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

The biggest of Cala En Porter’s hotels has just opened after an extensive refurbishment - it’s good news for the village and for holidaymakers making their way to Menorca for their holidays.

The village has been out of favour with some of the tour operators, perhaps because it’s a little quiet for some, but the hotel will provide a great base for those wishing to visit the island and book their flights and accommodation seperately.

With views of the Mediterranean, the Azul is within an easy stroll of the resort’s amenities, including a choice of restaurants and bars, many with evening entertainment, but for those preferring a quiet week away they are catered for too.

The most recent reviews on tripadvisor from those who have been on their Menorca flights and stayed there have been glowing, and include comments such as this one from Switzerland:

We stayed 1 week in playa azul and took the hotel as a last minute offer for around 350Eur/pp including flight. For the price we paid, the hotel offered much more!

Overall we got much more then we paid for and we are really happy with Hotel Playa Azul.

And from a UK tourist who had their Menorca holidays recently:

Just got back from a week at this fab hotel, from the moment we walked through the hotel reception till the day we left it was brilliant, the staff especially the resturant and bar staff were very freindly and attentive - nothing was too much trouble, the food was first rate.

And as well as for independent travellers booking their trips online the good news for the hotel is that Thomas Cook are now offering it either seperately or as part of a package.

New photographs for Cala En Porter are due soon at yourmenorca.net and photos of the hotel are at social media like stumbleupon

If you’re looking at holiday and travel sites and browsing the internet for ideas on where to go for a summer holiday, one island in particular could be just right if you’re booking for a family.

Part of the Balearic Islands and just two hours flight from the UK, Menorca has always been known as the quietest of the group which includes Ibiza and Majorca, and for good reason.

It’s ideal for families, and it’s how Menorca wants to stay.

Many of this year’s visitors will be families who chose the island for their first family holiday and found it to be all they hoped for that they have kept holidaying on Menorca while their children have grown up - and then by themselves once their offspring have flown the nest.

If you decide to book a trip to the island, which areas are best suited for a family visit?

S’Algar is a purpose built holiday area, not far from the capital Mahon and the airport where the Menorca flights arrive, located on the south-east coast of the island. It has a variety of accommodation available, including both villas and different standards of hotels. But not really the area for a beach holiday.

Punta Prima like S’Algar has a good choice of accommodation with both villas to rent and a good selection of bars and restaurants for tourists and locals It has a couple of good supermarkets and importantly a good beach, but watch out for the flags as the currents can be strong.

Binibeca Village is a good character village but more suited for families with older children or couples than for young families, as one its main attributes is the peace and quiet. When you look at villa holiday brochures Cala Torret is in the east and Binebeca Vell to the west. The village consists of all low rise apartments and villas, and there are restaurants and shops in the village. The James Villa Holiday Company have a good selection of villas available in Binibeca.

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. Alaior has good self catering accommodation called Son Bou Gardens while the resort itself has two hotels at the eastern end - one disappointingly is a high rise and of all the hotels in Menorca has to be the most out of place of them all. But the long beach and character of the area manages to over come this. For those of a more shy disposition it’s worth noting that parts of the beach are clothing optional but good if you’re into naturism.

Cala en Porter is the original village that started it all when the jet age arrived, and airlines began to run regular flights to Menorca. It’s situated on the eastern side of a deep gorge that opens onto the beach and has a small stream running alongside during most of the year. Cala en Porter has just about everything you could want for a fun. A full range of shops, restaurants and bars are all there, with car hire facilities, and it’s popular for those who like Menorca villa holidays. If you’re staying there check out the Cova d’en Xoroi, which are caves set into the cliffs, now made into a night club.

More information, travel resources and news are available with http://www.yourmenorca.net

For comments from tourists on the island now visit social media like twitter

American media report on a festival to celebrate it’s history, including early settlers from Menorca:

When French explorer Jean Ribault sailed into the area of what is now Mayport on May 1, 1562, he didn’t stay long.

He came ashore and exchanged gifts with friendly Timucuan Indians.

Then he returned the next day to place a large stone monument, which he’d brought with him, to claim the land for France.

After that, he sailed north with his crew to the Carolinas, then went back to Europe, where he was imprisoned. When he returned to Florida a few years later, he was executed by the Spanish near St. Augustine in 1565.

Even though Ribault’s visit to the Mayport area was short, his name is forever linked to the Northeast Florida village where the St. Johns River meets the Atlantic Ocean.

Today, the Mayport Village Civic Association will honor him at an inaugural Mayport Fishing Village Historic and Cultural Fest slated to begin at 10 a.m. with a re-enactment of his meeting with the Timucuans.

The free public event will include historical speeches, exhibits, tours and a fish fry, aiming to educate people about Mayport’s long history, which began “years before Jamestown, Va., and Plymouth Rock,” said Sandra Tuttle, one of the fest organizers.

The ferry boat that crosses the St. Johns River at Mayport bears Ribault’s name, as does the Duval County School district’s Marine Science Education Center, which was initially named Ribault School No. 32 when it was built decades ago.

“We’re honoring Jean Ribault for founding Mayport; we love this town,” Tuttle said. “There have been Mayport fishing village festivals and save the ferry festivals, but not one in honor of Jean Ribault.”

The festival is being held during the latest interesting chapter in the town’s history, which is a colorful and multifaceted story that dates back to at least 2,000 B.C. when the Timucuan Indians settled the area.

The Jacksonville Port Authority recently bought about 8 acres along the village’s waterfront to possibly set up a cruise ship terminal. But many residents oppose turning the town into a cruise ship destination and they’ve been working for years to beautify their village in hopes of turning it into a quaint tourist destination and upscale residential area.

Regardless, Tuttle said the festival is not about what’s happening in the present, it’s about celebrating the village’s rich history.

That’s a worthy idea, because Mayport has a “great” history, Beaches Museum and History Center archivist Taryn Rodriguez-Boette said.

Rodriguez-Boette disputes the fact that Ribault founded Mayport, saying he explored the area but did not colonize it. But the town’s history “has passion, blood, lust,” she said. It features soldiers, missionaries, plantations, pirates, lumbermen, fishermen, railroads, the U.S. Navy, tourism developers and more. It also includes an eccentric, wealthy woman who married her chauffeur and ran an opulent resort called Wonderwood-by-the-Sea, where Mayport Naval Station now stands.

Mayport’s history “is very colorful,” Rodriguez-Boette said. “Better than any fiction.”

Spanish explorer Juan Bono Quexos discovered the river that runs through the town in 1520 and named it Rio de Corrientes, river of currents.

Ribault knew the Spanish had claimed the area, but when he landed and met with Timucuan chief Saturiba, he renamed the waterway Riviere du Mai, May River.

After Spanish explorer Pedro Menendez de Aviles executed Ribault and disposed of the French, the Spanish established a series of missions along the coast, including in the Mayport area, through the 1600s, Rodriquez-Boette said. They renamed the river Rio de San Juan, the St. Johns River.

In 1702, the British came down from the Carolinas and on their way south to St. Augustine destroyed everything in their path, including all the missions and sentinel block houses that had been erected like miniature forts along the river to keep the area safe from invasion.

When the British took over Florida in 1764, all the Spanish left, and the British divided property into land grants, giving the Mayport area to a man named N. Woods. British settlers brought people from the island of Minorca off the coast of Spain with them, to be indentured servants on indigo plantations.

When Spain regained control of the state 20 years later, the British fled, but the Minorcans stayed and began moving north, some settling in the Mayport area.

It was a great place for them, because they were fishermen, Rodriguez-Boette said. They were also skilled boat captains who could navigate through the dangerous tidal opening of the St. Johns River. In 1820, they created the St. Johns Bar Pilot Association, which still exists.

Florida was formally organized as a U.S. territory in 1822, and the Mayport area was named Hazard in 1827. The first lighthouse was built in 1828, and the first sawmill in 1830.

Florida became a state in 1845 and after Kingsley B. Gibbs opened a sawmill in Hazard a few years later, he renamed the town Mayport Mills after the river.

The Union army burned the mills and the town during the Civil War.

After the war, the town’s name was changed to Mayport in 1870 when the post office opened, and in 1873 the first year-round hotel opened, followed by another in 1874.

By the 1880s, Mayport was being developed as a tourist destination, which was “brilliant,” Rodriguez-Boette said. A railroad was built between Jacksonville and the town, jetties were built to open the river to large ships, and by 1885, the village of 600 people was flourishing with stores and a fishing industry.

In 1914, Elizabeth Worthington Philip Stark bought 375 Mayport acres and two years later opened Wonderwood-by-the-Sea, a resort featuring cottages, swimming pools, riding stables and a 1,100-foot fishing pier that catered to wealthy tourists including sheiks, sultans and other foreign royalty.

As a member of an 11-generation Mayport family, Tuttle said she knew Stark, long after the liberated woman who’d crossed the ocean 13 times and disgraced her family by marrying her chauffeur had passed her prime.

In 1939, the U.S. Congress enabled the creation of Mayport Naval Base, and by the next year, occupied what had been Wonderwood-by-the-Sea and much of the town.

The Marines carried Stark out, Tuttle said. “She wouldn’t leave.”

Stark will posthumously receive a plaque in honor of Jean Ribault at today’s festival, and the honor will be placed on her grave. Two other Mayport supporters will also get awards.

Tuttle said they hope to make the festival an annual event, and every year will give awards to worthy supporters of Mayport.

As a lifelong resident of the town, Tuttle is proud of her Minorcan heritage. Tuesday, she toured the seven-block area of the remaining Mayport “fishing village” area on Ocean Boulevard, which runs along the river between Minorcan Way and Broad Street.

She pointed out a historic cemetery that is now mostly buried by the Navy base and roads, and beyond to the Mayport lighthouse, which is on Navy property and closed.

She remembered how Mayport looked when she was a child, when there were lots of sand dunes and trees and it “was beautiful.”

“That’s why Jean Ribault said it was ‘the fairest and most beautiful place’ he’d ever seen.”

In the 1940s through the early 1980s, businesses and restaurants lined Ocean Street and the town prospered, she said. Those are gone now, but she and others are hopeful the town can be restored.

“The people here are wonderful, down to earth,” Tuttle said. When she saw Janice Strickland sitting on her porch this week with her brother Bill and friend Alec Newell, she stopped to chat. The Stricklands are longtime Mayport families too, related to Tuttle through the Minorcans.

“Everybody in Mayport is related by marriage or blood, pretty much,” Newell said.

“It’s important to remind people that we’re here and have been here,” Janice Strickland said. “That Capt. Jean Ribault put his foot here in 1562.” For the full article click here

More details about Menorca, including Menorca villa holidays and the weather in Menorca are available by visiting travel resource yourmenorca.net

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

The Daily Mail in the UK recently ran an interesting article about Menorca, their comments include:

Think of the Balearic islands as a family: Majorca and Ibiza are the two older sisters who party all night, while Menorca is the little sister who stays in doing her homework.

‘This has always been a quiet island,’ says Lindsay Mullen, who, with Sheelagh Ratliff, owns and runs the Biniarocca Hotel, a ten-minute drive from Mahon airport. Lindsay, an accomplished artist, and Sheelagh, a successful clothes designer, emigrated to Menorca in the Nineties.

Sheelagh was running a B&B when a working farm near St Lluis went up for sale ten years ago. They bought and thoroughly renovated it, and it is now a Relais Chateau-style hotel with 17 bedrooms, a pool set in bougainvillea and palm tree-filled gardens, and a stylish European restaurant. 

The Biniarocca’s comforts are bliss, and although it was tempting to stay glued to the grounds, the hotel is a good base from which to explore the island.

Scrupulously clean and well-signposted, Menorca is perfect for driving. A main road bisects the island, leading from the capital Mao to the second largest town, Ciutadella on the west, and roads branch off to the north and south, heading for the coastal coves and beaches.

The island’s biggest sandy beach, three kilometres long and 40m wide, is to the south at Son Bou.

To read the full article click here

For reviews of Menorca hotels  visit http://www.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

The media recently ran a news story about how the Mediterranean diet can help beat depression - unlike some Mediterranean islands a lot of Menorca restaurants use locally sourced ingredients in their cooking and offer local dishes.

Here is an extract from one of the newspapers:

Eating a Mediterranean diet could help cut the risk of depression by a third.

Tucking into vegetables, fish, nuts and fruit may be the reason scientists found the risk of mental disorders in the Med to be lower than in Northern Europe.

They studied more than 10,000 Spaniards over six years and compared their diets and mental health.

To read the full article click here

For information about Menorca holidays and flights to Menorca visit yourmenorca.net

One of the Liverpool syndicate who won £45,000,000 on the Euromillions lottery recently is planning - among other things - to have a holiday in Menorca.

To read more click here