costablog.com

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!

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 €.

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.

Villa Mercedes is a typical “Andalusian style” house which is now for rent on a weekly basis. The villa is located approximately 5 minutes from Nerja in the very east of Malaga on the Costa del Sol. The spacious house has about 150 sq meters of which the kitchen and living room take about 40 sq meters. The house is fully equipped with washing machine, dishwasher, oven, stove, freezer, refrigerator, microwave and a cozy fireplace in the living room. In a long hallway are three bedrooms and three bathrooms, two of them en-suite. All rooms are on one level. The master bedroom also has a cozy fireplace. The bathroom has its own whirlpool with 2.00 m x 1.20 m and a spacious shower. Villa Mercedes has air conditioning throughout the house. Furthermore, there is satellite television, a very large terrace with BBQ and a big pool. The house is now for rent for a weekly price between 600 and 1.300 Euro. For more information please click here: Villa Mercedes. Read more »

(Article by Brian Jones, writer of the book) Visitors to Malaga, and those living along the coast or in the hinterland may like to know of the publication of a new guide to the city. It is something which grew out of the experiences of my wife and I showing friends around the city over the past five years. The guide is designed to make life as simple as possible. No poring over street plans, to find places of interest, and work out how to get from one to another. Instead the first half of the guide present straight-forward instructions for a circular walking route, taking in all the principal points of interest: the old lighthouse, the port, the Paseo del Parque, the Atarazanas market, Calle Marques de Larios, Plaza de la Constitucion, Plaza de la Merced, the Picasso Museums, the Modern Art Musuem, the Roman Theatre, the Alcazaba and the Castillo del Gibralfaro, the Hospital Noble, the Bullring, the English cemetery, and much much more. The route takes from four to five hours, walked at a leisurely place: but as the guide warns – stop and linger on the way and it can give a lifetime of pleasure. Read more »