The Canaries collectively welcome close to 9 million tourists every year – making them the second most popular region in Spain after Catalonia.  And Lanzarote is visited by about 1.4 million of these visitors annually.  The bulk of them arriving on flights from the UK, Germany and Eire.

Holidays in Lanzarote have long been a fixture in the brochures of most leading travel agents and tour operators.  With big names such as Thomas Cook, Thomson’s and First Choice all offering a variety of packages on the island.  Whilst flights to Lanzarote have never been cheaper thanks to increased competition on the route between budget airlines such as Ryanair and easyJet.  With returns now available from as little as €100.

Whilst around 50% of all visitors opt to stay in hotels or apartment complexes the remainder book private rental accommodation.  As Lanzarote villas are much cheaper to rent than comparable properties on other holiday islands such as Mallorca and Ibiza.  Due largely to the fact that Lanzarote has a year round season whereas on other island this is restricted to just a few months of the year.  Either way though this still helps to reduce the cost of a break on the island considerably – with standard villa with pools available from as little as €400 per week.

Aside from offering excellent value for money and great weather Lanzarote also provides visitors with loads of things to do and see.  There are close to one hundreds great beaches to explore, along with picturesque villages and towns such as Yaiza and Teguise.  The latter being the former island capital and home to hundreds of historic buildings.

Lanzarote´s real star attraction though is the Timanfaya National Park, home to hundreds of spent volcanoes, which were first created by eruptions in the 18th century.  The scenery here is so surreal and dramatic that it provides the perfect location for moviemakers.  And most recently Warner’s new release Clash of the Titans was partly filmed here. The island is also easy to explore as car hire in Lanzarote is very cheap and the roads are quiet and safe.

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According to the Museum of Fine Arts in Seville where the exhibition is taking place, Murillo established himself in the art sphere later on in life, but it was in the 1630s when he first made an impression in his home town.

The exhibition is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 09:00 to 20:30 local time and 09:00 to 14:30 on Sundays and public holidays until May 30th.  If you can bring proof of being a European Union citizen or a student can get free entry, while everyone else must pay €1.50 (£1.30).

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The new Radisson Blu Hotel, Madrid Prado, is located in the prestigious area called “The Golden Triangle of Art” with the Museo del Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and the Reina Sofia Museum at its vertices and the recent addition of the new CaixaForum nearby.

The new hotel contains 54 beautiful rooms, created by the famed Spanish design duo Sandra Taruella and Isabel Lopez, which have been designed as a celebration of individuality, with playful elements of photography and modern aesthetics and colour selection. The rooms are both beautiful to look at and delightful to live in, with big, lush bathrooms and high-tech amenities including free high speed internet.

The hotel’s spa, has been created using a minimalist design and offers a variety of treatments, combined with a host of facilities including an indoor pool, steam room and a relaxation and fitness area.

The hotel’s new restaurant and grill, “The Cask”, is expected to become one of the Spanish capital’s most popular restaurants, with its Lounge Bar offering a large selection of cocktails and Spanish tapas with a modern twist, and the Whisky Bar which serves more than 20 of the best single malts.

As the headquarters for public administration and the home of the Spanish royal family, as well as playing an important role in both the banking industry and within business, Madrid provides an important centre for culture and business. This makes the Radisson Blu Hotel, Madrid Prado, with its perfect location and flexible, ultra-modern conference area which can be divided into three separate boardrooms or combined with a bar area to increase the size, ideal for business travellers and cultural tourists alike.

More information about Madrid hotels or to book click here.

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In a survey of 232 clubbers who had visited Ibiza in 2009 for holidays and working holidays, 45% were visiting Ibiza for the first time and 96% of respondents said that they would be returning to Ibiza for future holidays. 78% intend to return to Ibiza for their summer holidays in 2010.

The Ibiza clubbing scene has evolved in recent years from being focused solely on house music to being more inclusive of other genres, this has led to an increase in the popularity of Ibiza outside its traditional core audience. The popularity of Ibiza as a holiday resort among young people does not appear to be negatively impacted by the economic downturn or the increasing price of holidaying in Europe.

A number of other key finding from the survey, titled the ‘Ibiza Holiday Census’, show:

- Easyjet was the most popular airline for flying from the UK to Ibiza
- Holidaymakers preferred to plan their trips independently using the internet to get the lowest prices on flights and hotels
- The respondents were on the whole satisfied or very satisfied with the service they received on their Ibiza holidays, including flights and accommodation.
- Although the summer job market in Ibiza is competitive the majority of season workers found employment in Ibiza soon after arriving.
- Amnesia, which starred in the Kevin and Perry movie set in Ibiza, was named the most popular nightclub by the survey

Full summaries and data from the survey are available at the Love Ibiza website: http://www.loveibiza.net/features/ibiza-holiday-census.

John McElborough, Editor of the Love Ibiza website said of the findings:

“We found it encouraging to see that so many of our members were reporting positive experiences with the various travel companies servicing Ibiza and that a new found variety in the music scene appears to have stimulated the number of first time visitors, as Ibiza has historically been heavily reliant on returning travellers. Along with the interest we have seen in the 2010 season already we would expect this to be a record breaking year for Ibiza tourism.”

The Love Ibiza website has a membership of 25,000 clubbers who use it as a base to plan their Ibiza holidays.

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Over the last year the cost of travelling to Lanzarote has fallen considerably thanks to increased competition on this route between the major low cost airlines in the UK.  Such as easyJet, Ryanair and Monarch.  All of whom are now vying to offer good value return flights to Lanzarote from airports across the UK.

As a result the island has become more attractive to independent travellers – who tend to eschew the services of a travel agents, preferring instead  to book their own flights and accommodation direct online.  Leading to a growth in demand for privately owned apartments and villas in Lanzarote.

The largest concentration of self catering accommodation can be found down at the southern tip of the island in a resort called Playa Blanca.  Which is the fastest growing town on the island. 

Playa Blanca is something of late developer as the resort only started to evolve long after Puerto del Carmen and Costa Teguise were well established to the north.  But it’s making up for lost time now and boasts a coupe of natural advantages which is helping it to draw tourists away from its resort rivals.

Despite being a small island, measuring just 60km by 40km, Lanzarote has a pronounced mircoclimate.  Which is especially noticeable during the winter months.  When Playa Blanca and the south can be basking in sunshine whilst Costa Tegusie in the north can be overcast and grey.

Secondly Playa Blanca is home to some of the best beaches on Lanzarote.  Within the resort itself there are three fine stretches of sand in the form of Playa Dorada, Playa Flamingo and Playa Blanca. The small town centre beach from which the resort take sits name.

But the real jewel in the crown lies just fifteen minuets away – where tourists can explore the set of bays and coves which are collectively known as Papagayo.  Which are widely regarded as amongst the most breathtaking in the whole of the Canaries.

There’s an excellent selection of villas in Playa Blanca available for rent for anyone keen to stay in this part of the island.  With rental rates starting at around €400 per week.  Which secures a standard two bedroom property with private swimming pool.

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Out of the “best of the rest” my favourite has to be Costa Tropical. Situated around the coast of Granada the area is not as highly developed as some of the other “Costas” and offers some wonderful isolated beaches in the many coves along the rocky landscape.

Another beautiful resort is the Costa Verde, translated as Green Coast. As the name suggests the resort is covered in a lush green landscape and offer lots of spectacular views and scenery and some of the best golden sandy beaches you will find anywhere.

Costa Blanca is slightly more well known than the two previously mentioned resorts, but is still an excellent destination for a great beach holiday. The Costa Blanca benefits from some great scenery along its varied landscape and has some really interesting little towns just inland.

There is a lot of choice when it comes to cheap holidays to Spain, but spending a little bit of time looking into some of the quieter resorts is well worth it and you may find somewhere that suits your needs perfectly. These three resorts are most definitely my favourites but there are a number of others to choose from which also have lots to offer. So when you’re booking your next Spanish holiday why not consider one of the lesser known resorts.

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Need a kick start into the new year? Escape the winter bugs and shake off the excesses of the festive season with a yoga and juice fasting retreat in Spain.

Kaliyoga, one of Spain’s leading health holiday venues, is running a New Year’s Good Intentions Juice Fasting Yoga Retreat in January from 17th until the 23rd.

The perfect antidote to a busy and fragmented life, this retreat is a wonderful opportunity to renew and refresh from the inside out. The retreat will nourish your body with delicious and all natural juices that support optimal health. The benefits of yoga have been proven for centuries – it will revitalise and strengthen body and mind.

The strength of the programme at Kaliyoga lies in the team of inspirational, friendly and experienced professionals who are passionate about making healthy living easy and fun. This creates an authentic family atmosphere that is genuinely unique. This is not a corporate soulless spa – this is a warm, friendly and relaxed environment.

Based near Orgiva in Andalucia, Kaliyoga is owned and run by Jonathan and Rosie Miles.

Jonathan Miles, owner of Kaliyoga, says “Juice fasting is the oldest and safest method of removing unwanted weight and toxins. If you were looking for a way to put your New Year’s good intentions into practice, then Kaliyoga is a safe bet in a lovely location with winter sun, blue Andalucian skies and a trusted team of exceptionally talented professionals.”

Guests at Kaliyoga can enjoy yoga, massage, healthy and delicious food, holistic therapies, meditation, colonic cleansing, organic vegetable juices, swimming, saunas and jacuzzis. Return home renewed from the inside out.

Prices from approximately £900 (easyjet flights to Malaga and transfers not included).

Contact enquiry@kaliyoga.com or +44(0)1373 81466 to book or visit www.kaliyoga.com for further information. Kaliyoga run retreats all year round.

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One of the best options if you’ve ever felt like this, is an all inclusive holiday package. This way you know exactly what you’re paying and that everything is sorted before you go. You also know exactly what you’re getting for your money of course. In Alcudia there is a fantastic resort which provides just this sort of holiday to people. The facilities are wonderful and varied enough to cater for most tastes, and you can include flight, hotel, meals and use of some or all of the facilities that are available there.

The Hotel Bellevue is situated beside the Esperanza lake and consists of 17 separate buildings. It has almost the feel of a village with it’s self contained complex that offers amenities and activities within it’s own extensive grounds. The Beach is a mere 900m away, and Facilities include seven swimming pools, sun terraces, poolside bars, buffet restaurant, pizzeria, café, snack bar, pub, supermarket, tennis, squash and basketball courts, a five-aside football pitch, crazy golf, ten pin bowling, go-karts, funfair, and various day and evening entertainments. When you opt for the all Inclusive options, your meals, any snacks that you want, and drinks are all included within the price. If you are there when the are open you will also have use of the two kids world clubs that operate from May to October.

Obviously any excursions outside the complex will still need to be paid for separately but within the complex there is so much available that it’s perfectly possible to enjoy a holiday here without ever leaving the complex although to not visit the wonderful beaches nearby with their wonderful golden sands and blue sea, would be a shame.

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The agreement, set to begin in early 2010, will incorporate a two phase marketing, media and advertising campaign. Phase one will see British Airways expand its online channels, allowing it to strongly promote and sell Malaga. Two familiarisation trips will take place to highlight the city’s Picasso links, cultural and historic offerings, year-round events, fantastic gastronomy and prestigious hotels.

Phase two will involve the expansion of communication channels and development of advertising campaigns. The campaign will also see British Airways contract tours to the city, which will appear on the Malaga Turismo website, with a hyperlink to the British Airways website.

The agreement is scheduled to end in the Spring/Summer of 2011 however, if the campaign has been a great success it’s likely a further two year agreement will be signed.

British Airways currently operates 12 flights to Malaga from the UK every week and also offers a wide range of hotels, from the 3* value-for-money Atarazanas Malaga Boutique Hotel to the magnificent 4*+ Petit Palace Plaza ideally located in the historic centre.

It’s hoped this winning partnership with the Malaga Council of Tourism, will not only encourage more travellers to use the route but, will also encourage those visiting to explore the city and discover more about its rich heritage.

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Baqueira-Beret offers some of the best above the treeline bowl skiing in the Pyrenees and is just a short transfer from Toulouse in the picturesque Aran valley. Named after the nearby villages of Baqueira and Beret, the ski holiday resort offers good skiing for all abilities though intermediate skiers will find themselves most at home here. There are 86 kilometres of marked pistes consisting of four greens, 25 blues, 20 reds and four blacks. If you’re only just off the nursery slopes you may find some of the blues more challenging than usual.

The ski resort of Formigal is located at the heart of the Spanish Pyrenean Mountains in the region of Aragon. It’s a lively purpose-built resort suitable for beginners, intermediate skiers and families. You don’t come here to rub shoulders with the rich and famous but it’s a friendly and relaxed resort with good facilities and some great ski deals are available at lower prices than some of the other skiing resorts of the Alps.

For sun and snow your choice for skiing holidays in Spain has to be the Sierra. The ski area is called Sol y Nieve, which translates as “sun and snow” and you really can get this in Europe’s most southerly ski resort, any further and you would fall into the Mediterranean, just 60 miles inland from the Costa Tropical, and a 20-mile day trip from historic Granada and its World Heritage Sites. It’s the best known and best equipped of all the Spanish ski resorts with 48 pistes covering 70 kilometres. You won’t find another resort where you can ski in the morning then play golf in the sunshine or relax on a Mediterranean beach in the afternoon.

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