Holidays in the Sun

Puerto de la Cruz Green Walk

One of the great things about Puerto de la Cruz, the beautiful resort on the northern coast of Tenerife, is its natural green landscape – such a contrast to the south.

When I was there in December, I took the chance to capture a few shots “off the beaten track” to give some idea of what this part of the island is really like, once you leave the town itself.

You can walk up from the town centre, basically up the hillside, into an area called San Antonio and then turn right, and you will come across one of the two main barrancos or river beds that run down through the town.  Just across the river, we found a balcony where the flowers had taken over:

Puerto de la Cruz Balcony - Over-watered?

Perhaps the owner had over-watered them..

Just up past a few houses and we come to one of the many little lanes that run through the banana plantations that literally surround the town.  This particular lane is one of several that run parallel to the coast, behind the town, and it makes for a tranquil walk through the bananas, where the only sounds are the birds singing and the leaves of the banana plants rustling in the breeze.

Puerto de la Cruz Bananas

When we were walking here, we met a grizzled old man walking the opposite way, carrying a big bucket of paint.  Now, my Spanish is not that good, but his English was non-existent, but he was determined to get his message across.  After literally 10 minutes, we came to understand that he had a lovely renovated house to sell, right here amongst the bananas where it was so peaceful and quiet, and by the look of us it would be just what we wanted!  Well, I have to admit I was tempted to take a look, but we would have been wasting his time and I could not face much more of the barrage of Spanish dialogue that was being thrown upon us.  So we said our goodbyes and on we went.

After about 20 minutes, we came to another of the radial roads that run up the hill from the town, but by now we were well to the left (south west) of the town, above the Loro Parque and the little rocky outpost of rough old houses known as Punta Brava.  Being so high up still, we had a great vantage point to get a rare panorama of Puerto de la Cruz from the south west looking north east, as these next two shots show.

Notice how the hillside is green and look at the ancient terracing:

Puerto de la Cruz Terracing

In this final shot you can see the town itself, although most of it is hidden, down on the flat land at the base of the great hillside that rises steeply from the back of the resort.  Only the tallest of buildings in the flatter main part of the town are visible, the beige and white tower on the left being by far the highest building in Puerto de la Cruz (the infamous Bel Air apartment block – built decades ago and probably never to be repeated):

Puerto de la Cruz from the South-West

Well that’s it for now, but watch this space for more information and pictures from the beautiful resort of Puerto de la Cruz.  Meanwhile, if you’re itching to go there (as I am) then take a look at our great hotel deals here: Puerto de la Cruz Hotels.

Shrewsbury Gas Explosion

Just down the road this morning here in Shrewsbury town centre, at about 11:20am, there was a massive gas explosion.  As I write this, all of the emergency services are there and a big chunk of the town is sealed off.

There is debris all across the road from the destroyed building, which is on Smithfield Road just on the junction with the Welsh Bridge, right across to the building opposite, Morris Properties offices, where several windows have been blown out.  The building adjoining the destroyed one is the Shrewsbury Hotel pub, although I could not see whether that was damaged.

The gas explosion caused many alarms to go off and many windows in the town centre were broken, even several streets away.

Photos I took here: Shrewsbury Gas Explosion Photos

Puerto de la Cruz – Overview

Puerto de la Cruz is, for the British, one of the less well-known resorts of Tenerife, but those who discover this charming town are often converted and return year after year.

Most Brits head for the popular resorts along the south coast of the island, such as Los Cristianos and Playa de las Americas, but to miss out on the very special town of Puerto de la Cruz in the north would be a real shame, as we will find out..

This is the first article in a series on Puerto de la Cruz, and in it I want to give you a quick overview.

Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, 16 December 2009

The first and most obvious contrast between Puerto de la Cruz and the traditional Brit resorts of the south is the beautiful scenery studded with palms and exotic flowers wherever you look.  The south is barren, brown and dry, apart from in the carefully-tended hotel grounds, whereas here in the north of the island, everything is lush, green and very pretty.  As you drive from the airport in the south, heading further north, on the approach to Santa Cruz you suddenly notice that the hills are greener, the countryside covered in trees and flowering shrubs.

The next contrast between the resorts in the south and Puerto de la Cruz is the mix of holidaymakers.  In Los Cristianos, most holidaymakers are British,  whereas in the north, most are German, with a strong contingent from mainland Spain and a smattering from other northern European countries, including the UK.  So, you certainly don’t get the beer-swilling Brit brigade here.  It’s more..  sedate, cultured and classy.  That’s not to say that the tourist

Puerto de la Cruz Street

industry here is in any way unwelcoming to the British.  The hotels, restaurants and bars are staffed with people who seem to be able to talk just about every language necessary including British, so you there are no worries on that font.  Personally, I find it very pleasant and somehow exotic to be in a cafe or bar surrounded by Spanish and German customers – it adds to the feeling of being on holiday for me.

Finally in this overview, the other big contrast between Puerto de la Cruz and, say, Los Cristianos is the coast.  In the north around Puerto, the coast is rocky and has fewer beaches.  What beaches there are have black sand, compared to the golden sand of Los Cristianos in the south.  In Puerto de la Cruz itself, there are a couple of black sand beaches, but the sea is often too rough for swimming, so a massive series of lakes and swimming pools was built along the main promenade in the “new” town – known as Lagos Martianez.  Acres of terraces, plants, trees, cafes, bars and about seven

Lagos Martianez Tenerife, 15 December 2009

pools of varying shapes and sizes and some of them massive.  It’s the main reason why many people choose to come here, and a good number spend most of their days in this superb complex of pools and gardens, open to the public from 10am every day with a great value entry fee of about 3.5 euros.

In this overview we have just scratched the surface, and you will find plenty of more detailed information here at http://suntrapholidays.co.uk.
Meanwhile, to check availability on some of the great Puerto de la Cruz hotels, take a look at this link: Puerto de la Cruz hotels

Cheap Holidays Abroad – How to Find a Bargain

These days, we all like a bargain, especially when it comes to big ticket items like holidays.  We’ve got some top tips on how to find cheap holidays abroad.  Read them here..

Cheap Holidays Abroad - Takeoff, courtesy of geograph.org.uk author David Johnston

The holiday industry is very good overall at matching capacity to demand, but because of the logistics of hotel accommodation and flights, in the short term there are often imbalances and this gives you and I a chance of finding cheap holidays abroad.  I mean, you can’t just “un-build” a hotel when demand falls, or sell off an Airbus overnight.  So sometimes, quite often actually, capacity outstrips demand and this leads to lower prices.

This is what we have been seeing in the travel industry for many years.  However, what’s new of late is that the industry, like many others, is working through probably the biggest downturn in its history.  This has seriously disrupted the normal trading patterns, and while some holidays are going up in price, others can be bought, in certain circumstances at certain times, for very low prices indeed – sometimes the lowest ever in real terms – now these really are the kind of cheap holidays abroad we are looking for!

You’re probably bursting to know how to get hold of one of these really low-priced holidays.  Well, they pop up all over the place and it’s not always easy to predict where and when, but in our experience there are some definite rules to follow – some old, some very new – if you want to find the very best bargain holidays in today’s market:

“the biggest killer of cheap holidays abroad is still the school holiday”

Golden rule – avoid school holidays.  At the moment, despite economic conditions, the biggest killer of cheap holidays abroad is still the school holiday effect.  It seems to have become even more marked in recent years as the rules about taking children out of school during term time have been tightened up.  If you can travel during term time, you will save a great deal.  For example, flights are often as much as three times as expensive during a half-term holiday than the weeks either side.  A top tip is to check the school holiday dates for several counties when you’re booking your time off work, because they can vary by a week or so depending on where you are.

Act quickly – if you see a holiday that meets all your requirements and is there on your screen at a really good price, you need to be mentally prepared to click the button and book it on-line with your credit card there and then.  If you’re going in a group, you need to get advance agreement from everyone on what to look for, so that when you see a holiday, you can book it without double-checking with them.  This is the only sure way to secure that cheap holiday abroad.  I have delayed booking by literally a couple of hours to get the “OK” from the family, only to find that the holiday had vanished and I had to start again.

“be flexible”

Be flexible on hotel, resort or even country! – The more open you can be to a variety of holiday experiences, the more bargains will be available to you.  Can you really say you “I don’t think I’d like Turkey”, when you have never

Cheap Holidays Abroad - In Flight, courtesy of flickr.com user: a_of_doom

experienced the tranquility of its beautiful sandy beaches?  You only live once.  Why not open yourself up to the possibilities and see where it takes you?

Avoid weekend flights – most people work Monday to Friday still, and therefore most of them want to travel at the weekend so that they use less of those precious days off work.  Weekend flights, and even Friday flights, tend to cost more because of this extra demand.

Consider a night flight – OK personally I would no longer go on a night flight to the Med unless I was in a wooden box, and even then, only if meals were included..   But, if you are young or just really tight for cash, flights that leave at the crack of dawn or late at night are almost always cheaper because fewer people want to go on them.  Maybe you can compromise and take an unsocial flight at one end of your holiday.  Some people don’t mind being half-dead on their employer’s time the day after they get back (tut..)

“allow for meals”

Take meals into account – when you are calculating the cost of your holiday, allow for meals and see if half-board could be cheaper.  In Spain, for example, you often go up from self-catering to half-board in a four star hotel for as little as £25 per week per person.  The food included is usually buffet-style, so you can eat as much as you like for breakfast and at night, so you won’t want much at lunchtime!  £25 is not going to go far if you are eating out every night and doing your own shopping for breakfast items on top.  This means that although the headline holiday price for half-board could be higher, the overall holiday cost could be cheaper once you add in meal costs.

Check package holiday prices – a few years ago, package holidays were your only chance of getting cheap holidays abroad, because there was less technology to adjust prices according to supply & demand, and operators sometimes got stuck with unsold seats at the last minute.  In recent years, independent travel has taken off (so to speak) and a lot of people look for bargain flights then bargain accommodation separately.  However, you can still find the occasional package holiday bargain, because even with all the sophisticated pricing technology, sometimes seats get left unsold.  The best bargains are for seven or 14-day package holidays – simply because that’s where the bulk of the capacity is.  If you can’t do this length of holiday, I would forget packages.

“save a bundle”

Buy the add-ons in advance – you can save a bundle on airport parking, train tickets, foreign currency and airport hotels by booking them in advance.  Get in to the habit of doing it just after you’ve booked your holiday.

Check reviews to make sure it’s cheap for the right reasons! – read hotel, accommodation and resort reviews on sites such as Suntrap Holidays.  Some hotels are way past their best and very cheap in price because nobody in their right mind would pay any more to stay there.  When you see a bargain, you need to make sure that it’s somewhere that gets average reviews at the very least.  The ideal find is the hotel with great reviews that has somehow been left with a load of unsold rooms at the last minute – it happens.

Look for hotels on the edge of their classes – by this I mean that some hotels cannot become, say, four star because they have, for example, a small bathroom that cannot be changed without serious demolition. The hotel might be

Cheap Holidays Abroad - Landing, courtesy of flickr.com user: ryax

refurbished and generally equipped to four-star standard and offering service to match, but because of a technicality has to be classed as three star.  This is often reflected in reviews – I cannot tell you how often I have read things like, “it was three star but should have been four star from what I saw.”  So, watch out for these tell-tale reviews and see if you can pay three-star prices for what is effectively a four-star hotel!

Transfer by bus or train – people often automatically pay for a tour operator’s airport transfer or book a taxi, but if you do a bit of research on-line you will find that many destinations have great bus, coach and train services from the airport to the resort and they can be many times cheaper.  This especially applies to city breaks and the more popular holiday destinations.  Even if you can’t book trains or buses in advance, at least know where to catch them and when.  Then, as you leave the airport, tired and hot, you will know what to do and you will be less tempted to jump into the nearest expensive taxi!

In today’s market, with prices changing from hour to hour, I have to say that one of the most important of the above tips for cheap holidays abroad, a tip for the internet age, is the one about acting quickly.  You really do have to “just book it”!

If there are any true bargains out there in the marketplace, by following these tips you can be sure that you will be in the right place at the right time to snap up a bargain – and if you find one, go for it, because cheap holidays abroad may not be about forever.
We work with some of the best on-line travel agents in the business, because after all, if we didn’t provide the best deals here at Suntrap Holidays, we would not survive!  You can check out some of the current great offers on flights and hotels – see if you can find some of those cheap holidays abroad – by clicking the big red button:

Holidays to Kos – Kos You’re Worth It!

Kos is one of the most popular destinations for Greek Islands holidays to Kos from the UK.  Now you’re thinking – is he joking with me?  No.  Come one now, read a bit more and see for yourself..

Kos is in the middle of the Greek Island group known as the Dodecanese (from the Greek word for 12, as there are 12 of them, duh!).  It’s to the south-east of mainland Greece, and very handy for Turkey, which is useful if you spend Christmas Day there.

On Holidays to Kos?  On yer Bike!

Kos is not like other Greek Islands.  It’s long and narrow, and basically a great flat plain, apart from a little crease of a mountain range along the south-eastern edge.  As it’s mainly flat, it’s got to be the best of the Greek Islands for cycling.  I’m not talking Tour de France or anything – I mean, the whole island is only about 45 kilometres long and between two

Holidays to Kos - Cycling, courtesy of flickr.com user maxilgatto

and eleven kilometres wide.  Just get yourself down to one of the many bike hire shops and you’ll be all set for a bit of tranquil two-wheeled tottering amongst the olive trees.

Why Kos Beaches?  Kos They’re Lurvely!

Beaches in Kos come in all shapes and sizes, but tend towards long stretches of sand rather than little bays.

Holidays to Kos – Tigaki Tranquility

A good example is Tingaki or Tigaki.  (One day the English will decide how they want to translate it!)  Tingaki is about seven kilometres west of Kos town and although it’s developed  a fair bit in recent years, it’s still low-key and relaxing

Holidays to Kos - Tingaki Beach, courtesy of flickr.com user monstermunch

and a very nice place to be.  Loads of people who take holidays to Kos from the UK come to Tingaki year after year – as you can see if you read the reviews.

The beach here, just like Andrex toilet tissue, is soft, erm strong?  Hmm.. Well it’s definitely very, very long!  Ten kilometres long, so you can always find a spot to spread out your towel in peace, but if you like a bit of company, go for one of the sections near the resort centre where you can hire sun beds and umbrellas.  Tingaki beach has lovely white sand and gently shelving, shallow water, so it’s great for kids.  Of all ages, right..

If you turn left when you get to the sea, and walk for about a kilometre, you will reach the official nudist beach.  This is probably the most popular of all the nudist beaches on Kos, so if you’re after an all-over tan, this is a great place to start!

Marmari Moments

No dear, not Marmaris in Turkey,  this is Marmari with no “s”; the next resort along the beach west of Tingaki, less developed and less well-known than its neighbour.  In many ways, the beach here is similar to that of Tingaki, with lovely white sand, crystal-clear sea and plenty of room.  There are some watersports on offer here and you can hire sun

Holidays to Kos - Near Marmari, courtesy of flickr.com user amaechler

beds and umbrellas or get a drink and a snack from one of the beach bars.  On the other hand, just like on Tingaki beach, you can easily find a quiet spot further along the beach if you want to go to Kos holiday heaven!  Oh, just to say that there are some great places to stay if you would like to make Marmari the base for your holiday in Kos.

Kardamena = Happenin Holidays to Kos

Now we’re off to the other side of the island to the southern resort of Karmadema.  It’s a very different kettle of kalamari from Tingaki and Marmari.  If you stay here you’re the other end of the island from Kos town – about 30 kilometres away.  The good thing is that you’re actually very handy for the airport at this end

holidays to Kos - Kardamena, courtesy of flickr.com user eric81

of the island – just five kilometres makes for a very short transfer but you’re not close enough for any noise from the planes.

Kardamena has developed over the last 20 years into a resort that’s large by Kos standards, and I’m not sure but it could well be the most popular resort for Kos holidays in terms of visitor numbers.  There’s a lot to do here, with bars, restaurants and great night-life.  In fact, there is enough night-life for the liveliest of young things, but on the other hand Kardamena is definitely a great place for couples and families too.

The beach itself is a good ‘un.  Golden sand, clear water, great amenities and plenty of places to eat and drink on and just off the beach.  Watersports are on offer too, and if you want to do your Cap’n Birdseye impersonation (oh please, not again..) hop on one of the boats in the harbour and demand to be taken on a trip!  (I would choose one of the actual excursion boats if I were you.)

OK before we finish, I want you to tear yourself away from the beach for a moment because we’re off to the highest village in Kos for a little adventure:

Zia – Say Hi to Zorba!

The pretty village of Zia is right in the middle of the mountains.  It’s a mecca for the discerning sightseer, to quote Alan

Holidays to Kos - Zia, courtesy of Wikimedia user Thomas Feldes

Bennett, but retains its olde worlde charm, oh yes.  For many people taking holidays to Kos, their first taste of Zia will be a traditional Greek night, maybe at the famous Fantasia Taverna.  Great food, Greek dancing with a palate-cleansing Zorba between courses if you’re lucky!  If you come on holidays to Kos and you’ve not been before, you just have to do Zia, OK?

Well, that’s a quick Suntrap Holidays round-up of the beautiful Greek island of Kos – I hope you enjoyed it!  You can click the button at the top to check the best deals and availability for holidays to Kos.

Holiday Truths – Top Four Beach Changers

Today we’re going to take a look at one of the most amusing and yet one of the most common of all holiday truths.

Holiday Truths - Beach with Windbreak, courtesy of geograph.org.uk author Kim Burton

Imagine the picture.  It’s the first day of your holiday in the sun and you’re lying on the beach.  You look up from your book at the people around you.  You are intrigued to see that, far from relaxing in the sun, several of them seem to be involved in some sort of exotic tribal dance.

So what are these strange people doing?  Well, they are engaged in one of the oldest of holiday truths of all time – that amusing beach activity of “changing”.  But did you know that all beach “changers” fall into four categories?  Please read on to discover more..

The Hopper

Often, the Hopper is a younger person, perhaps a child or a teenager,  perhaps less experienced in the art of changing on the beach.  Because it is an art, and one that gets better with practice.  At the beginning, everything starts off very well.  The child or teenager stands up, ties a towel round the waist and off come the outer lower garments such as skirt, trousers or shorts.

So far so good, but it’s the next bit that gives the Hopper his or her name.  We’re talking about the underwear removal stage.  Because the Hopper is unable to see what’s under the towel, and because only one hand is free to grab and pull that underwear (as the other hand is holding the towel up, just to be sure), the job becomes rather tricky.

“kicking forth like a move from some lost Egyptian dance”

One side of the underwear, the grabbed side, stretches downwards, while the other grips the hip, leg and knees for all it’s worth, finally snagging unexpectedly on the foot, causing a sudden pulling of the raised leg, loss of balance, and – you guessed it – a manic hopping session as the poor victim uses every ounce of balancing skill to remain upright, keep hold of the towel and free the snagged underwear from an ankle that is now kicking forth like a move from some lost Egyptian dance.

The Wriggler

Whereas the Hopper is usually a child or teenager, the Wriggler is generally a woman, usually of a “certain age”, a lady who prefers discretion when it comes to changing on the beach.  Her aim is to change her garments without anybody noticing whatsoever that she is demeaning herself by removing her clothing in a public place, albeit temporarily.

So, the poor Wriggler sits on her towel, and then summons her husband to give up his towel so that she can wrap it around her.  The plan is that by changing in the sitting position, she can do so stealthily, with dignity and even some style.

This is a sad misconception, because the Wriggler, far from being unnoticed, is actually one of the most glaringly

Holiday Truths - Lady on the Beach, courtesy of haroldolsen.com

obvious and entertaining of all “beach changers”.  It’s a problem of physics, you see.  The Wriggler is seated on the very undergarments that she is trying to remove.  Finding that they won’t budge, she balances on one hip, then the other, whilst simultaneously pulling on the side of the underwear on the raised hip.  The friction caused by the underwear jamming against the tightly-wrapped towel only serves to make matters worse.

“catapulted as much as ten feet”

Realising that absolutely nothing is moving, the poor Wriggler gets more and more frustrated and animated in her movements, gaining the attention of more and more onlookers.  Realising she has a growing audience, she reaches a stage of desperation known as the “Wriggler’s Undoing”.  Lifting both hips into the air, she holds her towel tightly in one hand and grips the underwear hard with the other, then with an almighty pull, her knickers come free, virtually catapulted as much as ten feet across the sand as her bemused audience looks on.

The Chinner

The Chinner is in a small minority of beach changers, but this method is rapidly gaining in popularity with younger men.  Indeed, I would not be surprised to find that future writers on the subject of holiday truths may report that “chinning” has become a new word in the beach vocabulary.

“lack of rear coverage”

Usually, Chinners are men.  This sexism arises because the Chinner’s method of changing offers no protection for the chest area – or the rear.  Because of this lack of rear coverage, the Chinner is nearly always restricted to those beaches where there is a cliff, sea wall or other vertical surface that he can “back onto”.

He takes one end or even just a corner of his beach towel, and wedges it firmly under his chin, leaving the length of the towel to hang down the centre of his body in a mercilessly thin ribbon of cloth.  If you think about the mechanics of this, you will come to realise very quickly that this is a highly risky method of changing.

First of all, as humans we have a natural, instinctive urge to put our heads up continually to look for danger, like any animal. This is the first cause of peril for the Chinner.  One unthinking movement of the head, and down goes that towel revealing all!

The other peril waiting to display the Chinner’s particles in all their glory is a meteorological one.  A sudden gust of side wind can whip the bottom of the towel upwards just at the Chinner’s most naked moment, in extreme cases depositing the towel in an over-the-shoulder look, quite trendy if it were not for the nakedness beneath.

The Pretender

Now we come to the “coolest” of beach changers.  The Pretender is often a man, and will usually be a rough-and-ready, down-to-earth young adult, perhaps a member of the armed forces – or at the other end of the scale, and older, hippy-ish type.

Both of these very different groups of people have something in common when it comes to changing on the beach – basically, they just don’t care.  It’s almost as if they are “pretending”, as they change, that they are in their bedrooms at home – which of course gives the Pretender his name.

“everything is on show”

Here is what happens:  The Pretender puts down his towel, takes off his footwear, then shirt or tee shirt, then shorts or trousers, then simply whips off the underwear.  Momentarily, everything is on show for anyone to see, but because the Pretender does not have to wrestle with a towel, he can concentrate fully on the matter in hand and as a result, in no time the swimwear in position, leaving any onlookers wondering if they really did just see “that” or whether it was all wishful thinking!

Of course, there is a risk to the Pretender’s strategy.  If he uses this method on some beaches in some countries, he could find himself on an unplanned excursion to the local police station.  This is very unlikely, however, because the beauty of the Pretender’s way of doing things is that it’s a quick-change method.  By the time someone thinks of complaining, the evidence has been quite literally covered up!

I hope you enjoyed reading these Suntrap Holidays holiday truths about “beach changers”.  Please come back often because there will be more..

Cheap Holidays to Benidorm – Terralta Apartments Review

Terralta Apartments ***

Suntrap Holidays Rating: 9/10

This scenic and peaceful complex of 160 apartments is one of the most popular self-catering accommodations in Benidorm at the time of writing.

Cheap Holidays in Benidorm - Terralta Apartments Outside

If you are looking for cheap holidays to Benidorm, you will be amazed that a place like this exists, where you really can get a great value holiday without sacrificing anything in terms of comfort and sheer enjoyment.

When you arrive, you will see that this is no concrete jungle.  Here, low-rise blocks of three storeys are set amongst the flowers and trees, around the fabulous pool that comes in for such a good mention in so many reviews.

Over on TripAdvisor, out of some 212 reviews, 89% score the Terralta Apartments above average or excellent, and 88% would be happy to recommend the place to others.  Only 11 people rated the apartments below average – and considering this is out of 212 reviews, these are very impressive scores indeed.

So what is it that has prompted so many people to write such good things about this place?  Read on, and you will find out..

Cheap Holidays to Benidorm – Frequently Asked Questions about Terralta Apartments

Where is it?

Located about 1000 metres from Poniente Beach with its two miles of golden sand, the apartments are in a quiet residential area up a hill from the hustle and bustle of the resort.  the surrounding are lovely and you’re nowhere near

Cheap Holidays in Benidorm - Terralta Apartments Swimming Pool

all the sky-scrapers!  The walk into the old town only takes about 10 minutes, but those with walking disabilities may prefer to take a taxi for about five euros or get one of the punctual hourly buses.

Who is this hotel for?

The location means that the Terralta may not suit the 24/7 party set who would be better looking for based in one of the hotels in the resort centre, but the place is ideal for families and couples who, whilst aiming for cheap holidays to Benidorm, don’t walk to be in a noisy town-centre hotel block.

How do the Terralta Apartments compare to other complexes?

The apartments here are very spacious, well-designed, modern, and with good quality fixtures and fittings.  You will find plenty of storage space, and everything is kept nice and clean,

Cheap Holidays in Benidorm - Terralta Apartments Bedroom

as are the public areas of the complex.  Each apartment has a bedroom with twin beds; a sofa in the lounge; air conditioning from June to September inclusive; and for a small charge, satellite TV and a room safe.  All apartments have balconies, some with a view of the pool.

The kitchenette is particularly good here, with efficient fridge/freezers (quite unusual, that); cooking rings; microwave; toaster and kettle.  They’ve been pretty generous with utensils here too – so you really can do the self-catering thing if you want to.

In the bathroom you will find a shower over the bath and a hair dryer mounted on the wall.

In all, you’re getting a brilliant apartment for the money here, and in my opinion it’s worth being a little further from the beach to get this quality at these prices.

What’s outside?

Cheap holidays to Benidorm will never seem the same again once you have enjoyed the pool and gardens at the Terralta Apartments.

The borders are filled with fragrant lavender, rosemary, thyme and jasmine, shaded by palms and orange trees.  But it

Cheap Holidays in Benidorm - Terralta Apartments Pool

gets much better than that:

The superb swimming pools here are a major attraction of the place.  The main pool is curvy and huge for the size of the complex.  Unusually, it is shallow all the way round near to the edge.  Because of this, some of the kids prefer it to their dedicated children’s pool, but don’t worry Mum and Dad because there is a lifeguard on duty here until 6pm to keep them safe.

The other thing well worth mentioning is that there are loads of sunbeds here, and the manager has a policy of “tidying away” those towels that people, shall we say “leave behind” on the sunbeds!  (You know the ones – out in their pyjamas to reserve a bed and then you never see them until the afternoon because they go out shopping all morning..)  This means you have the best possible chance of getting a sunbed whenever you want one.  The icing on the cake is that you can hire soft mats from reception for a euro per day to make the sunbeds even more comfy.  What more could you want!

Adults, here’s something just for you.  If you want a more peaceful time by the pool, you’ll find an adults-only covered

Cheap Holidays in Benidorm - Terralta Apartments Jacuzzi

pool at the Terralta Apartments, where you can escape the lively kids for a while – what a bonus!

What about food and drink?

The emphasis is on providing cheap holidays to Benidorm – cheap is not really the word – excellent value is more accurate.  This means that the emphasis in on self-catering backed up by an on-site cafe/bar and a pool bar.  It’s basic food rather than a la carte, which is not to say it’s bad at all, and there is a good choice, but personally I would want a change some nights.    This is no problem, as there are plenty of places to eat out within easy walking distance of the complex.

By the way, the breakfasts are great here, with a good-sized plate of full English costing about four euros at the time of writing.

Are the staff friendly?

Reception staff Laura and Louna deserve a special mention, and Anna is superb with the kids.  Behind the bar, Jose, Antonio and Ranjit are popular, and the housekeeping team are said to be helpful and smiling!

Is there Internet access?

Yes, you can get on the web or check your emails in the public area, costing one euro for 20 minutes.

What other facilities are there?

You will find a steam room and a gym here, available for three euros per day or 7.50 euros for three days – nice if the weather is a little cooler at each end of the season.

In the basement, the kids will soon search out the games room, where they can play pool, air hockey, whack-a-parent (or is it hamster?) and table tennis.

Entertainment is laid on here, but it’s not as impressive as in some of the other, bigger hotels.  Then again, holidays here really are some of the best quality cheap holidays to Benidorm that you will find, so any entertainment is really a bonus.

Cheap Holidays to Benidorm – Terralta Apartments Verdict

The Terralta Apartments make good quality, great value holidays to Benidorm a reality.  The best points in my opinion are the large, spacious apartments; the very large, spotlessly clean pools; the quiet location – and of course the unusually efficient fridge/freezers!

Here at Suntrap Holidays we score the Terralta Apartments in Benidorm an impressive 9/10.

Why not check just how little it will cost you to stay here?  For pricing and availability on this and other apartments in Benidorm, just click the link: Cheap Holidays to Benidorm.

This hotel’s reference number is suntrap153. Text suntrap153 to your friends and family and tell them to Google it to find this review.

Maspalomas Review

When it comes to choosing a Gran Canaria holiday, the unique resort of Maspalomas with its world famous dunes and fantastic beach is my personal favourite every time.

Come with me as we take a look at what makes this place so very special:

Maspalomas Confusion

Beach Maspalomas Gran Canaria, courtesy of wikimedia user: Pepelopex

Before we start, it’s worth mentioning that quite a lot of people stay in Playa del Ingles, the busy, lively resort on the other side of the sand dunes to Maspalomas, but “think” they stayed in Maspalomas.  I have seen loads of holiday reviews under the heading of Maspalomas, where reviewers have even stated that they stayed in Maspalomas, when they were actually staying in one of the many hotels in Playa del Ingles. It’s not the same resort – in fact there are three kilometres of sand dunes between them.  Playa del Ingles is buzzing and lively, whereas Maspalomas – the subject of this article – is much more tranquil, scenic and relaxing..

Maspalomas Bungalows

Careful planning means that there are no high-rise buildings here, and you will notice that many of the accommodations are described as “bungalows” and really are little self-contained low-rise houses, usually about 50 or

Maspalomas Bungalows Campo Golf

so to a complex, and often arranged amongst gardens around a central swimming pool well away from the road.

The low-rise buildings mean that the dramatic backdrop of the mountains of central Gran Canaria is often visible, and this sets the tone for the whole resort – scenic, unspoilt, quiet.  There are shops and restaurants here, but they are mostly restricted to purpose-built commercial centres – hubs of entertainment that really come to life in the evenings, but where night-life is self-contained and kept well away from where you are sleeping.

Maspalomas Dunes and Beach

Sand Dunes Maspalomas Gran Canaria

The beach in Maspalomas is a stunner.  Miles of golden sand backed by those atmospheric dunes where you can lose yourself on a sunny wander amongst the trees and bushes with only the pretty little birds for company, or find a little hill to sit on and gaze across the “desert” with the folds of the craggy mountains on one side and the shimmering blue sea on the other.  In the central part of the long beach you will find the Maspalomas naturist beach; it’s a very relaxed place with adults and kids of all ages, so even if you’ve never had an all-over tan before it’s a great place to start.  Look – nobody knows you here, so go for it!

Maspalomas Golf Course (Campo Golf Maspalomas)

Campo Golf Maspalomas Gran Canaria, courtesy of Flickr.com user: jorgecorrea

Maspalomas is a perfect location for golf holidays to Gran Canaria, because the famous golf course, or Campo de Golf, is within easy walking distance of most bungalows and hotels.  This 18-hole, par 73 course is next to the famous dunes and set amongst palm trees with those stunning mountains for a backdrop.  A practice green, driving range, equipment hire, and somewhere to eat and drink afterwards – it’s all on offer here.

Aqualand Maspalomas

For kids aged one to 101, the Aqualand Maspalomas water park with its 30-odd slides is a great Maspalomas excursion.  Well, not really an excursion – it’s just a couple of miles north-west of the centre of Maspalomas and well-signposted.  A taxi to the water park from Maspalomas won’t break the bank, or you can take bus number 70 from the Faro de Maspalomas (the lighthouse).

Aqualand is such a good water park that you can easily spend the day here.  Why not race your friends down the parallel slides of the “Kamikaze”, or maybe bounce off the neck-wrenching turns of the “Adrenalina”.  My favourite is actually “Mamut” – the biggest slide of the lot, where you bounce along and over several heart-stopping drops in a four-man rubber raft.  After all the excitement you can take it easy for a while and have a gentle cruise along the “Congo River” and maybe catch a few waves on the man-made “surf beach”.  Take a look for yourself by clicking the link: Aqualand Maspalomas.

Meloneras, Gran Canaria

Meloneras is the name given to what is really a small area of Maspalomas, by the lighthouse at the far right of the beach as you face the sea.  In recent years it has developed into a sophisticated little village with stylish hotels, shops and restaurants.  Meloneras is the missing piece of the jigsaw for Maspalomas.  Now you can enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of unspoilt Maspalomas with its bungalow complexes, but take a walk or a very short taxi ride from your bungalow when you want some designer shops, a great choice of bars and restaurants, and a bit of life at night.  Not that there is 24/7 partying here – not at all.  For that, you need to go to the neighbouring resort of Playa del Ingles.  Meloneras is more classy and stylish, its whole ethos aimed towards providing a more up-market experience for the customers of the five star hotels that have recently sprung up here.  In fact, if you see web pages listing five star hotels in Maspalomas, they will almost always be hotels in Meloneras.  So, if you prefer five star hotels in Gran Canaria to self-catering bungalows, Meloneras is the place to look for accommodation.

Well, that’s the end of this Suntrap Holidays Guide to Maspalomas.  Thanks for reading, and if you would like to check availability and current offers on holidays and hotels in Maspalomas, you can use the quick search box on the top right..

The Best Beaches in Crete – Eastern Crete

On a holiday in Crete, faced with over a thousand metres of coastline, you are spoiled for choice.  So how do you find the best beaches in Crete?  Read on..

Crete, that most southerly of Greek islands apart from little Gavdos, is just about the hottest and sunniest place in Europe.  It’s also very large at about 160 miles east to west and 35 miles from north to south at the widest point.  Therefore, when you are planning a holiday to Crete, you need to choose your resort carefully if you aim to spend some time on the best beaches in Crete without facing several hours travelling each way.

That’s why Suntrap Holidays produced this little two-part guide to the best beaches in Crete.  In this part, we look at the top beaches in Crete’s eastern half, reachable from Heraklion, Malia and the other resorts on the right-hand side of the island.

Let’s take a look:

(To see the beaches on a Google map, click this link: Map of the best beaches in Crete – Eastern Half.)

The Best Beaches in Crete – Matala

Best Beaches in Crete - Matala, courtesy of flickr.com user: storem

Matala, about two hours from Heraklion by car, is a long-established beach that started to gain popularity back in the 70s with the hippy movement.  Renowned for the ancient cave tombs carved into the rocks that overlook the white sand and crystal-clear water, Matala is definitely worth a visit.  Actually, being fairly central on the southern coast, it is also just about accessible for a day trip from the resorts in the Chania area on the western side of Crete, perhaps some two-and-a-half hours by car from Chania.
If you go here, be sure to try some of the really fresh local fish in one of the great little tavernas on the beach.

The Best Beaches in Crete – Makriyialos

The Best Beaches in Crete - Makrigialos

This lovely long sandy beach is about 90 minutes’ drive from Heraklion.  This side of the island tends to be quieter apart from one or two resorts, and the beach here, being so long, offers plenty of opportunity for you to escape from the crowds.  The water here is shallow, making it an excellent choice for families with younger children.

The Best Beaches in Crete – Vai

The Best Beaches in Crete - Vai, courtesy of flickr.com user: paulmannix

About two hours’ drive from Heraklion, the beach at Vai has been described as “Caribbean-style”, which is a reference to the palm grove that surrounds the beach – it’s the largest palm grove in Crete and does indeed give the beach a  somewhat un-Greek feel!
Vai is certainly a beautiful place, and the whole area is protected to keep it that way.  In high season, it can get busy here though; the beach is fairly small and popular because of its beauty.
Beach facilities are limited because of the protected status of the area, but there is a small snack bar.

The Best Beaches in Crete – Itanos

Just two kilometres north of Vai, there are fewer of the famous palm trees here – but also fewer people, so it’s a good alternative if you arrive at Vai only to find it pretty busy.  There are actually three different beaches in Itanos, the most northern sandy bay being the best for swimming.  It is here that you can explore the underwater ruins of the ancient town of Itanos that gives the area its name.

The Best Beaches in Crete – Hiona

The pretty little sandy beach of Hiona is only about 300 metres long but it’s a real gem.  It’s also in the same area as Vai and Itanos, so you can make a day of it from Heraklion or Malia and see all three beaches.  Hiona is about 22 kilometres from Sitia and three km north-east of Palekastro.  The final kilometre or so of road to the beach is pretty rough, so go slowly!  The beach is also subject to the prevailing wind, so best on calm days.

The sea here is beautifully clear, and the sand is golden.  There is some shade at the back of the beach from the Tamarisk trees.  The sea shelves gently too, so it’s pretty safe for kids.  There are some little coves to the south-east which are clothing optional.

The three tavernas on the beach do such wonderful things with the locally-caught fresh fish that they are famous throughout Crete, so definitely worth taking a meal here.  The fish soup is especially good – maybe when the heat of the sun has diminished towards the end of the day!

I hope you have enjoyed this quick Suntrap Holidays guide to the best beaches in Crete’s eastern half.  If you are based in or around Chania or the resorts of the left-hand, western side of Crete, please take a look at the sister guide to the best beaches in Crete’s western half.

You can check availability on some great holiday deals to Crete here: Holidays near the best beaches in Crete.