Benalmadena Celebrates the Virgen de la Cruz 2012 Fair

Feria Virgen de la Cruz - Benalmadena

Poster for the Virgen de la Cruz Fair

There are just a few days to go until the official opening of one of the most important festivities in Benalmadena’s calendar: The Fair in honour of the ‘Virgen de la Cruz’.

The town hall has prepared a full programme of events for all tastes and ages, including religious acts, fun activities and sports events. Although the official start date for the fair is the 14th August, the festivities start this Friday the 10th August with the ‘Verbena de Santo Domingo’ (A street fair) and the election of the queen’s of the fair in the Auditorium.

On Sunday the 12th August the traditional ‘Romería’ (A procession involving horses, carts and beautifully dressed locals) takes place from 10:30 am in the ‘Plaza de España’. The whole procession will make its way down to the Finca Casablanca Rustic Park where the town hall will prepare a large – and free – paella for all participants and spectators to enjoy. (more…)

Dive Centre at Sunset Beach Club gets 5 star Dive Resort Rating from PADI

5 star PADI dive centre in BenalmadenaScubaTours, the dive centre located within the Sunset Beach Club facilities has recently been awarded the 5 star Dive Resort rating from PADI. This fantastic onsite facility was already a registered PADI dive centre but the new distinction serves as recognition of the courses which have been taught over recent years.

Our dive centre has certified many divers in the popular Open Water Dive and Advanced Diver qualifications; however, it has also taught many specialty courses such as photography, wreck diving (in nearby Gibraltar), search and recovery, underwater navigation and many more. This is fantastic news for Sunset Beach Club and Scuba Tours as guests who stay with us and want to take a scuba diving course can feel confident that they are receiving instruction from a registered and recommended official PADI dive centre (we’re actually listed on the PADI website :-)).

But the good news does not stop there. On the 1st November 2012 Scuba Tours will receive the rating of PADI 5 star IDC Resort. This is in recognition of the facilities they can offer to run an IDC (Instructor Development Course). This is fantastic as this will be the only IDC centre in the area that offers full instructor training facilities on site: Accommodation, conference rooms, swimming pool, storage and an open water dive site just metres away.

Please click on this link for more information about diving courses at Sunset Beach Club .

Cool Technique for Packing Luggage [Infographic]

I came across a really clever technique for packing luggage on www.visual.ly  (Infographics site) the other day. Luckily it had an embed link so I thought I’d add it below as it could come in handy for all of us who struggle when packing bags and luggage for a holiday or business trip.
Although the infographic is pretty self explanatory, I’ll include the main tips below. The example in the infographic is for a woman packing for a 10 day trip but I’m sure the concept can still be applied to guys 😉 (more…)

8 Great Reasons to Visit this Year’s Malaga Fair

Malaga Fair 2012There’s just over a week to go until the start of the Costa del Sol’s most popular event of the year: The Málaga Fair (2012).

This year there will be lots of new surprises, extended hours (to 7pm) and the introduction of new areas and spaces such as the impressive Muelle Uno which has received lots of great publicity this year.

There’s lots to do during the Malaga Fair and to detail all here would be practically impossible. Instead, we’ve highlighted 8 of the most interesting events and activities you might like to see during these crazy festivities. Here goes… (more…)

The Sohail Castle Hosts the 5th International Beer Festival

Tomorrow (1st August 2012) sees the start of the 5th edition of Fuengirola’s popular International Beer Festival which will once again be held at the spectacular Sohail Castle.

Following the success of last years Festival which managed to attract more than 100.000 visitors, this year’s edition promises to be even more successful. Not only has the length of the Festival been extended from 10 to 15 days; visitors will also be able to enjoy a fantastic selection of 20 different beers from countries such as Belgium, Ireland, Great Britain,Australia and France!

The stars of the Festival are the great Bavarian beers which will be served in traditional 1 litre jars. To combat hunger, nothing better than some tasty German sausages and other typical dishes which will also be available. As mentioned earlier, if you’re not too keen on German beers, you’ll have a choice of over 20 other beers from all over the world 🙂

Another of the main attractions this year will be the large chillout terrace  which will be set up on the clearing just outside the spectacular medieval fortress. Here you’ll be able to try delicious cocktails or tropical fruit juices and sample delicious dishes from countries such as India, Australia and Argentina!

Although the International Beer Festival has an obvious protagonist, it really is a true family event. Every day there will be live music, dj’s, gogos, children´s entertainment with clowns and a bouncing castle, all in a truly spectacular settling with breathtaking views over Fuengirola and the Coast.

Entrance to the Festival is free and the opening times are as follows:

From the 1st to the 15th August 2012

Monday to Friday: 7pm to 2am

Saturday and Sunday: 12pm to 2am

 

 

Places to See and Things to Do on the Costa del Sol [Video]

The Costa del Sol is known for its great beaches and lively night spots; however, there are also plenty of other great attractions and things to do during your holiday.

We are so keen to let our guests know about all the wonderful things our destination has to offer that we decided to make a video to highlight some of our favourites. Most of the featured locations and attractions are in Benalmadena as that is where our hotel is based; however, we have also included favourites in nearby Fuengirola and Málaga.

We hope this video will give you a clearer picture of some of the places you can visit during your next holiday in Benalmadena and the Costa del Sol.

Here are some of the tourist attractions and locations featured in the video:

  • Puerto Marina in Benalmadena
  • Paloma Park in Benalmadena
  • Selwo Marina Dolphinarium
  • Biopark Zoo in Fuengirola
  • Butterfly Park in Benalmadena
  • Sealife
  • Tivoli World
  • Miramar Shopping Centre in Mijas Costa
  • Plaza Mayor Shopping Centre
  • Málaga City Centre (Cathedral, Museums and Muelle Uno)
  • Botanical Gardens in Málaga

Enjoy the video! Feel free to share with friends and family and let us know what you think in the comments below 🙂

A Summer Night’s Dream at Selwo Marina Dolphinarium

Selwo Marina Nights

Music under the stars...

The warm summer evenings on the Costa del Sol become a little more bearable with the fantastic evening exhibition which our friends at Selwo Marina have prepared for this summer.

As from last Saturday 16th July – and until the 31st August – visitors to this magical park will be able to enjoy a spectacular dolphin exhibition accompanied by a selection of classic and contemporary melodies. A violin and saxophone duet will play tunes that’ll have the spectators and the stars of the show – Zeus, Tonet, Rumbo, Astro, Romeo and Bravo (Selwo’s dolphin family) dancing under the stars!

The music and dolphin acrobatics will be accompanied by a specially designed show of light and colour which will fill the night sky.

The show starts at 10:30pm every evening and is priced at €20 per adult and €15 per child (aged 3 to 9 years); however, we recommend you take advantage of the great special offer available which allows you to enjoy access to the dolphin show and a meal at one of the parks fast food outlets for just €2 more per person; that’s a total of €22 for adults and €17 for children. 🙂

If you’d like more information, please ask at the Sunset Beach Club leisure desk located on the 6th floor of the hotel.

12 Important Safety and Health Tips for a More Enjoyable Holiday

Holiday tips and advice

Summer season is in full swing as the Costa del Sol welcomes visitors from all over the world. Every year, we put together a small list of holiday tips and advice which we hand over to all guests staying at Sunset Beach Club.

Sometimes, when you arrive on holiday, the excitement of getting out to the beach or pool often makes you forget some important – and often simple – safety and health recommendations; that’s why we put this little list together, not to alarm you, but to help ensure that you have a wonderful and incident free holiday 🙂 (more…)

Mijas Racecourse Hosts Beer Festival

Fiesta de la cerceza Mijas

From today (12th July) and until the 29th July, the Mijas Racecourse will host its very own version of the Oktoberfest.

You’ll be able to enjoy traditional blonde and wheat beers imported specially from Germany, all served in half litre a one litre jars as well as some delicious typically german dishes. Live shows and music will complete a full entertainment programme which you won’t want to miss.

The organisers have gone to great lengths to ensure the Racecourse resembles a true Bavarian Beer Fest, I guess we’ll have to take a drive up and see if they’ve done a good job 😉

The Beer Festival will be open to the public every day from 7pm to 3am. Entrance is free with the exception of the 14th, 21st and 28th July as there are evening horse races programmed on these dates. If you’d like to go along on race days, the price is €5 for adults; children and pensioners can watch the races for free.

The Mijas Racecourse is located approximately 25 minutes drive from Sunset Beach Club. Just take the coast road to Fuengirola and continue on the A7 road towardsMarbella. When you reach the Bil-Bil castle on the western side of Fuengirola, turn right and follow the signs for the ‘Hipodromo Mijas/Costa del Sol’.

 

6 Recycling & Eco-Friendly Initiatives at Sunset Beach Club

recycling

Battery Box and Paper Recycling Machine

A few months ago we wrote a blog post about how we’re working hard to reduce energy and water consumption at Sunset Beach Club; well today we’re going to let you know about a few of the recycling initiatives we are undertaking in our quest to become an environmentally friendly hotel.

Here are 6 of the recycling initiatives we are busy implementing at the moment:

1)      Battery Disposal: We go through a lot of batteries at Sunset Beach Club… just think about all those remote controls for the TV’s and air-conditioning units in each and every room! Our recycling centre perth aims to reduce the number of batteries which are disposed of as municipal solid waste thereby reducing the risks of solid contamination and water pollution. We’ve even got a box at reception where guests can deposit any old batteries they wish to get rid of 🙂 (more…)