Fall in love with Spain

According to Linda Plummer, who has lived in Spain for twenty years, "The main beauty of this lovely land can be summed up in just one word - variety - and, as you all well know, variety is the spice of life"!

The southern part of the country, such as the Costa del Sol in the region of Andalusia, enjoys three hundred days of sunshine per year with an average annual temperature of 18ºC.

The marvelous beaches of Spain, "the most environmentally healthy in Europe" according to the Foundation for Environmental Education, offer an original variety of entertainment, sports, games and facilities for all ages, and of course great swimming and sun bathing opportunities.

For those who would like to add a sprinkle of culture to their holiday, Spain offers more wonders. On the crossroads of Europe and the Orient through history, Spain has lived through Roman, Muslim, German, French as well as other influences. Cathedrals and mosques, castles and old remains of ancient cities, all are astonishing witnesses of Spain's cultural heritage.

Once you think of Spain for your holidays, the immediate reaction is "so many places to go"! For that, Spain also has a well-organized transportation network, local and international airports, a good train system, although the most convenient way to get around is probably the domestic bus/coach network.

For those looking for accommodation with a more local flavour, Spain offers state-established ‘paradores’, monasteries, convents and castles converted to modern comfortable accommodation where, for a few nights, you can forget the time you are living in.

See the museums and monuments of the capital Madrid, the organic brilliance of Gaudi in Barcelona. Immerse yourself in the romantic Mediterranean cities of Valencia and Alicante. Drift south to Andalusia with her flamenco and Spanish guitar, to the exotic cities of Granada, Seville, Málaga. "Immerse yourself in their haunting Islamic palaces, the brilliant colors and sounds of flamenco, and in the birth-place and works of Picasso."

Tourists on holiday in Spain also fall in love with the Spanish cuisine. The famous Spanish paella, the succulent tortillas, the abundance of seafood, the sweet sangria, the wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables are both affordable and good for the heart. Even their ‘caviar’ of cured hams, known as ‘jamón Ibérico’, has fat unusually high in oleic acid which is known to lower cholesterol levels.

The Costa del Sol (Sunny Coast or Sunshine Coast in English) has been a tourist destination since the fifties, but more recently, holidaymakers have turned it into ‘Costa del Golf’. The region now has about seventy high quality golf courses. Golf can be played all year round, and when you get tired of it, you can try sailing, scuba diving, horse riding, dolphin safaris…