FOOT PASSENGERS!:
For those of you not wishing to hire a car, there are several local restaurants & bars only 5 mins walk away, offering choice enough not to even need to venture into Puerto Banus to dine. The local Puerto Banus market which sets up on a Saturday mornning near the recently renovated bull ring, is internationally famous, & there is a good selection of restaurants, designer shops & bars in this area too, only 10 mins walk. Day trips can be easily arranged. To Tarifa with its superb surfing beaches. Jerez with its internationally famous dancing horses & wine Bodegas (noteably Harveys) where you can sample the wines. Cordoba to see the famed Mosque & olive mills & Seville being one of Andalucias largest cities is steeped in history. OR simply visit the beautiful lakes of El Chorro north west of Malaga, where activities such as climbing, caving, walking & mountain biking take place. Madrid is now only 2 hrs by train from Malaga, Portugal 5 hrs by road & Morocco 1 hr. The options are endless!
Golf:
Golf: Andalucia has become a Mecca for golfers over the past few decades due to its fine weather that makes it possible to play golf the whole year around. At present, the number of courses is over 85 and it is increasing every year. There are dozens alone on the Costa del Sol leading to its unofficial nickname, the Costa del Golf. These courses range in complexity from simple 9-hole courses for the beginner, to PGA-rated courses like Valderrama in the province of Cadiz. This concentration of quality golf courses, combined with the sunny and warm winter climate, has made it unrivalled as a winter golf destination for northern Europeans. Many European players have, in turn, emerged as serious forces at all levels of golf. When Valderrama was chosen to host the Ryder Cup in 1997, Andalucia received universal recognition as the finest winter golf resort in Europe. The flood of advance golf reservations that were made well into the 21st century led to a flurry of new golf courses being built. For a snowbound, frustrated golfer, desperate to play in the sunshine, the pull of the Andalucian golf courses is irresistible. Course owners are re-investing in their courses to improve their quality still further, and there are no longer any weak links. Each course offers its own kind of challenge on perfect fairways and greens.
