Spain & its Islands

• beguiling landscapes
• hotels of character offering excellent cuisine
• walking, cycling, short breaks, journeys and family holidays

Modern Spain is a revelation. While such great cities as Barcelona, Bilbao and Seville are justly famed for flamboyance and vitality, our chosen regions represent the quiet face of Spain. Boasting splendid scenery, these are corners where time seems to have stood still, from the medieval stone villages of the Garrotxa in Catalonia to the verdant hills of northern (‘Green’) Spain. What unites the country, though, is the love for life of the people.

Spain has some of Europe’s wildest mountain areas, and not just the magnificent peaks of the Pyrenees. In Asturias, a region bordering the Atlantic, the Picos de Europa are green and rugged, while in the south, Andalucía and Valencia surprise with craggy limestone peaks. Equally striking are north-west Mallorca, where the Tramuntana Sierra plunges into the Mediterranean, and the Canary Islands, whose topography is as dramatic as the volcanic activity that shaped it so many millennia ago. The coastal regions are just as inviting, be it Almería in Andalucía, where secret coves are framed by landscapes reminiscent of North Africa; the coast of Catalonia, with its charming fishing villages; the quiet headlands and hidden bays of north-east Ibiza, a corner of the island that the party set rarely ventures into; or Menorca’s ever-changing coastline.

If the landscapes are very varied, so too are the ways in which you can enjoy them: as well as offering walking, cycling and family activity holidays, we also offer short breaks and journeys by rail and car for more leisurely exploration of this enchanting country.