Many go because of the warm weather, culture, cities, beaches and islands. There is also tasty food and so many hotels and places to stay to choose from.

Of course, combining luxury with frugality is always difficult, but there are some things to consider to make it possible. 

 

Accommodation

When it comes to accommodation, you somewhat get what you pay for. The caveat to this, however, is that location will play a big factor. For example, Iberostar 5 star hotels in Majorca are perhaps the equivalent in price of a 4-star hotel in Barcelona or Ibiza.

One suggestion, if you cannot afford your whole trip in a fancy hotel, is to rotate between budget and luxury accommodation. It sounds perhaps a bit simplistic but people rarely try it out.

Going from a private room in a backpacker hostel to a 5-star hotel has a drastic shock value, which can be fun. Staying in the budget place can make you even more appreciative of the luxury, and it can also mitigate our tendency to get utterly used to luxury.

Flitering between budget and luxury can equate to a similar price as continuously staying in middle-of-the-road, unnoteworthy 3-star accommodation. Some people may enjoy this continuity, but life is about extreme experiences at either end of the spectrum!

As mentioned earlier, location is important. Some places where you may find luxury villas for cheap are in mountains slightly off the radar and in quieter villages inland.

The biggest obstacle in the way of a holiday feeling luxurious is the difficulty of getting from the airport to the accommodation. In Spain, it’s easy to get lost in the scorching heat and have a frustrated, wasted day. Using an airport pick-up service is money well spent.

 

Flexibility and Timing

Flexibility is the number one way to keep costs down, luxury or not, Spain or not.

Booking with a rigid date 9 months in advance is going to mean paying top-whack prices. Often, last-minute flights and accommodation can be pricey too, but less so than booking far in advance. A few weeks to a few months in advance is often ideal.

When it comes to the time of the year, booking out of season is another big factor. Winter time for Spanish villas and 4-5 star hotels is often half the price. But, if you want to catch the sun, it's still possible - just book in May or late September/October when it's outside of the school holidays.

Finally, flexibility can mean a great difference. People often overpay for flights because they have rigid dates regarding holiday time from work, or simply because they already picked a holiday date and stick to it.

If you're looking at a certain flight, for example, it's always worth seeing what the price is a day or two before and after that date. A £30 flight 6 days of the week can often be £150 on one of the days. Spending less on flights means spending more on comforts when you're there. Plus, flights to Spain are a dime a dozen, so there’s less worry of them selling out.

A bonus tip here for the flight is to ask for a free upgrade upon arriving at the airport. If you're extra cheeky, perhaps you can come up with an excuse of why you specifically can benefit from it, but otherwise, it's common for airlines to provide free upgrades to empty business class seats. 

 

Defining Luxury… and Boats

Boats feel inherently luxurious for most of us. Something about being free, roaming around the clear Mediterranean waters, just feels special. If you haven't got the money to formally rent out a luxury boat, don't give up on the idea just yet.

There are a growing number of platforms that resemble AirBnB, but instead, pair boat owners with boat renters. With a ton more listings than any formal yacht rental firm in Spain, the market is competitively priced.

You have a lot more options to consider exactly what you need and want, and consider what you even define as being luxury. A shiny yacht, or just the idea of floating around out at sea in comfy seats and a fridge full of alcohol?

Perhaps the 8-person catamaran is too pricey even on these sites, but a well-decorated 620 Cruiser with diving equipment and a place to lounge in the sun still feels more luxurious than just heading to the beach from your hotel.

 

Have Special Days Out

As touched on earlier, just staying in a posh hotel can only bring so much joy.

At some point, the experience is becoming less uniquely special and a bit routine. So, instead of spending a ton of money every day like this, you can interject the odd special day where you do something you'll never forget. 

Perhaps it's visiting a Michelin Star restaurant (Spain has plenty of these) or taking a private helicopter tour - these are relatively affordable in the grand scheme of things when done sparingly, but they can change the entire memory of a trip.