Castillo Colomares - Picture credit: # phos_graphis #
You could be forgiven for doing a double take as you drive down to the coast from Benalmadena Pueblo and glance to your left – so keep a firm grip on the steering wheel and wait until you stop the car before taking a closer look.
For appearing magically out of the trees is what seems to be a fantastical palace fit for a fairy-tale princess. But stop to explore and you will discover a magnificent “folly” dedicated to the memory of the great explorer Christopher Columbus, designed and built as a labour of love by a local doctor. And it’s one stop on a day of discovery for Club La Costa members and guests holidaying at the Costa del Sol resorts.
Dr Esteban Martin Martin believed that Columbus, commissioned by the Spanish Monarchy to find the New World, was not, as many thought, an Italian, but a Spaniard. Señor Martin wanted to celebrate the explorer’s Spanish roots and he began his grand project to do just that. Work on the Castillo Monumento Colomares began in 1987, and with the help of just two stonemasons, was finished in 1994.
It’s a magical building which unifies a number of architectural styles – Byzantine, Romanesque, Arabic and Gothic – producing a history book of 15th century Spanish culture, art and discovery intricately carved in stone. Each segment is numbered, and at No 16 the stern of Columbus’s ship forms a glorious tower.The Castillo is open from 10am until 2pm throughout the year, and 5pm until 9pm in the summer (4pm until 7pm in spring/autumn and 4pm until 6pm in winter). Entrance is 2 euros for adults and 1.30 euros for children.
Plaza de España in Benalmadena Pueblo - Picture credit: Terry Wha
Start the day in Benalmadena Pueblo – wander through the cobbled streets of this pretty whitewashed pueblo and enjoy a slice of traditional life. Stop for a coffee at a pavement café before taking the winding road down toward the coast. Call in at the Castillo and enjoy the intricate hand-crafted workmanship, before heading down to the nearby coast to visit Benalmadena Marina. It’s awash with luxury yachts and motor vessels and has twice won the World’s Best Marina award. Hollywood superstar Elizabeth Taylor apparently had her yacht moored there for several years.
The Buddhist Temple in Benalmadena Pueblo - Picture credit: montuno
Club La Costa guests can complete their day out with a difference at the architecturally stunning Buddhist Stupa – the gleaming white building with its golden crown can be seen for miles around and from its grounds it enjoys panoramic views of the Costa del Sol. The Stupa is a monument for peace, prosperity, harmony of the world and meditation, and is the largest in Western Europe – the building is closed on Mondays but the grounds are always open. For a closer commune with nature pop into the Butterfly Park (Mariposario), recently opened near the Stupa. It is the largest of its kind in Europe, home to more than 1,500 free exotic butterflies, and is described as “a place where colours fly”.
So, a day out with a difference to Benalmadena and within easy reach of Club La Costa’s Costa del Sol resorts.
Loading ...
