Holiday with children… and Olé!

Is here, the family holiday is at the corner and you have to plan, organize, and choose the destination, accommodation, transportation and the agenda. An impossible task? Well, not really, but you have to start right away.

In order to help you making the right choice, we’re going to talk about one of the most complete family hotels and resorts here in Spain. It’s the Olé hotels, an alternative to let your children enjoy holiday the most, but without leaving you behind.

The special feature of these resorts in Tenerife, Lanzarote and Ibiza is the specialization of their services, with a high quality but with an affordable price, especially for the families who seek for a calm place to enjoy during summer.

You wouldn’t have to leave the hotel in order to enjoy the outer pools surrounded by solarium areas, playgrounds, relaxation areas and lounge bars, adult chill out areas, and in some of them, parking spot, bicycle rent, and lobby free Wi-Fi.

Ole Tropical Tenerife hotel

In addition to that all the Olé hotels offer the opportunity of different kind of accommodations, half board, all-inclusive, which let you plan your holiday according to your budget, and enjoy your holiday.

But if we choose the best thing the hotel has it definitely would be the bedrooms, something some of the family hotels forgot sometimes, since it’s the most important when travelling, because the whole family need to rest properly. In the Olé, bedrooms are spacious, with comfortable furniture, with Mediterranean style and natural light.

At this moment, these new firm has 3 hotels in Spain (a hotel in Lanzarote, a resort in Ibiza and a third one in Tenerife), and for those who like to cross the sea this holiday, it also has a Caribbean resort in Playa Blanca in Cayo Largo.

Celebrating a Business event

In recent years, celebration an event in Spain has experienced a significant increase, as well as a segmentation regarding the different proposals available and their target groups.

One of the most requested events are business Team-building events. Within this modality, there are different proposals and models that meet the needs and requirements of every company.

One of the most demanded teambuilding events is the Culinary Team-Building modality. It is usually carried out in an informal and relaxed atmosphere, where it is easy to promote team-work.

The choice of the menu to cook in the Team-building event varies depending on the level of the participants. Generally, typical dishes of the region or country are included, with the aim that attendees discover the typical gastronomy of the island.

An example of the increase in demand that exists at present, to celebrate these business meetings, is the rise in the number of restaurants and other locations that offer Teambuilding events in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Gastronomic hotel in Santa Cruz de Tenerife

The Cookery Classroom is also the ideal place for the presentation of products and services, press conferences, informal business meetings, conventions on gastronomy and wine, and of course, a complete gastronomic Team-Building event.

Teambuilding events can also be very focused on varied and specific themes , as could be the monographic course on Canarian cheeses, cooking rice, baking bread, gin-tonic tasting and many other.

As an incentive, it is important to mention that Mencey’s Cookery Classroom is part of the hotel resort of the hotel IBEROSTAR Grand Mencey, and that it also has the restaurant Los Menceyes, the restaurant and terrace of Los Laureles, the Bar Casino, and the Iballa Cocktail Bar.

Mencey ‘s Cookery Classroom can also be rented for any type of event, without the requirement of hiring a chef. The rates will vary depending on the time and the needs of the group.

For more information visit the official website of Mencey.

Luxury hotels for everyone

Saving money in holiday season? Difficult… Not impossible. For you to enjoy this year your dream trip at affordable price, we have selected a series of accommodations and destinations in different destinations in Spain which offer luxury experiences at really competitive rates adapted to almost all budgets.

Get ready for a 5-star holiday in the best spots of the country at affordable prices. No surprises, no conditions, fair prices:

1.   Iberostar Son Antem: This 5-star hotel with spa and golf in Llucmajor, Majorca, is one of the last aqcuisitions of Iberostar chain.  It is on the top of our list of recommendations because of its goof price-quality relationship.  It is not a cheap hotel in Majorca but offers very affordable rates for all its services: one of the most complete spas in the island, with personalized treatments and holistic health area, 18-hole golf course with academy, restaurants, lounge bar, Sunday brunches, dinners and special events… Luxury services that know you can get on their official website where you can find very attractive offers for any time of the year.

2.   Fergus Style Pollensa Park Spa:  Comfortable, with modern services and a privileged location in the north of Majorca. It is a 4-star hotel with spa and superior rooms worthy of a 5-star rating.  Besides, it offers more affordable prices. After a full refurbishment and style change, this hotel has become a point of reference for holidays in this part of Majorca.  Booking on the official website of Fergus Hotels chain allows you, additionally, to get the best price online guaranteed.

3.   Iberostar Grand Salomé: Iberostar appears again in our list with one of their most exclusive hotels. It is on the third place because it is a bit more expensive that the previous ones, but quality and service are worth it. It is a golf hotel In Costa Adeje boasting luxury facilities, ideal for a romantic trip. Rooms are wonderful and the restaurant stands out for its delicious dishes. Besides, it is situated next to the best beaches in Tenerife: Fañabé, Duque…

4.   Garden Playanatural: An Adults Only hotel in El Rompido, Huelva.  Perfect for those couples that want a relaxing weekend. It is a 4-star hotel with high quality products and services. Complete boards and modern facilities. Additionally, it is one of the few accommodations that have the privilege of being one step away from the pristine La Flecha Beach in El Rompido. It is necessary to check the dates, because it is not open all the year.  If you book in advance on the official website of Garden Hotels, you will probably find lower rates.

5.   Palladium Palma: One of the best 4-star hotels in the centre of Palma, located right in Paseo de Mallorca, one step away from the exclusive commercial street Jaime III, Paseo Marítimo and El Borne.  Ideal for those who are looking for a boutique hotel in Majorca for urban trips, also called city breaks. Rooms are very cosy, offer last generation services and beautiful views, despite they are located in the centre of the city.

The Keys to Catalonia’s Success

Catalonia is a chain of urban hotels situated in Barcelona, Madrid and some of the main European cities.  Although the range of services is far from being the most extensive of the Spanish hotel chains, it stands out for boasting a very specific and well-designed accommodations line.  If you have ever been in a Catalonia hotel, you will recognise its style wherever you go.

This special differentiation is precisely one of the keys of success, an added value and reference taken by other hotel companies.  Minimalist design combined to complete services specialised in the urban traveller; high quality materials, last generation decoration and exclusive details; gastronomic experiences, credit facilities, a wide range of plans, offer all the year round...

Catalonia Barcelona Plaza Hotel

Catalonia Hotels are a turning point in the way we understand the urban hotel trade, especially as far as price is concerned: 4-star hotels offering services where quality and personalised attention predominate, at rates of 2 and 3 star hotels.

The strategy of competing for price with an excellent product has given big results, because it has allowed them to offer their experience and cultivate the loyalty of their guests on merit. This is why we have mentioned this before: if you have been ever in a Catalonia hotel, you will perfectly know what you will find and what you have guaranteed.

This chain has a large number of hotels in the centre of Barcelona, among which stands out Catalonia Barcelona Plaza, Catalonia Atenas, Catalonia Ramblas and Catalonia Sagrada Familia; nevertheless, its growing has been diverse, combining urban hotels in capitals such as Berlin or Madrid, to beach resorts in Bávaro or Riviera Maya. Likewise, it is present in some islands such as Tenerife and Majorca.

Trip to the north of Majorca

It is one of those places that never go out of style. It is, indeed, more fashionable than ever. The north of Majorca has increased its quality, keeping a good quantity and variety of plans, and focusing on last generation travellers in search of rest, sport and family holiday.

Formentor, Pollença, Alcudia, Playa de Muro…  All this northern area is characterised by boasting a privileged orography, combining the striking mountain relief of northernmost side of Serra de Tramuntana to the fertile valleys, fields, two of the most beautiful bays in Majorca and long beaches where you can sunbathe.

Ideal for outdoor sports, this place is a point of reference for bicycle touring and kitesurfing lovers. Cyclists will find here the best routes and mountain circuits, while surf lovers enjoy their boards and sails on the wonderful waves of Pollença, Alcudia and Muro.

Accommodation in this area has been specializing in this type of sport travellers. Many hotels in Alcudia, Pollença and Playa de Muro have open new spaces for their most active guests to enjoy more facilities: workshops and bike parks, cycle stores, spa centres, gyms, fitness courses...

Health tourism has also arrived to the north of Majorca and beach resorts are offering spa areas, complete wellness centres, beauty salons, specialized gyms, physiotherapy specialists, thermal circuits... Some of the most outstanding ones are those managed by the Garden Hotels chain, in Playa de Muro and La Victoria.

But, despite these changes, innovation is also focused on those travellers that usually choose the north of Majorca as a holiday destination, especially in summer. Family hotels in Playa de Alcudia have reinvented plans for children by improving and increasing entertainment services, as well as rooms and gastronomy.

Besides, location offers great possibilities for having fun with family: from very quiet and safe beaches to water parks, natural reserves, bicycle tours, kayaks rental to travel the coast, theatres, cinema, live music bars...

Going from the Palma Airport to Alcudia or Pollença is really easy: 45-50 minutes by car or by the hotel's bus. First take the Palma motorway towards Inca, then take the road to Pollença or Alcudia.

Very close you can find interesting municipalities to visit, such as Sa Pobla, Mancor de la Vall or Can Picafort, and towards the East you can easily arrive to Artà in around 30 minute drive.

Fergus opens a new accommodation in Majorca for 2015

Young, indomitable, lively, with new proposals, and a modern and groundbreaking style. This is the new creature of Fergus Hotels chain in Majorca, a hotel complex aimed at the young public, stem from the merger of the Barracuda hotel in Magaluf and Pax hotel, both located next to the famous BCM Planet disco, sharing ambience, parties and DJ sessions.

Designed as a big hotel complex for young leisure, it offers all the advantages of an All-inclusive hotel in Majorca, along with the advantages of an Adults Only hotel in Magaluf: a perfect accommodation to travel with friends or to celebrate anniversaries, stag parties or events.

Fergus Magaluf Resort

The Fergus Hotels’ investment in these types of theme hotels related to the music, which have been so successful in Ibiza and Magaluf, with the famous Mallorca Rocks as precedent, is to say the least, notable.  They have recovered all the outdoor common areas and offer more that 10000 square metres of outdoor space used for terraces, chill out areas, dance floors, swimming pools, deckchair areas sunbathe listening to the background music…

Additionally, the new resort has theme rooms for stag parties, accommodations for groups, areas designed for sports –such as the gym or the outdoor sports courts-, dining room with All-inclusive buffet, bars and cocktail bars, Sunday brunch, lacked Lunches for those days out… And all types of details specially intended to make life easier for those seeking a holiday in Magaluf to enjoy the sun, beach and one of the most famous night leisure areas in Majorca.

The line marked by the Calvià Beach Resort of Melià, with its Wave House, the already mentioned Mallorca Rocks or Ushuaïa in Ibiza begin to see their reflection in the rest of the hotels in Magaluf and Palmanova, where we find one of the largest young travellers communities in Mallorca.

Barcelona hotel trends for 2015

2015 countdown begins and, to keep up the tradition, we begin with our series of analysis of the best accommodations in every city for next year holidays. Take the calendar and start to highlight the trip dates, your days off and holidays because 2015 is full of novelties with regard to hospitality. Yes, it seems that this industry is working hard and there is no stopping them. We are talking about design, luxury facilities at affordable prices and attention to service. Returning to the origins, but with the best technologies in the market.

The battle for the centre of Barcelona

The location of a urban hotel in Barcelona is essential when travellers decide to take advantage of a long holiday and travel to the Ciutat Comtal. This is why, nowadays, the centre of Barcelona seems a pitched battle as far as hotel trade is concerned. Quality hotels, of course, because lifelong hostels, guesthouses and apartments still exist but, to be honest, they are not what we call innovation pioneers.

Ciutat Vella and its surroundings are the most in demand areas, but new neighbourhoods are becoming much sought-after, such as the mythical Raval, L'Eixample and the area of hotels next to Las Glorias square. The increase in value of these new areas, along with the creation of interesting tourism services, has broadened the meaning of "best location" in the city, increasing the competition in areas usually occupied by hotel for events in Barcelona.

Confortel Barcelona Hotel

Democratization of prices

Hotels next to Las Ramblas, design hotels close to La Boquería, luxury apartments and even hotels built in modernist houses make up one of the most careful hotel industries in Spain. Although prices are still higher than in Madrid, the competition has led to a balance and to a democratization of prices, with an average of 90 Euros per night at 4 star accommodations.

Considering the impossibility of fighting with price, these quality hotels have focused the strategy on the creation of an added value for the customer.  The technology used in hospitality and tourism, specifically in wellness and rest, is the key element in this sense. In this way, the number of chains investing in hotels with free wifi in the centre of Barcelona has significantly increased, some of which, like Petit Palace, have skilfully achieved to offer devices to their customers from which they can connect without needing to pay any type of extra charge. Laptops in the rooms or the possibility of booking an iPad in the reception to enjoy it during the stay.  These are services that make the difference and are a real success for business travellers, couples and families that travel to Barcelona in holidays.

The experience is what matters most

When your hotel becomes a must visit place of a traveller in certain destinations, you know that you have an authentic success in your hands. The experiential hotels in Barcelona is getting a space in the consumers mind, result of big investments and a different business perspective. In this sense, stand out those accommodations that understood and took advantage of the lure and attractions of the destination where they are place. A clear example is the museum hotel in the centre of Barcelona, which occupies the old house Garriga Nogués, or the hotel that belongs to Barceló chain in El Raval neighbourhood.

Brunch with the best views of Barcelona, architecture and exclusive design, a restaurant offering traditional gastronomy of the city or gourmet menus... Catalonia is another chain that will be reference in 2015, with so interesting proposals such as its hotel with rooftop swimming pool next to the Fira de Barcelona, the Catalonia Barcelona Plaza Hotel, or its hotel next to Las Ramblas. In this case, location, design and added value in the services are a whole. A love triangle which is the key element for this industry, not just in the next year but also in the future,