My NON cruise holiday this Easter….

I’ve just come back from a family Easter holiday to Spain, surprisingly not on a cruise this time.  My children are of the age where we have to go away during school holidays. We decided on Benalmadena, Spain as we have been before , its not too far, and the boys love it there. The weather was absolutely glorious, we were so lucky this time of year to have 10 days of boiling sunshine.  Benalmádena is a town on southern Spain’s Costa del Sol, known for its beaches and the modern Puerto Marina. The nearest cruise port is the brand new one in Malaga.  Malaga is a wonderful place to wander and explore, particularly in the old town, with traditional taverns and plazas. It also has lots of fine architecture and has enough ancient buildings to keep history enthusiasts happy for hours. If however you prefer the livelier parts of the Costa del Sol including Puerto Banus, Torremolinos and Benalmadena, all are just a short distance.

My oldest son and I, decided to be a little more adventurous and see just how spectacular the surrounding area is, so we decided to visit the cable car, Teleférico Benalmádena.   The Cable Car was opened in 2003 and became one of the main tourist attractions on the Costa del Sol. As a bonus there was a Bird of Prey show at top of the Calamorro Mountain.  The Falconry Display is everyday at 13:00 and at 17:00 , really worth doing if you can make the times work, the cable car journey itself was spectacular and lasts about 20 minutes. The views are stunning looking down onto the Coast, on a good clear day you can see Gibraltar and even across to North Africa. 

Another trip we did with the children was, Selwo Marina is a small marine park located in Benalmádena. These parks i know can be controversial, seeing such wonderful animals in captivity always raises questions and worries, but honestly the park was stunning , the animals all seemed to be in a fantastic condition and so well looked after. Luckily, for us, the park was soo quiet as half term in Wales is a week later than English and Scottish schools. The Dolphin shows were amazing, and was a real treat for my children to see such wonderful creatures up so close. The park is quite small, the staff are very friendly and informative, it made our visit a very positive experience. 

Most of all we made use of the beaches and the sea, the weather was outstanding so made full use of getting as much vitamin D as possible! I even spotted several cruise ships in the distance from my lounger so I sat there looking at the shape trying to get which one it was! I am cruising with the family this year but not until the Autumn, back in Wales now feeling the cold I have to say and my holiday seems a distant memory, but ready to book all you lovely cruisers your next getaway.

As always get in touch if I can help.

Haydn