Wednesday, July 30th, 2008
When summer comes, it seems that all of Europe goes on holiday in Majorca; since the first custom built Majorca resorts appeared in the 1960s, the island has been the number one choice for sun and sand holidays. The combination of beautiful beaches, busy nightlife, blazing sun, numerous hotels and low cost flights have made cheap holidays in Majorca irresistible for many, with the island attracting millions of visitors from England, Ireland, Germany and many other parts of Europe every summer.
There are over two dozen resorts in Majorca, and they are by no means identical. Each one has its own attractions and individual character, so whether you want to party the night away or relax on the beach with the kids, there will be a resort to suit you. Here is a selection of the best resorts in Majorca:
Alcudia - Best for…Beaches
For a cheap holiday in Majorca, one thing matters above all others - the beach. There’s plenty to do apart from swimming and sunbathing in Majorca, but the majority of visitors have come to escape grey skies at home and grab a little quality time in the sun.
So if hitting the beach is your top priority, Alcudia is the place to be. Widely reckoned to be the best in Majorca, Alcudia’s gorgeous beach stretches out for over nine miles along the north coast of the island. The water is calm and safe for children to play in, and there are a huge range of water sports and activities to get involved with. If you want to lounge on the best beach in Majorca, a holiday in Alcudia will be perfect for you.
Magaluf - Best for…Clubbing
If you are looking for a party while on holiday in Majorca, there’s nowhere better than Magaluf. The central strip is stuffed full of bars, and you are spoilt for choice for clubs, with BCM and Bananas two of the biggest and most popular. Magaluf is well known on the European clubbing scene, and regularly hosts top DJs like Judge Jules and DJ Sammy. The resort is especially popular with a young British crowd, with many going on a cheap holiday in Majorca specifically to hit the clubs of Magaluf. But it’s not all clubbing at this Majorca resort: it also has a massive water park (perfect for kids…or to cure a hangover!), a go-karting track, and one of the best beaches on the island.
Palma Nova - Best for…Families
There are numerous family friendly Majorca resorts, but Palma Nova may be the pick of the bunch. The resort is quieter and more relaxed than some of the busier, club focused resorts. The beach is clean, safe and ideal for families, and most of the evening entertainment is designed to be family friendly. There are plenty of activities to keep children entertained, including junior golf, and the waterpark at the neighbouring resort of Magaluf. Overall, the resort of Palma is ideal for a cheap family holiday to Majorca.
Palma City - Best for…Culture
Culture may not be the first thing that springs to mind for a holiday in Majorca, but its capital, Palma City, is the perfect place to combine some time in the sun with a taste of Spanish and Balearic culture. Most travellers to Majorca will prefer to stay in a holiday resort on the beach, but Palma City is perfect for a day trip. The best restaurants in the islands are in Palma, offering a great selection of Majorcan cuisine. The city also features a massive medieval cathedral, partially restored by Antoni Gaudi, and several good art museums. Once you’ve filled up on culture, you can enjoy numerous nearby beaches or the city’s very active bar and clubbing culture before you return to your Majorca resort.
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008
The Algarve is Portugal’s most popular holiday destination due to its clean beaches, unpolluted water and the fact that this area is nice and cheap. Algarve holidays are ideal for getting the perfect suntan, but even a cheap Algarve holiday can also include some of these excellent activities and theme parks.
Algarve water parks: Aqualand have fantastic flumes and slides and there are a number of other exciting Algarve family holiday activities on offer at fun parks such as Zoomarine and Krazyworld.
Aqualand
Algarve water park Aqualand, near Albufeira, has some of the best family adventure rides in Europe. On the Banzai Boggan, you sit on a board and, get ready for it, plummet 23 metres down a vertical slide, building up speed to surf across the grounded pool at the bottom.
Other cutting edge waterslides at this Algarve water park include the Kamikaze ride - the highest in Portugal - where you descend from 36 metres hurtling down 95 metres of slide in four seconds, and the Corkscrew Anaconda, a multiple water slide that looks like a snake.
Calmer attractions include a relaxed ride on the slow moving Congo River, a semi-olympic swimming pool, rapids with white water rafting on an inflated ring, a surf beach with simulated waves and the Crazy Race slide where friends can race each other down a multiple lane water slide.
If you’re Algarve family holiday includes small children then there is also plenty for the little ones, including a Mini Park with slides, showers and giant crayons, all in a shallow water pool.
Zoomarine
Zoomarine is an entertaining and educational oceanography park. It was created as a top-class fun park, which also allowed the visitor to explore the historical relationship between the Algarve and the sea.
At Zoomarine, holiday makers enter a world of dolphins, seals, sharks, turtles, exotic and aquatic birds, crocodiles and tropical fish. Zoomarine also has restaurants, shops, rides swimming pools, tranquil lakes and gardens and high quality dolphin, seal and sea lion shows.
Go Karting At Almancil
If you want to try something a little different on your Algarve family holiday, why not try go-karting. Almancil Karting is a very popular Algarve holiday attraction, attracting a quarter of a million visitors each year, and is the only one of its kind in this part of Portugal. Almancil Karting has a 760m race track, designed to replicate the Brazilian Circuit of Jacarepagua, as well as other activities such as a mechanical bull, trampolines and electric boats.
Lagos Zoo
Located in its own beautifully landscaped gardens near Bensafrim, Lagos Zoo has over 250 animals of more than 50 different species. A lovely choice for an Algarve family holiday day out, the zoo also has a 60m long flight tunnel for the observation of exotic birds, and children can experience close contact with a variety of domestic and farm animals.
Krazyworld
At Krazyworld in Algoz there is krazy golf, a swimming pool, a petting farm, pony rides, quad bikes, a fairground, and a crocodile park Krazyworld is great for the kids and an excellent Algarve family holiday experience. A real mixture of things to do, Krazyworld also has a large swimming pool with sun beds set within attractive gardens, a reptile area, horses and a large elephant.
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008
With activity holidays steadily growing in popularity, it is apparent that more of us want thrills and spills on our holiday. Use this guide to visit the Top 10 theme parks on offer throughout the most popular holiday destinations in the world:
1. Disney & Universal resort (Florida) - In addition to the four main theme parks, the Disney World resort contains two water parks, six golf courses, a sports complex, a race track, twenty hotels and numerous shopping, dining, and entertainment offerings.
2. Port Aventura (Costa Dorada) - Port Aventura is a theme park in the holiday resort of Salou, Spain, on the Costa Dorada. Based one hour from Barcelona, it has two airports within thirty minutes. It is one of the largest theme parks in Europe within the largest resort in southern Europe.
3. Disneyland (Paris) - Ideal for a city break, Disneyland Resort Paris is a holiday and recreation resort in Marne-la-Vallée, a new town in the eastern suburbs of Paris. The complex is located 20 miles from the centre of Paris and features 2 theme parks, an entertainment district and 7 Disney-owned hotels.
4. Dubailand (Dubai) - Dubailand is the world’s most ambitious Leisure, Tourism and Entertainment destination with over 3 Billion square feet of world class theme Parks, Culture, Sports, Shopping, Hospitality and Entertainment. This up and coming theme park is set to include a Disney world resort and is currently under development in Dubai.
5. Aquacity (Majorca) - The largest water park in the Balearic Islands, Aquacity is located near the El Arenal beach in the south of the island of Mallorca. Popular attractions include the Banzai, the Grand Canyon and the Devil’s Tail. Also, three great areas for children: the Mini Park, the Dragoland and Polynesia.
6. Aqualand (Corfu) - Corfu has some of the best beaches in the world for a relaxing holiday, but also offers thrill-seekers a fantastic water park within a water oasis of 75,000 square meters. Aqualand is one of the most amazing and adventurous water parks in Europe, for children and all those young at heart. Attractions include giant slides, the black hole, the four twisters, the kamikazes, the hydra-tube, the crazy river, two new “free-fall” slides, the big size Jacuzzi and the big deep pool.
7. Gardaland (Lake Garda) - Located on the banks of Lake Garda, Veneto, Gardaland is the largest theme park in Italy with more than 40 exhilarating attractions. The park has expanded steadily in both size and attendance since its opening in 1975, a landmark 3.1 million visitors were in attendance by 2004.
8. Aqualand (Gran Canaria) - Aqualand Maspalomas is the largest water park in the Canary Islands, located at a tropical oasis in the south of the island, not far from Maspalomas. The park is open year round due to the constant sunny climate of the island and within an area of 90,000 m2. The park includes 13 attractions and 33 water slides with the star attraction being the Tornado.
9. The Waterpark (Faliraki) - The Waterpark is the biggest in Europe and was the first to open on the island of Rhodes. Located within the islands most popular resort, Faliraki, the water park, situated is easily accessible from all surrounding areas and offers spectacular rides, unique splash pools and water slides.
10. Adaland (Kusadasi) - With close links to the Island of Samos and situated on the Aegean Coast. Adaland is the coolest hot spot of Kusadasi, featuring drenching water adventure rides for a full splash fun day. A world of unlimited fun, thrills, excitement and lush greenery is only 80 km away from Izmir.