Plans for an August in Madrid

There are no infinite beaches, the frenetic pace of life that characterises the city calms down and yes – it's hot. Those are the three dominant facts that describe Madrid during the month of August, but the truth is that the most sweltering month of summer is an ideal time to enjoy the capital of our country without crowds and crazy prices.

As we are well aware, there are many of you who have chosen to reward yourself with a holiday or a long weekend in Madrid. So this month Your Hotel Destination will offer you a list featuring the 'must-do' things that you can't miss during your visit. Grab your backpack, put a cap on and let's go!

Calm descends on the museums of Madrid

Even if there are still tourists all around the city this part of the year (because there are, don't be tempted to think otherwise), the amount of visitors here and there definitely decreases quite a bit. This means that apart from giving you a little peace and quiet as you stroll down mythical streets such as Gran Cía, Fuencarral or Princesa, it's a perfect time of year for those who want to visit the main museums in the city without being annoyed by tourist crowds.

It's also a great way of escaping the high temperatures of the capital in summer, and your best bets would be visiting the Thyssen Museum, the Prado (always crowded during the winter months) and the Reina Sofia.

August festivals fill the capital

August is the month of festivals in Madrid and just like in so many other parts of the peninsula they celebrate the so-called 'Virgin of August'. So, what events will fill the city districts with local cuisine, music, coloured lanterns and the classic 'chulapos' with their 'chulapas'? Take note:

• From the 2nd to the 8th of August: the San Cayetano festival, en event held between El Rastro and Embajadores.
• From the 9th to the 11th of August: this is when the San Lorenzo festival is held in the famous Lavapiés district.
• From the 12th to the 15th: Fiesta grande in the La Latina district. Why the big party? These are the Paloma festivities, the most authentic and fun-filled festivals in the entire capital.

Hotels in the centre of Madrid

Even if you could choose anywhere in the city there is nothing quite like waking up in the morning, opening up the door to your balcony and seeing that you're right in the centre of Madrid itself. Apart from being only steps from the main places of interest you can also rub shoulders with the locals and enjoy the coffee, the vertical terraces and all the tapas and beer taverns on offer.

Our recommendation for this month would be an urban hotel in the centre of Madrid, such as for example the Petit Palace Cliper Gran Vía, the Petit Palace Arturo Soria or the Petit Palace Savoy Alfonso XII. Three flagships of the Petit Palace chain that offer outstanding value for money.

Dubai, the main business hub in the Middle East

When we think about a place like Dubai, most of us see the destination as a retreat, meant for rest and relax, or the perfect setting where we can enjoy expeditions through the desert on the back of a camel and eternal nights scented with argan blossom. Although this might be a very accurate way of describing Dubai, the truth is that the jewel of the United Arab Emirates is more than just 'a holiday destination'.

With infrastructure of the highest level and regulations which tend to facilitate all bureaucratic processes for foreign-capital companies, it's not surprising that Dubai is – and has been for years – the main business centre in the East. We see proof of this in the form of hundreds of international companies (many of them with Spanish capital) that have decided to move there in order to work with a view of the spectacular desert. What are the factors that convince foreign companies?

A strategic location

In the same way as New York in America and London in Europe, Abu Dhabi and Dubai are the two capitals that reign in the East. Apart from making them popular destinations (for tourists, that is), it also means that they are well-renowned within the global business network. Distances? Six hours from Barcelona and a bit less than eleven from Tokyo, the Japanese capital.

Ideal hotels

Another important fact that foreign companies take into account is that Dubai has hotels such as the Arabian Courtyard Hotel & Spa, a recommended hotel in the centre of Bur Dubai with the best rooms in Bur Dubai. Few things are as effective as offering guaranteed rest in a true luxury hotel to visitors flying in for conventions and other events.

Laws that favour business growth

Apart from special conditions for companies that invest in Dubai, the city offers a profits-and-benefits tax rate of zero that you keep for up to fifty years. If we add the fact that capital convertibility is free, it's easy to understand why more and more brands decide to relocate to the capital of the Arabian Desert.

Madrid in three days: what to see, where to go and what to eat?

One of the most challenging things a travel agent can face is having to plan for a trip that combines two (highly) complicated factors: visiting a large city, and doing so in just a few days. To put it another way: the great challenge is trying to ensure that the traveller gets to experience large cities such as New York, Paris, San Francisco or Mexico City in just 3 or 4 days.

If we place the geographical context here in this country, the greatest challenge would be Madrid. Is it possible to get to know the capital well in the three or four days off that we get during Easter week? The good news is that it's possible. And the bad? No, there are no bad news, so lose those nerves and start enjoying the route!

Day 1 Museums along the Paseo de la Castellana

The first thing to do when visiting a new place would normally be to begin with all the prominent and famous locations, but here at Your Hotel Destination we believe that to really get the feel for a new place there is nothing better than to opt for a good dose of culture, and where could be a better place for that than la Castellana, where you have everything at hand.

Apart from being a unique location where you can take stroll and enjoy parks and classic bars, la Castellana is also where you find attractions such as the Prado Museum, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and the Reina Sofía Museum. Three large museums full of unparalleled works of art.

Day 2 Discovering the Gran Vía: Fuencarral, Chueca and Malasaña

After a first day enjoying the magical works of arts in the museums of the capital city, it's time to enjoy areas such as the Gran Vía, and legendary Madrid neighbourhoods like Fuencarral, Chueca and Malasaña.

They are areas full of shops, restaurants and excellent hotel establishments (such as hotel IBEROSTAR Las Letras Gran Vía) where you can enjoy a few hours of shopping, tapas, or walks in the sunshine of the central Spain plateau. If you're travelling as a family, there's nothing better than to opt for one of the many rooms available along the Gran Vía in Madrid, so you'll be within walking distance of the most important areas.

Day 3 Eating tapas in La Latina

Even if the main course is found in the immediate vicinity of hotel Las Letras Gran Vía (this is why it's Madrid's main avenue), hidden in the capital there are neighbourhoods like La Latina, a real culinary temple, turning a simple trip into a true experience. What is there to choose between? Well, anything from a traditional calamari sandwich to omelette tapas, or a newly-made, traditional Madrilenian stew.

Sol Holidays

Sol Hotels? Sound familiar? Of course it does. We've talked a lot about their hotels here, because this hotel chain has remodelled and modernized their establishments in Spain to a great extent in recent years. This brand is integrated within the Melià Group and was their family hotel branch less than a decade ago.

Ok. After giving all their hotels all over the world a full facelift, turning them into centres specializing in holiday experiences and leisure beyond what can be expected by a mere hotel, or just accommodation, Sol Hotels is now one of the most studied success stories in tourism schools all over the world.

Pioneers in many things and participants in many historic tourism milestones, the strength of a group such as Melià Hotels & Resorts is noticeable and a lot of the strategy behind their hotel renovations as well as the very beginnings of the group itself, are of course found on Mallorca, the birth place of what is now one of the largest hotel groups in the world.

Sol Hotels has hotels in nearly all of Spain's tourist areas featuring sun and a bit of beach. But its origin, its essence, is mainly found along Mallorca's western coastline, on the coast of Calvià, very near the beach in Magaluf. There, in one of the oldest tourism spots in the country, Melià invested in Sol Hotels and the result was the fresh, dynamic, cool, young and fun place it is today.

These hotels have become famous for their design, their parties and their facilities (one of them has an artificial surf wave where you can enjoy the waves that the Mediterranean lacks without having to miss out on its excellent climate). Sol House, Sol Beach House, Sol Wave House... You choose the hotel most suited to your idea of a holiday: as a couple, with friends, just in peace and quiet. Every hotel offers a different experience, something unique, even something that changes according to the season you decide to book: spring, summer, autumn, which one will you go for?

The brand has also worked on a very important aspect that has so far been rather overlooked by the hotel sector in general: environmental care, promoting the attractiveness of the destination, the connection with society as a whole and participation in events. In exchange, residents have taken on these hotels as something extra, as a meeting point, not only a place for foreigners and visitors, but also somewhere to enjoy any day of the week.

La marca ha trabajado también un aspecto muy importante y bastante olvidado hasta ahora por el sector hotelero: el cuidado del entorno, la potenciación de los atractivos del destino, la conexión con su sociedad y la participación en sus eventos. A cambio, los residentes han asumido estos hoteles como algo más, como un punto de encuentro, un lugar no solo para extranjeros y visitantes sino para disfrutar cualquier día.

Discovering Fuerteventura's unknown side

A vast majority of travellers know Fuerteventura as one of the most beautiful islands of the Canary Islands, as well as one of the largest ones in the archipelago (it's actually the second largest).

Two facts that, while they are true, (as true as its volcanic nature) they're just the very top of the iceberg when it comes to this spectacular island, highly historic and with an unknown, exciting side to it that very few are familiar with.  At Your Hotel Destination we like to get to know the destination in depth, so we'll take the opportunity now in February to help you discover some of these facts that no one else has ever told you about this island.

The majos (or mahos) of Fuerteventura

Very tall (men and women alike) and very sturdy, that's what the majos, or mahos, were like, the earliest inhabitants of the island of Fuerteventura (and Lanzarote as well). They were the natives on this island territory until the arrival of the Norman conquerors (the same people who were present there during the 15th century). The native inhabitants were farmers and fishermen.

The majos lived in austere dry-stone dwellings grouped into small, well-located villages and were known for their hunting skills. A fact that led to the disappearance of many native species.

The so-called Betancuria

Did you know that the first city on the Canary Islands was located on Fuerteventura? Yes, it's true. The first capital of Fuerteventura – and the archipelago – was known as Betancuria (also called Erbania). Founded by the Normans in the beginning of the 15th century (many believe in the year 1402), this city was a nexus for transport of goods and propagation of medieval Christianity.

The main points of interest (those that will lead us to the earliest days of the city's history) are the church Santa María Betancuria, the Franciscan convent San Buenaventura, and items collected and on display in the island's Archaeological Museum.

Where to stay on Fuerteventura

As well as the other islands in the Canary archipelago, Fuerteventura is the perfect destination for those wanting to combine rest with authentic leisure.

Even if there are many hotels of all kinds all over the island's geography, our recommendations are three hotels that stand out due to their excellent quality/price relationship and (of course) their location in front of the sea. They are: hotel IBEROSTAR Fuerteventura Palace el hotel IBEROSTAR Playa Gaviotas and the beautiful hotel IBEROSTAR Playa Gaviotas Park.

A thousand and one ideas for enjoying Palma de Mallorca in Winter

With exceptional weather and unique natural beauty, the island of Mallorca is one of those places that, although considered a "Summer destination", knows how to overcome the Winter and keep it at bay. A season that on the island shows itself as cold weeks but is a perfect time to discover corners of extreme beauty capable of taking us to another world, to another dimension, to one in which relaxation calls out to us.

Discovering the secret corners of Palma

Of all the places to discover on the island, the Serra de Tramuntana marks a place that continuously enthralls. A unique place of immeasurable beauty in which can be found such beautiful towns as Valldemossa, Sóller, Fornalutx, Biniaraix, Esporles or Deià. The best idea for the winter months is to discover these secret paths taking one of the excellent hiking routes that are highly recommended in Mallorca.

Climb to Alaró Castle

Although it can be tiring at some points, the climb to Castillo de Alaró is another one of those plans made in Mallorca that always feel good in the winter months. With the promise of enjoying a good homemade dish once you arrive at the castle, the tour is highly recommended for all those who have a camera permanently around their neck since the panoramas that this point of interest gives you are wonderful.

A walk through Sóller (the train, port and so on)

Few things are as charming as covering the journey from Palma to Sóller in his legendary wooden train; the train that crosses the heart of the island and goes through the leafiest Tramuntana. In addition to being able to enjoy the island’s unspoiled nature, this route gives you unique moments. The most outstanding of which is he crossing through the Valley of Sóller, a point where you can see hundreds of orange fields ... The area’s star.

The magic of local markets

Sóller, Santa María, Sineu or Pollença are some examples of those local markets in which the traditions and authenticity that has made Mallorca a world tourist destination are maintained. The best way to enjoy them is carrying a Mallorcan basket and first thing in the morning.

Where to stay in Mallorca?

Mallorca is a benchmark of high quality hotels so finding the perfect accommodation is not a problem. That said, there is nothing better than opting for quality to be certain to avoid surprises. We recommend the hotels that IBEROSTAR Hotels & Resorts have on the island, namely IBEROSTAR Playa de Palma, IBEROSTAR Bahia de Palma and IBEROSTAR Cristina

A family hotel or an "Adults Only"? The eternal question

Even more than comparing different prices and options and choosing one destination over another, traveling as a couple or with friends means deciding most importantly which hotel to choose. Although the important thing for a lot of people is the price, the reality is that choosing a hotel specializing in families when traveling as a couple or with friends can ruin the holiday in a matter of half an hour.

So, without further ado, once again the eternal question is whether or not to choose a family hotel or an Adults Only? Beyond the purely obvious, the different points of one hotel and another are not always clear, so today we will try to give you some basic ideas so that you can make informed choices.

Hotels for everyone

Just because a hotel has the label "family friendly" doesn’t mean that couples, friends or singles can’t access it. This label is based on the fact of having specific packages for those clients who travel with their family and with children and require very specific leisure and food offers.

An example, for you to understand better, could be the Garden Special Families package in which Garden Hotels customers can access the list of hotels with the family friendly seal, their calendar of events (for adults and children) and a lot of activities that are perfect for a unique family holiday.

These hotels also have specific services for children such as on adapted pools, specific menus and mini parks located in the hotel. Does this mean that you can ‘t stay there if you are on holiday as a couple? No, of course you can but you should be aware that there will be more music, more rhythm, more activity and more children than an adults only hotel.

Only for adults

The hotel market revolution in recent years has been the creation of hotels for adults only. These hotels from large chains, that can only be accessed once you have reached the age of majority, are characterized by their tranquility, their romantic touch and by offering a set of exclusive services to enjoy a unique holiday.

To perfectly understand the concept there is nothing better than getting to know about the package offered by the Garden Adults only from the Garden hotel chain. This idea will help you to be sure about the hotel and why not the leisure offer. The best thing is its location, its surroundings and its romantic rooms with views.