There are two main types of birthing centres in Andalucia. The first are private hospitals or clinics, which depend on either national or regional companies. The second are state hospitals, which are located either in large cities or at key locations in rural areas.

Ask any Spaniard (Andaluz, for that matter) what the difference is between giving birth in a private versus a public centre and the inevitable reply will be "los medios" - or, the physical and financial means at the disposal of both centre staff and yourself.

Many babies are born at private centres, where mothers enjoy a private room - often with a separate bed for dad. The main reason giving for choosing this route is privacy and more individualised treatment, thanks to the fact that you are a paying customer.

Unfortunately, however, it is well known that if anything goes wrong during birth, or if there is any problem with the baby, it is likely that your child will be whisked off to a public hospital, where state of the art equipment is available to treat the problem. For this reason, many choose to have their baby at the public centre and avoid risking the loss of precious minutes in transportation should something go wrong.

The actually condition of state centres varies from old, run down buildings that house high tech equipment, to bright new facilities that also house high tech equipment. Be assured the technical means are probably about the same, regardless of whether walls are freshly plastered or cracked. However, it can still pay to choose one of the newer hospitals as standards can be higher.

For example, at Marbella's Hospital Costa del Sol (where Melanie Griffith had her third child) internationally credited quality control standards ensure the centre not only has excellent equipment, but that it is continually revised and calibrated to ensure it is in perfect working order. Though public, the centre has its own budget and is run on a private economic model thus stimulating excellence in all areas.

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