by Justin | Sep 28, 2012 | Local News
Anyone who has been to the Costa del Sol on holiday this summer will have had first hand experience with the jellyfish problem which has plagued our beaches during these warm months.
These annoying invertebrates have messed up many an afternoon on the beach for my family and I this summer! Each time we were forced to abandon our plans for a cool dip in the sea I thought to myself “Wouldn’t it be great if there were an App that let you know which beaches on the Costa del Sol are affected by plagues of Jellyfish?”
Well, it looks like next summer my wish will be granted 🙂 The provincial government and the Aula del Mar Foundation will join forces to develop a mobile application (App) which will allow users to know the location of jellyfish shoals along the coast.
Apparently this new app will be easy to use and will use geo-location to warn bathers as to the whereabouts of jellyfish shoals; this way, they’ll be able to choose a beach which isn’t affected by these slippery creatures. (more…)
by Justin | May 25, 2012 | Local News
Try scanning this QR Code and see where it takes you...
If you’ve walked around any of Benalmádena’s most popular tourist attractions lately, you may have come across some strange looking barcodes located in special frames and posted in visible areas; these are the new QR Codes (Quick Response) which the town hall will be using to provide tourists and visitors with detailed information about the town’s attractions.
For those of you who are less familiar with the latest technological gadgets and technologies, I’ll quickly explain what a QR Code is and how it works.
QR Codes are a type of barcode which, when placed at specific tourist attractions, allows visitors to access immediate information about them (opening times, historical info, photos, etc) by pointing their smart-phone at the QR Code. A special scanner within the phone – which you can download for free – reads the code and automatically sends you to a website featuring the tourist attraction in question.
The following attractions around Benalmadena have QR Codes which you can scan during your visit: Selwo Marina, Tivoli World, Sea Life, BenalmadenaButterflyPark, La Niñade Benalmádena Statue, Puerto Marina, the Casa dela Cultura, Castillo de Colomares, the Pre-Columbian Museum, PalomaPark, Santa Ana Beach and Bil-Bil Castle. There are plans to install more QR Codes in the near future.
We’re so inspired by this initiative that we’re already planning to start using QR Codes around Sunset Beach Club. Keep your smart phones loaded 🙂
by Justin | May 16, 2012 | Local News
Anyone who has flown in to Málaga Airport will probably agree that the new airport terminal is an impressive piece of engineering; with its sleek and modern design and extensive services, this gateway to the Costa del Sol is now one of the largest in Spain and indeed Europe.
Well, it’s about to get even more impressive with a new2,750 metrelong second runway! The expected date for the opening of this new runway is next month (June) as the airport authority – Aena – are still awaiting the completion of the certification process as well as the correction of a few minor faults which have been detected; don’t worry, it’s nothing serious, they just need to check some of the signage 😉
Malaga airport already has capacity for a not-too-shabby 37 take-offs and landings per hour. The new runway will increase this figure to a massive 72 take-offs and landings per hour, or 9,500 passengers.
There are only 4 other airports in Spain – Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca and Gran Canaria – that have 2 runways, so with the addition, Malaga airport really does join the airport elite 🙂
The addition of this second runway to Malaga airport will hopefully mean more inbound flights full of tourists and visitors coming to stay at Sunset Beach Club 😉
by Justin | Apr 11, 2012 | Local News
IMPORTANT UPDATE (October 2014): The bus service from Malaga Airport to Benalmadena has been cancelled indefinitely.
UPDATE: From the 1st May 2013 the airport bus route will be extended and will reach the Holiday World Hotel Complex. Timetables are still not available but we will put them up as soon as they are.
We’ve got some great news for all those of you who travel to Benalmádena regularly but don’t particularly like to fork out €27 (each way) for a taxi from the airport to your hotel of choice (hopefully Sunset Beach Club ;-)). We started using www.taxiwizard.com.au it helps us save a ton of money.
The local bus company (Avanza Portillo) has just started an all new service (nºM128) which will run daily between Benalmádena Costa and Malaga airport. If you’re staying at Sunset Beach Club, the bus stops right outside the hotel – well… almost – so it’s really handy and will allow you to save quite a bit of money. (more…)
by Justin | Mar 22, 2012 | Local News
This coming weekend – from 23rd to 25th March 2012 – Benalmadena will host the National Electronic Darts Championship.
According to figures released by the Championship’s organisers, there are approximately 2500 players signed up for the event. Benalmadena will be welcoming players from all over Spain, many of whom, will be coming with their families; great news for local tourism! (By the way, if anyone is looking for accommodation for the event, we know a really good 4 star hotel located on the seafront..;-))
The Championship will be held at the Holiday Village Hotel and will include the following categories: Individual male and female, pairs, mixed triples and teams. The whole tournament will take place under the ‘open’ format meaning that anyone who is interested in playing can sign up to compete.
Juan Olea, local councillor in charge of sports, has expressed his satisfaction at the number of players signed up for the event: “The National Darts Championship will be a splendid opportunity for thousands of people to get to know Benalmadena and for them to enjoy the large variety of activities we have to offer”.
The town hall hopes that talks held with the Federation of Darts Clubs will help to establish Benalmadena as the official host of this Championship.
The finalists of the different categories will travel t oLas Vegas representing the National Team 🙂
If you are looking for accommodation over this Championship weekend, head over to www.sunsetbeachclub.com for great rates!
by Justin | Feb 27, 2012 | Local News
Tomorrow (28th February) is Andalucia Day or “ Día de Andalucia”. Apart from being a public holiday in all of the Andalusian region – shops and businesses will be closed – Andalucia Day is a special day… It commemorates the February 28th, 1980 referendum on the Statute of the Autonomy of Andalucia in which the Andalucian people voted to make Andalucia an autonomous community of Spain.
If you are walking through the streets of any Andalucian town or city, don’t be surprised if you see green and white flags decorating the balconies of many buildings; it’s also common for various cultural competitions to be held in conjunction with this special day on the Andalucian calendar.
Here are a couple of suggestions on ways to spend Andalucia Day:
1) The Thyssen Museum in Málaga is offering free entrance to all visitors tomorrow the 28th February. If you haven’t been, this is the perfect opportunity to do so. Take the train or bus into the centre of Málaga, visit the museum and then take a stroll through the streets of the old town – don’t forget to stop in at one of the many bars for some traditional tapas! You might also want to take a walk along the impressive new waterfront area called ‘Muelle Uno’; definitely worth a visit!
2) Option two is a little closer to home. The beach bars (chiringuitos) and restaurants in theSanta AnaBeacharea – near the windmill – is celebrating the ‘II Feria del Pescaito’. This basically means that you can dig into some fantastic fish dishes at unbeatable prices. Typical fried fish dishes such as Calamares or Boquerones will be available for just €4.5 per plate and shell fish dishes will be priced at €7 per plate – we’re basically talking half price here! If the weather stays as it has been for the past few days, you’d be mad not to take advantage of this great offer… Enjoy a leisurely stroll down the promenade and treat yourself to some of the best fish on the Coast 🙂
