RIU Hotels & Resorts earn five 2007 HolidayCheck Awards

Five RIU Hotels & Resorts are among the winners of the Third HolidayCheck Awards: ClubHotel Riu Funaná Garopa Resort (Island of Sal, Cape Verde), Riu Palmeras (Gran Canaria, Spain), Riu Don Miguel (Gran Canaria, Spain), Riu Festival (Mallorca, Spain) and Riu Palace Tenerife (Tenerife, Spain) were ranked by HolidayCheck portal users among the world’s best 99 hotels.
One of the hotel industry latest most sought after award is the ‘holidaycheck’ The results are obtained by the scores received by the 200.000 surfers of this internet portal. These scores for various hotels worldwide form the foundation of the world’s best 99 hotels that is recognized by the 2007 holidaychecks award.
The awards ceremony was held at the universal restaurant in Berlin on the 5th March as part of the International Tourism Fair that was running from March the 5th – 9th.
In 2006 holidaycheck acknowledged the Riu Oliva Beach Apartments in Fuerteventura, Spain as one of the five world’s best 100 hotels.

Gran Canaria to host rally tournament

Once again Gran Canaria will host the yearly rally event giving motorsport fans an opportunity for a trip to one of the Canary Islands.

The El Corte ingles Rally will be held on the April 18th and 19th of this year, covering a distance of approximatley 600 kilometers. Over 100 Rally teams are believed to be competing this year performing on a range of different terrains from risky mountain roads to the high-speed dirt tracks around the island.
Visitors to the rally will have the best opportunity to visit the most hidden places of beauty in Gran Canaria - as long as they keep up with the race, including areas such as Tejeda,San Mateo and and Vallesco.
Rally fans will also have an opportunity to visit Turkey this year as the World Rally Championship visits the country from June 13th to 15th.
The race this year will take place in Kemer, just down the road from the tourist resort of Antalya.

Pension rights, the Canary Islands offers more for your money

Canary Islands offers a better place to collect your pension.

A new survey shows that more and more Britons are choosing to leave the UK and retire abroad. Up to two thirds of higher rate tax payers plan to join the so called “Silver Flight” when they finish working.Many people are opting to purchase a home abroad sooner rather than wait for the actual retirement date and use the property for holidays and letting so reducing any mortgage costs before their pensions are due.According to the Department of Work and Pensions more than one million people already draw their pensions abroad.
In Spain more than 75,000 pensioners receive their benefits paid into their foreign accounts while enjoying the benefits of better weather, lower costs and an easier pace of life. Specific gripes mentioned are spiralling council taxes, high energy bills and a faltering NHS.
The findings follow emigration trends with figures from the Brits Abroad Report published by the Institute for Public Policy Research showing that 5.5 million Britons now live abroad and that a further one million may leave by the year 2011.
The Canaries are proving to be one of the most popular destinations for the Silver Flight as it offers an all year round summer climate just a short flight from the UK and still having the benefits of the EU.

Cost Of Living In Spain Still Cheaper Than UK

The results of a Cost of Living in Spain survey prove it is cheaper than the UK, especially if you live like a local.
The Cost of Living in Spain survey, from Spanish property portal Kyero, reveals on average a couple can live on €644 per month in addition to any rent or mortgage payments.
Taken from a wide range of locations in Spain and calculating average monthly figures, visitors responding to the survey gave the following figures:

Monthly Charges:
Buildings & contents Insurance €25
Council Tax €20
Community Fees €20
Administrative Fees €7
Electricity €50
Gas €12
Telephone Standing Charges €20
Telephone Calls €30
ADSL €40
Mobile Phone Calls €28
Car Insurance €35
Car Road Tax €7
Car Service Costs €30
Grocery Bill €300
Satellite TV Subscription €20

Monthly Total: €644

The figures were collated from across all regions of Spain and some regions such as the Canaries came in with a lower figure due to such things as better home and car insurance premiums because of the low incidence of crime.The results of a Cost of Living in Spain survey prove it is cheaper than the UK, especially if you live like a local.
Another fact that came out of the survey was the substantially lower cost of a night out, with again the Canaries working out very inexpensive, possibly due to the duty free status of the island.