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A new study recently carried out by Oak Power Communication (OPC) has revealed that Marbella is consistently perceived on a global scale as having the best beaches in Spain. During the study, OPC asked over 600 journalists from the international media for their thoughts on Spanish tourism. Once the results were tallied up, it was clear that Marbella’s beaches won out, closely followed by Ibiza and Lanzarote respectively.

With places like Puerto Banus, where the streets are lined with designer shops; and the Old Town (Casco Antiguo), where the winding cobbled streets hide plenty of wonderful boutiques, perhaps it’s no surprise that Marbella was also voted the third trendiest and one of the most fashionable cities in the whole of Spain.

Research also shows that the region of Andalucia enjoys the best “brand image” in Spain. As a general tourist brand, Andalucia rated very high, with a score of 7.9 out of 10, followed by Madrid and Barcelona, with 7.3 and 7.1 each.  Read more »

Spain tries everything to save fuel. Now that the oil prices went up again and jumped to 120 dollars a barrel in just one week the prices consumers are paying for petrol and diesel are now at record highs. The tensions in North Africa are no problem to supplies but the government said that something has to be done to fuel costs. To save fuel the government has announced that the speed limit on major roads will be brought down from 120 kph to 110 kph. With this drivers will save 10 to 15 percent petrol or diesel. From today, March 7th the maximum speed on motorways and dual carriageways will be reduced to 110 kph.

This coming summer residents and tourists will be able to benefit from more frequent trains on the Cercanias 1 line between Malaga and Fuengirola, as they will soon run every 20 minutes instead of every half an hour. This is due to the completion of the second track, a project that has always been the long-term goal of Renfe due to the social and financial profitability of the Costa del Sol line.

This new change will allow the 30 departures every day to be increased by 30 percent, although the exact numbers of trains and the earliest and latest departure times are yet to be confirmed.

The recent alterations to the timetables are truly remarkable, considering there have not been any changes to the train frequency since the C1 opened in 1975. This single fact means the adjustment is, in the eyes of many, long overdue and will effectively accomplish the greatest improvement to the service in 36 years.

The current total journey time between Malaga and Fuengirola is 48 minutes. Source claim that this time could possibly be reduced due to the modifications, but only marginally.

Skyscanner’s Global Travel Awards have named Spain as the most family friendly country which is also best for night-life, making it the destination with the best of both worlds.

With cities like Madrid and Barcelona renowned worldwide for their after hours entertainment, as well as many family orientated resorts along the coast, the country remains the most popular holiday destination for British tourists.

The opinions of more than 600 travellers were collected by the flights comparison site Skyscanner which made some surprising revelations. Read more »

In the 1970s dutch Xaviera Hollander rose to fame as the author of “The Happy Hooker“, after she worked as a call girl and madam. But now she’s an innkeeper of sorts. She owns a bed and breakfast in Amsterdam and is also the owner of Villa Caprice, a magnificent villa in the hills of sunny Marbella close to the Golden Mile, the beach and all amenities. Her house is located in a secluded area where guests can even “frolic around in the nude if they wish”. The villa offers 6 bedrooms to people who want some fun and sun. Villa Caprice has a garden with a lovely lawn, swimming pool with fountains and a sun terrace with 8 loungers. There is a large living room, well-equipped kitchen, a bar and terraces for outside dining. The villa’s bedrooms include several suites with king-sized beds as well as multiple rooms with twin beds for kids. Prices for the villa start at 1.800 Euro per week and go up to 2.400 Euro per week in summer