As a major tourist destination and a bustling city in its own right, Spain’s Barcelona has plenty of restaurants scattered throughout. Like any tourist hotspot, or indeed any major city, there will be a diversity of quality when it comes to these establishments, but luckily, top-draw restaurants can easily be found.

Below, we look at 5 of the best restaurants in Barcelona:

El Racó d’en Cesc, for example, is found at Diputació 201 and is run by Francesc Cánovas. Cánovas opened the establishment in 1986 and has developed his restaurant since then. The establishment offers private dining facilities as well as areas in which to hold business meetings or larger events.

The El Racó d’en Cesc has earned a mention in the Michelin guide and the establishment is also noted as having been awarded the best sommelier for three different years.

The restaurant is known for its reasonable prices and for dishes that combine Catalan traditions with modern innovations. A typical meal will set the customer back around 60€. Typical dishes found here include chickpeas served with langoustine and grilled pig’s feet.

Located at number 8 on the Placa del Olles, Cal Pep is run by the Pep of its title and specializes in tapas-style dishes that typically follow in the traditions of Mediterranean cooking. This place is popular with both tourists and locals alike and tends to get very busy during the evenings.

The restaurant is divided up into a busier front section and a back area that’s quieter and contains the restaurant’s wine section.

Many of the offerings at Cal Pep are either seafood or otherwise traditional Spanish foods and most are brought out as small portions for diners to enjoy. At any one time, there are around 70 or more tapas dishes to enjoy, as well as house specialities that vary from day to day. A typical meal here costs between 30€ and 50€, with individual tapas dishes selling for somewhere between 5€ and 15€ a piece.

A restaurant with an unusual name, Moo is one of the pricier options in the city, but its food and wine are of great quality. The place is managed by head chef Felip Llufriu and can be found at Hotel Omm, on Rosselló 265. The restaurant offers Catalan cooking with a twist, with many dishes taking traditional food and planting a modern interpretation on it. As a result, the food at Moo feels modern and original but without missing some of the Spanish standards people have come to expect.

While a typical main course dish at Moo will cost a customer between 16€ and 20€, more expensive tasting menus, accompanied by specially chosen wine, are available. These tend to cost between 90€ and 140€.

It’s no surprise that Moo has become popular, as it is an establishment that has been widely recognised for providing excellence in terms of service and in its food and wine selection. The restaurant was awarded a Michelin star in 2006 and was acclaimed as Restaurant Magazine’s Best Spanish Restaurant in 2008. Meanwhile, Business Traveller Magazine gave the establishment their Best Hotel Restaurant award in 2005 and Moo won the Sanchez Cotan award in 2004 for its splendid wine list.

Found at Plaça Reial 6, Les Quinze Nits is known for getting pretty busy during certain times of the evening, with large queues forming up outside and rightly so. This place isn’t about luxury dining, but about understated and excellent eating experiences.

With its white linen-covered tables and value-for-money prices, the restaurant concentrates on the food itself. Customers should expect dishes such as squid and black rice, duck confit served with caramelised apples and gilthead fillet. In general, many of the dishes on offer at Les Quinze Nits can be classed as Spanish cuisine, with influences from other Mediterranean countries.

This restaurant, as mentioned, gets very busy, so customers are advised to get there and grab a table before 10 in the evening to stand the best chance of avoiding disappointment. The establishment is also highly suitable for visitors who want a place to eat that offers some sightseeing opportunities, since an upstairs table at this two-storey restaurant provides ample views of the nearby square below.

Situated at number 1 on the Avinguda Del Tibidabo, ABac offers an innovative and often inspiring take on Spanish cuisine. The head chef here, Jordi Cruz, doesn’t offer a huge menu, but what he does serve is well-thought out and designed to please.

Those enjoying fine dining at ABac can expect dishes such as baby octopus with mushrooms and calamari with lettuce. Customers can relax in areas such as the establishment’s lounge bar, with its controlled lighting features and nearby garden.

A gourmet experience at the ABac restaurant can cost as much as 290€ per person and includes hotel accommodation at the hotel the restaurant is attached to, along with two meals. The ABac restaurant has won awards such as a Michelin star.

Written by the TravelSupermarket holidays team

Paguera is situated west of Palma de Mallorca. It is one of the older resorts in Mallorca, but still very beautiful and very popular among especially German tourists. More and more British visitors are finding this vibrant resort because of its close proximity to the swish, jet set port of Andratx.

This tourist resort is sited on the skirts of Mountain Chain, the most important natural area in Mallorca, which protects Peguera from northern cold wind and it is also close to the sea. These facts favor a micro climate which gives Peguera slightly higher winter temperatures than in the rest of Mallorca. This fact also favors that the hotels and apartments receive tourists not only in summer but also many of them spend their holidays in winter, enjoying springtime temperatures.

The resort offers visitors a choice of 3 beaches, called “Playa Palmira”, “Playa Tora” and “Playa La Romana”, which are all joined by a fairly new pedestrian promenade. During the summer months all 3 beaches can become very busy, although in all fairness to the local council, they are usually kept very clean. They all consist of beautiful sun bleached sand lapped by crystal clear water. There are variety of water sports and entertainment facilities for the beachgoers. During the summer months all 3 beaches can become very busy, although in all fairness to the local council, they are usually kept very clean.
Spread out around the three sandy coves linked by a new palm fringed promenade which has some fabulous little restaurants and bars where you can enjoy a cold beer or freshly cooked fish and a smattering of souvenir shops. Despite most of the visitors to Paguera being German, there are also a small number of British owned bars and restaurants along this street.
Everything that you could need for a good vacation, you can find nearby. Shopping centers, supermarkets, car rentals, discos, spas, and pools, bus transportation and taxis, and much more. Activities allow you to enjoy biking, sailing, tennis, golf, and more. The beautiful pine-wooded forests behind the resort offer good trails for hiking.
The main activities of the resort are the Pirates Adventure. This very popular evening attraction is offered as a dinner and show combination. Having short dialogues of English throughout the evening, it runs from March through October, on Sunday and Monday nights. This would be a good family activity.
Boat trips leave out of Paguera, and some of them have glass bottoms for a wonderful view of the underwater-world. While some of them run along the coast, you may be able to take one over to the Dragonera Natural Park. Protected as a natural reserve, it is an island about 4 miles long. Here, there is a museum where you can see the remains of a Roman settlement at Cova de sa Font.
The environment in Paguera is great with great landscape, numerous restaurants, cafes, boutiques and shops. Also for golf lovers there are lots of opportunities. On the southwest coasts of Majorca, there are six golf championship courses. Arrangements can be made to play on these well-known greens.
In all fairness, Paguera gives the impression as being a busy, lively resort that always has something going on. Get ready to lose yourself in a world which offers a wealth of variety for every single weekend break visitor!

http://majorca-mallorca.org.uk/paguera-tourist-guide
http://www.thomson.co.uk/destinations/europe/spain/majorca/paguera/luxury-holidays-paguera.html

It is the United Kingdom which has the reputation for producing the clear, smooth, aromatic alcoholic spirit; and it is in the UK that it is still most popular. Yet gin has a much broader and older story: we all know about its popularity with the British Empire’s commanders in India, who combined it with Indian tonic water and lime (the former supposed to prevent malaria).

Made from juniper berries, gin is a northern European drink, most fashionably in Britain. But what of gin’s life in other countries? An intrepid holidaymaker might get more than they bargain for with some Menorca car hire, a map and a bit of thirst… Instead of taking a trip to this beautiful Balaeric island and whiling it all away in a resort, do Mallorca’s smaller sister a favour.

Menorca is the most unspoilt of the Balaerics, and with stunning beaches and small, clean roads, car hire Menorca style is a great way to explore. And whilst in larger areas this might be an expensive way of getting around, a quick search of cheap car hire Menorca will show you just how economical it can be. What is more, you can make a tasty discovery – of the variety hinted at earlier.

A lovely way to spend the day – as an escape from the crowds – is to take a trip around this small island. It’s easy to cover the area in a few hours. You can browse car hire in Menorca options from home – Ritmo cars specialises in building links from the UK. Then get your map out and start explopring.

In the buzzy Menorcan town of Mahon (or Mao), you’ll find the Xoriguer distillery – which produces Menorcan gin! This isolated island – the most remote in its family – was a British asset for over a hundred years, back in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The soldiers posted there had developed a taste for the stuff, and Mahon merchants came up with a solution: to import juniper berries and use Mediterranean alcohol to distil their own gin.

Thus Gin Xoriguer was born – and is still going strong today. You can visit the distillery and see for yourself. What is more, an advantage of cheap car hire in Menorca is that you can easily speed to a more remote spot – a quiet beach, say – to enjoy the stuff, without expending unnecessary time or effort.

Dreary weather makes it easy to let one’s mind wander to a sunny beach where happiness comes in a warm, wet shade of turquoise blue water and worries are swept away by gentle Trade Winds.

On the lovely Spanish island of Lanzarote, this daydream is a reality complete with softly swaying palm trees and sun-kissed sands. Located off the northwest coast of Africa, Lanzarote is the easternmost of the Canary Islands and, like its counterparts, is volcanic in origin. Its climate is comfortably dry with temperatures averaging 23°C and an annual rainfall of just 140mm (5.5 inches), making it an ideal travel destination for anytime of the year.

Spectacular, unspoilt scenery serves as Lanzarote’s greatest asset and its natural wonders have been carefully protected by the island’s inhabitants, most notably by the local artist, César Manrique.

In the 1960s, Manrique recognised the tourist potential of Lanzarote and lobbied successfully towards preserving the island’s nature. Today, he should be thanked for his efforts, which have resulted in the conspicuous lack of high-rise hotels and advertising billboards as well as in the affordability of the island, which remains relatively undiscovered for much of the world.

Lack of overdevelopment allows visitors to enjoy Lanzarote’s wonders as nature intended them. The best known of the spectacular sights is the mountainous area called Timanfaya National Park. Created between 1730 and 1736 when more than 100 volcanoes rose up and devastated this part of the island, the Montañas del Fuego (Fire Mountains) present a fascinating lunar-like landscape, which provides a sense of what it might be like to walk on the surface of the moon.

Lanzarote is also home to the longest volcanic tunnel in the world – the Atlantida Tunnel – measuring over 7 km (over 4 miles) in length. It is within this tunnel system that the breathtaking Jameos del Agua can be found. A jameo is a volcanic cave with a collapsed roof. The natural jameos of “Jameos del Agua” were developed under the guidance of César Manrique into a spectacular entertainment venue, containing a bar, restaurant, swimming pool, and concert hall, which opened to the public in 1966 and remains a popular venue today.

In addition to the volcanic splendors of the island, Lanzarote is home to some of the world’s most beautiful white beaches, notably Playa Blanca and Papagayo. The Trade Winds encourage the adventurous traveller to partake in surfing, windsurfing, and parasailing, while those looking for relaxation can soak in the sun and explore other more leisurely water activities, such as snorkelling, scuba diving, and canoeing.

The Valley of 1000 Palms and the Cactus Garden highlight the island’s extensive flora and fauna. The former provides a real surprise to the otherwise volcanic backdrop of Lanzarote, displaying the local tradition for which two palms are planted for every newborn baby boy and one for every girl. Equally spectacular is the Cactus Garden, which hosts over 10,000 plants and is widely regarded as one of the finest collections in the world.

Encouraging tourism to the island while preserving its natural beauty as much as possible was a mission of César Manrique that remains important to this day. This delicate balancing act is what draws many to Lanzarote and keeps them coming back year after year. This post was written by Nadine Hallak, Travel Expert at leading flights deals website Cheapflights.co.uk where you can find great prices on flights to Lanzarote.

Photo Credits: patipoludniak | Robert~EOS~60D | der_peter | LisArt

Magaluf on the island of Majorca is a great place for a cheap family holiday. As well as plenty of sun, sea and sand, Majorca is quite a small island meaning that no matter where you stay, all the main attractions across the island are within reach if you have transport.
If you wish to stay close to Magaluf, there is still plenty here to occupy most people. The Magaluf Pirate show is one fun event that everyone can enjoy. Tickets include dinner and a show, and you get to watch acrobatics, dancing and comedy. Do make sure however when you are taking the family that you go for ‘Pirates Adventure’ not ‘Pirates Uncut’ which is a version of the same show, but is not suitable for under 18’s.
Magaluf has an excellent Go Karting track, with race course, practice course, and karts available for all ages from 3 upwards (specially designed karts are available for the youngest kids). This is an excellent family attraction which can offer great fun for everyone through the day and even into the evening for older participants when they have floodlights that light up the track.

As with most of Majorca, Magaluf is a great place for water sports activities. There are many different things available here from jet skiing and windsurfing to scuba diving and more, many of which are perfectly suitable for children and beginners.

Magaluf is home to Aqualand. Although a little smaller than the waterpark at El Arenal, this waterpark still provides excellent opportunities for excellent family fun, and there is plenty here to amuse people for a morning or even a whole day with waterslides for the bravest and gentler rides for the not so brave. There’s a mini park with Enchanted Castle and Dragonland ride.

The Sling Shot is a thrilling ride that deserves a visit from all but the youngest kids. It’s easy to spot as it has two colourful masts that rise up above everything else in Magaluf, and the ride you get is a breathtaking one that will offer you the thrill of a lifetime.
The Western Park Crazy Wet West is a wild-west themed water park with quite a different nature. It has a variety of rides, from the most adventurous called ‘The Beast’ with its 30m drop, as well as ‘The Tornado’ and ‘The Hurricane’. You’ll also find restaurants shops and an indoor Jacuzzi here as well as a diving display, animal farm and falconry show. Here you can combine all this with watching shows between Cowboys and Indians, and there’s something here for younger and older kids alike.

The waters around Majorca are filled with wonderful colourful marine life, and glass bottomed boat tours offer a really excellent way to show the whole family some of the amazing plants and animals that live down there.

If you’re holidaying in Madrid, you’re likely to want to do some shopping while you’re there, and there is a huge variety of shopping venues available here. The first thing to remember is that Madrid is city where everyone dresses smartly whether they’re going to work, heading out for the evening, or going shopping, so if you don’t want to stand out instantly as a tourist, dress smartly and leave the beachwear at the hotel.

There are five main shopping areas in Madrid – Salamanca, Chueca, Princesa, Cuatro Caminos, and the centre near Puerta del Sol. Each of these has its own style and you’ll find some quite different shops in each.

Salamanca
North east of the centre, this area is a bit like Bond Street. Here you’ll find boutiques and top designer names such as Armani, Chanel, Versace, Hermes and Hugo Boss. This is the smart affluent area, and if you’re shopping here you’ll need to bring a heavily loaded wallet.

Chueca
Close to the centre, this is quite a bohemian area. Fairly trendy and with a mix of original and designer goods available. The area is especially good if you’re looking for shoes, and sales here tend to take place in January and July. The Fuencarral market is located here, and is an alternative to the more typical deparment store. Inside is a labyrinth of corridors, with craftsmen, designers and small traders from across Spain, selling original products. This is a lovely area for people watching as it attracts all kinds of people from all walks of life.

The Centre
Madrid centre is an area where you’ll find many traditionally Spanish high street names such as Zara, El Corte Ingles and Casa Jimenez famed throughout Spain for its lace and embroidered shawls.

Princesa
Princesa and Alberto Aguilera near the Arguelles University, is the best place to begin your shopping trip if you’re on a bit of a budget. You’ll find plenty of bargains here, as well as getting the chance to admire some of the city’s most famous buildings like the Liria Palace and the Cerralbo Museum.

Cuatro Caminos
To the north edge of Madrid is Cuatro Caminos, which is another paradise for bargain hunters seeking to find that extra special something at a really low price. You’ll find all you could want here between the streets of Bravo Murillo and Orense.

If you’ve not exhausted all your shopping needs, Madrid has some excellent markets to choose from. These can be a little on the crowded side, so be prepared for a little jostling if you do visit them, however if you do, you’ll find many things to choose from. The most famous weekly market is the El Rastro flea market held every Sunday morning at Ribera de Curtidores. It’s pretty big, and takes around three hours to walk round, but you’ll find plenty of clothing and trinkets to buy here. Do keep your money safe however as with this many people around, sadly you do also get pickpockets taking advantage here too.

Magaluf on the Spanish island of Majorca is a major holiday resort with lots to offer anyone vacationing here. Situated on the south west coast of the island at the western end of Palma Bay, it is approximately 15 kilometres from Palma the island’s capital, and the Son Sant Joan international airport.

The Magaluf end of Palma Bay is a lively place with lots going on in the daytime and just as much in the evening too. During the day, the area is alive with the fun of water sports from scuba diving, to jet skiing and wind surfing. There are lots of shops and cafes along the beach front, and great places locally for days out too including two water parks, a sling shot, horse back riding and go kart racing.

In the evening, you can take your pick of a variety of neon lit discos and trendy clubs where you can dance and drink till the early hours, or you can head for the slightly less full on atmosphere of the bars, and restaurants where you’ll find a wide variety of food from traditional Spanish tapas to Mexican, British, Indian and simple fast food in the form of burgers and chips. Head to the larger hotels, and you’ll find evening entertainment of a more family oriented nature with shows and dancing that’s still lively but suitable for a much wider audience.

Sweeping white sands, plenty of sunshine, and beautiful blue seas here all go to help your troubles melt away and you to feel in a real holiday mood. There are cheap holidays to be had here in self catering complexes, all the way up to luxury 5 star hotels where your every whim is catered for. Family hotels with self contained accommodation, entertainment for the kids, pools and everything on tap, to single rooms where you can relax and sleep after you’ve spent the day surfing and the night dancing.

Majorca’s only casino is situated just a few minutes away from Magaluf by taxi in Cala Vinas. Here you’ll find all your casino favourites from Blackjack to Roulette and Pontoon. You can also indulge in a four course meal here, and take in an evening show.

If you fancy taking a trip out of the bustle locally, then there are some gentler attractions in nearby Palma. A walking guided tour of the city takes place once a week where you can walk round and learn about the history while you see all the local sites of interest. There is also the Number 50 sightseeing bus which runs every half an hour or so on a daily basis. You can hop on and off this bus at a variety of stops around Palma, and it’s a great way to see the city if you don’t enjoy walking.

http://magalufmajorca.org.uk/

When you look at where to take your family on holiday, many people will think of Spain with its family friendly atmosphere and its relaxed sunny beaches. Few people however realise that cruising is now something that whole families can enjoy together, and that there are indeed many cruises which sail to Spain and allow you to indulge in both the peace of the water and the wonders of Spain.
Cruising with your family means that your holiday can start properly the moment you board your cruise ship. As long as you pack a deck bag with swim suit and other bits you might want immediately, you and your kids can begin to enjoy the facilities onboard before you’ve even left port.

The hassles of travelling by aeroplane worrying about lost luggage, and trying to keep kids occupied in small cramped seats is just not something you’ll have to worry about on a cruise ship.

Many of the large cruise lines provide excellent family friendly facilities on their liners, from Royal Caribbean who have crèche facilities for babies from 6mths old, a kids club for those between 3 and 11, and a teen club with lots of video games and other activities for the older children, to P&O who’s family friendly ships have activity programmes for children between the ages of 2 and 17. Special evening meals and babysitting facilities for younger kids so that parents can choose to eat with other adults if they want to, and even evening entertainment for older children too. For the young ones Mr Men and Noddy are featured in their entertainments, and for the older ones there are games rooms with play stations, cinemas, theatres and much more, while as a family, you can all enjoy the swimming pools, spa and other relaxing activities.

Many cruises around the Spanish mainland and islands last between 1 and 2 weeks and give you a glimpse into a variety of different aspects of Spanish life. From Alicante on Spain’s western Mediterranean coast where you can experience a taste of real Spanish lifestyle, and enjoy a meal of Tapas and wine, to The Canary Islands each of which has it’s own very special feel to it. Barcelona, Spain’s capital is a wonderful place to visit and an exciting destination for any first time cruiser. With its pedestrian streets of Las Ramblas, café terraces and street entertainers, architectural masterpieces, Plaza de Catalunya, Port Vell and mountain cable car there is much to see and do here.

If you’re tempted, but still uncertain how your young family might cope with life on board a cruise, you could try a mini cruise break at the beginning or end of a regular holiday in Spain. This would mean travelling for just 24 hours from Spain to England, giving you a chance to see how your children fare on the open waters. You get enough time to try out some of the facilities on board ship such as swimming pool, cinema, and entertainments, but without worrying too much about how they’ll cope.

Most people work long hours during the week and come home exhausted with no end in sight. However, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Consider all inclusive Tenerife holidays that will provide a stress free, relaxing, and exhilarating escape after months of hard work.

The Climate
The weather in Tenerife is always beautiful, with a generally warm climate that lasts year round. It only rains occasionally, and snow can be seen on the highest mountain tops, while of course you are spending time on a warm beach.

The Beaches
All inclusive Tenerife holidays offer something amazing for everyone. There are more than 22 beaches around the island. These exquisite black and white sandy beaches, with crystal clear blue waters, are simply mesmerizing.

The Hotel Accommodations
The four and five star hotels in Tenerife are fabulous and affordable. They are in close proximity to the beaches, and have lots of amenities, and staff members that cater to even the most complex personalities with a smile, grace, and excellent service.

The Restaurants Tenerife is known for its eclectic taste in restaurants, from its traditional Spanish cuisine to Mediterranean, International, and other types of cuisine, the dining experience is phenomenal.