Spanish Holidays – Deciding Where to Go
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In the minds of most people, Spanish holidays mean two weeks of sun, sea and sangria in one of the popular coastal resorts of mainland Spain or the Spanish islands.
And it’s true that the vast majority of the 50 million tourists who flock to Spain each year make a beeline for one of the cluttered costas. But if you’re planning a Spanish holiday and you’re not familiar with this vast and endlessly fascinating country, take time out to research possible locations before you make a booking.
There are huge variations between one stretch of coastline and another and there’s something to suit everyone. But just remember that one man’s meat is another’s poison so make sure you do your homework before committing yourself to a holiday on the basis of an inviting (but often misleading) photo in a travel agent’s brochure.
Take the Costa Blanca as an example. Along this one Costa, you’ll find resorts which bear little or no resemblance to each other in character. The Costa is home to frantic Benidorm (one of the most manic party playground in the entire Mediterranean) but just a few kilometres further south lies Villajoyosa which is an essentially Spanish seaside town with rarely a foreign visitor in sight. It’s the same picture at the northern end of the Costa where upmarket Javea, favoured by hordes of British villa renters, lies just a short distance south of Ondara and Oliva which appeal almost exclusively to Spanish holidaymakers. At the southern end of the Costa Blanca, there’s Torrevieja which has become something of a British ghetto awash with burger bars, karaoke and cheap “chips with everything” menus – heaven for some but hell on earth for others!
Spanish Holidays: avoiding the tourist trap
No section of the Costa Blanca coastline has remained untouched by tourism, yet you only have to drive 20 minutes inland to find yourself in traditional mountain “pueblos” where the way of life seems hardly to have changed for centuries.
It has to be said that many of the Spanish Costas have been marred in recent years by over-development – two exceptions being the Costa de la Luz in the south west of Spain and Almeria in the south east.
But inland Spain remains mercifully free of the ravages of tourism and there are plenty of places to stay where you can escape the madding crowds whilst still being within easy reach of all the attractions of the coast.
A small minority of visitors shy away from the coast altogether, preferring to explore the country’s wealth of beautiful cities, Moorish castles and medieval towns. Some head for the ski resorts of the Pyrenees and Sierra Nevada and others delight in the lush, achingly beautiful (and often wet!) regions of the north such as Galicia, Cantabria and the Basque Country.
So if you’re not sure about your Spanish holiday location, invest in a travel guide from a high street book store or make use of one of our many excellent online guides which offer comprehensive and free information about all areas of Spanish mainland and islands.
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