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Earlier this week (20^th October 2011) Costa del Sol was named by the Post Office as the best value-for-money destination for families in 2011, and it’s easy to see why. The survey looked at 10 common purchases across 12 popular destinations before ascertaining that despite a 15% price rise throughout Spain that Costa del Sol was still the cheapest European destination.

So aside from the price, what is it that makes Costa del Sol such a tourist hot-spot with Brits? Not to overuse a cliché but this area of Spain really does offer something for everyone; from sandy beaches and an active nightlife to historic castles and old cobbled towns, the Costa del Sol has it all. There are so many activities and sights to take in within Costa del Sol that it wouldn’t be practical to list them all, so here is a collection of activities you may like.  Read more »

Just five month after the Volvo World Match Play Championchip at Finca Cortesin, big time golf returns to the Costa del Sol this month with the Andalucia Masters at Valderrama. For the second successive season, Andalucía will host the final European Tour event of the year to be held on European soil with the staging of the Andalucía Valderrama Masters from October 27 to 30. The prestigious Club de Golf Valderrama will be play host to the tournament, which will feature a field of top class players competing for a 3 million Euro prize purse.

The world-famous Valderrama course has hosted 16 Volvo Masters events, the first two editions of the American Express-World Golf Championship and The 1997 Ryder Cup, when the late, great Seve Ballesteros led the European Team to glory on home soil. The club is haven for dozens of species of wild animals and birds and is populated by over 2.000 cork trees, 500 olive trees and 3.000 Halipi pines. The course record is 62, held by German Bernhard Langer, the first time in 1994 and again in 2002. Under the revised par 71 layout, a new course record of 66 was set by Angel Cabrera and equalled by David Howell.  Read more »

Spain’s Duchess of Alba got married today, Wednesday 5th October, to a man 25 years younger than her. María del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y de Silva Falcó y Gurtubay has married civil servant Alfonso Diez Carabantes in Seville in what is the third marriage for the 85-year-old aristocrat. The wedding ceremony took place in the Palacio de las Dueñas, in the centre of the Andalusian city, in front of about 40 intimate friends and family members. Despite their initial objections to the marriage, four of the Duchess’ six children were at the ceremony. Their opposition was so bad that their mother divided up much of her estate among them, although she still has control over the assets. The bride wore a salmon pink dress with a moss green sash by Spanish fashion designers Victorio y Lucchino who was present as well and shoes by Pilar Burgos.

This wedding was a dramatic change from the Duchess’s first marriage in October 1947 to Don Pedro Luis Martinez de Irujo y Artacoz (1919–1972), son of the Duke of Sotomayor, when the 21-year-old bride had 1,000 guests and wore gems reportedly worth nearly 1 million Euro even then. Estimates of her wealth range from 600 million euro to 3.5 billion euro. Besides fabulous and historic real estate sprinkled around Spain, the family treasure boasts paintings by Goya and Velazquez, a first-edition copy of Cervantes “El Quixote”, and letters written by Christopher Columbus.  Read more »

A new adventure park called Aventura Amazonia opened near Marbella in a plot of more than 20,000 m2. It is located in Elviria, Avenida Valeriano Rodriguez, N-340 Exit 192. The park offers a total of 73 activities and 20 zip-lines on eight adventure circuits. Aventura Amazonia has the longest zip-line in Andalucia with 240 metres where you can reach a speed of up to 60kph. All of this is located amongst trees in a natural environment. There a varying difficulties amongst the activities so visitors can choose their challenges in agility, speed and balance in a completely safe environment.

All you need is the desire to have fun. No need to be physically prepared. Aventura Amazonia has activities for children from six years old or 1.15 meters, families, adults and sportspeople. The visitors can spend the day in an eco-park which is an example of sustainable development, respecting the terrain and the trees, and making sure the general appearance fits with the surroundings.  Read more »

The Costa de Sol is a popular destination for those wanting to get away on a holiday. This region in sunny southern Spain lines the Mediterranean coastline. With so many breathtaking sites to behold within this region, many visitors enjoy partaking in bicycle trips to enjoy the beautiful countryside of Andalucia. Many of these are day trips but they allow tourists to see the sights. These bike rides can be guided tours or personal excursions. Biking around Costa de Sol also comes at a risk, which is a good reason why a traveler should be protected with some sort of travel insurance.

Travel insurance provides many different sorts of coverage that could be helpful to you while on your holiday. For one, medical emergencies are covered with travel insurance. This provides you with medical coverage while you are on holiday. Many people believe that their health insurance policy covers them while on holiday. This actually is not the case as these health insurance policies are not valid in other countries. Any medical expenses incurred while in a foreign country must be pre-paid out of your own pocket. This could be quite expensive for a foreign visitor. However, with travel insurance you would be covered if this situation would ever happen.  Read more »