Lets Get Travelling

The Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean just 100 miles from Africa are popular all year round thanks to their warm climate, developed tourist industry and frequent flights from the UK.

Tenerife is the largest of the islands with a dormant volcano and mountain range splitting the island in two. The south is warmer and drier, and hence more popular with tourists, and the north greener and cooler.

Gran Canaria has the largest population and like Tenerife is split into a warmer south and greener north thanks to a central mountain range. Shoppers head to Las Palmas, beach lovers to Maspolmas and the fishing villages of Puerto Rico, Puerto de Morgan and Pasito Blanco offer picture-postcard views.

Lanzarote has the darkest landscape as a result of the islands volcanic orgins and also the finest sand on the beaches. The National Park of Timanfaya is a must for any visit to the island with stunning scenery.

Fuertaventura is popular with golfers and has the longest beaches of any of the islands, including a 4 mile stretch of golden sand between the towns of Jandia and Pajara.

The remaining three islands of La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro have less developed tourist accommodation and attractions but are still worth visiting

Since the first package holidays were offered to Spain in the 1960s its popularity as both a holiday and investment destination has remained undimmed.

Even today when cheaper air fares have made more of the world affordable and accessible, Spain still ranks as the number one destination after nearly 50 years for five key reasons:

• Accessibility - a network of airports across the country operating all year round and good inward infrastructure
• Affordability - whilst prices have rocketed in some areas for buyers there are still bargains to be had and the wealth of holiday property for rental keeps prices keen for tourists
• Quality - if you pick your investment property or holiday rental wisely you can get a lot for your money
• Wide appeal - holidaymakers, second home owners, business owners, family relocations, retired…there’s something for everyone in Spain
• Investment potential - whilst the ‘rock bottom’ bargains may have gone, any investment in Spain can generally be a lower risk than emerging countries

Girona has managed to escape the stag and hen parties that descend on the bright lights and big city bars of Barcelona, 60 miles further to the south. And as it is only 2 hours away from the UK, it is near enough to be a perfect weekend city break.

If you’re looking for a bit more culture, then Girona is for you. The city has a population of around 80,000 so it is still small enough to walk everywhere but with a good mix of interesting restaurants, traditional shops and boutiques, galleries and antique dealers, there is enough to keep even the keenest culture-vultures happy.

Fans of the film Perfume will recognise the Pujada de Sant Domenec, a flight of stone steps leading up to the Sant Martí Sacosta Church with a gloomy lane framed by a basket arch slanting off to the left. This location, and others around the city, were used to create the 18th Century French town of Grasse in the film, and it is one of the most photographed and romantic spots in Girona.

With a wealth of cafes in the Plaça del Vi (Wine Square) it’s the perfect spot to relax with friends, a good book or to simply take time out to watch the world go by.

Ryanair flies to Girona from London Luton and London Stansted, as well as 11 other regional airports.

Holidaymakers planning a trip to Lanzarote could find it more difficult to get a hotel room after 22 hotels were ordered to be demolished.

The demolition order follows a court case that ruled that 22 hotels were illegally built after two councils had openly flouted a ban on building hotels.

Eight five-star hotels, 10 smaller hotels and four others under construction were ruled illegal. All together they account for over 7,700 rooms or apartments on the island.

Top class hotels that could be pulled down include the Melia Volcan, Iberostar Papagayo, Gran Castillo, Natura Palace, Rubicon Palace, Papagayo Arena and Son Bou.

Authorities may grant an amnesty in the same way as the council in Marbella did when it discovered thousands of illegally built hotels and homes, many owned by Britons, in 2006. In return for not sending in the demolition crews, the council forced developers to hand over large areas of land into public ownership.

However, not everyone would welcome this outcome and the final decision on action remains unclear.

Carlos Espino, a Socialist Lanzarote councillor, said: “These councils broke the order which we put in place to preserve the island, which is a biosphere. We will not have an amnesty. We will knock down what we have to.”

More court cases against other hotels in Lanzarote are expected to follow.

In February, low cost airline easyJet announced a new flight to Palma, Mallorca, from East Midlands Airport three times a week.

easyJet already flies to Mallorca from Belfast, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, London Gatwick, London Luton, London Stansted and Newcastle. With BMI Baby and Monarch also flying to the island, Mallorca is readily accessible from pretty much anywhere in the UK.

Mallorca is popular with both property buyers and holiday makers. With 300 days sunshine a year, 23 golf courses, 25 marinas and some of the most stunning scenery in Europe, it’s easy to see why. New roads in the north of the island have now made many of the picturesque mountain villages more accessible and the coast benefits from beautiful natural harbours.

And with a ban on the island on any development within 25 metres of the coast, if you’ve got a beachfront property with a stunning sea view, or got your eye on buying or renting one, then you can be confident little is going to get in the way of your picture postcard view.

Now you can let the train take the strain all the way to southern Spain. With the opening of the new international terminal at St Pancras in November last year, the final leg of the London-Malaga link has now been completed thanks to launch of a new high speed train service between Madrid and Malaga.

The opening of the Madrid-Malaga high speed line has taken 10 hours of the previous journey time so London to Malaga by train can now be done in just 21 hours, including a comfortable night’s sleep on the Elipsos sleeper service between Paris and Madrid.

Just imagine… no scrums at the airport, no cramped economy seats, no inedible in-flight meals and no lost baggage. It’s a more refined, more relaxing and a greener way to travel.

Where else but in Florida can you find beaches, theme parks, stunning natural reserves, alligators and, if you travel at the right time, a Space Shuttle launch at the Kennedy Space Center. Known as the Sunshine State, Florida more than lives up to its name. The average lowest temperature in Miami throughout the year is only 20ºC so Florida is the place for year round warmth.

Swim and snorkel in the colourful coral reefs of the Florida Keys, or just sit back and relax on the white sandy beaches. Take the family, or just be a kid again yourself at Disneyworld’s Magic Kingdom, relive your favourite Hollywood scenes at Universal Studios, or get up close and personal with killer whales at SeaWorld. After such an adrenalin buzz you’ll appreciate the time to recharge your batteries on the beautiful Gulf Coast beaches. Don’t forget to share a Gulf sunset with someone special and check out the amazing seafood.

All this and more makes Florida the ultimate holiday destination.

The holiday resort of Puerto Pollensa is located on the north of the island of Majorca (Mallorca), the largest of the Balearics. It has remained very popular due to the stunning scenery, the gently sloping large sandy beaches and an overall more laid-back and friendly atmosphere to some of the larger resorts in the south.

The sheltered horseshoe shaped bay makes the beach a particular favourite for families with young children and the renowned Pine Walk is the only place for promenades on a warm summer’s evening, leading to the marina where million-pound yachts are moored. With small apartments on the beachfront to large villas tucked away in the surrounding hills, there is something for everyone at Puerto Pollensa.

The Semana Santa de Sevilla, or Easter Week in Seville for those less fluent in Spanish, has been attracting visitors for over 500 years. Today the celebrations feature over 50,000 people in traditional robes carrying out around 60 processions during the evening and at night throughout Easter Week.

The costaleros in the procession carry the pasos, ornate religious statues, shoulder high. Processions can all start from any church but they must all pass through an official section from Calle Campana to the Cathedral, making this section an extremely popular tourist spot. Easter in Seville, and many other Spanish towns, is a truly inspirational experience.

Spain has been a favourite destination for English buyers for many years now and despite soaring prices in some areas and over-development of others, there are still bargains to be found.

Madrid and Barcelona are still popular places for investment, although rising prices have put them out of the reach of many buyers. Instead, savvy buyers looking for a city home are heading to Cadiz, Granada or Seville, where good property for investment, holiday or relocation can still be found at a fraction of the price of the big two.

If you’re looking for a home near the beach why not try the Costa de la Luz. On the Atlantic coast of western Andalucía it has been a popular destination for Spanish holidaymakers for decades but the secret is now starting to come out. With the superb culture and an excellent climate, the low property prices here are not going to stay low for long.

And for something truly different and still authentically Spanish head north where rolling green hills of Galicia hide some amazing property bargains.