Fancy Destinations

Castello De Gaudalest

admin — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 05:46:47 +0000

Spain is mainly known for its glorious beaches and the big city breaks in Barcelona and Madrid. But spread around the countryside of the vast country we find hidden little gems worth visiting for their charm, beauty, history or splendid features.

Gaudalest is such a fantastic place that you must visit if you are anywhere near the Costa Blanca and fancy a little trip inland to another world.

The Castle of Gaudalest and the charming village surrounding it is built high upon a mountain top with the ancient houses literally squeezed onto the top of the mountains or built inside caves in the mountain sides.

I promise, you have never seen anything like it and pictures just wont capture the beauty of this mountainous village near Altea on the Costa Blanca.

Costa Blanca Beauty – Visit Jávea Spain

admin — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 10:11:28 +0000

Enjoy the beauty of the Costa Blanca in Jávea … a family friendly sea side resort sporting a perfect mixture of sandy beaches, traditional Spanish cultural events, a vibrant night life and plenty of activities for all ages.

Jávea counters the crisis with a positive approach to life and welcoming attitude to visitors, tourists and immigrants hitting our shore – we even have an annual festival celebrating the multicultural wonders of Javea – Javea International Festival

Bringing your family and kids to Spain? Jávea has safe beaches, next to no crime and tons of activities for kids over the summer to keep all ages in the family jolly: Activities For Kids In Jávea Spain

Need some help and advice before changing your life for the better and coming to Jávea? We dont mind if youre coming for a week to taste the sun and the paellas or if youre going to permanently reside in the prettiest part of Spain – we are ready to answer all your questions, hold your hand and guide you through any problems that may arise – hit us up or check our articles such as Safe Long Term Rentals in Javea

Depressed about the rain, the financial crisis or the sad performance in the EURO cup? Jávea will put a smile on your face, give you unique experiences in stunningly beautiful surroundings and cordially invite you to join the madness of Spanish fiestas – come join us on Javea Holidays Facebook or visit Javea Vacation for more info.

Travelling to Spain

admin — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:54:48 +0000

Travelling to Spain

I arrived spain with a fair knowledge of the spanish culture, I realised that there was a lot I did not know even when travelling to spain frequently untill I started to experience it and really understand what spain was about.Now here are some things you may not know about Spain,Spain is all about walking.For instance Cadiz is a small city where people can walk just about everywhere as long as they can stay away from the speedy motorbikes. As a tourist you go around several times meandering the small streets,but you will be amazed that everyone including the locals is willing to help and share what they knew.The spanish people are extremely proud of their history of culture and tradition.I wanted to know what they thought about their town, Cadiz and the people therein? So I accosted a couple in a cafe and they said Cadiz is a small,pretty town,close to the ocean hence they’ve got the beach,it is historic with lots of monuments.The cadiz area does have the new and old part,most of the people like the new part,but if you plan travelling to spain soon especially to cadiz you can have a feel of both sides.

Spain is all about finding a reason to celebrate eventhough no one remembers exactly why. A lot of stories and tradition were established through the history of Cadiz.For instance there is a popular archway that as a lady if you walk through you will never have a boyfriend.Never! So no matter how stupid it may seem,tradition is part of everyday life that brings the people of spain together in unity. Asides the number of plazas ,most of the cities in Spain has a remarkable monuments.The most famous one is the one found in sevilla.The tile arches and plaques are a beauty to behold,it is remarkable to note that a scene from the second episode of star trek was shot in one of the halls of this castle in seville. As a tourist or a spanish native,you have to accept the fact that no matter how hard you try,you will never be able to dance flamenco,a popular spanish native dance style.It is much better to step back and admire those who truly can.

Personal Travel Advice for Spain

admin — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:52:24 +0000

The Trip

A couple years ago, I was invited to participate in a program hosted by the International Studies Abroad (ISA) institution. The trip would take a group of American high school students overseas to Spain for a period of three weeks to study Spanish language and culture. The first two weeks would consist of rigorous language study in Madrid, and the final week would be spent traveling throughout southern Spain. Included in the package was airfare, 15 meals a week, weekend excursions, accomodations to the University of Madrid, and tuition equivalent to 6 credits at a university here in the United States.

Note: If you would like more information regarding the program and its specifics, please contact me at groupiegirlnj@gmail.com. This hub is intended merely to provide information from my experiences to people interested in traveling to Spain themselves.

My Advice

Madrid was a great city to travel to, but don’t expect to find a lot of English-speaking citizens. We were actually quite surprised at how rare it was to find anyone with anything beyond a minimal level of fluency. I’d recommend having a pocket dictionary handy at all times unless you have at least a year’s experience in Spanish. But on the upside, the people were very patient and friendly, so it never turned into a major dilemma.

For almost any shopping need, just head to the nearest El Corte Ingles, kind of like Spain’s version of Walmart. It’s a major department store that has everything from groceries to batteries to CDs to clothing. They’re enormous and very popular, so don’t worry, they’re hard to miss.

I’ll take a minute to make another note - if you’re planning on using calling cards to make international calls back home, wait until you are in Spain to buy them. Many calling cards purchased within the United States require an additional fee to be accessed from payphones outside the States.

I recommend trying paella at least once while in Spain, they’re delicious. The best one I had was from a tiny restaurant outside the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca. For those of you who don’t know, paella is a dish consisting of a rice (usually yellow), mixed in with a variety of vegetables and / or meat.

While in Spain, I encourage you to attend a bullfight. Even if you get a bit squeamish,simply get a seat further back from the arena. You’ll see all the action from almost any seat, and it will be cheaper in the back, anyway. I tend to be a sucker for animal rights’ stuff, but I figured that my Spanish culture experience wouldn’t be complete if I did not attend. And it was actually quite exciting – the audience always roots for the bull!

For souvenir shopping, I recommend going to the city of Toledo, located just outside Madrid. The former capital of Spain, Toledo is a gorgeous old city with winding cobblestone streets and an abundance of history and wonder. There are tons of marvelous shops containing swords and flamenco clappers and jewelry of all different price levels.

Which reminds me of a problem I came across that I hope none of you make. Before the trip, I set up an internationally accessible checking account so that if I needed any money, I could simply access an ATM. But when I made my deposit, I forgot to convert my balance into Euros. My account ended up dropping a lot faster than I realized, and I ended up having to transfer more money in (my $500 was only E350). So just try and keep your units all insync.

Be prepared for heat you have never experienced the likes of. One day in Cordoba, it hit 126 degress Farenheit. And unlike American summers,summers in Spain are very dry, so it is a lot easier to become dehydrated. So drink lots of water and wear sunscreen, and stick to the shade when possible.

My final advice to travelers looking into Spain would be to plan a trip to multiple cities as they are all very different and unique, and are all relatively close together so it would be an easy journey. Get out and about as much as possible and don’t be timid with your Spanish. Know your whereabouts and try to avoid getting lost because, like any city, there are bad parts and good parts. And most of all, try new things!

Spanish Holiday Destinations

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:31:07 +0000

Spain is a treasured holiday destination for many who enjoy spending time on sandy beaches in blistering sunshine, whilst drinking pina colada and admiring the local senoritas. However, aside from the glorious seaside resorts theres a wealth of interesting spots to visit in Spain. Blessed by natural beauty and warm weather the spanish coastline towards the mediterrenean will probably always have the biggest pulling power on tourists from abroad, however even the busiest and tackiest tourist resorts typically have extraordinary experiences waiting just a short drive away.

Big City Holidays Spain
Being the capital we have to Madrid first, and indeed Madrid lives up to its status with plenty of activities and monuments for tourists to visit. Its a proper highspeed metropolis unlike most spanish cities. Madrid has all the museums, cathedrals and leisure you could wish for. However, the more popular and probably more enjoyable city holiday option is found in Barcelona. Located as a sea side town on the Mediterrenean it has beaches to die for, huge marinas with plenty of seaview restaurants stocking fresh fish dishes and paellas, but aside from the sea the catalonian capital is also a charming vibrant town with all the spoils of a metropolitan european city. Any football fan should seek out the real theather of dream, Camp Nou, and catch the unstoppable Barcelona team for a home game. The annual in-city festival Primavera shouldnt be missed by anyone liking alternative tunes, old ska bands and punk – and the stages are right in the middle of town. The list of attractions in Barcelona is litterally endless, but the main feature is actually the welcoming and enjoyable atmosphere, largely unheard of for such a big city.

Costa Blanca
The costa Blanca stretches from Torrevieja in the south to Valencia in the north. Its primarily known for its two enormous tourist resorts round Alicante and Benidorm. The Costa Blanca has plenty of significantly nicer resorts than the two big ones though, including but not limited to Moraira, Altea, Villajoijosa and Javea. Aside from the delicious sandy beaches, bar strips and nightclubs of the tourist resorts you find a natural beauty and unspoiled nature all over the Costa Blanca. Mountain walkers, cave divers, fishing fans and architechturally interested people will all find themselves plentifully catered for. On top of that unique locations such as the village of Guadalest, built into the mountain sides and maintained for hundreds of year, should be obvious destinations for those reaching beyond the beaches.

What else?
Well there is plenty. The religious wonders of the north in Compostella, the crazy nightlife of Marbella, the bulls in Sevilla, the beaches of Costa Del Sol and plenty more. You could easily follow in the footsteps of Hemingway and spend years exploring the different types of Spain that are all presenting themselves to you in a most welcoming fashion. Speaking even a bit of spanish is a big plus when travelling spain, though you can easily get by with english all around the Costa Blanca and Costa Del Sol, whereas it gets more difficult further away from the tourist resorts.