Spanish Islands – Do’s an Dont’s

Daria Sergeeva,

Correspondent (Travel)

Spanish islands is a popular destination amongst young people nowadays. Mallorca, Menorca, the Canaries — large groups of people regularly go there for holidays. However, the first time can be an awful disappointment if you don’t know a thing about Spain.

The places differ by the ‘quality’ of the seashore, the beach, amount of good cafes and restaurants, shops and, obviously, hotels/ apartments. Some parts of the islands are noisier, filled up with clubs and thus, perfect for a company of friends. The others, however, are more quiet and full of families with children.

Worth of mentioning is the fact that most of resorts lack normal supermarkets. There are, of course, food shops but they are small shops where you would really struggle to find fresh meat. Also, there are hardly any fashion shops at the beaches. Obviously there are many low cost ones that are filled with fake Louis Vuitton bags (so don’t fall for that!) — it is not just on sale if it comes at a price of 100 euros. All the proper shops and supermarkets are located in the center of the islands, the places where the native people live. If you are not counting on renting a car don’t bring a half-empty suitcase in the hope of buying new high-brand clothes. However, if you do rent a car, you will be amazed by the low prices in the shops.

Don’t stop looking after you found a fancy place filled with gigantic cottages. These usually include very expensive hotels, private beaches and are situated quite far from the other parts of the island- walking to the nearest supermarket will be a long- distance adventure.

The best choice is to book an apartment. In the end it will be cheaper and more convenient. But don’t forget to check if it has Wi-Fi (otherwise you’ll find yourself seating at a café with free internet and just a cup of coffee all the time) and how far the nearest supermarket is. Also, if you have a choice between a flat with a balcony and without, pick the first one. Of course, it depends on the view but you might find it amazingly peaceful to sleep in the fresh air, waking up in the morning and the first thing you see is the sea. Sounds good, doesn’t it?

When booking read the comments of people who’ve already been there- they’ll probably give you the best advice. People tend to mention the worst things thus, you would know what to expect and maybe this will make you choose a different place to live.

Despite everything mentioned above, the most important thing is not the place where you go but the people accompanying you. If your friends are travelling with you any place will be good!

 

Image Courtesy: Otto Buchegger Max Sorglos on de.wikipedia, Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported¦ Wikimedia Commons