I get very cranky if I don’t get to go to Spain at least once a year. Luckily I’ve been the last four years in a row, so I will have to blame my crankiness on something else.

There are so many reasons to go to Spain other than the 10 listed here, and so much has been written about it that I won’t bore you with how great it is for both meetings and incentives.

I will just say that Barcelona really has it together when it comes to group business. The city provides an excellent infrastructure, great hotels, a wide variety of world-class restaurants, well thought out and modern convention facilities, great shopping, terrific street life, and really nice people. If you need some specific suggestions for hotels or things to do, just ask and I’ll tell you what I have experienced and what might work for your group. At the moment, Barcelona is riding high as “the place to be” in Spain.

If you want to experience “The Real Spain,” whatever that is, I have to put in my two cents about my favorite Spanish city, Seville. Picture narrow cobblestone streets opening up onto small squares shaded by orange trees and surrounded by street cafes filled with locals enjoying their mid-day paella. Visit the gardens of the old Moorish Palace, sit by the fountains and watch the Sevillans as they go about their business shopping, meeting friends, drinking coffee, eating tapas, or just promenading with their families in the evening greeting their friends and neighbors.

One of the highlights of my last visit was visiting one of the government-sponsored schools for traditional flamenco. Not the typical tourist flamenco, which is fun, and all over southern Spain, but the real deal. The performance was limited to an audience of 75 and took place in a small courtyard in the old Jewish Quarter of the city. I don’t know how to describe the intensity, precision and musicality of the performance, but it was jaw dropping, awesome, and one of the highlights of my travels, anywhere. You have to see it.

Madrid is a world-class, big city, great for meetings because of its airlift, its many hotel rooms, and nightlife. For incentives I recommend Madrid as part of a multi-city trip i.e. Madrid-Barcelona or Madrid-Seville, all connected by high-speed trains. But there are a couple of things that make Madrid special. The number one thing is the Prado, one of the world’s greatest museums. I personally have a very short tolerance for museums, as they seem to turn up the gravity in them after about 15 minutes. It is worth noting that I lasted at least three times that in the Prado. For those that know me, that is an incredible recommendation.

The only other thing I want to mention about Spain is that you should go to a popular and crowded tapas bar around 5pm. It will be incredibly chaotic and loud, and although there do not seem to be any consistent rules, everyone else seems to know them, things seem to get done, the food and drink are good, and everyone seems to be having a good time. Perhaps that is a good description of Spain.

On that note, here are my top 10 reasons for visiting Spain:

* Always a popular destination for Americans and Europeans alike, cities like Barcelona, Madrid, Marbella, Seville and Valencia offer both the classic, historic sites of mediaeval towns, castles and palaces that inspire the imagination, and their modern architecture and infrastructure.

*Overall, climate is temperate, with one of the highest percentages of sunny days per year, which makes it an ideal destination for the winter months and particularly delightful in spring and fall.

* Easily accessible from all of the major international gateway cities

* Miles and miles of coastline with great beaches

* A wide range of leisure activities and sites of historical interest

* Great cuisine and fine wines

* Extremely friendly and hospitable people

* State-of-the-art meeting facilities

* The current exchange rate makes the US Dollar the most favorable it’s been against the Euro in years

* The breathtaking beauty of the country is reason enough

For photos of my trip to Spain, please visit my page on Facebook by clicking here.