Best Summer Holiday Destinations - Puerto Banus, Marbella, Spain

Marbella, situated on the Southern coast of Spain on the Costa del Sol, is one of the most popular summer holiday destinations for us Brits, and for good reasons. The climate in Southern Spain is wonderful, with long sunny days and high temperatures of 30 degrees celsius and upwards. Coupled with this, wonderful food and drink, and great beaches make the Costa del Sol a very desirable location.

If you're holidaying in Marbella or Malaga this summer, I would highly recommend a visit to Puerto Banus, although the town is certainly well worth a visit in its own right. It is known as a bit of a playground for the rich and famous, and often draws comparisons as the Spanish St. Tropez. The marina area is always full of huge yachts in the summer months, and flash Ferraris, Aston martins and Lambos line the seafront. Puerto Banus is the place to be seen, celebs will often be spotted dining in the fabulous restaurants or doing a spot of shopping in the areas many designer boutiques.


Puerto Banus Marina

You can get to Puurto banus easily - it is around a five mile drive from Marbella so if you're planning on having a few drinks with the glitterati I recommend getting a taxi. After a wander around the marina, you're bound to be slightly peckish and luckily Puerto banus doesn't disappoint. When I visited we went to a restaurant called Antonio's which quite simply served up the finest Paella I have ever had. There are several other cuisines to choose from apart from Spanish and most restaurants have kids options so you shouldn't be stuck for choice. After dinner there are a good number of bars lining the marina - so order a nice cocktail, sit back, relax and watch the world go by in front of you.

Puerto Banus is one of my favourite places in Spain and certainly one of the best holiday destinations to visit during the summer, for a week or two or just for a shorter visit.

Best African Holiday Destinations - Hurghada, Egypt

When you mention Egypt as a top holiday destination, most people will instantly think of the towering Pyramids of Cairo or perhaps the coastal paradise of Sharm El Sheikh. However, Egypt has plenty more to offer aside from the obvious.

Hurghada, on the Red Sea coast of Egypt, is one of the country's top tourist destinations and has grown in popularity in recent years. Many companies now offer holidays to Hurghada - with several airlines flying there and many package deals available. The area has seen substantial growth over the last 30 years or so leading to The facilities on offer are therefore very good and enough to cater for most discerning holiday makers.

There are some absolutely stunning hotels available to stay in in Hurghada - the feeling of excess is similar to one you get in Las Vegas although without the cheap and tacky aftertaste that downtown Vegas provides. Much of Hurghada's attraction lies in the stunning coastline. Being situated in North Africa, you can expect the weather here to be excellent from April-September and as a result many people can be sure to spend alot of the day relaxing down at the beach on the miles of golden beaches spanning the Red Sea coast. There are plenty of water sports on offer here as well which is to be expected really - windsurfing, jet skiing, paragliding and more are all exciting activities that can be experienced here. The coastline also provides exceptional scuba diving oppurtunities, much like many other Red Sea resorts.


Coral reefs in hurghada are stunning

Being a fishing vilage originally, you can be sure to eat well here especially if you like your fresh fish. The Red Sea is nutrient and mineral rich - this leads to thriving sea life at all levels of the food chain, so fish is everywhere on the restaurant menus. You will typically see it served up fairly simply - freshly caught, slapped on the BBQ and straight onto your plate.

All in all, holidays in Hurghada have alot to offer and the area deserves its growing reputation as one of the best holiday destinations in Africa. The abundance of great deals to be had in Easter, spring and summer mean it is an affordable holiday destination for families and couples.