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.