Marbella is best known for its luxurious seaside resorts, but travel just a little inland, into the foothills of the mighty mountain ranges that run parallel to the coast, and you will find some truly gorgeous boutique hotels set amid the beauty of Andalusian nature.

One of the finest of these is Hotel Hermitage, a gem of a rural hotel surrounded by lush green countryside just a short distance from the pretty white village of Casares. From this vantage point the land sweeps gently towards the sea in a carpet of undulating green that turns to hues of ever-changing blue at the coastline. You feel like you’re surveying the world, and indeed on clear days Gibraltar and North Africa come into broad view, yet in reality this peaceful spot is no more than a quarter of an hour from the coastal resort town of Estepona, itself just a short distance from Marbella.
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Draped along the undulating folds of the foothills a mountain range, the luxurious private estate of La Zagaleta looks down across sloping valleys to Marbella, the Mediterranean and the rocky outlines of Gibraltar and Morocco.

Situated just ten kilometres from Marbella’s centre, La Zagaleta’s elevation endows it with spectacular views over golf courses, pine-clad slopes and the entire sweep of coastline between Marbella and Gibraltar. The urbanisation lies on a gently winding road that works its way up from the coast and past a series of luxurious residential areas before reaching the gated entrance to this most private of estates. (more…)

You’ve heard of Harrods, Galeries Lafayette and of course GUM in Moscow. While these famous temples of retail are a must-stop on every serious shopper’s Christmas to do list, don’t forget to add Berlin to your itinerary.

It may not quite enjoy the celebrity of Harrods or Macy’s, but Berlin’s KaDeWe is one of the world’s great department stores. With a history that dates back to the 19th century and a longstanding tradition for bringing the finest wares from the four corners of the globe to its hallowed marble halls, the Kaufhaus Des Westens is a jewel among retail temples. (more…)

In a sea of faces, Andalusians provide a fascinating diversity of looks and origins that bear living testimony to the region’s turbulent past as a much-invaded corner of Europe. Since the earliest times, conquerors, refugees, soldiers, mercenaries, merchants and adventurers have been adding to the rich and diverse mix of ingredients from which the Andalusians have been moulded.

The concept of racial purity, even if such a thing was ever desirable, has long since been discarded as unrealistic. As Europeans we live on a continent which, in spite of a broader sense of cultural identity and concept of racial affinity, consists of a myriad of nations and regions, each with their own traditions and mythology about their origins. Given this diversity within our own continent, and the fact that we border two large landmasses, it is only logical to assume that all but the most isolated and remote communities could not withstand being swept into the great tidal wave of migrations that have occurred since the earliest of times.
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The Costa del Sol has come a long way from the sleepy collection of fishing villages and mountain settlements that it once was. Back then, age-old practices still applied and those who wanted to settle down here, build a home and conduct business had to adjust to an altogether new set of rules and realities. Today, many of the old limitations have disappeared along with the craftsmen who built homes in the traditional Andalusian way. Not only have the construction process and the appearance of homes changed greatly, but as the scale of operations increased, property developers have had an increasingly dramatic effect on the physical landscape that we live in. At this stage of the region’s development, and with its long-term interests in mind, it might be good to look into the prospects for sustainable development.
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