THE best place to stay in Spain this Christmas is the Mediterranean area. And one of the best places in Mediterranean Spain is located in the Andalucian region particularly in the city of Almeria. To go to Almeria, there is a local airport there which can also be construed as an international airport since there are many regional flights coming in from certain places in Europe. But this airport can only accommodate small planes such as those run by RyanAir where most of its routes are coming from Dublin. So if you’re coming from elsewhere like Paris or Sweden, you need to book for an international flight via Madrid or Barcelona.

Once you’re there at Madrid and Barcelona, it’s only at the time that you can hop for a connecting flight bound to Almeria. However, please note that during Christmas season, there are lots of flights going to Madrid or Barcelona and most of them are already booked if you don’t reserve early. So you need to reserve two months early. It is already the middle of November and if you haven’t reserved for a flight already, chances are that they’re mostly booked – whether you’ll be boarding a United or an Iberian Airlines flight. So the next alternative to do is hold off your holiday vacation and get work during the Christmas holidays and takes your vacation in February instead.

February is still the middle of winter here in Almeria but the temperatures don’t get colder anymore. Even though Almeria lies next to the Mediterranean, it can be warm here with a maximum coldness of about -3 degrees Celsius. In Almeria, you will find the gayest people in the planet and that’s not an understatement. Just stroll along its beach and you can find yourself engaging in a hearty conversation with halting English with a local. You may even want to queue and wait for the local fishermen arrive with their catch of the day so you can grill them later on at the backyard of the vacation home that you’re renting. Now isn’t that yummy to look forward to? Almeria is also home to very religious people.

Christmas here starts early the way Catholics celebrate all over the world. It begins just right after Immaculate Conception Day on December 8 and ends at the Feast of the Epiphany every first Sunday of January. For the four weeks leading up to Christmas, it is called the Advent season where devout Catholics get a chance to have some confession before their parish priest so they will be spiritually prepared the entire season of Christmas where Jesus’ birth anniversary is celebrated. During this time, the local folks go to church to pray. This is especially true for the nine dawns before Christmas where the folks here in Almeria diligently wake up early in the morning to hear mass. The churches here in Almeria are typically Spanish in architectural design – it is sometimes Gothic although the smaller parishes have erected modernly-designed structures. During Christmas Eve itself, the folks here drink their way until 12 midnight then celebrate Christmas with fireworks.

Almeria, is the Southeastern part of Andalucia, with less rainfall a year and long sunny days. The climate is semi-arid but still can sustain the province vegetation. Often tourist visits Almeria for its famous nudist-beaches and Moorish architectural structures. Aside form that there is yet to discover about Almeria.

Due to Almeria’s climate, mostly there are barren lands and dried up rivers in the inland, hard for the villagers to cultivate the land and grow crops. The first plastic greenhouse was built in Roquetas de Mar. For the last 20 years Almeria’s inland had been the haven for agricultural farms, producing variety of vegetables and fruits, flowers. Greenhouse farming is integral to Almeria’s economy and now one of Europe’s exporters of agricultural products. Greenhous farming is the one who paved way to tourism to Almeria. It is the reminder of how they utilized their resources for the province economic progress.

Almeria, opened its doors to tourist not only for its fascinating beaches but also for their cultural heritage and ecological tourism. In Santa Fe de Mondujar and Bario de Chanca you can see some of the interesting cave-houses villages. The sun-burning climate made villagers built their homes in sand-colored cliffs, often called casas-cuevas translates to cave-houses, provides insulation from the climate’s humidity, and chimneys to provide illumination of their house’s interior.

Natural parks, reserves and monuments are a must see place. East of Almeria is where you can find the natural park, Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park, with exceptional volcanic formations of the rocks and the cliffs, secluded beaches and narrow pathways. Cabo de Gata-Nijar Park is sanctuary to different kinds of birds, flamingos, herons, larks and so on. There is a reptilian life in the park where the Italian wall lizards are only found here. You can use the footpath linking the park to the nearby village, San Jose, the largest village in the coastal area and with three beach resorts. Natural reserve, Albuferas de Adra Natural Reserve near the greenhouse farms, still attracts aquatic birds. Arrecife Barrera de Posidonia, a marine plant that is a habitat and a breeding place for variety of fishes, it is one of the national monuments of Almeria.

More of the inland in you can marvel at the solar energy plant, Solar Platform of Almeria in Gergal, though it is a restricted area but you can see through the wired-fence the solar panels which transforms the heat of the sun into electricity. Not only you on that, be awed by the view of the constellations of the night sky in the Calar Alto Astronomical Obervatory.

Nature at its best, there is the Sierra Nevada Mountain Ranges, which stretches through Granada. The only desert that could be found in Europe is in,Parque Nacional de Sierra Nevada.

This was once an economic-depressed province of Andalusia. Who knew that this will the one of the most visited places in Spain now? There is more to discover in Almeria, not just the beaches but also what their ecological parks and reserves and cultural heritage.

If you are looking for the best vacation area for your vacation trip, Almeria is the answer. It is not only the fascinating view it can boast of but as well as their accommodations. Most of the visitors happened to visit Almeria love the idea of settling themselves in their great inviting hotels. The façade as well as the ambiance it shows is worthy to sleep and relax with. There are no reasons why most of their hotels are filled with visitors especially during the peak season of summer. For your assurance when having a plan to have a vacation in Almeria, it is necessary for you to book in advance for your accommodation because there are always expected visitors coming in the place aside from you. There are top hotels you can choose when going to Almeria, and it’s up to you where to stay after your Almeria tour.

Perhaps you can choose the Elba Almeria hotel; you will love choosing this hotel because it is just nearby the Mediterranean Shopping Mall. This hotel is also situated nearby the beach, so there is no need for you to commute in looking for Alemeria’s pristine beaches. You can immediately acquire all your needs here since the hotel nestled in the heart of the city where businesses or skyscrapers of Almeria are to be found. The hotels offers the best cuisines they have, and they served their customers in a friendly way, whatever time they want to be serve. You would not feel insecure with the Elba hotel because they assure to their costumers that they have tight security measure and can provide whatever their costumer’s needs. While the other hotel you can choose with during your Almeria vacation is the Nh Ciudad De Almeria; situated opposite from Almeria’s main train terminal and just about 500 metres from Almeria’s one of the known shopping center which is the Rmabla de Almeria shopping boulevard. Most of their rooms have a modern design. You can roam and make use of their minibars available, wireless internet and more.

But if you are looking for hotels which offer incredible sightseeing of Almeria, you better choose Vinncci Mediterraneo hotel. It is in this hotel that you will realize how beautiful Almeria is because it is in between of the dessert and the sea. As one the of the visitors, you will love your surroundings because you can find many forms of landscapes as well as many regions of Almeria that includes the region of Alta Alpujarra known as the “white villages”, you can also view in this hotel the mountainous part of Tierra de los Velez. You can play your golf here at the nearby valley just nearby the sea; you can practice your golf skills here whatever time you want. Just like the other hotels, in terms of the security measure, the hotel Vinncci Mediterraneo is always updated. They never let their guest to feel worry and they made it to the point that they can serve their guests in the best of their abilities. There are many affordable but worthy hotels in Almeria where you can check-in, but you should remember to book in advance for your own good.