Andalucia is the southern
region of Spain and is made up of the eight provinces of Huelva,
Sevilla, Cordoba, Jaen, Cadiz, Malaga, Granada and Almeria. There
are airports at Almeria Malaga Seville Gibraltar Jerez Granada
& Cordoba. Malaga
Airport is 5 miles west of the city of
Malaga and is the main flight path for millions of people arriving
on the Costa del Sol each year. There is a wide selection of
bars and restaurants, bank cash points, postal and Internet services
for passengers. There is also a pharmacy and a children's play
area. However there is no left luggage facility. There is a half
hourly train service to Malaga City and Fuengirola from the front
of the main Terminal. There is also a half hourly Airport Bus
and an Airport Coach Service from outside the Terminal hall to
Malaga city centre. There are always plenty of Taxis waiting
for passengers. The Spanish
railway network is run by the state owned
company RENFE (www.renfe.es). International trains from France
terminate at either Madrid or Barcelona. From there you can catch
a train to many of the cities in Andalucia, including Huelva,
Sevilla, Cadiz, Jerez, Sevilla, Algeciras, Malaga, Cordoba, Granada,
Almeria, Linares / Baeza. There are various ferry companies and routes
to choose from, depending on your base. You can either drive
to the Spanish port and park your vehicle to embark as a foot
passenger, or take your vehicle across to explore further within
Morocco and North Africa. The general procedure is to turn up
and await the next ferry, with the exception of the Cadiz-Canary
Islands route for which a cabin or seat needs to be booked.
Isla Cristina is about 30 miles west
along the coast from Huelva.
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30 miles from Huelva city is the beach
resort of Isla Cristina with its marvellous sandy beaches,
some 5 miles long, which are excellent for windsurfing. It is
also a busy port and its harbourside factories sell canned tuna,
mackerel and salted fish. Naturally there are plenty of good
fish restaurants to choose from. The town is popular with the
Spanish & in July and August it is extremely busy. Advance
booking is advised. Nearby the Paraje Natural Marismas de Isla
Cristina is home to many birds including storks, flamingoes and
spoonbills. The river entrance is open to the SE winds, but there
is good shelter once inside the marina. There is very little
room to anchor. |