Post Date: February 8, 2019
In common with other lively, outgoing cultures, the Spanish love to socialise and above all they do it around the table. In the old days, families would count on their mums to bear the brunt of the cooking, organising and serving, followed by the task of engaging stacked up towers of washing up, but in modern times it is more convenient to dine out...
Post Date: January 21, 2019
Horse riding is not the first thing that comes to mind when you picture this region, but it could be, for equestrian pursuits are certainly well represented on the Costa del Sol. In fact, from Sotogrande in the west to Mijas – and well beyond – in the east, horse lovers come across a very wide range of options. These include stables, lessons, guided...
Post Date: January 4, 2019
A few years ago, we spoke of the recovery in the Marbella property market, then of the confirmation of having entered a new growth cycle, and since then we have come to qualify the present period as one of sustainable growth in which the economic forces represented by buyer and seller are reasonably well matched. Unlike a recession, where the (cash)...
Post Date: December 18, 2018
British nationals living as expatriates in Spain have so far enjoyed superb healthcare cover here because the UK is a member of the European Union. Foreigners who make their national insurance payments are eligible to use the firstclass Spanish healthcare service, not only for emergencies but for long-term medical treatment too.
British citizens can...
Post Date: December 7, 2018
It was good news for Dani Garcia, one of the leading stars of the Marbella culinary scene, as he recently received his third Michelin star – just about the highest accolade in the restaurant business. The Ronda-born chef now has several excellent eateries in the area, but it is for his signature Dani Garcia restaurant within the Puente Romano resort...
Post Date: November 29, 2018
Christmas is a time that lights up the life of even the most curmudgeonly of people; with its magical decorations and jolly festive spirit, this time of year will usually sway even the worst Scrooges amongst us. Christmas lights have always been an integral part of the feeling that people experience during this holiday time and spectators watch in wonder...
Post Date: November 8, 2018
Apart from a few sporadic days of rain, the weather on the Costa del Sol during winter doesn’t normally require residents to don thermal under clothes and turn the heating up high. The unique microclimate that exists in this part of Andalucía ensures that a great deal of November, December and January here can still be spent outside and under blue...
Post Date: October 24, 2018
Last week the Mayor of Marbella, Ángeles Muñoz, alongside Félix Romero, the Councillor for Transport, made an exciting and important announcement that benefits all of those in the Marbella municipality who are registered on the Padrón. Starting in 2019, everyone who is ‘empadronado’ – in other words registered – will be able to enjoy...
Post Date: October 19, 2018
The Andalucía Masters Tournament is set to offer a weekend of world-class golf, so if you’re an aficionado, be sure to make your way to this fabulous course in Sotogrande on 17-21 October 2019.
Part of the European Tour, the Andalucía Masters tournament was first played at Sotogrande’s prestigious Valderrama Golf Club in 2010. Sergio García,...
Post Date: October 16, 2018
The too-hot days of summer have retreated and made way for the balmy, less testing temperatures that characterise autumn in the Marbella. It also means the start of the golf season and with over 70 courses to choose from on the Costa del Sol, players of the noble sport are truly spoilt.
Furthermore, not only are many of the courses on the coast designed...
Post Date: October 4, 2018
Marbella locals will often contend that autumn is the very best time to be living, working or on holiday in this part of Spain. As the heat of summer resides along with the memories of busy traffic in July and August, daily life continues here under sunny blue skies with all the great sport and social activities still in full swing.
Autumnal Marbella...
Post Date: September 28, 2018
Healthcare is at the top of many people’s agendas when making the big move to Spain. So don’t forget to get your medical care sorted from the start; that way, you can enjoy all the fun, safe in the knowledge that should something happen, help is at hand.
State hospitals and health centres in Marbella
High quality state health care is available...
Post Date: September 24, 2018
In fact, you don’t even have to play the sport itself to qualify, for many people who choose to buy a first line golf property in Marbella they simply want to live within a beautifully green setting with views across the lush fairways. If this is you, we’ve identified the top residential Marbella golf property zones to choose from.
Nueva Andalucía
Also...
Post Date: September 18, 2018
Marbella is by no means off the professional sporting calendar. If you love to watch top-level tennis, you’ll be glad to know that seven world-class tennis champions will compete on your doorstep this year at the Senior Masters Cup in Marbella.
The tournament returns to our town for the third year running on 28 and 29 September 2018, making this the...
Post Date: September 10, 2018
Planning on moving the family to the Costa de Sol but wondering where your children will go to school? No doubt you will want to be near schools so that you don’t spend hours each week ferrying your little ones to and fro.
If you’re not too sure where to base yourself, here are four top family-orientated neighbourhoods in Marbella with great international...
Post Date: August 22, 2018
We tend to think of the Costa del Sol as a single market, and as an area distinct in nature to its Andalusian surroundings and much of the rest of Spain, but within this region there are sub-areas each with their own price levels, customer base, trends and characteristics. Here we review the state of the property market in the main sections of the Costa...
Post Date: August 20, 2018
In many ways El Campanario was ahead of its time, offering a quality urbanisation of luxury apartments and private villas in subtropical gardens and complete with its own clubhouse, concierge, bar/restaurant, pool, gym, spa, tennis/paddle club and even a nine-hole golf course right on your doorstep.
Not only that, but the development finds itself in...
Post Date: August 13, 2018
There are many faces to modern Marbella. The town’s seaside paseo marítimo coastal pathway accompanies several different neighbourhoods of diverse character along its length, as well as the charming flower-bedecked Old Town that lies on the other side of the coastal road bisecting the centre. Puerto Banús, connected by the famed Golden Mile, welcomes...
Post Date: August 8, 2018
It’s easy to see why La Quinta is one of the most sought after urbanisations in Marbella. For one thing, it is set amid the beautiful hills stretching to La Concha, Marbella’s famous mountain peak, while offering epic views across the Mediterranean Sea.
Then there’s the golf: La Quinta was born in the late 1980s, when Tomas Pascual bought the...
Post Date: August 8, 2018
As building land becomes increasingly scarce in Marbella, investors, developers and buyers have begun to look elsewhere. As a result, Estepona and Benahavis have become the main focus for modern properties in the greater Marbella area, with Estepona particularly popular for its excellent seaside locations.
The Estepona town hall, led by mayor José...
Post Date: July 20, 2018
Within living memory, Marbella was little more than a small fishing town, known only to locals and a few lucky intrepid travellers. That all changed when Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe-Langenburg, charmed by its beauty and agreeable micro-climate, built his home by the golden sands, later to transform it into the Marbella Club Hotel. Glamorous stars and...
Post Date: July 16, 2018
At approximately five kilometres long, the Golden Mile may be numerically misnamed, but in terms of the property to be found along this renowned strip of land, ‘Golden’ is most certainly not a misnomer. The straight avenue that leads from the Río Verde on the eastern edge of Puerto Banús to the outskirts of Marbella town at the Plaza Bocanegra,...
Post Date: July 6, 2018
While most people know Marbella not everyone will be familiar with Cancelada, the charming village surrounded by nature in a setting between mountains and the sea. Better known are the lively towns of San Pedro Alcántara and the pretty mountain village of Benahavis, but Cancelada – located roughly midway between San Pedro and Estepona, offers many...
Post Date: June 22, 2018
If you haven’t visited Estepona recently, you are in for quite a surprise on your next trip. Always a favourite with both expats and locals, this once-sleepy resort town has experienced quite an awakening in recent years. A new mayor has injected vitality into the traditional Spanish community that is now welcoming a wave of interest and investment,...
Post Date: June 18, 2018
When you live in Marbella, the expression “life’s a beach” has a very real meaning. The coastline is fringed by beaches, from the extraordinary sands of Cabopino and the Artola dunes to the restaurant-lined shores of San Pedro Alcántara. Every beach has its own faithful devotees, who return year in, year out, drawn by particular attractions,...
