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ScubaTours, the dive centre located within the Sunset Beach Club facilities has recently been awarded the 5 star Dive Resort rating from PADI. This fantastic onsite facility was already a registered PADI dive centre but the new distinction serves as recognition of the courses which have been taught over recent years.

Our dive centre has certified many divers in the popular Open Water Dive and Advanced Diver qualifications; however, it has also taught many specialty courses such as photography, wreck diving (in nearby Gibraltar), search and recovery, underwater navigation and many more. This is fantastic news for Sunset Beach Club and Scuba Tours as guests who stay with us and want to take a scuba diving course can feel confident that they are receiving instruction from a registered and recommended official PADI dive centre (we’re actually listed on the PADI website :-)).

But the good news does not stop there. On the 1^st November 2012 Scuba Tours will receive the rating of PADI 5 star IDC Resort. This is in recognition of the facilities they can offer to run an IDC (Instructor Development Course). This is fantastic as this will be the only IDC centre in the area that offers full instructor training facilities on site: Accommodation, conference rooms, swimming pool, storage and an open water dive site just metres away.

Please click on this link for more information about diving courses at Sunset Beach Club .

Castillo de Colomares

The ‘Castillo de Colomares’ (ColomaresCastle) in Benalmadena is one of the most interesting tourist attractions the municipality has to offer. It’s not really a castle, it’s more of a monument which was built between 1987 and 1994 by Esteban Martín MD as a tribute to Christopher Columbus and the discovery of America.

This unique monument unifies various architectural styles which had a marked effect on Spanish culture: Bizantine, Romanesque, Arabic and Gothic.

A walk around the Colomares Castle will allow you to discover various elements from the symbols of the Catholic Kings, from the three cultures present in medieval Spain (Judaism, Christianity and Islamism) and other elements from Christopher Columbus’ epic voyage.  Read More…

Virgen del Carmen en Benalmadena

Benalmadena is preparing itself for its annual celebrations in honour of the ‘Virgen del Carmen’. Also known as Stella Maris, she is the patron saint of fishermen (Please click on this link for more information on the Virgen del Carmen).

The town hall has prepared various events throughout the weekend which will end on Monday 16^th July (public holiday) with a procession through the streets of Benalmádena Costa in which the fishermen will carry their ‘Stella Maris’ to the Marina; here she’ll be lifted aboard a fishing boat and paraded along the Benalmadena coastline. If you’ve got some good binoculars, a great place to watch this is from the terrace in our Panorama Bar here at Sunset Beach Club Read More…

It’s that time of year again! Arroyo de la Miel in Benalmadena is getting ready for its annual San Juan Festivities; a fun packed week full of great food; lots of drink; music and flamenco dancing!

If you’re here on holiday from the 24^th to the 29^th June (2012) we highly recommend you take a trip up to the fair and experience the fun atmosphere of a true Spanish “Feria”.

As with most local festivities, the San Juan Fair in Arroyo de la Miel is split into two: A day fair (form 12pm to 7pm) which is located in the centre of town and a night fair which is located just above Paloma Park. Read More…

The Marina in Benalmadena is becoming a true centre for family fun and entertainment; this weekend is no exception. From Friday the 8^th June to Sunday 10^th June, visitors to the Marina will be able to wander around a Medieval Market as well as enjoy an ample programme of activities aimed at families.

Workshops, kids activities, street performers, theatre, plays and a flying exhibition are just some of the activities on the cards for this weekend of fun and games.

The market will have 60 stands which will showcase more than 300 varied items such as leather goods, silver, stones and minerals, natural soaps and glass blowing. There will also be a medieval camp, a school of squires, a small stable with ponies which the little ones can ride on and a bird of prey exhibition where you’ll be able to take lots of photos.

Programme of events

Friday 9^th June – The programme and evening shows will focus on medieval tyrants and mystical pirates.

Saturday 10^th June – A day dedicated to Mythological Greek Gods with a fantastic evening show which includes theatre, humour, circus acts – including fire eaters, aerial acrobats and street performers.

Sunday 10^th June – The final day of the market is dedicated to medieval warriors. Don’t miss the ‘Juicio de Dios’, a performance in which two warriors will do battle to conquer the ‘Villa de Benalmadena’.

The fun begins on Friday the 8^th June at 7:00pm (until 1:00am). On Saturday and Sunday the market will open between 11:00am and 2:30pm in the mornings and 7:00pm and 1:00am in the evenings.

Try scanning this QR Code and see where it takes you...

If you’ve walked around any of Benalmádena’s most popular tourist attractions lately, you may have come across some strange looking barcodes located in special frames and posted in visible areas; these are the new QR Codes (Quick Response) which the town hall will be using to provide tourists and visitors with detailed information about the town’s attractions.

For those of you who are less familiar with the latest technological gadgets and technologies, I’ll quickly explain what a QR Code is and how it works.

QR Codes are a type of barcode which, when placed at specific tourist attractions, allows visitors to access immediate information about them (opening times, historical info, photos, etc) by pointing their smart-phone at the QR Code. A special scanner within the phone – which you can download for free – reads the code and automatically sends you to a website featuring the tourist attraction in question.

The following attractions around Benalmadena have QR Codes which you can scan during your visit: Selwo Marina, Tivoli World, Sea Life, BenalmadenaButterflyPark, La Niñade Benalmádena Statue, Puerto Marina, the Casa dela Cultura, Castillo de Colomares, the Pre-Columbian Museum, PalomaPark, Santa Ana Beach and Bil-Bil Castle. There are plans to install more QR Codes in the near future.

We’re so inspired by this initiative that we’re already planning to start using QR Codes around Sunset Beach Club. Keep your smart phones loaded

Last Saturday (5th May) the Bilbao based Cherry Boppers presented their new album in the Moonlight Theatre.

We didn’t want to miss it and were there to take a few photos and video clips of the show! (See below).

The Cherry Boppers’ powerful live show and unique mix of funk, jazz and rock made for a fantastic evening of entertainment; hopefully they’ll come back again for their next album launch

[Show as slideshow]

16 musicians and dancers perform in this Tango Show

Last November we were fortunate enough to host an amazing evening of spectacular Argentine Tango dancing and traditional folk music.

Well, we are pleased to announce that the ‘Arcos de Buenos Aires’ company are back with a fantastic new show which is sure to delight Tango fans along the Costa del Sol.

Made up of a string chamber orchestra and a spectacular tango ballet, the ‘Arcos de Buenos Aires’ company is conducted by prestigious violinist and conductor, Walter O. Tejada Carranza. Once again, the audience will be treated to a delightful combination of traditional argentine folk music and first class tango dancing. Read More…

This coming weekend – from 23^rd to 25^th March 2012 – Benalmadena will host the National Electronic Darts Championship.

According to figures released by the Championship’s organisers, there are approximately 2500 players signed up for the event. Benalmadena will be welcoming players from all over Spain, many of whom, will be coming with their families; great news for local tourism! (By the way, if anyone is looking for accommodation for the event, we know a really good 4 star hotel located on the seafront..;-))

The Championship will be held at the Holiday Village Hotel and will include the following categories: Individual male and female, pairs, mixed triples and teams. The whole tournament will take place under the ‘open’ format meaning that anyone who is interested in playing can sign up to compete.

Juan Olea, local councillor in charge of sports, has expressed his satisfaction at the number of players signed up for the event: “The National Darts Championship will be a splendid opportunity  for thousands of people to get to know Benalmadena and for them to enjoy the large variety of activities we have to offer”.

The town hall hopes that talks held with the Federation of Darts Clubs will help to establish Benalmadena as the official host of this Championship.

The finalists of the different categories will travel t oLas Vegas representing the National Team

If you are looking for accommodation over this Championship weekend, head over to www.sunsetbeachclub.com for great rates!

Southern Sound from Fuengirola

Don’t be surprised if you are walking down the street in Benalmadena next weekend – from the 22^nd to 25^th March 2012 – and come across groups of singers performing a cappella! You’ll have witnessed barbershop singers and enthusiasts showing off their harmony singing talents.

Benalmadena will welcome approximately 600 barbershop singers for the  4^th annual convention of the Spanish Association of Barbershop Singers (SABS). Delegates will be flying in from the Americas, the UK and from all over Europe.

Barbershop singing originated in the United States in the early 1900’s and has since gained worldwide popularity with thousands of singers practising and promoting this unique art form of four-part a cappella singing. Read More…