‘The Guggenheim may just be my favourite art gallery in the world' – our restaurant critic on the bites and buildings in Bilbao
It's tempting to bring the car or campervan on the ferry and make a couple of days in Bilbao the jumping-off point for a longer journey through Galicia and the Basque Country of Northern Spain, but that would mean missing the Santiago Calatrava-designed terminal at Bilbao's Sondica Airport. For admirers of the Spanish architect, engineer and sculptor, also responsible for the Samuel Beckett bridge in Dublin, that's a tough call.
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The Irish Sun
6 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
I ditched Dublin to move 10 minutes from Marbella, weekly shop is cheaper & I'll never leave Spain over key difference
HAVE you ever enjoyed your summer holidays so much you wished you could stay forever? That's exactly what Dubliner Sophie Lyons Wilson's family did when she was just nine - and now a mum herself, she's positive she won't be leaving her beloved new home in Spain. 6 Sophie, pictured above with her family, reckons her kids have a better quality of life in Spain 6 Both parents are fluent in Spanish and share their experience of living abroad on TikTok 6 Sophie first moved over to Spain as a child and knew she wanted to raise her own kids there Sophie, 23, says her parents decided to make the move in 2010 after they realised the family was "so much happier" when on their She told the Irish Sun: "We were much happier over here, the days felt brighter and we seemed to have more time. "When we came over it was such a time for friends and family, we were together and we just knew that life would stay like that when we moved over here." And once she met her partner Dylan, they knew Spain was where they wanted to raise their daughter, five, and one-year-old son. The mum-of-two, originally from Living just a 10 minute drive from stunning Marbella, Sophie and her kids enjoy countless beach days and hours spent having fun in playgrounds and activities. Sophie said: "100 per cent there is a huge difference of the quality of life for us since moving. "Just for my kids and all, they seem to grow up a little bit slower over here and that is one of my favourite things. "There is a lot of pressure for kids to start drinking young, smoking and partying. "Whereas over here you still see 14-year-olds in playgrounds and that is one of my favourite things about it, I like that my kids just stay kids a little while longer." 'I would never go back' Dublin Mum moved Spain for better life has free medical care & less societal pressure on kids Sophie shares her experiences on her TikTok account - Sophie and Dylan both speak Spanish - with Dylan, who was born in Spain to Northern Irish parents, running a bar for work. When it comes to costs, Sophie said despite a rise in prices since the She said: "For us, we are a family of four and the weekly shop averages between €100 to €250 a week. 6 From zoos to beaches, the family are never short of things to do 6 Their days are filled with activities in beautiful sunshine "It used to be a lot cheaper but then Covid hit and there's been a small increase but it's still so much cheaper than back home." The family rent a two-bedroom apartment for €1,200 a month, with Sophie admitting rent can be an issue in the area. However she still reckons it is better value than And paired with the stellar quality of life, Sophie says she'll "never leave". EASY DECISION She explained: "Just for the quality of life here, playgrounds open till 8pm, sky is brighter, my weekends are packed full of activities with beaches, pools and zoos. "And with rent, the prices back home I'd probably never leave And praising healthcare in Spain, Sophie said: "Once you have a job over here the healthcare is free and I couldn't fault it. "We also had private health insurance, for the four of us I pay €170 a month and that's full coverage. "I had both of my babies via C-section and they cover everything, if we ever need surgery, honestly I feel like it's the best money I could spend." Primary and secondary public schools are free in the region, with Sophie's daughter still in creche costing the family €300 a month. Sophie said: "We had a private nursery for my daughter and it cost €300 a month and that was for her to be there from 9-5. "With her there five full days a week, you can't even compare it back home." But they are challenges too, one being the loneliness. MISSING HOME Sophie explained: "You take for granted living close to your relatives. "And we were so close to our family, we would see them at least three or four times a week, so to come here not speak a word of the language and only have each other was quite lonely. "Friends that we made, they come and go here as they move over for a few years and then they might move back home. "So we would lose a lot of friends over the years, which created the lonely side of things." But she has since learned the language and immersed herself in the culture, calling locals her "second family". And Sophie is not alone among Irish people who've taken the plunge to make Spain their forever home, as And it's a case of work imitating life, as the Spain expert now runs her own compan y to assist other expats who are planning to relocate to the sun. 6 Sophie has no plans to return home to dreary Dublin
The Irish Sun
10 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Fresh Spain holiday hell for Irish tourists as 180k staff on popular islands threaten DAYS of strikes & walkouts in July
IRISH tourists jetting off to Spain could face fresh holiday hell after 180,000 hospitality staff threatened a number of strikes and walkouts next month. Hotels, restaurants and clubs in the 4 Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca will be affected by the strikes Credit: AFP 4 The strikes could persist throughout the month with 18, 19, 25, 31 of July Credit: AFP 4 Unions are demanding a 16 per cent increase in pay for workers over three years Credit: EPA Irish popular hotpots The alert was raised yesterday after union bosses walked out of a meeting about pay and working conditions, calling hospitality bosses' offer of an 11 per cent pay increase insufficient. Talks about reducing the working week to 35 hours were also promptly shut down when employers said they "categorically" rejected this proposal. UGT union spokesman Jose Garcia Relucio described the offer as 'more crumbs' and claimed hotel bosses were expecting workers to survive on tips. Read more in Travel He said: 'We'd come here to negotiate to improve the conditions of service industry workers, not to worsen them.' Unless a last-minute agreement is reached between employers and unions a large chunk of the Balearic island's workforce will down their tools on July 10. The strikes could persist throughout the month with 18, 19, 25, 31 of July being already confirmed as protest days. José García Relucio, General Secretary of the Federation of Services, Mobility and Consumption of UGT, said the talks "could not have gone worse" and condemned employer's inflexibility around pay. MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN Meanwhile, Javier Vich, President of the Hotel Business Federation of Mallorca, blamed unions for failing to meet a compromise. Moment hardcore anti tourist mob surround Brit tourists in Majorca chanting 'go home' & telling Brit ex-pats to 'go to hell' He added that employers were making all the "necessary efforts" to "reach a fair" agreement with workers. Unions are demanding a 16 per cent increase in pay for workers over three years. The mass walkout will coincide with peak tourist season in the It comes as protests across Spain intensify with hundreds of locals regularly taking to the streets to call for an end to mass tourism. MASS TOURISM PROTESTS Thousands flooded the streets of the Demonstrations took place across the Spanish archipelago's islands, including The march carried the slogan: "The Canary Islands are not for sale, they are loved and defended." Other banners read: "The Canary Islands have a limit and so does our patience" and "Enough is enough!" Spain's anti-mass tourism movement began gaining serious momentum in April 2024 - particularly in popular tourist destinations. Locals have been demanding an end to the problems associated with mass tourism, including pollution, traffic chaos, the lack of affordable housing and low wages for tourism workers. 4 Hotels, restaurants and clubs in the Balearic Islands will be hit by the walkouts which could go on for weeks Credit: Getty
The Irish Sun
11 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Mum reveals desperate sunlounger hogging attempt after getting up in the dark hours before pool opens
A MUM has shared how she got up at 6am to beat 'sunbed warriors' at a popular Spanish holiday hotspot. Venice Wallace, 29, has shared she got up in the early morning and in the dark, to try and reserve the best spot for family when on 4 A mum has shared how she got up at 6am to beat 'sunbed warriors' at a popular Spanish holiday hotspot Credit: SWNS 4 For the first seven days of her holiday, Venice was unable to get a lounger Credit: SWNS She commented how she would be ready "go to war" for the sunbeds in her Unable to find a good bed for the first seven-days of her holiday, Venice then decided to set an alarm to be able to put her towels down and secure a bed at 6am. The property manager from Essex said: "We were there for 11 days and there were no rules around the sunbeds. "It was just a free for all and I've never experienced that. Read more on Spain "Every morning, we'd get up quite early and I'd look over the balcony to see all the sunbeds covered in towels. "So, when we would go down at like eight or nine in the morning, we'd never get a front row seat to the kids' Venice explained how when she then decided to get up early to secure some of the loungers, "there was no arguing or anything". She added: "I never would have done it, but now that I'm a mum I understand it. Most read in News Travel "You need to be able to see your children." The mum shared a video on TikTok - which was captioned "Venice 1, everybody else 0" - of the ordeal. Sunbed wars take place at hotel used in filming of tv show Benidorm Since positing, it has gained over 1.6million views. Some viewers praised Venice for her boldness. However, others were quick to judge and blamed her for being "part of the problem". One said: "I swear on my life that if I'm coming down to find 'reserved' sunbeds like this with no one in sight, I'm removing those towels. "Mad? Go see what the staff have to say about it." The 29-year-old added that she gained a lot of hate in the comments from Spanish locals, but as she speaks Spanish - she has since argued back in more recent videos. 4 She then decided she had had enough and got up early to reserve some loungers for her family Credit: SWNS She said: "A lot of Brits give us a bad name, so they were saying 'we hate the tourists', 'don't bother coming here!' "The population of Spain and probably speak better than their ancestors." Another popular spot in Spain recently announced that it would be In and around Palma, more than 1,700 loungers are being removed by the government as locals have complained they cannot find sunbathing spots. The news follows a time where people are becoming increasingly frustrated over the amount of sun lounger space and availability. Often, videos are uploaded to social media showing holidaymakers battling for spots - or in Venice's case - rush to secure a spot at ridiculous hours. Plus, another 4 The property manager from Essex has received mixed comments on her decision to getting up early and reserve loungers Credit: SWNS
