not flights, with Andalucian
Adventures (01453 834137, www.andalucian-adventures.co.uk). Flights to
Malaga can be arranged.
9 PAY HOMAGE Pilgrims from across Europe have been walking
the Camino de Santiago since the 10th century. It’s a gorgeous trek
across the high plains and green mountains of northern Spain. There’s
just one snag — it will take you about 30 days to cover the entire
route, from St-Jean-Pied-de-Port, on the French border, to the cathedral at
Santiago de Compostela. Fortunately, you can bite off the best bits on a new
12-day guided trek between Burgos and Santiago, taking in the gorgeous
scenery of the Castilian Meseta, the 3,280ft-high Pedrafita do Cebreiro pass
and the rich medieval cities of Burgos and Leon. Departing in May or
September, the trip starts at £980, B&B, with Explore (0870 333
4001, www.explore.co.uk).
10 MAKE A MEAL OF IT In the foothills of Mallorca’s Tramuntana
mountains, surrounded by vines and citrus groves, sits Read’s, a
restored manor house with 24 rooms, two pools and a Michelin star. Now guests
can indulge in a week-long gastronomic feast overseen by the restaurant’s
director, Marc Fosh.
Treats include a seven-plate tasting menu with wine, three-course à la carte
dinners in both of the hotel’s restaurants, a visit to a local bodega
and tutored tastings of Spanish wine, ham and cheese, as well as two evenings
at Fosh’s cookery school in Palma, watching his crew at work, learning
techniques and recipes, then dining on the results. The week costs £1,190,
B&B, throughout the year, including car hire, but not flights, with Balearic
Discovery (0870 243 2272, www.balearicdiscovery.com). Airlines serving Palma
include easyJet (www.easyjet.com), British Airways (0870 850 9850,
www.ba.com) and bmibaby (0870 264 2229, www.bmibaby.com).
11 CEREBRAL AND SENSUAL If you’ve ever wandered around
a historic city and thought the experience would be so much richer if you
had an authoritative guide to bring it all alive, you might want to consider
an art and culture tour. Try a week in Salamanca, Madrid and Old Castile,
the historical and cultural heart of Spain, with visits to the Prado and Goya’s
frescoes in the church of San Antonio de la Florida, as well as access to private
palaces in Toledo and Segovia. With accommodation at top hotels, including
the Palacio de Castellanos, a former palace in Salamanca, and meals at
leading restaurants such as Botin, in Madrid, it’s a treat for all the
senses. Departing on May 22, the trip costs £2,370, including most meals,
with Specialtours (020 7730 2297, www.specialtours. co.uk). Other operators
include Martin Randall Travel (020 8742 3355, www.martinrandall.com) and The
Traveller (020 7436 9343, www.the-traveller.co.uk).
12 EMBRACE NATURE Hike across the spectacular limestone peaks of
the Picos de Europa, looking for rare birds, wild flowers and butterflies. On
this eight-day guided trip with Naturetrek (01962 733051, www.naturetrek.co.uk),
you’ll walk through deserted gorges, across alpine meadows and along
ancient drovers’ tracks. Staying in two pretty mountain villages, you’ll
be accompanied by an ornithologist, a botanist and a butterfly expert, who
will point out rare species such as Egyptian vultures, hen harriers and
swallowtail butterflies. Departing on June 18, the trip costs £985,
including meals with wine.
13 SADDLE UP Ride across the wild countryside of Extremadura, home
to the conquistadors. Three hours west of Madrid, the snow-capped peaks of
the Gredos Mountains provide the perfect backdrop for a guided trek along unspoilt
valleys and across lavender-carpeted hills. Riding an Arab-Andalusian cross,
you spend about six hours a day in the saddle, stopping at villages for picnics.
At night, you sleep in paradors or comfortable village hotels. Aimed at
intermediate to experienced riders, the seven-night trip starts at £1,000,
including meals with wine, with Ride Worldwide (01837 82544,
www.rideworldwide.co.uk). Flights to Madrid are not included; try Iberia
(0870 609 0500, www.iberia.com), British Airways (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com)
or EasyJet (www.easyjet.com). Other operators include Inntravel (01653
617906, www.inntravel.co.uk).
14 TWO WHEELS GOOD Explore La Rioja on two wheels, cruising along
the banks of the River Ebro as it passes through vineyards and lush valleys,
and stopping for breathers at medieval villages and bodegas, where the
owners will welcome you inside to taste their wines. This week-long, unescorted
cycling trip through one of Spain’s most beautiful and unspoilt
regions includes visits to salt lakes and 17th-century monasteries, with
nights in charming village hotels. Prices start at £626 in May (£666
in August), including three nights’ B&B and four nights’ half-board,
bike hire and rail and taxi transfers, with Inntravel (01653 617906,
www.inntravel.co.uk). Flights to Bilbao are not included; try Iberia (0870
609 0500, www.iberia.com) or EasyJet (www.easyjet.com). Other operators include
Freewheel Holidays (01636 815636, www.freewheelholidays.com).
15 SET SAIL If you go to some of the smarter beaches on Ibiza or
Mallorca, you’ll often see a small fleet of yachts moored just off the
coast. As lunchtime approaches, outboard motors will be fired up and the smiling,
tanned beautiful people will whizz ashore to take their tables at the best
seafood restaurants. Some of these people will be super-rich, some will be
well connected, others will be those simply canny enough to charter a yacht for
a week rather than book rooms at a boring hotel. To join the boat set, rent
a 43ft-long Cyclades 43, which sleeps six people in three berths and costs £2,085
for a week in May (£3,255 in August), with Sunsail (0870 770 4839,
www.sunsail.com). Flights to Palma can be arranged for a supplement.
()16 CANVAS AND CULTURE The northern coast of Cantabria —
the Costa Verde — boasts fine sandy beaches and great seafood restaurants,
overlooked by mountains and dairy pasture. Be brave and sleep under canvas
at Camping Playa Joyel, near the resort of Noja. The camp site has a pool,
tennis, football, riding and direct access to the beach, with Bilbao —
home to the Guggenheim — and Santander both less than an hour’s drive
away. A week’s self-catering in a fully equipped and extremely comfy tent
costs £369 in May (£615 in August) for a family of two adults and
up to four children, including short ferry crossings, with Canvas Holidays
(0870 192 1159, www.canvasholidays.co.uk).
17 THRILLS TO SPILLS If it’s happy, smiling children’s
faces you want, head to PortAventura, one of Europe’s best theme parks and
now part of the extensive Universal Parks and Resorts. The park itself has
some world-class rollercoasters, including the eight-looping Dragon Khan,
and up to 100 shows a day. After all that excitement, you can cool off next
door at the Caribe Aquatic Park, which has wave pools, slides and water
rides. The resort has three themed hotels that have free access to both
parks, including the Hotel PortAventura, where a week costs £754,
half-board, in August (£524 for a child under 13 sharing the parents’
room; £584 for a second), with Airtours (0870 608 1940,
www.airtours.co.uk). Other operators include Thomas Cook (0870 750 5711,
www.thomascook.com).
18 SEA, SPORT AND SEVILLE A new motorway has made it easier than
ever to combine a beach holiday on the Costa de la Luz with a couple of days
in Seville, one of Spain’s most deliciously Moorish cities. Spend a
week at the five-star El Rompido Golf and Beach Hotel, which sits on a
stretch of unspoilt coastline and has indoor and outdoor pools, an 18-hole
golf course, tennis courts and a spa.Local markets and seafood restaurants
are nearby. Then it’s 90 minutes on the autopista to Seville, where,
in the heart of the old quarter, you spend two nights at the Hotel Melia
Colon. Prices start at £641, B&B, in May (£888 in August),
with Travel Club of Upminster (01708 225000,
www.travelclubofupminster.co.uk). Or try Sovereign (0870 366 1626, www.sovereign.com)
or Stowaway Travel (0845 230 1212, www.stowawaytravel.co.uk).
19 DISCOVER A CLASSIC The big tour operators may be deserting the
Costa Brava, but there are still some lovely hotels if you know where to look.
The Sant Roc is a perfect example — a friendly, family-run three-star
built on rocks near the fishing village of Calella de Palafrugell. The food
is excellent, the beach nearby is great for swimming and the hotel makes an
ideal base for exploring lazy sea ports and medieval walled towns. Top of
your to-do list should definitely be the Dali triangle: Cadaques, where the
painter lived; La Pera, where he turned a castle into a shrine to his wife;
and Figueres, where the Museu Dali is a monument to surrealism. A week at
the Hotel Sant Roc (book direct: 00 34 972 614250, www.santroc.com) starts at
£364pp, half-board, in May (£508pp in August). Ryanair (www.ryanair.com)
flies to Gerona.
20 REACH THE HEIGHTS The Ordesa Canyon is sometimes dubbed
Europe’s Grand Canyon — and it’s easy to see why when you
stand at the top and look down more than 6,000ft to the valley floor below.
The canyon lies within Spain’s longest-established national park, and
is fabulous walking country. Overlooked by the peaks of the Pyrenees, you
can hike along natural ledges once used as trails by hunters, rounding
cliffs to discover one spectacular waterfall after another. Join an escorted
tour with Ramblers Holidays
(01707 331133, www.ramblersholidays.co.uk), based at the Edelweiss hotel, in
the village of Torla, with daily walks along and around the canyon, in the
company of chamois, eagles and griffon vultures. A week costs £574,
half-board, for all summer months except August. Other operators include
Sherpa (020 8577 2717, www.sherpa-walking-holidays.co.uk).
