In a new initiative to promote and give boost to the already running tourist activities in the Costa del Sol town, the City Council of Marbella has launched a series of new measures in the historic centre which will take place throughout the year. The Mayoress Ángeles Muñoz last Monday (February 15) unveiled the timetable for action, stressing the need to allure more tourists to the historic quarter.

The primary aim of this battery of cultural and tourist programmes by the Government is to prop up city sightseeing, especially in the historical centre in order to revitalize tourism in Marbella. As a part of the process, various municipal offices have been instructed to work together with retailers and restaurateurs in the area to start a campaign that promotes the historic centre and promote access and consumption in traditional settlements.

Just in line with the recent campaign ‘Marbella is a gift’, the municipal authority will have a meeting with tourist operators to bring out the possibilities in cruising passengers coming through the port of Malaga to Marbella. Marbella historical centre has immense amount of travel attraction, representing rich historical and cultural legacy.

Among some of the primary actions that the City will undertake in the Historic Center include the lighting of the tower of the Church of the Incarnation, the improvement of the Plaza del Ejido by removing the existing wall and installation of albero a floor of beautification of the stairs going up to the street Carmen Castillo.

Furthermore, some additional sights will also be taken into consideration for beautification. The councillor has also ruled that a multidisciplinary team of municipal workers will be appointed to work permanently in the maintenance of such landmarks in the Historic Centre with the immediate repair of any damage.

In addition, there will be a series of permanent exhibitions in the district headquarters in Salinas Street, which will be opened with the “40 years of basketball in Marbella” and continue till March with “Women and Sport” along with panel discussions.  Then there will be Children’s Carnival, Guignol Festival, and during the months of April, May and June a host of activities will be organised with the participation of schools in Marbella.

A series of concerts with performances of jazz, soul, classical music, fashion shows, art exhibitions and photo competition will dominate the summer months of July and August.  Besides, visitors will get chance to tour the specially arranged flea market every Sunday.

For better promotion the City Council has conducted a census of all retailers in the area to maintain a permanent contact with them, inform them of all events, and provide the possibility for their suggestions.

Whether you are settled on the coast permanently or here just for a few months to escape the UK winter blues you will need friends! Some people just head down to the nearest bar and within a couple of hours have acquired a brand new set of friends!

However after the initial rush has worn of you may find that some of your instantly acquired best buddies are rather boring-or worse-dodgy (what….dodgy geezers on the Costa del Sol never!).

But as a good back-up to the bar fly saga you could try joining a few clubs and societies and meet some like minded people. The coast is brimming with clubs!

Golf Clubs
The golf club is the obvious place to start. We are over endowed with golf clubs here so you won’t have to go far! Some are more exclusive than others and there are municipal courses around as well which can be a more reasonable option and will also give you more of a chance to meet genuine local people rather than the expats and holiday makers who make most of the crowd at some clubs.

Football Clubs
Football clubs and cycling clubs are to be found in even the smallest villages due to national fanaticism about these two particular sports. There are even British only teams in the local Marbella league!

Horse Riding Clubs
Horses are another Andaluz obsession and “Asociación amigos de caballos” abound .These clubs arrange group rides into the countryside, equestrian exhibitions and social barbecue type days.

Tennis and Cricket
Good tennis clubs are all along the coast and Malaga has a cricket club for those essential Sunday afternoons on the green!

Don’t despair if sport isn’t your thing there is a range of more sedentary type activities too!

Let’s give a run through first;

jazz appreciation societies
sliming clubs
choirs and orchestras
gardening clubs
university of the third age
theatre and acting societies
poker clubs
photographic clubs
language and language exchange clubs
and just plain no nonsense social clubs!

These latter clubs are a good place to start.

The International Club of Estepona (ICE) is in the Bahia Dorado urbanisation near Estepona and offers friendship, classes, trips, parties and good food. Torremolinos and Fuengirola also have well established social clubs.

The American Club of the Costa del Sol has lots of branches and there is even a good old British Association in Marbella (remnants of the Empire!)

Theatre clubs are very big on the coast and everybody gets dragged along to see at least one amateur production during their time here. Great fun! There is Thespa; the English Speaking Players Association which meets in Fuengirola and TAPAS meets in Alhaurin el Grande. TAPAS puts on several productions a year.

Charity clubs are a very useful way to spend your free time. There are numerous animal rescue charities which raise money to rescue and house abandoned dogs, cats, and horses.

This is less of a problem than it used to be but you still see heartbreaking sights in every town, especially after the summer when puppies get dumped after the long hols. Clubs like The Lions can be found in Marbella and, of course Gibraltar!

Lots of good causes are tackled.

Finally back to the more Spanish clubs – every population in Spain has its “asociación de mujeres” more or less like the WI. All sorts of cultural activities are arranged, dancing, singing, traditional cooking, IT-and you can pick-up Spanish at the same time!

The APAs or PTA s of the local schools are also a great place to make local friends.

The Mediterranean coast is very beautiful, as we all know, even if it is just a little bit built up now (understatement of the year there!).

However there are loads of gorgeous beauty spots all along it-or slightly inland-which with only a small amount of travelling make the most fantastic venue for a day out and picnic.

Let’s start with the Laguna de Fuente Piedra, home to thousands of flamingos. The Laguna nature reserve covers 1364 acres and is home to the baby flamingos while they grow for a few weeks each year before they fly to other parts of Spain.

The Laguna contains all the nutrients required for growth. After hatching the chicks, the adult birds spend all day away from their offspring only returning at night to feed them. Sounds about right to me! The Laguna is only a short drive from the Malaga area.

Moving along the coast a bit there is the beautiful Sierra de Las Nieves, a world heritage site, in the mountains behind Marbella. This, as the name implies, is often covered in snow during the winter and is home to some of the oldest species of pine trees in Europe – the Pinsapo. This pine tree really looks like it belongs to another age! Other ice-age relic vegetation flourishes as well.

Once you get into Cadiz Province the amount of buildings and urbanisations decreases (well, at least at the moment) and the beauty of the Atlantic can be appreciated. The beaches from Algeciras onwards are spectacular and are now part of the Parque Natural del Estrecho. Try the untouched stretches of sand on the Los Lances beach and you think you are in heaven but just go round the bay to the spectacular untouched beaches and sand dunes of Bolonia and you know you are!

Cows, pigs and horses wander on the beach and in winter you may be lucky enough to be the only humans on a seemingly endless spread of fine white sand. There are still a couple of beach restaurants open in winter so you can finish of the perfect morning with some freshly caught and fried Bolonia fish.

Moving inland from Tarifa you hit the magnificent Parque Natural de los Alcornocales which extends through Cadiz province into Malaga and joins up to the equally spectacular Sierra de Grazalema Park.

These areas are full of rivers, waterfalls, fantastic unique vegetation types (the Alcornocales park actually has valleys full of rhododendrons – and I thought you had to go to Richmond park to see those! – and of course animal life-birds of prey and cattle being the main stars!

The best way to visit these parks is to choose a village to visit and take a slow car journey breathing in the scenery on route.

Alternatively, catch the train from Algeciras to Ronda and get off at one of the immaculately kept stations on route to walk and eat. Jimera de Libar is fantastic-the station is identical to a 1950´s British station but the mountainous backdrop certainly isn’t!

Make sure you find out your train time back – there are only 3 or 4 a day in each direction!

Marbella, what once only a fishing village is now one of Costa del Sol’s prime destinations with all its enchanting natural surroundings amidst a pleasant weather. Most visitors flung to Spain always have a stay at this glittering holiday resort to take pleasure from those sun-bathed beaches and delicious Mediterranean cuisines.

Here is an outline of this emblematic city of Spaniard region with some valuable information for tourists and in general.

The following details will also be useful for people who are thinking of visiting Marbella with an aim to exploring the best that this part in the Malaga coast offers.

Certainly, this 114.3 sq. km mountain clad region has a lot to offer for every taste and age. A climate with an average temperature of around 19 degrees C. allures travelers to roam and take a walk on the beaches to revitalise the senses all through the year; no matter if  it is winter or summer. The maximum temperature ranges between 16 to 30 degrees C. in winter and summer.

Such geographically favored features further act as catalysts in making Marbella one of the emerging cosmopolitan cities with a high profile night life, elegant shops and plethora of leisure activities including fun and adventure water sports. The availability of all classes of  facilities also brings Marbella into the list of high-class frivolity, where rich and wealthy fuse to enjoy every bit of this fantasy land.

But Marbella is more than just a beach resort, its rich history further added to its charm as a privileged travel destination. The modernisation though has left considerable impact on the uniqueness, but visitors can easily locate the traces of tradition and culture in every corner of this medieval city of Spain.

In the course of emerging urban environment, Marbella guides you to its 16th Century B.C. history with the existence of “old town”, “Moorish castle”, and famous “Orange Square”. However, recent archaeological excavations have even pushed Marbella’s history back to Paleolithic and Neolithic ages in the extreme ancient time.

The latest link has been established from the Islamic era where the Muslims had built a castle in this city. The city was later conquered by Spaniards in the latter half of the 15th century- precisely in 1485, and the city flourished after that. The architectural creation during Roman and Moorish occupation can also be spotted as of their significant historic importance.

The above picture about the city of Marbella guides us to discuss and share a little more about some of the specific sightseeing of this holiday resort which includes the sea (beaches), museums, monuments, parks and art galleries etc.

The Sea & Beaches
Marbella’s impressive mountainous backdrop and a coastline stretching over 25 km add to the overall personality of the resort town i.e. strikingly beautiful and different from others. Those beautiful beaches between Guadalmina and Cabopino render a spectacular natural environment and outstanding costal environment.

The famous attraction along the beachside is Paseo Maritimo, or boardwalk. Stretching over 6 kilometers, it runs along a stretch of palm trees and outdoor cafes, restaurants, beachside snack bar etc. One just need nothing but a cycle, skate or can even take a stroll by taking a breath of breeze of the shoreline.

There is a real nice ferry service from Marbella to Puerto Banus and back and its run by a company called Fly Blue. It will take you past all the wonderful shores of Marbella and Puerto Banus where you can see Marbella from a different angle.

You can get the ferry from the port in Puerto Banus or in Marbella every hour from 11am until 6.30pm.

The cost is €15 for adults and €8 for children.

Here is the locations of where you can get the ferry from.

You can also call 663 827 986 for more ifnormation in English.