Sunset Beach Club
by Justin | Jul 19, 2011 | On the Costa del Sol, What's On
Dusk at Sohail Castle...
I’ve got some good news for all you beer lovers out there; as from next Thursday the 21st July, the Sohail Castle in Fuengirola will be the venue for the 4th Beer Festival (Bierfest).
For 10 days, visitors will be able to sample some of the finest German beers. This year, the organisers of the event have tried to make things a little more “international” by setting up various stands with a wide variety of foods from around the world.
Obviously, there will be a German stand with their frikadellen, chucrut and wide variety of German sausages, but you will also be able to try a whole range of Moroccan delicacies; an authentic Argentine “Parrillada” (BBQ); some spicy Mexican food and even fresh sea food. With hunger no longer being a problem, you might want to head over to the Cocktails stand and try a cool and refreshing Mojito – or whatever tickles your fancy.
On the 24th and 31st July, there will be Formula One races and theSohailCastle will be the perfect place to watch the top motor sport event! There will be a large TV screen so that visitors can watch their favourite drivers without giving up their delicious German beer.
The fair starts at 7:00 pm from Monday to Friday and at 12:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday; entrance is free 😉
by Justin | Jul 13, 2011 | Holiday Tips, On the Costa del Sol, Things To Do, What's On
For those of you who enjoy taking in a little Spanish culture during your holidays, I highly recommend you take a couple of hours this Saturday (16th July) to go and see one of the many “Virgen del Carmen” processions taking place along the Coast.
Last year I went along to the Virgen del Carmen procession in Los Boliches – just a 15 minute drive from the hotel – and thoroughly enjoyed the experience (follow the link to the blog post I wrote).
I won’t provide a long winded explanation of what this day represents – you can see this post about the Virgen del Carmen celebrations for that – but I will quickly explain a little about the reason for this colourful and emotional event.
The Virgen del Carmen, or Stella Maris, as she is often referred to is the patron saint of fishermen and of the Spanish Navy! If you visit one of the processions which take place in most of the “traditional” fishing villages along the Coast – Los Boliches, Benalmádena,La Carrihuelain Torremolinos, Marbella and Estepona, to name but a few – you will witness the pure devotion the local villagers towards their patron saint.
The processions usually start off in the afternoon as the fishermen carry their “Virgen” – which is usually handcrafted in wood and porcelain (more…)
by Justin | Jul 8, 2011 | At Sunset, What's On
Yesterday afternoon, I managed to creep into the Moonlight theatre and watch the last dress rehearsal before tonight’s debut performance of “The Lion King”.
Our entertainment team have been working hard – often rehearsing for hours after work – to prepare this fantastic tribute to the West End classic. I took loads of photos, many of which are in the gallery below; as you can see, the team really worked hard on the costumes and I am sure you’ll agree that they’ve done a brilliant job! It’s obviously going to be a popular show with the little ones but I highly recommend at to everyone as the music, dancing, costumes and spectacular lighting are really impressive! (more…)
by Justin | Jul 7, 2011 | On the Costa del Sol, What's On
Next Tuesday the 12th July sees the start of the 52nd edition of the famous Nerja Caves Festival, one of the most important music and dance events on the Costa del Sol.
Since the opening of this spectacular cave in 1960, this Festival has been held every year, attracting artists and musicians from all over the world. Thanks to its incomparable beauty and exceptional acoustics, the Nerja Caves attract thousands of spectators every year – approximately 800 people are seated every night in the “Sala de Ballet” auditorium to enjoy the very best music and dance shows.
This year, the festival will be split into four separate parts: An evening of Flamenco, an evening dedicated to music of the world, an evening of Spanish dance and opera and last, but by no means least, a lyrical concert.
The programme for the 5 day event is as follows:
Tuesday 12th July at 10 pm – Flamenco Evening
The Festival starts with a true andalucian flavour; Málaga flamenco dancer, Rocio Molina’s show “Danzaora”, winner of the 2010 Dance Prize. (more…)
by Justin | Jun 30, 2011 | Local News
Speed limit back to 120 kph
A couple of months ago I posted about the new speed limit which was coming into effect as from the 7th March 2011. Well, 4 months later and a whole load of dosh spent on new stickers for all motorway signs, the Spanish government has decided to reinstate the old speed limit of 120kph!
As you’ll probably remember, the reason for the original reduction was that it would save energy and money due to the high price of oil at the time. As it stands today, oil prices are pretty much the same as they were 4 months ago and whilst various drivers associations are happy that they’ll be able to shoot down the motorway at 120kph again, there are many who are up in arms about the decision; namely, environmental groups and families of car crash victims.
So what now? Well, for starters, road crews will be busy removing stickers on over 6000 road signs on the eve of July 1st! Apparently, this little exercise will cost the tax payer over 200,000 Euros… but it’s not all bad news; the estimated fuel savings during the past 4 months are estimated at approx. 450 million Euros 🙂
So if you’re planning on coming out to Spain on holiday this summer, as from Friday (1st July) you’ll be able to drive at 120 kph on all motorways; just make sure you don’t go over that speed, for the sake of other drivers and the old purse strings (the police are going to be keen to recuperate some of the “supposed” lost income in traffic fines over the past 4 months) 😉
by Justin | Jun 28, 2011 | Hotel News, Kids & Teens
Aqua gym in the main pool
The summer season has officially started here at Sunset Beach Club! The weather is amazing with lots of sunshine and hot temperatures in the 30`s (ºC).
Anyone planning on visiting us over the summer will be happy to know that we now have our complete activities and entertainment programme available on our website.
You’ll find information about all activities and shows that will be available over the next few months. There’s plenty of fun in stall for the kids aged 5 to 12, with the ever popular Pirate’s Day being the highlight of the week for this age group. (more…)
by Justin | Jun 22, 2011 | On the Costa del Sol, What's On
We’ve got a busy week ahead of us: On Thursday evening we’ve got the Night of San Juan celebrations to look forward to and Friday sees the start of the fair in Arroyo de la Miel!
For those of you who have yet to experience a true Spanish fair, this weekend is your chance to cross that off your list of things to do. (more…)
by Justin | Jun 14, 2011 | Holiday Tips, Places to See
Júzcar, a traditional white village situated near the famous town of Ronda, has been chosen by Sony Pictures as the setting for the premiere of their new film “The Smurfs 3D” this Thursday 16th June.
This wont be your run-of-the-mill premiere, Sony’s PR experts have come up with an innovative idea to gain publicity for the launch: Paint the whole town blue! No kidding, they have managed to convince the town’s inhabitants to paint their houses “smurf” blue…
A team of 20 painters – 11 of which are villagers who were unemployed – has been hard at work painting every single building in the village (See photo).
So why did Sony choose this small – previously – white village in the hills near Ronda for their world premiere? Apart from the incredible climate, it seems that Júzcar is also popular for its promotion of sustainable tourism; they have special walking routes and also organise mycological events and, as we all know, mushrooms are the Smurfs favourite food 🙂
All the media exposure has had a very positive effect on the village’s coffers as tourists flock to take pictures of the famous Smurf Village. Business is booming, so much so, that they are considering keeping their new colour indefinitely!
For the moment, they have voted to remain “Smurf” Blue until September, at which point they will review the situation and decide on whether to paint all buildings white again – incidentally, the cost of painting the village white will be taken care of by Sony as part of the agreement.
So if you’re planning on visiting Ronda this summer, make sure you pop into Júzcar. Apparently, the village will be organising a special “Smurf Tour” which will include a free hat and t-shirt… think about it, you’ll be able to tell all your friends that you visited the original Smurf Village and you’ll have the t-shirt to prove it!
by Justin | Jun 10, 2011 | Hotel News
Panos Zambetakis, one of the contestants of last year’s Irish edition of hit TV show, The Apprentice, recently enjoyed a relaxing week’s holiday at Sunset Beach Club.
Panos won the holiday after viewers voted for him in the “No Nonsense” moments, a segment of the show sponsored by FBD’s No Nonsense Insurance.
During his holiday, Panos was kind enough to meet up with Debbie Wallace and Ann Webb for a quick chat and a few photos! Apparently he had a fantastic time and could not speak highly enough about the staff and facilities here at Sunset Beach Club 🙂
“Thanks so much for everything you did for me, it was an amazing week and definitely i’ll be back!” Panos
You’re more than welcome Panos…we look forward to welcoming you back soon!
by Justin | Jun 9, 2011 | On the Costa del Sol, What's On
It looks like Mijas is the place to be at the moment. Last week the pretty white village hosted their popular Blues Festival and this weekend, residents and visitors alike can enjoy the 23rd edition of the Mijas International Festival.
This colourful event is ideal for all the family, with lots of activities for kids and plenty of food and drink for the adults!
There will be twenty different nationalities taking part in this years festival with the celebrations taking place in three separate zones: The blue zone in the La Muralla Gardens; the red zone in Plaza Virgen de la Peña (in front of the Townhall) and the green zone in Plaza de la Constitución.
Each of these stages will be provide live entertainment in the form of musical performances and traditional dances; we’re talking Mexican Mariachis, Celtic music, Indian dances and, of course, Flamenco music and dance.
As well as the three stages, visitors will be able to wonder around the 19 different stands, each representing a different culture or country; typical foods, drinks and traditional handmade goods will all be available for people to purchase. I hear they are also going to have 2 giant Argentinian and Uruguayan BBQ’s; those guys don’t mess around when it comes to BBQ’s… a definite must!
If you like street parades, make sure you don’t miss some of the fantastic ethnical street parades planned over the weekend: Dragons from Korea, Colombian Carnival as well as parades from Bolivia, Senegal and a whole host of other countries!
The fun starts at 9pm on Friday the 10th June and continues until Sunday evening (12th June). Please note that in Saturday and Sunday the Festival kicks off at 1:30pm.
Entrance to the Festival is Free and the Town Hall have arranged special parking areas with free shuttles; they are obviously expecting large crowds!
Definitely a good option if you’re looking to do something different this weekend!
If you do happen to go, please let us know what you thought of the Festival.
