by Justin | Apr 22, 2011 | Holiday Tips, Things To Do
La Feria Internacional de Los Pueblos
Our neighbouring town of Fuengirola is getting ready to celebrate its “Feria Internacional de Los Pueblos” (International Peoples Fair). This unique event dates back to 1994 and was started as a way to showcase the different customs, folklore, gastronomy and cultural, historic and tourist attractions of the inhabitants of this multicultural town.
As from next Friday the 29th April and up until the 2nd May, visitors and locals alike can head down to the local fair ground in Fuengirola and enjoy the multitude of stands; there are more than 30 different countries represented at the fair!
Visiting the Feria Internacional de Los Pueblos is like travelling around the world in just 4 days! All five senses will be at work as you experience the following:
- The sounds of the traditional music of each culture, played by authentic groups which, in many cases, have actually flown in from their country of origin.
- The amazing smells and aromas from the different food posts where visitors can taste traditional argentinian “parilladas” (barbecues), delicious Moroccan pastries, exotic Asian dishes and traditional foods from around Spain.
- Traditional dances with their typical colourful costumes.
At each stand, visitors to the fair will have the chance to purchase typical products from each represented country and even obtain specific tourist information about the country or area being promoted.
Entrance to the “Feria” is free and we thoroughly recommend you take a trip down to this fascinating fair and enjoy a fun- multicultural- day of music, dancing and delicious food!
by Justin | Apr 15, 2011 | Holiday Tips, Things To Do
This weekend sees the official start of Semana Santa (Holy Week); Towns and cities all over the country – especially in Andalucia – celebrate this Easter week with a profound devotion and passion. If you’ve never attended one of the amazing processions, I highly recommend you make an effort to experience it – at least once – you won’t regret it!
What Exactly Happens in Holy Week?
Good question. We won’t go into the intricate details and history of these religious festivities here; what I will tell you is that it’s a time where Christians show extreme devotion to their faith.
The highlight of Semana Santa is the processions. In Andalucia, most towns and cities will have a series of processions which take place throughout the week; starting on Palm Sunday and continuing until Resurrection Sunday.
If you really want to experience the traditional Semana Santa, we recommend you visit Málaga: thousands of locals and tourists line the streets to watch the different “cofradías” (brotherhoods) parade their impressive “Tronos” (Thrones) through the city. Some of these impressive structures weigh up to 5000 kilos and need 200+ men to carry them! Routes can last up to eight hours with each man carrying an equivalent of 25 or 30 kilos on their shoulders during this time: that’s devotion! (more…)
by Justin | Apr 1, 2011 | Holiday Tips, Things To Do
The well known Tivoli World amusement park in Benalmadena will be the venue for the III National Fire Fighter’s Festivity to be held tomorrow (Saturday 2nd April 2011). Organizers are hoping to attract more than 10,000 visitors to this unique event which promises to be a fun and educational day out for all the family.
This event has become one of the most important on the national calendar as it also includes the III National Fire Fighter’s Challenge of Benalmadena. Attracting fire fighters from all over Spain, the challenge determines the “top” Fire Fighting unit of the country. Should be fun to watch!
The event organisers have made a big effort to provide a wide range of educational activities which will allow visitors the opportunity to learn about the difficult and commendable job that fire fighters undertake on a daily basis.
The doors to Tivoli World will open at 10:30 am tomorrow morning for a fun packed day which will end at 8:00 pm in the evening. Here’s a list of some of the activities planned throughout the day:
- Live music
- Presentations and demonstrations
- Thermal vision demonstrations (I’ve got to try that!)
- Children’s Fireman fancy dress competition
- The National Fire Fighter’s Challenge (Fire fighter’s from all over Spain taking part)
- Rolling simulator – visitors will be able to experience a car rolling (I’ll give that one a miss!)
- Canine rescue demonstration
- Children’s Fireman Challenge
- Vehicle exhibit
- Red Cross catastrophe demonstration
I’m definitely going to go….how about you?
by Justin | Mar 15, 2011 | Holiday Tips, Things To Do
From this Thursday – 17th March – and until Sunday, visitors to Benalmadena Marina will be able to enjoy the 3rd “Feria del Marisco (Shellfish Festival). For the 3rd year running, the Town hall’s tourism office together with the Benalmadena Port Authority have organised this popular event with the aim of promoting the towns extensive gastronomic offering.
Throughout the 4 days of the festival, anyone who visits the Port can sample some of the best shellfish at spectacular prices. Just to give you an idea, these are the prices of some of the portions – or “raciones” as we refer to them here –
Boiled Prawns – €3
“Concha Fina” (a type of clam) – €3
Grilled Prawns – €8
Steamed Mussels – €3
Clams – €5
This is just a sample of the delicacies that you’ll be able to try; the restaurants that are taking part in the festival are planning to offer more than 20 different types of shellfish and dishes whose main ingredient is shellfish.
Anyone wanting to enjoy some of the best shellfish at “recession” prices can do so as from Thursday at the following participating restaurants in the Marina: El Arrecife, Carretero, El Trasmallo, Alborada, Calamar, Ventorillo La Perra, El Rincón Asturiano, El Faro, La Taberna Marinera de Juan y Pepi, Los Mellizos y El Mero.
So what do you think, are you up for it?
by Justin | Mar 14, 2011 | Holiday Tips, Local News, Places to See
"La Buenaventura" by Julio Romero de Torres - one of the paintings being exhibited in the Museum
We’ve finally got a date for the official opening of the much-awaited Thyssen Museum of Málaga: The 24th March 2011 is the chosen date for the inauguration of Baroness Thyssen’s latest project.
The general public will have to wait one more day – Friday 25th March – in order to be able to enjoy the impressive collection which will be exhibited in the Palacio de Villalón, a XVI century building located in the historical heart of Málaga. This beautiful building has been completely renovated and fitted out for cultural exhibitions – Málaga Town Hall has already invested more than 15 million euros on this ambitious project.
For the first three days of operation, entrance to the museum will be free of charge; a great opportunity for locals and tourists to enjoy fine art at a great price…free!
The museum will have a permanent collection and three temporary exhibitions. The permanent collection is made up of 230 works of art from the Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza collection covering Spanish art from the XIX. Visitors will be able to enjoy works of art from painters such as Sorolla, Zurbarán, Zuloaga, Romero de Torresy and Málaga favourites such as Gómes Gil, Moreno Carbonero o Barrón.
The series of three temporary exhibitions programmed for 2011 will start with “From Picasso to Tàpies” and will include pieces from Picasso, Torres-García, Saura and Tàpies. In September the museum will introduce work from Monet with “Monet: The house amongst the roses”. The final instalment of exhibitions will take place in November with “Sorolla in Andalucia”; 80 paintings from the Valencian artist’s repertoire.
Opening times are the following:
Tuesday to Friday – 10am to 10pm
Saturday and Sunday – 10 am to 9pm
Monday – Closed
by Justin | Feb 25, 2011 | Holiday Tips, Places to See
Bioparc in Fuengirola
Next week is half term here in Andalucía (we call it Semana Blanca) and many children will be off school. Because of this, the Bioparc in Fuengirola (Zoo) has decided to put on some extra activities targeted mainly at children – although no reason why adults can’t join in!
If you’re staying at Sunset Beach Club for half term next week and haven’t visited the Bioparc in Fuengirola yet, this is the perfect chance to do so.
Between the 1st and 4th of March, visitors to the park will be able to enjoy free guided tours in the morning (for parents and their children); in the afternoon, there will be special educational workshops designed to explain to visitors, in an easy and non-techie way, facts about protected and endangered species which face extinction.
A visit to the Bioparc is a great day out for all the family. The park is very well maintained and a lot of care and attention has gone in to ensuring a fantastic experience for kids and adults alike.
If you’d like more information, please stop by our Leisure Desk where Annemie and Susanna will be able to help you.
