The Essentials for your Holiday in Marbella

Marbella Essentials

Wow! You’ve booked your holiday in Marbella, now make all the preparations necessary for a smooth running and absolutely flawless holiday. You should consider the following items carefully so that you don't miss something important.

Fashion

Marbella recently embraced a new tag line - Marbella Five Star Destination. If you can't afford Chanel, Gucci or Prada, then look for more affordable exclusive brands. Know what to wear. Get those Marbella exclusive outfits for a great time.

Go now to our special Marbella Fashion page.

Slimming Solutions

Get that body into shape before you go. Remember the adage “no carbs before marbs”? The earlier you start the better. Slimming Solutions is one of the most successful weight loss sites in the UK! Established in 2001 our award winning website offers a wide range of slimming and weight loss products including Slim Bomb pills, Hoodia tablets, Acai capsules, Spanx shapewear, Lemon Detox diet, Weight Loss patches, plus much much more.

Sunscreen

The Marbella climate means you’re going to get a lot of sun. A good sunscreen is essential. Factor 15 or more is what you want. It should be higher than this for children. Get it now from Express Chemist. Express Chemist is a leading UK-registered online pharmacy specialising in medicines treating common conditions.

Digital Camera

You know there are going to be Kodak moments on your trip and a digital camera is the best way to capture them to upload to Facebook or tweet them. Don’t forget extra batteries! Wex Photographic was established in 1997 offering a dedicated service focused on photographers; a service that today is enjoyed by over 600,000 customers. We are the largest independent online photographic specialist retailer in the UK with over 16,000 products in our range.

Playing Golf

Mild winters and beautiful spring and autumn weather makes the Costa del sol, perfect for golf. This region of Spain is the golfers dream, with such a wide range of quality golf courses there is something to match all skill levels. See our Marbella golfing page. Before visiting Marbella, why not get the best golfing gear at Clickgolf.co.uk . They have the best range of discount golf equipment including golf shoes, golf bags, golf balls and golf clubs.

Going Fishing

There are many places where you can go fishing in Marbella. Beaches, large rocks off the shore and fishing excursions from one of the ports. See our fishing page. Dragon Carp Direct source and sell fishing gear for all key sectors of angling. The tackle is unique and sold at incredibly low prices - DCD won't be beaten on any price. Have a look and get your equipment before you leave.

Walking

Marbella is great for walking specially in the areas of the mountain ranges called Sierra Blanca, Sierra Canucha and Sierra de las Nieves. There are great views, of mountains and the sea having different ecosystems, rich in flora and with great wildlife. Come prepared for a great days walk. Regatta caters for the whole family. Its ranges cover everything from high performance outdoor wear under the X-ert label to easy-to-wear everyday outdoor clothing in its Outdoor Classics and Heritage ranges. Regatta completes the outdoor offering with an excellent range of footwear, rucksacks and accessories. Try also the Regatta Clearance Outlet Store with up to 70% off clearance items.

Take Good Books

You invest so much time and money in your holiday, why not buy a good quality guide book so you can explore the area. Even if you think you will be lying on the fabulous Marbella beaches all the time, to really get the most from your holiday, you need to understand Andalucia and the Spanish way of life. For instance, the Berlitz Pocket Guide to Costa del Sol and Andalucia provides all the information you need to enjoy the stunning scenery, lively resorts and historic cities of this region. Or The Rough Guide Map: Andalucia & the Costa del Sol is the perfect starting-point for exploring this sun-baked region, pin-pointing the best attractions on offer. Foyles for books is the world’s most famous bookshop with over one hundred years of trading history. Foyles.co.uk features one million plus titles available to customers. Their freepost offer for UK customers spending over £10 is great value.

Travel Insurance

Buy good quality insurance. Almost a third of travel insurance claims are for cancellation. If you plan to rely on free cover provided as a benefit on your credit card, get a copy of the cover and read it carefully. Consider leaving valuables and jewelry at home. Coverwise Travel Insurance provides highly competitive travel insurance and regularly receives best buy recommendations which is due to competitive pricing and good levels of cover.

Luggage

Getting the right kind of luggage nowdays is essential to ensure you carry the maximum amount of stuff within your luggage allowance. Take a mixture of hand luggage and checked-in luggage. Maximise the amount of hand luggage you can take by consulting with your airlines terms and conditions. Travel Luggage & Cabin Bags Ltd specialises in stylish, yet lightweight and durable luggage bags, and has an extensive range of Cabin Luggage. They stock arguably the largest range of luggage bags, so whatever a customers taste or requirements, they can guarantee that they’ll find the perfect luggage solution to meet your needs, and your budget.

Airport Parking

To get the best deal in airport parking book it in advance. No matter which airport you are travelling from, rest assured that Airparks only deal with the very best car parks all across the UK so that you know you are getting the best possible start to your holiday or business trip.

Car Hire

Although getting to Marbella from Malaga Airport is easy by coach, you may decide to hire a car to make it easier to see places like Saville, Granada or Cordoba. Helle Hollis is a good choice for car hire. You can get an instant upgrade by paying 30 days in advance, and by quoting our HomeOwners code of H0349 you will get a 15% genuine discount. Helle Hollis

Phoning Home

It can be expensive to use your mobile phone whilst abroad. Also you will usually pay to receive calls as well as to make them, and to receive and send text messages. If you plan to take your mobile phone abroad, make sure you can use it in Spain. Check that you have international roaming for your phone. Consider setting a credit limit on your phone in case it is lost or stolen. If you plan to call home regularly, it may be cheaper to buy a phone card (prepaid or purchased locally) and use local phone boxes rather than your mobile phone.

Consider changing your supplier. Talkmobile, for instance, is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) backed by Vodafone and The Carphone Warehouse. Launched in 2008, it has been developing it's service and network ever since to include a wide range of Pay Monthly tariffs and Pay As You Go deals.

However, controversial roaming charges holidaymakers pay to use their mobile phones in another European country will come down dramatically after 25/05/2016, and are set to disappear altogether from 2017 following EU intervention.

Holiday Health & Safety

It's always good to have something handy to relieve headache, diarrhoea and insect bites, so include such items in a first aid kit for travelling abroad. Get it now from Boots.
The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) can be used to cover any necessary medical treatment due to either an accident or illness within the European Economic Area (EEA). Get it from the Post Office, by telephone or on-line. There are no specific vaccination requirements for travelers to Spain. It is however advisable for young travelers to undergo immunization before traveling to Spain. Make sure your normal vaccination program is up to date. Diabetics or patients requiring injections should take a note from the family doctor stating the need of carrying needles. Pack any medication in your hand luggage. Carry a spare doctors prescription for your medication and your glasses in a separate bag. It’s easy to get emergency prescription drugs from the local chemist in Spain.

Passports

Don’t forget your passport. Some authorities and shops ask for it as proof of ID when you use your credit card. Check the expiry date before you travel.

Holiday Money

Make sure you have enough to cover emergencies. Don't rely on one thing - take a mixture of cash, and credit / debit cards. Get some Euros before arriving in Spain for taxis, coaches etc. Check credit / debit card expiry dates before you travel. Let your card issuer know before you travel. Your spending might be picked up by the card issuer's automated fraud programs, which also put your card on stop! Make a note of debit and credit card company emergency telephone numbers. To order holiday money on-line, try H&T Money

Other things to do before you leave

Think about your home - let neighbours know that you are away and ask a friend, relative or neighbour to make a regular check on it.
Set lights and a radio on timers. Unplug televisions, videos and any electronic equipment that does not need to be left on.
Use up perishables in the fridge or bin them.
Know what airline check-in requirements are. These have changed since September 11th 2001 and do not appear to be consistent for each airport or airline.
On your outward journey write your destination on your luggage tags, not your home address. And put your destination address inside your suitcase as well just in case.
Lock everything.
Pack your mobile charger in your hand luggage!

Photo Portal

When you return, don't forget to have you photos processed. Many Photo Sites offer a wide range of prepaid photo printing packs, unit photo prints, free storage and sharing of photos, photo albums and customised photo objects: Mugs, teddy bears, textile products, a large range of photo books, frame album products.

Happy Holidays