By far the most favourite holiday destination for the British public is the East coast of ‘ Spain '. Many holiday makers staying in one of the hotels along the coast or becoming more popular now, renting one of the thousands of high quality private villas in Spain along this coastline.

The flight time from the UK is around 2.5 hours, which is not too long, the weather is very sunny most of the year and yet not unbearably hot in the Summer.

The value for money is still very good though the introduction of the ‘Euro' has pushed some prices up.

You can still buy an amazing amount of high quality fresh fruit and vegetables for the equivalent of a few pounds. You can also buy quality Spanish wines much, much cheaper than in the UK . The same applies to other alcohol and cigarettes of course.

Property is still excellent value for money compared to most parts of the UK and if you are thinking of buying a villa in Spain , a holiday out there to do some research is a good starting point. The choice of new or second hand private villas in Spain is enormous so you need to spend a fair amount of time finding the place and property that is perfect for you.

Eating out is still very cheap compared to the UK , though there are more restaurants nowadays which are not cheap. Catering for the well heeled who are looking for that ‘special meal'. So you do need to be selective if you intend to eat out frequently on a budget.

When we had young children the big plus for us was the warm welcome you always received when you went out with the kids. The Spanish really love their kids and make a fuss of everybody else's too. Such a nice change from going to an English pub to find they only allow children in the garden or not at all!

Because of this ‘culture' I always felt the kids were safe in this country, which, when you are trying to relax is a real bonus.

The best Airports for cheap flights are Barcelona , Alicante , Murcia and Malaga .

Easy Jet fly to Barcelona , Alicante and Malaga .

The best all year round weather for me is the near Alicante - Costa Blanca, said to be the perfect climate with over 320 days per year with 10 or more hours of sunshine per day! Barcelona 's countryside is greener and obviously has more rain, but great in the Summer. Malaga - Costa del Sol , being further South, is a safer bet for a Winter holiday but can get really hot in the Summer.