Welcome to the August 2009 issue of Marbella Family Newsletter!

Content of this issue:

1. Monthly feature: Top 10 Beaches on the Costa del Sol.

2. Monthly update: new family activities / reviews on our site.

3. The Power of the BUZZZ.

4. Marbella daily news.

The jury is in! We have tallied up your votes and have come up with the top 10 beaches to visit on the Costa del Sol. We are now in full summer and the best place to go on the coast is the beach to escape the heat and get a great tan. Here is the top MUST GO to beaches:

10. Carvajal Beach, Benalmadena – Large urbanized beach (1600m in length) with lots of services nearby. Fine golden sand with moderate waves. High congestion in summer frequented by lots of families. Located 35 minutes from Marbella center.

9. Alcaidesa, Cadiz – This semi-urbanized beach is enormous reaching 4,300 meters in length and 60 meters in width. Not usually crowded and offers lots of services including a large golf course. Located at La Línea de la Concepción (Cádiz) approximately 45 minutes west of Marbella.

8. Pinomar, E. Marbella – This small semi-urbanized beach located east of Marbella is only 350 meters wide. With golden sand and moderate waves you will find this beach just next to Costa Bella beach located only 10 minutes from Marbella center just off the N340 at exit Km 189.

7. Estrella del Mar, E. Marbella - Another fabulous east Marbella beach, the Estrella del Mar offers golden sand and clear water.Located just near the Hotel Vincci in the UrbanizacionEstrella del Mar in Las Chapas. Take the N340 to exit Km. 191.

6. La Rada, Estepona – La Rada beach is the most central beach in Estepona and very large offering 2630 meters of golden sand. Great chiringuitos (beach bars) on this strip and a beautiful board walk. (Tip: Marbella Family Fun´s favorite chiringuito is Bikini Beach )

5. El Alicate, Elviria - A long strip (1900m) of beach with golden sand and moderate waves. Can get crowded in the summer. Lots of chiringuitos to choose from offering chilled sangria and typical Spanish tapas. (Tip: Marbella Family Fun favorite paella found at Los Sardinales ) . Take the Exit El Rosario and peel off to the first right at the sign El Alicate and head towards the beach.

4. Nueva Andalucia - A long (1050m) and popular strip of fine sand which includes El Duque and La Siesta beaches. Located in front of the Guadalpin Hotel you will find this beach has a little cove and shallow water. Perfect for little ones. Take the exit for the Hotel Guadalpin off the N340.

3. Las Chapas, E. Marbella – This semi-urban beach is 750 meters long and gets very crowded in the summer. Beautiful sand and clear water. Located in the Urbanization Las Chapas. Take N340 and exit at Las Chapas. Head towards the sea.

2. Tarifa, Cadiz – There are many beautiful beaches in Marbella, but our favorite is Punta Paloma sand dunes. This beach is truly unspoiled and does not offer typical Marbella services such as showers, toilets and lounge chair rentals. The trek down the dunes is easy, however it´s not easy coming back up, so if you have problems climbing or injuries, skip the trip down. Follow road signs to Algeciras, then Tarifa. Pass road to center and continue to Punta Paloma at km 74.

1. Cabopino, E. Marbella – Another great east Marbella beach at 1200 meters long that can get very busy in summer time due to its clean sand and clear water. Watch out for the nudist beach Dunas de Artola neighboring it to the west. (Tip: Marbella Family Fun recommends Andy´s Beach restaurant for Spanish food at good value)

By far, the best beaches on our list occupy the area of east Marbella. To find out more about these beaches…visit east Marbella beaches.

We have been thinking a lot lately not only about fun activities for your family to see and do while on holiday, but also about those not so foreseeable events as accidents and emergencies. That is why we have added a few pages that will guide you to a good hospital or tell you how to reach the police in case of an emergency. Among these pages you´ll find:

- The most useful. Do you know what to do in an emergency? How do you reach the police or an ambulance? Check out our page on useful tips.

- The most visited. Even though Marbella offers 320 days of sunshine, you still would like to know what the weather will be like when planning a trip. Visit our weather page to see what the forecast is.

- The one we hope you´ll never need. Where do you go if you have a serious accident or need to get help quickly? Read about the top hospitals that are available on the coast.

- On a lighter note. Where do you get souvenirs or great deals? Check out our list of local street markets.

For more information on our new content... visit our site.

If you find the site useful, we would greatly appreciate if you could forward this mail to friends and relatives who may have an interest in the Costa del Sol. They will be able to sign up for the newsletter.

Also, if you have not seen it, read the article published on scribd.com about our site. Do not hesitate spreading it around among your friends through e-mail, facebook, twitter....

To keep you up-to-date with the daily events and activities available on the Costa del Sol, as well as our family news, we have various internet tools at you disposal:

- a blog updated daily

- a news feed about Marbella and Andalucia

- a twitter account with daily posting. Feel free following us.

- a facebook group. Please join us if you are interested in what is happening in Marbella.

- an RSS feed that you will find in the left-hand column on any page of our site. (if you are not sure what an RSS feed is, check our help tab.)

Thank you... and see you next month.
Marbella Family
www.marbellafamilyfun.com