Monthly Archives: November 2018

Benahavis, hotels

Casa Ella B&B

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Casa Ella B&B

‘Casa Ella’ is a beautiful traditional village town house offering independent luxury en-suite rooms with private terraces, situated in the centre of Benahavis. It is ideally located in the bustling heart of this charming Andalucian gastronomic village, yet only 7km from the coast & close to Marbella and San Pedro.

Casa Ella B&B Benahavis
Casa Ella B&B Benahavis

​Close to art and culture, beautiful parks, great restaurants, mountain / river walks, spa & country club, beautiful Andalucian towns & villages and stunning beaches.

The owners, Alan & Elaine, are close at hand to provide local info and recommendations.

Both Tarifa and Bolonia rooms can be configured as doubles with superking size beds or with twin beds. A travel cot or fold-up bed can be supplied in the Tarifa room for a child. Tarifa has a full bathroom with bath and overhead shower and Bolonia has a shower only (no bath tub).

Casa Ella B&B Benahavis
Casa Ella B&B Benahavis (Bolonia room)

​Both rooms have:
Air Conditioning & Heating  |  Free WIFI  |  Mini Bar  |  Private Terrace

More info on https://www.casa-ella.com/

Benahavis, hotels

Westin La Quinta Hotel

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Westin La Quinta Hotel

Five-star hotel situated in the middle of the La Quinta Golf Club, a true oasis within the Costa del Sol. Nestled by the green fairways of La Quinta, guests are within easy reach from the village of Benahavis, the vibrant Puerto Banús Marina Harbor, just 10 minutes, and the picturesque settings of the old town Marbella, about 15 minutes.

Westin La Quinta Hotel Benahavis
Westin La Quinta Hotel Benahavis

Located just 45 minutes away from Malaga International Airport (AGP), the hotel enjoys a convenient direct access from the toll highway that links Malaga with estepona, exit San Pedro.

The hotel offers 172 spacious rooms which capture the essence of Andalusian history. Guest rooms are decorated in true Mediterranean style with terracotta tiles and wooden furniture. The private balconies offer captivating views over the pool, fairways & Mediterranean coastline. 172 rooms include 114 Meliá rooms, 52 Meliá Premium rooms, 3 Junior Suites, 2 Executive Suites and 1 Presidential Suite.

Westin La Quinta Hotel Benahavis
Westin La Quinta Hotel Benahavis

Getting there

From Marbella, take direction Estepona, and then onto the Ronda road. Go left on the third roundabout where La Quinta is signposted.
From the toll highway, take the San Pedro-Benahavis exit, and go left at the first roundabout where La Quinta is signposted.

More info on https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/agpwi-the-westin-la-quinta-golf-resort-and-spa-benahavis-marbella/

Benahavis, hotels

Villa Padierna Palace Hotel

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Villa Padierna Palace Hotel

Set next to Flamingos Golf Club, this luxury hotel is 10 minutes’ drive from Puerto Banus. Designed like a Tuscan palace, it features a spa, Roman Amphitheatre and Michelin star restaurant.

Villa Padierna Palace Hotel Benahavis
Villa Padierna Palace Hotel Benahavis

Hotel Villa Padierna Marbella offers rooms and villas surrounded by beautiful gardens and the brilliantly kept Los Flamingos golf course. All have views of the golf course, pool or gardens, and in some cases the Mediterranean Sea.

The spacious air-conditioned rooms ( within the best on the Costa del Sol ) and villas have satellite TV, a CD player and luxury Frette bed linen. Private bathrooms come with a hydro-massage bath, hairdryer, slippers and bathrobe.

All villas have a private garden, and some have a private swimming pool. Villas also feature a kitchenette. To give you an idea, this is the place Michelle Obama, America’s first lady, chose for her holidays in 2011.

The Padierna spa includes an indoor pool and gym. There is a sauna, a hot tub and Turkish bath, and massage is available.

The hotel has 3 restaurants, with outdoor terraces offering superb views. There is an English bar with a fireplace, and a summer café at the beach, with free towels and sun loungers.

Villa Padierna Palace Hotel Benahavis
Villa Padierna Palace Hotel Benahavis

Hotel Rooms: 129

Getting there
Between San Pedro de Alcantara and Estepona, take the Cancelada exit, and go right up past the row of townhouses. The golfcourse is about 1500 mts away.

More info on http://www.villapadierna.es/palace/en/

Benahavis, hotels

Amanhavis Hotel

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Amanhavis Hotel

Right in the centre of Benahavis, close to the town square, lies the Amanhavis hotel, an elegant and peaceful boutique hotel. Just step out of the front door to be in the middle of the streets with the bars and restaurants and only 5 minutes away from unspoilt nature.

Amanhavis Hotel Benahavis
Amanhavis Hotel Benahavis

Burkhardt’s passion for design turned this old cortijo into an original building, with castle-like towers and stunning roof terraces. Have a dip in the outdoor swimming pool lined with palm trees.

Enjoy yourself in the spacious rooms, every which one has a historical theme and displays fantastic attention to detail.

The restaurant serves Mediterranean cuisine with a creative twist and it has a wonderful terrace in the courtyard alongside the swimming pool.

Amanhavis Hotel Benahavis
Amanhavis Hotel Benahavis

more info on https://www.amanhavis.com/

Benahavis

Taxis & Bus Services

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Taxis & Bus Services

Taxis    

There are taxis assigned to the village of Benahavis, you will be able to get one at the number below.
Some people in the village also do airport runs or taxi services though, so check around.

A taxi from San Pedro de Alcantara should cost you about 17 euros during the day, and about 20 euros at nighttime.

Taxis Benahavis
952 86 90 90
or visit http://taxibenahavis.com/

Bus Services

The busstop is at the entrance of the village on the left.
There is a bus at 07.15 and one at 19.30 leaving Benahavis for San Pedro and the centre of Marbella.
Buses leave San Pedro bus station for Benahavis at 06.50 and 19.00.

There is a cheap direct bus service from the Marbella bus station to the Malaga airport which will get you there in 45 minutes (between 6 and 8 euros depending on the time, 1 euro extra with avanzabus online, but then you are certain to have a seat)
The busstop at Malaga airport is 20m to the right when you come out of arrivals.
Times (please check www.avanzabus.com just in case):
Marbella-Malaga airport     07.15, 8.15, 09.15, 10.15, 11.30, 13.15, 15.15, 15.30, 17.00, 19.15, 21.15
Malaga airport-Marbella     08.15, 10.15, 11.30, 12.00, 12.30, 14.15, 16.15, 18.00, 20.15, 22.30

Benahavis

Police, Guardia Civil, Post Office

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Police, Guardia Civil, Post Office

Post Office, Local Police and Guardia Civil

Local Police  is situated above the village. Take the street left by the bus stop on Avda. de Andalucia, towards the Montemayor Castle and past the sports hall. You will see the sign from that road.
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The Guardia Civil office is located on the Plaza de España. They are the ones to call in case of a crime or car accident.

Traffic fines
Parking tickets and other traffic fines will be reduced by 50% if you pay within i20 days. You can do this in the local police office.

The Post Office ( Correos ) can be found in the Avda. de Andalucia, just next to the church., there is no window for the public though, here you can pick up letters or packages if your urbanisation does not have centralised individual postboxes. You can also get a P.O. Box here, talk to Paco from the papershop.
Next to the door you’ll find the only postbox in the village. If certified letters cannot be delivered, you will have to go the San Pedro Post office.

Telephones

Local Police : 112
Guardia Civil : 062

Benahavis

Schools

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Schools in Benahavis

Schools in Benahavis

Kids in Benahavis have classes from 9.00 until 14.00, unless you send them to one of the many private schools on the coast.

Benahavis has a nursery for kids up to 4 years old. It is situated at the entrance of the village on the left, above the little park.

The school, by the river opposite the Gran Hotel Benahavis, holds classes for  five to thirteen year olds. For older students, there is a bus service to the San Pedro school.

The town also has a cookery school which specializes in the Mediterranean diet. You will find the building at the entrance of the village on your right.

Telephones

Nursery : +34 952 855 122

Daidin School : +34 952 856 140 – E-mail : 29001601.averroes@juntadeandalucia.es

Cookery School : +34 952 855 242
The Dieta Mediterranea cookery school offers lunches, prepared by the pupils, from septembre until june, monday to friday.

Courses ( from september until june )
Waiter : 9 months
Chef : 2 years

Benahavis

Emergencies & Pharmacy

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Emergencies & Pharmacy

Emergencies – Tel : 112

First of all we hope you will never need this page, but if you do we will try to give you the best advice possible.
The telephone number in Spain for emergencies of all kinds is 112.
There is a medical centre in the village, which is open from 8.30AM until around 12.30PM, monday to saturday. It is situated between restaurante Rufino and the stairs next to The Brasserie.
In San Pedro there is a 24 hour medical centre on the avenue up from Mc Donalds. You will find it on the corner on the right by the first traffic lights.
Should anything serious happen though, go straight to the Costa del Sol hospital on the N340 ( coast road Marbella-Fuengirola ) past Marbella opposite the Los Monteros hotel. It is a very well equipped hospital with excellent medical service.
There is also the Hospitem hospital on the road to Estepona, which works with Sanitas.

Pharmacy

The pharmacy in Benahavis is on the Avda. Andalucia, next to the church, open from 09.00 until 14.00 and from 17.00 until 20.00 Monday to Friday, Saturday from 10.00 to 14.00 and Jaime speaks excellent English.
On the main street in San Pedro you will find a 24 hour pharmacy.

Benahavis

Nature and Wildlife

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Nature and Wildlife in Benahavis

Geology

The privileged situation of Benahavis, surrounded by mountains, between the Sierra Blanca behind Estepona and the Ronda mountain range, and only a few kilometres from Marbella and Estepona, municipalities bordering with the village territory, convert Benahavis into an authentic treasure for lovers of unspoilt nature.

From its mountains you will be able to overlook more than 100 kilometres of the Costa del Sol and a good stretch of the African mountain range on clear days.

benahavis.com : Guadalmina river
benahavis.com : Guadalmina river

Three rivers cross the Benahavis territory, all of them have their sources in the Ronda mountain range and end up in the Mediterranean :
– Rio Guadalmina ( river of the mines ), 28 km long, runs along the eastern border of the village and was of stratigic defensive importance, also serving as a generator for the flour mills in the village.
– Rio Guadalmansa ( river of the oil mill ), running on the eastern side of the Benahavis territory from North to South.
– Rio Guadaiza ( river of Aixa, mother of Boabdil the younger ), 22 km long, on the left side of the Ronda From the village, you can sometimes see the snowcapped peaks of the Palmitera mountain ( 1517m above sea level ) in winter.

Plenty of granite, marble and peridotites form an important part of the geology in the territory of Benahavis.

Flora

On the mountain peaks, where precipitation and fog are common, large numbers of gall oaks and Spanish firs are to be found. At lower altitudes the holm oak and cork oak thrive. There are also small collections of madronnos, chestnut trees, yews, maples and ashes.

Fauna

otterThe area of the Sierra de las Nieves is home to one of Andalusia’s largest communities of mountain goat, one of only two wild species of large hoofed mammal native to the Park, the other being the deer. Other species such as the stag and mountain ox have been brought in, the Park providing them with an excellent habitat. Also to be found here are certain animal species protected by law, such as the wild cat, golden eagle and otter.
And without leaving the village, you can easily see some vultures flying over.

Golden Eagle

Benahavis

History

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The history of Benahavis starts at the end of the XIth century, when the Arabs founded the town. Closely related with the Costa del Sol’s Arabic past, and particularly with Marbella, the district which it belonged to until it was granted the so-called “Carta Puebla” by Philip II in 1572.

Benahavis. La Aldea
Benahavis. La Aldea
Benahavis

Montemayor Castle, built prior to the Construction of Benahavis, playes a very important role in the battles between the various Arabs kings in Andalusia, because of its strategic position. It was disputed for many years by the military factions of the epoch. Its prominent location overlooking up to a hundred kilometres of seaboard, and even the African coast, was extremely useful at a time when piracy and invasion were commonplace.

There are also five guard towers on Benahavis territory, one of them is in the Parque de las Leoneras, close to the roundabout at the entrance of the village.

The town takes its name from Havis, who reigned in Montemayor Castle. To be precise, Benahavis is basically Arabic (Ben al Havis) and means “son of Havis”.

The castle’s strategic location drew the attention of the Catholic Monarchs, intent on conquering the last Moorish kingdoms in the south of the Iberian Peninsula. Isabel and Ferdinand’s forces had already laid siege to the Nazarite kingdom of Granada, but they decided first to occupy the nearby province of Malaga.

Soon on the 11th of June, 1485, Benahavis, together with the localities of Daidin, Montemayor Castle, Cortes Fortress, Oxen, Arboto, Almachor, Tramores and Calalui Fort (the Castle of Light), in the Bermeja Mountains, all within the district of Marbella, were handed over to King Ferdinand the Catholic, by Mohammed Abuneza after the signing of the capitulation.

Benahavis : Montemayor Castle
Benahavis : Montemayor Castle

The Catholic King entrusted their custody to Don Pedro Villandrado, Count of Ribadeo, the first christian mayor of Benahavis. From that moment on, a dispute arose between Benahavís and Marbella which lasted three and half centuries, until Benahavís achieved the status of a completely independent community.

As for Montemayor Castle, it is worth noting that as well as its impressive location, it was supposed to have an underground passageway connecting it with the coast, through which the Arabs were able to transport soldiers.