For people who live in the colder climate Alcudia offers everything you need to banish the cold grey to a distant memory.

Alcudia, which lies on the north of the island is just what you would expect from a beach holiday, with a range of nearby cultural sites to visit as well. There is the walled town of Alcudia itself, with Roman ruins and a lovely Sunday market. It's narrow streets lined with all kinds of curios and foods stuffs , and packed with shoppers. The easiest attraction to find from Alcudia resort, however, is Porte D'Alcudia. To get there you just follow the beach!

Porte D'Alcudia is the old fishing village which lies at the northern end of the beach. A tight grid of streets, with restaurants and gift shops lining the sea front, and more traditional Spanish style shops and cafés on the street behind, with some excellent sea food restaurants hidden away down the back streets.

can go wind surfing, get a great tan, and eat a traditional Sunday lunch all in the same day!

Less compact and more spread out than the port, the resort of Alcudia has a real stamp of Britishness to it. You can buy your daily papers, drink pints of bitter, watch the football on satellite TV, and even sit down at a restaurant that serves proper chips and sausages.

Indeed, you could come to Alcudia for the beach alone: 7Kms of curving white sand that shelves gently into the sea, thatched beach huts and sun beds, palm trees, fantastic sand carvings, beach-side cafés and restaurants, and a great variety of water sports. All kinds of shops offer everything you could imagine you needed for a beach holiday in the surf - inflatable crocodiles, bucket and spade, volley ball, fishing nets and even family dingys.

Away from the beach there is a good range of things to do to keep you and the kids occupied. The nightlife centres around bars and pubs and night-clubs which are lively but not rowdy. The entertainment is family based until around midnight, when the kids are asleep, and it all gets notched up a gear.

Food wise, Alcudia covers the entire range of tastes. If fish and chips are your thing, then you'll be happy all holiday. But as well as British staples there are Chinese and Indian, Spanish (great sea food!) and the familiar family favourites like KFC, Pizza Hut, and a tempting Haagen Daas for a hot afternoon.

Alcudia offers something for everyone. Plenty of shops offer more than you can imagine (including ready made flamenco dresses for Sindy and Barbie), lots of good restaurants, and a range of entertainments that will suit everyone.