ALTHOUGH the proliferation of low-cost flights and cheap accommodation help Spain to maintain its position as one of our most popular package holiday destinations, the country has far more to offer.

The Basque town, and foodie stronghold, of San Sebastian has more Michelin stars per head of population than Paris.

Golf courses such as Valderrama at Sotogrande (00 34 956 791200; www. valderrama. com) are rated among the best in the world, while the Caudalie Vinotherapie spa at the Hotel Marques de Riscal (00 34 945 180 880; www. caudalie. com) in Elciego is the only one of its kind in Spain, offering treatments using extract of grapeseed to improve circulation.

ARRIVE IN STYLE

The best option is to book a flight with Ryanair (www. ryanair. com) from Dublin to Alicante, Barcelona, Madrid, Seville or Vitoria. Alternatively, you could sail to Spain on a luxury liner, if you don't mind that your time on dry land will be limited to a day in each destination.

Fred Olsen Cruises ( www. fredolsencruises. com) includes the port cities of Bilbao, Cadiz, Valencia and La Coruna in its itineraries for 2007, with prices starting at approx 2,257 for a double cabin and 1,975 for a single on a 14-night cruise. A day in Barcelona is included in the Best of the Mediterranean cruise operated by P&O (www. pocruises. com).

This 14-night trip leaves Southampton on 30 March, and prices start at 1,647 per person.

GETTING AROUND

Book a ticket for the Transcantabrico, a luxury, seven-night train journey that takes passengers from Santiago de Compostela north to Ferrol and along the Atlantic coast as far as Bilbao, before looping back to Leon. There are numerous stops, including visits to the Picos de Europa National Park and the cathedral at Oviedo.

Services operate in both directions, departing most Saturdays from 31 March (from 7 April if you travel west to east) until the end of October. The fare is 2,723 which includes all travel, meals and excursions. Tickets are available from Railchoice (www. railchoice. co. uk).

WHERE TO STAY

You probably want to avoid resort accommodation, although don't be too quick to dismiss the idea of a few nights in one of the Puro beach hotels (www. purobeach. com). These upmarket resort properties offer a hippie-chic style: relaxation by day, in the form of spa treatments and yoga, and the chance to party at night. They are located in Marbella, at Laguna Village on Playa el Padron (00 34 951 316 699) and at Pagel 1, Cala Estancia in Palma de Mallorca (00 34 971 744 744). For those of a more urban disposition, there is also a property in downtown Palma within easy reach of the yacht harbour at Montenegro 12 (00 34 971 425 450; www. purohotel. com).

One of the most dramatic of the recent openings is the Hotel Marques de Riscal in Elciego (Calle Torrea 1; 00 34 945 180 880; www. starwoodhotels. com), a village in the Rioja wine region. A combination of winery, restaurant, spa and 43 rooms, it is an undulating modern structure designed by Frank Gehry, architect of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

The building is topped with canopies of stainless steel and titanium, in red, silver and gold; the colours reflect the wine, the capsule that covers the cork and the netting that covers the bottles. Further south, the Hotel Palacio de los Patos at Solarillo de Gracia 1 (00 34 958 536 516; www. hospes. es) , close to the centre of Granada, has won awards for its architecture.

It has been created out of a classicalstyle 19th-century palace which is connected to a striking building by a tunnel with a glass ceiling.

But in terms of accommodation, old does not mean it should be ignored, especially in Spain, where some of the country's finest historic buildings have been turned into first-class accommodation.

Among the Spanish parador group (www. parador. es) is a selection of castles and convents that have now banished their princes and nuns to welcome visitors. Stylish properties include a 14th-century Moorish fortress in Carmona in Andalucia (Alcazar del Rey Don Pedro; 00 34 954 141 010), and a 16th-century monastery in the cathedral city of Leon (Hostal de San Marcos; 00 34 987 237 300).

SHOPPING . . . BUT NOT ZARA?

Madrid, which used to suffer in comparison with Barcelona in terms of culture, retail and gastronomy, has caught up dramatically in the last few years, most noticeably in its shops. Many of the international and Spanish designers . . . such as Adolfo Dominguez, Farrutx, Camper and Hoss Homeless . . .have outlets along the main shopping drag, Calle Serrano in the Salamanca district.

Look out for designers such as Josep Font, Amaya Arzuaga and Angel Schlesser, who all have shops in the area.

NOW PAMPER ME

La Residencia (00 34 971 639 011; www. hotellaresidencia. com) at Deia in Mallorca is well-known for its excellent spa, which offers colour therapy among its treatments, but you might also try out the facilities at the Mardavall Hotel, at Passeig Calvia, Costa d'en Blanes, just outside Palma (00 34 971 606 136; www. mardavall-hotel. com).

On the mainland, a luxurious choice is the Hotel Villa Padierna on the Carretera de Cadiz in Marbella (00 24 952 889 150; www. ritzcarlton. com), whose spa is designed to resemble a Roman bath house.

CAN I GET A DECENT MEAL?

Possibly the best you have ever eaten. El Bulli (00 34 972 150 457; www. elbulli. com), near Roses on the Costa Brava, was recently voted best restaurant in the world . . . and has been among the top three ever since the awards for "The World's 50 Best Restaurants" were inaugurated in 2002. In the same part of the country, Can Fabes, at Sant Joan 6 in Sant Celoni, near Barcelona (00 34 938 672 851) has three Michelin stars and its chef, Santi Santamaria, has also won two stars for his other restaurant, Santceloni in Madrid.

But the cuisine to really taste is that of the Basque country, which boasts several internationally renowned chefs such as Martin Berasategui, who runs several restaurants, including the one in the Guggenheim Museum at Avenida Abandoibarra 2 in Bilbao (00 34 944 239 333; www. martinberasategui. com).

Another Basque chef is Andoni Luis Aduriz who is so famous in the culinary world that he is known only by his first name. His restaurant, Mugaritz, is a 20minute journey south of San Sebastian in Errenteria (00 34 943 522455; www. mugaritz. com), and he is known for his innovative menus.

But the place to try out the best of modern Basque cuisine is at Arzak on the outskirts of San Sebastian (Avenida Alcalde Elosegui 273; 00 34 943 278 465; www. arzak. es).

AHEAD OF THE CROWDS

There are few things more stylish than discovering a destination ahead of everyone else. In 2008, attention will be focused on the town of Zaragoza, which will host the international Expo exhibition (www. expozaragoza2008. es).

Although some of the planned attractions . . . such as the new light railway and the Goya Space, dedicated to the artist Francisco de Goya . . . will not be ready this year, there is still plenty to explore in this historic city.

Its basilica, dedicated to Our Lady the Virgin of the Pillar, is one of Spain's most important shrines; there is also a Gothic cathedral, and an impressive Moorish palace, the Aljaferia, which is unusual for this part of Spain. Some 30 miles away, in the village of Fuendetodos, is the house where Goya was born; the museum next door contains a collection of his engravings.