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General advice and information about travelling in Spain
Generally speaking Spain and the Costa del Sol have a lower level of crime than the U.K. Like everywhere, however, there is crime and, as holidaymakers are usually in a relaxed mood they make an obvious target.
Out and About
When you are out and about, particularly in crowds, look out for pick pockets and handbag snatchers. Don't carry more money than you need and keep your wallet close to you. Over the last year or so there have been a number of incidents of handbag snatching reported. These are often carried out by youths on scooters. Ladies should always keep the strap of their handbag wrapped round their hand and on the side away from the edge of the road.
Night Time
If you are walking around at night stay in well-lit areas where there are plenty of other people around. If it is very late at night consider getting a taxi back to your accommodation.
Cash Machines
For some time now crooks have been attaching a piece of plastic with a flexible slot to cash machines. When a customer inserts their card it is stopped from corning out again by the flexible strip. A "helpful" local then offers to retrieve the card for you and watches you enter the pin number again. The card still isn't released and the local suggests that you, leave it and report it to the bank in the morning. You go away and the crook removes the plastic strip and retrieves your card! If this happens to you look at the slot carefully and see if it is covered bya false strip -. if so you should be able to remove it to retrieve your card. Under no circumstances let anyone see you entering your pin number no matter how helpful they may seem.
Take Care
Other dangers to be aware of are street corner time share sellers. You may decide to take them up on their offer of a presentation but don't allow yourself to be pressured into signing anything. Finally, if you are booking any coach excursions make sure that the company is reputable and legal. All excursion companies are classed as travel agents and must have a ClAN number. You can be sure that these companies use properly licensed and trained drivers and carry the required insurances. Literature and adverts used by these companies will carry their ClAN number as will their receipts for money paid to them. As we said at the beginning, the crime rate on the Costa del Sol is relatively low. A few simple precautions will help to eflsure that you have an enjoyable and carefree holiday.
Using The Internet
Just because you are on holiday it doesn't mean that you can't keep in touch with what's going on at home or work. If you are intemet user then you can take advantage of this through one of the many internet bars or cafes. Just as at home these will provide you with full internet access facilities based on a fixed charge per IA or V2 hour. Most of the places which provide these facilities also have other facilities such as call boxes, fax, photocopying etc. Many of them also serve food and drink so that you can combine your business with a drink or snack. If you are in Fuengirola we recommend the Oasis Internet Cafe on Avda Ramon y Cajal just behind the PYR hotel.' In Torremolinos, EI Mojito have good internet facilities.
Exchanging Money
The exchange rate varies on a day to day basis. You can often exchange money at your hotel, banks or money exchange agencies.
Post
Post boxes are bright yellow and are fairly well distributed. Stamps can be bought at tobacconists as well as from post offices.
Telephones
To telephone the U.K. from Spain you must first dial 0044 followed by the normal area code and number leaving out the first 0 of the area code. For example, to dial the following number in the U.K., 0722 121 1234 you would dial 0044 722 121 1234.
Basically using Spanish public phones is very similar to' those at home and the instructions are often written in English. Remember it will cost you over 60 cents just to get in contact with the UK and you will need plenty of coins. A good tip is to just insert a small coin, say 10 cents, to check that the phone is working. If you get a dial tone you can then put more money in knowing that you won't lose it. Generally cheaper rates operate after 10.00 p.m. local time, and all
On the Road
It is easy to forget, when crossing the road, that the traffic will be coming from the opposite direction to what you are used to - so do take, care. Whilst, generally, there are plenty of zebra crossings Spanish drivers don't normally stop unless you are actually on the crossing and even that can't be guaranteed! Pelican crossings are becoming more normal in holiday resorts.
Drinking Water
The water on the Costa is, unlike in the early days, perfectly safe to drink. However, it has a different mineral content to the water back home and you would therefore probably be wise to stick to bottled water for drinking purposes. However there is no worry about using tap water for brushing your teeth or having ice cubes in your drinks.
The Euro
A Euro is divided in to 100 cents or centimos. Notes are available in five (grey), ten (red), twenty (blue), fifty (orange), one hundred (green), two hundred (yellow) and five hundred (purple) denominations, however, the larger notes are not often seen these days due to restrictions on exchange within Spain. Many of these notes are moving from paper to plasticated equivalents.
Local Markets
The markets on the Costa del Sol are a wonderful place to find bargains to suit everyone. Popular holiday buys are Spanish pottery and leather goods. For something different why not try one of the flea markets where there are many stalls selling genuine old Spanish items which make a great change from the usual souvenirs. The flea market in Fuengirola is the biggest and well worth a visit. If you are buying clothes you will find the size comparison chart useful. Normally markets run from about 10.00 am until 3.00 pm although they may start packing up sooner particularly in the winter.
Clothes sizes
| Women | Men | Men's shirts | Shoes | ||||
| UK | SP | UK | SP | UK | SP | UK | SP |
| 8 | 38 | 34 | 44 | 14 | 35 | 4 | 36.5 |
| 10 | 40 | 36 | 46 | 14.5 | 36/37 | 5 | 37.5 |
| 12 | 42 | 38 | 48 | 15 | 38 | 6 | 39 |
| 14 | 44 | 40 | 50 | 15.5 | 39/40 | 7 | 41 |
| 16 | 46 | 42 | 52 | 16 | 42 | 8 | 42 |
| 18 | 48 | 44 | 54 | 16.5 | 42/43 | 9 | 43 |
| 20 | 50 | 46 | 56 | 17 | 44 | 10 | 44 |
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