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A special Charity Family Fun Day is being organized for Sunday June 3rd to coincide with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebration weekend in the UK. Taking place at the Lauro Golf Academy, on the road from Alhaurin el Grande to Alhaurin de la Torre.

Read the entire post » Sunday June 3rd – a special Charity Family Fun Day

Organic food production in Andalucia is experiencing nothing short of a boom. What was considered by many to be a minor/short-term surge in demand for organic produce in Northern Europe is now also being fuelled by an ever increasing local demand for organic produce.

Read the entire post » Organic food markets in Malaga

A recent study by the Post Office Travel Money has confirmed that this year is a great year to travel. Both the Euro crisis and the relative strength of the Pound Sterling are making travelling abroad ever more appealing. The Sterling has strengthened against 80% of the world’s currencies since the beginning of the year. Some of the most marked changes have been against the Euro.

Read the entire post » Summer holidays in Spain are now cheaper than ever

With summer fast upon us and temperatures already pushing 30C in southern Spain. People’s minds are naturally turning to beaches, to water and to places to cool off. There are numerous quiet spots in the countryside, next to crystal clear waters, that make a fantastic day out from the coast. Most of these places are well off the usual tourist tracks and some are only known locally. The river pools in La Resinera, near the village of Fornes, is one such place.

Read the entire post » Family picnic spot; the river pools in La Resinera, Granada

Playa de la Rijana, or Rijana beach is situated in the province of Granada just outside of the village of Castell de Ferro. Some 20 kms east of Motril. The beach has consistently been voted as being one of the best on the Costa del Sol – despite being situated on the Costa Tropical. These minor technicalities apart, for beach lovers, you couldn’t hope for a more beautiful spot.

Read the entire post » Best beaches on the Costa del Sol – Playa de la Rijana

If you are looking for something different and definitely not, your normal, run of the mill zoo or animal refuge – the Zoo de Castellar is well worth a visit. Situated just outside of the village of Castellar de la Frontera, about ten minutes inland from Sotogrande and not far from the Sotogrande International School, the zoo borders the beautiful Los Alcornocales Natural Park.

Read the entire post » Zoo de Castellar – a different kind of zoo

The Embalse de Los Bermejales is another one of those spots in Andalucia that you really have to know to fully appreciate it. Far from the usual tourist circuit, you couldn’t hope for a more peaceful or beautiful place to spend a holiday and/or weekend. We often go in the summer months to escape the crowds and to spend a few (quiet) days in nature. It’s hard to believe that you are less than an hour’s drive from the Costa Tropical, 40 minutes from Granada and with some of the region’s prettiest white villages right on your doorstep.

Read the entire post » Embalse de Los Bermejales – Bermejales lake

Tripadvisor has just published its list of best beaches for 2012. No less than five beaches in Spain made it into the top ten European beaches. More than any other European country. Turkey was well represented with two beaches in the top ten – including a beach near the village of Oludeniza which was voted in first place and Icmeler beach that came in second. Bournemouth was the UK’s best beach and ranked fourth. The annual “Traveler’s Choice Awards,” are based on reviews left by millions of global travellers on the TripAdvisor website.

Read the entire post » Five Spanish beaches in European top ten

There are various names associated with the village of El Acebuchal – “the Lost Village,” and “the Ghost Village – el Pueblo Fantasma,” are the two that seem to be most commonly used. The hamlet (aldea) /village of Acebuchal has a history. Not a particularly nice one. But a history all the same. Today, Acebuchal is an exceptionally beautiful village situated right in the heart of the Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara and Almara Natural Park. It sits almost on the border of Frigiliana and Competa. If staying in the area you couldn’t hope for a better day trip. Spectacular scenery, great food and village that is, most definitely, ‘lost’ in time.

Read the entire post » A visit to El Acebuchal – the lost village

The Catalonian town of Rasquera has unveiled a novel way to combat the recession – the town hall is leasing out its land for marijuana plantations. The vote was passed unanimously yesterday – Wednesday -  to sign a €1.3m (£1.1m) agreement with a cannabis association in nearby Barcelona to plant marijuana for its 5,000 members.

Read the entire post » Rasquera turns to Marijuana to relieve economic woes

Morocco is a beautiful and fascinating country that sits right on Spain’s doorstep. If you want to experience something new, something exotic and something that will really stimulate your senses – a day (or a weekend) trip visit to Morocco is just the thing. Many people opt for one of the numerous ‘package’ deals going across to Tangier for the day. Tangier is a beautiful city and is well worth a visit.

Read the entire post » Day trips to Morocco from Spain

Benalmadena is home to Europe’s largest butterfly park. Opened last year in conjunction with the local town hall (they provided the land), the park has proved to be a resounding success. Visiting it makes a great day out for all the family.

Read the entire post » Butterfly park in Benalmadena

Andalucia is blessed with some beautiful villages. One of the most striking is Setenil de las Bodegas in the Province of Cadiz. Situated just across the border with Malaga it makes a fantastic day-trip. This unique village is the only one in this part of Andalucia with troglodyte dwellings built into the rock. Unlike in Guadix, no chimneys are visible here, just rows of houses that seem to support the rock from which they have been dug.

Read the entire post » Setenil de las Bodegas, Cádiz

Parque la Bateria is another one of those parks, that is literally a hidden gem when travelling with children. Despite being in one of the Costa del Sol’s most popular destinations, Torremolinos, it is still relatively undiscovered by foreign visitors. As with the neighbouring Parque de la Paloma in Benalmadena, its the kind of place that will keep the whole family entertained for hours and all completely free.

Read the entire post » Parque La Bateria, Torremolinos, Costa del Sol

Recent articles in the Guardian and the French newspaper Le Monde have stated that Barcelona is set to build a huge indoor snow centre. It is due to be completed in 2015. The entire structure is going to be carbon neutral. Despite being situated under two hours away from ski resorts in the Pyrenees, this new centre promises to be one of kind. People can swim in the Mediterranean and ski, all within the same city.

Read the entire post » Barcelona to build huge indoor ski run by 2015

A recent survey has clearly demonstrated our changing travelling patterns. Children of today will have been abroad four times by the time they reach ten. Thirty years ago, 65% of children had never travelled by the age of ten and if they had, the most probable destination was a local seaside town. The most visited family holiday destination was Cornwall…..now, its, you guessed it, sunny SPAIN.

Read the entire post » A new era – the UK’s jet-setting toddlers

This attractive, yet somewhat, forgotten town stands at the eastern edge of the Parque Natural de los Alcornocales. When driving to Jimena de la Frontera you pass through some of Spain’s most spectacular countryside, passing through forests of cork, holm and gall oak that only starts to change as you approach Jimena, giving way to pasture land set aside for the breeding of fighting bulls. Situated in the Province of Cadiz and only 35kms inland from the exclusive resort of San Roque, it is an increasingly popular place for foreigners to live. Indeed the local population censuses (around 10,000 inhabitants, 2007)  puts expat numbers at 10% of the local population – many of them British.

Read the entire post » Jimena de la Frontera, Andalucia

Malaga’s port has been undergoing some massive reforms and expansions. One of the oldest ports in the World with over three thousand years of antiquity, it is now the second most important cruise terminal in Spain. Bringing thousands of passengers onto Malaga’s sunny shores. The Port is conveniently located right in the city centre, within easy walking distance to most of Malaga’s cultural and historical highlights. It is also a great place to stop off for some lunch and a rest when exploring Malaga’s sights.

Read the entire post » Malaga’s Palmeral de las Sorpresas

2011 is set to be, the third best year in history, for Spanish tourism figures. According to recent reports, 54 million tourists have visited Spain so far this year. This number is set to increase to 57 million, by year-end. A 7.7% increase on the figures for 2010. 2007 is still the best year on record, with 59.2 million travellers and is closely followed by tourism figures from 2006, when 58.4 million people visited Spain.

Read the entire post » 2011 – third best year on record for tourism figures

The night skies that our ancestors have taken for granted for millions of years are disappearing before our very eyes. According to the International Dark Sky association, a child born today in either Europe or the US has only a one in ten chance of witnessing  a truly dark sky. The thousands of stars that were once visible to the naked eye are now increasingly obscured by industrial light and pollution. Recent estimates from both sides of the Atlantic suggest that city dwellers will only get a glimpse of 500 stars at any one time. In undisturbed areas, the Milky Way should be clearly visible and with it over 15,000 stars. Under these optimum conditions you should expect to see over 30 meteors per hour.

Read the entire post » Star gazing in Spain