Welcome to Benahavis Online
Benahavis, a mountain village
7km from the coast, is situated between Marbella, Estepona and
Ronda. Renowned for its restaurants - they call it the dining room
of the Costa del Sol - it is above all a picturesque place, where
one can find incredible mountain- and sea-views.
Boasting 12 of the Costa del Sol's 70 golf courses, and that will go
up to 15 in the next couple of years, it is also THE hotspot for
golf lovers.
Located on the Southern face of the Serrania de Ronda mountain
range, Benahavis is the most mountainous village on the western
Costa del Sol. Its terrain is traversed by the Rivers Guadalmina,
Guadaiza and Guadalmanza. Regions of great natural and historic
interest are to be found within its boundaries, such as El Cerro del
Duque, Daidin and the Montemayor Castle.
On top of that, Benahavis is only a stone throw away from the
beaches of the Costa del Sol and the spectacular mountains of the
Serrania de Ronda.
The Benahavis municipality comprises about 145 km2 and the medium
altitude is 150 meters. The climate is Mediterranean, with a
medium temperature of 17º Celsius, and the registered population on
27 February 2007 was 3798 inhabitants, of which more than half are
foreigners although that is not reflected in the town hall
personnel, which has only ONE foreigner working, and not even on a
permanent basis, and you have to be lucky to find someone speaking
English.
NEWS FROM BENAHAVIS
Benahavis in Bloom
Although I like the idea of such a competition ( "Cordoba
Patio"is a perfect example of what it can be like ), Benahavis
in Bloom has been another missed opportunity for the town hall.
Posters were put up on the day the competition started, so
Benahavis inhabitants were not given time to prepare anything
and only 10 people entered the competition because it wasn't
mentioned that you had to do so.
It is about time one takes notice that an event without
publicity is not an event.
Anyway, the winner ( Villa Josefa
) did deserve the first prize.
Photos by Stephanie West, more
photos on
Stephanie's Face book page |
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Malaga Football Club in Benahavis
As last year,
Malaga Football Club will be in Benahavis for their summer
stage, so if you want to see some of the players who will
participate in "La Liga" next season, you can watch them on the
football pitch between the 20th and 30th of July.
Swimming Lessons
Swimming lessons for all ages will be given from July, 6
until July, 31. The cost is only 15 euros and for more details and
inscriptions contact the town hall.
Feria Dates
Even if I mention on the right that the local feria will be
held from 13 to 16 of August, this is a projection I have made
considering it is around the 15th, I cannot guarantee these dates,
and obviously the town hall has no idea yet either since they are
still talking about mid August, without mentioning any date. It is
about time our "excelentísimo ayuntamiento" starts thinking more
than one week ahead!
Benahavis Monday market
First chance I had to take a look at the Monday arts & crafts
market in Benahavis. It looked really good (except for the
plastic toys made in China) but unfortunately it started to rain
at 23.00, so everybody was in a rush to leave although the
square was still full of people. |
photo by Stephanie West |
Benahavis in Bloom
During the week 22-26th of June the first Benahavis in Bloom
competition (best facade) will be judged. The prize giving to take
place in the Escuela de Hosteleria at 13:00hrs on the 26th.
Summer concerts
at Villa Padierna
The
amphitheatre at the Villa Padierna hotel ( Los Flamingos Golf )
hosts various concerts this summer, and, on the contrary to our town
hall, are actually planning it all. Find out what and when on our
event calendar.
And more : Live Music in
El Fogon
Barbeque
and live music in restaurante El Fogon on Saturday, 13.
Live Music in
La Torre
Bar restaurant
La Torre is having another live music night on
Friday, 12th of June, at 22.00.
6th Trial of Benahavis
Andalusian championships
For the 6th year in a row, on
Saturday, 6 and Sunday, 7 Benahavis hosts a competition of the
Andalusian trial championships. People living in the village could
be woken up by the sound of motorbikes who will perform their
control over the bike in the area of the swimming pool.
UPDATE Charity Market
Since the Charity Market from Saturday May 23
was cancelled at the eleventh hour ( 21.00h the day before), a new
date and time has been chosen. On June, 6 from 15:00 till 22:00 on the Avenida Andalucia in Benahavis
Summer hours public driving range
10.00 to 14.00
17.00 to 21.00
Live Music in El Fogon
We are being spoiled lately with live music as Restaurant El
Fogon offers live music on Saturday, May 23 ( with BBQ ) and on Thursday,
May 28 ( Fiesta Flamenca )
Prices Sports facilities
The citizens card includes free use of the sports facilities in
the village. However, if you do not have one, you can find the
hourly rates of all sports facilities
here
Benahavis Municipal Pool
Entry to the pool can be with the existing “carnet de ciudadano” or
with a “swimming pool card” available now at the town hall. This
card is issued at the town hall and costs for children up to 16
years old € 25 and for adults €50. The swimming pool is due to open
from around the middle of June till the beginning of September. It
would have been a lot easier to say from June, 15 until September, 1
but that is obviously not how the town hall works ( looking at the
calendar is a huge job apparently ).
Daily entrance rates:
Monday – Friday Children up to 16 years €1, adults €2.
Saturday, Sunday and public holidays – Children €1.50, adults €3.
Live Music in
La Torre
La Torre is having another live music night, REGGAE this
time on Saturday, 30th of May, at 22.00. As those of you who were
there on the 15th will acknowledge, it promises to be very
danceable.
El Fogon restaurant reopened
Rafa has joined forces with Chuck and Ana from La Rondeña and
reopened the El Fogon restaurant in the Aldea de Benahavis. Menu of
the day with 3 courses and 1/2 bottle of wine per person at 15
euros.
Nursery school 2009-2010
The enrollment book for the guarderia 2009/2010 shall be open
from Monday the 18th of May till the 5th of June. Please contact
Maria del Mar on the 1st floor of the ayuntamiento.
Raymonds Restaurant opens on June, 6
Raymond is opening his new bar-restaurant for the public on june,
6. The premises next to the David Marshall gallery will also have a
virtual golf machine where you can play some of the worlds best
courses on a state of the art simulator.
Read more
Charity Market
A Charity Market will be held on Saturday May 23 in
Benahavis . From 10:00 till 18:00 on the Avenida Andalucia
Live Music
La Torre is having another live music night on Friday, 15nd
of May, at 22.00. CUSTOM RADIO
1st local championship of Petanque
To be held on Saturday 23rd of May 2009 on the new petanca court on
la Avenida de Moraleda, from 10:00 hrs.
The mode of play shall be in pairs under the governing rules of la Real Federacion
Española de Petanca.
Free for all participants.
European Elections 2009
The polling station for the European Elections to be held on Sunday
June 7th 2009 will be the Colegio Publico Daidin ( public school )
situated near the football pitch.
Live Music
La Torre is having another live music night on Saturday,
2nd of May, at 22.00. JAZZ FUSION
Football match Spanish-Foreigners
Sundays game resulted in another victory for the Spanish,
this time with 6-2, so at least the foreigners are getting twice as
good ( last result 6-1 ). UPDATE : Next Sunday (03/05) another
game will take place as a BBQ was planned and cancelled because of
the rain last week.
New time table for kids golfing
lessons
Kids golf lessons are rescheduled from Monday to Friday
from 18:00h till 19:00h and from 19:00h till
20:00h.
Donate blood!
A transfusion centre will
be set up at the "ambulatorio", the medical centre next to Rufinos
restaurant, on Thursday April, 30, from 17.30 until 21.30. So you
can help others by donating some of your blood.
Football Spanish-foreigners, April, 26
The re-match has been rescheduled to Sunday,
26 at 11.30
Live Music in La Torre
Another evening of live music
( FUNK) in La Torre on the main square this Friday, 17th of April at
21.30. Free entrance.
Easter Sunday
A beautiful sunny day saw a lot of people visiting the
Easter stall the "mayordomos" organize traditionally on the
square. Pigs and goats were raffled and vegetables and fruit
could be bought. |
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Fresh milk in the village
For the people who like fresh
milk and had to go to the coast to get some, there is good news. The
estanco ( tobacco shop ) has\decided to try out selling fresh milk,
and will continue to do so if the results are good.
Results Half marathon
168 participants finished the third edition of the half marathon of
Benahavis. The winner was Javier Diaz Carretero of the San Pedro
A.C.
All results of the half marathon of Benahavis on 05/04/09
Places 1-100 :
here
Places
101-168 :
here |
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Photos courtesy of Toni
GarcÃa from the Club San Pedro Atletismo.
All photos
here |
Fantastic comment on an article in El Sur in English
I received this comment on an article about the foreigner
departments on the coast, and apparently Benahavis was also
mentioned.
Dear sir,
I did not read the article about the foreigner departments on the
Costa until this week, as a friend of mine saves the editions I miss
because of being abroad. I think that the bit about Benahavis is an
absolute laugh and a gross excuse for not doing
anything. That is why I send you this e-mail, which I hope
will be published as well.
Read the full comment on the "letters from readers" page.
Easter Week 2009
Easter week is here again and with it come the traditional
processions of the saints of Benahavis. Processions are held on
Wednesday 5, Friday 7 and Sunday 9.
Time table
Street cleaning at 12.30
Well, it shows how much the town hall bothers with local
business. Just when bars, shops and restaurants can make some money,
from midday onwards, the street cleaning starts! Bars had to put
their terraces back inside, and shops could as well close for a
while. It was all finished within 20 minutes, but with a bit of
coordination this could easily be done first thing in the morning.
And it happens just a day after the Amigos de Benahavis meeting,
aimed to improve business in Benahavis!!!!
Amigos de Benahavis meeting
A good attendance for the business forum which was held by
"Amigos de Benahavis" at the Gran Hotel. Around 50 people showed up
for a forum discussing
the
problems caused by the economic downturn and to discuss possible
remedies.
Photos Romeria de San Jose, March 19
Although the new romeria did not attract too many people, at
least compared to the traditional one on October 7, and the beer
ran out at 2.30PM, here are some photos of it.
I do think the town counsellors should be working behind the bar
though, and serve the inhabitants for one day a year. |
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Football Spanish-foreigners, April, 19
After the 6-1 defeat last time, the foreigners living in
Benahavis will get their chance to better the result on Sunday,
April the 19th at 11.30. If you want to play, please mail us
your name and telephone number (
info@benahavis.net ) . And if your physical condition is not the
best, you do not need to play the full time, as I intend to play
just 15 minutes.
More Live Music in La Torre
Since the live music evening on the 13th of March was of the
best evenings in the village over last years, there will be
another evening of live jazzy music at restaurant-bodega
La Torre on Friday the
27th. So better be there, as it is an evening not to miss. JAZZ
FUSION. Free entrance. |
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Table Top sales at the Bar Casar
Due to the success of the first table top sale at
Bar Casar,
this will be a continuing event, being held the second sunday of
every month, from 12.00 until 4 or 5 PM.
Romeria de San Jose : Thursday, 19
On Thursday, 19 we will have another romeria in the village.
Although the town hall calls it traditional, it is the first time I
have heard about it ( could be my mistake, but it certainly has not
been happening for more than 5 years, so what do you call
traditional? )
Anyway, mass will be held at the chapel halfway the Benahavis road
at 13.00 and afterwards paella and beers will be served for free.
Live Music in La Torre
On Friday, 13 at 21.30 Custom Radio will play live music in
Restaurante-bodega La Torre on the Plaza de España. Free entrance.
More local police for writing out tickets
8 more places for local police officers have been granted to
Benahavis, so watch out where you park your car, since the only
thing they do is write out fines. As, when you try to call
them, you still get connected to Marbella, and then they take over
an hour to show up, if they do at all.
Cheaper Golf for Benahavis
inhabitants
The town hall is apparently trying to sort out cheaper golf for
holders of the Benahavis citizens card, but the first agreements
still have to be signed and we will let you know as soon as anything
is really happening.
Andalusia Day : February, 28
You are invited for the celebration of Andalusia day on Saturday
the 28th in the Plaza de España at 13:00 hrs. Free drinks and food
on the town hall. UPDATE : the whole thing will take place in the
sorts hall, as rain is threatening.
NEW : Benahavis Blog
Start saying what you want from Benahavis, what should or could
be done, what you like or do not like, things that could be
improved, etç...
We started off with a few suggestions, so give us your opinion about
it all.
benahavis blog
Result of the Vuelta de Andalucia, stage with finish in Benahavis
Italian rider Davide Rebellin won the stage with finish in
Benahavis on Wednesday, in a sprint before his compatriot
Filippe Pozzato and Australian Cadel Evans, a rather impressive
podium. The final overall victory was for Dutchman Joost Postuma,
with Xavier Tondo of Spain and Davide Rebellin second and
third.. |
D. Rebellin & the mayor, J.A.
Mena |
New road surface to Benahavis
It started off with a bit of patchwork, but in the end the full
surface of the road to Benahavis is being done ( why do the
patchwork first then? ), and it looks as if it could be finished
before the end of January.
Amigos de Benahavis web page
Amigos de Benahavis was formed in
March 2008 to represent communities in the municipality. Its main
objectives are to act as a forum on issues of common interest and to
establish good communication with the town hall. Additionally, it
aims to support and initiate social events.
From the start the association attracted strong support and
currently there are 18 communities on its books. Delegates are
generally the presidents of urbanizations.
As from now you can look at their page on
http://benahavis.net/english/various/amigosdebenahavis.htm
Benahavis road closed on February, 18 from 15.45 till 17.00
Since the Cycling Tour of Andalucia will have the finish of the
penultimate stage in Benahavis, the Benahavis road will be closed
from approximately 15.45 to 17.00. However, as cyclists do not
always arrive on schedule, this is only a prevision.
Error, wishful thinking or megalomania?
Sign on the road from the school to
the water feature at the entrance of the village. I would have
thought "SALIDA PUEBLO" more appropriate for Benahavis
Update Citizens card 2009 ( 29/01 )
Well, two days before the time limit for the subsidized citizens
card 2009 has expired, we finally know what activities are included.
Read more.
NEW : Letters to www.benahavis.net
Since we were are getting more and more letters complaining
about how things are done in the village ( but they could be
positive as well ) we started a new page where you can let your
voice be heard ( or read ), so please send us what you think of
Benahavis, anything you want to improve, or just saying what you
like about the village.
Please send your
comments to
letters@benahavis.net
Kids tennis lessons
The free lessons will commence Saturday February 7th at 10am.
Remember that you need the citizens card.
Free medical health insurance for Benahavis infants
All infants under 24 months will have a free health insurance
policy with Allianz. Kids under that age will receive free full
medical attention in
Clinica
del Rio ( San Pedro ), Hospitem ( Estepona ) and UPS Clinic (
Marbella ), as well as several pediatric specialists ( list to
follow).
More info at the town hall, ask for Maria Angeles Mena.
Update Citizens card 2009
The time limit for the citizens card 2009 has been prolonged
until January, 31,at subsidized rates, i.e. 10 euros for the sports
facilities and 10 € for the activities during the year 2009 ( it is
not completely clear to me which activities are involved here, but
they will be able to explain it at the town hall ) and 20 euros for the
full Monty. You'll have to be a registered citizen, so if you are
not "empadronado" yet but live in the village, do so at the town
hall ( check it
here ) and YOU DO NOT HAVE to be registered for 2 years or more.
Better go there this month as it will be 200 and 400 euros as from
February.
Happy New Year
Benahavis.net wishes you a wonderful 2009.
Christmas swindle in Benahavis!!!!
Apparently, a person is
trying to pass thimself off as a town hall employee. For example he
will request a Xmas gift for the 2008 rubbish collection. The police
tell me he drives a grey car and if seen should be reported (e-mail
to
info@benahavis.net
and we will pass it on immediately).
He is working the Benahavis urbanisations and not the village
itself so please take care. We would appreciate you passing on the
message.
Sports in Benahavis 2009
The annual 172 marathon will be held on April, 5th, and the
first stage of the Vuelta de Andalucia cycling race will finish in
Benahavis on February, 18.
Articles from previous years
Read what happened in Benahavis
in 2008
Read what happened in Benahavis
in 2007
Read what happened in Benahavis in
2006.
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