European Group of Retired Staff from Saving Banks
 

XXth. Anniversary of the European Group
EUROMEETING 2014 – FUENGIROLA (Costa del Sol)

HOTEL IPV BEATRIZ PALACE &SPA****
A-7km 207 – 29640 Fuengirola (Málaga)
+34 952922000 www.hotelesbeatriz-ipv.com
Dates: 2-9 May 2014
Airport: MALAGA
(Transfers airport-hotel / hotel-airport planned)
 

The Beatriz Palace is situated just in front of the beach, with a direct access to the pleasant esplanade and next to the garden of the Sohail Castle in Fuengirola, one of the essential towns in the Costa del Sol. Our hotel is the perfect choice for this Euromeeting because of its closeness to the Malaga Airport and its renowned quality service.

GENERAL PLANNING

Friday, 2. Arrival to the rooms at 12 h. Half board (dinner) in the hotel. The documents of the Euromeeting 2014 will be handled over. 20:00 h. Evening: Presentation of the Euromeeting 2014. Welcoming cup of sangria and dinner.

Day trips programmed from Saturday 2 to Thursday 8 May
 

• MÁLAGA (half day)
  
  We will visit the most important sights of Malaga: the Central Park with its four most representative buildings, the Customs Building, the old Post Office, the Bank of Spain and the City Hall; General Torrijos Square; La Farola Boulevard where we will find one of the romantic Malaga symbols. We will visit “El Cenachero”, “El Morro” and the esplanade of the city of Melilla, where we will contemplate the beaches of La Malagueta and the esplanade of Pablo Ruíz Picasso, as well as the Palace of Miramar. We will take the New Path (Camino Nuevo) to the castle of Gibralfaro, and after having seen the artistic and monumental areas from a privileged perspective, we will continue our itinerary to the sanctuary of “la Virgen de la Victoria” and the Garden of the Apes. We will visit the house where Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born, the Roman theatre and the Palace of La Alcazaba. We will also take a walk to the Cathedral (tickets included) and will have some free time in the Larios Street, the principal street of the town.
  
  
   
• GRANADA (full day, lunch in a restaurant)
  
  In Granada, we will have a private official tourist guide who will show us the “Barrio del Albaicín”, the Muslim medieval quarter with its labyrinthine, narrow streets, its squares and its Mudejar churches that were once mosques. We will visit the renowned Mirador de San Nicolás, a magnificent viewpoint where we will contemplate the Alhambra, the Gardens of El Generalife and the mountains of Sierra Nevada. Afterwards, we will visit the Cathedral of Granada (ticket included), the first Renaissance cathedral in Spain, the second in relevance. Built in the very centre of the town, it was designed to represent the importance of the town and its splendorous historical moment. We will also visit the Monastery of La Cartuja (ticket included), one of the wonders of the Andalusian baroque.
  
  
   
• MARBELLA AND PUERTO BANÚS (half day)
  
  For the trip to Marbella we will visit the most interesting towns of the Occidental Costa del Sol, from Torremolinos, Benalmádena, Fuengirola and Mijas to Marbella. We will take a walk in the old quarter of Marbella, where we will see the Church of La Encarnación, the old city ramparts and the very city centre: the Naranjos Square. After the tourist guide’s explanations, we will visit the City Hall and the modern part of Marbella, from its central park with its fountain of Virgen del Rocío and the Sea Boulevard (Avenida del Mar), where we will admire 13 sculptures by Dalí. The next town we will visit is Puerto Banús. We will go to the “Milla de Oro” and the Mosque of King Abdulazzid Al Saud to take some outside photographs, as only Muslims can visit it, and we will continue to Puerto Banús. Once there, we will visit the marina: the Benabolá Dock, the harbormaster’s tower, etc, where we will enjoy some free time for shopping, photographs or sightseeing.
  
  
   
• CÓRDOBA AND ALVEAR WINERY (full day, lunch in a restaurant)
  
  We will visit the most emblematic building of Cordoba, The old Mosque Cathedral, that was given the status of World Heritage Site in 1984. It was built over the ruins of a Visigothic basilic from the latest years of the VIII century and it was extended in the IX and X centuries. The Cathedral has almost 24.000 square meters and it is known to be the most important Muslim building all over the Occidental world. The Hebrew quarter, with the oldest streets of the medieval town, was given the status of World Heritage Site in 1994. In its narrow central street we will find the only medieval synagogue (XIV century) of the South of Spain. It was given the status of National Monument in 1885. Afterwards, we will visit the Alvear Winery, one of the three oldest wineries in Spain and the oldest of Andalusia, established in 1729 by Diego de Alvear. At the end of this visit, we will enjoy some wines (dry, semisweet and sweet).
  
  
   
• BALCONY OF EUROPE AND FRIGILIANA (half day)
  
  Frigiliana is placed 20 minutes near Nerja and makes part of the 31 towns of the Axarquía (Arabic word that means East). It is a typical Andalusian white village that still keeps the streets, houses and drains from the XVI century. Moreover, there is still a cane honey factory built in the XVI century. We will appreciate the architecture of this peaceful village, walking through its streets and talking about the principal sources of income: the production of cane honey, sweet wine, raisins, dried figs, ceramics, painted glass and tissues. The Balcony of Europe constitutes the main tourist attraction of Nerja as it offers a privileged sight on the coast of the Axarquía of Malaga. In 1884, Alfonso XII visited Nerja after an earthquake had destroyed the town. The king was amazed by the magnificence of the coast, with the Maro cliffs (nowadays, a natural reserve) over the Mediterranean and he gave this viewpoint its current name. Until then, the local people had called it the Viewpoint of the Battery because of the battery of cannons placed in this strategic position.
  
  
   
• MIJAS AND PUERTO MARINA (half day)
  
  Our excursion will begin in the Sanctuary of Virgen de la Peña and the Patron Saint of Mijas with its church dig on the stone. We will see the typical streets of the village (white and narrow) to the CACMIJAS, the Contemporary Art Centre (ticket included). We will go from the Museum to the San Sebastián Street where we will admire a typical white narrow street with grilles on the windows and balconies plenty of colourful flowerpots. Then we will visit the city centre, the Constitution Square with all its shops and restaurants and the bullring, built in 1900, and we will visit the Church of la Inmaculada Concepcion, built in 1510. We will end in the local Viewpoint where we will enjoy a magnificent sight of Fuengirola and, in the bright and clear days, of Gibraltar and Morocco. After having some free time in Mijas, and before we go back to the hotel, we will visit the Marina of Benalmadena. In the 60’s, Major Enrique Bolín ordered the design of a construction that would implement quality tourist attractions in Benalmadena, empowering its historical relationship with the sea. The buildings were designed as if they were islands over the sea.

(The present excursion program could be modified)

 In the half day trip days, we will celebrate several meetings in the afternoon:

• Meeting of the Studies and Working Group (GET)
• Board of Directors
• General Plenary Assembly of the European Group

Friday 9. Morning 7h30 – 9h30. Breakfast in the Hotel. At 11 h we will leave our rooms.

End of our services. Transfer to the Airport for clients who have chosen this service.

PRICES:

• Members of the Associations of the European Group
  

DOUBLE ROOM	SINGLE ROOM
695,00€	945,00€

• Non members
  

DOUBLE ROOM	SINGLE ROOM
720,00€	970,00€

Places are limited. Reservations will be treated in chronological order of reception.
Inscriptions will begin on September 5, 2013 and will finish on February 15, 2014.

OPTIONAL SERVICES

1. Optional insurance for cancelling fees and enlarged assistance on trip. You can buy this optional enlarged insurance for your trip (up to 10 days in Spain) and insurance against the eventual cancellation of your reservation. Consult the general conditions in Viajes Transvia. This insurance costs 15 euros.
    
2. Transfer Malaga Airport-Hotel and vice versa: €5,00 for person and transfer (prices for a minimum of 35 people).