WHAT better way to spend the holiday season than in Spain. Remember, Spain is not just composed of the contiguous territories in the Iberian Peninsula; it is also composed of two archipelagoes – the Balearic archipelago and the Canary archipelagos off the coast of Africa.

As Halloween fades away, the locals in Spain are now excitedly looking forward for the winter and Christmas season for a variety of reasons. Others view it as something religious what with the commemoration of the birthday of their Messiah, Spain being a predominantly Roman Catholic country. On the other hand, some look forward for a jolly good time in a not-so-cold environment.

At least, Spain is not as cold as Iceland. The most coldness you can get in that country is at -3 degrees Celsius at the peak of winter but that’s not the temperature obviously in Madrid or in Costa Blanca or even in Ibiza. That’s the coldness you can get if you are outdoors skiing in the Pyrenees. Speaking of the Pyrenees, it’s really a cool place to spend the holidays there skiing and other variety of activities as mountaineering, mountain hiking, downhill mountain biking, off-roading and horseback riding, among others.

But there are lots of things that you must watch out for. First, bring extra layers of clothing with you. Do not don on cottony fiber because fiber tends to absorb moisture. When engaged in highly physical activities, always make sure that you have the proper gear with you. Make sure to have a first-aid kit which of course has bandages, a flashlight, some essential tablets, some blood clotting medicine, your own water canteen or even morphine. Bringing a radio, a satellite phone or anything which can signal GPS to the outside world wouldn’t hurt either. Now, that’s not sounding grim but chance surely favors the prepared mind, right?

In the Pyrenees, there are lots of villas there for rent especially now that winter season is on its way. But you must reserve in advance because these are fully booked especially during the weeks which include Christmas and New Year Days. And hey, didn’t I forget to tell you that during these days they also do some fireworks right there in the mountains. The view may not be as spectacular when you do your fireworks over the Mediterranean but hey, doing fireworks in the middle of a snowfall is something fantastic to look at, right? Who knows, it may be your experience of a lifetime. So come on and hop aboard Spain.

Too much excitement may be regrettable though so again, let us emphasize here more on preparedness. When renting a villa, make sure that everything checks out. Make sure you know where the emergency exit is in case of any contingency like a snow avalanche perhaps. A villa that has its own panic room or basement is so much the better. And because a villa is surely located in a remote spot, make sure that its security alarm system is excellent and all sensors are strategically placed.

THIS Christmas, if you’re planning to spend the holiday season here in Spain, then do so with a fashion. Reserve your flights now because there are no more flights to look forward to this Christmas if you will board the airliner only then. And remember to book flights as round trip ones and not just standalone flights. You know, there are lots of people spending the holidays here even though if Spain is just a summer destination. You may spend your holidays stranded here in Spain if you don’t book round trip tickets.

Hotels here too are booked tight when it comes to Christmas season. Even vacation homes and villas are hard to come by here if you don’t reserve early. For bookings, there is just one click of a finger. Just log in to Expedia or Travelocity websites and you can browse for available villa deals. These villa deals are usually merged with your plane tickets here in Spain. For example, your flight will end up at Madrid International Airport.

But your destination is Benidorm. Yet international and reputable travel agencies such as the ones mentioned earlier do offer even the villa rentals in these areas in Alicante . Some of these villas are located close to the coastline such as in the Mediterranean areas of Costa del Sor or Costa Blanca. In these cases when villas really hug literally the shorelines, make sure not to wander along the coasts alone. Lifeguards often guard beaches but they do not make the rounds at remote or isolated beaches. You must be informed beforehand regarding the status of the place. For example, make sure that the beaches do not have a history of overflowing in case of a storm. There is no such thing as a very violent storm in the Mediterranean coasts of Spain but there are some instances when weather is unpredictable and there is a little bit of flooding and water may seep into the property that you are renting.

Remember that Christmas is in the middle of winter and the weather is not as sunny as it is during summer. Temperatures here tend to be as low as -3 degrees Celsius. You need layers and layers of clothing and you must stock up literally dozens of this in your holiday home. You don’t want to go out in the cold and snowing, right? So all you’ve got to do in the villa that you have rented is snuggle up with your loved one and wait for the weather to be sunny again. That may happen during midday where you can warm yourself up with some hot soup from fish stock that you may happen to secure after befriending some local fisherman at the shore.

Make sure too that the villa that you are renting is equipped with a very operational heater. Test this beforehand and test all appliances before committing to rent that particular villa. There are various kinds of villas here in Spain. Prices vary depending on your negotiation with the owner.

CHRISTMAS is the right time to rent a villa in Spain. Spain has the most religious and most fanatic Roman Catholics all over Europe. For example, you will see in its churches the uniqueness of the design. Aside from the Gothic imprints associated with cathedrals all over the continent, Catholic churches all over Spain have been designed with Islamic art, owing to the Moorish era. It has never been erased by the Catholics who reconquered them because they found the art fascinating, attracting even UNESCO which calls them as world heritage sites.

To come here in Spain during winter, you need not a visa if you come from Europe. If you come from Portugal which is just located in the Iberian Peninsula where Spain is also located, you just need a train or even your own car in hopping to here. There is nothing else that you will need except maybe a few extra clothes just in case coldness sets in the way during your trip. Because Spain is part of the Schengen agreement, then no guards will accost you down in the land bordering Portugal.

Once you’ve arrived here, you can scout for the various vacation homes and villas available for rent in a two-week vacation. You may accompany your wife or a girlfriend or even your child. Extra precautions for your child’s safety have already been underway because of the Madeleine McCann kidnapping. Vacation homes and villa compounds here in Spain have installed sophisticated cameras and high-tech surveillance equipment to impress its foreign visitors. There are lots of visitors here during Christmas season, most of them coming from Britain and other colder countries such as Denmark and Sweden.

They like it here during Christmas because it’s relatively warmer here in Spain especially in the Mediterranean areas. For those who want to go skating or mountain and ice skiing, then go to the Pyrenees. The Alps is still the number one destination as far as winter sports in Europe are concerned but the Pyrenees has long been attracting several people here. Near the Pyrenees particularly at its foot lie a number of villas and vacation homes ideal for renting this Christmas season. For just a reasonable and negotiable price, you can already settle you and your kids for the night with a heater and an even authentic and original fireplace. Make your kids feel at home but at the same time, let them feel struck with the surroundings around them just like snowfall and the full moon while snow is falling.

But if you are wary of the cold, then you can always settle down at the various villas and vacation homes along the Mediterranean coastlines in Spain such as Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol, Malaga and Valencia. These communities are mostly composed of devout Roman Catholics and it’s nice to see them praying in unison as they commemorate the birth anniversary of Christ. In fact, they celebrate Christmas here for seven weeks straight from Advent to the Feast of the Epiphany in the second week of January.