You can go hot air ballooning in Elche, a town in the Alicante region of Costa Blanca. As you rise you may find yourself going over two natural reserves in Alicante called the Santa Pola Sand Flats and the Parque Natural Del Fondó.

There are also many other activities to do in Costa Blanca such as mountain climbing, hiking, scuba diving, Jet Ski riding, paragliding, and sightseeing if ballooning is not your thing. Come to Costa Blanca and see all that this region has to offer by booking your Costa Blanca hotel or Costa Blanca Apartment today.

Apart from the beaches there are other natural sights such as the many limestone crags, ridges, and mountains in the Costa Blanca region of Spain that you can have fun exploring.

There´s the Serella Pinnacles which will take you to see many limestone pinnacles and arches on the Penya Creus. Another thing you can do is go see the ruins of the Serella castle. Historically, the Serrella castle was one of the the fortresses of Al-Azraq, a 13th century Moorish warlord who battled against the Spanish Christian kings. Another feature to see are the ruins of Confrides Castle. The Confrides Castle trek provides a great view with the Bernia ridge, the large white buttresses of rock, and the villages of Abdet and Confrides and the Serella ridges.

Find the right Costa Blanca hotel or Costa Blanca apartment for you and enjoy your vacation.

When is the best time to surf?

In Spain, you can surf all year! You'll usually find the best waves between September and April -- but in winter, although the air is still relatively warm, the water is very cold in Spain and it can only be surfed with a wetsuit. Beginners who want to try once to conquer the great waves and enjoy the awesome weather in Spain, summer is probably the best time for a surfing holiday on the Costa Brava.

Where you can surf on the Costa Brava?

You can hardly find a place on Costa Brava where you can't windsurf. Along the coast there are many beautiful beaches to surf in good conditions. They almost all offer the possibility to rent wetsuits and equipment, surfboards and towels, for that forgetful bunch who comes empty handed.

A personal tip: for a nice windsurfing holiday, try Roses. It is a small town on Costa Brava, which I have already mentioned a few weeks ago, where you can spend a delightful family vacation or spend a weekend with friends to go surfing. The beach has a surfboard rental shop, the water in summer is warm, and the beach is usually not too crowded, allowing for carefree windsurfing all afternoon.

Otherwise you can also enjoy an apartment in Girona, a peaceful village near Barcelona with a very convenient airport. Now that I think of it, there will be the World Federation of Windsurfers from the 12th to the 17th of June this year...

To the water!

Here's to make your job easier :

Inside Barcelona, the postal code starts by 08 to represent Catalonia, and each district is represented by two digits. There are about 40 districts inside of the city of Barcelona, therefore the postal codes range from 08001 to 08042.

The suburbs of Barcelona are numbered as such: 08046, 08062, 08062, 08071, 08080, 08088, 08094, 08096, 08098, 08115, 08123, 08135, 08136, 08165, 08172-08174, 08190, 10193, 08195 - 082006.

Catalonia is a big region with many cities and areas, so listing all of the postal codes will be a bit of an extreme, but here are the most important ones:

08110 - Montcada i Reixac, 08120 - The Llagosta, 08170 - Montornès del Vallès, 08301, 08302, 08303, 08304 Mataro, 08401 - Granollers, 08620 - Sant Vicenç dels Horts, 08630 - Abrera, 08640 - Olesa Montserrat, 08690 - Santa Coloma de Cervello, 08800 - Vilanova i la Geltrú, 08810 - Sant Pere de Ribes, 08820 - El Prat de Llobregat, 08830 - Sant Boi de Llobregat, 08840 - Viladecans, 08850 - Gava, 08859 - Stutton, 08860 - Castelldefels, 08870 - Sitges, 08940 - Cornellà de Llobregat, 08950 - Esplugues de Llobregat, 08960 - Sant Just Desvern, 08970 - Sant Joan Despi, 08980 - Sant Feliu de Llobregat, 08320 - el Masnou

If your holiday rental is not in one of those cities, you can check out the exact postal code on this very useful website. So skip along to the nearest souvenir shop to buy a pretty Tarragona postcard to send to your jealous friends, and make sure they answer!

Don't forget to come back with a tan! ;)

There is a town in Costa Brava, named after the flower of love: Roses is a wonderful city, perfect for those who enjoy relaxing in a truly beautiful place.

Roses was dangerously close to being French - located just underneath the French border, and neighboring Cap Creus and Aiguamolls, two enchanting natural parks, it is a wonder to walk in the area and discover Catalonia from the inside.

That is not all: Roses' Mediterranean bay has been deemed one of the most beautiful bays in the world by the Generalitat de Catalonia, and is a preferred bay for cruise ships.

Needless to say, the beach in itself is absolutely breathtaking - the 17 creeks add Spanish charm to the clear blue waters and white sand on which laying down is just dreamy. I went to Roses last summer with my family, and I have never felt so peaceful.

Of course my brother got too bored from tanning and instead decided to take advantage of all the activities offered on the port. He rented a boat and headed out to sea for two hours, while I thought about going windsurfing, which I love.

From my apartment in Roses we could see the Castell de la Trinitat - the Trinity Castle, as you might have guessed. Built in 1544, the castle's particularity is that it is built in the shape of a star, for greater protection; I do not know if it was efficient, but at least it is original... In summer the Castell de la Trinitat is open from 10AM to 1PM and from 6PM to 10PM, for the bleak price of 2.5€.

Because we are worth it.

The train for example, is a transport system I historically despise. You sit for 3 to sometime 10 hours in an uncomfortable chair with nowhere to stick your legs and nowhere to go except the cafeteria, where you pay 5$ for a cup of coffee. This is why I was so pleasantly surprised when I took the Spanish train company, RENFE, for the first time. Firstly, buying the ticket is the easiest thing in the world: just go online, click and buy. Surprisingly, first class tickets in Spain are merely 10 to 15€ more expensive than tourist class! The chairs are reasonably comfortable, they show a movie that is often very interesting, and most of all they come around to deliver meals, like in a plane! Taking the train is probably the easiest way to travel in Spain, seeing as Madrid - Barcelona takes 4 hours, Barcelona - Valencia takes 3 hours, Valencia - Madrid takes 3 hours, Valencia - Murcia is 2 hours, etc.

The plane is more complicated, as always, however my experience with the Catalan airports has been truly stress-free. I left my house two hours prior to my flight, and calmly took the metro to Plaza Catalunya in Barcelona, to catch the Aerobus to the Aeropuerto El Prat. The bus leaves every 5 minutes (I swear, it really does leave every 5 minutes), and costs 5,50€ (11€ back and forth). The Aerobus stops at Urgell and Plaza España, and then goes directly to the Terminal 1 of the airport in less than 30 minutes. Another way to reach the airport is to take the train at Clot (L 1 or L2), Passeig de Gracia (L2, L3 or L4), or Estación de Sants (L3 or L5). The train is the same price as a normal metro ticket, and runs every 30 minutes, bringing you to the airport in about 20 minutes, right on time. Once in Valencia, I was happy to see that two out of 5 metro lines in the city had their final stop at the airport, peacefully leading me towards the city center in less time that I needed to start worrying.

All the more reason to start visiting Spain !

It is undeniable that I am a fan of Barcelona. However, I have lived in my apartment in Barcelona for 4 years now, and I must admit it is always nice to get away for a week end to somewhere really nice. Last week end I decided to gather my things, and head for Sitges. Despite the uncommonly rainy day (of course it rains on the day I decided to go to the beach), I had quite a bit of fun, I must admit. 

There are many things to do in Sitges that do not require being outside: I chose to go to the two coolest museums in the city. 

El Museu de Cau Ferrat is a museum made from Santiago Rusiñol's former home. Rusiñol is a famous Catalan painter, known for his symbolist and post-impressionist style, as well as Pablo Picasso's mentor. I must admit I do not always understand modern art, and yet his work, which you can find in this wonderful museum, is just breath taking. The house itself was built and decorated to hold the modernist parties from his time. 

I then bobbed over to the Museu del Maricel, built in a former hospital from the XIVth century, newly renovated my Miguel Utrillo. This medieval building is a work of art in itself, and the "World War II" theme held up by the paintings inside it adds grandeur to an already magnificent façade. From mosaics to sculptures, the museum is full of colors on a rainy day. 

Sitges is a city of many faces; who would have guessed that a town best known for its 17 kms of sandy beach, one could spend a glorious week end absorbing culture inside a museum? Of all the families enjoying their vacation in Sitges, I am willing to bet not a single one thought of visiting the amazing castles of John Deer or historical monuments of Costa Brava, on this rainy yet beautiful April day in Catalonia.

Four hours away from Barcelona, the town of Jávea is located almost exactly in between València and Alicante, next to the just as touristic and beautiful towns of Dénia and Benidorm.

So we went to visit Jávea on our first day. The historic center is very calm and gives out a fascinating authentic vibe that made us feel like we were walking in a museum. Jávea used to be an Arab city, and the architecture reflects some strongly Arab influences: from the colorful mosaics to arched doorways and flat roofs. The small, one-way streets give the impression of a tiny family village in this city of 33 000 inhabitants that more than doubles in population during the summer - that is until you reach the coast of the Mediterranean, where you will find gigantic villas and animated cafés...

You see, after the expulsion of the Arabs in 1609, Xábia, as is its name in Catalan, became a preferred fishermen's town, due to the abundance of fish in the Bay of Jávea. However in the late 1800's the town was a frequent target for pirate attacks, who left the town dry of food 

and water, and nearly burnt to the ground whenever they dropped by. To avoid this recurrent problem, the entire town moved back 2km inside the peninsula, away from the direct access from the coast, and the fishermen hid their huts in more inconspicuous beaches a few kilometers away for the actual town.

For decades the 2 kilometers of ground between Jávea and the Mediterranean Sea were completely deserted. The mountain grounds and scorching hot summer sun resulted in poor agricultural grounds, and ironically enough no one wanted those grounds, which were often given in inheritance to the least deserving child in the family. I say ironically because it turns out that in only a few years these grounds went from being worthless agriculturally to being worth several hundred of thousands of Euros in terms of real estate, when tourists started noticing the incredible views in the area.

Not just any tourists in fact. In the 1960's the wealthiest of Europeans, (or as you might call them: the French, German and English 'elite'), began pouring in the streets of Jávea and building their villas directly on the beach.

The rest of the tourism industry followed very quickly - restaurants, cafés, bars and shops border the Playa del Arenal, the only sandy beach in the city. The city has everything one could look for during a holiday in Spain.

My day in Jávea was one of the most enjoyable in a long time. I relished in the mix between tradition and extravagance, and have seriously never seen such beautiful views... and impressive houses.

It is a beautiful sandy beach and shallow water rises, so very suitable for a family outing to the beach. In addition to the Playa de Levante, there are many small coves, where something you can enjoy off the beaten track the sun and the sea.

Port Aventura

However, if you spend a family vacation in Salou, I recommend a visit to Port Aventura park!

How to reach Port Aventura

The Port Aventura Park is located just minutes from the city center of Salou and is just a train or car ride away. Even if you spend your holidays in Barcelona, you can reach the park only half an hour.

By car:
The park easily accessible by car because it has its own Port Aventura exit (Exit 35) AP7 road.

By train
Travel with a RENFE from anywhere in Spain, or with a regional train from Rodalies de Catalunya.

In both cases you get off at Station Camp de Tarragona and will be 5 minutes away from Port Aventura.

Port Aventura Tickets can be ordered easily online if you have a holiday home in Spain or directly book a hotel + tickets. 

For groups of 20 or more, there is a discount.

Extreme sports, that is. Miami Platja is a beautiful beach on the coast of Costa Dorada, beloved by tourists, with an absolutely fabulous beach, about 30 minutes away from Tarragona. The lesser known fact about Miami Platja is that it is one of the centers of extreme sports in Catalonia.

Miami-Aventura offers various kinds of extreme sports, from quads to raids, diving and rock climbing. They cater to clients regardless of their level in each sport, and organize a little ceremony if it is your first time trying it out!

What better way to experience Catalonia than by climbing its mountains?

Miami-Aventura is an experience in itself. Breakfast is offered in the morning, a monitor follows you all day to show you around the mountains and Catalan valleys, and then they lead you to the Miami Lounge bar where you can relax with a cocktail after a long day of adrenaline.

Miami Platja is also home of the Racing Driving Performance! Have you ever wished you could drive like Michael Schumacher? Then book an apartment in Miami Platja in Catalonia and experience the thrilling world of high speed racing first hand!

Take your quad to the rockiest part of the mountain with your family, or discover the depths of the Mediterranean Sea - in any case, it will not be a boring vacation in Spain.

That will make you able to discover a lot of different traditional catalan meals.

Want a preview? There are many types of restaurants in Barcelona: Chinese restaurants, Argentinian restaurants, Italians restaurants, tapas bars... However, if you are looking for something really original, and if you like sweet and sour food, as well as discovering new flavors and sensations, you absolutely must try Espai Sucre.

Espai Sucre

Let me introduce you to a very original restaurant in Barcelona. The Espai Sucre is a restaurant that blends originality and flavor with a menu composed exclusively of desserts.

In this restaurant, you will have the pleasure to taste several types of menus:

• The menu "Pequeño" composed of three desserts, with :
- an entry composed of lemon, watercress salad and mint sorbet.
- A main course of the goat cheesecake, raspberry, red pepper and ginger.
- Finally, A Hot chocolate with spices.

• The menu "Chocolate" also composed of three chocolate-themed desserts with:
- An entry composed of vinegar, chocolate, strawberry and peppermint
- A main course with chocolate, plum, oak bark of rum a special tobacco
- A "dessert" cooked with hot chocolate and spices

You will also find cheese-based menus and menu tastings.

The price for a meal can vary between 25 € and 45 €.

Not adventurous?

For those who appreciate more traditional meals, you should visit one of these candy stores in Barcelona called "Xucheria" that you can find throughout the city. Some are more original than others, such as the well-known Happy Pills: this shop offers delicious candy sold in jars to make them looking like medicine. They could be  your miracle remedy to a broken heart or work problems !

Book an apartment in Barcelona to discover all the other candy stores you can find!

But wait: no it's not!

I have recently discovered the most awesome thing in Catalonia: Miniature Catalonia! There is a park only a short way away from Catalan capital, Barcelona, where every important touristic Catalonian asset (from monuments to natural sites) is exposed, at a scale 1.33 for Barcelona sites, 1.25 for Catalonian sites.

Catalonia en Miniatura

Catalunya en Miniatura is located in Torrelles de Llobregat, 17 km away from the city. It is one of the largest miniature parks in the world with its 60 000 m2, 35 000 of which are actually used for the models (not to mention awesomeness), and the rest for parking and services.

As you enter the park (and buy some churros) you are directed to the mandatory walk-through, which allows you to witness 147 Spanish monuments in just one afternoon! Talk about saving time.

The creation of each miniature monument and natural sites (the park includes natural assets of Catalonia such as the Tibidabo Mountain or the Port del Comte ski resort) is detailed and delicate, and can take up to 13000 hours and 6 people (more than 1083 days/2.9 years, assuming they work 12 hours a day!) for the Sagrada Familia alone! The result is so astounding you may actually believe you are seeing the real thing.

Obviously the park is very popular with field trips: many schools go yearly to visit Catalunya en Miniatura with the children who deeply enjoy touching the top of the Casa Milà (who wouldn't?). The park is also quite appreciated by businesses who organize their congresses or company retreats there, rent beautiful apartments in Barcelona and enjoy the tasty food from the park restaurant, La Lloca (the Hen).

However, me and many others enjoying their holiday in Catalunya with their families, friends or children, simply wander in-between the tiny monuments, relishing in feeling like a giant in a world full of Antonio Gaudi... and others!

Price of Catalunya in Miniatura:

Adults = 12,00 euros
Children between 3 and 12 years = 8,50 euros
Youngs (between 13 and 35 years) = 11,00 euros
Seniors (+55 years) = 8,50 euros

NEW PRICE FOR FAMILIES!!

2 adults + 1 child = 29,50 euros
2 adults + 2 childs = 37,00 euros

Special prices for groups, travel agencies and schools. For more information call: +34 93 689 09 60

Opening hours of Cataluya in Miniatura:

October - February: Tuesday until Sunday 10:00 - 18:00 h
March, April, May, June and September: open every day 10:00 - 19:00 h.
July and August: open every day 10:00 - 20:00h.

From Barcelona:

By car: Exit from Barcelona by the Diagonal avenue, then take the A-2 highway, and exit by Exit 5 "Martorell-Lleida N-2". Once in the N-2, use Exit 602 "St. Vicenç dels Horts". Reach the traffic circle and go direction to Torrelles del Llobregat, then follow the signs.

By public transport: Take the metro line 8 at Plaza España, until Moli Nou-Cuitat Cooperativa, then walk until the bus line L76, until Urbanizació Cesalpina. It will then be about 10 minutes away walking.

From outside Barcelona: check the Catalunya in Miniatura website.

Empuriabrava, referred to as the Spanish Venice, is located on the Costa Brava, 25km away from the French border.

The Empuriabrava marina of more than 40 canals and 5000 mooring bitts is one of the biggest in Europe.

The view from the apartments on the Empura Brava beach as well is a sight for sour eyes, with its white sand, fun shops, and numerous kilometers of beach fun. However if you do not feel like spending your entire vacation on the 

beach, you may prefer the marvelous historic monuments the city has to offer, such as the Parrish Museum, where you will observe the priceless collections of the city cathedral: a processional cross covered in precious metals and stones, beautiful ornaments dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and many more.

The Dali Museum of Empura Brava is also available - one of the greatest surrealist buildings ever built, Salvador Dali built it on 

top of one of the ruins of the city theater after the Spanish Revolution.
Empuriabrava also offers the possibility to push the limits of adrenalin, with its parachute school. There is nothing like watching the view of the Spanish Costa Brava from 4000 meters high, trust me.

No matter what you enjoy doing, take a family vacation in Empuriabrava and book a holiday rental on the Costa Brava to enjoy the many activities the town has to offer.

Flowers, flowers, flowers ! Symbol of spring and life, everyone (unless they are allergic) loves flowers.

The Girona Flower Festival (Tiempo de Flores de Girona) takes place from th

e 8th to the 16th of May, and gives a wonderful touch (and smell) to the Spanish coasts and most specifically, the marvelous Costa Brava. Spain is certainly a country full of nature and beautiful sights, however it is a very dry country, which makes this display of fresh flowers ever-so delightful.

The Girona Flower Festival exists for 40 years now - all because one day the Girona City Hall realized tourism was greatly increasing in the city, particularly due to the Girona Municipal Theater. In order to take advantage of this growing traffic in the streets of Girona, they decided to create bigger parks and add gardens to the popular Municipal Theater. However, once they had finished their project, they were left with hundred of flowers and nothing to do with them! The inhabitants of Girona decided that they must not go to waste and decorated the entire city full of colorful flowers - the Flower Festival was born.

Girona is only about an hour away from Barcelona, which is why many locals from the Catalan capital, and even tourists visiting Barcelona decide to take a day off to wander the f

lowery streets of Girona, no knowing whether to stay in the flowery city or reach the flowery sea!

Every house and apartment in Girona is decorated - in fact, every part of the city, from parks to police stations are flooded with flowers of all kinds and all sizes. The entire city becomes open to the public, and eager locals open their houses to tourists in order to show off their decorations!

And don't forget to take pictures!

A contest is organized to choose the best picture of the event, as well of course as a contest for the best decorations. So place a flower on your chest and another in your hair and go look for butterflies!

How to reach the Flower Festival in Girona

By plane: Girona has its own small airport, including Ryanair and other low-cost companies. 

If you are spending you holidays in Girona, it is very easy to reach the town with no great hassle. The Barcelona Airport is also a rather easy option; shuttle buses are scheduled according to the planes, and take you directly to the city center of Girona.

By train: Girona is reachable by train from Barcelona. It takes roughly an hour and 20 minutes.

Easter in Spain is one of the most celebrated religious holidays in the country. In 2012 it will start, on Friday 6th of April until the 9th, during which time all of the shops are closed, whereas all of the restaurants and bars will be open and very happy to welcome you and your family in their mists. Many tourists come enjoy these festivities during their holidays in Spain, however the restaurants are mostly full of local families and friends.

The Semana Santa in Spain has a tendency to drive people away from the cities to join their families in the country and enjoy homemade meals all together. 

However, the cities are not deserted during that time either: hundreds of people walk down the streets of every city in Spain, as a giant procession dressed in various saints, that can be easily enjoyed from your apartment in Barcelona.

The food is the most impressive (and delicious) part of Semana Santa - here is one of my favorite recipes in Easter, typical tortilla de Semana Santa:

Easter Tortilla - Semana Santa

Ingredients (5 people)
- 1 Botifarra
- 1 small smoked sausage
- 40 g of butter
- 6 eggs
- salt
- pepper
- 1 clove of persley
- 1 onion
- 100g of bacon

Preparation

Tradition dictates to climb the mountain and settle near a church for optimum preparation - that might not be necessary in our case.

Light a fire and beat the eggs, while the onions and bacon are frying in the pan (with LOTS OF OIL)- peel, wash and cut the vegetables in fine slices, and do the same for the botifarra and the smoked sausage in larger bits.

Throw them all in the pan when you feel the onions and bacon are fried to your convenience, and let them shimmer.

When your mixture seems appealing to you, add the eggs, and watch the pan carefully, they are fast cookers!

Do not forget that a tortilla has to be cooked on both sides, not just one!

Serve warm in a sandwich or with a light salad.

Enjoy! And happy Semana Santa...