ibiza blog

Are you one of many people who work out how much you’re going to need for a holiday, think you’ve got everything covered - and then halfway through your trip realised your financial planning was out?

You’re not alone.

Many people have found the amount of money they thought they would need for a trip overseas hasn’t been enough. And with airlines and holiday companies adding extra on to a lot of items that used to come as standard it’s not a problem that’s going to go away.

In their defence it’s not surprising that airlines and holiday companies do this - the recession has hit the travel industry hard, and they need to increase the amount of revenue per passenger they are carrying on the airlines, and hotels for each guest they accommodate.

But putting the full price on advertised rates could affect their business, as it’s the headline price that catches many people’s attention - and with travel portals searching for the lowest price more popular than ever travel companies have to get around the low prices offered by making money elsewhere.

As an example we looked for a holiday to Ibiza for next summer, June 2011, to see what the holiday companies were offering, based on 2 adults with a reasonable hotel for 7 nights and Ibiza flights included.

Thomson Holidays, one of the UK’s leading tour operators, have available return flights and a choice of two different Ibiza hotels for 320 a person, and they also include getting to and from the airport to either of the Ibiza hotels.

Their main competitor, Thomas Cook, are doing even better with flights, hotel and breakfast from 285 a person for 7 nights. Their main competitor, Thomas Cook, are doing even better with flights, hotel and breakfast from 285 a person for 7 nights.

Great deals from Britain’s two leading holiday companies - but extras available include choosing a seat on the flight, a meal and travel insurance. The first two can be missed for the budget conscious, but travel insurance should never be cut out and can be taken either with the holiday company when booking, or independently.

In some ways the hidden costs that only become apparent when booking a trip, in the above example Ibiza holidays, aren’t surprising given that the cost is often the first feature considered, and many holidaymakers expecting to have 5 star flights, hotels and holidays at 2 star prices - the most reliable companies have to compete at the headline prices offered by others.

Away from the booking itself, once people are on their Ibiza holidays or elsewhere, the cost of mobile phone calls are the biggest cause of complaint, despite the EU having ordered charges to come down in recent years.

Other charges that holidaymakers deemed to be excessive included the cost of a taxi - most commonly used to get from the airport to the Ibiza hotels where most people would be staying.

To keep costs down it’s possible to book a taxi online with an agreed price and a driver waiting for you rather than taking pot luck upon arrival. Keeping luggage weights within the airlines allowance will ensure no surcharges, and some airlines offer half price luggage costs when it’s booked online instead of doing it at the airport.

For more details about 2011 Ibiza holidays with news and articles visit youribiza.net

Breakingnewstravel report that there’s a new guide to the island from the official tourist board:

The Menorca Tourist Board has created a brand-new insiders travel guide to Menorca - revealing the natural, archeological, cultural, and gastronomic delights of one of the Med’s most pristine islands.

Easy to navigate and packed with tips from locals the guide will help holiday-makers decide where to stay, what to do and how best to experience this lesser-known Spanish island.

Boasting more than 200kms of coastline Menorca has almost as many beaches as Ibiza and Mallorca combined yet remains the most untouched and tranquil of all the Balearics.

Imagine a magical island with rugged caves and green rolling hills on one side, sandy beaches from where you can kayak round to hidden coves on the other. A paradise for nature lovers the island was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1993, to conserve and protect both its natural habitats and strong cultural identity.

Visit S’Albufera des Grau wetlands to get up-close to turtles and migrating birds or explore the island’s distinctive barrancs (deep ravines and canyons which run from the central part of the island to coast), home to Peregrines, Egyptian vultures and booted eagles.

Whether you’re day-tripping from Mallorca or coming from the UK the guide covers all the essentials on how to reach the island and what to expect from the weather. Like your beaches wild or prefer the convenience of shops and restaurants? In-depth information on the beaches will match you to your perfect stretch of sand.

And if you’re wondering how you might fit in all the island’s attractions turn to the top tips and take your pick from sightseeing in the charming old port of Ciutadella to some snorkeling in the calm waters of the Bay of Fornells.

Or if that all sounds a bit energetic then dive into the food and drink section and find out about the island’s world-class gin and cheese producers and where to eat the local speciality dish of “caldereta de llagosta” or lobster stew.

For more information about the island including today’s Menorca weather visit yourmenorca.net

The tourist board have been busy promoting Menorca and the other Balearic Islands for late August to end September holidays, with Opodo reporting:

People considering a late summer break this year have been offered a number of reasons to choose Spain’s Balearic Islands as their destination.

The tourist board representing the archipelago pointed out that one of the region’s main advantages is its weather, with 300 days of sunshine every year.

Beach lovers will be spoilt for choice in the Balearics, with Salines in Ibiza, Cala Pregonda in Menorca and Es Trenc in Mallorca among the seafront hotspots being recommended.

People who enjoy a bit of celebrity spotting will be in with a good chance of seeing some famous faces on the Spanish islands, according to the tourist board.

Michelle Obama recently visited Mallorca, while Kate Moss regularly enjoys breaks in Ibiza and Formentera and both Claudia Schiffer and Elle Macpherson own villas in the region.

Travellers who enjoy outdoor activities were encouraged to try some of the sports on offer in the Balearics, with both Majorca and Ibiza boasting an extensive network of cycling routes and most islands providing facilities to go scuba diving.

Not sure whether to book your holiday to Menorca or Majorca?

The Sunday Mirror has compared to the two and has come up with this advice:

Pale blue sky, deep blue sea, red-hot sun. And a perfect summer soundtrack dancing across the water from the speakers on our boat. We’re on the top deck of a beach-hopper called Fiesta, sailing slowly east along the south coast of Menorca.

As Lou Reed’s Walk On The Wild Side fades into Otis Redding’s Dock Of The Bay, I take a sip of cold Estrella beer and gaze ahead to the pretty cove where the Fiesta is about to dock. And hope that if I ever get to heaven, it might be something just like this.

Four of us are on a Thomas Cook package to the Balearic island of Menorca, the quiet little sister to brash Ibiza and Majorca.

We’ve signed up for a Castaway Cruise, sailing from the west-coast port of Ciutadella at 10am and back at 5pm after visits to two idyllic beaches. The Û50pp ticket includes chicken paella plus helpings of sangria and pomada (gin and lemonade).

A day earlier we joined a Shop and Sail tour of the capital, Mahon (Û40pp). It was my birthday, so we forgot the shopping to enjoy a Cava-fuelled tapas lunch at Bracafe in Plaza Colon (www.bracafe.com, tapas Û3.50-Û8). After lunch we visited the Xoriguer gin distillery on the waterfront. Founded in the 18th Century to keep British sailors happy, they don’t bother showing how the gin is made… the tour cuts straight to the free samples (www.xoriguer.es).

Then it was a short stumble to the jetty for a boat tour of Mahon harbour, second largest in the world after Hawaii’s Pearl Harbour. All around are reminders of the 1708-1802 British occupation, from Admiral Collingwood’s house to the mansion where Lord Nelson romanced Lady Hamilton.

We’d gone all-inclusive at Hotel San Luis in S’Algar, and could have lazed away our week with drink on tap and an all-you-can eat buffet. About two-thirds of guests here are cheerful British over-60s who like to put their feet up. The bar closes at 11pm, so they’re sure of a good night’s sleep too.

But we wanted to see the island. We had a hire car and on a cloudy Sunday we drove to the upmarket harbour of Fornells. King Juan Carlos of Spain sails in here for lobster stew at El Plas restaurant on the waterfront… at Û75 a bowl. On Monday the sun finally got his hat on and we hit the beach at Cala En Porter, one of the best villages for Menorca holidays. To reach this scenic cove you walk down hundreds of steps from the town - or drive down a back road like us. After a swim in the crystal water we collapsed on to sun loungers (Û17 a day for two plus parasol).

The sun stayed out all week and we found a new beach to laze on every day. Our cruise took us to a tiny cove, Cala Turqueta, and a wide bay, Son Saura. The only facilities are basic loos, but the beaches are totally unspoilt. Like all secluded Menorcan beaches, full-on nudists mingle with regular sun-worshippers and one or two visions almost put us off our packed lunch!

We visited three-mile long Son Bou, a developed ribbon of sand with beach bars. And we tried busy Cala Santa Galdana, a large cove with top-class facilities, but too built-up for our taste.

We spent our last day on what turned out to be our favourite beach, Cala Mitjana. It’s impossibly pretty, totally sheltered, with walks along the wooded cliffs.

And with an iPod on shuffle, I created my own soundtrack to make the heavenly scene complete.

Majorca.. best for the buzz

There’s something they don’t tell you about Majorca. It has a town that can up sticks and move - houses, shops, churches the lot - in just a couple of minutes.

You’ll discover the secret if you take an hour-long trip on the historic electric train that trundles into the Sierra de Tramuntana mountains from the island’s capital, Palma.

One moment you’ll see your destination, Soller, in a bowl-shaped valley as you look out of the windows on your right.

Shortly afterwards it will be on your left. It appears the valley has been magically transported from one spot to another.

I spent a good few minutes looking puzzled as those with a quicker grasp of these things explained the town appears to move because of the way the narrow-gauge tracks snake their way round the mountains.

First you approach the valley one way, then you make a gradual turn and come back the other… so the view is reversed. Simples, as they say. (www.sollertrain.com, Û17 return).

Soller is famous for its orange groves and terraces of ancient olive trees and had a nice, laid-back, slightly arty feel. And there’s a cute tram that will take you the 3k down to the port, with a wonderful curved bay and all the cafes and restaurants you could wish.

It’s a popular area for Majorca villa holidays.

We Britons have long loved Majorca and it’s a sure favourite with many celebs and sports stars, from the likes of Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones and to Patsy Palmer and tennis names Boris Becker and Rafael Nadal.

If you go you’ll find Palma city itself has plenty to keep you occupied. The place has a buzz which I liked - you got the feeling there is a lot going on.

I could easily have stayed longer, but wanted to see more of Majorca. So next morning we went south to the port of Colònia de Sant Jordi and took a 12-seat speedboat to Cabrera, one of the islands off the coast.

It was a lovely two-hour trip - once I’d got used to sitting astride a padded tube and clinging on. It was great swathing through the water and the sea was a lovely shade of blue… pretty well matching the colour of a couple of passengers after they’d dived in during a stop inside a cave. I’m told the water is beautifully warm later in summer, but one test of the temperature when we were there and I decided my teeth didn’t need reminding of how to chatter (www.marcabrera.com, adults Û38, under-12s Û30).

Afterwards we stopped off at the Jaume Mesquida winery in Porreres. They make 200,000 bottles a year and use “biodynamic methods” meaning they are nature-friendly (www.jaumemesquida.com). We were meant to be doing more sightseeing, but the lure of our pools at the Hotel Hilton Sa Torre was too strong. It’s a lovely place in what seems the middle of nowhere… but is an easy 16k from Palma Airport and Majorca flights home.

To read the full article click here

The summer holidays are nearly here, and people are set to head off for their favourite or sometimes new destinations.

What should people expect of Menorca who haven’t been before?

Smaller than Majorca, and definitely quiter than Ibiza, of all the Balearic islands Menorca is best known for family holidays.

Menorca is well known for her quiet fishing villages and resorts, and is geared more towards holidaymakers seeking relaxation as opposed to hard partying. The island also has a variety of attractions and sights to keep any visitor engaged.

Part of Menorca’s appeal rests on the fact that overdevelopment has been strenuously resisted. Its numerous green spaces make it a refuge for tourists who like to enjoy nature’s unspoilt beauty. The towns of Mahon - the capital - and Ciutadella offer numerous sight seeing opportunities.

Menorca holidays offer a wide array of outdoor activities including horse riding, cycling and golf. Due to the good weather, quite a few tourists play golf. Club Son Parc is a large resort featuring an eighteen hole golf course. This family-friendly resort is home to the only golf course on the island with a practice range and instructors for new golfers.

Some of the best known holiday areas are:

S’Algar - a small resort located on the southeast coast of Menorca, a short distance from Mahon and Sant Lluis. This is a ‘purpose-built’ resort, and it is very well cared for and offers a good selection of accommodation, including two of the largest Menorca hotels, several apartment buildingss and some privately owned villas. You’ll also find a fair number of bars and restaurants along with a variety of shops. If you want to be active during your Menorca holiday and not just lounge around, S’Algar has a host of sports facilities for you to enjoy. There is no beach here, however. You’ll have to travel to Cala Alcaufar, about a 15 minute walk.

Punta Prima boasts several hotels, apartments and villas to rent and a good selection of bars and restaurants for the convenience of its visitors. Unlike some of the other resorts in Menorca, Punta Prima also has two supermarkets and car rental facilities. If you are looking for a beach, you’ll find a beautiful one at Punta Prima, but be wary of the currents - they can be very strong at times. Take note of the warning flags that will alert you to the safety conditions of the water.

Binibeca Village is a beautiful, quiet resort consisting of Cala Torret in the east and Binebeca Vell to the west. The village consists of all low-rise apartments and villas and offers no high rise accommodation, and is popular for Menorca villa holidays. The area around Binibeca has a variety of high-quality bars, restaurants and convenience stores.

Son Bou is home to the largest and, for many visitors, the best beach on Menorca, accessible via a tunnel down the road from Alaior. This resort has two hotels at the eastern end. For the more bashful holidaymaker, note that the further west you go on this beach, the more scantily dressed the beach-goers are. It is perhaps not a good choice for a family holiday, but an ideal spot for couples or a group of friends.

Cala en Porter is one of Menorca’s oldest resorts, sitting high atop cliffs that overlook a picturesque and safe beach. This resort is situated on the eastern side of a deep gorge that opens onto the beach and features a small stream running alongside during most of the year. This resort features just about everything you could want for fun family Menorca holidays. A full range of shops, restaurants and bars are conveniently located in the centre of the resort. Be sure to check out the cova d’en Xoroi, which are caves set into the cliffs, now made into a nightclub, but open to visitors for the caves during the day.

The holiday resort of Arenal d’en Castell sits on the rustic northern coast of Menorca, about twelve miles north-west of the country’s capital city, Mahon and the international airport. Although the distance from the airport to the resort is short, the roads along this route are not particularly good, so the journey can take up to about 40 minutes. It’s the perfect opportunity to enjoy the scenery!

Cala’n Bosch is located a short, 15 minute drive from the former capital city of Ciutadella, and  is home to one of the two five-star hotels in Menorca.

More information about the island including the weather in Menorca is available at http://www.yourmenorca.net where they also have a map and travel information.

Spanish holidays, including those on Menorca, offer something for everyone, according to a recent article at travelbite.co.uk, who say about the Balearics:

Another popular choice of destinations in the summer is the Balearic Islands. There are a total of four islands that make up the Balearics and they are Ibiza, Majorca, Minorca and Formentera.

All provide perfect settings for all types of holiday makers from families to couples. The beaches on all of these islands are truly fabulous with beautiful white sandy beaches and clear blue seas proving a popular choice with many families with the safe and shallow waters.

You will find a typical Mediterranean climate here with beautiful hot and sunny summers and mild pleasant winters. To read the full article click here

For holidays in Menorca visit yourmenorca.net and for the Majorca weather visit yourmajorca.net

Spain is set to bounce back this year, say internet site ttglive.com, who comment about the Balearic Islands:

Majorca, the main island, suffered a 19% slump in UK visitors last year to about 1.9 million, but is confident of clawing back much lost business in 2010. Families are the key target market, but the youth market remains important. A Majorca Rocks hotel opens in Magalluf in June. Luxury is also important to Majorca. The Jumeirah Hotel Group is to open its first European spa resort in Port Soller, on the north-west coast, in spring 2011.

Majorca is the biggest destination for Classic Collection, which offers luxury and boutique hotels including rural properties. Deputy managing director Matt Rice says: “Spain is out-performing the market for us, as hotels did badly in 2009. Now they are more competitive, with deals such as half-board for the price of bed and breakfast. “Menorca and Ibiza don’t have as many luxury hotels, but we offer most of them.”

Ian Hailes, of Cosmos, predicts that packages will out-sell accommodation-only in the Balearics this summer. “Hotels have lower rates for packages, especially major chains,” he says. “They recognise that tour operators take a lot of risk up-front.” However, sister brand Somewhere2Stay has added more chain hotels, especially in Majorca, including Sol and Ola. Some have early booking offers expiring on March 31. Thomas Cook Holidays reports high demand for family hotels offering unlimited free use of water parks, such as Club Mac Marte in Alcudia, Majorca.

For the latest Menorca weather visit yourmenorca.net

Spain’s marketing agencies recently started to put more effort into targetting potential visitors from emerging markets, notably India and China. Often the term ‘emerging market’ is associated with other terms like manufacturing, balance of trade, production, imports and exports. Now we can add tourism as a term associated with emerging markets.

Not that tourism boards have neglected reaching out to potential new clients in the past. From Europe to the United States to South America and Asia, tourist industries were and are keen to attract bigger markets.

But for the first time, Spain has established a Spanish tourism office in Mumbai, India. The goal is to establish Spain as a tourist destination among Indian holidaymakers – and Menorca could benefit this year as first time holidaymakers arrive.

The opening of the Mumbai office follows on the heels of the merger between British Airways and Iberia Airlines. Part of the strategic plan is to establish Barajas Airport in Madrid as an international hub facility. This will enable more direct flights to Barajas from Europe.

More importantly for the immediate future, direct flights can be slotted in from India as well. It doesn’t take a great leap of imagination to conclude that the same strategy will be employed in regard to China down the road.

Spain has had to face setbacks in recent years. Like the rest of the world, the 9/11 attacks on New York City sent all travel into a tailspin. Not only did leisure travel suffer, but business travel did as well. As things gradually returned to some semblance of normality, Spain took another hit. Spain’s subway system was the target by terrorists on two occasions. Once again the effect was a slow down of tourist traffic.

But the Spanish government and its people are nothing if not resilient. With so much to offer in terms of culture, art, relaxation, natural beauty, shopping and cuisine, the tourist board is determined to make the entire country a holiday destination unique from the rest of Europe.

And why not? With hundreds of regional and national parks, tremendous mountain ranges, hundreds of miles of inviting beachfront, stunning architecture and a seemingly unending array of sports and cultural offerings, one would be hard pressed not to find an idyllic way to spend holidays.

Attracting an upscale clientele should be an easy sell for the Mumbai office. Menorca’s sister islands of Majorca and Ibiza have already become favourite stops for both the lesser known wealthy tourists and celebrities from all over the world. From fashion to nightlife, from penultimate accommodations to world class cuisine, Majorca and Ibiza with their combination of glitz and elegance are ‘go to’ places for the rich and famous.

And as the Balearics are visited, so Menorca will be considered as well for those with families, who prefer the peace and quiet the island offers, and enquiries will soon translate into people taking holidays in Menorca.

Add to that some of the other Spanish islands like Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, it really does emphasise how unique Spain is. Lanzarote with its sublime beaches and captivating surfing venues has much to offer, especially in the winter when people visit because of the good Lanzarote weather.

The Spanish tourism industry is going all out to secure a substantial share of the emerging market tourist trade. And while they are focusing in the short term on India and China, the world tourist board recently identified the top 10 emerging market countries that will undoubtedly be wooed as well. They include, in addition to India and China, Montenegro, Croatia, the Republic of Congo, Vietnam, Romania, Namibia, Hong Kong and Chad.

Clearly there is an enormous potential for tourism within these emerging markets. Certainly Spain is not alone in desiring to gain as much of this market as possible. As they unroll their three-year strategy, it is also clear that they are doing everything they can to highlight the uniqueness of their country. Don’t be surprised if you are going to Menorca this year to see a few more Indian and Chinese tourists on the island.

More details for Menorca are available with http://www.yourmenorca.net and comments with photographs for holidays in Menorca are often on social media such as myspace

Tennis in the 70’s and 80’s used to be exciting, and not since the days of Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe has the world of tennis been as good as it is today, as Rafa Nadal from Spain’s Balearic Islands and Switzerland’s Roger Federer make the game watchable to a mass audience again.

The numbers 1 and 2 in the world produced what was widely described by sports journalists around the world as Wimbledon’s finest men’s final in a generation last July where Nadal triumphed, and then in early February this year the two produced a pulsating final lasting over four hours in another Grand Slam event - the Australian Open. Again Rafa Nadal was victorious.

Upon returning home to the Balearic Islands after his Wimbledon triumph last summer - the Balearics are made up of Rafa’s home island of Majorca, along with Menorca and Ibiza - Rafa was given a hero’s welcome, and the island came to a standstill for the day as celebrations carried on from dawn to the early hours of the next morning.

Before Rafa’s rise to the top of the tennis world, The Balearic Islands have been best known in the wider world as prime holiday destinations - Menorca for example is known as a quiet family holidays island, and with flights to Menorca under two hours from London has become a favourite for the British holidaymaker since the early 70’s.

But with a recession hitting Menorca’s main holiday markets of Britain and Germany, the tourist authorities for the islands have come up with a stroke a world class tennis player would be proud of - they have signed Rafa Nadal up to promote Menorca as a holidays destination to the British and German publics, and be the recognisable face for their holiday marketing activities.

‘Rafa is an instantly recognisable symbol of something positive’, comments leading Menorca travel site yourmenorca.net, ‘And associating Menorca with someone as dynamic and successful as Rafa Nadal could help the island attract more tourists at a time it really needs it.’

                       Menorca

Of all the islands in the Balearics, Menorca is known as one for family holidays. Quiet, sedate, peaceful are words often used to describe Menorca and Menorca holidays.

But as well as promoting Menorca as a reminder to past visitors to holiday on the island again, it’s quite possible that Rafa Nadal’s image among the population as a whole in both Germany and the UK could be enough for new generations to consider taking holidays in Menorca for the first time - something the island would welcome as once people take a trip to Menorca they often return and count the island as one of their top holiday destinations to consider for future years.

British visitors, an important constituent of Menorca tourism, have been hit by the strength of the Euro against Sterling, and Menorca holidays are more expensive than holiday destinations which don’t have the euro - Turkey in particular has seen a big jump in British tourists, and outside of Europe Egypt and Morocco have benefitted too at the expense of traditional favourite Spain - in 2008 Spain experienced a drop of a million holidaymakers compared to the year before.

And while the island will still be seen as peaceful compared to some holiday destinations, it will be determined to keep that as part of the appeal that has attracted holidaymakers in the past. But new companies are also springing up among the Menorca holidays businesses that will appeal to those first time Menorca visitors who might want a little activity - and might expect it too considering Rafa Nadal’s image. One new company is offering escorted mountain bike tours, while another is offering jeep safaris - perfect for the younger generation of tourists Menorca would like to see return in future years.

The new companies providing the tourist facilities will be welcomed by the Menorca hotels too. Menorca hoteliers have invested heavily in recent years, refurbishing existing hotels while a few new ones have been added too. But if occupancy rates drop this year there is a possibility that some Menorca hotels will open just for June, July and August, while others may be mothballed until the number of visitors increases again.

The holiday island will be hoping a bit of Rafa’s magic will persuade holidaymakers to book a holiday in Menorca.