A Brief Introduction to Spanish Wines
From the misty green inlets of the north-west to the dusty south, via the rolling plains of the centre, Spain is nothing if not incredibly varied in terrain and temperature. Which is precisely what…
To spa before the holiday or to spa during? That is the question.
While prepping for holidays it’s tempting to have a session or two to get your body smooth, relaxed, beach ready and primed for the perfect tan. But the LVC answer has always been before AND during. And with the summer just around the corner, we’ve whipped up a wonderfully indulgent pick of the best of what’s on offer near Marbella.
Firstly, you should know that when we spa, we absolutely do not mess around. We have very high standards. The overall experience is the key: our criteria includes everything from expecting a beautiful spa area, relaxing mood and serene facilities, seamless service, divine products, world-class expertise and intelligent spa treatments. We’re wanting a holistic approach with perfect relaxation areas that invigorate the senses, recharges the energy levels and balances mind and body.
So here’s our pick of the best spas near Marbella that fit the bill…
1. Marbella Club Thalasso Spa
Address: Bulevar Principe Alfonso von Hohenlohe, 29600 Marbella.
What: Thalassotherapy (the use of seawater, sea products, and shore climate in treatments). We’re all about bathing in the goodness of seaweed at the minute and love the way Thalasso Spa uses what Marbella has in abundance with its coastal location. There’s also a seawater pool, hammam steam baths and wood-burning Finnish sauna.
Products: Thalion, Babor and Comfort Zone.
We love: The Intensive body treatments which include body wraps and a specific-to-your-needs massage.
Point of difference: Med view seawater indoor pool – seriously, it’s wonderful.
Who’s it for: Single girls’ spa day treat, couples, star-spotters.
More information: Marbellaclub.com or ask our Concierge to book your dream treatment.
2. Six Senses Spa at Puente Romano Beach Resort
Address: Bulevar Principe Alfonso von Hohenlohe, s/n, 29602 Marbella, Malaga.
What: Facials, massages, hammam, manicures and pedicures, hydrotherapy pool, cold plunge pool, experience showers, herbal steam room and a sauna set in a beautiful facility.
Products: QMS Medicosmetics and Subtle Energies.
We love: Vitamin C and Papaya Enzyme Peel 50 minute Facial. You’ll feel like you have new skin and fine lines diminished.
Point of difference: Signature Senses Facial by QMS Medicosmetics has been developed exclusively for Puento Romano Six Senses Spa.
Who’s it for: Everyone. This is one of our all-time favourite spas in Marbella. It has a wonderfully calming feel and is great for groups, frazzled mothers and couples.
More information: Sixsenses.com or ask our Concierge for further details and reservations.
3. Finca Cortesin Spa
Address: Calle Casares, 2, 29690 Casares, Malaga.
What: A huge area full of natural light to spa in. Heated saltwater pool, saunas, Turkish baths, showers, relaxation lounge, Japanese bath (water maintained at a constant 10ºC) and a -12º snow cabin.
Products: Biologique Recherche, Tata Harper and Hand Made Beauty.
Point of difference: Thai massages and a very attentive team to serve you. They’ll supply reading material, delicious tea or thirst-quenching drinks before you’ve even thought about wanting them.
Who’s it for: Couples and people needing to get away from it all for total relaxation. Oh, and ageing rock superstars, too – Axel Rose is known to spend weeks there.
More information: Fincacortesin.com or again, our Concierge has direct contacts with the spa to ensure the best slots.
4. Kempinski Spa at Hotel Bahia
Address: Kempinski Hotel Bahia, Carretera de Cadiz, Km 159, 29680 Estepona, Malaga.
What: Indoor relaxation pool, Finnish sauna, steam room, ice fountain, heated benches and a relaxation area.
We love: Their treatments and specially created spa menu for men – so many spas overlook the men. Our favourite is the Niance Men Revitalize facial.
Products: Niance and Natura Bisse.
Point of difference: Quartz Sand bath spa table (the only one in Spain). Try it, it’s dreamy.
Who’s it for: People who might want a quick spa circuit and treatment or who like to spa-light. This Marbella spa is easy come easy go and very accessible.
More information: Kempinski.com or get in touch with our Concierge to assist.
5. Healthouse Las Dunas
Address: Urbanizacion Boladilla Baja, Crta. Cadiz km 163500, 29689, Estepona, Marbella.
What: A real focus on healthy lifestyle with treatments using mainly aromatherapy and hydrotherapy. There is a designated swimming lane, sensation path, vitality pool with jacuzzi, warm cave, cold cave, salt cabin, caldarium, snow cabin, sauna, steam bath and flotarium.
We love: Their Spa & Yoga sunset sessions with a 1 hour yoga class and 30 minute massage as well as access to the whole spa – an ideal treat.
Products: Algologie.
Point of difference: This is a wellness facility with luxurious surroundings; it particularly focuses on weight loss.
More information: Healthouse-naturhouse.com or contact our Concierge as the first step to feeling wonderful!
6. Villa Padierna Thermae Spa
Address: Urb. Los Flamingos Golf, Ctra. de Cadiz, Km. 166. 29679 Marbella – This one is perfectly located for our Los Flamingos villas
What: Elegant Romanesque-inspired spa facilities with luxurious surroundings. Four steam rooms with different essential aromas and temperatures (one with sea salt, one Greek sauna, two Finnish saunas), a very atmospheric dynamic swimming pool, a flotarium and a Laconium as well as a treatment room with oxygen bubbles (yes, the ultimate treatment room).
We love: The facials,. Choose from a personalised treatment, the Michelle Obama or Sophia Loren. Well it if works for them…
Products: Piroche Cosmétiques, Carita, Micro Puncture Lab©.
Point of difference: The Roman plunge pool is pure elegance. This luxurious spa is the best for celebrity spotting, too.
More information: Villapadiernawellness.com or contact our Concierge who looks after our guests just next door.
7. The Barber Club Marbella
Address: Calle Las Malvas, Local 6 & 7, 29600 Marbella
What: A men’s barbers, coffee lounge and spa treatment club. Modern, fashionable and cutting edge, this place offers men’s facials, tanning, massages and grooming.
We love: That men are taking care of themselves – swoon.
Products: Penhaligon’s, Uppercut and Creed.
Point of difference: It’s all about the men and that’s unique in Marbella.
More information: Thebarberclubmarbella.com.
8. Shanti Som
Address: Llanos de Purla, Km 22, 29110 Monda
What: A full-blown health retreat high up in the hills above Marbella, this is the place to head for everything from a good, old-fashioned mani-pedi or a massage to a spot of Reiki healing.
We love: The zen-like calm that runs throughout the place – SO relaxing.
Products: Hydradermie, Guinot
Point of difference: The Spa & Yoga day package: welcome drink, sauna and steam room, group yoga class, 60 min. massage, lunch, facial and herbal tea. It really hits the spot if you’re looking to get in shape mentally and physically.
More information: Shantisom.com.
Want to wrap a trip to one of our favourite Marbella spas up into the perfect pamper day? Check out our essential guide to Marbella shopping.
To make sure your stay in southern Spain is as healthy and relaxing as possible, why not consider one of our retreat villas?
Lindsay Gregory
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[post_content] => From the misty green inlets of the north-west to the dusty south, via the rolling plains of the centre, Spain is nothing if not incredibly varied in terrain and temperature. Which is precisely what makes the range of Spanish wines produced so diverse, lively and interesting.
Here’s our 101 guide to some of the top Spanish wine regions to help you explore this fabulous country through one of its very finest assets: its grapes.
Spanish Red Wines
Rioja
Rioja is without a doubt, Spain’s best known red. Stretching away across three valleys – the Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental – to the south of the Cantabrian Mountains, it’s a relatively small area that nevertheless packs quite a punch when it comes to global wine production.
Some numbers, then: it’s Spain’s oldest wine (with written records dating back to the 9th century); there are more than 600 wineries and nearly 15,000 grape growers spread across 65,000 hectares of vineyards.
Made from a variety of grapes it comes in three age classifications: Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva. All are full-bodied and generally best served with food. One thing to look out for is whether the Rioja was aged in American oak, French oak or a mixture of both barrels, with each having their distinct tastes.
A Rioja winery you must visit: Bodegas López de Heredia - in the town of Haro, it's one of the older wineries in La Rioja. By appointment only. More information: Lopezdeheredia.com.
Ribera del Duero
The ‘other’ great Spanish wine beginning with R. Only the best Tempranillo grapes are used to make polished Ribera del Duero wines, and there are many in Spain (and outside) who prefer the, frequently, softer more delicate taste, than that of their cousins from Rioja.
Wines from Ribera del Duero are usually 100% Tempranillo and are mostly aged in French oak; they have the same age classification as Rioja (Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva).
A Ribera del Duero winery you must visit: Matarromera - in the town of Valbuena del Duero, a trip to this winery can also include a visit to their museum, the EMINA Wine Museum. More information: Matarromera.es.
Priorat
Priorat is probably Spanish wine’s greatest secret. With a wine growing history dating back to the 12th century, this southern Catalonian region these days produces some of the finest and fullest bodied reds in Spain… of which most people outside of Spain have never even heard.
The terrain here is tough (even by Spanish wine region standards), so the vines are forced to search for water in the soil, making yield low - and prices high. The most common grape varieties used are: Garnacha, Cariñena with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.
A Priorat winery you must visit: Alvaro Palacios - the name that practically singlehandedly spearheaded Priorat's ascent to the summit of Spanish wines back in the 1980s is still one of the leading wineries in the region. More information: Aseuniv.com.
Spanish White Wines
Rias Baixas
On the border of Portugal in the north-west of Spain, the Rias Baixas region of Galicia is cool, green and crisp – not unlike its white wine. The crowning glory of this wine-growing region is Albariño, which is clean, with occasional floral notes, and is absolutely ideal paired with the sublime local seafood.
A Rias Baixas winery you must visit: Far from the largest, it's the setting of this family business - in the grand, fortified country house of Finca La Moreira - that makes it one the more atmospheric wineries in Spain. More information: Marquesdevizhoja.com.
Cava
From the northeast of Spain above Barcelona, Cava is Spain’s most famous sparkling wine. Labelled with brut (dry) or semi-seco (semi sweet), Cavas can be white or rosé, and are usually made from Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo grapes.
A Cava winery you must visit: Dating back to the Middle Ages, this Empordà winery certainly doesn't lack for provenance - and it's got the grand castellated headquarters to prove it. More information: Perelada.com.
Sherry
Sherry is made from grapes grown within Cadiz's ‘Sherry Triangle’ between Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlucar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa Maria in Andalucia.
It comes in sweet and dry varieties. Dry Sherries like Fino or Manzanilla are crisp and acidic, and make for the perfect accompaniment to fish and seafood; Oloroso is caramel-like and nutty and goes well with meat, while medium-dry Amontillado is perfectly paired with chicken or game birds.
A Sherry bodega you must visit: Bodegas Tradición is not the oldest bodega in the Sherry Triangle by a long chalk (that honour goes to Domecq), but it is one of the most insistent on traditional techniques. More information: Bodegastradicion.es.
Rioja
White Rioja is made with Viura; sometimes on its own, other times blending with Chardonnay or Garnacha Blanca amongst others. Most white Riojas are young but are still full-bodied to taste.
Malaga Wine
Malaga has a long and distinguished wine-making history, with wines having been made in the region since the Phoenicians were in southern Spain, before the Romans picked up the baton. British wine merchants were sending Malaga wines back to sweet-toothed Victorians in the 19th-century.
These days, made from Moscatel or Pedro Ximenez grapes, vinos de Malaga are fortified and naturally sweet. Coming in both red and white, they’re at their best served with a ripe local goats’ cheese.
A Malaga winery you must visit: Bodega F. Schatz - it's entirely in keeping with the international past of the Spanish wine industry that one of the best wineries in Malaga should have been founded by a German. More information: F-schatz.com.
Rueda
The most commonly drunk white wine in Spain can be just a little disappointing to a new world white wine drinker.
The Rueda region is in Castilla y Leon and its wines are usually made with Verdejo grapes. It produces very aromatic wines, often with tropical fruit and fresh grass hints, that’s fresh with just a hint of bitterness.
Things to Look Out For with Spanish Wine
There are several wine classifications in Spain, each holding specific criteria. The ones to look out for are Denominacion de Origen (DO), Denominacion de Origen Calificada (DOCa, DOC or DOQ) and DO Pago (only for single winery estates).
On the bottle you’ll see the words Joven, Crianza (aged at least 2 years and 12 months in oak barrels), Reserva (aged at least three years with at least 12 months in oak barrels), or Gran Reserva (aged for a minimum of two years in oak barrels, and more than three years bottled before they’re sold).
Like the sound of these wine regions in Spain and want to experience some of the very best wines they produce?
Stay with The Luxury Villa Collection and you can order the finest Spanish wines direct to your villa, or arrange a tasting or tour through our concierge.
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[post_content] => Sun and sand: the two things for which Nerja is most famous. And many visitors to the area don't get beyond them.
Which is a shame, really, as there's much more to the area than just a great flop and drop break.
From wonderful walks to fabulous fiestas and, yes, some of the most beautiful beaches around, we've picked out just a few of the very best things to do in Nerja.
Happy exploring.
1. Laze on the Beach
There's a pretty solid chance that if you're after tips for what to do in in the vicinity of Nerja, then a beach day is going to be fairly high on your checklist.
Thankfully, there are no fewer than 12 beaches to choose from in and around Nerja. Three of our favourites in town are Playa de Calahonda, Playa de Burriana and Playa El Chorrillo.
2. catch the sunset from the Balcon de Europa
After a long, lazy afternoon on the beach, there's only one place to head: the Balcon de Europa.
Grab an ice-cream, saunter down to the end of the promenade and watch the sun slowly melt into the Mediterranean. Altogether now... WOW.
3. Be amazed by the caves of Nerja
Funnily enough, the sun doesn't even shine in Nerja's biggest attraction. But that doesn't make it any less spectacular.
The Caves of Nerja is a 5km complex of caverns that includes the largest stalagtite in the world, some Bronze Age remains and, it's thought, mankind's oldest artwork - which dates back some 42,000 years. Remarkable.
(Carretera de Bajada a Playa de Maro, s/n, 29787 Nerja, open 0930/1000-1530.)
4. Go Snorkelling from One Cove to Another
Just a mile or two to the east of Nerja the sparkling coves of the Acantilados de Maro-Cerro Gordo Natural park stretch away.
Snorkeling, sea kayaking or paddle boarding (see below) trips set off from Playa Burriana or Playa Carabeo for you to enjoy the crystal-clear sea teeming with sea life.
5. explore the coast by paddle Board
The beaches of Nerja itself are urban, which comes with the distinct plus side of there being plenty of bars and restaurants on hand to choose from.
But running away to the east is a stunningly wild, cove-lined coast that's great for exploring via paddle board. Rental and guided tours are available from Playa Burriana and Playa de Maro.
6. get out to a nearby village
Venture from Nerja and the idyllic whitewashed mountain villages of the Axarquia are within easy reach. Competa, Maro and the lovely Frigiliana (pictured) are some of the most inviting.
7. Eat Fresh Fish Cooked on a BBQ on the Beach
Espetos de sardinas - sardines skewered and cooked on a BBQ until they're deliciously tender - are a local delicacy.
One of the best spots to try them in Nerja is at the far westernmost end of town in Chiringuito Mauri (Playo Playazo, 29780 Nerja). Best washed down with an icy beer or two, of course.
8. walk the rio chillar
Even by southern Spanish standards Nerja is surrounded by some pretty top-notch walking. Soaring above the town are the jagged peaks of the Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama Mountains.
For something just a little less adventurous, the most famous walk around Nerja is up the Rio Chillar.
You follow a beautiful, ankle-cooling river as it babbles its way down from the hills, discovering narrow ravines, waterfalls and rock pools along the way.
9. Devour Baby squid at El Pulguilla
OK, so you don’t have to have baby squid - although we highly recommend you do - but you definitely should grab a quick tapas and a beer/wine in this stalwart of a restaurant in Nerja.
Elegant fine dining it ain't, but it is a great way to experience a typical Malaga fish restaurant. (Calle Almte. Ferrándiz, 26, 29780 Nerja; 952 52 13 84)
10. View the Aqueduct
This 19th century aqueduct was built to supply the surrounding sugar cane factories with water.
During the summer it's a sweaty 10-minute walk from the centre of Nerja, but (as you can see in the image above) it makes for a spectacular photo opportunity when you get there.
11. Pause for Thought in Ermita de las Angustias
Built in 1790 this church is the home of Nerja’s patron saint, Our Lady of Anguish (Plaza de la Ermita, 11, 29780 Nerja).
It might not be the grandest of churches, but it is a lovely, cool little spot to catch your breath in for five minutes or so on a hot summer's afternoon.
12. Plan a Trip Around a Fiesta
Nerja is in Andalucia. Which means, inevitably, it's a place that's serious about letting its hair down every once in a while.
The five festivals that Nerja goes for in a big way are Easter, Carnival (February), San Isidro (May), Virgen del Carmen (July 16th) and the Epiphany (5th January).
Nominally religious they may be, but trust us, they're also really just a good excuse to P-A-R-T-Y.
13. See Authentic Flamenco
Nearby Velez-Malaga has one of the most vibrant flamenco scenes in Malaga province, thanks to the efforts of local flamenco-cultural initiative, Flamenco Abierto (Flamencoabierto.com).
So if you want to catch some real flamenco, as opposed to the tourist nonsense that's so often served up, the Peña Flamenca Niño de Vélez on a Friday evening is the place to head.
14. Eat at Sollun
Before opening this lovely little restaurant in Nerja chef Juan Quintanilla helped put Skina in Marbella on the Michelin-starred map.
As soon as you sit down, though, it's clear that Sollun is an even more personal project. If you choose to work from the short menu, the chef himself will come out of the kitchen and recommend what's particularly good that day.
The tasting menu is a thing of beauty: it features a selection of dishes with a heavy local focus, each paired with a suitable wine.
(Calle Pintada, 9, 29780 Nerja; 653 68 94 52)
Like our pick of things to do in Nerja and looking for more recommendations on the Costa del Sol? Have a browse through a few of our favourite Marbella day trips.
Alternatively, if you're after a beautiful country villa nearby, check out our Axarquia luxury villas collection, here.
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Things to Do in Nerja that You Just Can’t Miss
Sun and sand: the two things for which Nerja is most famous. And many visitors to the area don't get beyond them. Which is a shame, really, as there's much more to the area than just a great flop…