Thursday, July 2, 2009

5 Easy Ways To Save Money On Your Holiday In Spain

It's that time of the year again, when you are looking for a value for money week abroad with the family. Even considering the current economic downturn families still wish to take that foreign sun holiday, and they want it obviously at a competitive price. It's only natural that with the short and sometimes disappointing summers in Ireland and the UK people want to get away to the sun!

Be Selective about your Destination - If you want to save money on your holiday in Spain, perhaps you should check out alternative locations on the mainland or on the islands. For example the likes of Marbella, Malaga and Alicante may be that bit more expensive than someplace like Northern Spain. Find out where the locals go by researching travel websites. You could base yourself someplace an hour away from the main seaside resort yet your accommodation may not be overly expensive if you travel off the beaten track! Shop around and search for the perfect fit for you and your family!

Be Flexible with the time of year you wish to travel - Remember that if you want to go to Spain at peak times that you will pay accordingly for both flights and accommodation! So perhaps try and travel at off peak times, which are less likely to be thronged compared to the school holidays in July and August. A week in May or September can be just as enjoyable as during the peak times, and less crowded in the process!

Plan and Book Well in Advance - Travel Weekly ran a report in 2008, which stated that British people are eager to book their holidays to Spain well in advance in order to save money for the holiday, and also in the hope of grabbing a hotel deal by confirming their availability early! Research has shown that 10% of people actually book their summer vacation before Christmas. Even though there has been a credit squeeze for the past year, this has not deterred holidaymakers from eyeing up a bargain - so with access to broadband and the world wide web never being wider, get online and search for that Spain travel deal, and secure that hard earned holiday!

Look for Free Attractions - Remember that entertaining the kids is not just about water parks and theme parks that may cost you €50 at least to enter for a family! If you plan your vacation well in advance, you will find that many areas in Spain have free attractions to enter such as museums, natural parks, and obviously the resorts! Walk the countryside, take trips to the relics of the Roman and Moorish civilizations, make films with your video camera, and play games with the children - these activities don't have to cost you anything!

Avail of a Value for Money Car Rental - Obviously the best way to explore a vast country with so many attractions is to avail of a car rental. Not only will it give you complete freedom and flexibility throughout your holiday, you will also avoid paying extra and waiting on public transport every time you and the family wish to visit a major attraction, visit a waterpark or get to the beach! To get the best deals in car rental, shop around and make sure that you are completely satisfied with what the car hire contract includes. For the best deals available in car rental, check out our Car Hire Spain page.

Things like 3rd party insurance, Collision Damage Waiver, protection from theft; unlimited mileage and roadside assistance are all-important factors. Ensure that you hire a vehicle that suits your travel requirements (luggage and number of passengers). To save money further on your car rental, ensure that the pick off and drop off locations are the same - there may be an extra charge if you pick up the car in a different place to where you drop it off! Endeavour also to see if there are any hidden extras with your car rental - requirements like GPS Systems and child restraints/baby seats may incur an extra charge so check this all out. As with planning the holiday, try and secure your car rental well in advance!

Hotels in La Manga

La Manga Club in Spain offers a wide range of luxury accommodation, none more luxurious than the five star Principe Felipe La Manga Hotel. The La Manga Hotel is clearly the jewel in the crown of this luxury sporting and leisure paradise.

La Manga Club offers a selection of luxury villas, apartments and townhouses and just the one hotel actually located at La Manga Club. The hotel at La Manga Club is in a good central location and within east walking distance to the golf club house for both the North and South Golf Courses. The first tee of each course is within 500 yards walk from the hotel at La Manga Club. Also the tennis centre, which offers a wide range of courses, private lessons or just court hire is within 5 minutes walk from the hotel at La Manga Club.

La Manga Club offers over 25 restaurants located on the resort. The hotel at La Manga Club manages about 12 of these restaurants and two are located with the hotel building, the others are spread throughout the resort. The hotel offers a free courtesy shuttle bus to and from all of these restaurants, including the La Cala restaurant which is located at the beach. La Cala is open for lunch and dinner during the summer.

The flagship restaurant is the Amapola which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and can be found on the ground floor of the hotel at La Manga.

Being a five star hotel, the hotel at La Manga offers a choice of room types all of which are of a luxury standard. All rooms have private balconies or terraces and enjoy great views over the golf courses. All accommodation options at the hotel at La Manga, include a sumptuous buffet breakfast at the Amapola restaurant.

La Manga Club can be reached via two airports, Murcia San Javier Airport which is about 20 minutes driver from the Club or Alicante airport which is about 60 minutes drive from La Manga Club. A car rental would be recommended to really enjoy the beautiful area surrounding La Manga Club. Many low cost airlines service these airports.

In addition to golf and tennis for which La Manga Club is renowned, the Club also offers a great choice of sports and leisure activities many of which are within walking distance from the hotel at La Manga Club. For example La Manga offers a luxury Spa with treatment rooms, steam rooms, saunas, indoor pool and gymnasium. Hotel guests receive free access to the La Manga Spa.

La Manga also offers bowls, squash, climbing wall, crazy golf, pitch and putt, football, childrens club, bike riding, dance classes, fitness classes, cricket. A short distance from the Club a wide range of more strenuous activities are offered, such as horse riding, water sports, go carting and quad biking.

The information centre at hotel the La Manga will offer you assistance to arrange all of your activities at La Manga Club and can also offer maps and directions for suggested walks and jogging trails, on La Manga s 1500 acres of beautiful Murcian country side.

Gateway To The Seaside And Sightseeing In Murcia Spain

After you've made decision to take your holidays in the city of Murica when you go to Spain, there is only one other decision left for you. Which airport shall I choose to land at? Since you're going to the city of Murcia Spain, it would probably be best to land at San Javier airport which is a short distance from the city.

The city is located in the province of Murcia and your holiday city is the capital. That's why this city is called Murcia. Gateway to the seaside and sightseeing in Murcia Spain, San Javier airport plays host to both full service and discount airlines from across the world. Murcia holds a wealth of holiday activity for visitors and vacationers alike. Once inside Murcia's airport you will discover that there is ample ground transportation to take you to your hotel bedroom or vacation villa. Among the ground transportation alternatives, like at Alicante it will cost less to rent the car than to take a private taxi. Before leaving on your holiday. you might want to find a comparison of the rates charged by the different car rental companies. Then having reserved your car before leaving for your flight, you'll be able to pick up your rental car right at the airport.

Sightseeing and the Museums in Murcia You get to see the Museum of Science and Water. It is an interactive museum with activities for all ages. If your vacationing with your family, they'll really enjoy the planetarium, its shows, and exhibitions. Be certain to visit the Science Square. Here, you'll find demonstrations and a variety of children's experiments. The city museum, The Museo de la Cuidad, is a well-liked attraction. The museum was the home of a well-loved family in the 1500s. The Museo de la Cuidad is a terrific spot to familiarize yourself with the history of Murcia. A variety of exhibits about the culture art and crafts of Spain are on display here.

You'll also want to see the Archaeological Museum is a great place to find out about the past, showing prehistoric artifacts. You'll really enjoy the natural water attractions as well as the scenery surrounding the salt swamps at San Pedro del Pinatar.

The Iberian pottery museum also houses other pieces from the Roman and Islamic periods when Murcia was occupied are on exhibit. Sightseeing in Murcia Spain means the beaches of Murcia.

They're are wonderful place to enjoy the sun. Mar Menor also known as "small sea" is a special place to be explored. It is a beautiful lagoon separated from the Mediterranean Sea by a strip of velvety sand. The Cathedral de Santa Maria was built between the 1300 and 1400 hundreds. Each added section of the building was built in a singular style. Renaissance, Gothic and Baroque fashions are a part of Spanish history and yearly festivals and parades in Murcia celebrate this history.