Rudi van der Zalm

The Poniente Granadino is in the centre of Andalusia (Spain). It is located between the city of Malaga and the Costa del Sol on the one side and the city of Granada and the Sierra Nevada on the other one. Its strategic situation means that the traveller can visit several major historical centres of Andalusia in single day trips. The Poniente Granadino is weIl located to visit the highlights in Andalusia: Sevilla, Cordoba, Ronda, Sierra Nevada, the Alpujarras, Malaga, the Costa del Sol and of course, the city of Granada with the beautiful arabian palaces and gardens of the Alhambra.

On the easternmost part of the Costa del Sol, near Malaga, protected from the cold northerly winds by the mountain ranges of Alhama, Tejeda and Almijara, and open to the African continent across the Mediterranean we find a region called La Axarquia. Mountain and coast, warm and fertile, rural and cosmopolitan, white and blue are all terms to describe this region.

In the northernmost part of Andalusia, between Jaen and Ciudad Real, where Andalusia begins, we find a Natural Park, which is unequalled amongst the natural parks of Andalusia.

Its history is ingraved in its landscape, and is well illustrated in books and stories, in common expressions, and also physically in the many archeological sites, paintings and sculptures found here.

At many popular car hire destinations in Spain like Alicante airport, Malaga or Mallorca you can book your rental car with both global and local car hire companies, but what are exactly the advantages of each one?

Many travellers prefer the peace of mind of booking with a reputable multinational like Avis, Hertz, Europcar or National in order to avoid unpleasant surprises when collecting the rental car.

For almost eight centuries, the Iberian Peninsula lived one of its most privileged moments, not only with regard to Spain, but also to Europe as a whole: the age of Moslem Spain, which the Arabs called al-Andalus.

The mixture of races, religions and cultures gave rise to a brilliant civilisation, where both the Arts and Science flourished. Silks, objects of art produced in ivory, bronze and marble, ceramic tiling, the creation of a subtle architectural style and luminous sensual poetry all made al-Andalus the cultural focal point of Europe; a bridge between East and West, the cradle of a splendid and refined civilisation.

Many people feel that car hire at Malaga airport is a notorious black hole in their holiday expenses. You thought you had a really good price quoted from the website, but when you arrive with your car hire voucher at the counter, there are all kinds of insurance add-ons, fuel payments and unclear charges. In many cases it costs a lot of money and you can't really make out where it's gone afterwards.

Finding a discount car rental at Malaga airport or other popular tourist destinations in southern Spain doesn't have to be hard. All it takes is a little research. Here are some tips to get cheap car hire rates in Malaga.

Begin your search for a bargain rental car as soon as you know the dates of your holiday or stay. Sometimes the reception at your hotel or resort can be of help for finding a discounted rent a car, but normally you will find the best deals on the internet.

Most travellers to Spain are interested in car hire when they're on holiday in Alicante. But what many people may not realize is that you can save quit some money on your car rental on the Costa Blanca if you plan ahead and do your research. Here are some simple tips to save money on your next holiday in Alicante or whenever you need a rent a car.

Shop around.

The Poniente Granadino is situated in the centre of Andalusia (Spain). It is located between the city of Granada and the Sierra Nevada on one side and the city of Malaga and the Costa del Sol on the other one. Its strategic situation means that the traveller can visit several major historical centres of Andalusia in single day trips.

Staying in one of the many rural accommodations in the Poniente Granadino is an excellent choice if you plan to visit the highlights in Andalusia: Sevilla, Cordoba, Ronda, Sierra Nevada, the Alpujarras, Malaga, the Costa del Sol and of course, the city of Granada with the beautiful arabian palaces and gardens of the Alhambra.

In last week's article we outlined a number of tips and tricks on the most common surcharges when you need to rent a car in Spain. Apart from the already mentioned additional charges like airport surcharges, insurances, sales taxes, concession recovery fees, customer facility charges to name but a fee there are other additional charges which may be applicable depending on your travel destination or the pickup station you collect the car from.