photo courtesy of Sergio Calleja
Looking to go on holiday to Menorca this year? Read on for a hassle free guide from our travel expert Kerry Christiani. Serene and unspoiled, this Balearic Island has not sold its soul to mass tourism and is all the lovelier for it.
From Cala Galdana’s horseshoe bay to the startling turquoise sea of pine-brushed Cala Macarella, the island’s 99 beaches are its most obvious asset, but Menorca also has a few surprises up its sleeve.
For a true taste of the island’s coast and culture, get behind the wheel to explore the hinterland’s patchwork of meadows, olive groves and orchards, fringed by dry-stone walls; kayak to tucked-away inlets and lagoons along the rugged north coast, a Unesco Biosphere Reserve; and ramble to megalithic Bronze Age sites that piece together the jigsaw of Menorca’s prehistoric past.
Hassle Free Costa Brava
Photo courtesy of rosergoula
Take a read of our Hassle free guide to the Costa Brava if you’re planning a holiday in Spain. Travel expert, Suzanne Wales, gives you all the information you need to know to make the most of your trip in the Costa Brava.
When General Franco was looking for a moneyspinner, he turned his attention to the craggy coastline sweeping northwards of Barcelona to Pyrenees. In doing so he created – as the story goes – Spain’s first package tourism destination.
The Costa Brava’s alluring ensemble of beaches and calas (coves) and salty maritime villages were no secret to Barceloneses of course, and it had its Côte d’Azur moment in the 1930s when the likes of Ava Gardner and Orson Welles flocked here. Franco’s vision may have been responsible for formulaic high-rise resorts such as Lloret de Mar, but in destinations such as Cadaqués, Dalí’s old stomping ground, or the upmarket enclaves of Tamariu or Llafranc, it barely held sway.