The cool costas
Tarifa: a growing kitesurfing
and wakeboarding sceneNo longer just about sun and sangría, Spain’s ‘costas’ are where it’s at for sport, culture and fine dining. Sterling finds out what’s new in 2008.
words by Matt Warnock
high octane sports for footie fans and speed freaks
Nowhere is quite as indicative of the new cool costas as Barcelona, which has undergone enormous changes in the 16 years since it hosted the Olympics. It’s often said that the city’s heart beats to the tune of its football club and Camp Nou is the cathedral where locals come to worship. With a capacity for 98,000, it is the largest stadium in Europe, and now British architect Sir Norman Foster is giving Camp Nou a breathtaking Gaudí-inspired facelift. He’s using coloured polycarbonate and glass panels to give a mosaic effect, and will be adding an extra 8,000 seats.
Valencia in pole position:
the city will host its first F1
Grand Prix in August
Meanwhile, Valencia is snapping at Barcelona’s heels, hoping to become Spain’s sporting capital. That bid will receive a massive lift this summer when the city hosts the European Formula 1 Grand Prix for the first time. The race will take place on the streets of the new Port America’s Cup area, giving it a real cosmopolitan, Monaco GP feel. Will Fernando Alonso beat Finland’s Kimi Räikkönen to win this year’s crown? Join the spectators on the weekend of 22-24 August to find out.
Further down the coast, the Volvo Ocean Race begins in Alicante in early October, proving that Spain is developing a reputation as a destination for world-class sailing events after last year’s America’s Cup in Valencia. Once the crews leave Alicante, they will take in South Africa, India, Asia, South America, the United States, Ireland and Sweden before finishing in St Petersburg.
The Volvo Ocean Race
sails from Alicante
this October
If you prefer to get the adrenaline pumping instead of merely watching others compete, then head south. There’s been an explosion of interest in the sport of kitesurfing recently and for kitesurfers few places can beat Tarifa on the Costa de la Luz. With a distinctly hippy vibe, the town lies on the Straits of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic and high winds create perfect kitesurfing conditions. Kilometres of golden beaches are lined with kitesurfing schools, but you might also like to take a dolphin and whale watching tour. Or you could simply chill out and sip mojitos at one of Tarifa’s beautiful beachside boutique hotels, such as Hurricane, Arte Vida or Dos Mares. September is one of the best times to visit, when the beaches are less crowded and the Fiesta de la Virgen de la Luz – a traditional, week-long celebration – is in full swing.
Barcelona’s Camp Nou
stadium will get a stunning
Gaudí-inspired facelift
If you’ve tried kitesurfing and are looking for the next big thrill, there’s always wakeboarding, where you’re towed behind a motorboat on a board not much bigger than a skateboard. DeLaWake is a wakeboarding camp that has just opened by the lake at Arcos de la Frontera, a two and half hour drive west of Málaga.
Camp Nou, www.fcbarcelona.com, www.fosterandpartners.com – Fly to Barcelona
Valencia Grand Prix, www.formulaunovalencia.com – Fly to Valencia
Volvo Ocean Race, from 4 October, www.volvooceanrace.org – Fly to Alicante
Tarifa, Andalucia, www.andalucia.org – Fly to Málaga
DeLaWake camp, Arcos de la Frontera, www.delawake.com – Fly to Málaga
culinary credentials la nueva cocina
Grey mullet roe, peas
and artichokes with
begonia leaves – a
Ferran Adrià creation In recent years, Spain has overtaken France as the global capital for innovative, high-end cuisine. The magician and jester-in-chief of this movement is Ferran Adrià, whose three Michelin-starred El Bulli restaurant is located on the Costa Brava north of the fishing village of Rosas. Something of a culinary Salvador Dalí, Adrià is best known for applying scientific techniques to traditional Spanish ingredients. “Chemistry simply helps us to understand and, in that way, we can keep on improving our recipes,” he explains. El Bulli is only open from April until the beginning of October, and reservations can be hard to come by, so why not try the next pretender to the culinary throne?
One chef causing quite a stir is 33-year-old Dani García. Based on the Costa del Sol , he has excited critics with his liquid nitrogen cooking processes. “Initially, we changed the consistency of cold soups,” says García. “Then we discovered that the [liquid nitrogen] technique could be applied to other foods like oysters in Sherry.
Dani García’s cherry
gazpacho at Calima
restaurant, Marbella
Marie sauce, and passion fruit with herb and eucalyptus ice cream.” García’s Calima restaurant in Marbella is now an essential stop on any foodie pilgrimage.
Speaking of frozen delights, along the Costa del Sol in Benalmádena Marina, Spain’s very first ice bar has recently opened. Donning fur capes and sipping from a glass made of ice may be almost commonplace in Scandinavia, but it’s a bizarre and brilliant experience in southern Spain. And for those who have overdone the sunbathing, a cold vodka in even colder surroundings is just the tonic for scorched skin.
El Bulli, Cala Montjoi, Rosas, +34 972 150 457, www.elbulli.com – Fly to Barcelona
Restaurant Calima, Calle José Melia, +34 952 764 252, Marbella, www.restaurantecalima.es – Fly to Málaga
Boal’s Ice Bar, Benalmádena Marina, +34 620 585 851 – Fly to Málaga.
cutting-edge culture music, film and theatre
Join fans at the FIB
music festival in
Benicàssim this July
Spaniards are born with a passionate love of partying, so it’s no surprise that their festivals are exceptional. However, for a country proud of its cultural heritage, Spain is also internationally-minded when it comes to putting on a show. Barcelona’s Sónar festival is perhaps the most established. This celebration of music and visual arts takes place every June and has witnessed performances from the likes of Björk, Beastie Boys and The Chemical Brothers.
In recent years, though, Sónar has been eclipsed by the FIB rock and dance music festival, hosted each July by the town of Benicàssim on the Costa del Azahar. Last year, Muse and Arctic Monkeys headlined, alongside a fine array of Scandinavian acts such as Peter Bjorn & John, The Hives, and Who Made Who. This year, Pete Docherty will be among the top acts. Around 80% of festival-goers are from outside Spain, with many preferring the Benicàssim experience of partying all night and sleeping all day on the beach to the colder, muddier affairs of northern Europe.
Pete Docherty
and
band
Babyshambles
will
headline this
year
On the Costa Dorada, another seaside resort regularly opens its arms to international artists. Each October, some of the world’s best film makers head for Sitges and the International Film Festival of Catalonia. Considered one of the industry’s most important showcases, particularly for genre movies and fantasy flicks, many smash hits have made their debut at the festival. And, in recent years, it has introduced a number of significant Latin American and Far Eastern directors to the cinema-going world.
Finally, good news for theatre lovers with homes on the Costa del Sol. The acclaimed architect David Chipperfield is currently working on a staggering 600-seat theatre for the pretty Andalusian resort of Estepona, which is due to be finished in 2009. With transparent walls, shaded viewing platforms and incorporating the existing park, the building will link the seafront with the Old Town.
Sonar, Barcelona, 19-21 June, www.sonar.es – Fly to Barcelona
FIB, Benicassim, 17-20 July, www.fiberfib.com –Fly to Valencia
International Film Festival of Catalonia, Sitges, October (dates to be confirmed), www.cinemasitges.com – Fly to Barcelona
Estepona Theatre, Estepona, www.davidchipperfield.co.uk – Fly to Málaga
the big chill
boutique hotels and spas
Having produced some of the greatest artists of the 20th century, Spain is clearly a country that encourages creativity and, as such, has led the way in the current craze for boutique hotels. Until recently, nearly all were found in the big cities, but now there are some smart hideaways popping up along the coast.
Mas Passamaner, a spa hotel in the hills near Tarragona on the Costa Dorada, was originally built in the 1920s, but has recently been renovated with each room paying homage to a different Spanish modernist architect. The sprawling estate, award-winning chef and retro restaurant menu also add to the appeal.
Meanwhile, Hotel Palacio Blanco, a former Bishop’s palace in Velez-Málaga on the Costa del Sol is exactly what you’d expect from a husband and wife team who, in their former lives, were an architect and fashion industry executive respectively. “The decor is Moroccan with a twist, but we’ve also included every mod con you can possibly imagine, including a rooftop exercise swimming-spa pool which has views over the town, castle and mountains,” says owner Nick Vallance.
Down the coast, the Hotel Claude offers something different for visitors to Marbella who have grown bored of anonymous beachside accommodation. Nestled in the lively Old Town, it’s more like a traditional yet luxuriously redesigned Spanish home than a hotel. The restaurant, bar and rooftop area are ideal spots for chilling out after a hard day on the beach or golf course.
where natural hot springs have been curing aches and pains since Roman times. The resort of Balneario de Leana is among the best. Drawing Spanish A-listers, it offers hydrotherapy, balneotherapy and thalassotherapy in gorgeous surroundings. There are a number of excellent hotels nearby, so you can plan a full, soothing escape.
And once sufficiently stress-free, you might like to make the journey down to Molino del Rey, a holistic and recreational centre about 50 minutes inland from Málaga where you can enjoy weekend or week-long retreats practising yoga, tai chi, meditation or dance.
Mas Passamaner, Cami De La Serra 52, La Selva Del Camp, +34 977 766 333, www.maspassamaner.com – Fly to Barcelona
Hotel Palacio Blanco, Calle Felix Lomas 4, Velez-Málaga, +34 952 549 174, www.palacioblanco.com – Fly to Málaga
Hotel Claude, Casco Antiguo, Calle San Francisco 5, Marbella, +34 952 900 840, www.hotelclaudemarbella.com – Fly to Málaga
Balneario de Leana, Calle Balneario, Fortuna, +34 902 444 410, www.leana.es – Fly to Murcia
Molino del Rey, Valle de Jorox, Alozaina, +34 952 480 009, www.molinodelrey.com – Fly to Málaga
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