* YOU BEEN SNAP*SamCam and her low-Costa birthday treat: David Cameron whisks away wife on Ryanair"

 

By Miss FB Lyimo*
If she was expecting a lavish treat, she was in for a sore surprise.
Mindful of how a luxury holiday would appear amid massive public spending cuts, David and Samantha Cameron flew to Spain with budget airline Ryanair to celebrate her 40th birthday.
And despite their wealth, they stayed in a ‘mid-market’ hotel.

Budget break: David and Samantha Cameron looked relaxed and happy as they strolled around Granada yesterday

No special treatment: A fellow passenger took this photograph of the couple in the departure lounge ahead of the Ryanair flight from Stansted airport to Malaga, in southern Spain, on Wednesday afternoon

A fellow passenger took a photograph of the couple in the departure lounge ahead of the flight from Stansted airport to Malaga, in southern Spain, on Wednesday afternoon. They will fly home today.
As the school holidays have not yet started, they left their three children in Britain.
But by an unfortunate quirk of the British weather, yesterday temperatures here hit 23C – the same as their Spanish destination.
After the two-hour flight they were driven to Granada, where yesterday morning they visited the Alhambra, a magnificent palace and fortress built by the region’s Moorish leaders in the 14th century.
They did not pre-arrange the visit to the Unesco World Heritage Site, it is understood.

The couple were then photographed strolling through El Realejo, a  pretty neighbourhood of the Andalucian city – the Prime Minister dressed casually in trainers.

Dressed down: The Prime Minister dressed casually in trainers and jeans during a walk around the town. t is their first foreign holiday since he became Prime Minister last May, and Cabinet colleagues have been urging him to take a break

Soaking up the sunshine: Mindful of the country's current economic woes, the couple are staying in a three-star family-run hotel, where a double room costs 120 euros (£105) a night

They are also thought to have visited the Mirador San Nicolas, which offers spectacular views of the Alhambra and the whole of Granada.
Mrs Cameron does not turn 40 until April 18,  but the couple took the opportunity of the start of the Easter parliamentary recess to get away.
It is their first foreign holiday since he became Prime Minister last May, and Cabinet colleagues have been urging him to take a break.
The couple aborted plans for a luxury family holiday in Thailand at Christmas amid fears it would appear excessive at a time when thousands were losing their jobs.
It is not known how much they paid for the Ryanair flights, but an equivalent return trip next week would cost £152 each.
They are staying in a three-star family-run hotel, where a double room costs 120 euros (£105) a night.
Downing Street insiders stressed that the hotel was ‘mid-market’.