The new limit will affect all roads with a single lane in each direction, or single lane one-way streets.

The DGT traffic authority has announced plans to reduce the speed limit on all urban roads with just one lane in each direction to 30 km/hour, or in one way streets with a single lane. Currently most such roads have a 50 km/hour limit.

The change will come into force with the publication of the new Spanish Highway Code, el Reglamento General de Circulación, and was announced by the General Director, Pere Navarro, in Córdoba on Thursday.

He justified the measure by saying no pedestrian can survive a car at 70 kms/hour, 50% survive a 50 kms/hour impact, but 95% survive a 30 kms/hour impact.

In 2009, 286 pedestrians were killed on Spanish roads, 46% of them in towns and cities.

Staying on the road, the DGT traffic authority has released plans to allow over 16 year olds drive with an adult. They will however have had to approved the theory exam and have had at least 20 hours driving previously at a driving school.

Source: typicallyspanish.com

Villas Marbella are leading luxury property specialists dedicated to luxury villa and property sales in Marbella. With many years of real estate experience and a complete knowledge of the coast, our expert consultants always remain objective which gives balance to complete a search. For further information about Villas Marbella, please contact us via our website at www.villasmarbella.com or telephone our offices on +34 952 83 9406.

This Saturday we see the start of the Marbella Classic Poker series 2011.

There is a change in the structure to a two day event instead of the previous 3 days it ran over in the past. This I feel is a good move on the part of the Marbella Casino, as we demonstrated at last year’s Marbella Mob Open, a two day event with a good structure and earlier starting times is a far more attractive game for the seasoned poker player than a 3 day slog.

The cost of the buy-in remains the same at €350 for which you get a starting stack of 10,000 chips. You also have the option to take a re-buy for another €350 for the same number of chips.

So depending on whether you get off to a flying start or not, may influence your option, but the unlucky players who suffer bad beats and get their Aces cracked in the first few levels, can still come back in to fight again, but at a cost of course.

Starting time with cards in the air on Saturday is now 4.30pm and doors to the casino open at 4pm.

You could take a shot at winning a seat into the weekend’s tournament on Thursday night.

A €50€ re-buy satellite is played with all prizepool money being awarded as entries into the tournament. You never know, you could win a €700 package for as little as €50. The MCP league runs again this year and will reward the most consistent players with fabulous prize packages to the largest tour in Europe, the EPT, sponsored by the online giant Pokerstars.

Remember last year the beautiful 24-year old Liv Boeree won the San Remo leg and a whopping €1.25 million. It could be you!!

Source: www.euroweeklynews.com

Villas Marbella are leading luxury property specialists dedicated to luxury villa and property sales in Marbella. With many years of real estate experience and a complete knowledge of the coast, our expert consultants always remain objective which gives balance to complete a search. For further information about Villas Marbella, please contact us via our website at www.villasmarbella.com or telephone our offices on +34 952 83 9406.

The Spanish government has launched a direct appeal to Britons to help kick-start Spain’s faltering economy by buying some of the country’s 700,000 unsold houses.

Beatriz Corredor, the Spanish housing secretary, promised new planning laws to end the confusion which has led to some British home owners being ordered to knock down their properties deemed to have been illegally built.

“Come here calmly, and trust in the system that we have and the transparency we provide,” she said.

“There is a very attractive offer on the table here, with prices significantly lower than two years ago, and you will certainly find what you are looking for.”

Her plea reflects growing alarm in Spain at the huge stock of newly built homes waiting to be sold – of which 400,000 are near the coast – since the country’s economic crisis began. Prices have tumbled by up to 40 per cent and banks and construction firms are desperate to recoup some of their investment.

In recent years, Britons have bought one third of all Spanish properties sold to foreigners. But many have recently been put off by horror stories of planning permission being retrospectively revoked and other complications, and the number of British buyers has slumped.

According to government figures, 100,000 homes built around the coast during the last decade face unresolved planning problems, and residents say the true number is even higher.

“The British are our highest priority and are those about whom we are most concerned,” Mrs Corredor told The Sunday Telegraph. “It is true that there has been… an image problem. Now we want to reassure the British, and all foreigners, that we are doing everything possible to put the details clearly on the table.”

As part of a package of legal reforms to be steered through the Spanish parliament this month, for any property being sold the local council will be obliged to provide a document stating clearly its boundaries, the category of land on which it stands, its access to services including water and electricity, and details of its planning approval.

If someone buys a house with all the correct paperwork, Mrs Corredor said, they could be assured of its legality. “If there is not any mention of legal proceedings on the document, the person who buys the property through the correct channels will then know there is judicial support.”

An estimated one million properties are currently on the market across Spain, including homes that have already been lived in by at least one owner.

The Spanish government’s hope is that a return of British buyers will give a boost to the ailing economy by injecting much-needed liquidity into the banks, creating work for those involved in fitting out homes and helping to draw a line under free-falling property prices.

Over the next few weeks the Spanish government will also embark on a “roadshow” around Britain and other northern European countries to promote the Spanish property market. House prices have fallen on average by 24 per cent in the Malaga area and by 19 per cent in Tenerife, Mrs Corredor said. “They are very attractive reductions, especially in properties of high quality. They are properties that are worth the trouble.”

John Heyes would agree. From his beachfront apartment on the Costa del Sol near Estepona, which he bought just over a month ago for €161,000 (£136,000), a full €100,000 cheaper than its original price, Mr Heyes, 66, urged others to seize the moment.

“There are hundreds of thousands of properties around, all at seriously discounted prices. Do your research and take your time, but it is a great opportunity.”

Nick Stuart, a British estate agent who runs the website Spanish Hot Properties, said: “There are huge bargains to be had there, such as villas in Marbella that are almost at half their previous prices.

“Get a decent independent lawyer and make sure that the property rights and bank guarantees are in place. Ninety five per cent of these horror stories could have been avoided.”

But others are not so sure. And in the golf resort of Villamartin, near Alicante in south-eastern Spain, the scale of the problem facing Mrs Corredor becomes clear.

There are 120,000 empty new homes in the wider region, and in Villamartin rows of whitewashed houses sit empty, waiting for an owner. Signs hung over the balconies offer cheap sales for properties repossessed by the banks.

Sun-bleached billboards along main roads, advertising in English and Russian, offer dream holiday homes, but the empty streets, with just the occasional car with British number plates, tell a different story.

Robin Barton, 65, has lived in Villamartin for 10 years, and sitting outside The Stray Sod Irish bar, he said it would take more than a slick marketing campaign and technical changes in the law to bring back the British and end falling prices.

“The simple fact is that the Spaniards built too many homes,” he said. “There is just not the demand for all of these houses, and with the rest of the EU in crisis too, nothing the Spanish government does is going to make people buy them.”

He pointed to the shell of a half-built block of flats, its exterior walls complete but the building uncompleted inside. “That’s been there for years. And no one will finish it. It just proves the lack of planning that caused all this mess.”

Gabi Baischer, managing director of In Sun Properties in Villamartin, has not sold a single property to Britons in the last month. Flicking through her records, trying to recall the last time that British clients came to buy homes rather than sell, she said there were now only Scandinavians and Russians.

She drove around the winding roads of Villamartin, circling the golf course and past the Irish pub, pointing out the most heavily discounted properties. Everything is being sold at a vast reduction. On Thursday she sold a two-bedroom whitewashed townhouse for €107,500 (£90,700) — less than half the initial price.

A British family is selling their villa with a swimming pool, originally bought for €320,000, for €260,000. A third property, a pretty three bedroom semi-detached villa with views down to the coast, is on the market for €205,000 — €120,000 less than its original asking price. It too is being sold by Britons.

“Over 90 per cent of our business three years ago was British people buying,” she said, “and now, it’s maybe two per cent. It has totally dried up.”

Meanwhile those who have become ensnared in complex legal disputes of the kind that have been a bugbear to foreign buyers – with some cases ending up in the European Court – warn that not even Mrs Corredor’s change to the law will solve the problem for new buyers.

“The government in Madrid can give all the assurances it wants, but without it enforcing the laws nothing will ever change,” said Charles Svoboda, whose Valencia home has been the subject of legal wrangling for the past eight years. His support group for property owners taking court action currently has 30,000 members in Valencia alone.

“The problem is that housing is often dealt with at a regional level, and national rulings make no difference whatsoever. And in small towns, there is often no one who is technically competent to enforce these laws.

“I wish the government all the luck in the world with these new proposals, and am sure they are well intentioned. But here it is like Alice in Wonderland. The housing rules may look the same, but actually everything is totally backwards.”

Maura Hillen, 46, bought a home with her husband John near the town of Albox, 130 miles south of Alicante, only to discover too late that it had not been legally approved. She is sceptical about the impact of the new law, which in any case will not apply retrospectively to cases like hers.

“I look out of my kitchen window and still see houses being built where they shouldn’t be,” she said. “And for people like us, who bought our place three years ago and are trapped in legal limbo, you feel as if the four walls are closing in on you.

“We are being hounded by a machine that will not move, that will not blink. The legal situation for housing is just crazy.”

They have formed a residents’ association which has 700 members, and this weekend are meeting 36 other organisations in Andalucia to campaign for their rights to be respected.

They say that Britons considering a move to Spain should still be very cautious.

“Many places have the veneer of legality, but these laws from Madrid are never enforced on a local level,” Mrs Hillen said. “Their intentions are correct, and I do think their efforts are in the right direction.

“But at the moment I would honestly say that British buyers should go somewhere else.”

Source: Telegraph

Villas Marbella are leading luxury property specialists dedicated to luxury villa and property sales in Marbella. With many years of real estate experience and a complete knowledge of the coast, our expert consultants always remain objective which gives balance to complete a search. For further information about Villas Marbella, please contact us via our website at www.villasmarbella.com or telephone our offices on +34 952 83 9406.

MARBELLA Town Hall has given the go-ahead to a project to create an underground car park in Avenida Severo Ochoa. The plans would also include a total refurbishment of the avenue, and due to the magnitude of the project, the town hall wanted to take it slowly and make sure that work wouldn’t have to stop halfway through due to the economic crisis, or not find a company which could run the premises.

So far, all that has been approved is a study to determine if the project is viable, and the draft for the construction and operation of the car park, which is estimated to cost €6.8m and provide more than 500 parking spaces to alleviate the problem for drivers in the town.

It is estimated the work will take 24 months, and could start in September this year.

It will have three floors, one of them destined for residents in the area.

source: www.euroweeklynews.com

As professional Marbella property consultants, Villas Marbella work extremely hard to understand what you want to achieve when purchasing your dream home in Marbella. Visit our website to find out how we can help your achieve your goals. www.villasmarbella.com

When summer is in full swing in the South of Spain, there is only one place to go to escape the heat (and get a great tan!): the beach. Families residing all-year-long in Marbella have compiled a list of the top 10 beaches to visit while on the Costa del Sol. Actually, a couple of them are technically located on the Costa de la Luz, but it could not be avoided… They are truly great beaches!

Here is the top ‘must go to’ beaches:

#10. Carvajal Beach, Benalmadena
It is a large urbanized beach (1600m in length) with lots of services nearby. It has fine golden sand with moderate waves. Located 35 minutes from Marbella center, it can be quite busy in summer as it is frequented mostly by families.

#9. Alcaidesa, Cadiz
This semi-urbanized beach is enormous, reaching 4,300 meters in length and 60 meters in width. It is usually not crowded and offers numerous services including a large golf course. It is located at La Línea de la Concepción (Cádiz), approximately 45 minutes west of Marbella.

#8. Pinomar, East Marbella
This small semi-urbanized beach located east of Marbella is only 350 meters wide. With golden sand and moderate waves you will find this beach just next to Costa Bella beach, located only 10 minutes from Marbella center just off the N340, at exit km. 189.

#7. Estrella del Mar, East Marbella
Another fabulous east Marbella beach, the Estrella del Mar offers golden sand and clear water. It is located just near the Hotel Vincci in the Urbanizacion Estrella del Mar of Las Chapas. Take the N340 to exit km. 191.

#6. La Rada, Estepona
La Rada beach is the most central beach in Estepona. It is very large offering 2630 meters of golden sand, great chiringuitos (beach restaurants) and a beautiful board walk.

#5. El Alicate, Elviria
A long strip (1900m) of beach with golden sand and moderate waves. It can get crowded in the summer. Lots of chiringuitos to choose from offering chilled sangria and typical Spanish tapas. Take the exit El Rosario, peel off to the first right at the sign El Alicate and head towards the beach.

#4. Nueva Andalucia
A long (1050m) and popular strip of fine sand which includes El Duque and La Siesta beaches. Located in front of the Guadalpin Hotel you will find this beach has a little cove and shallow water. It is perfect for small children. Take the exit for the Hotel Guadalpin off the N340.

#3. Las Chapas, East Marbella
This semi-urban beach is 750 meters long and gets very crowded in the summer. It has beautiful sand and clear water. It is located in the Urbanization Las Chapas. Take N340, exit at Las Chapas and head towards the sea.

#2. Tarifa, Cadiz
There are many beautiful beaches in Marbella, but a favorite is a little further west. It is Punta Paloma near Tarifa, on the Costa de la Luz. This beach is truly unspoiled and its sand dunes are so exceptional, it had to make this list! Punto Palomar does not offer typical Marbella services such as showers, toilets and lounge chair rentals. Follow road signs to Algeciras, then Tarifa. Ignore the road to the town center and continue to Punta Paloma at km. 74.

#1. Cabopino, East. Marbella
Another great east Marbella beach, Cabopino, is the winner of this list. Its clean sand and clear water, stretching over 1200 m, make it a very popular beach all summer long! Just be aware that there is a nudist beach, Dunas de Artola, neighboring it to the west.

Franck B. lives in Marbella, Spain. With his wife and children, he created www.marbellafamilyfun.com, a unique resource for families traveling with children to the Costa del Sol. This article is an excerpt of the Marbella Family Newsletter.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Franck_Benhamou

As professional Marbella property consultants, we work extremely hard to understand what you want to achieve when purchasing your dream home in Marbella.

With many years of real estate experience and a complete knowledge of the coast, we strive to achieve your goals in viewing property by satisfying individual requirements in terms of location, price and architecture. Our expert consultants always remain objective which gives balance to complete a search.

Visit our website for more information: www.villasmarbella.com

Marbella, the city of luxury, is located on the coast of Malaga, between the major tourist destinations, such as Estepona and Fuengirola. This town is internationally known for its glamour and its wide range of entertainment.

Sheltered by the Sierra Blanca Mountains, Marbella is located only 57 km from Malaga. It is a very cosmopolitan city. With a mild climate and its 24 beaches along 26 km of coastline, Marbella offers a wide range of leisure activities among which are outstanding golf and water sports.

The marina of Puerto Banus is famous internationally for its ostentatious yachts, cars, exclusive boutiques, restaurants, terraces and clubs. In Puerto Banus are the best beaches and beach clubs; here are concentrated the highest number of five star hotels, restaurants, shops and clubs Marbella. This glittering international hot spot is situated only 7 km from the heart of Marbella.

However, Marbella has managed to also take care of its historical heritage. The old town is full of charming squares, streets and whitewashed houses.

Furthermore, despite the large urban exploitation, a lot of nature can be found not far away. The nearby mountains of the Sierra Blanca invite to take a stroll and enjoy spectacular views over the Mediterranean Sea.

This Mediterranean city can offer something for every taste, whether you spend your vacation there or if you’re planning to do some tours along the Sun Coast. There is a wide range of hotels in Marbella, for all tastes, from budget to luxury to enjoy this city of glamour.

Getting to Marbella from anywhere along the Costa del Sol, Malaga city and the international airport is easy. The Andalusian coast highway runs along the Mediterranean Sea and from Malaga airport it takes only a little over half an hour to get to Marbella. If you plan to rent a car during your stay in Malaga, a car rental in Malaga is very convenient if done directly at the airport. That way, you are free to move from the beginning to the end of your holidays and to discover the beautiful spots of the province.

In internet we can find a variety of offers to suit all tastes and budgets, both for hotels and Malaga car hire, where we can choose from home and plan our vacation to our liking.

Marbella is not close to Malaga airport, and public transport can bring us some headaches, my best recommendation would be an airport transfer to Marbella or a car rental in Malaga.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Raul_GT

As professional Marbella property consultants, we work extremely hard to understand what you want to achieve when purchasing your dream home in Marbella.

With many years of real estate experience and a complete knowledge of the coast, we strive to achieve your goals in viewing property by satisfying individual requirements in terms of location, price and architecture. Our expert consultants always remain objective which gives balance to complete a search.

Visit our website for more information: www.villasmarbella.com

Marbella has a wealth of restaurants, some of them excellent and some of them only aiming themselves at tourists who once they have captured their money will never return again. The following restaurants are onces that have been visited personally by myself and family and the review is independent.

The Block House in La Canada Commercial centre. The children’s menus here are on average 4.95 euros but the drinks are just under 3 euros on top. Excellent quality food and Argentinian steaks are their speciality. Staff seem to stay at this restaurant and the service has always been good. The decor is comfortable and an adult can buy a good quality burger, 100% beef, for just under 9 euros. They have good desserts too.

Wok Away in Puerto Banus near the central square. This restaurant uses fresh ingredients, all cooked in front of you but for the decor and standard of service, is overpriced. You are served on throw away plates and the decor is looking shabby. The ceiling is black, which would be arty apart from some of the ventilation unit pipes are now fully exposed and the finish is poor. The service there is either friendly or frosty, never inbetween. The adults portions are just under 9/10 euros. The children’s menus are around 6 euros and have not had a good reception with children that have been taken there. The children that went here recently were aged from 8 to 11 and they all left their food.

Terra Sana on the Golden Mile has a lovely decor, very relaxing and hip and service very good. Importantly staff have been there for quite a while, there is a great choice of menu, particularly good wraps. Food is always beautifully presented and their cheesecake and carrot cake are my idea of heaven…super heaven. Desserts are expensive but the portions are large so you could share. Their main courses are keenly priced. They also do great smoothies. If you have friends over you are able to buy their cakes/desserts, pre order and collect to take home. Great for adults and children. Good pizzas too…

Trader Vics Polynesian restaurant in Puerto Banus. Here the decor is very attractive and service is good and the food is presented very well. Their cocktails are also presented in a fun and attractive way ( eg one is served inside a coconut shell). However the food here is expensive and there never seems to be enough of it. The bill end up being mammoth or stomachs are still in need of fuel. For that special celebratory meal this restaurant is a good choice.

Albert’s in Cabopino has live music at the week-end, very quirky decor inside, and large portions of English style food. At the end of the meal your bill arrives in a high heeled shoe. Excellent service and good prices. If you like English food and don’t mind eating indoors to get the full blast of dramatic decor then you won’t be disappointed.

Peggottys Fish and Chips is absolutely brilliant, though my preference is for their first restaurant to the more recent one that they opened in Nueva Andalucia. Huge portions, spotlessly clean, excellent service, relaxed with children and really good fish and chips. They have child menus which are actually quite large. Not cheap compared to fish and chip shops in the UK, but the food is very good and you will go home with stomach ache not through food poisoning but because you will have over eaten.

Picassos in Puerto Banus is situated front line marina in the summer you can’t miss it as there will be queues snaking around it waiting for a table. Be patient as it is a large restaurant so you should find a table. The value of the pizzas is excellent for the location and of a high quality. They are so large you can easily share one between the two of you and their desserts are good too. The chocolate brownies and New York baked cheesecake are very popular in our house. You can also book online via their website and they welcome hen and stag night celebrations in Marbella and Puerto Banus too.

VIP in Puerto Banus, I haven’t eaten here, I’ve just had a coffee, but the service was good and for tourists the menu is simple as there are photos! VIP’s had a marketing idea which is genius. For a mere 1 euro 50 you can have a taster of their desserts eg chocolate brownie, cheesecake etc. If you like something sweet with your tea or coffee then VIP’s has the solution and for only 1 euro 50 cents . This was very helpful in keeping my bill low when I took my young daughter for a little drink after a shopping trip. She’s under ten and could never have managed a full ice-cream or dessert but the brownie taster was ideal for her and meant I could have a big dessert, pay the full price and not feel guilty when the bill came. We were both happy!

http://www.helpful-ideas.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anna_Meredith

As professional Marbella property consultants, we work extremely hard to understand what you want to achieve when purchasing your dream home in Marbella.

With many years of real estate experience and a complete knowledge of the coast, we strive to achieve your goals in viewing property by satisfying individual requirements in terms of location, price and architecture. Our expert consultants always remain objective which gives balance to complete a search.

Visit our website for more information: http://www.villasmarbella.com/

Infamous Marbella on the Costa del Sol on the south coast of Spain with its glitz, incredible nightlife, chic shops and restaurants, and of course showy wealth, what’s not to love about it? For over 40 years it’s been a fun playground for the rich and famous, where some celebrities love to engage in a little of the sophistication, hoping to be seen (or not) in Puerto Banus with its millionaire yachts or at glamorous Nikki Beach known for its canopied double beds on the sand, live musicians and champagne on tap.

And what of the plastic surgery? In response to visitors to the area, a number of specialised clinics have opened in recent years to satisfy the demand for tummy tucks, face lifts, nose jobs, boob jobs and more. The Molding Clinic, Mills and Mills and the newer Marbella Highcare clinic are just three offering a large array of treatments where ‘visitors’ can improve their bodies and then recuperate in the sun.

The area’s well-documented reputation as an exile for the criminal fraternity, along with corruption in the Town Halls over building licenses, and other tales of greed, has not helped the perception of the Costa del Sol. But do these offerings make Marbella a bad place and a plastic paradise in more than one sense of the word? The cultural aspect of theatre, music and dance is often over-looked and, in fact, Marbella has just opened its doors to the first and only English-speaking University in the south of Spain.

Marbella and some of its neighbouring towns have much to offer, not only on a cultural level, but for the architecture and sport, particularly golf, and not least for the wildlife and flora and fauna including the ubiquitous palm trees, abundant bougainvillea, exotic Bird of Paradise and many varied cacti plants.

Marbella is in Andalusia, an autonomous community. Yet to escape from its glitz and glamour, a place called Juanar is only 20 minutes away. Popular with both the locals and tourists, despite its secluded mountain location, Juanar in Ojen is easily accessible by road. This is an area of great natural beauty and was designated a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1995, in short to protect and sustain the exceptional natural values of the pine forests, wild flowers and rare wildlife, particularly a variety of eagles. So near is it to Marbella that within an hour of leaving the beach where perhaps a minority of beautiful people go to sun themselves, parade around town in flashy cars and drink over-priced cocktails (and why not, if that’s your thing?), one can get a spectacular view from on high of the glittering Mediterranean Sea and the city of Marbella below.

The first thing you come across after parking is El Refugio de Juanar. This is a 3* hotel with 26 bedrooms and originally built by Malaga’s famous Marquis of Larios as a hunting lodge. Notable guests at the hotel have included King Alfonso XIII and Charles de Gaulle, where today game dishes are a speciality including partridge, venison, pheasant, quail, and during the hunting season, mountain goat and for wine-lovers, a 7,000 bottle Bodega (wine cellar).

Out of the hotel and through an iron gate, installed to prevent cars traveling any further, is a trail between Spanish fir trees (Abies pinsapo) and under the hill known as Cerro Nicolas. On the plain of Juanar many olive trees grow on private farm land. This is a gentle ascent and the path is suitable for all the family, including those with baby buggies or wheelchairs. After a white building, which is the Wildlife Conservation Centre, is the Cruz de Juanar, the summit of which is 1184 metres (3878 ft) above sea level. The Cruz de Juanar has a mounted cross which gives it its name and pilgrimages are often made to the cross.

From the Mirador (viewpoint) is the most stunning view of Marbella, little wonder the name means “beautiful sea”. Not only are you up in the mountains where the air is pure but on a clear day you can see the Rock of Gibraltar and the African coast too.

In conclusion, one can argue that Juanar is indeed the real Spain but, in truth, no more so than Marbella. Without its wealthy visitors and foreigners living there, Marbella might perhaps be little more than a fishing village and suffer from even higher unemployment. But its popularity, criticised by some and envied by others, cannot be denied. Juanar is another jewel in the crown for Andalusia because these two areas offer different aspects of Spain not only to the indigenous population but expatriates living on the south coast, and people visiting (both Spanish and foreign). To see one area without the other and to miss out on the apposition would be a loss indeed.

When living and studying in London, I obtained high level qualifications in French from the Sorbonne University in Paris and simultaneously studied Spanish. My language ability proved invaluable when I was appointed International Publicity Co-ordinator on the Oscar-winning film The Last Emperor for film director Bernardo Bertolucci and producer Jeremy Thomas.

In 1999 I moved to Spain to seek business opportunities in the thriving tourist and construction industries on the South Coast. In addition, I focused on bespoke Spanish tuition from beginner to intermediate level, catering for business people one-to-one and tutoring clients online from Scotland to the USA to Gibraltar via the Internet.

Immersed in the culture of Spain itself and the evolving ex-pat community for over 10 years, I was able to fulfill a long-held and rewarding ambition of living and working abroad. Now based in Cheltenham, UK, I continue to teach Spanish both face to face and over the Internet.

http://learn-spanish.org.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vanessa_J_Alexander

As professional Marbella property consultants, we work extremely hard to understand what you want to achieve when purchasing your dream home in Marbella.

With many years of real estate experience and a complete knowledge of the coast, we strive to achieve your goals in viewing property by satisfying individual requirements in terms of location, price and architecture. Our expert consultants always remain objective which gives balance to complete a search.

Visit our website for more information: http://www.villasmarbella.com/

BEACHES

The Costa Del Sol boasts some of the best beaches in Europe, many flying the European Blue Flag, which means they have showers, nearby restaurants and toilet facilities, sometimes lifeguards too, and are clean and safe for families. Many have sunbed/sunbrella concessions and water sports (think jet skis, banana boats, pedalos and para gliding).

You can also find secluded coves where you can simply lay your beach towel on the sand and enjoy the solitude. Some beaches involve a drive through urbanisations, such as La Cala (great for families) and the 1,900 metre beach at Alicate Playa, Elviria, reached by the El Rosario exit of the N340, a stretch that features some of the finest sand on the coast.

Urban beaches offer greater access to restaurants and attractions, such as those in Fuengirola, Marbella, San Pedro and Estepona.  Beaches close to marinas are also a safe bet if you like action, such as Plaza Beach, Puerto Banús and the sands next to Sotogrande Marina, bordering a nature reserve. There are three local nudist beaches too, popular with free spirits and the gay community: Dunas de Artola, west of Cabopino Port; Banalnatura, below the clifftop near the Hotel Torrequebrada (mind the steep steps); and the newly-designated beach at El Chaparral, west of Fuengirola, where textilists (clothes-wearers) are also welcome.

PORTS

The Costa del Sol has a wealth of yacht marinas and from here you can charter ferries, glass bottom boats or even trips to go big game fishing. However, they have also been designed for landlubbers, with a glitzy nightlife, swanky waterfront restaurants and shops.

The jet set marina of Puerto Banús is THE place for celebrity spotting, with its line-up of ocean-megayachts, parades of exotic cars and waterfront shopping for Versace gowns and Hermès handbags. Neighbouring Marbella’s Puerto Deportivo hosts many top sailing regattas and is right on the seafront promenade, a pleasant stroll from town – or the Fly Blue ‘taxi’ catamaran offers regular shuttles between here and Banús.

Also in the top port category is Benalmádena’s swish Puerto Marina, a swinging haunt after dark with its al fresco disco pubs and artificial islands sporting stylish minaret-topped apartments with yacht moorings outside.

Sotogrande is a chic boutique port with a cobbled waterfront surrounded by polychrome-painted shops and apartments, a commercial centre and a great Sunday market. Also small but perfectly formed is pretty Cabopino Port, with its pine forest backdrop and sand dune-fringed beach.

More sizeable ports include Estepona, which has a huge choice of restaurants and a popular Sunday market. You’ll have more chance of parking at La Duquesa, 10 minutes drive from Estepona but still with plenty of drinking and dining choice.

Fuengirola probably wins the award for ugliest port but there’s a lot going on. Don’t miss the regular daily ferry between here and Benalmádena’s marina.

Málaga is the grandaddy of all marinas, the oldest continuously-operated harbour in Spain, port-of-call for some 220 transatlantic liners annually and which is being remodelled to offer berthing for the world’s largest cruise ships, a new passenger terminal and leisure attractions.

Source: Belinda Beckett Essential Magazine

Villas Marbella are leading luxury property specialists dedicated to luxury villa and property sales in Marbella. With many years of real estate experience and a complete knowledge of the coast, our expert consultants always remain objective which gives balance to complete a search. For further information about Villas Marbella, please contact us via our website at www.villasmarbella.com or telephone our offices on +34 952 83 9406.

The cloud of uncertainty hovering over Spain’s economy doesn’t make an ideal backdrop for mergers and acquisitions. But that hasn’t stopped many of the country’s blue-chip companies from striking big, and in some cases bold, acquisitions abroad in recent months.

The relatively strong deal environment in Spain comes in a time of doom and gloom. Spain’s budget deficit as a percentage of gross domestic product has swelled into the double digits while Spanish property prices have fallen, hitting its banks hard, particularly the regional savings institutions known as cajas.

Given the similarities with the ills that have befallen Ireland—now slated to receive a €67.5 billion ($90.3 billion) international bailout—there is widespread concern that Spain, too, will ultimately require intervention. Spain’s IBEX 35 stock index is down roughly 13% in the past year, compared with an 11% gain for the broader Stoxx Europe 600 index. Normally, sentiment among equity investors is a good gauge of merger activity, with rising stocks often accompanied by increasing deal activity.

But in Spain lately, that linkage seems to have been broken.

According to the data provider Dealogic, Spanish companies struck $88.2 billion of deals last year, up from $33.7 billion in 2009. In 2010, Spain was ranked fourth among European countries by deal activity, up from eighth the year before. It accounted for 10.5% of European deal volume last year, its largest share since 2006. To be sure, a round of forced mergers between small, troubled lenders accounted for some of the activity, but nearly half of the Spanish deals last year involved non-Spanish targets.

The data lend credence to an argument made by those bullish on Spain: that there are fundamental differences between the country and its sicker European peers, namely that Spain’s is a much larger and more diversified economy. Many Spanish companies, even some banks, remain strong despite the challenges the country faces. Banco Santander SA, for example, has weathered the financial crisis better than many of its European and U.S. peers.

Indeed, Santander launched the second-largest foreign takeover by a Spanish company last year, winning an auction in September to buy Poland’s Bank Zachodni WBK SA for $5.35 billion, according to Dealogic data. Santander also held abortive talks last year to combine its Sovereign Bank operation in the U.S. with M&T Bank Corp. in what would have been a multibillion dollar deal.

The figures also underscore the desire of many Spanish companies to break away from their weak home market. Spain’s economy contracted slightly last year and is expected to expand by less than 1% in 2011, according to estimates from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

In perhaps the most striking example, Actividades de Construccion y Servicios SA, Spain’s largest construction company, appears likely to pull off a $4.7 billion unsolicited bid for control of German construction powerhouse Hochtief AG. The German economy has been booming of late, cementing its role as Europe’s strongest.

To be sure, the dollar volume of Spanish deals in 2010 was still lower than it was every year between 2005 and 2008, amid weakness in the global M&A market. Should the Spanish government fail to shore up its weak savings banks, leading to a further erosion in international confidence in the country, investors could turn their backs on Spanish companies across the board, starving them of the capital required to pull off big deals at home or abroad.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Villas Marbella are leading luxury property specialists dedicated to luxury villa and property sales in Marbella. With many years of real estate experience and a complete knowledge of the coast, our expert consultants always remain objective which gives balance to complete a search. For further information about Villas Marbella, please contact us via our website at www.villasmarbella.com or telephone our offices on +34 952 83 9406.