Reviews of Spain

A few summers ago I worked in a hotel called Las Truchas (the trout) in a remote area of Spain It was in a beautiful location, about one hours drive from the city of Zaragoza, in a small village called Nuevalos. Nearby is the Monasterio de Piedra, which is a national park with many waterfalls. When most people think of going on holiday in Spain, they think of the costas, the British resorts. I have never visited these places, but personally I see going on holiday as a chance to escape from all the things which surround us every day at home-the Sun, lager, McDonalds, etc etc.

The hotel is a 4* hotel, with an outdoor pool and bar, gym, tennis and squash courts. The staff quarters weren't quite so luxurious, needless to say!

The weather was VERY hot, which leads to problems such as mosquitos and we once found a scorpion creeping towards our room (nice!), but there were also some spectacular storms that lasted all day.

I worked at the hotel for a whole summer and in all that time there was only one British person who stayed at the hotel. This area is definitely one the Spanish people want to keep to themselves! And with good reason too. The village is located at the bottom of a huge hill, next to a huge lake. The village is a traditional Spanish village with narrow streets and bars known as Pinyas with no strict licensing laws as there are here. Very cheap drinks too, and everyone is very friendly. Vodka and orange worked out at about 50p. Wow!

The whole area is made up of many small villages, and the highlight of the summer is the fiesta, a big outdoor part which travels around all the villages. There is music in the streets and drinking and eating. I managed to go to 2 nights of the fiesta, it was truly wonderful. Everyone stays up all night, including children. People are just having a good time, not fighting or being sick as would probably happen in England if they had parties of this kind.

I feel proud that I managed to visit, and live in such a beautiful location that hardly anyone has heard of. I doubt it will ever become a popular holiday location for British people, which I am glad for. It is definitely a place for a relaxing break in stunning surroundings rather than an action packed pulling fest.