RINCÓN DE LA VICTORIA, MÁLAGA
Although the maritime tradition is far from lost in this locality the old houses of fishermen that used to line the beach in haphazard order have been trapped-those that are still standing, that is-between modern structures. Nevertheless, the village preserves the unmistakable hallmark of a coastal La Axarquía community, having maintained a rare equilibrium between the eclectic construction of recent years and the traditional local architecture.
Its broad seafront promenade, where a large proportion of its hotel establishments are concentrated, commands a view of the entire Bay of Málaga. In the new housing projects, which of necessity extend into the interior of the municipality, new leisure facilities have sprung up, such as the 18-hole Añoreta golf course.
The fortaleza de Bezmiliana (Bezmiliana fortress), also known as the fort or castle of the same name, is the most significant monument in Rincón de la Victoria. It was built in 1766, following plans drawn up by José de la Crane, to defend this part of the coast of Málaga because Gibraltar had fallen into the hands of the English. It has a quadrangular floor plan with cylindrical towers on two of its corners. Its stern architectural lines clearly indicate the function for which it was designed, which was very different from its present one, for since its restoration in 1992 the fortress has housed a prestigious exhibition centre, and other spaces devoted to cultural activities.
The iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen (the church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the maritime Virgin par excellence) was built in 1892. It is a very simple church, directly connected to popular architecture. It consists of three naves and a bell tower that adjoins the Evangel Side nave. The iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria (Our Lady of La Candelaria church) in Benagalbón was erected in the sixteenth century but only the walls remain from the original construction. Its interior is noteworthy for its murals by the world-famous Vélez painter, Francisco Hernández: the Ascension, in the central part; and the Nativity and Christ Teaching in the Temple, on the sides.
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The royal burgh of Mijas, in the centre of the Western Costa del Sol 30 kilometres from the city of Málaga, lost no time joining with other coastal municipalities in the drive for tourism development. It offered visitors not only what at the time was an unspoiled distinctive local atmosphere and several fortunate peculiarities such as the famous burro-taxis but also a paradisiacal scenic setting and its urban district, which at an elevation of more than 420 metres is the best scenic overlook in the western region of the Málaga coast.
This vantage point commands a view of a broad swath of the Mediterranean and several municipalities of the Costa del Sol, including especially Fuengirola right at its feet. Next to it is one of the most famous historical sites in the village, the Santuario de la Virgen de la Peña (Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Rock, the local patron saint). This religious building is simple in the extreme and offers nothing of interest from an architectural standpoint beyond the fact that it was dug out of the rock by the pious hermit Diego de Jesús, María y San Pablo. According to legend it was some children who, having been advised by a dove, discovered the image of the Virgin that had been concealed for several hundred years between the walls of an old castle so that it would not fall into the hands of the Arabs who ruled the region of Al-Andalus for eight centuries. Entirely aside from the legend surrounding this small sanctuary, a visit to this area known as “Paseo del Compás” is highly recommended due to the beauty of the landscape and of the leafy gardens all along this exceptional overlook.
The Plaza de Toros (Bullring) is in harmony with the architectural simplicity and purity of line of the local houses and in addition offers the novelty of its atypical oval structure, which makes it an exception to the traditional shape of all bullrings. Built in 1900 at the behest of the residents themselves, it sits on a rocky site and has an entrance door that is no different from that of any house in the village and thus might be make mistaken for that of practically any private dwelling. The running of “novillos” (young bulls) is very popular. This is a tradition that dates back to the inauguration of the plaza and that has been held practically every year since with the exception of the three-year period from 1936-1939. The festivities were interrupted in 1969 so that works consisting of the construction of a chapel, infirmary, abattoir and other facilities could be performed, and it reopened in 1977.
The municipality of Mijas is made up of three urban nuclei (Mijas Pueblo, Mijas Costa and Las Lagunas). It is one of the largest in area in the province of Málaga at 140 square kilometres and has twelve kilometres of beach. It has one of the most complete tourism offers on the Andalusian coast. The Hipódromo Costa del Sol stands out among its installations. This is a varied hotel infrastructure containing some of the most prestigious establishments on the coast, numerous golf courses and large urban developments that stretch from the slopes of the Mijas Mountains to the seashore.
How to get there
Mijas is reached from the city of Málaga by way of the Mediterranean Expressway. It is necessary to enter Fuengirola and take the MA-409 towards Mijas Pueblo. From Marbella, come by the N-340 and take the MA-409 towards Mijas. If coming from Benalmádema Pueblo take the Benalmádena-Mijas-Coín highway (MA-485).
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From the time that it was first viewed as an international tourist destination, which is to say since more than half a century ago, the Costa del Sol has steadily solidified the status of sun and beaches as its tourism trump card. The geographic characteristics of the Málaga coast were, and still are, ideal for drawing tourist traffic to this region in a natural manner, considering that in the Mediterranean there are very few areas--almost none--that can offer more than 160 kilometres of coast dotted with a succession of beaches with such diverse characteristics.
Neither the extent of the coast nor its diversity, however, are sufficient to develop loyalty among tourists over so many years and to continue to attract visitors from such a variety of places. There is a third basic reason that, added to the first two, explains the primacy of the Costa Sol over other resort areas: the climate. It tends to be pleasant throughout southern Europe but in the province of Málaga it is much more so due to the fact that its coast is protected from the interior winds by a formidable mountain system that at places even meets the sea. This geographic feature makes for warm winter temperatures and summers free from the extreme heat associated with that season.
Of the nine districts that make up the province of Málaga, three have a coastline: La Axarquía (Eastern Costa del Sol), the Málaga mountains, including the provincial capital, and the Western Costa de Sol. A total of 14 Málaga municipalities are adjacent to the sea, while there are others in the interior at a minimal distance from it. Each of these municipalities contributes its unique topography to the coastline, with the result that its beaches form a sufficiently heterogeneous complex to satisfy any preference in this respect.
They range from the most plentiful type, which are broad and sandy beaches fully equipped with all services and generally with a modern seafront promenade running alongside them, to the most secluded and absolutely virgin coves overlooked by exceptionally beautiful natural landscapes. From one end to the other, the range includes every kind of beach imaginable--including seven for nudists, in Estepona (2), Benalmádena, Cabopino (Marbella), Benalmádena, Guadalmar, Torre del Mar y Maro - for sea bathing in the conditions that the visitor prefers. Nudism is also tolerated on other beaches that due to their characteristics are not frequented by large numbers of visitors, while on all of them going topless is accepted without question.
During the summer, over many of the most crowded beaches the blue flag waves, the symbol with which the European Union attests to the good condition of the water and sand and to the availability of all the services inherent to this type of public facility.
The beaches that are closest to large urban areas are the ones with the greatest number of services, including beach bars (these hospitality facilities may be found even in areas that are not much visited but that have an established clientele) on whose menu never fails to appear the delicious “pescaíto frito” (small fried fish) of the Málaga coast; toilets; showers; children’s playgrounds; Jet Ski, water cycle and ski rental; first aid stations; lifeguards and even cool palm oases.
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From 9 to 17 March, the Málaga Film Festival will be celebrating its 10th edition with great fanfare: 14 feature films, debut films, new stages, parallel activities to suit all tastes, and a tribute to Spanish film stars of all times, like Carmen Maura, Sara Montiel, Alfredo Landa, Bigas Luna and Emiliano Otegui.
The Festival will kick off with 'Lola,' the latest movie by Miguel Hermoso ('Truhanes,' 'Fugitives,' 'Tango'), and 'Four Last Songs,' by UK director Francesca Joseph, will close the event.
The official section includes fourteen feature films, five of them debut films, and other surprise screenings will take place at eclectically arranged ZonaZine and the 2nd edition of ZonaClips, in which twenty-five videos will compete.
The 2007 Jury will be presided over by Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi (director), its members being George Ayoub (distributor), José Infante (writer, journalist, poet), Óscar Jaenada (actor), Héctor Olivera (director, producer), Rosa María Sardá (actress) and Pepe Vargas (director of the Chicago Latino Film Festival).
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Artepostre is an innovative concept in the catering industry. It is a sophisticated coffeehouse, a master baker's, and a sweet shop, which has opened two locations in Málaga, where locals and out-of-town visitors can taste the most delicious things on Earth.
Concerned with a new concept of a meeting place to have a coffee or tea in the afternoon, the creators of Artepostre chose quality when they set out to run their business. This is reflected in the shop's design and décor, of course, but becomes evident in the irresistible delicacies that make Artepostre's menu, avant-garde desserts that will throw the most demanding palates into ecstasy.
Being real master confectioners, in Artepostre they combine all sorts of flavours and textures artfully, always to the same result: exquisite taste. If you have the chance of stepping into this heaven on Earth, try some of the special sweets -whose names are as tempting as the sweets themselves: Pecado (Sin), Locura (Wildness), Gula (Greed), Pasión (Passion), Nougat, or the French specialties.
If you don't have a sweet tooth, you can try Artepostre's savoury options -creamy Norwegian salmon tartlets or duck cream and mushroom mille-feuille, for instance-, washed down with a good wine. After all, what matters is the talk, and Artepostre helps a lot in making it more intimate and interesting.
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On 27, 28 and 29 December, Torremolinos will have its traditional pastoral music contest in the city centre, featuring choirs like La Colina, Santa Cristina, Los Pinares, or San Miguel. So once again this year, music and religion will be united in joy for Christmas -inviting us to join, too.
For three days, then, passers-by and street walkers will hear the sounds of pastoral songs in the streets, starting at 7:00 p.m. Sung by magnificent voices, the repertoire promises to be very moving.
These days, Torremolinos is also flooded with the brightness and colour of around 120,000 light bulbs: illuminated arches, lamps, signs and garlands have turned the town into a magical place, the perfect atmosphere to sing or listen to pastoral music.
The town's Christmas programme included other activities as well: the Gouliani Duo's concert at the Pablo Ruiz Picasso Cultural Centre; 'Flamenco Christmas', a show by Toma Castaña (a popular/ folk music band); and the Christmas concert by the town's music school, to name but a few.
INFO
Music event: 'Pastoral Music Takes to the Streets'
Dates: 27-29 December 2006
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Place: City centre
Town: TORREMOLINOS (Málaga)
For further information, please contact the Town Hall.
Telephone: 95 237 94 00
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Time for magic at the Ciudad de Marbella Theatre: on 20 December, the Ukraine Children's Ballet are presenting their version of 'Cinderella', the fairy tale written by the French writer Charles Perrault in 1697 and made into a classic animation film by Walt Disney.
The story is very well-known, of course: a beautiful maiden despised by her horrible stepmother and two step-sisters, who give her the cruel nickname 'Cinderella', is forced into a life of domestic servitude (she has to tend the fireplace, hence the nickname). The girl accepts the help of an attendant spirit, the Fairy Godmother, who changes her appearance so that she can attend a royal ball and attract the attention of the Handsome Prince. The spell vanishes at midnight, however, so she has to run away, leaving a crystal shoe behind her.
So far, so good. At this point, the audience is presented with many surprises and a lot of masterful dance performed by the dancers of the Ukraine Children's Ballet, created by Natalia Rzhevskaya in 1979 after the Kharkov Ballet School, which features some of the best ballet dancers in St Petersburg, Moscow and Kiev.
The company's repertoire includes versions of many popular ballets: 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs', 'Chipollino', 'Nutcracker', 'Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves', 'Ole-Lukoye and Other Tales', 'Arms, Legs and Shoes', and other programmes including over thirty classic and modern dances.
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On 27 November, the first stage of the new train station in Málaga was inaugurated. The station, which will be reached by high-speed trains next year, will hold eight times as many passengers as the old one, up to 24 millions a year. The María Zambrano Vialia Station will be the stage of a transport revolution, taking Málaga one step further on its way to become one of the major cities in Southern Europe.
Following the Ministry of Development’s guidelines laid down in the Strategic Infrastructure and Transport Plan (PEIT), the station was designed as a model of intermodality, boosting public transport to improve communications while protecting the environment.
Vialia Málaga will be the largest intermodal and commercial transport centre ever built in Spain. To the rail services already in operation –commuter, regional and long-distance trains–, it will add high-speed rail, bringing Málaga much closer to the rest of Spain and Europe.
The Vialia Project will give Málaga City a significant economic boost, since the station will feature a big shopping and leisure centre (with 102 retail shops), an underground car park (for 1,300 vehicles), a Lux Cinemas complex (including 13 cinema theatres), a 3,000 m2 professional bowling alley, and several restaurants. The complex will also have a four-star hotel run by Barceló, endowed with 222 guestrooms in 7 floors. In addition, Vialia Málaga will have a social impact, since it is expected to create 420 direct and 500 indirect jobs.
The new facilities’ total surface is 51,377 m2, that is, five times as large as the old station (9,720 m2), incorporating the Málaga commuter train station as well. As for rail capacity, it will have 8 platforms instead of 5, thus increasing by 60% the number of trains operating simultaneously.
Vialia’s works have meant an investment of 134.7 million euros in a design enhancing HST-commuter train intermodality and connecting the station with the airport, local and intercity bus lines, taxi ranks and other vehicles. Besides, in the future, the facilities will also be linked to two underground lines.
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The Benalmádena Youth Department is in charge of organising the 3rd Urban Culture Festival, to take place on Saturday, 18 November, from 12 to 9 p.m., at La Paloma Skatepark. Conceived as a popular party, the festival will be attended by the different urban tribes, whose members will spend a whole day together in harmony while having fun at the same time.
One of the highest points will be the skate championship, which will give out 300 euros and stuff worth 1,000 euros among the top 10. Those who want to participate must register in advance for a 10 euro fee or 20 euros if they register on the championship day.
DJs will all liven up the day with techniques such as scratching and turntablism. There will be also funky, hip-hop, rap, and break dance or BMX bike exhibitions, among other nice surprises.
Finally, the public will enjoy live performances by South Style, Skorpion, Puto Chico, Yenesis, Dresh, 3Deases, Taias, Turno de Réplica, Marckos, Andrews 'G', Foke, C.M.C., Sek y Fose, KKS, Mc Zius, Prodemen, Best Séller, and Ernesto and Diemaster.
Source: Visit Costa del Sol
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The Juan Breva flamenco club started on 17 October its traditional flamenco studies, a series of 90-minute lessons that take place every Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. (except on public holidays) through March 2007, in the association's headquarters, on Ramón Franquelo Street. Interestingly, the admission is free.
The course is aimed at spreading the knowledge of flamenco amongst citizens. The underlying idea is to address the generic aspects at first, and then go deep into the nature of every 'cante' (singing), 'toque' (instrumental music), and dance.
Live performances or recordings will be part of the lessons as a way to give examples of each topic and, equally important, to make lessons lively and fun. The teachers are Juan Breva flamenco club's members who have delivered innumerable lectures and speeches on flamenco.
The course is organised in three terms: the first one will continue until the first Tuesday of December, the second ends one week before Holy Week, and the last one, in late May. In the meanwhile, students will love listening to flamenco varieties such as 'verdiales', 'villancicos' or 'saetas'.
The Dog in the Manger', comedy in verse in Álora
One of Lope de Vega's classic plays staged by Viento Sur at the Cervantes Theatre.
If we still find it difficult to be different and live against social conventions, imagine what it must have been like five centuries ago. That was the world in which Lope de Vega wrote 'The Dog in the Manger' ('El perro del hortelano'), one of his most celebrated plays, telling the ruses of Diana, the Countess of Belflor, to catch Teodoro, her secretary, when she realises she's in love with him after learning that he's fooling around with one of her maids.
The tourist industry in the Costa del Sol has lost one of its main driving forces of the last decades. Antonio Espinosa, co-owner of the travel agency Savitur and president of the Gastronomy Academy in Malaga, died from a heart failure while he accompanied group of tourists in Mexico.
The Fuengirola fair “Feria del Rosario” had a massive influx of visitors; exactly one million people have visited the fair complex of Fuengirola from the 6th until the 12th of October, as the town councillor for Fairs and Traditions, Juan Antonio Haro, informed, according to the data offered by the Local Police.
Haro was very satisfied with the resulting balance from this celebration, which “had a very good atmosphere”, and highlighted that all the activities programmed by the Town Council have recorded a great reception “this is the reason why everybody is so satisfied with this year’s results”. For the councillor “this is an award to the work done by the Councillorship for Fairs and by the rest of the town areas involved in this celebration every year. This celebration belongs to the Fuengirola citizens and to all of those coming from other parts of Malaga and other provinces to share it with us”.
Haro pointed out in this sense that both the spectacles programmed in the Caseta Municipal (municipal stand) as those organized within the bullring enclosure “have presented excellent incomes”. There weren’t any incidents, except for a fight among young people and the local police.
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East countries interested in the Costa del Sol.
The tourism association of the Costa del Sol emphasized the interest of the East countries thanks to the professional conferences recently celebrated in Prague, Sofia and Budapest and which were organized by Turespaña. The public affluence was high in the three workshops. Some of these workshops were already selling the Costa del Sol as a tourist destination, meanwhile in Sofia and Budapest they weren´t, but they are interested, especially in the cultural sector, golf and luxury.
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During the second quarter of the year, 57.8% of the Costa del Sol visitors organized their trip to Malaga individually. 76.8 per cent used the Internet to arrange the travel, according to the Tourism Observatory Association (Observatorio Turístico del Patronato)
The report, drawn up by Europa Press, points out that the organization of the trip by a travel agency was chosen by 31.2% of the visitors, while 11% used other means.
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The World Conference of the Pan-American Forum for Professional Cooking Associations will be held in Estepona in 2007, March 7th to 9th, at the Expositions and Congress Palace of the municipality. Eleven countries will participate in this meeting, the United States, Canada, Brazil and Uruguay among others.
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The Casa de la Cultura of Fuengirola will show the entries participating in the Posters of the Fair Competition, from 22 September through 11 October. Seventeen entries were submitted to this year's edition, which awarded Mariano Álvaro Fuerte Castro's work.
The exhibition has been run in Fuengirola for years, bringing the artists' depiction of the traditional Fair close to the public. All the posters participating in the 2006 edition are excellent -you can find how good they are in person, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Torremolinos opens today its second heated swimming pool
It has 25 metres and will assist the Swimming pool “Virgen del Carmen”. The town expands its sports facilities offer.
Travel tours selling to the Costa del Sol done from Russia during the summer has increased between a 30% and a 40% with regard to last year, according to the Russian Tourism Office in Spain report. This report is based on the two main Russian tour-operators information.
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The Costa del Sol Tourist Board has welcomed a group of travel agents from the Czech tour operator Cedok, following a request by both the Spanish Tourism Office in Vienna and Ultramar Express, the receptive agency for Cedok on the Costa del Sol.
Cedok began operating with the Costa del Sol, represented by Ultramar, some years ago with a charter flight of 50 seats, and now operates two flights a week to and from the Costa del Sol.
The group, which was offered a complete presentation of our destination, was made up of 18 travel agents, who arrived accompanied by the tour operator’s product manager for Spain and a representative of Ultramar Express. When the presentation ended, the travel agents were given informative and promotional material packs.
Costa del sol has received the first visit of a Chinese group which will study its meeting and events tourism.
The association for tourism, trade and sport will give a total amount of 600.000 euros to build the Touristy Innovation Centre of Andalusia. This initial investment, to cover the period from 2006 to 2007, will be increased the following years, by at least 400.000 euros per year. 75% will be contributed by the Andalusian government, although its objective is self financing by participating in national and international projects.
That’s what Paulino Plata said during the sign of the statutes of the project. The project was constituted as foundation with the participation of 27 organizations of the tourism sector, universities, economical and social agents and technological centres.
This centre will have its headquarter in Marbella and it is the second one created in Spain which is going to be specialized in investigation and innovation of the sector. Its opening is planned for September.
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The Tourist Office of the Costa del Sol (“Patronato de Turismo”) has advertised its golf offer in the France Golf Open, which 100th edition was celebrated in Versalle.
The organization of Malaga went to the event with an expositor of the Andalusian Golf Federation and the Spanish Tourism Office of Paris. They were very well visited during the four days that the event lasted. The main visitors were amateurs players, according to the Association reports.
During the event, association technicians met with tour-operators to explore the possibilities to improve the presence of the Costa del Sol in France: in the magazines and future actions of promotion.
The Association emphasized the growing of the French market: “it grows every year with a ratio between 8 and 10%”, which is because “golf is a sport which has more followers every day”.
It is a mature market, with a high level of knowledge about Spain as a golf destination, especially of the Costa del Sol, which is an appreciated and valued area, although not so much marketed in France.
The Costa del Sol wants to attract people not only because of sun and beaches.
Sun and beaches are the main reasons to visit Costa del Sol since 1960. However, in a global context as nowadays, the competition is bigger and the tourism related companies think it is necessary to bring forward additional offers to make the Costa del Sol a destination offering more than just leisure. According to the newspaper “Malaga Hoy”: “We need to offer as much as possible: sun, beaches, golfing, skiing in the Sierra Nevada, excursions to other provinces of Andalusia or to the north of Africa, our gastronomy… There should be a bigger variety for our guests, not only the beaches”, explained Salvador Vilches, president of the association of hoteliers in the region Costa del Sol. Pedro García, president of the Association of Travel Agents, thinks the same way; the expert pointed out that “all we want is to get rid of the sun-umbrella-only-image and start marketing all complementary offers we have. We should not sell the Costa del Sol as an exotic destination, because we are not, but it is true that we have a well known area and a wide range of options”. Hotels and travel agents affirmed they are working on packs for tourists for winter which will include, for example: four days in the Costa del Sol and three days in the Sierra Nevada, “although we would like to start offering more packages and take an agreement with the companies of Granada to market specific products”. It is supposed to follow the example of collaboration between Seville and Huelva. Vilches and García affirmed that they have talked about this idea with the persons in charge of the administration to achieve the same support.
