DESTINATION INFORMATION
Spain is another fantastic European empire builder. Look at its influence in the world. Hispanics form a huge percentage of the population of the United States, and from there down to the Antarctic, the national language of every country is Spanish, with the exception of Brazil, which is Portuguese. Spanish is the first language of Florida and most of California and Texas.
It seems strange then that for such an Empire, Spain would be such a poor country. That is until now. Joining the EU has helped Spain as much as it has helped Ireland, with the country growing dynamically. Their tourism has changed from that 1960's and 70's 'bucket and spade brigade' to a more sophisticated, educated tourist who wants to enjoy the brilliance of the country.
It is more efficient although we would hate to see the end of the 'manana' approach as we think this is part of the charm of the Spanish, no matter how frustrating it might be.
No matter where in the world you go, and no matter what fantastic sights you see ~ and Spain has many ~ the lasting impression you'll form of any destination will be of its people. Spaniards are amazingly friendly, warm and hospitable. Their waiters compete with the Italians for the best service in the world. The inimitable swagger about them as they sway from table to table is genuine. They want to do everything for you to ensure you enjoy their country.
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BEST TIMES FOR TOURING |
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Hockey [Aug - May] |
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Rugby [Aug - May] |
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Football [Aug - May] |
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Basketball [All year] |
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Golf [Apr - Sept] |
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TRAVEL
Spain is another country that has benefited significantly from low cost airline development. In actual fact, the effect that low cost carriers have had on individual destinations has been such that both British Airways and Iberia have withdrawn from quite a number of what used to be described as major airports thus leaving the market exclusively to the low cost carriers. They have combined to work particularly well on what the industry terms an 'air bridge' with very many services to Barcelona and Madrid.
Low cost flights from regional UK airports to several destinations around Spain:
- EasyJet ~ Flights from Newcastle, Stansted, Luton, Gatwick, Liverpool and Bristol to Barcelona; Stansted to Bilbao; and Liverpool, Bristol, Luton and Gatwick to Madrid.
- Jet2 ~ Flights from Belfast and Leeds Bradford to Barcelona.
- Thomson Fly ~ Flights from 13 regional airports all over the UK to Barcelona.
- Ryanair ~ Flights from Luton, Stansted, Liverpool, Glasgow and Dublin to Barcelona; Dublin to Madrid; and from Stansted and Liverpool to Santander for Bilbao.
British Airways and Iberia both offer regular services to many destinations.
- British Airways ~ Daily services from London Heathrow to Barcelona, and a BA Connect service from Birmingham; London Heathrow to Madrid, and a BA Connect service from Edinburgh, Birmingham and Manchester.
- Iberia ~ Frequent daily services from the UK to all destinations.
Some other sports travel companies send sports teams by bus to the northern parts of Spain, especially around Barcelona. We don't ~ your sporting holiday is at the destination, not in a bus.
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FIXTURES
We regionalise our fixture contacts in Spain as the size of the country dictates that. It is quite a provincial country with each area jealously protecting their own territories. At amateur club level, there is not much inter provincial sport which makes it difficult for a Madrileno to compare standards with the Basque country and Catalunya.
Our major destination is Catalunya where you'll get very good football (although not always on grass), hockey and rugby. The Barcelona Olympics also opened up this area to sports like rowing. Many schools and universities use the lake at Banyoles for pre season training. Cambridge go there for two weeks prior to the Boat Race.
We dealt with one particular agency for very many years. Then our contact, Sandra Angulo, left. The standard of service declined and we immediately followed her to her new company. She is that good. Service is now back to where it was.
Testimonials: "The itinerary was excellent and the timings of training and match levels were ideal". Tour Manager
"This was a great tour and we found Sandra very helpful - she was great!" Tour Manager
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FIXTURE SUITABILITY |
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Clubs |
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Schools [Prep and Senior] |
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Universities |
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ACCOMMODATION
We cover the whole of Spain and have sent many teams to many different parts. Your location depends on your budget and the availability of fixtures. Let me give you an example of one of our major destinations. I'll explain why we chose it first.
Castelldefels is a great seaside resort south of Barcelona eminently reachable by train within a short time. It is a Spanish resort which British tour operators do not use. I don't know why but I am very pleased because there are several 2/3* hotels we use which give us preferential off-season half board prices. We avoid using Hostels which are often of questionable quality and in dubious locations to effect cheap prices. The beaches provide excellent training pitches as well as for having fun.
Located centrally, the 3* Ciudad de Castelldefels Hotel is only 100 m. from the beach. The hotel has its own swimming pool, and each of the rooms offers the following amenities:
- Air conditioning
- Cable / Satellite TV
- Heating
- In-room safe
- Private bathroom / Ensuite
- Telephone
Testimonial: "Our hotel in Bilbao was superb and in an ideal position, serving excellent food at breakfast and evening meal. Overall an excellent hotel with super staff, even providing a birthday cake for one of the boys!" Tour Manager
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WHAT TO DO
Top 10 Things to Do:
- Museo del Futbol Club Barcelona
- Familia Segrada, Barcelona
- Museo Picasso, Barcelona
- Parc Guell, Barcelona
- Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao
- Bullfighting Museum, Bilbao
- Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid
- Museo Prado, Madrid
- Parque Biológico, Madrid
- Bernabau Stadium (Real Madrid stadium)
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