Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlucar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María form a triangle of generous land where the vine has reigned from time immemorial. Some of the earth's most singular wines are produced here.

The story has it that when Julius Caesar visited the area surrounding this small town, he ordered the construction of the village due to the curative properties of the sulphurous and alkaline waters on a skin infection which had plagued him since childhood.

The Costa Tropical boasts some magnificent beaches and the town of Almuñécar is no exception, here is the list going from west to east. Playa del Cotobro, a lovely beach to the west of Almuñécar town with dark sand and pebbles. The beach is backed by a palm tree-lined paseo maritimo with plenty of shops and cafes and a large hotel with stunning sea views.

Inspired by writing a magazine article Chris Chaplow founder of Andalucia.com has created the Andalucia.com Kiva team and donated €5000 of advertising to KIVA and have created an Andalucia Kiva Team so that friends of Andalucia.com can join the Kiva project.

There are a large number of private health clinics in Andalucia. Most towns will have a number of specialist doctors practices or health clinics. The equivalent in the state system is called 'Ambulatorio' or 'Consultorio' even the smallest village will have a consultorio.  Hospitals that patients can stay overnight are found in the larger town and provincial capital cities.

Not the most beautiful of Andalucia’s provincial capitals, having lost many of its historic buildings in the devastating Lisbon earthquake of 1755, Huelva nevertheless has its own charm. Since Phoenician times it has been an important port, serving akey role for exporting minerals from the Rio Tinto mines.

Carnival is the biggest event in Cadiz's calendar, and the most important of its type on mainland Spain, just as the Feria is for Seville. People flood in from all over Spain, and beyond, to enjoy the noisy, colourful, festive atmosphere, singing competitions, concerts (rock, flamenco, samba), comedy, children's shows, parades, firework displays and street parties. Carnaval is also celebrated in towns and cities around Andalucia.

The singing competition (COAC, Concurso Official de Agrupaciones Carnavalescas) is the central event of the pre-Carnaval, with four types of groups taking part - chirigotas, choros, cuartetos and comparsas. About 300 groups in total enter the contest.

There are several types of singing groups and songs at the Carnaval. They perform both at the theatre in the official competition, and also on the street. All wear fancy dress.

Are you planning your trip to the Carnival but feel nervous about actually speaking Spanish? We've created a special collection of carnival words, to add to the fun!

Obviously, the programme varies from year to year, but you can take this as a rough guide to what happens on which day of the Carnaval. Check local press and websites for up-to-date information.

Fuengirola has some particularly interesting festivals: April: The International Fair : “La Feria de los Pueblos”. This is a wonderful fair, which is held in the main fairground of Fuengirola (between train stations of Fuengirola and Los Boliches) and lasts for a week. In just one day, you can visit up to 50 countries.

Andalucia is filled with fascinating cultural events throughout the year. Whilst many of these festivals take place on the date indicated each year, others move slightly in relation to the day of the week or the religious calendar or occasionally weather.

The 58ha Marismas del Río Palmones Natural Area is one of the last remaining patches of what used to be extensive marshlands (marismas) in the Bahía de Algerciras, the bay between Algeciras and Gibraltar. From the early 1970s onwards, increasing industrial and housing development encroached upon the marismas of the Palmones and Guadarranque rivers.

In November the Andres Segovia International Classical Guitar Competition takes place in La Heredura's beautiful San José Church. This annual event attracts leading classical guitarists under 35 years of age from around the world and its objective is to promote the diffusion and study of the guitar.

Explore Estepona's art galleries, from contemporary exhibits at the privately run Stoa Gallery, Huber and Galeria 151, to the 21st centurary Spanish artist collection at the Museo de Arte de la Diputación and the exhibitions at the grand Mirador del Carmen Exhibition Centre. Don't forget the extensive street art with over 60 interesting murals and contemporary sculptures

Dreambeach returns to Retamar near Almeria city in 2025. Dreambeach moved to a new location for in 2024 at La Toya, Retamar close to Almeria City and Airport leaving behind years at Playa Villaricos

Imagine that you hire a new employee and the first thing he does is stake out a comfortable area for his afternoon nap. That is precisely what happened to Englishman Terry Clear when he hired a construction company to build his country home in rural, inland Andalucia in 2003. "Before they did anything on the house, they looked for the perfect place to set up a plastic shield for shade and tie their hammocks between the olive trees," he remembers with a good sense of humour.

Sanlúcar is also noted for its horse racing which dates back to 1845 and takes place along a 2,000 stretch of beach at the mouth of the Río Guadalquivir during the month of August, daily from 6.00 pm, on the 2nd and 4th weekends of the month (Thursday to Saturday). This is a thrilling spectacle where real racehorses thunder across the sand watched by a large noisy crowd of spectators.

Sanlucar is divided into the older quarter, the Barrio Alto where most of the interesting sights can be seen, and the newer Barrio Bajo, closer to the river.