Hotels in Spain

Spain is the largest country on the Iberian Peninsula which is situated in the south west of Europe. The boundary of this country is the Mediterranean which is to the west and south, Andorra and France to the north-west, Bay of Biscay to the north, Atlantic to the south-west, Portugal to the west, and Gibraltar Straits to the south.

According to history, the first people who discovered Spain are the Iberians, a Libyan and the Celts which is the Aryan, a Libyan and the Celts which is the Aryan people. Then, the Phoenicians came since they are attracted to the wealth of mining of this country. Besides that, there are people from Greece has founded several towns such as Rosas, Ampurias, and Sagunto. There are competitions between the Phoenicians and the Greek. The Phoenicians start to ask for help from the Carthaginians who have taken control most of Spain. At that time, Rome has raised a border in defence of the areas of the Greeks influence. Therefore, a war called the Peninsula the Second Punic War was started to happen in the country.  The Romans won the war, and a man named Publius Cornelius Scipio began to conquer Spain. The Romans have ruled the country for six centuries. During their time, they have brought Christian religion, Romans law, the municipality, and the Latin language. However, the rule of the Romans does not last long. The Suevi, Vandals, and Alans have managed to conquer Spain. At the end of 6th century, they are attacked by the Visigoth who is the allies of the Romans.

In the 8th century, the Muslim came and destroyed the Visigoth kingdom. The Muslim armies have defeated the Visigoth, and they managed to get most of Spain under their control. They have given the country’s name as the Andalus. The Christian gradually expanded in northern Spain, such as Aragon Castile and Navarre in between 9th and 11th centuries. It was because there was disunity among the Muslims which helped them to rule some of the states. In the 13th century, Spain improved a lot regarding the development of towns and trading activities. Christians and Muslims had a war in the 14th century. Spain was faced by the Black Death, and it killed some people in 1348. After that, the Jews had a wave of persecution. It had made a majority of the Jews convert their religion to Christian. The king and queen of Spain have ordered all Jews to convert to Christianity, or else they have to leave the country.  

There is also flourishment of trade and commerce as well as the expansion of agriculture in Spain in the 16th century. In 1519, Charles became the Holy Roman Emperor, and he was very powerful since he has ruled a few countries such as Belgium, Netherlands, Austria, and Southern Germany. Spain expands even further. Hernando Cortes ruled the Aztecs of Mexico and Phillippines was discovered by Magellan in 1521. Francisco Pizarro has also managed to rule the Incas of Peru and Portugal was taken over by Spain in 1580. In between of the year 1587 and 1606, England fought with Spain.  At early 17th century, Phillip III decide to expel the Moriscos who is the Muslims that convert to Christian from Spain. In 1640, Portugal rebelled against the rule of Spain. Portugal had formally got their independence in 1668. There was a war between France and Spain in 1635. France seeks help from England to go against Spain. Eventually, Spain was forced to give up their territory to France.

In 1701, another war happened between Austria and France. To go against France, Britain, and Netherland joined Austria to win the war. British has managed to get Gibraltar and Minorca. Besides that, British has also taken over the Treaty of Utrecht. Moreover, Austria also successfully cede Belgium from Spain. The region in Spain were all integrated into a single state. From the year 1708 to 1711 and from 1763 to 1766, Spain faces poor harvests.

Nevertheless, the agriculture of the country has become bigger and more productive. Then, the Jesuits were expelled from Spain, and there are some reforms in Spain which were introduced by a politician, Don Pablo de Olavide. The Inquisition caught Olavide, and he was sentenced to 8 years in prison since he was declared as a heretic. However, he flees to France. In the early 19th century, Napoleon wanted his brother, Joseph to become the king of Spain. However, the Spanish were not agreed to accept him. Therefore, Napoleon has led an army and managed to rule Madrid. In Central and South America, Spain’s colonies rebelled, and they successfully gained their independence in 1824.  In the middle of the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution began to change Spain.

The standard of life and industrialisation has risen among the Spaniards in the middle of the1920’s. In 1931, King Alfonso XIII was abdicated. Spain continues to become a republic again. The country has faced unemployment rose and the world depression. Their political side has divided between right and left. The leader of the opposition tries to get a hold of the country after the assassination of Jose Calvo Sotelo. He managed to rule some of the states. At that time, the rebels known as the Nationalist and the left wing government supporters known as the Republicans. General Franco became the leader of Nationalist Army in 1936. During his rule, Spain became a repressive dictatorship. They are also facing hardship in their economic sector. During the Second World War, Spain became neutral. Spain became a member of the United Nations in 1955. The economy in Spain is growing rapidly at early of the year 1960s. After the death of Franco, King Juan Carlos takes over his laces, and he made some changes by applying a democratic system for the country. In 1977, a new election was held, and a new constitution was published in 1978. Then, Spain joined the EU in 1986. Spain joined the Euro in 1999. The economy in Spain was not very good since they had faced a recession in 2008 and a high level of unemployment. Spain successfully overcomes the crisis from 2014 onwards. Now, Spain’s economy is growing steadily.

According to statistics in 2017, the population of people in Spain is 46.57 million. The largest religion in Spain is Catholic Christianity with 68.2 percent. Followed by Atheist with 22 percent and the remaining are the others religions such as Islam, Judaism, Protestant Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Baha’i. The cultures in Spain were all based on the influence of pre-Roman Celtic and Iberian culture. There are also influence from the Romans, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, and Greeks. For language, the official language in Spain is Spanish. This language is mainly spoken in Latin America. The other languages such as Aranese, Basque, Catalan, Galician, Aragonese, Asturian, and Leonese are spoken at smaller district areas and certain islands. 

As for the visa, some of the countries have their regulation to enter Spain. For EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens, they need to have a passport or national identity card which valid on the entry date. Whereas for other countries, they need to produce a passport that valid during their period of stay in Spain. For Singapore travellers, they can only apply tourist visa which maximum stay of 90 days. In Spain, the best time to visit is during Spring and Autumn. During the spring season, the tourists will experience warm weather, and there are a few festivals happened from March till May. For those who want to have a light cold during their tour, they can visit Spain from in between September and November month. The temperature starts to cool off and crowds thin out. It is nice for those who love sightseeing. There are not many tourists will come during the winter season in Spain because the weather is extremely cold. During the summer season, the weather in Spain can be a little bit hot, but the tourist can still visit a few Spanish cities. The cuisines in Spain has influenced mostly by the Iberians dishes. There are many dishes that very well recommended to the people who came to Spain for a holiday. One of the dishes is Paella. It is one of the famous rice dishes in Spain. This dish is yellow rice together with different types of vegetables, meat, and seafood. It is a perfect dish during lunchtime, and the tourists can get to taste Paella at restaurants. Another famous Spanish dish is called Jamon. It is one of the most favourite dishes among the locals in Spain. Jumon is a cured ham made from black Iberian pig or mountain pig. The pig legs are salted and hung to dry. This dish is served during with bread for an appetiser. The tourist can get the dish at local tapas shops. For snacks, the tourist can try Croquetas. It is a fried ball which consists of jamon, fish, Spanish blue cheese.

How to Get There

By Flight

To get to Spain, the tourists from Singapore need to travel there by plane. They have to take a flight from Changi Singapore Airport to Madrid Barajas Airport. Madrid Barajas Airport is the main international airport in Spain. It is the largest airport in Europe together with Roissy Airport. The flight ticket per person will be around SGD 1676 to SGD 2200. However, the price of the ticket will be increased at the peak season which is during the public and school holiday season. The journey from Changi Singapore Airport to Madrid Barajas Airport takes about 16 hours and 15 minutes. Once they have arrived, there will be some taxis and public transport provided for the tourists. The tourists can choose to take either of them, and it will take them straight to their place to stay.

What to Do There?

Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya

For those who are interested in learning about the history in Spain, they can visit a few museums in Spain. One of the museums that have received many visitors is Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya. It is the main museum that is located in central Madrid. This museum houses one of the world’s European art collection from the 12th century to the early of 20th century. Besides that, it has also placed collections of Spanish arts. There are around 7600 paintings, 8200 drawing, and 1000 sculptures that were showcased in the museum. The visitors can find a few historical documents and other artworks in the museum. Besides that, this museum has organised a few art exhibitions for the visitors. Besides Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, the tourists can also visit other museums such as Museo Guggenheim Bilbao, Teatre-Museu Dalí, and Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza.

Teide

The perfect destination for tourists to have hiking activities is at Mount Teide. It is located in the Canary Islands, Spain. It has the highest point above sea level in the Atlantic islands. Mount Teide has attracted many visitors from all over the world. There will be an extensive trails network for those who want to reach the peak of the mountain. From the above mountain, the visitors can gain experience by witnessing a panoramic view of the surrounding area. The visitors can see a unique landscape of craters, volcanoes and beautiful rivers. They can also see the flows of lava and eroded rocks at the mountain. The lava flows on the flanks of Teide has supported varieties of plants since the soil is very rich in nutrients and minerals. They can also visit Teide National Park where they can meet a few types of reptile species such as the Canary Island lizard, Canary Island skink, and Canary Island wall gecko. There are also other animals such as bats, rabbits, mouse, and many more.

Costa del Sol

Located at the southern coast of Spain, Costa del Sol is a must visit destination among the locals and foreign tourists. Costa del Sol stretches from the Strait of Gibraltar to the east Granada province. It is also near to the city of Malaga. The tourists love to visit this place because they can do a few beach activities and sports activities. They can also have a meal at any restaurants or have a drink at bars along the beach. Besides that, there are also a few golf courses for avid golfers.

Where to Stay?

Maydrit Hotel

Maydrit Hotel is a perfect choice to during visits to Madrid. The location of this hotel is very good. It is because the journey takes about 7 minutes of riding a car from Madrid Barajas Airport. This hotel is also near to a few interesting places which take only a few minutes of driving from the hotel. Besides that, this hotel provides many facilities to make their guests feel more comfortable during their stay here. All the rooms are very well-equipped with amazing amenities. After a long day of travelling around Madrid, the guests can have a relax time by swimming at a pool or do some fitness activities at a fitness centre in this hotel. As for dining options, Maydrit Hotel serves different types of cuisines that will meet the taste of their guests.

Hostal Pensimar

For those who want to look for a reasonable price of accommodation, the ideal place to choose is the Hostal Pensimar. This hotel has prepared a few types of rooms with useful amenities. The guests can also enjoy several facilities that have prepared by the hotel such as parking spaces with surcharged, tour service, and luggage storage. There is also a 24-hour receptionist where the guests can ask for their assistance at any time — this hotel strategically located near Alicante-Elche Airport. Besides that, the location of this hotel is near to a few tourist spots such as beaches and golf course. It is convenient for the guests to travel to these places since it takes about a few minutes riding car from the hotel.

Mola Hostel

Mola Hostel is an ideal accommodation for those who travel in bigger groups. The rooms in this hotel can accommodate a maximum of 8 people. Besides that, the rooms are equipped with basic amenities. Moreover, it is always well-kept and in clean condition. This hotel has also provided impeccable facilities such as airport shuttle with surcharged, welcoming drinks, laundry service, luggage storage, multilingual staff, tour service, a 24-hour receptionist, and parking spaces with surcharged. The guests can also enjoy a cup of coffee at a coffee shop, and they can have light snacks at a snacks bar in this hotel. Apart from that, the guests can easily explore to a few attraction places such as Teatro Caser Calderon de Madrid, Santa Ana Square, Puerta del Sol, and El Oso el Madrono which is only walking distance from the hotel.