Spain
Spain
For somewhere we think we know so well, Spain always finds a new way to surprise. Perhaps it’s the chance to stay in a medieval castle, a trip aboard one of the world’s most luxurious trains or a Renaissance palace hidden among a thousand-year-old fort. Whatever it is, Spain excites.
That’s without even mentioning the bits that we love so well. Of course, you can’t talk of Spain and not turn to its culinary riches, whether you’re indulging with perfectly cured jamón ibérico ham in a vibrant tapas bar or treating yourself to a seafood paella in a Michelin-starred restaurant. It’s all washed down with some of Europe’s finest wines, best sampled with a vineyard tasting.
However, food is just one expression of Spanish culture. From flamenco dances and Picasso’s masterpieces to Gaudí’s whimsies and the contemporary classics of Bilbao’s Guggenheim museum, a sense of creativity and deeply held passion seems to pervade everything here. It’s all predicated by a rich history of innovation. Although the Spanish city greats impress with the likes of sublime Gothic quarters, it’s perhaps best felt down south in Andalucia. Here, medieval severity, Renaissance grandeur and millennium-old Moorish exoticism plays out over palace-fortresses and mosque-cathedrals.
However, there’s plenty of humble charm to Spain. Santiago’s world-wonder cathedral and San Sebastián look-at-me Belle Epoque aside, northern Spain is blessed with sleepy fishing villages interspersed by quiet beaches. Then, if you look further afield to the Canary Islands, you’ll discover that Tenerife is much more than golden sands and year-round sun. For details, see the special experiences section below.
Sometimes it can be the simplest of things that can be the most special. That could be a walk on a secluded Basque-country beach, just-caught calamari served in a bustling pintxo bar or a glass of red on a rooftop bar in Barcelona. Whatever your tastes, our destination experts will be able to point you in the right direction, having travelled and even lived across Spain.
We also organise plenty of unique extras. In Tenerife, for example, you can expect to toast whale sightings with a glass of fizz and enjoy some of the world’s finest stargazing over dinner with a professional astronomer. Then, back on the mainland, why not bring the world wonders of Andalucia to life with a private guide and taste your way through the country’s finest vineyards in the company of a sommelier. Or, explore the charms of northern Spain with a luxury train journey.
Stargazing in Tenerife
The Alhambra, Granada
Tapas spread
Spain is blessed with some truly unique accommodation, with the paradors perhaps the most interesting. This network of luxury hotels has been converted from some of the country’s most important heritage sites, offering the chance to stay everywhere from Moorish fortresses and Renaissance places to 12th-century castles and thousand-year-old monasteries. Of course, our Spain specialists will also be able to point you in the direction of the best city slickers, spa get-aways and even one of the world’s most iconic trains. Then, over in the Canaries, Tenerife is enjoying something of a renaissance. Here, a smattering of properties pair the island’s golden sands and year-round sun with the best in luxury.
As the second-largest country in western Europe, Spain’s climate is varied. For the south, you should look to the shoulder seasons that sandwich the scorching summers, although spring-like winters make off-season travel more than viable. Then, it’s a sliding scale as you travel north, as winters become more pronounced and summers, while still hot, become more temperate. Again, the prevailing advice is to consider travelling either side of the summer to avoid peak temperatures and crowds. Lastly, over in the Canary Islands, you’ll be able to expect year-round sun.
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