During times of economic upheavals, it is heartbreaking to read that tourism industries around the world are the first to suffer. Yes it’s true, travelling can be exorbitantly expensive...but it need not be so necessarily. When visiting Barcelona, the most glorious of Spanish gems, booking a holiday apartment rental in El Born will certainly go a long way into ensuring your hard-earned savings are well spent. The city’s best attractions will be nearby and you’ll be able to self-cater, which is infinitely more rewarding than constant restaurant dining anyway. For the best tips on even more money saving when visiting Barcelona, follow our guide and discover just how affordable a week or week-end away can be. After all your hard work, we think you’ve earned it! Go Museum Mad! Multiple museum visits in a city like Barcelona will surely deplete your holiday funds rather pronto. However, cunning visitors will already have heard about the fantastic Barcelona Museum Pass offered for just €30. Buy one before you even arrive and you’ll get free entry into the seven best museums in town; including the Picasso, Contemporary Art and the Catalonian National Art Museum among others. The pass is valid for 10 consecutive days, but don’t ...

[pinit] The El Born district of Barcelona is akin to an ancient world of wonders, set within the confines of an ultra-modern city. Merely a decade ago El Born was enjoying a quiet and restful slumber, yet it swiftly awoke and re-emerged as the absolute dining, shopping and drinking hub of Barcelona. Lively and enticing during the day, El Born also oozes charm and elegance after the sun sets, and is now home to more bars, cafes and clubs than probably all of Barcelona combined. Seriously! If it’s happening in Barcelona...it’s highly likely it will be happening in Born. Born (as it is known to locals) is also home to some superb museums, most notably the ever-popular Picasso Museum, and a whole host of important historical buildings, churches and many 18 and 17th century monuments. Considering El Born used to be the main trading and social core of Barcelona in the early 19th century, it seems only fair that the area reclaim its rightful spot as the city’s most lively hub. For an authentic and unforgettable Barcelona vacation, book your holiday rental apartment in El Born and come discover all the marvels this vibrant quarter has to offer. Choose a ...

Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia in Spain, hit the world tourism stage in the early 90s, when it grabbed the news headlines for hosting one of the most successful Olympic Games in history. Since then, millions of discerning travelers have been descending on its coastal shores to take in the sites, history and ambience of this vibrant and captivating city. Thanks to the international exposure, Barcelona has undergone a makeover of colossal proportions; morphing it into one of Europe’s most fashionable capitals. The Eixample district, once a prime exemplar of grid-like urbanization, is now the trendiest suburb in town; booking a Barcelona holiday apartment in the Eixample district will definitely put you in the centre of the action. This hamlet of open air markets, designer stores and trendy eateries is the ideal destination for tourists who wish to have the very best of Barcelona right at their door step. To give you a taste of what Eixample has to offer, we’ve compiled a list of the top three most popular restaurants around. Not only are these places infinitely popular with Barcelona’s ‘it’ crowd, but they also offer gastronomic experiences second to none. So don’t wait...dig in! Cornelia & Co, Carrer ...

Quaint little village on the southwest side of the island, boasts some of the greatest beaches we have to enjoy. Plus home to Ibiza´s spiritual and ´magic´rock, Es Vedra, San jose area has become quite popular with travellers and Ibiza lovers for its extensive variety of sights, sounds and flavours. Home to Cala Jondal´s Blue Marlin Ibiza and stretching all the way to Cala Dhort and the mighty force out to sea, San Jose is sure to excite all your senses. Destino, restaurant in San jose, Ibiza Located in the heart of San Jose, just off the main road, down a small pedestrian path opposite side of the church, this small tapas bar offers all your favourite dishes plus some fabulous twists. Tortilla española, jamon serrano, but also plenty of courgette, beets and veggie delicacies. Chiringuito of Es Cavallet, restaurant in San jose, Ibiza After being taken over a few years back, the Chiringuito of Es Cavallet has been remodelled, revamped and reannouced as a one of the coolest beach restaurants on the island. Menu has loads of traditional classics, Spanish and English.. Gazpacho, fish and chips, lovely pastas, salads and fresh fish of the day. With a wide selection of wines ...

Ibiza´s historical centre, Dalt Vila named by UNESCO as world heritage site, the small city centre has a lot to offer. Great shops, cultural centres, wonderful restaurants and a wicked nightlife around the port area. Vara de Rey and Plaza del Parque are two famous squares where you can enjoy an array of restaurants, bars and shops. Marina Botafoch, Talamanca and Figueretas are all neighbouring ports and beaches where you can take sun, watch the many boats cruising across the fine waters or take a stroll and breathe in the fresh air. Also near town are Pacha, Lio, Grial for your dining and disco pleasures! Choose to stay in a holiday villa in Ibiza to enjoy all that Ibiza town has to offer! El Olivo, restaurant in Ibiza town Located up in the walls of Ibiza´s old town fortress, amongst the small cobblestone streets, sit here and watch all the pedestrians, street performers and vendors pass you by in an exciting splash of colours, smells and sights. The menu is filled with palatable treats, concentrating on spanish and french cuisine here every dish is quality, so come hungry. B4 Planet Sushi, restaurant in Ibiza town Opened a few years back, in a prime ...

Santa Eulalia del Río (or Riu) is one of three main cities in the Spanish isle of Ibiza. Located on the eastern seashore of the island, it is the ideal destination for tourists wanting a little more ‘serene’ Ibiza experience. Away from all the rowdy bars and nightclubs (but still brimming with entertaining venues), Eulalia is perfect for family holidays and Holiday Velvet offers fantastic Luxury Ibiza villas here.While beaches abound around Eulalia, we’ve taken the trouble to scour every nook and cranny of this glorious eastern seaboard, and offer you a list of the three very best beaches to be found here. Book a holiday villa in Ibiza today, and come see for yourself why Ibiza has become an international hub for thousands of tourists each year.Santa Eulalia BeachThe town’s main beach is the most popular in the area, as it is within easy walking distance to all the major shops, restaurants and holiday apartments. Half-moon shaped, and complete with sparkling white sand and crystal clear waters, it is a great beach for families with small children and even offers a ramp for disabled access. Often regarded as one of the cleanest beaches on the whole island, Santa Eulalia ...

Visiting the city of Madrid provides one with the opportunity to experience some of the best historic and cultural attractions in Spain, and indeed in Europe. Visited by almost three million people annually, the Prado museum is an art gallery and museum which is home to an absolutely stunning collection of art. The building was created in the 18th century at the request of King Charles the 3rd who wanted to use it as a National History Cabinet, although the decision was later made to use the facility as for its current purpose. The building is expansive and the design incorporates a large number of windows and statues which provide it with a distinct and unmistakable appearance. It took a few decades after completion for the museum and gallery to be opened to the public, but once it was in 1817 it proved to be an instant hit and its popularity has continued to grow ever since.Some examples of artists who have work on display here are El Greco, who is one of the most important figures from the Renaissance era, Romanesque and Gothic artists Fernando Gallego and Jaime Serra, Italian artists Tintoretto and Boticelli and Dutch artists Vermeer and ...

One of the busiest and most popular areas in Madrid is the Puerta del Sol district, largely due to the fact that it was one of the gates to the city in historic Madrid. It was an area where people would meet and much trade and entertainment would take place here. Modern Puerta del Sol is similar in this respect as there are plenty of bars and restaurants to keep one entertained. If you choose a holiday apartment in the Puerta del Sol area don't miss some of these typical Spanish restaurants!Abaceria de la VillaAddress: 83 Castello, MadridAlthough this restaurant has a traditional small town feel to it, it produces high quality food and only uses the best and freshest produce from the local markets. The specialities at this restaurant include game and wild mushroom dishes as well as low fat alternatives. ZalacainAddress: 4 Calle Álvarez de Baena, MadridThis has long been regarded as one of the best restaurants in Madrid. It is the perfect location for a romantic meal in the city centre as it pays attention to every detail of the service. This Michelin Star Madrid restaurant serves top class Spanish dishes which are hard to match for ...

If you want to escape the heat and noise of Barcelona, there is no better place to do it than Montjuic. This expansive ‘green’ belt’ is perched high above the city and despite hosting countless intimate parks and gardens, a handful of the city’s top attractions, and breathtaking city vistas at every turn, it is surprisingly under-used by locals. When Barcelona's beaches are packed to the hilt, head on up to Montjuic for some fresh, pine-scented air. On Montjuic’s uppermost peak is a formidable fortress-castle (best reached by cable-car from the port), which has the most panoramic views and is a great place to let kids run wild. The rest of Montjuic’s architecture stems from the two major events. The 1992 Olympic Games’ heritage is the ‘Olympic Ring’; the stadium (now mainly used for large-scale musical events), water-sports facilities and the Palau Sant Jordi a striking auditorium designed by the Japanese architect Arata Isozaki. At the Plaça Espanya end of Montjuic’s landward, the 1929 Universal Exhibition left a string of pretty pavilions, now the locations of some of Barcelona's best museums, including the National Museum of Catalonia, the Archaeology and Ethnographic Museums. Also here is the Poble Espanyol, a showcase ‘Spanish Village’. In ...

One of the biggest draws to Barcelona is its architecture. From stunning showpieces such as Jean Nouvel’s Torre Agbar to the robust beauty of the Gothic quarter, the architectural variety in Barcelona is quite remarkable. But if there were one singular style that could be termed truly ‘Barcelonese’ it would be modernisme. Most people may be aware of the modernisme through the fluid, almost organic works of Antoni Gaudí, the movement’s most famous exponent. But there are many more notable contemporaries of the great architect, and most of their work can be seen in the neighbourhood of the Eixample (or ‘Extension’) the 19th century, grid-like ‘new town’ that spans northward from Plaça Catalunya. And the best way to see it is on foot. Start your modernisme walk is the Passeig de Gràcia, a high-end shopping strip that is paved with hexagonal-shaped, grey-blue tiles designed Gaudí. Head to the cross street with C/ Aragó and you will be standing in front of the zenith of modernisme: the Manzana de Discòrdia (or ‘Block of Discord). These three buildings are all showstoppers: built for a chocolate baron, the Casa Amatller resembles a fairy-tale Flemish townhouse, whilst the Casa Lleó Morera (now occupied by ...