Casares - this white house village is worth a visit

Casares is a lovely little village full of white houses sitting on top on a hill and only located about a 45 minute drive from El Soto de Marbella.  The drive is perfect for a day out.

The unique heritage town has a population of about 4000 and sits about 400 metres above sea level.  And right on top is the famous Casares Castle.  The village has an intricate network of steep, quaint streets and getting to the castle is no different.  The whole place is steeped with history and both the local Ethnographic museum (for brushing up on the Roman history of the place) and castle are worth visiting.  You can see Gibraltar from the top and in the past the Casares tower was used for communicating with other nearby towers in Manvila, Estepona and Ronda providing a very important fortress in the 13th century.

There are a number of picturesque bars and restaurants and walking is the best way to get around the place.  For some traditional Spanish (with some tasty asian fusion) Al Fresco dining try fitting in the Arroyo Hondo restaurant and bar on the way back to El Soto.  A great way to spend a relaxing afternoon enjoying the views of Casares.

Anyone for a tennis game?

El Soto Tennis courts

El Soto has two fantastic tennis courts and bookings can be made (free of charge for guests) directly at the clubhouse.   Tennis coaching is also available.  

However, if you are looking for some serious professional coaching with an impressive record then 5 minutes away you have the world-renowned Hofsaess Tennis Academy. 

The Hofsaess Tennis Academy was founded in 1984 by the former German team trainer Klaus Hofsäss and his wife Soja.  Since 2006 it has been the official base of the German Tennis Federation.  The club has 5 hard courts and 4 clay courts, all international standard.

The people running the academy certainly know the tennis business with Klaus having coached 22 Grand Slam wins with Steffi Graf.  He received “Coach of the year in German Sport” in 1987, the same year the mighty All Blacks won the inaugural Rugby World Cup.  Klaus has also coached many other world class professionals like Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, Thomas Muster, Thomas Smid, Rainer Schüttler, Nikolas Kiefer, Emilio Sanchez, Jakub Hiasek, Patty Schnyder, Anna Kournikova and Anke Huber.

The academy is not just for professionals though and they also welcome serious sportspeople and keen amateurs with its warm, friendly atmosphere.  They also have a relaxing Spa, specialising in sport massages, as well as Balinese massage, Egyptian massage, Indian head massage and Hawaiian massage.

Do you feel like discovering Andalusia on a Harley?

Start living the dream..... the best way to discover the Andalusian coast and countryside is on the back of a Harley Davidson.  From El Soto there are a number of spanish villages waited to be discovered both inland through the mountains and along the scenic coast road.

I can recommend speaking to Manuelo from Eagle Rider based near Marbella.  His rental place is only a 35 minute drive from the El Soto apartment and he has a large selection of around 15 Harley bikes, (all big blocks) including Road Kings, Heritages and Fat Boys (like the one pictured above).

The 3-5 day bike rental price is about EUR 160 per day and Manuelo can also provide good advice and maps on day trips in the region.  I recommend using the El Soto apartment as a good base as it has secure, underground covered parking.  From there you can plan single day trips including:

1.  Day trip inland to Antequera taking in scenic mountains.  175 km round trip.
2.  Day trip to Gibraltar along the coast taking in the fresh Mediterranean sea air.  195 km return trip.
3.  Day trip to inland to the lovely town of Ronda.  165 km round trip taking in another scenic village of Ojen on the return home.

After spending a few days relaxing at El Soto apartment taking in the free golf, tennis, swimming pools and on-site gym facilities, why not rent a Harley for a bit of adventurous fun.  You won't be disappointed.

Horse Riding near El Soto de Marbella

If you are looking to add horse riding to your list of activities on your holiday to El Soto then we can recommend a couple of places.

The first is nearby called El Jinete Riding School.  They are based 4.5 km from La Cala de Mijas and you can follow the signs from the La Cala market.

They cater for all riding levels and regularly organise events, fun lessons, picnic rides, forest excursions and even birthday party club days.  If you are a beginner, lessons can be arranged by qualified instructors.  You get to ride on fully insured Andalusian horses.

Hacking excursions range from one hour to half days and start at EUR 30 per hour, with the option for either a river ride or mountain ride in the beautiful scenic Mijas Costa area.

For more information contact: http://eljineteridingschool.wordpress.com

The second place is a little further drive away (about an hours drive from El Soto de Marbella) and recommended for people with riding experience.  The excursions at Hacienda Horses involve trekking among the orange groves and cattle hills of San Martin Del Tesorillo.   Prices are from EUR 35 per hour.  Have fun in the Lomas Ganados region.

For more information contact: http://www.haciendahorses.com

New pictures of El Soto de Marbella

El Soto de Marbella penthouse apartment

We have just returned from a long weekend stay at El Soto and had a fantastic time taking advantage of the on-site facilities.  I managed to take some new photos, so please browse the 'description' and 'things to do' headings above to view the new pictures.  

The new managers at the El Soto bar and restaurant have done a great job and offer a fine menu selection.  I can personally recommend the home-made lasagne cooked in a Spanish style tapas dish.

The El Soto golf course has had several improvements since the last time I played there including a new water feature in the middle of the course.  The highlights for me were the birdie shots on the first and last holes.  Especially clearing the huge water pond found in the middle of the last 104 metre hole.

Away from El Soto de Marbella, we managed a trip to yacht and launch central, Puerto Banus.  We also visited a couple of local bars and restaurants, including El Barracon de las Tapas.  The small tapas dishes are very good value and I can recommend that you try the succulent pig cheeks.

We also visited the Altitude bar, which is situated very close to the El Soto complex at the top of the hill.  We had some very impressive card trick entertainment, shown by one of the regulars behind the bar.  We were subsequently told that he has recently performed his card tricks as a professional in front of a large audience, so we felt very privileged to see his card magic in person.

We are taking short term bookings now.  Please visit http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk  for more information and availability. 

Are you waiting for it to heat up in Spain?

Mitre Peak at Milford Sound, New Zealand

Well, you won't have to wait long.  We’ve just returned from a two-week break down under to my home country, New Zealand.  We had the pleasure of attending Steve (my brother) and Belinda’s wedding near Dunedin at a small beach town called Seacliff.  We were lucky with the weather with a lovely sunny day.  In fact, the sunshine seemed to follow us around on our holiday, as we also had fantastic weather in Queenstown and also surprisingly in Milford Sound (see picture), which is located on the west coast of New Zealand in Fiordland.  This part of the country gets over 200 days of rain per year.  Even with that type of record, it’s an amazing place to visit with breathtaking views.

Now if you are looking for more guaranteed sunshine, then you can't do much worse than Marbella on the Costa del Sol.  This part of Spain has about 300 days of sunshine per year and even in the coldest month January, the average temperature is 12°C degrees raising to an average of 25°C degrees in the hottest month of August.  If you are looking for mountain and Mediterranean sea views as well, then take a closer look at the relaxing accommodation of El Soto de Marbella.

Welcome to El Soto de Marbella

Stunning penthouse accommodation for relaxing sun seekers and golfing enthusiasts. After five years of long term lets, I’ve decided to rent my two bed, top floor apartment for short term holiday lets. That way I can also get a chance to visit the property more often. It’s February and I’m now taking on holiday bookings from April 2012. If you fancy visiting sunny Spain, please take a close look at the website headings above to find out more on the property, location and things to do while you are on the sunshine coast (no not Queensland, I’m talking the Costa del Sol variety). I didn’t want to roll out too many well used lines or blatantly plug my property, but this is a rental blog and I really can say it’s…. fun for all the family!