Other locations...

During March 2003, my wife and I went to stay at a town on mainland Spain called Oliva. This is approximately halfway between Alicante and Valencia, about two miles inland. Whilst we were there, we did a lot of touring, but the highlight of the week was a day trip to Xativa El Castell. This is a magnificent castle overlooking the small town of Xativa. To get there you have to drive up a winding road and park just outside the castle walls. A tip though: get there early as there are not that many parking spaces. If you are later, you either have to park on the narrow winding road, or in the town of Xativa itself. The walk back up the road can be difficult, ...  Read the complete review

A few summers ago I worked in a hotel called Las Truchas (the trout) in a remote area of Spain It was in a beautiful location, about one hours drive from the city of Zaragoza, in a small village called Nuevalos. Nearby is the Monasterio de Piedra, which is a national park with many waterfalls. When most people think of going on holiday in Spain, they think of the costas, the British resorts. I have never visited these places, but personally I see going on holiday as a chance to escape from all the things which surround us every day at home-the Sun, lager, McDonalds, etc etc. The hotel is a 4* hotel, with an outdoor pool and bar, gym, tennis and squash courts. ...  Read the complete review

i have just come back from a week in ibiza! All i can say is that it was the worst holiday i have ever been on! I went on a twenties holiday and i was expecting a certain amount of madness but i have never seen anything like it! our apartments were terrible, there were a group of lads in the next apartment having sick contests off the balcony, and there was dance music blasting 24/7! there place wasnt very nice, it was very dirty compared to majorca, and the beach where we were was the tiniest beach in the world i think! we stayed in san antonio about 10 minutes from san antonio bay! The bay was quite nice, it was a lot cleaner, but there was still something ...  Read the complete review

A friend of ours has a villa close to Gandia in a little village called Ador. 2 years ago we visited and were absolutely astounded by the beauty of the place. It's pretty much equidistant between Alicante and Valencia but the price difference between flying in to the two airports is huge. Alicante is much cheaper due to the masses flying in for their two week break in Benidorm. Valencia airport is primarily for scheduled flights. We flew into Alicante and hired a car from the airport where there are many hire companies. It's probably best to book in advance during peak seasons. Gandia is about an hour and a half away by car. ...  Read the complete review

I went on holiday to Callea in September of this year, I was worried that I would be going to the usual Blackpool abroad that some of the spanish resorts have turned out to be, but Callea was not like that. Situated on the main railway line to Barcelona, Callea had a wonderful mixture of people, from all age groups and countries, it was a great "cultural" experience as well. The beach is not sand, and the very small pebbles are slightly abrasive, but there are beach bars and wonderful restaurants every couple of hundred metres. The nightlife is mainly bars and a few good clubs, but for a relaxing SPANISH holiday I highly recommend Callea. We ...  Read the complete review