Gibraltar:
Tricia24 and myself recently went holidaying on the Costa del Sol (An op will be written soon)! Whilst on holiday we decided to do a spot of sight seeing and took a day trip to the Rock of Gibraltar.
Our hotel was selling excursions for the following prices: Day trip to Gibraltar ... Read review
Information: :Temporarily out of stock. Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. Your credit card will not be charged until we ship the item....
Information: :Temporarily out of stock. Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. Your credit card will not be charged until we ship the item....
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We propose some unforgettable holidays in "El Capistrano Villages", in Nerja, the privileged balcony of the Costa del Sol. "El Capistrano Villages" is, possibly, the most beautiful and exclusive Urbanisation on the Costa del Sol.
Advantages: No tax or vat! Disadvantages: hungrey monkeys! lol!
...a day trip to the Rock of Gibraltar.
Our hotel was selling excursions for the following prices: Day trip to Gibraltar 15 Euros
Day trip to Gibraltar, plus lunch 30 Euros.
As many of you may know by now Tricia24 and myself always look out for a bargain on our hols and “Yes” we found another one! Heading into “Fuengirola” the nearest town to where we were staying we found a place that sold excursions and got a bargain trip ... ...to the top of the rock it costs £7 return and £6 for single. This does not include your entrance to the Caves or the Tunnels so you’ll end up paying the same as a taxi ride, but you will have a 20min walk to the caves and 55min walk to the Tunnels. Also be warned the Cable Car is very steep and often shut due to wind.
What is there to do?
* St Michaels Caves: At the top of the rock you will find the natural taverns. ... more
Gibraltar:
Tricia24 and myself recently went holidaying on the Costa del Sol (An op will be written soon)! Whilst on holiday we decided to do a spot of sight seeing and took a day trip to the Rock of Gibraltar.
Our hotel was selling excursions for the following prices: Day trip to Gibraltar 15 Euros Day trip to Gibraltar, plus lunch 30 Euros. As many of you may know by now Tricia24 and myself always look out for a bargain on our hols and “Yes” we found another one! Heading into “Fuengirola” the nearest town to where we were staying we found a place that sold excursions and got a bargain trip to Gibraltar for only 10Euros each! It just shows you it saves to look around, we didn’t have to pay up front either, we could pay on the day and the coach picked us up from the hotel!
From Fuengirola the trip took 2 and half hours to get to Gibraltar but leaving at 8.25am it still meant you had a full day of sightseeing. The bus company we went with called Florida run by a man called Miffy and his wife. They were such a lovely couple full of information about the country the whole drive; they even gave us sweets for the journey and information sheets.
On arrival to Gibraltar you have to firstly go through passport control! PLEASE REMEMBER YOUR PASSPORT! Gibraltar is not part of Spain it is owned by the British so a check of passports has to be done before you enter; both Spanish and Gibraltan police check your passports.
Gibraltar is situated on the southern Europe and links the Mediterranean and the north Atlantic oceans of the coast of Spain; it has a population of 27,833 (Est. July 2004). Gibraltar has been a British territory since 1704 and is part of the subject of many conquests and sieges. It has been part of the EU since 1973.
Currency:
There are 3 types of currency that you can use in Gibraltar:
English Money: I advise that you use this because you get the best deals.
Gibraltan Money: I advise you against this, you can only use it in Gibraltar, and it is not valid any where else so you don’t want have lots left over.
Euros: You can use euros but I think you get stung with the exchange rate.
Word of advice always ask for your change in sterling because they will try and give Gibraltan money otherwise!
How to get about:
Coach Trips: There are various coach trips that you can book to take you around the island, they are around £15 per person, but you limited to a certain time, which isn’t always a good thing when you are wanting to explore.
Taxi: This is the mode we chose and I highly recommend it! £14 or 28 Euros per person, this includes entrance to both the caves and the tunnels. The other good thing is you pay at the end of the tour. We were very lucky as our taxi driver was from Gibraltar and was full of information about the Rock.
Cable Car: you can get the cable car to the top of the rock it costs £7 return and £6 for single. This does not include your entrance to the Caves or the Tunnels so you’ll end up paying the same as a taxi ride, but you will have a 20min walk to the caves and 55min walk to the Tunnels. Also be warned the Cable Car is very steep and often shut due to wind.
What is there to do?
* St Michaels Caves: At the top of the rock you will find the natural taverns. One of the Caves is so big that they have built a 400-seated auditorium in side it where they hold classical orchestral concerts. You have to see it to believe it. It is beautiful inside, hundreds of stalagmites and stalactites. The lighting that has been arranged to show the caves off impressed me. It was very subtle and in no way detracted the attention away from the wondrous sight!
· Dolphin Watching: Trips are available for you to go out on a boat and see the bottle nosed dolphins in their natural environment. The trip costs around £15 for 1 and a half hours. We gave it a miss this time around as I had already done a similar trip in Tenerife!
· Bird watching: For the bird lovers amongst you Gibraltar is home to over 200 species of birds. Many birds are found here because Gibraltar is the narrowest crossing point from Europe to Africa when birds are migrating.
· Botanical Gardens: The Gardens opened in 1816 and they are host to a magnificent array of botanical plants from Atlantic Islands, South Africa, Far East, Australia and Californian. We did not visit the gardens because we did not have time, but it sounds like it is defiantly worth a visit if you like that sort of thing.
· The Great Siege Tunnels: The sieges in the 18th century lead to a network of tunnels being excavated in the rock to allow cannons to be hidden. The cannons used to defend Gibraltar were the first to ever fire downwards. The tunnels run 32 miles across but only some of this is accessible to the public. We did explore the tunnels on our visit and we found it very interesting, Trcia24 was very interested in the history of the tunnels so it was a good choice!
· The Apes: Gibraltar is famous for it’s Barbary Apes, they have 300 on the rock at present and they are the only apes in Europe allowed to roam free. Our taxi driver told us about the stories of why the Apes are on the rock; one of the stories says that the Apes came from South Africa; they traveled over to Gibraltar because they found an underground tunnel and walked under the sea. A tunnel has never been found. The more likely reason is that 6 Apes were originally brought over on a ship and the rest is history. The people of Gibraltar help to look after the apes and spend 14,000 a year and fruit and veg for them. When the Apes start to become over populated they send them into Europe to help prevent them becoming extinct. So far they have sent Apes to Portugal and Germany. To keep a track of the apes all of them are marked, christened (Although they are no practicing) and named after famous English and Gibraltan people.
Advice on the apes:
1/ Do not eat food near the Apes; although they are fed they will still go for you if you eat near them. 2/ Do not feed the Apes. 3/ Do not try to touch a baby Ape; they are very protective over their young. 4/ Do not open your bag near an Ape they will assume you have food.
If you follow the advice given then you will be fine, we never had any problems with the apes, they are fairly tame, some brave people were touching them and sitting really close to them to take pictures. I am not so brave so when I get my pic’s back you’ll see me with an Ape a few feet away.
Shopping:
This is the place to come for shopping because it is tax and vat free! Your allowance is 200 Cigarettes per person or 50 cigars or 250g of Tobacco. You are then allowed I think it’s 1.5 liters of alcohol. On top of this you are allowed to spend £120 per person on all other goods and £60 per child all other goods! Be warned you have to go through customs on the way back and they check your bags and the transport you came in on. If you have over the above you will be taxed for it. They are very strict and you should only carry you personal allowance through customs for example, we were told of a man who tried to take 800 cigarettes through for his party of 4, but customs works per person and because the other people did not carry them through themselves he ended up paying tax.
Cigarettes are very cheap indeed I bought 200 Marlborough lights for £11.70. I also bought a bottle of Martini Rosso for 5 Euros. Perfume is also reasonable I bought a bottle of Jean Paul Goutier for £26 instead of its usual £40.
All the shops are situated on the main street called “Main Street”, it is the main point of Gibraltar and one you can miss easily. Gibraltar has many English shops such as BHS, marks and Spencer’s, Top shop, Dorothy Perkins and Burton; I have to say we did not find them cheaper, priced about the same really.
Special tips from Miffy!
As I mentioned in the begging of this review our coach leader gave us some very helpful information sheets I am going to share some of this useful info with you now!
· Stag bros: Best place for cigarettes; also carry a large selection of alcohol. · Norwich and Peterborough Building Society: Only place to with draw English Notes! · Sacarello’s: Best coffee in Gibraltar turn right at Barclays Bank. · The Carpenters Arms; A Methodist Church Café run by volunteers, all profits go to charity.
Just to some up, Gibraltar was a great day trip we spent 5 hours on the rock and saw plenty, I recommend this place as a day trip, I think you’d get bored after one or two days. Hope you have enjoyed this op and find it of use LizzieX
Advantages: Unique scenery and culture Disadvantages: Incontinent monkeys and uncontinental cuisine
...unusual peninsular with it's mountainous rock jutting out into the Mediterranean towards Africa is quite stunning but also has an interesting and quite violent history, and a rather obscure mixture of British, Spanish and Moroccan culture and cuisine and of course those monkeys.
Gibraltar is a highly controversial place and has been a British territory since 1704 much to Spain annoyance, as it has a rather strategic location at the only entrance ... ...doing another lap of the rock and finally landing rather heavily on the tarmac. My girlfriend didn't have any such excitement, but the view on approach is quite memorable.
Getting Around
Gibraltar is small enough for a keen walker to never need a taxi, but there were plenty available at the airport, and on arrival I took one to the hotel to help me get my bearings .There are other taxi ranks around the town too. There are also minibuses that can ...
AndrewPo 10.07.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Rock of Gibraltar (Spain)
...the enormity of the famous rock itself looms powerfully afront the town as if guarding its contents, the walk from Spain across the small customs area past the airport runway then beneath this huge monumental rock is somewhat weird, you literally walk across from Spain onto this small,character island. Across the way boats bob up and down in the bay ,small bars and cafes are buzzing with people enjoying the lazy day. My husband's family are Gibraltarian, ... ...shoe retailers. The Rock is a definite must, but is quite a distance and the usual means is by cable car (not for those scared of heights)or by car and rest by foot. Whatever you choice, the views are outstanding. Once at the top you will be met by the local barbary apes on the look out for some tasty morsels usually,but unfortunately for yours truly the biggest one came to sit on me and then decided to bite my arm! (beware they do look very tame ...
whitewiner 17.01.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Rock of Gibraltar (Spain)
Advantages: Lots of things to see, VAT free shoppingq Disadvantages: Difficult to get in and out of
...make the point that the Rock is British, and I'm talking about a place here, not the greatest WWF wrestler ever, but thats not the point, the Spanish are SO childish about Gibraltar, they don't put up any signs to Gibraltar until you're right next to it. Getting out is even worse, with Spanish customs officials searching 1 in every 5 cars. We were held up for an hour at the border, but apparently you can be held up for up to 3 hours.
Firstly, getting ... ...most famous attraction is the Rock itself. For £7 each you get return tickets on the Cable Car and also free admission to all the sites of the Rock, including St Michaels Cave, a very spectacular cave, and the Great Siege tunnels. I didn't see them but they're supposed to be good. Well according to the Gibraltar tourist office leaflet anyway.
And then there are the Apes. Introduced by the BRITISH from Morocco, they are monkeys without tails and ...
Yeahmate 16.07.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Rock of Gibraltar (Spain)
Advantages: cheap alcohol and cigarettes, monkeys Disadvantages: No really pretty scenic places
...When you first see the Rock of Gibraltar,from either the Costa del Sol or above the surrounding countryside, causes you to think the place is so small. It has had this effect on people for many thousands of years. Gibraltar is a beacon which signals the position of the Strait of Gibraltar, the narrow neck which separates Europe from Africa and provides the only link between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. When you first enter gibraltar ... ...lots of taxi drvers offering rock Tours these are expensive roughly 20 pound but they do give you the full guided tours of the rock entrance to the caves on the rock and to see the famous monkeys on the rock. However you can get the bus to the bottom of the rock and catch cable car to the top and then buy entrance to caves and monkeys and this is cheaper and you can do the trip in your own time. Once you have visited the rock the next thing and only ...
ribena 22.11.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Rock of Gibraltar (Spain)
Advantages: The apes, beautiful scenery and palces to eat Disadvantages: Absolutely none
...a trip up to the Rock of Gibraltar is definetely a must. The most popular tourist attraction up here is the Barbary Apes, that live and breed on the Rock.
Be careful if you have children though, don't let them (or yourselves!) tormont the apes and they CAN get aggresive and have been known to pinch tourist's handbags and their shiny new cameras (believe me I know) and don't feed them neither. Don't forget that you're entering into their home territory, ... ...the Apes though. Up the rock you'll fine a Nature Reserve with beautiful species of wildlife, there's a plaque where Queen Elizabeth stood when she looked out over Gibraltar. And you can visit the cannons and ancient battle-machines, used in defeating the Spaniards many years ago.
No doubt you'll be feeling tired after all that - no problem. There are a variety of resturants and cafes up the Rock of Gibraltar, I personally recommend The Cavern. ...
jaffacakemonster 24.09.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Rock of Gibraltar (Spain)
Value for Money
Sightseeing
Shopping
Nightlife
Ease of getting around
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Advantages: Fun in the sun Disadvantages: It is not an island
Sticking out of the bottom of Spain the Rock of Gibraltar is an unusual diving destination. Almost undiscovered by British divers, it offers a wealth of wreck, historical and scenic dives with warm(-ish) water within striking distance for a holiday.
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HISTORY
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The Rock of Gibraltar is part of the sea floor upended by powerful geological processes and dropped at the southern tip of Europe to form one of the Pillars of Hercules guarding the entrance to the Mediterranean. Underwater, the topography follows that of the land with a steeply shelving seabed. Neanderthal man lived in the caves around Gibraltar between 120,000 and 60,000 years ago and the Rock was visited by Phoenician and Roman sea ...
sean0107 16.11.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Gibraltar
and the like. The sheer size of it was what amazed me and to think of it being within the rock and all the rock on top of me did make me a little nervous.
Overall I think Gibraltar is an amazing country and with Africa and Spain next door you have a lot of travelling that can be done from this base. It is very friendly and due to many speaking English you can go there with ease knowing someone can help you. There is so much to do for such a small place and is perfect for everyone. You can get cheap flights and I would recommend Monarch as the airline to choose. Gibraltarian people are very proud of their country and will let you know it if you ever get in a conversation with a local about it. I would recommend you try all of the above and it will help you uncover a little hidden treasure and remember that you don't have to worry about changing ...
welling 14.06.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Gibraltar
Advantages: Duty and tax free shopping,totally different place,great views from the Rock Disadvantages: Easy to get ripped off ,.
Eastern mainland Spain and many ships down in The Straits of Gibraltar. These Straits had many huge vessels at anchor and it looked really busy. However our tour guide told us that many of them just waited there for details of their next sailing. We saw the wreckage of a vessel that had recently left port before it should have and had sunk. The captain was in jail and no-one knew why he had sailed early as he had permission to leave. This large vessel was awaiting a decision on how to remove it as it was drifting and potentially threatening. Just it's bow was visible out of the water.
From this view point we drove a little down the Rock to visit the 'monkeys' or Barbary Apes. We had seen some when we visited the caves however there is a main point where most of them 'hang out' These monkeys still live a semi wild existence. The guide told us ...
grafter123 22.09.2007 (29.09.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Gibraltar
