Archive for the ‘Malaga’ Category

The Malaga Fair kicks off today with fireworks and a concert at the Beach

Friday, August 13th, 2010

Tonight the locals and visitors to the Costa del Sol are starting engines for nine days of intense party with a fireworks show and a concert at the beach La Malagueta in Malaga city, which will begin at midnight and will last until the wee hours of the morning.

When the clock strikes 00:00, the magic and color of fireworks will take over the capital. More than seven tons of pyrotechnics are ready to get launched into the air tonight and illuminate the sky of Malaga.

The fireworks show is the result of careful planning and installation to achieve the synchronism between the pyrotechnic effects and musical pieces that comprise it, producing a real sense of beauty and synchrony able to create in the viewer a myriad of emotions.

For this end will be used 7226 kilos of gunpowder and pyrotechnic devices, which will create for 23 minutes more than 40.000 effects in the sky of Malaga. A spectacle not to be missed.

Everything changes in Malaga during these the nine days of Feria, since the party prevails over anything else.

The fair, which takes place from the 14th to the 21st of August, still has its two locations, the Day Fair in the city centre and the Night Fair on the fairgrounds.

Enjoyable summer evenings at Fuengirola Bioparc with dance and percussion full of rhythm and color

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

The vibrant rhythms of the African djembe or ‘talking drums’ of the Senegalese group Sicobana Africa are responsible for the unusual journey into the heart of the jungle that takes place every evening in July and August, except for Mondays, in Bioparc Fuengirola.

The sessions include spectacular African dance choreography and tribal percussion which show why the drums since ancient times are the soul of music making in the so-called forgotten continent.

This particular activity can be completed with a special dinner in the light of the candles for 35 Euros for adults and 15 Euros for children. Also during the summer, the exhibition opens its doors until midnight for Sumatran tigers, Malayan tapirs or pygmy hippos to surprise the visitors.

The popular Fuengirola Zoo, which last March changed its name to Bioparc Fuengirola, is presenting a new park model based on respect for nature and the preservation of their species.

The enclosure in which live more than 1,400 animals of 130 different species has an innovative architectural design called ‘zoo-immersion “, which introduces and immerses visitors in the habitat of each animal.

Young and old will spend an unforgettable day in the park because they can see many animals in a magical setting and know faraway places such as Madagascar, Equatorial Africa and Southeast Asia.

The tour through the Bioparc Fuengirola begins on the island of Madagascar, with a massive baobab tree 25 meters high, which has become the icon of the compound and one of the largest artificial trees in the world.

There are a variety of spaces with wetlands, forest floor, the valley of the gorillas and the mountain forest. There is as well a space set in Southeast Asia where are living tigers, orangutans of Borneo, cockatoos, squirrels … This area also has an excellent reproduction of a mangrove swamp that has earned the award for best European site.

The main objective of Bioparc Fuengirola is the conservation of the environment and animals through the reproduction of the species. Some of the most important births occurred in the park have been of emblematic species like the Sumatran tiger, included in the Red List of Threatened Species with the highest category of “critically threatened”. Currently, only 250 animals are free in their natural habitat.

Upcoming sports events in Malaga

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

Serena Williams in MalagaSeen its success last year, the Andalusian Tourist Board has decided to re-advertise in this issue of Fitur the major sporting events as part of tourism promotion. Golf, tennis, sailing, motorcycling, cycling, triathlon and horse races will be the protagonists of the major international events taking place in the region.

Thus, Andalusia will be the scene of some major international sporting events, through the efforts of the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Sports, combining sport and tourism. Hence, tourists will be attracted to the community while promoting the sport the same time.
One of the top events will be the Andalucía Golf Open to be held from March 26th to 29th in Malaga. This will be the first test of the calendar of the PGA European Tour staged on the continent and which will distribute one million Euros in prizes. This sport will play a special role among the top level competitions which the region will host this year.

The next October will be held the first edition of the Valderrama Masters, an appointment which will conclude the PGA calendar, which means that Andalusia is both the starting point and the closure of the European Tour.

Further information is available at this article about sports in Malaga.

Andalusia, aroma of incense and orange blossom

Monday, March 15th, 2010

Each Easter, the Andalusian streets make vibrate the senses and the beaches, parks and heritage cities are getting ready to receive their visitors. Breathe in the subtle aroma that permeates the city of Malaga, a mixture of incense and orange blossoms and experience the deep routed tradition of andalusian Easter processions.

With the arrival of spring Andalusia transforms and the Andalusians get out into the streets to celebrate the “Passion” in the midst of popular fervor. Religious images of great artistic wealth are carried through the streets amid the warm light of candles during the easter processions.

The traditional, multitudinous “Madrugá” in Seville is a unique experience; live the passion with “El Cautivo” in Malaga; go after the passing of “Christ of the Gypsies” in the hills of Sacromonte in Granada; witness the solemnity of the Good Friday with “Santo Encierro” in Huelva; witness the departure of “El Abuelo” from the cathedral of Jaen; feel the passion and commitment of brotherhood and fraternity in Cadiz; walk the streets of Cordoba among the silence and the song of a “Saeta” or witness meetings of the brotherhoods of Almeria.

The traveler who chooses to stay in Andalusia during the Holy Week has a host of proposals to enjoy a memorable vacation. The plurality and complementarity of tourism offers, climate, communications and hotel infrastructure and the hospitality of the people have converted Andalusia into one of the preferred tourist destinations in Europe.

Andalusia, with more than 800 kilometers of coastline, reveals beaches which are amazing for their variety of landscapes; from the wide sandy beaches of the provinces of Cadiz and Huelva, to the cliffs and hidden bays between the coast of Granada, Costa del Sol or Almeria.
Moreover, the diversity, size and the environmental wealth of the Andalusian territory are impressive. In Andalusia are situated the highest peaks of the Iberian Peninsula in Sierra Nevada; extensive wetlands and the marshes of the Guadalquivir; the dense forests of the Natural Park Sierra de Cazorla, Segura y las Villas or the volcanic deserts and uninhabited stretches of coast, like the Natural Park of Cabo de Gata in Almeria.

The cultural wealth of Andalusia will transport you to the earliest ages, with an important archaeological heritage of different cultures and civilizations which settled in this beautiful and rich land of southern Spain.
The Alhambra in Granada, the Mosque of Cordoba and the Giralda in Seville are monumental milestones of mankind, a vast artistic legacy inherited from an ancient history. Do not miss the opportunity to enjoy either the cities of Ubeda and Baeza in Jaen, both World Heritage Sites, or towns like Arcos de la Frontera in Cadiz, Ronda in Malaga and Moguer in Huelva.

And if your passion is golf, Andalusia is the best Spanish region to practice this sport. The excellent climate allows you to play golf during all months of the year. The fields are located in privileged areas, with landscapes of great beauty or nearby tropical beaches.

The triumph of accesible Luxury

Friday, February 26th, 2010

The Chef Dani Gracía has opened his most personal challenge in midst Puerto Banús: Lamoraga Ibérica pretends to be the perfect place to enjoy quality gastronomy at reasonable prices for everybody.

A place to meet “for my parents, my friends, for my people, normal people”. That way defines the Chef Dani García, Star Michelin thanks to the prestigious Restaurant Calima in Marbella, what for him is going to be his latest challenge: Lamoraga Ibérica in the centre of Puerto Banús. A restaurant with Japanese esthetic and spirit where you can enjoy typical mediterranean and andalusian flavors. Without doubt, for the most known Chef of the Costa del Sol , it was both a challenge and an aim to “open a Restaurant where people can enjoy a high quality cuisine for an accessible price”. Lamoraga represents the high cuisine at low cost.
The best of all is the concept: “It’s a Tapas Bar like others; clients arrive, order a beer and their Tapa of Ensaladilla rusa or whatsoever they wish, they pay and leave”, says García. The subtle difference to other Tapas Bars is that the arrangement of the Restaurant is such that the client can watch the cooks at work (the walls are of glass) meanwhile they sit at a spectacular bar like in a Japanese restaurant, but with Iberic touch (the wood is from Oak).
And the prices are accessible. There are Tapas from 3 or 4 Euros onwards and with 25 Euros each person you can eat very well.
From where comes this mixture Japo-Andaluz? “In Japan there is a lot of seafood like in Andalucía, although they prepare it in a completely different way. And we would like to innovate in the mixture”, explains Dani Garía.
The restaurant has space for 50 personas and several more on the terrace.