costablog.com » activities

Nudist Beach opens in Mijas

Emilia Hazell - Smith — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:22:30 +0000

Good news for all naturists, as Mijas opens its first official nudist beach in El Chaparral.

This 500 metre stretch of sand is located at km 204 of the A-7 motorway and situated on Marina Beach near the Calaburras lighthouse. It is one of the least frequented parts of the Mijas coastline and access is only available to pedestrians.

Public or social nudity is nothing new to the world – it was common in ancient Egyptian times. Greek athletes participated in the Olympic Games unclothed. By the 1840’s beaches in the United Kingdom were used for nude sunbathing, and the practice became even more popular in the 1950’s along the French coastline. Nude beaches have since spread around the world. Though they are still few and far between. They are often referred to as free beaches, clothing optional beaches, and naturist beaches.

The beach in Mijas was officially opened last weekend and despite being classified as a “nudist beach” it is open to all bathers.

Promoting Winter Tourism in the Costa

Emilia Hazell - Smith — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:05:07 +0000

When it comes to talking about the Costa del Sol, you’d be forgiven for thinking that tourists only choose to visit in the Summer, as it’s name suggests, the “Coast of the Sun” is famous for its scorching hot weather and chilled out beach bars, or “chiringuitos”. However, this is far from the case – and we will see shortly, in times like these the best plan of action is to promote year round tourism for the country.

The objective for the Head of Tourism in Andalucia, Luciano Alonso is to maintain the province’s position as the most popular destination for visitors from the rest of Spain, and indeed the rest of the world. He has chosen the Wine Museum in Malaga to present the plan to promote tourism in Andalucia for the coming autumn/winter season. In yesterday’s visit to Conil de la Frontera, Cádiz where he came to see the building site of a 4 star hotel by hotel chain “Hipotel” Luciano Alonso declared to the waiting press: “Andalucia needs quality tourism”.

The first of nearly two hundred marketing initiatives for tourism will be launched between September and December and 12 million euros have been especially set aside for this cause. The campaigns are aimed at the international market, including 30 european countries, the U.S and even China. Most of the funds will be spent on marketing for Britain, which continues to provide the majority of tourists to Andalucia although statistics show that the figures have dropped by almost 11 percent. Mainly of course, due to the weak pound and economic recession in the UK.

The campaign “Tierra Adentro” (Land Within) is directed at tourism in the interior of Spain, and gastronomy. Following that there will be the “Andalucia es tu casa” (Andalucia is your home) intiative in October. The idea of these campaigns has been to include weekend breaks to destinations nearby, and considering there are three “puente” days (the day that falls between a bank holiday and the weekend) from October to December there could really be no better time to take advantage of these!

For those who enjoy winter breaks better than anything else, there will be specific campaigns centralized around Christmas and the skiing season in the Sierra Nevada.

The official website for Andalucia Tourism can be read in English, French, German, Japanese, Chinese and Spanish. Please click the following link: http://www.andalucia.org

Rock in Marbella presents X Factor

Mirco Rehmeier — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 10:32:58 +0000

The bullring in Puerto Banus promises a hot summer with never ending concerts. The next event is already in preparation. Rock in Marbella brings the X Factor to the bullring of Puerto Banus, Marbella. All disappointed Faithless fans have now the chance to enjoy another big concert in the bullring on 20th August. The X Factor Concert will bring Alexandra Burke, Jamie “Afro” Archer, Diversity and The Scarletz. This concert aims as well to the Super VIPs. The X Factor concert offers Champagne Reception at the Laurent Perrier Champagne Bars, Canapés by gastronomic genius and Michelin Star Chef Dani Garcia from Lamoraga, lounged seating staged by Secreto del Sur and Private After Show Party at Pangea Night Club for a price of 400 Euro. For VIP tickets call the VIP Team under 669 208 417 or email vip@rockinmarbella.com. Normal tickets are priced at 50 Euro up to 100 Euro if you want do be on the dance floor. Tickets are available from ticketmaster.es and El Corte Ingles.

Faithless L.I.V.E in Marbella

Emilia Hazell - Smith — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 10:42:31 +0000

The 31^st July 2010 is a date that needs to be marked in any clubber’s diary, as Faithless the World’s biggest dance act are headlining the L.I.V.E concert in Marbella. Faithless, comprised of Mazi Jazz, Sister Bliss and Rollo are a British electronica band who are best known for their dance songs (most notably “Insomnia”, “God is a DJ” and “We come 1”). Faithless have recorded six studio albums and sold over 12 million records worldwide. Their most recent album “The Dance” was released just two months ago, on 16^th May 2010, after a four year recording break for the band.

DATE: July 31st

EVENT: Faithless headline the L.I.V.E concert at the Bullring (Plaza de Toros), Puerto Banus

Tickets are priced from €50 and available at www.ticketmaster.es. Get yours while you still can!

Travelling in the Costas

Mirco Rehmeier — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 11:51:21 +0000

Spain is the original package holiday destination and millions of visitors still flock to this much loved country for a little rest and relaxation. Many people are now choosing to travel around the beautiful Costas between resorts and that has never been easier. The Costa del Sol is a top tourist destination due to an almost guaranteed ten months of sun a year, 70 golf courses and the most famous beaches in the world. Malaga airport is the usual arrival point for visitors to this area of Spain and a perfect starting point if you plan on renting a car for the duration of your stay.

To save money on car hire, always book in advance – online is even cheaper and you can easily shop around for a fly drive package deal to suit your budget. Hiring a car gives you the most freedom to explore the region as you can go off the beaten track and discover some really beautiful villages that the tourists don`t normally get to, so a local road map is a sensible investment.

If you want to try golf one day and water sports the next, chances are you may wish to travel between two separate resorts and the villa that you are staying in. In this case a car is the obvious choice as most public transport runs from the high rise hotels rather than accommodation that is more remote.

Marbella and Torremolinos are well established resorts in the south of the Costa del Sol and as such cater for visitors` needs more than adequately so public transport is well organised here and in the larger resorts. The N340 road is the main road from Malaga airport to Torremolinos and onwards through all the towns and villages along the coast, so travelling around couldn`t be easier. Buses are frequent and cheap and coach tours and day excursions are also a good way of seeing places further inland such as Ronda and Granada. Halfway between Malaga and Marbella is Fuengirola, the third largest resort on the Costa del Sol spanning 10 kilometres of beaches. Trains run from Malaga directly to Fuengirola for a convenient airport transfer to your destination.

The Costa Brava lends itself perfectly to holidaymakers who are also keen campers and walkers. The rocky landscape and variable terrain make it a hiker`s paradise and as a result there are now approximately 116 campsites along the Catalonian coastline and walking from one site to the next is the ultimate in cheap travel. You can organise and plan your entire walking holiday from home before you go and travel guides for hikers are readily available to download online. They show you the route, difficulty of the terrain and average time it takes for the trip between sites allowing you to customise and map out your travel arrangements between stopping points.

Travelling around the Costas is very accessible and there is transport to suit all budgets. The whole area is well served by main roads meaning that public transport is readily available almost everywhere. Taxis are an expensive option, but they serve a purpose and if there are a few of you sharing for an airport to hotel transfer that can lower your individual fare somewhat.

Whatever your destination, it`s always good advice to compare holidays on a like for like basis. A cheap deal might not be a bargain if it doesn`t include all the things that you need and you end up having to add things such as additional travel costs as extras increasing the overall price of your holiday.

Singer Seal in concert in Marbella

Mirco Rehmeier — Fri, 28 May 2010 09:35:21 +0000

The British singer Seal, with full name Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel, who is married with German top model Heidi Klum will play in the Marbella bullring on July 23rd. He will open his new Spanish tour in Marbella. The gig will be in the Marbella bullring on July 23, and move on to Barcelona on July 26 in a tour organised by Riff Productions. The three times Grammy winner was in Spain last year, when he played in Madrid and Valladolid. The London born singer has promised a two hour show of his greatest hits with numbers from his new album , “Soul”. We still remember songs like “Crazy” from 1991, “Future Love Paradise”, and his own rendition of “Killer”. Tickets for his concert in the Marbella bullring will be priced at 35 € and are available from Ticketmaster and El Corte Inglés. The Marbella bullring has capacity of 4,000 people, and I am sure we will see this bullring full of enthusiastic fans. The concert will start at 20:00h.

What to do in Fuengirola

Mirco Rehmeier — Mon, 17 May 2010 21:35:49 +0000

Fuengirola is a large Spanish town located in the Costa del Sol area of Malaga. There has been a settlement at Fuengirola for thousands of years and the town boasts a long and interesting history that has even included a number of name changes. Now, however, the town`s 8 kilometres of beaches and subtropical Mediterranean climate have ensured that Fuengirola has become a popular tourist resort on Spain`s much loved Costa del Sol.

As have many of the Costa del Sol`s towns in recent years, Fuengirola has undergone much development to make sure it can offer everything holiday makers need and want from a holiday in the sunshine. Having said that town still exudes a traditional charm and sense of history that is lacking in bigger and more commercial resorts on the Costa del Sol. Fuengirola was originally an Arab settlement and then went on to be captured by the Romans, becoming a typical Roman town. In the early Middle Ages a fire meant all the town`s inhabitants had no choice but to flee and Fuengirola then did not become a largely inhabited town for a couple of hundred years.

Now Fuengirola has been restored to its former glory, offering visitors lots of things to see and do during their stay. If you like whiling away the hours on the beach then you will certainly be able to do this on the sandy beaches of Fuengirola and there are lots of water-front bars, cafés and restaurants in which to enjoy a mid-afternoon snack. As well as these beach-side eateries there are many other eating opportunities in the town, so whether you would like to try local cuisine or are looking for something a little more familiar, you will be sure to find it. Fuengirola is also a great place for shopping, as there is a lovely mixture of boutiques, gift shops, shopping malls and stylish leather shops that will no doubt keep keen shoppers busy for hours.

Those who like to get active will love the selection of water sports available on the beach, including kitesurfing, parasailing and banana boat rides. For animal lovers there is lots of exciting wildlife on display at the famous Fuengirola zoo, whereas culture vultures will probably want to explore the town`s history a little further as it boasts a large number of historical sites and open parks. On the top of anyone`s list should be a visit to the Arab castle, which as of 2000 is completely refurbished and now hosts festivals and concerts throughout the summer months.

The best way to get to Fuengirola is by flying in to Malaga airport as there are regular of flights to Malaga from airports all across the UK. Malaga airport is located just 20 minutes away from Fuengirola and so there are no lengthy transfers once you arrive. Most people either take a taxi to their hotel which will cost around €40, however if you are looking to have an especially cheap holiday in Fuengirola you could always catch a train into the centre of the town which costs around €2. There are lots of excellent places to stay in Fuengirola and lovely accommodation near to the sea is available regardless of your budget.

Outlet Parade 2009 in Marbella

Mirco Rehmeier — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:53:50 +0000

On November 28th and 29th 2009 the Palacio de Congresos de Marbella will be transformed into a real Outlet Store where you can find leading brands of clothes for men and women, shoes, accessories, furniture and home furnishings at bargain prices. There are about 800 shops of fashion, accessories, footwear, home furnishings and furniture from Marbella, Puerto Banús and San Pedro Alcántara and as a novelty establishments from other Andalusian cities take part to extend the offer and the details of brands, models, and exclusive opportunities. The Outlet Parade 2009 is held at the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Marbella on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th of November 2009 from 11:00 to 22:00 hours and 11:00 to 21:00 respectively. Do you christmas shopping on time for fantastic prices

Volvo World Match Play Championship

Mirco Rehmeier — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:22:49 +0000

Only a few days left until the beginning of the Volvo World Match Play Championship which takes place at the Finca Cortesin Golf Club between October 29th and November 1st. The field has now been finalised and the 16 confirmed qualifiers are: Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), Scott Strange (Australia), Paul Casey (England), Retief Goosen (South Africa), Anthony Kim (USA), Camilo Villegas (Columbia), Jeev Milkha Singh (India), Robert Allenby (Australia), Henrik Stenson (Sweden), Sergio Garcia (Spain), Lee Westwood (England), Martin Kaymer (Germany), Ross Fisher (England), Oliver Wilson (England), Simon Dyson (England), Angel Cabrera (Argentina). Finca Cortesin is located in Casares, which is in the very western part of the province of Malaga just 1.5 km north of the N340 on the road to Casares village. This is for sure one of the best Golf torunaments that we will see this year.

Las Fallas celebration in Valencia

Mirco Rehmeier — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 11:26:01 +0000

The Falles, or in spanish Las Fallas, is an internationally known fire celebration in Valencia, which was this week. It is a Valencian traditional celebration in praise of Saint Joseph. Every citizen in Valencia works and prepares himself for this few days of festivity with the biggest enthusiasm man can have for this tradition. It is being held between the 14^th and the 19^th of March mainly in the city of Valencia, where for example on Thursday they have burned 772 monuments, specially built for this occasion. All of this monuments, called Ninots represent actual themes with a satire point of politics, comedy and social life, some of the Ninots can get up to 30 m high and are exposed until their burning. The party goes continuously from one morning to the other during the 5 days surrounded by fireworks, massive amount of firecrackers and the smell to gunpowder.

Sierra Nevada ski resort

Mirco Rehmeier — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:12:13 +0000

Sierra Nevada is a ski resort near Granada only one hour away from the beach. It is a popular tourist destination, as its high peaks make skiing possible in Europe’s most southern ski resort, even this area along the Mediterranean Sea is more known for its warm temperatures and yearround sunshine. But just have in mind that the highest point of continental Spain, the Mulhacén mountain at 3,478 metres is situated in the Sierra Nevada. Just to go up to the Sierra Nevada from any corner of the Costa de Sol is an easy and cheap way to ski and only takes an hour or two. For 40 € you get your daily ski pass and you can enjoy about a 100 km of slopes with up to 350 cm of depth. We haven’t had this amount of snow for a long time and it’s actually a shame not to have more free time left to spend skiing up in the Sierra Nevada.

More Info: Sierra Nevada Ski Resort Official Website (In Spanish)

Nerja caves – La cueva de Nerja

Mirco Rehmeier — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:54:25 +0000

50 years ago, 5 children discovered the Nerja caves or better known as “La Cueva de Nerja”, when they were just playing and looking for bats. In 2008, the caves received 415,000 visitors, which makes it the second most visited monument in Andalucia after the Alhambra in Granada, even though they have just investigated 15% of the Nerja cave yet. This year a group of Anthropological scientists has been formed to study and follow with the diggings in the Chamber of the Mine, here is where they believe to find the rests of the last Neanderthals of Europe. In this anniversary year they planned plenty of activities like conferences, seminars and a special edition of the international festival of music and dance of the Cave, which also celebrates its half-century anniversary this July. In summer the caves are opened from 10:00 to 19:30 and the price is 8,50 Euro for adults and 4,50 Euro for children. Be sure to check out the caves when you visit Nerja!

Getting married on the Costa del Sol

Mirco Rehmeier — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 14:08:38 +0000

In the last years the number of foreign couples getting married in a corner of the Costa del Sol like Nerja, has multiplied. Especially the Irish couples love to celebrate their wedding day in a really special and different way with friends and family on the Mediterranean shore. There are companies which take care of every single detail from the photographer to the Honeymoon, the wedding planners from abroad. They prepare even activities for the guests before or after the big day. Costa del Sol wedding organisers joined together to create “Costa del Sol Bride of the Year” competition where you can win a tailor-made wedding worth 12.000 €.

Andalucia Tennis Experience

Mirco Rehmeier — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 20:09:00 +0000

Marbella tries to climb the tennis-world. This April between 4th to 12th the 1st edition of the Andalucia Tennis Experience is to be held at the Hotel Puente Romano or better the Puente Romano Tennis Club in Marbella. The Andalucia Tennis Experience is a new category of International Tennis Series tournament of the WTA circuit. This project was started by former tennis player Conchita Martinez, the only Spanish woman who won the Wimbledon singles title in the 1994 Women’s Singles. This tournament will be attended by three world number one tennis players, like the recent winner of the Australian Open Serena Williams, Serbian Jelena Jankovic who ranked World No. 1 for seventeen consecutive weeks until she was overtaken by Serena Williams on February 2, 2009 and Amelie Mauresmo from France, a former World No. 1 who won the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2006. Tickets for this international Tennis Tournament are on sale since February 16 at www.ticktackticket.com, FNAC, Carrefour and El Corte Inglés Centers. Ticket prices range between 15 and 25 euros a day. Spectators can enjoy the preliminary round for only 5 euros a day on Saturday or Sunday. The price for the entire Andalucia Tennis Experience tournament will be 100 euros and 55 euros for children.

Trackdays Spain goes to Almeria

Mirco Rehmeier — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 14:20:18 +0000

Trackdays Spain has signed an agreement with the fantastic Tabernas Circuit in Almeria for their next event on Wednesday 29th October for such event I recommend to sleep in the surroundings during those day to better enjoy the Circuit, Hotel Almeria last time was not too bad at all in fact. This circuit, in the heart of spaghetti western country, is the perfect place to put cars and their drivers to the test in a safe, exciting environment. The circuit is just two and a half hours away from Malaga and an easy drive from Almeria and Granada. It provides modern facilities including an onsite restaurant, impressive pit garages and a modern hospital. The driving experience is amazing too! The 4km track features loads of run off, 14 exhilarating corners, one tight chicane and a seriously fast 900m straight.

A trackday is the perfect opportunity for car lovers to see exactly what their cars can do around a race track, meet like-minded people and admire beautiful cars. It’s non-competitive, friendly and great value for money. There has never been any car to car contact on Trackdays Spain’s events and they take safety very seriously. Their friendly days maximise track time and ensure every client has a wonderful driving experience.

For just 279 Euros drivers can bring their own car to Almeria for a whole day of adrenaline-fuelled driving and bring along a second driver for free. The Trackdays Spain team is on hand to run through the rules of the day, offer instruction, make sure everyone is driving safely and making the most of the time on track.

Hire a Radical SR3 Supersport for the day

Trackdays Spain have announced they have struck a deal with the Radical Spain team to hire out their 100,000€ racecars at the Almeria circuit. Instructor and Event Organiser Andy Turnbull explains why he is so excited about this deal. “Radical’s cars are awesome machines, capable of 0-60mph in around 3 seconds and speeds of well over 150mph! Super sticky slick tyres, Formula 1 style wings and aerodynamic design help these cars achieve unbelievable cornering speeds and braking unlike anything on a road car.

Normally such valuable and delicate cars aren’t available for hire, so this is an amazing opportunity. There really is nothing much outside Formula 1 that will give you the same sensation of speed and handling that you’ll get in a Radical, and unlike a Formula 1 car, a passenger can come along for the ride!”

Trackdays Spain is now able to offer corporate events for companies that want to entertain clients or reward staff with a very special trackday experience. The corporate package includes car hire, instruction, catering and can be held for a minimum of six people.

If you are interested attending the next trackday on Wednesday October 29th, hiring a Radical or a Lotus Elise or organising a corporate event email info@trackdaysspain.com or call 657 824 813. It’s free to watch and just 279 Euros to bring your own car.

costablog.com » activities

Nudist Beach opens in Mijas

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