Cheap and Luxury Holiday Villas in Spain

For me, there are two types of Spanish holiday, and they might as well be on different planets. In the popular coastal regions, everything is geared up for the British holiday maker. Brits can drink British beer in British theme pubs, follow their favourite soap operas, watch football matches from the English Premiership on the pub telly, and eat traditional fish and chips in the cafes. The only attempt to engage with Spanish culture is to eat a giant plateful of paella or go to a bull ring.

The other type of Spanish holiday is the one that I can recommend. This the real Spain, the Spain that is not ashamed to be Spanish and where each region proudly shows off its own particular culture. Madrid, the capital city is a good place to start for a great Spanish holiday. It's a modern city with a fascinating past and some of the best museums in Europe. Catalonia in the north-east has its own distinct identity and language. Its jewel in the crown is Barcelona, where the feted architect Antoni Gaudi designed his wonderfully, eccentric buildings. The artist Salvador Dali has a superb museum dedicated to him in his hometown of Figueres.