Innovative commercial and leisure offers in the new terminal T3 in Malaga

February 11th, 2010

6.000 square metres of bars, cafes and restaurants and 2.800 square metres of shops: Malaga Airport will become, after its enlargement, a shopping center of first order, with an irresistible attraction for any brand that boasts: over ten million visitors a year can become twenty. The lucky ones have already been selected.
Some of the brands that will land at the Airport Pablo Ruiz Picasso in Malaga are
unprecedented in Spain, as Caviar House & Prunier, a restaurant focused on more sybaritic tastes, or Whopper Bar, an innovative concept of burger that Burger King recently launched and of which there are only two stores in the world today: one in Florida and one in Munich. The American coffee chain Starbucks has also chosen the airport grounds to make her debut in the province.
In the commercial arena highlights the incorporation of a National Geographic store, which will be the first one in the world of this brand located at an airport. Moreover, the new terminal in Malaga will feature Ferrari after repeating its success in Barcelona. Adidas, Adolfo Dominguez, Cottet and Swarovski, among other firms, will be their neighbors.
Special mention deserves the Moraga Airport, a restaurant of local top chef Dani Garcia, awarded with a Michelin star.
5.880 square metres of the new terminal will be dedicated to bars and restaurants such as Soho Coffee, Caviar House, Caffee Ritazza, Pizza Hut, Burger King, O’Leary’s, Starbucks, La Moraga Airport, Whopper Bar, Vips, Upper Crust, Gambrinus, Dehesa Santa María, Café y Té, La Lechera, Guinness, Dehesa Santa María and Gambrinus.

Within a few months will be operational the new passenger terminal T3 in the airport Malaga.

February 5th, 2010

Within a few months will be operational the new passenger terminal T3 in the airport Malaga.
This massive building, designed by architect Bruce S. Fairbanks and covered by 117 pyramidal domes which are visible from outside the airport, is already being put to the test with 4.000 bags brought from Barcelona, where the served for testing the billing system in T1, and 3.000 extras who are playing the part of passengers arriving and leaving, in order to verify that everything works as it should.
It will be checked upon the clear signs to guide the travelers, if the security measures are sufficiently flexible or bags come in a timely fashion to the passenger. The idea is that this new terminal should be operational before the start of next Easter, beginning on March 28.

This terminal has 250.000 square meters and is divided into three parts: the processor building, the boarding area and transport exchanging area.
The processor building contains the check-in lobby of nearly 20.000 square metres. There will be 86 check-in counters; a large area of centralized security gives way to a shopping plaza in which passengers will walk before reaching the docks of embarkation. At about 18,000 square meters will be distributed 24 stores of leading brands and 21 restaurants and bars.

In this area will be present such prestigious brands as National Geographic, which will open its first store in an airport in the world, while Ferrari will have its second store in a national airfield. As for restoration, there will be options for every taste, from fast food from Burger King or Pizza Hut to La Moraga Airport, the new creation of Dani Garcia, awarded with the Michelin star, blending traditional cooking with the chef’s innovations.
From the T3 passengers can connect with the suburban railway station or bus station. Also under construction are two new exclusive access roads to the airport: one for the north, which will come from the new ring road west and another to the south, from the Mediterranean motorway N-340.
One year later, in late 2011, will start operating the second track, now under construction, which will have a peak performance of 74 flight operations per hour.

With all these enhancements, and after an investment of 1,400 million Euros, which will expand the airport surface of 135.000 square meters to 385.000, the airport will have capacity to serve 30 million passengers a year. However, as a consequence of the crisis, this facility has closed 2009 with only 11.6 million passengers, 9.3% less than in 2008, when it also experienced declines.
Despite these declines, some headlines point to optimism: Ryanair has already announced that, concurrent with the launch of the T3, the company will launch 19 new routes from Malaga.

Water in Andalucia

January 7th, 2010

Although the descent of the temperature differs a lot in comparison to other parts of Andalusia and the Spanish Peninsula, the coming weekend locals and visitors in Málaga will have to endure a sudden temperature drop between 6 and 8 degrees with chilly northern winds and minimum temperatures around 3ºC. The State Metrological Agency has activated today yellow alert (risk) for the whole province.
The rainstorm hitting Andalusia since last night provoked flooding in basements, streets and garages in Malaga city and neighboring villages and the closure of 23 community roads, the temporary interruption of the railway line between Sevilla and Huelva and the closure of the ski resort of Sierra Nevada due to wind gusts of over 120 miles per hour.
The airports belong as well to the weak points in the infrastructure where happened already setbacks, especially in Madrid Barajas, after the last snowfall. Currently, Madrid Barajas doesn´t record any incidents and all four runways are open. Nevertheless, strong snowfalls and temperatures below cero are expected for the next days, thus weather conditions can lead to delays.
As a positive aspect we can mention that the strong precipitations in Andalusia have left in several points more than 700 liters per square meter, which has allowed a spectacular advance of stocks in reservoirs.
The water stored in the reservoirs in the Mediterranean Basin composed of the provinces of Málaga, Almería, Granada and Cádiz guarantee the supply during 2010 and part of 2011.

Spanish Hotels belong to the cheapest in Europe

September 8th, 2009

During the month of September the accommodation in Spain is averagely about 95 € a night. The Spanish Hotels can be found in this month in between the cheapest in Europe, after their prices have dropped 6.8%, passing from 102 € the night in August to 95 € the night in September.
According to the Hotel Price Index realized by the Travel Agency Trivago, the prices for Hotel rooms in Spain are below similar ones in Portugal (102 €), Turkey (106 €) or Greece (112).

Nevertheless, the cheapest countries are Bulgaria with an average of 74 € the night and Poland with 76 €, as opposed to Norway and Switzerland with 160 € and 159 €, respectively, which are the most expensive countries in Europe.
At national Level, San Sebastian is Spain’s most expensive city, with an average of 139 € the night, followed by Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca, with 122 € the night each.

The Airline Air France is considering the option of suppressing the business class in the European flights of short and medium distance in order to give an impulse to more economic tickets. The objective is confronting the lower passenger numbers due to the crisis and the competition of high speed trains and low cost companies.
According to the French newspaper Le Figaro, the airline will decide in October if it will eliminate the business class, what would be effective from 2010.

Paradises along the Costa del Sol

September 4th, 2009

Sun and beaches are the great offers of Málaga, with 161 km of coastline, where you can find irresistible beaches; from the most bustling ones to the quietest ones. Here we offer you the ten most attractive maritime spots that you should visit during your vacations.
The Costa the Sol is a mayor destination every summer due to its warm climate, tranquil and transparent waters and its richness in landscapes, where we can find numerous beaches between the mountains and the sea.
In the occidental part, with 1.700 meters length we find the Playa de Sabinillas in Manilva with a good number of services and leisure activities. This one is in contrast with the Playa de Artola in Cabo Pino (Marbella) surrounded by vegetation and situated in a protected area denominated Dunas de Artola. It’s golden Sand and moderate waves characterize this nudist beach. Estepona as has well a couple of inspiring beaches, especially the Bahia Dorada, a 700 meters long beach with, chiringuitos, bars and a camping.
A total of 4.400 meters of dark sand and cobbles, tranquil waters and close by vegetation we find at the Playa de Calahonda in Mijas. From early morning until night we find people going for walks along its shore, as it communicates without interruptions with Cala de Mijas.
Another emblematic coastal landscape of Málaga is the Peñón del Cuervo. The golden sand of La Araña extends for 400 meters alongside a semi urban nucleus.
In the more occidental part of Málaga are outstanding the cliffs of Maro. Its more isolated situation gives this place a special charm due to its tranquil ambience. At this beach we have to access walking. Further we find the Playa de Almayate with nearly 3 km of coastline in a natural environment. This is a less frequented beach, very adequate for relaxing and enjoying some spectacular sunsets away from the bustle and contamination of the city.
Nerja is another coastal destination to where we can escape. Here we find a more familiar ambience in a picturesque environment with a great offer of services like sunshades, telephone, nautical hire, parking spaces, chiringuitos, bars and close by Restaurants. Nerja offers as well cultural alternatives as for instance visits to the emblematic caves.

Closeby the village of Chaquete we find the Playa de Algarrobo, with a high occupancy and close to an urbanized area with tall buildings; ideal for practicing nautical sports due to its moderate waves and its length of nearly one kilometre.
Close by as well we find the Playa de Wilches in Torrox. This one is another of the calm beaches where we can enjoy a spot with little occupancy.