Winter is here and since we are travelling along the Spanish portion of the Mediterranean coast, it would be good to remind you that there are great places in Spain to enjoy a winter house swap, specially if you like winter-sports. If you enjoy skiing, we have an interesting fact for you: Spain has 35 ski resorts of varied sizes and almost 1000 kilometres of ski slopes. Would that be enough for you?

The Spanish Pyrenees, besides beautiful, are the largest area for skiing and enjoying other winter-like activities, something always attractive to people of all ages. But today, since we were supposed to move west from Malaga to Almeria, we cannot but mention what is probably the second most important ski area of Spain and the one with the best view: the Nature Reserve of Sierra Nevada, in Andalusian territory.  Here is the deal you can get:  skiing in a designated UNESCO Reserve viewing the Mediterranean coast while you go downhill with the warm sun hitting your face. Sounds like a good deal!

We’ll mention more about Sierra Nevada’s surroundings in our next post, when we do arrive to Almeria, but if you would like to know more about your skiing in Spain, visit ATUDEM’s website (in Spanish).

Image: BY-YOUR-⌘ / Flickr.com

If you are one of those people who love to go on nature tripping, then Madeira in Portugal is a perfect vacation spot for you. Whether you are feeling like a beach bum or looking for a hiking adventure, or maybe just wanting to relax your view with the greens of floras and blues of the sea, this is definitely the place to go visit.

Madeira is an archipelago with volcanic origins that is one of the Autonomous Regions in Portugal that is located along the mid Atlantic Ocean (read: perfect place to get a tan). The archipelago is famous for its waters, the sea is always nearby. The waves are perfect, surfing competitions and championships are held here almost regularly. And if you aren’t up for any beach-related activity, there is always the Levadas or aqueducts to find an adventure in. The Levadas aside from producing hydro-electric power for the region, provides a beautiful view of the mountainous regions. Discover different floras and faunas that are unique to Madeira. UNESCO did not award Madeira as a World Heritage Site for nothing. To top things off, food here is extremely sumptuous, local specialties that are a must try are the Bolo de mel (honey cake), and black scabbardfish or espada, as it is locally known. Don’t forget to give Madeira wine a try.

Madeira is nice to visit all year round, as this place is also famous for its huge fireworks display during New Year’s Eve. Getting here is not even a problem as there are direct flights from most European cities and from Lisbon and Porto locally. If you are in main Portugal, you can get to Madeira in no time. That means you could have a home exchange anywhere in Portugal and still enjoy Madeira’s beauty and get back to your home swap in an ease.