A holiday in Costa del Sol provides you ample opportunities to relax and be pampered in a number classy restaurant and bars. Andalucía Plaza Hotel, located in just 2 kilometres from the famous Puerto Banus marina, is one of the preferred hotels among visitors to explore their travel exposition while enjoying the luxury and magnificent surroundings.

The hotel offers a range of facilities and services with a whole lot of recreational activities to make your stay and tour in Costa del Sol an exciting one whether you are on a business trip or a family vacation. In fact, it’s proximity to Marbella city centre which is just 6 kilometres away and moreover the Malaga airport, a reach within one hour and few minutes, Andalucía Plaza is the right place for a comfortable stay.

However, the best part of the hotel is its closeness to the “Golf Valley” that boasts as many as 11 golf courses, including four 18-hole courses. All guests are given access to enjoy a golfing session at any of the courses with special green fee rates. So, Andalucía Plaza can be a right choice for travellers on an exotic golfing holiday.

Rooms & Accommodation: As many as 400 fully furnished air-conditioned rooms, decorated and set up in a sense of traditional Andalucían character, come with all kinds of modern amenities. Double and single rooms available are well equipped with satellite TV, internet and a mini bar, safe deposit, and 24 hours room service. From the balconies of almost each room, one can have good views of the city.

Restaurants & Bars: The restaurant inside the hotel premises ‘Cordoba’ with an à la carte service and buffet serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The kitchen of the restaurant even has the option of addressing any special demand meeting the interest of guests, however, the traditional Andalucían cuisine are certainly at its best.

Just adjacent to the tropical pool, the hotel has two bars: Toledo and Naturalia those are full of fun and entertainment. You have the option of trying out some of finest beverage inside the bar or just enjoy a coffee with light snack alongside the pool, making your morning or evening a pleasurable one.

Meeting & Conference: Apart from leisure travel, the hotel also provides meeting and conference facilities for business travellers. There are nine meeting rooms well-equipped with all kinds of facilities for holding business meetings, product release, banquets and other corporate events.

Health & Wellness: The sauna and fitness centre of the hotel offers a range of beauty treatments, which includes face & body massage, skin treatment, shower temple, and a fitness area with cardiovascular and body-building equipment. The water zone with a dynamic jet pool is a great place to relax and be pampered.

Among other services, Andalucía Plaza has a children’s pool, heated indoor pool, games room, tour desk, shopping arcade, laundry service, etc. The outdoor swimming pool is an entertainment area, Jacuzzi, and non-smoking rooms to facilitate your usual need. Moreover, the Casino de Marbella, located next to the hotel, offers free entry to guests during their stay.

Because of its quality of services, the hotel has been awarded the First Choice Gold Choice Award in 2000-2001 and the Airtours Gold Medal Award in 2000. Of course, Andalucía Plaza is the right choice all year long for any kinds of holiday: for pleasure, business trip or a golfing tour to Costa del Sol.

Great location, comfortable accommodation, exceptional service, wonderful staff and an exotic holiday; all go with this incredible boutique hotel in Marbella. Located in the beautiful and historic landmark- the Old Town, the hotel represents an oasis of glamour with classic accommodation to catch visitors’ attention.

As the resort town is known for its natural surroundings, guarded with a climate of its own, La Villa Marbella, too, holds the true character and sophistication of Andalucían region and offers its guests the best of facilities with personalised service. Rich heritage and a wonderful climate further add to its preference.

The original complex of the hotel, set up in a 150 year old house, opened its doors to guests in November 2004 after its redecoration in Asian style but keeping the traditional Andalucían heritage and feel in place. At the very heart of Old Town, La Villa tempts you to the magnificent views of Siera Blanca and the castle walls.

Starting with only a four room building, the hotel has now grown into a group of four suits and fourteen rooms. Those well-decorated suits are fully equipped with air-conditioning, heating, satellite TV, free internet access, mini bar, safety box, telephone and many other basic modern facilities.

All four suits are just few steps away from each other and hence it doesn’t matter in which building you are going to stay; the service pattern and facilities are universal for all its guests. The La Villa Marbella building has four rooms: Boracy room (Philippines), Jaipur room (India), Lombok room (Indonesia) and Yangon room (Myanmar).

The other three buildings are named as the La Villa Marbella Cottage (three rooms inside), La Villa Marbella Lodge (located beside the cottage building with two suits) and the La Villa Marbella Courtyard (five rooms decorated in a blend of Asian, European and African style).

The hotel is strategically placed, which is just three minutes walk from the famous Orange Square, seven minutes from the beach front and 10 minutes from the Marina Puerto Banus. You can easily visit numerous tourist attractions, taste some delicious cuisine in some finest restaurants, and enjoy the exclusive nightlife in the marina.

You will get almost everything while in your room, but not the kind of food you want. La Villa doesn’t have its own restaurant, although guests will find a good number of bars and restaurants serving the best of traditional and modern European cuisine. The hotel only serves breakfast to its guests.

Accommodation prices for this elegant and glamorous ambience vary from room to room and it again depends on the travel timings like low, medium, high or premium season. For detailed information on reservation or any specific room, visit the official website: www.lavillamarbella.com

Andalucia, along with parts of New Zealand, is one of the only places in the world where you can spend the morning skiing in Sierra Nevada and then with a quick 2 hour burn in the car have lunch and spend the afternoon taking in some spring sunshine on the beach! Spoilt for choice!

Sierra Nevada is in the province of Granada, and is the highest and most southerly resort in Europe. It isn’t far, only 25 minutes, from the beautiful historic town of Granada itself, and has one of the longest skiing seasons in Europe. In fact this year snow has fallen already as I write this (November) and the station is planning to open at the beginning of December.

Skiing often can continue until the beginning of May as a result and also due to its ease of access; airports, railway and motorways are nearby, it is a very popular resort during the whole season and particularly during the school holidays! Be warned, the queues for the lifts can be a bit boring.

Sierra Nevada is part of a World Heritage Site and also is a National Park, so spending a holiday there doesn’t just mean skiing; there is the fantastic scenery, flora and fauna to keep the less than keen skiers occupied.

The skiing station, called “Sol y Nieve”, is a purpose built complex completed several decades ago. It was revamped in the nineties but still is not your average ski centre, it’s a bit of a concrete jungle with massive underground parking facilities reminiscent of a shopping mall! But this means that it has a much more relaxed carefree approach than some traditional Alps resorts.

There are over 86 kilometres of pistes ranging from the absolute beginners to the expert black pistes for the fearless. Three ski schools cater for the resort and classes can be on an ad hoc daily or a weekly basis. Equipment can be hired from the schools to save those of you who haven’t skied before forking out loads, then finding it’s not quite the addictive lifetime enjoyment you thought it would be! Children are well catered for too. For the smallest there is a nursery and for those ready to learn there is a special school the ”Dreamland School” to start them off and take them up to the stage when they can join their parents.

Unlike some more traditional resorts snow boarders are welcomed. In fact the Parque Sulayr has been set up in the Borreguiles station to provide a special space where snowboarders and freestyle skiers can practise their jumps without disturbing others. All the 86 kilometres of piste are situated in 6 zones around the Borreguiles site and are all served with restaurants and bars so you don’t need to go off-piste back down to Pradollano, the main resort area.

The après-ski in Sierra Nevada is rather special too. The relaxed Andaluz touch means that there is something for everyone and at Andaluz-not French-prices. Restaurants range from pizzerias to International with of course smoking and non-smoking options.

Finally accommodation! Flats and chalets can be rented for self catering or there are many hotels in the resort itself. Granada is also an option due to its proximity and for those of you who may not want to join in the party atmosphere, which can go on till the small hours; this may be a better idea!

Fishing in Spain is yet another major tourist growth area with many new facilities and resorts being opened annually. However, fishing is a national sport too with thousands of men and children regularly to be seen at the sea front or at rivers and lakes. Not so many women yet! With Spain’s wonderful mountains and lakes and its extensive coastline both sea and freshwater fishing are available-even on the same day if necessary. Freshwater fishing is more limited in the boiling hot south mainly because most of the smaller rivers dry up in summer.

Spain is a bureaucratic country so working out what license you require can be rather confusing and time-consuming. For sea fishing you need to acquire a maritime recreational fishing license for fishing from the shore or a small boat (1st and 3rd class.) These can be used all over Spain and can be obtained from the “Delegacion Provincial de la Conserjeria de Agricultura and Pesca” in all provincial capital cities e.g. Malaga and in larger fishing towns.

However, the rewards are worth the effort. You can catch a wonderful selection of fish in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Swordfish can be found along the coast from Almeria down to Cadiz and you can charter a boat from any of the main ports. Many good companies exist who will arrange the whole business for you –boat, tackle transport and accommodation!

One of the major items on restaurant menus in Cadiz province is the delicious fresh tuna (tunny for the more traditional and atun in Spanish) either in a sauce or just lightly grilled. This is because the main tuna fishing grounds are located in the Straits of Gibraltar, Barbate, Zahara de los Atunes and Conil. In fact one of the main beaches in La Linea is called Atunara and its fishermen Atunantes! The tuna are of a magnificent size and fierce competition is the order of the day!

Other catches can include bass from the beaches of Cadiz, frigate mackerel, blue fish, bogue (like bream) and grouper. For the divers amongst you La Linea is excellent for octopus. A highlight of any fishing trip may be a sight of the beautiful dolphins outside Gibraltar and along the Atlantic coast.

Freshwater fishing is popular in Andalucía; in rivers, lakes, and more frequently nowadays, in reservoirs. Catch range from the humble barbel and carp to pike and black bass and the glorious trout! There are many fishing preserves in Jaen and Granada provinces including in the Sierra Nevada, not an excessively long drive from the Costa del Sol!

The main fishing rivers in Andalucía include the Guadalquivir in Seville and the Guadiana, the Tinto and the Odiel in Huelva. The Rio Frio in Granada is renowned for its trout and has a longer season than most rivers .It is normally March to September.

Yet again, a license is required for freshwater fishing which is available from the Medio Ambiente offices (like our Department of the Environment) and also, for once, from branches of the CajaMar bank.

Spain has a deserved reputation as one of the healthiest countries in the world to live in, due to its friendly climate and superb Mediterranean diet. This good start is backed up by one of the world’s most efficient and successful public health care systems. Let’s hope that this article is superfluous to your needs anyway!

The public health system is run on individual manner by the autonomous regions so in Andalucia we have the SAS (Servicio Andaluz de Salud). Most towns and villages have a Centro de Salud (health centre) which is backed up by hospitals in the bigger towns e.g. The Costa del Sol Hospital just outside Marbella.

The health centres in larger villages and towns are open 24 hours a day and often have x-ray facilities so one does not have to make a trek to the nearest hospital. They all run an appointment system for your GP (medico de cabeccera) and accident and emergency cover as well. Normal clinics such as ANC and physiotherapy take place regularly.

To use the SAS you will need the appropriate paperwork. No surprises there then! If you are working legally in Spain you will be paying your contributions to the Social Security (Social Seguridad) and will be sent your health card automatically and details of your health centre and GP. You can also include dependent members of your family on your cover (children, spouses and sometimes other family members). They will receive their own cards and number too.

The health cards are very up to date and can be used in machines to book appointments with specialists and check up on your social security payments etc. Free dental care for children up to a certain age is included in the cover.

If you are in Spain for a short holiday you will need to bring your E111 with you. This entitles you to free emergency cover at any public hospital or health centre. If you come over regularly for short periods and don’t wish to become a resident this is the form for you and is available from Post Offices in the UK. You cannot use it in private clinics or hospitals nor for ongoing illnesses or conditions.

If you decide to become a permanent resident in Spain and are not working e.g. you are retiring here, you will need the E 121. This needs to be taken to your local Centro de Salud where they will process it and send you your card and details of your doctor. For both the E 111 and E121 your home country needs to have an agreement with Spain and you obviously need to have contributed to your healthcare system there. The E106 (not another E!) provides you with cover for a maximum of 2 years if you are looking for work or taking early retirement. You don’t get a Spanish health card so you have to have it handy each time you need medical help.

However, if you decide not to use the public health system you will be spoilt for choice! The Costa del Sol has numerous private clinics covering all problems and illnesses and some very modern efficient private hospitals. Doctors of all nationalities and specialities are available. Private health insurance can be used to meet these bills. One final service in the private sector is the emergency helicopter scheme (Helicopteros Sanitarios) which can whisk you away by air to hospital if an emergency occurs.