Top tip if you want to enlarge the web page click on View in your windows box (top left) and select zoom. Every time you come back to that website it is the larger easier to read size! Check out the Seaside Gazette on line fornews in the Costa Tropical including Almunecar, La Herradura and Salobrena or pick up a copy when your in town, all advertisers have copies so check in the on line directory for your nearest copy
1st January 2012
Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous New Year.
25th November 2011
Almuñécar Cultural Agenda for December, there is something going on every day from the 1st of December until the 29th. The events include the lighting of the Christmas Tree, Carol singing, Several Plays, Jass Boilling Quintet, Fiestas, Traditional Christmas concert and lots more. Enjoy!
20th November 2011
Christmas Market in La Herradura starting today, and for the next four Sundays. This market will be held in the beautiful garden of El Tinao. Bring your family and friends enjoy hot wine and all kind of snacks. There are lots of gifts to buy making Christmas shopping easy and enjoyable.
3rd October 2011The 14km Almunecar road race was a great success yesterday with nearly 1000 runners and 1000s being raised for charity. The Westby family all completed within 1 hour 25 minutes. As a family Nicola, Lottie and Alex raised €450 for the AECC cancer charity in Almunecar. Alex and Lottie were the 2 youngest runners!! 45 runners ran for the cancer charity with most just doing a 5km fun run. Thank you to all the Wisemovetospain friends who sponsored my family.
2nd October 2011 Spanish authorities, however, hope that a recent boom in tourism levels may eventually translate into greater demand for holiday homes in Spain, which have fallen in value by up to 70% across some parts of the country in the past four years.The number of international tourists in Spain rose to a record high of 7.6m in August, up 9.4% year-on-year, according to a survey by FRONUR, which monitors tourist activity. In the most recent 12-month period more than 40m tourists have gone to Spain, up 7.8% compared to the previous 12 months, making the country the fourth most-visited country in the world.The survey found that 23% of all Spain’s visitors during the first 7 months of 2011 were British with Germany contributing 18% of all tourists. France, the Scandinavian countries and the USA were all major contributors.
25th September The Supreme Court has declared Almunecar conversion of residential or green sites into hotels as illegal. There are 18 such cases where they have used a chain of administrative loopholes to change the classification of land. Two such cases ruled on was the Bahia hotel in Almunecar and the Cotobro hotel in Cotobro. Where this will go from here no one knows as these hotels are now built, up and running.
24th September Our roving reporter Lottie Westby went to investigate the change in agriculture here on the Costa Tropical. It appears that the Chrimoya (custard apple) for which the area is famous is becoming unviable. This is because the insect which pollinates the fruit trees is in drastic decline. The Costa Tropical farmers are having to pollinate BY HAND !! This is not cost effective. These mature orchards and trees are being replaced by the more profitable Mango's.
20th September 2011 Thanks for the sponsorships...it will make a difference to those who need it most here on the Costa Tropical.
19th September 2011 An earthquake or tremor hit the Albino's area of the Costa Tropical but it was only a 3.4 and the epicentre was out to sea so there were no major injuries or damage.
19th September 2011 Two people dead in a helicopter crash La Fuente de la Gitana in Granada. Other people were injured. At least two people are dead following a helicopter crash, this morning, in the area known as La Fuente de la Gitana, which is in the Granada province between Tocón de Quéntar and La Peza. It also appears there are several people injured
My wife Nicola and my 2 children Lottie (14) and Alex (12) will be running the Almunecar Charity Road Race on the 2nd October. The race starts at 10 o'clock and they will run 14km, so between them it will be a marathon. They have never ran before and they have had to train in June July and August to get up to that distance. They need your help in raising money for Almunecar Cancer Association so please donate as much or as little as you can. They will do the hard work if you can sponsor them. You can donate by emailing me your name and amount or texting your name and amount to Nicola on 666 938 956. Every bit helps.
12th Sept 2011 News from the government of Spain and their FOMENTO office is that sales increased approx 20% in the second quarter compared to the first quarter. One third of all sales were new houses (down from 50%). Most interestingly nearly a quarter (22.9%) of all buyers were foreigners. Figures stating sales down 40% on last year are not a fair reflection as sales were forced through last year for reasons of changing VAT rates. Locally agents are reporting far better news on the Costa Tropical than compared to last year.
10th September 2011 Meetings are taking place with the new mayor of Almunecar regarding the infrastructure project at Pena Parda in La Herradura. There are pot holes there bigger than my swimming pool! A new project has been designed but the town hall want more work and to contribute nothing, mmmmm, lets see what Trinidad can do.
9th September 2011 The Almunecar town hall have requested a new medical centre in La Herradura as the old one is in need of some considerable up dating.
7th September 2011 Hotel occupancy rates are always big news on the Costa Tropical as it is the biggest industry in the area alongside agriculture. Average rates for the Costa Tropical are down from 2009s 85% and last years 80% to a disappointing 75%. This appears to be in line with other coastlines in Spain but is still bad news. However good news is that Almunecar, La Herradura and Motril broke the trend with figures up 8% on last year although they still only pulled in 70% for July and between 78 and 82% for August, according to Jose Andres Fernandez of the Hotel Association.
5th September 2011 This is a great news story for the Costa Tropical and illustrates the improving attraction to tourists the area has become. The most luxurious cruise liner in the world has been in Motril this week. The ship called "The World" stayed at Motril for a couple of nights whilst its passengers visited the area and of course the Alhambra. They could have chosen to access the area from Malaga but wanted to visit the Costa Tropical instead. The ship has 150 cabins which are the permanent homes of some 150 millionaires who elect the ship as their main residence as the ship has no final destination and continual sales around the world. Therefore technically it is a floating tax haven The ship has all the facilities on board, cinema, doctors,library, restaurants, sports, gymnasium etc. There is one crew to each passenger. The rooms are 3 bed apartments between 100m2 and 400m2...hardly a cabin. The apartments cost between €1m to €6m each plus the cost of your voyage and maintenance of the ship. Some cabins are available to rent at between €1000 to €4000 per night! It is interesting news on the Costa Tropical when we are starting to attract this type of client.
3rd September 2011 A little bit of good news, the new municipal administration has deactivated the Paseo de Andres Segovia blue zones. They have been in operation seven days a week, from 11am to 11pm up to the end of September; this new move goes a little way to building up some good will. The blue zones have caused a lot of adverse publicity. Therefore in simple terms the blue zone in the beach areas has finished in La Herradura but still is in operation in Almunecar until end of September. Blue zone still in operation in commercial areas of Almunecar.
31st July 2011 The first drug trafficar to be arrested on the new ferry service between Motril and the Spanish city of Melilla off the coast of Morocco. The new service opened with the last 2 weeks and will be a great boost to the area. Ferry services to Morocco will be considered after the first 6 months of operation. This will be good news for Costa Tropical tourism.
29th July 2011 Almunecars previous mayor Juan Carlos Benavides has been found not guilty of irregular planning in the construction of the sports centre in La Herradura in the Costa Tropical. There was never any financial irregularities but just that Benavides did the work and built the sports facility before obtaining permission from the ever so slow Junta de Andalucia. If guilty he was facing up to 2 years in prison.
27th July 2011 Trinidad Herrera the new mayor of Almunecar has had a meeting with all the relevant departments regarding the 7 star hotel project near Marina del Este in Almunecar. The Junta de Andalucia need more details for them to finally approve the project as it was granted in a hurry by the outgoing mayor Benavides just before the last elections. They are happy with the proposed development but need more details to support the application.
20th July 2011 The Junta de Andalucia have confirmed that they will start the pipework necessary to supply 20million m2 of agricultural
Rules Dam Costa Tropical
and 15000 people with water from the Rules Dam . These works will take 18 months at a cost of 2.9 million Euros. It is planned that in the future the full project completed will provide water for 300,000 people over 19.5 million m2 at a cost of 80 million euros. We have not had water supply problems in this south area of Granada for over 20 years but this project will secure water for the future including planned urban expansion. More great news for the Costa Tropical. Hurray
19th July 2011 400kg of hashish were recovered after a sting operation at the Costa Tropical port of Motril. The drug smugglers got away but lost their haul of drugs and a 7m zodiac speed boat with twin 200hp outboard motors.
18th July 2011 The renowned bassist and composer of soundtracks Kyle Eastwood, son of actor Clint Eastwood presents XXIV tonight at the Jazz Festival in the Costa Tropical for his latest work, "Songs From The Cheateau." The occasional actor also stars in the event and the start of this musical event that night and was opened by Mavis Staples, the great lady of gospel, soul, rhythm & blues and folk. This artist, who put her voice to the protest speech by Martin Luther King was responsible for opening the international Jazz Festival in Almunecar Majuelo Park in its issue number 24, held until Sunday. Mavis Staples, in very good shape in spite of nearly half a century of continuous work with legendary supporters like Dylan, Prince and now the members of Wilco, brought the spirit of the gospel Almuñécar and protest songs in the sixties.Quality concerts like this are good news for the Costa Tropical.
18th July 2011 The regional government in Andalucia have confirmed that the two junctions between Taramay and Lobres and Lobres and Gualdalfeo will open together at the end of 2012. They have confirmed that 30% of the works on the Gualdalfeo section with Lobres are complete and that 77% of the 2km tunnel at Minilla is complete. This is great news for the Costa Tropical although over due.
15th July 2011 The Virgen del Agua fiestas are always exciting news on the Costa Tropical and can be found all over the coast and one of the best was at San Cristobal beach in Almunecar. There were live bands, attractions, stalls, lights, fireworks and lots of fun .
27th June 2011 There was a fire near the Tunnel at Punta de la Mona on the N340. It is thought that a cigarette butt thrown from a car was the cause of the fire.Helicopters and water planes were called in to put out the fire. Very effective they were too as I was there to see it. If caught the owner could face a large fine, points and possible imprisonment should anyone have got caught Be careful with BBQs , cigarettes and any other actions that might cause a fire as the consequences for both you and any victims could be life changing for the worse.
La Herradura fire on the Costa Tropical Granada
20th June 2011 It appears that Benevides last victory in office was the overturning of the Junta de Andalusia's allegations of planning irregularities in the cases of the Hotel Bahia Tropical in Taramay, the Medina Hostal, the Hotel San Carlos and Taramay Camping. All these projects were alleged to have over stepped the mark regarding the building limitations. The hotel Bahia is not out of the woods as a private court case was registered in time and has won its case by a neighbour to have part of the hotel demolished.
25th June 2011 Granada football team have been promoted to the Spanish premier division or La Liga as it is known. It will be great to see the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid coming to a small ground of 35,000 capacity. Granada is only half an hour from the Costa Tropical so that really is good news.
17th June 2011 As expected all the political parties collaborated to oust Snr Benevides as mayor and Trinidad Herrera got the job. It would be fare to point out that Juan Carlos Benevides´ party (the CA) received the most votes but not enough to gain outright majority thanks to Dani Barbero standing down as La Herradura representative for La Herradura due to internal party politics.
7th June 2011 Oh the twist and turns of Almunecars political news. It looks like Trinidad Herrera from the right wing party will be the new mayoress of Almunecar after Snr Benvides lost lots of votes at the election. The main reason for this is the fact that his main candidate in La Herradura stepped down just before the election in a row over the pecking order in the list of counselors.
5th June 2011 The annual meeting of Los Tiburones motorcycle meeting went down well in Taramay, Almunecar. Numbers were down on last year but there was much to see and do including That Band who played at 1 a.m and the male and female strippers at 2.30p.m ( Calm down mum it was nothing to raunchy). Here is one of the participants obviously not taking himself too seriously.
4th June 2011 according to the Seaside gazette the multi storey building to the rear of the Almunecar Playa Hotel in the San Cristobal beach area of Almunecar is to be a new large Mercadona. With 200 parking spaces this is a boost for employment and my wife as she does not have to travel into town any more. Mercadona is similar to TESCOS as they open stores everywhere in Spain. Visit the Seaside Gazette for more news in the Costa Tropical including Almunecar, La Herradura and Salobrenaand lots of useful info on the area.
2nd June 2011 The site of the proposed bull ring development in Almunecar has been utilised as a secure lorry park for the next 6 months whilst the Junta de Andalucia review the planning application...again.
31st May 2011 Granada suffers a financial hit of over 750,000 euros from the e coli in cucumbers outbreak with cancelled orders from all over Europe including Russia.Stop press as of 6th June this figure is now in excess of 10 million euros as other produce is affected by the incorrect stories of blame for the e coli out break
29th May 2011 Stalemate in the elections but the word on the street is that the left and the right will not allow Benevides to remain as mayor. Negotiations are ongoing to see who gets the big job as mayor but it looks like it will be Trinida Herrear from the PP who will get there.
18th May 2011 Ikea comes to Granada . The Swedish company Ikea are closing a deal for a new store on a site in Pulianas Granada. In an unusual twist the Swedish company will also be the developer of the complete retail park. Contracts should be finalised before the summer.
18th May 2011 The 7 star hotel in Peñoñ de Lobos Almunecar gets its first phase licence to build the hotel and 55 independent villas with their own pools.The luxury hotel will be run under the Banyan Tree Angsana brand. This first phase will cost €30m and has to start within 6 months and be finished within 3 years but the promotor hopes to open their doors before this time.
18th May 2011 The body of missing climber John Hogbin,42, was found this morning at 8.30 by workers of Centursa the operators of the Sierra Nevada ski resort. The mountaineer went missing on February 20th whilst mountaineering with 2 other climbers when they were hit by an avalanche. John was a good climber and had a dual Spanish British nationality. He will be buried in Zafarraya this weekend where he lived for many years with his son. His brother Manolo Hogbin said that the family were relieved to find Johns body and lay him to rest.
17th May 2011 The mayor of Granada has resurrected plans to put a funicular lift to link the Alhambra to the old part of Granada city. The idea to encourage tourists down into the city centre was first raised in the early 90s. The custodians of the Alhambra are not too happy and have insisted on a full feasibility study and risk assessment. Funny he should resurrect these plans the week before the elections.
10th May 2012 A date has been set for the trial of the A7 bridge collapse in Costa Tropicals new motorway connection which occured back in November 2005. Six workers died in the accident building the magnifient bridge over the Rio Verde in Torrecuevas. 11 people are being charged and the requested prison sentences are between 3 and half to 4 years. The trial starts in Motril on February 1st next year and is expected to last one month. The A7 motorway is now open to Taramay and the next junction, connecting the motorway to the Granada motorway, is expected to be open within 12 months. The cost of each kilometer of motorway in the Granada region is over 10,000,000 euros per kilometre.
19th April 2011 The international holding company Banyan Tree, the developer of what will be the first 7-star hotel in Spain, to be built in Almuñécar (Granada), has asked the City Council granted planning permission and has delivered completed project. With this procedure, one starts the countdown to the start of construction of this luxury hotel, opening in a first phase in 2013. The resort 'Bahia Fenicia ", managed under the Banyan Tree brand Angsana, internationally renowned for its luxury hotels and spas and international awards, will have standard rooms of 40m2, which will have a wide range of services that could include limousine service, helicopter services, private chef and private butler. Local business Original Care, run by local business woman Nicky Euesden will be submitting proposals to provide specialist nursing and care facilities. The Almunecar 7 star hotel located in the area known as 'Peñon de Lobo ..The Wolf Rock', between the port of Marina del Este and Cotobro and overlooking La Herradura and Almuñécar, The apartments of Phase I will have a size of 500m2 and all will have private pools on the terraces and breathtaking views. In addition, owners of the apartments can arrange for the hotel to manage the housing, so that owners can enjoy a series of excellent services, such as a professional chef, room service and information services the hotel. The owners also have the opportunity to be part of the 'Exchange Programme', which allows them to exchange their holiday apartment in Spain with a holiday at another resort managed by Banyan Tree, Maldives and Thailand. Moreover, the Banyan Tree chain itself will launch a training program for staff. During the construction phase it is expected to create about 250 jobs and 600 permanent jobs. Also, the City of Almunecar has launched a municipal program of job training, Almuforma, and carry out specific courses to train tourism professionals with the implication of the hotel chain.You wont find any surly waiters here then! In the project documentation submitted by the developer, the hotel appears as a five star luxury, which is the maximum allowed in Spanish law. Hence, the developer has taken steps at central government level to request a waiver - exceptionally - to enable them to obtain official recognition of 7 stars, corresponding to the facilities and the services it offers.
19th April 2011 Bad news on the Costa Tropical. A man from Motril called Carlos died yesterday whilst fishing off Punta de la Mona. His hook became stuck whilst trying to land a big fish so he decided to dive in off the rocks to free the line. No one knows what happened, whether he banged his head or more likely in the absense of any head wounds he suffered a heart attack due to the extreme change in temperature from 27ºC in the sunshine to 17ºC sea temperature.
17th April 2011 Here is the news of all the Easter processions in Almunecar for all those who enjoy it.
Palm Sunday Leave Encarnation(church behind the town hall) at 11.30 and return at 16.00.
Sunday Leave Encarnation at 17.30 and return 01.00.
Monday Leave Encarnacion at 21.00 and return 01.30.
Tuesday leave Salvador(church in P4 near the sports stadium) at 21.30 and return 03.30.
Wednesday Leave Encarnacion 20.30 and return 01.45
Wednesday Leave San Miguel (top of the Old Town near the Castle) at 21.45 and return 02.45.
Wednesday leave Encarnacion at 22.45 and return 02.30.
Thursday leave Encarnacion 17.15 and another at 17.45 and return at 00.30.
Thursday leave Salvador at 18.30 and return 01.15
Thursday Leave Salvador at 19.00 and return 01.30.
Friday leave Encarnacion at 10.30 and return 15.30.(This is the big show in the Town Hall square with Roman soldiers and singing).
Friday leave Encarnacion at 18.30 and return 01.30
Friday There are 3 consequetive leaving Encarnacion at 20.30, 20.45, 21.00 and returns at 01.30. Saturday leaves encarnacion at 00.30 and returns 04.00.
Sunday leaves Encarnacion at 11.15 and returns 15.30. Enjoy
12th April 2011 David Cameron ( UK prime minister) and his wife enjoyed a whistle stop weekend away in Granada.The news of their trip was kept quiet They went on cheap Ryan air flights and mingled with th tourists around the old town and the Alhambra. The Alhambra is the eight wonder of the world and is a fantastic example of Moorish architecture. The Cameron s loved the city and said they will return soon to spend some time in the countryside here in the Costa Tropical and to visit the unspoilt coastline. Rumours that they have enquired about property here on the coast have not been confirmed.This comes only weeks after news Charles and Camilla visited the region and stayed in a large country estate. Last year the Irish President visited the Costa Tropical area and stayed in La Herradura.
9th April 2011 Good news that Almunecar town hall and a private construction company Investment Center Granada have won a legal case in the court of Appeal against the Junta de Andalucia. The Apartahotel development in Punta de la Mona in the area known as el Gallo, has been on hold since late 2004 when the Junta de Andalucia stopped the works because they did not like the change of use applied to the landin 1998. They won the appeal on a technicality of the appeal being outside an administrative period of 6 years. The town hall said what a waste of town hall funds in defending this action. It has been this type of action by the Junta de Andalucia which has damaged investors confidence in investing and developing in the area. The aparta hotel will be 650m2 of building. So the trucks will start rolling on the site again as we speak.
7th April 2011 If you wondered what the structure was a the corner of the Almunecar stadium it is the new municipal Music and Dance Studio. More good news for Almunecar.They successfully completed the structure without any accidents so the mayor Snr Benavides attended the customary flag planting on the roof.There will be 396m2 with the main function room being141m2. Surprisingly this was another town hall project won by Hermanos Garcia Motril. Despite problems with P4s high water table the studios should be finished by the end of the year.
6th April 2011 So I have just found news that the works on Costa Tropicals Cotobro beach are not just usual beach preparation for the season but the long awaited 155,732 euro repare and amending the road and water problems at Calle Baranco in Cotobro. Temporary measures wer put in place last year but they were a a nightmare and the road and junction continued to get worse but now, after a bidding process including 8 companies , the work will be completed in 3 months . Great news for Cotobro residents.!
5th April 2011 The Almunecar town hall have denounced ( taking to court) 16 people for allowing their dogs to poop in the street without cleaning it up. About time. All 16 have been hit with 150 euro fines. This has been widely reported news on the Costa Tropical so we will see an improvement as it has not been tackled before with such conviction.
30th March 2011
The Junta de Andalucia have given more details about their plan to legalise 12000 properties throughout the Malaga region in order to bring in additional revenue and clean up the provinces reputation in the property market. This opportunity would appear to be being taken up by the Motril town hall as well. This is not as big a problem in Granada region compared to Malaga but it would be a great boost to have an amnesty and deal with these long standing illegal properties.
28th March 2011
Even more good news for the Costa Tropical.The promoters of Spain's first 7 star hotel in Almunecar, Costa Tropical, have confirmed that works will start this Autumn as planned. The seven star hotel resort will be managed by Banyan Tree who are an Asia based luxury resort management group. The total investment in the project by the Danish company will be 230 million euros and will feature a 180 bedroom seven star hotel plus 50 apartments plus a further 200 private apartments in the second and third phase. We will have the details of these units for sale when they are released next month. If you are interested then please email me or telephone for more details. In the first two years they will build the hotel and the 50 apartments which will be managed by the hotel chain Banyan Tree. These type of managed property investments are acceptable into pension schemes if they are held under management within a hotel complex. There will be tax reliefs available under different pension schemes in different countries. The second and third phase construction of the private apartments will be complete by the end of 2015 according to Jesper Brinkman. The Banyan Tree executives estimate that 600 permanent jobs will be created and that many of their clients will be from the Asian continent and specifically China. Banyan Tree are one of the leading resort operators in Asia which is the most rapidly expanding economic centers of the world being tipped to overtake the USA inside 20 years. This is great news for Almunecar and the whole of the Costa Tropical coastline of Granada. Find below the developers artist impression of the Bahia Fenicia Project. Very exciting news.
27th March
The British avalanche victim in the Sierra Nevada's has still not been found.
20th March 2011
The new outline plan has been released by the Junta Andalucia for the Costa Tropical. It includes the marinas at La Caletta in Salobrena and the controversial enclosed marina in Almunecar . The marina in Almunecar is being built ( curiously work restarted in earnest 6 months ago ...lucky for the promoters I guess) behind the Almunecar Playa Hotel behind the front line on San Cristobal, considered to be the premium beach area in Almunecar. Strangely enough the official approval on these developments has not been released...watch this space. Costa Tropical news.
22nd Feb 2011
The Vuelta de Andalucia bike race hit Almunecar this weekend with dozens of International cycling teams based in Almunecar for the weekend. This bike race is like the Tour de France and is over 600km in total.
21st Feb 2011
The Ideal has run a story about the continuing movement in a small part of Marina del Este. The rate of structural movement is put at 1 cm per month. This is only a part of the whole marina development so please make enquiries with local professionals before you purchase any property for sale in Marina del Esteor indeed other places along the Costa Tropical.This mirrors a similar very isolated problem on Cerro Gordo in the Carmenes del Mar development.
20nd Feb 2011
Sad news as the search continues for an English 42 year old who has disappeared in the Sierra Nevada after an avalanche. Two other companions were found alive and well after the avalanche just outside the ski area of the Sierra Nevada. Incredible to think that we are sat on our terrace in 23º of sunshine and we have avalanches just one hours drive away. There are no problems or significant avalanche risk on prepared pistes in the ski resort where conditions are sunny with lots of snow.
13th Feb 2011
According to construction staff at the next motorway junction connecting the A7 motorway from Malaga to the motorway up to Granada, this connection will be made this year. This will make a huge difference to traveling times and traffic volume on the coast.
11th Feb 2011
Election promises are under way and so is the gossip in order to try and secure crucial votes. The latest of those are that 6 km of track in and around Gelibra are to be concreted all the way up to the Olive Press.Also that the town hall are going review their demands on the requirements of the Pena Parda urbanisation in La Herradura and eliminate the need for new pavements and lighting.
10th February 2011
Simon Lee launches his first science fiction novel called Timekeepers from the Tempus Viator trilogy. This very talented author is based here in the Costa Tropical and lives in Almunecar. He will be doing book signings here in Almunecar in March before he goes on a promotional tour in May. There has already been interest from producers in the UK who are considering turning the book into a film. You can buy the book on line here at Lulu.com
25th January 2011
The number of visitors to Wisemovetospain.com has increased by nearly 50% this month compared to the same time last year. Experts believe this is due to very low property prices and an increase in confidence in the Spanish economy. Recent government ability to raise funding on the international monetary markets has allayed fears of a bail out or even that Spain might have to leave the Euro. Wisemovetospain will shortly offering property for sale or rent in Nerja due to increase in demand.
21st January 2011
The urbanisation of Peña Parda fully approve the new plans for new water, road and sewage network in Pena Parda , La Herradura. Local residents are delighted to finally have a new roads which some local agents believe will increase prices by up to 20%.
17th January 2011
A Spanish court has made a landmark ruling to uphold bank guarantees on off-plan property despite the banks relying on the small-print to avoid responsibility.
The judge in Cantabria, Spain ruled that the bank, Caja Cantabria, had failed in its duty of care to the buyer and ordered it to give the property buyer a full refund of both deposit and staged payments for a unit on an off-plan property development which was purchased during the property boom but never completed.
The court disregarded small print which the bank stated meant the guarantee had expired. The Spanish court decided that guarantees on off plan properties sold in Spain could not expire whilst the buyer had no home to show for their money.
12th January 2011
A scuba diver practicing off the clear waters off shore from Marina del Este found containers containing 200kg of cannabis. He brought the containers ashore at the playa del muerte. With no better idea what to do with these illegal drugs he handed them over to the local guardia civil who kindly disposed of them. Local guardia explained that the currents often deposited things dumped at sea off the Costa Tropical coastline onto the beach. This is how the beach got its name in the first place from the Spanish Armada sinking off the rocks of Punta de la Mona and the bodies washing up on this remote Cotobro beach.
10th January 2011
We have just returned from skiing in the Sierra Nevada's. The snow was fantastic and they have a new ski park called Sulayr – previously it was located in Borreguiles – now the park it is in Loma de Dilar. Primarily aimed at the snowboarding community.
The new park offers a far larger area, a series of more challenging obstacles. Including Wifi access, a huge stereo system and, probably, most importantly, a dedicated medical team on hand for any emergencies. Fantastic and to international competition standard.
6th January 2011
Most of you are aware of the speed camera in La Herradura, they have now appeared in Almunecar, watch your speed.
1st January 2011
We would like to wish all our friend and clients a very happy New Year, for those of you who who are thinking of buying a property on the Costa Tropical now is the time to do it. Prior to the Christmas break there was a noticeable increase in buyers and people just looking. Prices are still excellent for those wishing to purchase a property. Looking forward to meeting you all in this New Year.
29th December 2010
Very pleased to be able to tell you that Jonathan Mandy and Jed (from the El Ancla) have reopened La Tartana. The La Tartana may not be as convenient to the folk in La Herradura but they are going to have a shuttle service to and from La Herradura, so all's well then !! They have a great menu plus a complete children's menu at a very pleasing price. They are also holding a Burn's Night on the 25th January, so get your kilt on and have a great night. Also they are having a special Valentines meal on the 14th February at 35 euros per person. It is really worth having a look.
6th November 2010
Well there has been no real good news in the area for some time and now we have two excellent pieces of news for Almunecar and Salobrena Costa Tropical. Almunecar is to have a 7 star hotel; there is only one other in Europe. The first hotel of this rating was built in Dubai. This will give employment to about 600 people and will have 200 luxury rooms The hotel is being built by a Danish international company. For Almunecar this will tremendously increase its tourist attraction. The marina in La Caleta Salobrena has been talked and wished for since 1989 and is quite unbelievable that at last it is going to happen. The project requires 84,000 sq meters of land, it also requires two dock walls which will give anchorage to about 316 berths. A long with the Marina comes 444 housing unit and four new hotels.
2nd November 2010
The fiesta was a great success there were hundreds of people on the new paseo. It was a fabulous sight to witness. All the stalls were busy, as were the local shops and restaurants. Thenewly reopened Argentina Steakhouse was packed all evening. All good news for the town.
18th October 2010
Wild fires spread through parts of La Herradura yesterday . There were over 30 fire fighters tackling the blaze with 3 helicopters and several fire engines. No one was hurt but there was substantial damage to the land.
4th September 2010
I was talking to a chap the other night who had lost his passport and had no idea what to do or where to go, so I thought I would put a little information on this site
If your UK passport is lost or stolen in Spain you should:Report the loss or theft of your UK passport to the local police.Get a police report as soon as possible. Inform your nearest British Consulate
If you have an urgent need to travel, you should contact your local Consulate/Embassy to apply for an Emergency Travel Document. If you have no urgent need to travel you should apply for a replacement 10-year passport, following the guidance below.
How to apply for a replacement UK passport
Complete form LS01 . Complete the correct passport application form and provide the required documents, including 2 identical passport photographs that meet the required standards
Send both forms, the original police report and either a completed credit card payment form to the UK Regional Passport Processing Centre in Madrid.
Remember that you will need to pay the correct fee for your passport. There may also be a call out fee for issuing a temporary or emergency passport outside of office hours
12th July 2010
Well Spain did it, they won the World Cup and in my opinion well deserved! A large group of us went to the main square in Almunecar to watch it, the atmosphere was electric and the beer flowed into the small hours of the morning. A fantastic celebration, which for us continued around the pool at our friend’s house. All nationalities celebrated together even the losers; I don’t think we would see that happen in the U.K. What a night.
11th July 2010
Yesterday we spent the afternoon at the Mirador de Cerro Gordo, we were attending a charity event. The event was organised Anne and Keith in aid of the gastro-intestinal cancer fund. 2020 euros was raised.The venue was magical with spectacular views, fabulous music which contributed to the great atmosphere. As a note of interest if you want to see a stunning sunset the Mirador is the place to go.
20th June 2010
Noche de San Juan
This is a fabulous festival and is celebrated throughout Spain on the night of the 23rd June with great bonfires on the beaches, dancing, music, fireworks, lots of food and drink and at midnight all run into the sea. The sea is blessed at midnight and legend says that the water have magical powers to cure illness, bring wealth, enhance beauty and increase fertility. It really is a fantastic night so get your tents; sleeping bags etc and take the family and friends down to the beach. After midnight the party gets into full swing and generally finishes with brunch on the 24th which is cooked and served on the beach, the smell of bacon is everywhere Don’t forget to bring the Paracetamol !!!!!!!Enjoy! Look us up we will be on Cotobero beach all are very welcome to join us.
3rd May 2010
The La Herradura Spring Fiesta was a real celebration, with the weather at its best.Celebrations were held at the castle where people could have a look at the renovations. A dance troop from the Sabor Dance School put on am excellent display. Also the choir which was made up of almost entirelyLa Herrdura residents was great. There was plenty of food, and lots of events for the children. It was a most enjoyable Fiesta.
15th April 2010
Coming Events
Viernes, 16 de Abril 21.00 horas Gala Flamenca. Organiza: Peña Flamenca Rafael Muñoz. Lugar: Auditorio Casa de la Cultura. Almuñécar.
Sábado, 17 de Abril 20.00 horas. Concierto: La Viola Que Baila (3 Suites de Bach). A cargo de Firmian Lermer. Organiza: Asociación del Bonsai y Juventudes Musicales de Almuñécar. Lugar: Museo del Bonsai de Almuñécar.
Domingo, 18 de Abril 11.00 horas. Romeria al Pago de Guerra. La Herradura. Organiza: Asociación de vecinos de Guerra.
Jueves, 22 de Abril 18.00 horas Entrega de Premios Certamen Literario Lugar: Casa de la Cultura
Jueves, 22 de Abril 20.00 horas. Conferencia: “Presencia de Miguel Hernández”. A cargo de D. Andrés Soria Olmedo. Catedrático de Literatura de la Universidad de Granada. Lugar: Casa de la Cultura. Almuñécar.
Viernes, 23 de Abril 17.30 horas Jornada de Lectura. Organiza: Centro Mare Nostrum. Lugar: Casa de la Cultura. Almuñécar
Viernes, 23 de Abril 21.00 horas Flamenco “Zambra del Sacromonte “ Organiza: Peña Flamenca “Rafael Muñoz”. Lugar: Auditorio Casa de la Cultura. Almuñécar
Sábado, 24 de Abril 21.00 horas Concierto: Coral Villa de Iscar. Organiza: Juventudes Musicales de Almuñécar. Lugar: Iglesia Parroquial de La Encarnación, Almuñécar.
Lunes, 26 de Abril 20.30 horas Concierto: Luis Becerra ( piano ). Organiza: Juventudes Musicales de Almuñécar. Lugar: Auditorio Casa de la Cultura. Almuñécar
Jueves, 29 de Abril 20.30 horas Gala Día Internacional de la Danza. Organiza: Escuela “Arte Danza “de Almuñécar. Lugar: Auditorio Casa de la Cultura. Almuñécar
14th April 2010
Parking news on the Costa Tropical is The underground car park in Velilla is almost completed, it certainly looks as though it will be up and runningby summer. They are also putting in a bicycle lane as well as extensive gardens. There is also a ramp down to the beach for hauling pleasure craft up from the beach.
4th April 2010
Happy Easter to all our friends and clients. At last its looks like the good weather is here for the summer, I am looking forward to catching up with you over the next few months. Thank you again for your ongoing support.
25th March 2010
There was a house fire in the Rio Seco area of Almunecar last night with a family including two babies fleeing from the inferno. The cause of the fire was an electrical fault in their TV which was not old. It had not been unplugged and set on fire two o´clock in the morning. They did not have an alarm and were aroused by their dogs barking! They were all very shaken but no one was badly hurt. The property was fire damaged but mostly cosmetic but they lost 1000s in furnishings. The smoke was toxic as is usually the case so they were lucky that the dogs were able to raise the alarm. So remember by a smoke alarm and test it regularly. It is cheaper than a dog and does not poo in the garden.
24th March 2010
The Fiesta in La Herradura got off to a fine start last weekend, with a spectacular firework display and great atmosphere with plenty of rides for the children. The weather was great on Friday and not so good Saturday and Sunday, never the less all had a good time. A weekend worth putting in the diary for next year.
1st March 2010
I noticed the refurbishment of the Bar Nuevo camping in La Herradura is almost complete.Manuel , the owner has taken the bar over again. It has been rented out for a period. The bar is on the corner just down from the camp site. In the past this was a great bar to spent time in, and with a great view over La Herradura bay in the Costa Tropical.
16th Feburary 2010
Almunecar , as you or you may not know is twinned with a large number of towns across Europe and elsewhere in the world. Currently the Town Hall is looking at twinning with Henderson, which in North Carolina. Henderson has a population of around 13,000. Is mainly an agricultural area mainly producing apples. Tourism also plays a large part in its economy. Not sure if this will do anything for our economy!! Just thought I would tell you.
8th Febuary 2010
Caterpillar Time, the marching caterpillars are on the move again. They are found at the top of the Mediterranean pine trees in white candy floss pouches; these pouches contain hundreds of caterpillars. They eventually fall to the ground and march in a line. If you are unfortunate to be under the tree as they fall, remove you outer clothing and shake the things off. They can cause a nasty rash; with dogs and cats the poison can kill them, so look after your pets at this time. The poison is in the fine hairs of the caterpillar. If you spot these things spray with petrol and burn them. Sounds extreme, but it is the only way to kill them as it stops the poisonous hairs flying all over the place
17th January 2010
There was a fire in the basement to apartments on the Avenida Europa. Lots of mess but nobody was hurt.
January 3rd 2010
Happy New Year to you all. The rains have dumped two years annual rain fall in 4 weeks and there has been a lot of damage to property and roads. One man died as he came off the Itrabo road on his scooter , as he followed a detour along an unlit road. Thankfully the rains could have done much more damage but for the cleaning up and repairs to the barrancos ( Natural rain gulley's) that take the excess water out to sea.
December 13th 2009
Prosecutors are asking for prison sentences for the 11 people accused of negligence of the A7 bridge collapse at Torrenueva in Almunecar in 2005.
Despite a late start the Sierra Nevadas has 30 km of pistes open. Hurray!!
November 6th 2009
As you all know Nicola is my wife and she started a Weight Watchers group in Almunecar and Salobrena early this year. I am very pleased to report the group results have been fantastic; all members have lost weight some very large amounts, they are all looking and feeling great. Nicola says not only have members lost weight both she and the members have made some wonderful friends as you will have guessed Nicola is really looking forward to 2010. I think as she is a trained NLP therapist with a fabulous sense of humour plus a very caring personality has contributed to the success of thegroups. For the New Year to lose weight and/or make friends contact Nicola.
3rd November 2009
This year is the 25th anniversary of the Andres Segovia Classical Guitar Competition here on the Costa Tropical , which will be held in the Centro Civico, La Herradurafrom the 23rd to the 28th November. Entrants not to be more than 35 years old to qualify for entry. It’s a great competition, with competitors coming from all over including Cuba and Russia. Centre Civico tel no is 958618636
October 12th 2009
For those of you who have not been here this Autumn, the weather has been beautiful as have the fabulous sunsets. Think about an Autumn brake on the lovely Costa Tropical, you will not be disappointed
August 18th 2009
At last the section of motorway has opened, this had made a great difference to the traffic getting in and out of Almunecar this summer.
February 15th 2009
Good news for the Costa Tropical .The next section of the motorway from Malaga will be open for the summer....yes this summer 2009. I checked it out up there yesterday and all the bridges and tunnels seem complete and it just needs the final layer of tarmac and we are away.
February 14th 2009
Almunecars mayor Sr Benevides has gone into overdrive as he has spent 150,000 euros advertising the referendum on the new PGOU. The referendum has no legal force and many claim it to be a waste of money. The official town hall figures incidentally is 6,000 euros !
February 14th 2009
Look that's Music and the Chill Out Lounge in Almunecar are running the CHILL FACTOR !!! As a take on the X Factor, Costa Tropical will have it´s very own musical talent contest. Anyone can enter and you have to audition at the CHILL OUT lounge in front of professional musicians who will mark you. The winner get s to record a single in the Look that´s Music recording studio, fully produced by their in house recording crew! What a fantastic prize. First auditions are at the Chill Out lounge under the Pasillo de Altillos (los Bajos) on Saturday afternoon. Look out for Vicente Escudero as Almunecars Simon Cowell. Ring Vicente on 637 452 480 or Mr Coctail ..aka John Eueseden on 656397057 to book a slot or get more details. Incidentally the CHILL OUT lounge have got lots of live Music on every week so ask John for details.
February 12th 2009
Nicola Westby is opening the Costa Tropical branch of Weight watchers next month and will have meetings in La Herradura, Almunecar and Salobrena. There are already 18 reserve places so far so contact Nicola quickly and reserve your place. Nicola is a trained NLP therapist and intends to run a really motivated Weight Watchers group , with access to lots of other activities. Call Nicola on 666 938 956 or email on
for more information.
2nd January 2009
Happy New Year to you all, whetheryou had good or bad news last year lets hope this new one is a great year on the Costa Tropical.
6th December 2008
A Granada family has put a new touch on the famous Spanish ham. The ham considered to be the best, Bellota, is when the pigs are fed on acorns, but now a family in Brácana in Granada are feeding the animals on olives instead.
They say the acid from the olives makes its way into the ham to give it a new exquisite taste which is already proving popular across the country where it has been tried, and the family are confident that soon the ‘jamón de aceituna’ will soon become well known both in Spain and abroad. I can whole heartily recommend this ham, we tried it last evening at a friends house, beautiful!!
1st December 2008
News that the N340 coastal road between Costa Tropicals Almuñecar and Nerja has been named as the third most dangerous stretch of road in Spain. The route sees an average of 10,000 vehicles a day, and over the past three years has seen 12 fatalities and 61 serious injuries.
The road is named by the RACE, Spanish Royal Automobile Club, but things are set to improve with the new motorway absorbing some of the traffic. Many of the fatalities were bikers who like to race on the curves of the N340, especially on a Sunday.
11th November 2008
Great news for skiers,heavy snows last weekend have meant that the season has been brought forward by a week, the
Sierra Nevada ski resort opens for the new season on Saturday with 27 kms of pistes available for skiers.11 chair lifts will be operational in Borreguiles, Veleta and Loma de Dílar.. Depths of powdered snow are between 20 and 50 cms. If you live in the Almunecar as we do, it is only an hour away. No prize for guessing where my family and I will be this weekend!!
12th October 2008
On the evening of the 12th of August this year, my family and friends watched a fantastic display of shooting stars. It was a stunning sight. I can,t think it was only seen in Almunecar on the Costa Tropical. A little bit about shooting stars, "Shooting stars" and "falling stars" are both names that people have used for many hundreds of years to describe meteors -- intense streaks of light across the night sky caused by small bits of interplanetary rock and debris called meteoroids crashing and burning high in Earth's upper atmosphere. Travelling at thousands of miles an hour, meteoroids quickly ignite in searing friction of the atmosphere, 30 to 80 miles above the ground. Almost all are destroyed in this process; the rare few that survive and hit the ground are known as meteorites.
When a meteor appears, it seems to "shoot" quickly across the sky, and its small size and intense brightness might make you think it is a star. If you're lucky enough to spot a meteorite (a meteor that makes it all the way to the ground), and see where it hits, it's easy to think you just saw a star fall. The next three dates to see this magnificent sight are October 21st, November 17th and December 13th. Time about 12.30 a.m. A glass of wine helps!!!! Good luck, do let me know how you get on.
21st September 2008
A year to day since the “great” flood, in fact the worst flood to hit Almunecar and La Herradura in more than half a century. There was a great deal of damage done to both towns and each town lost a bridge. Locals and tourist were stunned. Both Towns are better prepared should this ever happen again. The big lesson to be learnt from this disaster is to keep our riverbeds clear and unobstructed which will ensure that we do not suffer a disaster of the magnitude again. So many people turned out to help as did the Senegalese citizens who picked up shovels and just started clearing away the debris. There were others with a lot more to gain than the Senegalese who stood around complaining about the mess waiting for the local authority to sort it. Well done you guys I hope you got more than a game of footie as thank you.!!!
18th September 2008
Last week my family and I went along to visit the new aquarium in Almunecar, we were all impressed by the size of the building and the unbelievable amount of work that has gone into making this Andalucía’s largest aquarium. As you walk along a chronological evolution of marine life in the
Mediterranean you can’t fail to be impressed. We loved Paco who seems to be the resident children’s entertainer; the staff give Paco his lunch in a jar with a screw on lid, within minutes he has it opened and tucking into lunch, you might say what’s entertaining about that, well Paco is an octopus. The children loved it. Another big winner was the tine seahorses they add great value to the other 3,500 plus specimens already here. The visit was really interesting and well worth a visit. This is great news for the town; we can add this to our growing list of attractions, such as the water park, botanical gardens, bird park, castle, museum etc.
9th September 2008
Let’s move on from holidays etc and get back into work mode! The property market is slow here as it is all over the globe; however on the plus side there are some very nice properties to be bought at attractive prices. Now is such a great time to buy in this area. Also note not all the properties we have for sale are on our web site we have some excellent one and two bed apartments that have just come on our books, if you are interested in buying please don’t hesitate to e-mail or call me. Telephone/Fax (+34) 958 639 709, Mobile (+34) 666 938 956, e-mail nick @wisemovetospain.com
8th September 2008
I trust you have had a great summer; here on the Costa Tropical it has been fantastic. On the beaches in the Almunecar area, the local council increased the number of diving platforms which was good news for children and parents alike. The jelly fish which have plagued the area for the last three years seem to have moved else where. The town was a little disrupted due to building work on the new underground car park; this did not seem to have an adverse effect on the holiday makers. There is such a lot to do around here and as an extra bonus we have a number of new restaurants which adds to the existing excellent ones. Look to coming here for your holidays next year I promise you will not be disappointed.
1st August 2008
For those holidaying on the Costa Tropical there are a few useful numbers listed below. There is such a lot to do in the area, so don,t miss out contact the local tourist office, have a wonderful holiday, if we can help at all give me a ring.
Oficina De Turismo
Avenida Europa S/N 18690
Almuñecar, Spain
+34 958 631 125
+34 958 635 007 - Fax
Salobreña Tourist Office: 958 610 314
Motril Tourist Information: 958 825 481
Nerja Tourist Office. Puerta del Mar, 4 Tel: 95 252 15 13
5th July 2008
It has just come to my attention that the Junta of Andalucia is investing 30 billion euros to combat climate change. Its been reported that Andalucia is one of the better prepared regions and is expected to start making changes in the current method of obtaining energy, making them more effective, cleaner and nature friendly. Currently 18% of our electricity is obtained through recycling the Junta is hoping that there is going to be a huge increase in the, up to five times the current amount. I’d say that is a nice bit of news!!!!!
30th June 2008
You may have noticed in your travels work has restarted on the A7 bridge over Torrevuevas, they have now raised the bowed supporting arch. This huge support received a huge battering when the accident occurred, the experts consider it usable. Its great to see work on the bridge, as we are all looking forward to seeing the end of the summer traffic jams on the N 340 through Almunecar.
26th June 20008
Us footie fans have all been following Spain with interest, I would love to see England win, second to that comes Spain, their win was well deserved the celebrations are just coming to an end. Well done Spain.
21st June 2008
Its that time of the year in Almunecar and indeed the rest of Spain, the festival of San Juan, people have started arriving this morning, the town is really buzzing. San Juan takes place between June 20th till 24th and is a huge party full of bonfires, fireworks, music and dancing. Six months after Christmas the arrival of the summer solstice is celebrated during the shortest night of the year. The celebrations of San Juan are of pagan origin and consist to a greater degree of inherited rituals, practices and customs originating in pre-Christian celebrations. The night of San Juan, 23 of June, is the shortest of the year in the northern hemisphere and basically means the triumph of light over dark. The basic characteristics of these rituals are fire, water and the sun. Legend has it that the bonfires that burn on this night can cure diseases of the skin, cleansing the body and soul. One can even change a bad year into a good one simply by jumping over the bonfire a minimum of three times.
San Juan is celebrated in almost all of Spain, but in some parts it takes on a special meaning. In Ciutadella (Menorca) people visit from all over Spain (including many television crews) to witness the celebrations. People take to the streets and party non-stop for 3 to 4 days drinking pomada, an explosive mix of Mahon gin and lemonade, and slapping the back sides of the large black horses with riders that dance in the crowded streets and dart in and out of local doorways. As the evenings progress you will also witness large scale battles of people enthusiastically throwing sackfuls of hazelnuts at each other which is meant to be a sign of love. It has to be seen to be believed
We got down to the beach at mid day, the whole place was buzzing, old and young were there to enjoy San Juan. We all had a wonderful time returning home just after mid-day on Tuesday, after a hearty breakfast on the beach
16th June 2008
Well the strike is all done and dusted, things have got back to normal at record breaking speed, supermarkets fully stocked over night. there are still a few small companies out but not enough to cause any problems.
11th June 2008
As you know we have a lorry strike in Spain at the moment, Almunecar is suffering from a shortage of diesel, most places have sold out as have the surrounding towns, however the garages around Malaga airport seem to have no problems with supply, we do still have some petrol in our area.
3rd June 2008
The International school continues to do well not only academically but in the sports section, they had a fabulous sports day which included a police escorted run to The Tower, that took some doing for the children, I am very proud to say that my daughter Lottie took part and came 4th, very well done Lottie.
2nd June 2008
The Costa Tropical has got itself a new and talented DJ .... Joe Howard. The son of Dr. Robert, lead singer and writer for the Blow Monkeys is putting on his first club night in Granada in July. With over half of the 500 tickets already sold after only 3 days after the gig was announced, the night is going to be a great success. Other clubs are already queueing up for the next event so keep your eyes open or ring ticket sales on 661649917. Joe has been living here in Granada, Spain for nearly ten years.
30th May 2008
As you all know sales are slow at the moment, prices have gone down between 5% and 10%. This is a great time to buy and there are many great bargains around, there are many British owners who need to sell because of their financial situation, Many are willing to pass on the difference in the exchange rate, so if you are thinking of buying on the Costa Tropical or any where in Spain now is a great time to do it
22nd May 2008
I really don’t want to mention what team I support, but I am sure it is sufficient to say that most of Almunecar and Cotobro celebrated the match on the 21st well in to the small hours of the morning.
8th May 2008
Well the Spanish is really getting to our family, my mother had bought a small villa in La Herradura and is almost at the end of a months long intensives Spanish course in the Village, she has really enjoyed and coming back for more of the same in June, what more can I say!!!!!
1st May 2008
Residents on the Costa Tropical will have a unique opportunity to meet widely acclaimed photo journalist Paola Gianturco. She is giving a talk on her latest inspirational book, Women Who Light the Dark on Friday the 30th May at 4pm at the Hotel Salobrena and is sponsored by the International Club of Salobrena. Paola’s visit to the coast is part of her European tour and a wonderful opportunity for the local people to learn about the extraordinary lives of courageous women around the world. There will be a small entry fee of 3 Euros per person. For more information on Paula and her work go to ww.womenwholightthedark.com
28th March 2008
300kph train marks latest step in Spanish high-speed revolution! The new bullet train whisked passengers from Madrid to Barcelona in just over 2 and a half hours, really challenging the supremacy of flights on one of the world’s busiest air routes. The 660km high speed line between the two cities is Europe’s longest - the third to have been opened in Spain in the last three months. AVE trains now spirit passengers from Madrid to Malaga in 2 hours 20 minutes and from Madrid to Valladolid in 55 minutes, until the new train arrived, this route took almost 3 hours. The Spanish Government is fully committed to this project and say by 2010 Spain will have the most extensive high speed rail net work in the world. Hopefully the Malaga one going along the Costa Tropical will come within that time frame.
25th March 2008
The local Government is to invest 400,000 euros in making the beaches, foot paths etc more user friendly for physically disabled people, and generally providing better facilities in and around Almunecar. There is another 300,000 euros this is on top of budget to improve the beaches which took such a battering in the storm last September. So with all this money to be spent Almunecar will be an even lovelier place to come to. This is all very good news.
22nd March 2008
I would like to wish you all a very Happy Easter, also I would like to say Happy birthday to my son Alex who is 9 to day, we will be celebrating his Birthday at home with his many friends. Alex was 5 when we came here, he now speaks excellent Spanish, doing very well at school and has friends of all nationalities. Well done Alex and a very Happy Birthday to you.
16th March 2008
My family and I have just got home from watching the 1st Procession of Holy Week, a really beautiful event so, I thought some of you would like to know what time the processions start for holy week, They all leave from either the Church of the Encarnacion on the hill near The Town Hall, or the El Salvador in P4. There are other routes available but the below are the important ones. Well worth going to see a few of them. Almunecar do have the most colourful and splendid Processions along the Costa Tropical.
13th March 2008
With Easter just around the corner, should you be staying in the Almuñécar area, I have put a list of interesting places to see. In Almuñécar we have some beautiful monuments in and around the town, the good news is that most of them are located close to each other. I think the most noticeable one is the Moorish Castle, although built on Roman foundations what remains is from the Arab and Christian times. It’s a most interesting place to visit, plus the views are spectacular. Not far from the castle, there is the small but impressive Archaeological Museum, here you will find interesting find from the area plus a stunning 3500 year old Egyptian vase. Close to the castle is the peaceful Majuelo Park with beautiful botanical gardens and the remains of the Roman fish-salted mines. There is also the remains of a magnificent aqueduct 7 kms long which was built by the Romans. The noisiest place to visit in town is The Lora Sexi bird Park, which has over 1500 exotic birds from 200 different species. the children will love it. There are many Watch Towers to see, not to mention the beach shops etc. Of course all of the above places are close to Almuñécar wonderful bars and restaurants. Enjoy and have a lovely holiday.
26th February 2008
The Mayor of Motril has recently met up with the new director of the University of Granada to discuss getting a University built in Motril which would serve the coastal area. This is really good news for the the whole area. As the coastal population increases the demand for a local University is increasing. The proposed location is near Playa Granada where the council own 40,000 meters of land and they wish to make this available for the project. I will be keeping an eye on this one and update you accordingly.
22nd February 2008
Alzheimer's is a dreadful disease as people who have seen their loved ones suffer know. In Spain alone more than 300,000 people are suffering. The Costa Tropical is not sitting back and doing nothing for their people and their families, the Asociacion de familaries de Enfermos de Alzheimers are to begin giving lectures in the local schools, starting with IES Antigua Sexi high school. They are looking at talking to children 13/14 age groups, the hope is to create a higher level of understand and hopefully as a result the children will help with the care and understanding of relatives suffering from this disease. A new GPS tracking system is soon to be made available to families of people suffering with Alzheimers disease, this will help locate relatives should they wonder away from home. Th Mayer of Motril has announced that in a short time the council will have a GPS bracelet system in place, relatives will be able to locate their loved ones should they wonder and get disoriented. The Mayor has said this service has become available with the advancement of technology.
21st February 2008
Well its that time of year again, I am talking about the procession of caterpillars, seen near pine trees, processions can be as long as ten meters, with the caterpillars moving in a single line head to tail. The biology of these beautiful looking creatures (not so beautiful if touched) there is only one generation per year, moths are there from around July to September, eggs are laid in batches, which are wrapped around a couple of pine needles. They live in groups, and feed on pine needles causing yellow-brownish discoloration. In late autumn, caterpillars spin a final silky nest towards the brightest parts of the crown of the Pine tree. They can be seen on a vast number of pine trees inn the Costa Tropical and indeed most of Spain. At the end of winter caterpillars walk in a procession toward warm spots on the soil where they dig themselves in and pupae. Pupae stop their development during several months up to several years.I thought I would give you the background. DO NOT touch them they have poisonous spikes on the caterpillars’ bodies, you can have a dreadful skin reaction, keep you pets away from them, it is reported that three dogs died in Cadiar in recent weeks.
16th February 2008
It looks like The Hotel Play Cotobro, that's the one on the corner of the beach road, is set to open later this year. The Judge at the Complaints Court has rejected the Junta's appeal suit against the Hotel. A lot of people are not happy about this, as this has been a predominantly residential area and there are enough Hotels in Almunecar and surrounding areas.
15th February 2008
The ideal newspaper reported that the Junta de Andalucia has granted planning consent for four golf courses through out the Costa Tropical, In La Herradura, Cerro Gordo, Jete and Almuñecar. This is a considerable u turn if correct as the Junta de Andalucia had been vehemently opposed to such developments claiming it was an excuse to build more houses. May be they have a point. I was up in Otura, south of Granada city at the Santa Clara golf course and no one was there! When talking in the bar with some friends they said it was always empty... where is the demand
8th February 2008
Well at long last work has recommenced on the motorway, on my way back from Malaga yesterday I was both surprised and delighted to see the lights on and the crane working, I am told this section of the bridge/road will be finished by the end of the year, good news for Salobrena.
5th February 2008
At weekend we headed off to the Plaza de la Consititucion, in Almunecar to join in the celebrations, as the annual carnival comes to the Costa Tropical. My family and some friends from the UK all got dressed up as is the tradition, and did our bit to help the town celebrate! It was such a lot of fun, people had gone to such a lot of trouble choosing costumes. Crowds of people paraded around the town, others watched and enjoyed good food and one or two well may be three beers! This event really helps local businesses and gives a signal to the end of winter. It was a great night, no trouble just good fun, the children had a fantastic time. Just to keep "the feel good factor going" we went to La Herradura's carnival on the following Saturday, spent the evening in the Plaza de la Independencia and again had a great time supporting local business, in that we partied hard, had copious amount of beer and wonderful food!! We just love Spain and the Costa Tropical.
1st February 2008
The repair of the bridge in La Herradura is coming on really well, it has been said it should be finished by the end of the month, they are still working on the beach to get it back in some sort of order after the huge storm on the 21 September 2007. Looks like every thing will be up and running by the end of Spring. Although I live in Almunecar I do have a soft spot for La Herradura. It is a lovely little town with a lot of local history, great views and fabulous restaurants.
10th January 2008
The International school has again achieved excellent results, keeping up this pace there will be some very happy pupils and parents at the end of the school year. The teachers are incredibly committed to see their pupils succeed, children settle there very quickly, I should know as my two children started at The International school in September, they love going to school and are doing really well. The school is also very strong in the sports department, they have had to form a second ladies netball team, both teams work well with the girls team, a really great all round school.
3rd January 2008
Congratulations to Salobrena who have been awarded the Seal of Quality for Smaller Historical Centers. About two years ago the European Union started a Network of Historical Centers and Salobrena has met the required criteria. This is great news for the Costa Tropical and hopefully will boost tourism to the local areas. The Mayor has said that wining this award is not just about the castle, which we know forms a large part of the historical value of Salobrena, it is also about monuments and local gastronomy to be found around the town. Well done.
2nd January 2008
A very happy New Year to you all. We have just returned from the UK having spent the festive season here. All had a lovely time, great to see everyone and just great to be back in Almunecar!! The New Year has started at a brisk pace for us which has to be good news, diary fairly full for next week, really looking forward to it. Again happy New Year to you all.
28th December 2007
Finally the Courts have declared the Marina del Este apartments illegal! The decision follows a private case brought by a residents association against Almunecar Town Hall and the construction company involved. The Court in explaining the ruling said the construction potential in the residential areas around the harbour was completely exhausted.
24th December 2007
We would like to take this opportunity to wish all our clients both old, new and future ones a very happy Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year. 2007 has been a fantastic year for us, our company continues to grow, we have met many clients over the last year, many have bought property in the Costa Tropical, but very importantly for us, we have gained a large number of new friends. We are looking forward to 2008 with all its excitement, challenges, and knowing we are going to meet some great people.
4th December 2007
I was sad to see that three of our 4-star hotels have closed down for the winter season. After all, our politicians are for ever going on that we really need more hotels so we can promote the winter months, so all can enjoy the wonderful micro climate in Almunecar and along the Costa Tropical. The Playa Calida which is Almunecar largest Hotel with over 300 rooms, has closed down for the winter as it is not economical to stay open, so WHY I ask are they continuing to build the monstrosity on Cotobro, I over look the thing, fortunately it does not spoil our beautiful view over the bay, not so for others. As it’s the season of good will I will try not to be cynical!!
1st December 2007
24th October 2007
The International Club meet on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month in Almunecar, this is a great place to meet new people, the group help to provide contacts and information for its members. English, French, German, Dutch are all spoken, as the club attracted members from all nationalities. Contact Dirk Jurriens on 958 63 35 10 for further information.
21st October 2007
Up date on some more Motril news, a proposal for a new system to farm mussels of the coast of each farm will cost more than 400,000 euros and will create a good number of new jobs in the area. I will keep you posted about this one.
18th October 2007
Due to the number of car accidents at the La Herradura exit from the motorway, 16 in two weeks, the state highway authority Carreteras del Estado, have introduced new improved signage plus have reduced the speed limit. The exit was a potential death trap for the unsuspecting drivers not having used the exit before. Hopefully the situation will now resolve its self plus most of the tourists are gone.
17th October 2007
Another thing I found out yesterday (I must go out for a pint more often!!) GUG Computer User’s Group have meetings on the second Monday of each month in Almunecar. The discussions are generally on new technology, particularly computers. All are welcome experienced and novices alike. They have an Annual event which includes sale/exchange of used computers, soft wear etc. One contact I have is Paul Read 958881610
16th October 2007
To day I noticed that The Salobrena International club have a new web site, lots of information on it including an activity calendar. Web address is www.icsalobrena.com
14th October 2007
The Town Hall has decided as a result of the flood, to put a 30 day ban on all fiestas. The market has also been cancelled, the area where the market is held is a mess, but at the moment it is badly needed for parking, as a lot of underground parking is damaged. The Town Hall reinstated the Blue Zone parking only days after the flood. Many feel this was unnecessary with so many basement garages out of action, car owners in Almunecar are having to find alternative parking, as you know there is little of that around, the tight devils are even fining people for parking in the blue zones without a ticket.
13th October 2007
The President of the Junta de Andalucia, Manuel Chaves, who was in Almunecar a couple of weeks ago, had agreed to give 40 million euros towards the restoration of Almunecar.
12th October 200
At last many of the local roads around Motril are to be resurfaced. A budget of almost 600,000 euros has been set aside for 2007, work is to start shortly
11th October 2007
A consortium of 20 property developers presented a project to convert the Motril Port into a huge leisure marina with more than a 1000 mooring berths. The project was presented to the Royal Nautical Club. This consortium of developers who are based in Granada province, their design proposes creating a new exterior dock for goods traffic. They have said that they can provide the 300 million € investment necessary themselves. They have still called on all sectors of all society and that includes state administration to contribute. The project includes a commercial centre, underground parking and a cultural centre, as well as facilities to receive cruise ships. They say it would provide more than 3,000 direct jobs. The job situation would be good news for Almunecar, Salobrena and near by towns on the Costa Tropical. Also it would further encourage tourism in the area; Almunecar is only 25 minutes away by car.
11th October 2007
Monarch Airlines have announced that as from the 4th November they are cancelling its Gatwick Granada service. This service started May 2005. Monarch say it is due to lack of demand, but the Granada Provincial say that they are very surprise at the news as a new bilingual advertising campaign has recently been agreed. I say it is a great loss to the Costa Tropical.
9th October 2007
The President of the Junta de Andalucia, Manuel Chaves, was in Almunecar last week, he had a meeting with the Mayors of Almunecar, Jeta, Molvizar, Otivar, los Guajares, Itrabo and Lentegi, those are some of the towns caught up in the floods and the resulting devastation. Manuel Chaves said the majority of the 30 million euros the regional government has set aside will go to repairing roads, water and sewage infrastructure. He also said the two bridges, one in La Herradura the other over the Jata in Almunecar, will have to be demolished, plus other very urgent reconstruction work in the LA Paloma Urbanisation. Further talks are to take place this week to address the damage to crops and coordinate aid for farmers and property owners in the areas on the Costa Tropical worst affected areas.
8th October 2007
7th October 2007
Latest update on the Almunecar restoration, the Mayor has said he wants the two bridges up and running by April 2008. I am sure that will happen if the work carries on as it is.
4th October2007
I am absolutely amazed how the work force of Almunecar and indeed the Costa Tropical have responded to this disaster the like was never seen before in Almunecar or surrounding areas. Beaches are looking great, in that the mess has been cleared up, the repairs to the damage will take months. Where all the mess has gone to, I have no idea. Congratulations to the workers of Almunecar, La Herradura and all the Costa Tropical for an amazing job of restoration. There is still a lot to be done, by summer of 2008, I am sure Almunecar will be back to its full glory, if not better, hotels, properties, beaches, the many places to eat will be as new.
22nd September 2007
What made thing worse was that locals and others had got into the habit of using the dry river beds as rubbish tips. All sorts of items from abandoned cars to furniture and agricultural and garden waste, all thrown into the river beds, and later all carried downstream to block access to the sea, and result in the flood and damage which affected half the town so badly, similar in La Herradura , where a bridge came down. The beaches look as though it will take months to recover.
21st September 2007
We had no way of knowing that the storm last night would lead to a natural disaster today. During the day we had golf boll sized hail stones (I have saved two of them my in my freezer!!) rain like I have never seen. I was in Almunecar around 2pm and noticed the Rio Seco was full of all kinds of rubbish including a white van that had crashed into the bridge. The water was fast high and dirty, I took some photographs and headed for home. The rain was relentless, so three rivers had burst their banks, bring down two bridges. The devastation in Almunecar and la Herradura is unbelievable. A 42 year old German man tragically lost his life when he was trapped in rising waters in the communal garage beneath his home. The damage caused by the floods has been estimated to total 70 million €. Two hotels had to evacuate their guests. It hard to believe that the Costa Tropical, could be hit by such a devastating national disaster. Nothing like this has happened since records began over 80 years ago.
16th September 2007
The construction of a large private hospital in Motril is great news for foreign residents with private insurance. The hospital which should open in 2009 will attend to the need of private patients. The hospital is next to the Autovia exit once the coastal highway is finished.
La Herradura is beautiful fishing village and is soon to celebrate the 100th anniversary of La Herradura’s church, San José. The procession of the throne of the Virgin Mary through to the area of Las Maravillas promise to be this year the biggest yet. It starts at 8pm on the 16th September, you’ll discover that this special occasion doesn’t stop with the procession, but goes on to a very lively local tradition bringing to the Cost Tropical another memorable evening.
Well the summer is here and so are the tourists. Business in the property sector is doing really well so the Costa Tropical has been a hotbed of activity.
6th August 2007
Almunecar receives plaudits from local business for new Urban plan including the new promenade at L a Herradura.
4th August 2007
The council of Almunecar in the Costa Tropical has cancelled this feria fiesta due to the ongoing refuse collection strike. The bin collectors are on strike because the private company dealing with refuse have not paid wage increases agreed last year and some people even claim not to have been paid. After 5 days the rubbish is piling up and beginning to smell.
18th July 2007
Anti jelly fish operations have gone into action with 7 tonnes collected off the Granada coastline.
12th July 2007
New Spanish income tax checks are to be made on people renting out there property in Spain. The Hacienda ( tax authority ) have the facility to access the records of the electricity company to look for discrepancies!!
2nd July 2007
Señor Benevides has been found not guilty of the Tropical Fruits negligence case where he and 10 other council employees were accused of losing millions of euros of the town halls money. The case failed because vital paperwork incriminating the accused went MISSING in the town hall!!
27th June 2007
The whole coastline receives a boost in the form of over a 100,000 euros in concrete access ramps for the beach, 15 extra diving platforms , over 350 new fixed rubbish bins.
16th June 2007
Hundreds flock to the beach to celebrate San Juan on the one night of the year when barbeque's and camping on the beach are permitted. The more seasoned revelers come early to set up camp on the most prized piece of beach. This being my 4th year to enjoy this fiesta, no need to say what part of the beach my family occupied!! Bonfires are lit at midnight when the the skies along the Costa Tropical have a most fantastic glow. This is an annual fiesta, friends and family come from all over to celebrate and join together to party and take the plunge into the seawater at midnight, this tradition has started as all thought it would bring health and and all good things the following year. As bleary eyed folk crawl out of their tents to the smell of freshly cooked bacon and hot coffee not to mention the littered beach and the remnants of the night before party, another day happily starts on the Costa Tropical. We had a wonderful night, if you are in Almunecar or any where on the Costa topical come and join in the fun.
15th June 2007
Bail set a 1 billion euros for Juan Antonio Roca, the alleged mastermind of the Marbella scandal and the Judge has decided there is enough evidence to prosecute 86 out of 106 people arrested.
28th May 2007
Mr Benevides has done it again as has been reelected Mayor of Almunecar and La Herradura, in a land slide victory in the local elections. An advertising campaign akin to a USA style presidential election proved too much for the opposition and Mr Benevides slogan of let the actions do the talking seems to have hit a cord with the Almunecar- La Herradura towns people.
18th May 2007
Work has restarted on the Torrecueves motorway bridge after a stoppage of 18 months. The site was the scene of the accident that saw 6 manual workers killed and many others injured. The official enquiry conclusions appear to be defective welds and bolts.
30th April 2007
As from last week all sellers of all property in Spain will have a 3% retention of the selling price to be held against Spanish Capital Gains Tax from residents and non-residents alike. The idea is that the Spanish authorities hold this as a deposit against any potential Capital Gains Taxes that may be payable. If you feel that our tax bill should be lower then you submit all your full papers and apply for rebate. There are other requirements such as certificate of non- residence and fiscal registration, you may need the help of a gestior to satisfy these requirements.
29th April 2007
Chris Stewart, best known for his book "Driving over Lemons" and ex-drummer of Genesis, has announced he is standing as a candidate for the Green Party in the nearby town of Orgiva in the May local elections. His books about local life are thought to have been partially responsible to the increase of Britons moving to rural areas. His first book has recently been published in Spanish and is currently in the top 20 best sellers.
28th April 2007
British MP Margaret Moran has closed off a right of way across her property in the Alpujarra. A Judge in Orgiva, Granada Province, has ordered that the British Labour MP must ´stop carrying out any act which stops or complicates the right of way over her finca´. It means that locals (a village of some 200 residents) can use a track which crosses her ground, despite the fact the MP installed a gate to block the way. Moran has been ordered to make the area as it was.
18th April 2007
An immigrant boat was intercepted this week, 2 miles off the coast of Cerro Gordo. There were 33 passengers aboard the boat, all of whom are currently being held in Motril immigration centre whilst their paperwork is carried out for repatriation. National Police say the skipper of the boat attempted to hide with the other passengers but was identified by two of his countrymen. One of the passengers was taken to Motril hospital with two suspected fractures.
5th April 2007
An old zinc mine dating back to the 8th century is to be reopened in Motril and provide guided tours. The mine was the largest of its kind during the Moorish occupation of Spain known as the Al Andalus.l
1st April 2007
The Almunecar bridge disaster in 2005 was caused by a defective welding seam being broken by excess pressure caused by a defective bolt. The judge will now decide if any one should be prosecuted and face charges of manslaughter.
30th March 2007
A British diver was taken ill while diving and lost consciousness up on the surface in La Herradura, Costa Tropical man said to be in his forties and from the UK died on Thursday morning, after diving off the Marina Del Este marina, in La Herradura. Members of La Herradura Diving School worked on him for 45 minutes, reports said. He was an experienced diver, and belonged to a diving club in Fuengirola, which had arranged a diving trip to La Herradura that day.
28th March 2007
Almuñécar council has voted to donate the cost of building 63 houses in the area of the Anantapur district of India. The donation will be made over a ten year period via the non-governmental development organisation, the Vicente Ferrer Foundation. The socialists did not attend the meeting.
22nd March 2007
Drugs haul at Granada airport. The drugs were found hidden inside chocolate cakes sent from Argentina. The 18 kilos of cocaine were seized on Wednesday .Seven Argentinians were arrested following international intelligence cooperating with the Spanish authorities.
A Dominican man was arrested in La Herradura after Almuñécar Civil Guard was found making 400g of cocaine in is home.
16th March 2007
A motorcyclist is recovering from his injuries in the in Motril, after an accident on the N-340 coast road between La Herradura and Almunecar. The Malaga man was injured just after midday as his bike skidded out of control into the path of an oncoming vehicle from the Almunecar direction.
14th March 2007
A mountaineer fell while climbing in the Sierra Nevada Natural Park at the weekend is still in a special unit in a Granada hospital. He slipped and fell over 300 meters at Los Tajos de la Virgen. He suffered head injuries in the fall. Staff at the Sierra Nevada ski station assisted the Civil Guard helicopter which made the rescue.
The mountaineer was from the Valencia region and were climbing a route linking El Veleta and Elorrieta. The Sierra Nevada ski range is currently still enjoying good conditions after a particularly difficult ski season.
Hurray , thank the Lord at last the new motorway junction at La Herradura junction is open and has knocked nearly fifteen minutes off the trip to Malaga airport. The views are stunning and the trip far more enjoyable especially if you like my daughter feels queasy on the winding coastal road from Nerja to Almunecar, Granada.
Workers on the A-7 motorway in the area of Taramay near Almuñecar have threatened go on strike unless they get a 25% pay rise. The new motorway between Nerja and Taramay has run into lots of difficulties with problems with the land geology including dangerous landslides. The Ministry of Development needs to approve more funding to allow the stretch between La Herradura to Taramay to be completed. The section between Nerja and La Herradura will open before the end of the month. Hurray!!
Tue, 13 Feb 2007 A judge from Granada has declared that the licences issued by Almuñecar Council for the building of 150 apartments in the Cerro Gordo Natural Reserve, to be null and void with the likely hood of demolition orders to follow. Almunecar town hall can appeal against the ruling and probably will. The apartments are completed and have first licence of occupation illegal because the they are too high and they have built on a mere 9,400 square metres of excess land.
Sun, 11 Feb 200 Two men on remand since last April are facing jail terms up to seven years each for smuggling illegal immigrants from Morocco. The boat was intercepted by the Guardia Civil of the Granada Coastline near Motril and included women and children. all seven years in prison.
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The victim’s identity has not yet been released.
Sun, 11 Feb 2007
A mountain climber died in the Sierra Nevadas after falling off the peak at Mulhacen. His climbing partner raised the alarm but the rescue helicopter has had problems retrieving the body due to high winds in the Sierra Nevada ski resort.
Wed, 07 Feb 2007
Manuel Chaves who is the president of the Junta de Andalucia has told the town halls in Almuñécar and Salobreña that their local urban development plans(PGOU) can not be agreed. The President of the Junta de Andalucía toured the region in the run-up to the referendum on Andalucía’s reformed statutes. He was addressing the public in the Costa Tropicals Motril before Voting takes place on 18th February. Chaves said that the autonomous government of Andalucia will not allow disproportionate or excessive urban expansion. He said that boundaries for expansion were laid down quite clearly in Andalucía’s development plan and cannot be exceeded. That is currently the case with the PGOUs of Granadas Salobreña and Almuñécar.
04 Feb 2007
There was a demonstration in Orgiva against a new dam nn the Cotraviesa region where 1000 residents took part. They believe the existing dam in the Alpujarra beauty spot supplies enough drinking water to the Costa Tropical and the second dam is more to satisfy irrigation supplies at a cost to local agriculture.
Mon, 29 Jan 2007
The courts has suspended the third building licence granted by Almuñécar Town Hall since November. The luxury development near El Peñón del Lobo, where 144 apartments and villa homes are planned. The licence was issued in August 2006. The complaint by by the Junta de Andalucía is on the basis that approval was given despite irregularities highlighted in line with planning legislation. The Junta de Andalucia reported in November that construction of three of the six blocks had already started, despite these problems being raised.
25 Jan 2007
A project to convert Motril Port into a massive leisure marina with more than 1,000 mooring berths, commercial, retail and residential areas was presented on Thursday. 23 property developers based in Granada province presented the proposal. Ideas include a new cargo port on the outer part of the port and facilities to receive cruise ships.The project wil need 300 million € investment and provide 3000 jobs.
27th January 2007
The Junta de Andalucia has effectively put a preservation order on much of the plantations in the Costa Tropical, in the valleys and on the hillside which will put a stop to any new urban plan which allows for excessive building which includes the proposed Golf course in Rio Verde. The Regional Parliament has approved an amendment to the POTA (Plan de Ordenanza Territorial Andaluz). This means that no PGOU will be approved that contains building development in these areas. Throw Almunecars plan in the bin then!!
26th January 2007
The new petrol station in Almunecar is well under way on the east side of the stadium. The deal struck with Almuñecar council was for the petrol company to build a new grandstand for the Almuñecar municipal stadium if they could operate a petrol station under the grandstand! Not the seats I would want to sit in... Alegations are flying as Almuñecar council did not put the deal out to open tender as per Andalucian local government rules.
25th January 2007
The La Herradura paseo saga is set to escalate as more people understand what is being proposed. No it is not as simple as putting a fancy footpath along the beach so we can have a stroll with the family on a Sunday , oh no. The ayuntamiento of Almuñecar have proposed to build an 10 meter wide paseo, losing all the existing parking, making a compulsory purchase order of a 10,000 m2 chunk of rustic land ( which is due to be re classified on the next pgou( urban plan) and thus 10 times more expensive in the future) and classifying the 2 new car parks private places to be sold!! La Herradura areup in arms with a petition of over 700 names against it. The council say it is too late, the deadline has passed and the paseo is going ahead. Word is that opposition parties will undo the proposals if Benevides loses the next election. The project is budgetted at 9 million euros.
24th January 2007
The town hall of Almunecar have announced their budget for improved recreational facilities and improvements for the coming year is set at over 18 million euros. With the grand opening of the new motorway section at La Herradura it seems that Almunecar council are taking it's public image seriously.
17th January 2007
The town meeting in Almunecar was disturbed on Tuesday with socialist councilors walking out at the way the meeting was being conducted and the mayors insistance that the town persist with plans to approve a new urban plan which they feel will be rejected by the Junta de Andalucia. Almunecars urban plan wants four golf courses and 35,000 new homes, which falls way outside the Junta de Andalucias guide lines for sustainable development. The PSOE councillors now intend to prove the meeting invalid because of the way the meeting was convened. So at this point Almunecars new urban plan is approved by Almunecar council but is certainly destined to be rejected by the Junta de Andalucia. What is the point !!! Socialist councillors walked out of a council meeting in Almuñécar on Tuesday in protest at the content of the town’s new local development plan, which was on the agenda for provisional approval. The plan, or PGOU, was passed without their votes. PSOE say the plan will not achieve approval from the regional government, and say they plan to challenge the validity of Tuesday’s meeting, alleging irregularities in the way it was convened. The meeting turned down a Partido Popular amendment to cancel a planning agreement to build a golf course in the lowlands of the Verde River. The new plan foresees 34,933 new homes in the town, together with four golf courses, and clearly does not meet regional town planning guidelines. The current population of Almuñecar is 26,000.
15th January 2007
Development Minister, Magdalena Álvarez, was in Motril on Monday, where she inaugurated the second phase of the new Las Azucenas Dock at the port in Motril. Providing a maximum depth of 14 metres alongside 1.3 kilometres of berths, these new facilities will allow access to deep draught ships including liners, tankers etc As a consequence Motril ports activity is expected to increase by an estimated 80% within 10 years.
The majority of the 40 million euros invested in the new port over the past six years was met by the Motril Port Authority, along with money from the European Union and the State Port Authority.
Jan 15, 2007 Hotel promoted by Spain international footballers, including former Liverpool FC star Fernando Morientes, could exceed height limitations.
THE Supreme Court of Andalucía has opened an investigation into alleged irregularities in the construction of the Hotel Bahía in Almuñecar. If you live in Almunecar you will know exactly which building we are talking about as it is much bigger than any other buildings around it. It is also built in front of another building and within meters of the neighbouring apartment block
Judges have instructions from the public prosecutor’s office in Madrid to look into allegations made by the regional government that the four-star hotel exceeds height restrictions by 2,500 square metres. Complaints have also been raised over modifications made to the Costa Tropical town’s PGOU urban planning document in 1998. The Junta de Andalucía claims land designated for public use was changed to allow for the hotel to be built on Almunecars Avenida de Juan Carlos I.If the allegations prove to be true the hotel, which opened in September 2006, will have its planning permission revoked – and face possible demolition. The ten-million-euro hotel is known locally as the Footballers’ Hotel after Spain international footballers – including current Valencia CF player Fernando Morientes and former Barcelona star Luis Enrique - allegedly are part owners and shareholders in the development and appeared in a promotional event for the hotel in Madrid in 2004.
7th January 2007
Three Rumanians who attempted robbery in Almuñécar on Saturday have been arrested at a Civil Guard control on the N340 coastal road in Salobreñ after being identified by the female shop assistant. They were detained within hours.It happened at premises in the Almuñécar Playa Hotel complex, in the San Cristóbal area of the town. 5th Jan 2007
5th January 2007 After several earth tremors in \Seville during the week there was an earthquake measuring 4.6 on the Richter scale to the west of Santa Fe 12 kms from Granada last night. Despite the size there was no reports of property damage or injuries.
28th Nov 2006
Court 3 in Motril has called the Mayor of Almuñecar, Juan Carlos Benavides, and another ten people found guilty in the so-called Tropcial Fruits case, to submit details of their assets. The objective is so the court can then carry out the sentence which was announced against the group in November 2003, and pay the fine placed at 3,476,771 €. The court’s ruling is firm and no appeal can be made. Unless the money is paid the group’s assets will be embargoed.
The Mayor and the others have ten days to comply with the order. Many critics complain that the assets of these people including the Mayor have long been filtered away.The sentence follows a multimillion shortfall in the accounts of the Tropical Fruits Company which was owned at the time by the Almuñecar Town Hall. Many people feel the Mayor should resign or be banned from office.
26th November 2006
A fishing boat owner has been fined 40,000 € after it was caught dragnet fishing, by the Guardia civil,in waters of La Herradura last year within the exclusion zone of the Maro-Cerro Gordo Natural Park.The area is a nature reserve protected by the Junta de Andalucía, who said that this type of fishing is currently one of the greatest causes of damage to the local marine flora and fauna.
A 54 Maltese sailor was rescued as he had suffered a heart attack on board a Maltese ship off the coast of Motril, Granada on Wednesday was airlifted off by a Coastguard helicopter
17th Nov 2006
A 350 million € project was presented this week to build a golf course with 1,000 homes and 700 apartments, a five star hotel and shopping centre in Rubite. The development would increase the population of the small coastal Granada village, from 550 to 3000.The PSOE Mayor of the village, Arsenio Vázquez, said the plan had many attractions for the village, and had been included in the PGOU urban plan approved last October. The project still needs permission from the Junta de Andalucia Environment Department, and the Granada Provincial Town Planning Commission, so there is a long way to go.
14th Nov 2006
The mayor of Almunecar is under attack again for taking almost 4 million euros from developers in fees for projects which are not legal under the existing PGOU (urban plan) , but will become legal IF the new PGOU ever gets approved by the Junta de Andalucia. The mayors critics say that Almunecar town hall can not afford to pay the money back if it has too.
7th November 2006
One year ago today six men died in the Torre Cuevas Autovia del Mediteraneo bridge disaster. The Judge in Almunecar has given the Ministry for Development three days to produce the report and also he has reprimanded the construction company and the National Research Center of Metallurgy for reports also still outstanding.
2nd Nov 2006
Rules Damn pipelines.
Well they made the damn but never put in the pipework to feed the water to the Velez de Benaudalla bridge to provide irrigation and drinking water. Next year the Andalucia water agency will start work on the 18 km pipeline taking water to Molvizar, Lobres, Itrabo and down to the Granada coast. The work will benefit 300,000 people, cost 20m euros and take two years.
Banco Halifax Hispania has opened two new branches in Sotogrande and Guadalmina on the Costa del Sol and a new branch here on the Costa Tropical in La Herradura. The bank are interested in the expatriate market here in the Costa Tropical where people are buying property to let or relocating to the Costa Tropical for a change of lifestyle. Banco Halifax Hispania also has branches on the Costa del Sol in Málaga, Marbella, Benalmádena, Fuengirola and Torrox.
The sales pitch for the Halifax (parent company) is that there are English speaking staff and that you can arrange your affairs in the U.K through one of their branches before you arrive in Spain. My experience of the Banco Halifax Hispania is that their charges are expensive and their interest rates on their mortgages are more expensive. Many of the Spanish banks offer free transfers, internet banking and mortgages almost 2% cheaper (the last time we compared).Also if you are buying property in the Costa Tropical you would not want to use the Halifax to transfer money from the UK, it could cost you thousands of Euros If you are looking for mortgage or banking facilities please email us and we will recommend the banks and companies we have found to be inexpensive and efficient.
15th October 2006
Saturday 14th October was Europa Day in Almunecar. Almuñécar’s annual fiesta for foreign residents, was a big success on Saturday October 14 as a dozen expatriate clubs and associations staged a gastronomic display in Majuelo Park. The fiesta was enjoyed by hundreds of foreigners from over 70 countries as well as many Spaniards.
The highlight was the award by the mayor of a plaque to a member of each of the main clubs for inter- cooperation between foreigners and the local community. Winners this year were Tim and Clare Fear of the British Legion and Leif Lindell of Hispano Nórdica and Club Nórdica. Marion Moller of the German Speaking Club, Charline den Elsken of the Flemish Cub, Deschomets Paquerette of the Francophone Association. Anna Grazyna Kulesza, a Polish architect and artist of the American Club of the Costa del Sol,was thanked for donating large murals to the castle and promising a third next year depicting the arab era of Almunecars past.These existing murals are fantastic and well worth seeing at St. Miguel castle in the heart of Almunecar.
15th October 2006
Hotel accommodation in Almunecar/La Herradura has in the last 5 years, increased from 81% occupancy to 91% occupancy, whilst the number of beds have increased to 12000. This great news for the Costa Tropical and shows that tourism is growing.
7th October 2006
Almunecars mayor, Juan Carlos Benavides, has opened new artificial grass pitch in the San Miguel old town as well as the recently remodeled Calle Antigua, again in the old town of Almunecar.
6th October 2006
Granada airport has confirmed that Ryan air have opened a new link from East Midlands airport in the UK, to start 20th February 2007. Ryanair is thought to be partly responsible for the increase in hotel occupancy on the Costa Tropical and increased visitor numbers on the Costa Tropical coastline. The airport has been renamed Federico Garcia Lorca Granada' Jaen Airport which is a bit of a mouthful, and we along with many other people will continue to refer to it as Granada airport. The new route alone with its 3 flights a week is thought to create 40 new jobs and bring 6 million euros a year tourists spend to the Granada region as a reported 40 000 passengers will come and enjoy the delights of Granada, the Alpujarras, Sierra Nevadas, Lecrin Valley and the Costa Tropical. These flights will be all year round as Ryan air appreciate the all year round attractions of the the Granada region
5th October 2006 There will be a new bird hide (observatory) at Charca de Suarez, in Motril which will be designed to view the Parque de los Humedales
30th September 2006
The Fiesta has started to celebrate St. Miguel (St. Michael). In Almunecar the castle is named the St Miguel castle and this top upper most part of the old town is known as St Miguel. There was and will be through out the weekend singing and dancing in the streets of Almunecar with traditional Spanish music.
27th September 2006 S
SOS Andalucia an animal charity has finally secured funding of 800,000 euros to build an animal sanctuary on a plot of 31,728 square metres of which they will occupy 16,000 square metres. The rest will be used for other social purposes that will become the property of Almunecar Ayuntamiento, with the technical and legal advice costing a further 15,000 euros. The secretary of the association, Julia, has rescued 6,225 dogs in her 7 years of involvement and with the new facilities SOS Andalucia will be the biggest animal rescue in the Costa Tropical.
The new Bahia 4star hotel in Almunecar has opened this month and reported good reservation figures.
23rd September 2006
The junta de Andalucia is planning to curb light pollution throughout Andalucia in an initiative which will see the banning high light emissions which will see heavy fines for Town Halls and businesses. The Granada region has the astronomic observation base at Predallano in the Sierra Nevadas.
21st September 2006
The Junta de Andalucia want to introduce new measures to reduce the number of properties built at the same time as a golf course. In Andalucia this will mean a reduction from 15 to 10 houses per hectare and some even think that is too high and only want 1 per hectare. Andalucia currently has 86 courses in 87000 square kilometers with a further 86 golf courses in the planning stage at the Junta de Andalucia. There are twenty in the Granada region with 4 in Almunecar, 2 in Salobrena and 2 in Molvizar. I suspect the reduction to 10 will suffice.
22nd September 2006
The plans for a sub aquatic park planned for Almunecar, Marina del Este, Cotobro, San Cristobal and La Herradura has been resurrected after ecologists showed the reef regeneration after a trial of only one year. Now the multi million euro project has been allocated funds and works will start within months. This is great news for scuba divers and local businesses a like. This is the first of its kind in Andalucian and will improve the levels and diversity of marine life on the Costa Tropical.
20th September 2006
98 illegal immigrants were detained in Motril on Sunday after a group including 11 children landed from Morocco. More illegal immigrants arrived on the Costa Tropical on Sunday - two boats carrying a total of 98 passengers. The illegal immigrant problem is growing at present with 180 people detained yesterday alone along the Granada and Almeria coastline. La Herradura also saw a small boat stopped by the Coast guard with three illegal immigrants on board.
18th September 2006
The Prince and Princess of Asturias became the first members of the Royal family to make an official visit to the Costa Tropicals commercial center of Motril. They were christening the Alvaro de Bazan F100 navy frigate which has been seen several times on test runs off the Costa Tropical coast.
14th September 2006
The proposal to build the worlds longest cable car to service Andalusia's Sierra Nevada ski range has officially been submitted for planning approval to the Junta de Andalucia. The 19 km long cable car will cost 148 million euros and could be open within 4 years. This would be a fantastic initiative for the resort and for the whole Granada region. It only takes one hour to get from the Costa Tropical resort of Salobrena from the Ski village.
03 Sep 2006 The Mayor of Almuñécar has declared that he intends to take the rejection of the towns new Urban Plan to the supreme court. The cabinet have also refused Almuñecar the right to a referendum on the subject.
Almunécar’s new local development plan,(PGOU), has 2 new marinas, several thousand new properties including over 550 low cost housing and four golf courses, but the Junta de Andalucia think it is too much.
31st Aug 2006
The Partido Popular say that the Andalucian Government need to speed up the completion of the new motorways in the Granada region. This delay in 5 stretches of motorway where contracts have been awarded is unacceptable the PP has told Congress. The Costa Tropical including Almunecar , La Herradura and Salobrena are awaiting final works to open the new junctions in their area. In all 58.2km of motorway are affected and are due to be finished for 2008.
29th August 2006 A Romanian gang of thieves, all under 25 and who targeted luxury chalets in the Almuñécar and La Herradura area have been have been arrested by the Guardia Civil. Loot recovered included luxury cars, cash, jewellery and phones. The spree lasted 3 weeks but the Guardia determined to trap the gang set up road check points throughout the Costa Tropical as far as Salobrena which led to the gangs capture.
23rd August 2006
Almuñécar motorway collapse remains unexplained say court. Evidence given in court on Monday by three men working at the site on the A7 motorway where a viaduct collapsed last November has failed to clarify the cause of the accident. Six men lost their lives in the accident in Taramay on 7th November 2005 , but despite evidence from key on site witnesses the authorities can find no single reason as to why the accident occurred. Several reconstructions have been carried out with results due in December. The Junta de Andalucia have ordered works to resume in the Costa Tropical area.
16th August 2006
The annual fireworks bonanza to mark the end of the Almunecar fiesta was an amazing success. Set to music Almunecar was set a light with mock battle scenes between the old castle and sea aggressors. The display lasted for over half an hour and was hailed by experienced viewers as the largest display in the history of Almunecar. We watched from the beach in front of the Atillo paseo and it was incredible!! So put Almunecar in your diary for next August 15th.
14 Aug 2006,
Despite a red warning flag a holiday maker went out to swim in the bay of La Herradura and drowned. Mr Rafael MV from Switzerland was 35 and he was here on holiday with his family. Rescue workers tried desperately to revive him to no avail. His family have holiday in the Costa Tropical for many years and loved La Herradura especially.
15 Aug 2006,
Motrils national police force have broken a large ring of fraudsters in Motril. The banking fraud committed by local drug addicts consisted of obtaining false identification and obtaining bank loans for cars which were subsequently resold , without repaying the banks. Other retail businesses were targeted and the total defrauded will reach 500,000 euros. this is one of the largest frauds uncovered in the Costa Tropical.
11 August 2006
Over 5 tonnes of Jelly fish as another plague has threatened the Costa Tropical coastline . There have been reports of over a thousand people attending medical centres. The Treatment is to wash the affected sting area with SEA water and then apply ice. People also recommend vinegar or urine as the acid content neutralizes the alkali content!! The numbers of Jelly fish have reduced along the Costa Tropical from last year and the authorities have improved the measures to protect the swimmers including instructing cleaning boats to target the stinging menaces.
21 July 2006
80 hectares of scrub land was burnt in a large fire outside Motril. Firefighters battled over twenty hours to get the blaze under control. The whole Costa Tropical area is on fire alert after the very dry spell as is the whole of Andalucia.
11th July 2006
Measures put in place to regenerate the marine flora in La Herradura has proved a huge success with pictures released by the department responsible for Costa Tropicals marine protection showing substantial plant life growth within 18 months in the La Herradura bay and also in Cerro Gordo.
10th July 2006
Lobres has finished asphalting its main carretera del Canal and its a huge improvement for traffic flow in and out of Lobres.
9th July 2006
Floating diving platforms have arrived in the Costa Tropical much to the delight of the tourists. The platforms with spring boards and slides are proving a big hit with families and teenagers and are positioned near the peñon in Salobrena and St. Cristobal beach in Almunecar.
8th July 2006
Ten people had to be rescued from a yacht near Motril. The had been travelling up and down the Granada coastline known as the Costa Tropical. No injuries were reported. The Junta de Andalucia are considering new measures for marine safety.
7th July 2006
The health center in Almunecar which has been open for several months still does not have any specialists consultants and only GPs. The Junta de Andalucia has stated that consultants will arrive in September but in the meantime any serious cases will be referred to Motril.
6th July 2006
The Ministry for the Interior for Andalucia have started to sell of all the military watch towers some of which are 800 years old to the local councils for prices ranging from 6,000 in Gualchos to 200,000 euros in La Rabita. These atalayas are not being offered to the public but if they are we will let you know.
Bird flu officially arrives in Andalucia , but health officials say there is no risk to humans. The only risk at this point is to the wild bird population in the many reserves around Andalucia. This has not affected the Costa Tropical.
17th June 2006
SPANISH authorities are to adopt a ‘name and shame’ policy aimed at punishing property owner for failing to comply with the country’s tax laws. Andalucia in particular.
Not knowing about the legal and tax issues surrounding a purchase in Spain, isn’t likely to remain an acceptable excuse as authorities in Spain are beginning to clamp down on tax offender. One of their tactics involves ‘naming and shaming’ guilty parties. This measure involves publishing the names and addresses of all those people in the ‘Boletin Official’ — a Government newspaper, which is published daily. In addition to this, names and addresses will also be posted on the internet, on each of the Spanish regions websites.
If the guilty parties still don’t clear their tax bills after having their names published, the authorities will then publish a statement that they are to proceed with an embargo — or legal charge — or in some circumstances with the seizure of the property.
“It is now imperative for any owners of Spanish property who didn’t seek independent legal advice when buying their property to have the title checked out to ensure that they actually own the property and that there aren’t any claims or threat to it. The property developer’s lawyer cannot be deemed independent and we cannot stress how important it is that when purchasing property overseas one should always use an independent lawyer, just as they would at home.”
If this matter effects you contact us.
28th May 2006
The Spanish cabinet have approved the draft of a new land law which the Spanish government hopes will counteract Spanish real estate speculation which is one of the causes of the high price of property in Spain.
Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega, the Vice-president of Spain, said the law will help to secure more land for building “vivienda de protección oficial”, i.e. low-cost housing and made available to first-time buyers with low salaries. As Spanish real estate speculation has increased in recent years, it has reduced the amount of subsidised Spanish housing.
Fernandez de la Vega said “The new law reinforces public intervention, redefine citizens’ rights and duties, guarantee greater respect for the environment, establish greater funds for vivienda protegida and improve the regulation of public ownership of land”.
This new law will make Spanish building promotors take into account special needs and environmentally friendly measures in all new Spanish property. This is good news for everyone as it will curb endless holiday home developments which may remain empty for most of the year and has caused problems in some areas of Spain.
23rd May 2006
Spanish water companies give promises of high service standards or they could face penalties upto 2.5 euros the equivalent of 10,000 litres of water. Wow that should take care of any problems in future. The full deal should be in place at the end of the year.
18th May 2006
Work by Spanish developers has halted on the proposed hotel site in Cotobro, Almuñecar. More Roman ruins have been discovered and the developers cant find the Roman well which was allegedly to be preserved! Investigations are under way, so watch this space. If any one finds a spare Roman well let us know they might need one!
17th May 2006
A suspected outbreak of Legionaires disease that broke out at the Najarra hotel, effecting a group of pensioners from Cataluña is still being investigated. No deaths were caused but 14 people were admitted to hospital.
15th May 2006
The planned sub aqua park in Almuñecar is on hold in a wrangle with the Junta de Andalucia in Seville over funding.
12th May 2006
There are still on going wranglings over the developement next to the Roman Aqueduct in Torrecueves where the Ecologistas en Accion have reported that the works are undermining the aqueduct. A report by Seprona (a branch of the guardia who investigate such matters) has said there is no damage. I guess we will have to wait for the aquaduct to fall down before the town hall intervene in this matter.
7th May 2006
Great news the Rules Dam is finished and filling with water. The bad news is they have not fitted the pipes needed to get the water from the dam to where it is needed in the villages and farms further south. Acuamed the water authority have stated that work on the pipes wont start until 2008 at the earliest. Who knows the dam may be effective by 2012 if we are lucky. Good job this isn´t the south of England or we would be in trouble.
27th April 2006
It is estimated that Britons own another 260,000 abroad and a report from Savills indicates that there is also a growing enthusiasm for owning a second property.
As reported by the Daily Mail, the total of 600,000 second homes owned by Brits and it is a trend that experts suggest will only escalate as levels of disposable income rise.
Furthermore, increasing numbers are purchasing a second property with a view to supplementing income, with buy-to-let mortgages growing in popularity in the UK.
Rental demand is high across the UK but many investors are also tempted by the prospect of renting out a property abroad, with the likes of Spain and France particularly lucrative because of a steady demand from the tourist market.The strongest area being Andalucia.
Investors often see Spain as the most sensible choice, especially Andalucia, due to the increasing number of budget airlines opening new routes throughout to the country.
A study carried out last year by Savills Private Finance found that Spain remains a hot favourite among investors hoping to combine pleasure and profit. With Spanish banks now catching onto the idea of non resident mortgages and interest rates up to half the level in the uk it doesnt take a financial genius to realise it makes good sense.
Of those who have bought a second home abroad, around one in four decided on Spain.Of those over 60% chose Andalucia. Most plan to spend around six months in their overseas property during the winter months, which clearly leaves the summer months to maximise the rental potential. July and August alone can realise a gross return of 2.5%. With mortgage rates starting at 2.85% it makes a great financial investment.
Owning a second home undoubtedly offers a range of benefits from convenient holiday breaks to the financial benefits of investment. For a mixture of both factors, it seems certain that the number of Brits owning a second property will continue to rise into the foreseeable future, while there are no signs of the current enthusiasm for buy-to-let abating. With a lack of other investment vehicles at present property will continue to shine.
21st April 2006
Government figures released over the weekend show that Malaga is the second most expensive city for average property prices with €2,145.5 compared to Barcelona´s €2,464.6 per square metre. In Andalucia the increase was an average of 14.1% at €1,587.4 per metre.
21st April 2006
Spain has regained top spot from Turkey and Greece for European holidays.
"On assessing confirmed bookings we see Spain is the destination of choice, ahead of other countries," said Paul Reeve of Holidays-Direct.
"The phrases that visitors use to find our site are searching for also point to Spain being the top country as it features in a huge number of searches.
Paul Reeve, Holidays-Direct: "Spain is definitely established in the consumers' minds as a value-for-money destination for families where you're guaranteed to get good weather. The fact that holidaymakers can get to Spain from over a dozen UK airports is another big factor, especially for people with young children as it helps keep travelling time to a minimum."
He also stated that another reason for the high number of bookings is the buoyant Spanish property market and the fact that many UK residents own homes in Spain.
22nd April 2006
The average price of housing in Spain keeps rising. To the end of March, prices were 12% higher than a year ago at an average cost of 1,877 € per square metre. Last year prices rose 12.8% and in 2004 the increase was 17.2%. Above average increases were seen along the Mediterranean Coastline and also in Aragón and Galicia.
21st April 2006
Hacienda tax authorities has announced that in future the NIF of the promoter must be supplied when purchasers make payments for off-plan property. The NIF number will be needed for tax reductions to be available for purchasers in new legislation from next year.
21st April 2006
Even though European law looked set to intervene in the Valencia land grab scandal little has changed. Regional government promised to ammend the Ley Reguladora de la Actividad Urbanistica (LRAU) 1994, and indeed produced ammendments which came into force in February 2006. Despite 15,000 strong petitions and condemnation by MEPs the ammendments only give a longer notice period of intended developement and doesn´t reduce the developers power to change land usage.
Earlier this year, Valencia's land-grab laws looked to be history, but the threat to homeowners in this part of eastern Spain is as real as it ever seemed. The regional government promised action late last year to amend the Ley Reguladora de la Actividad Urbanistica (LRAU), a 1994 law allowing developers to compulsorily purchase homes and re-designate land for development. Politicians had been stung by fierce condemnation of the LRAU by the European Parliament after MEPs had received a 15,000-signature petition from affected owners and urged a moratorium on future development until a new law gave greater rights to residents.
'A law is being abused and people are being exploited,' says Michael Cashman, a Labour MEP'An un-transparent and complicated law is being exploited by unscrupulous businesses and officials in Valencia.'
The law was introduced to stop large estate holders blocking future growth and developement for infrastructure etc. , but so far has only been used to compulsory purchase homes at agricultural prices , to build apartments and golf courses. The fight will continue into the courts of European Rights. In the meantime the official advice is get good professional advice before buying in this region.
19th April 2006
According to Manilva council Walt Disney are considering a new Disney theme park in the Malaga province. This would be a huge bonus for the whole of the Andalucia and the south of Spain for both inward investment and tourism. The site of the 247 acre Selwo Park was originally earmarked for a Euro Disney but the American company thought that Paris would be better. They now concede this may have been a mistake. No!!
19th April 2006
Ryanair are opening more new routes into Granada and hope to bring in 240,000 visitors to Granada this year. A consortium of businesses in conjunction with the Granada tourist board have agree to pay €966,000 to extend their publicity accord with Ryanair.
19th April 2006
Unions have made several more requests for a full investigation into the bridge disater that killed 6 workers in Almuñécar last November. They want all the structural calculations checked.
19th April 2006
Almost one third of Brits are interested in buying or moving abroad according to a new survey by Banco Halifax Hispania. They have also reported an increase in people looking to buy in Andalucia, Spain that they are increasing their network of branches from 14 to 20.
April 18 2006
Immigrants are helping to sustain Spains building industry boom
By Leslie Crawford in Madrid www.ft.com Immigrants are emerging as a powerful new force in the Spanish economy, boosting demand for new housing, which in turn is sustaining the country’s long construction boom, according to analyst reports.
25th November 2011 AlmuñécarCultural Agenda for December, there is something going on every day from the 1stof December until the 29th. The events include the of the lighting of the Christmas Tree, Carol singing, Several Plays, Jass Boilling Quintet, Fiestas, Traditional Christmas concert and lots more. Enjoy!
