Spain Holidays

The sights, sounds and smells of Spain have been inspiring package holiday-goers for years. You can explore soaring Gothic cathedrals, tap your foot to the rhythm of Flamenco guitars, and tuck into huge skillets of paella. And with Spain's destinations split between the sand-skirted mainland and a bunch of island siblings, there are tonnes of Blue Flag beaches, bustling towns and beauty spots to pick from.

Mainland Spain is known for its stellar line-up of Costas. Curving around the southern shoreline, you’ll find the sun-splashed regions of Costa del Almeria, Costa del Sol and Costa de la Luz, where highly rated golf courses spreading inland from the coast. Further up the coast, there’s Costa Blanca with its white-sand beaches. And, Costa Brava and Costa Dorada are up north, in Catalonia. Each and every one’s loaded with family-friendly hotels, and the flights from Ireland only take a couple of hours.

In the Mediterranean, just off the coast of the Spanish mainland, are the Balearic Islands – with their Caribbean-esque strips of sand and scenic countryside. In Ibiza, the party never stops. Majorca’s resorts take care of family fun, with a few spots reserved for party-seeking crowds. Menorca, meanwhile, is about laidback days, and Formentera offers the most secluded option of the lot.

Spain’s Canary Islands lie just off of Morocco’s west coast in the Atlantic Ocean. Tenerife, Lanzarote and Gran Canaria are the most celebrated of the bunch, while Fuerteventura is beginning to make a name for itself. And, to get away from it all, head to the lesser-known isles of La Palma or La Gomera.