Issue No. 1910 10 - 16 February 2022
New Hard Rock Hotel in Marbella A N D A L U C I A’ S very first Hard Rock Hotel is set to open this June in the property that formerly housed Marbella’s iconic An‐ dalucia Plaza hotel. Todd Hricko, Senior Vice President of Ho‐ tel Development at Hard Rock Hotels, said: “We have long had our sights set on the beautiful Costa del Sol region and are certain the Hard Rock Hotel Marbella will shine in the market.” The company ex‐ plained that art and memorabilia through‐ out the hotel’s guest rooms and public spaces will reflect Hard Rock’s distinc‐ tive design aesthetic as well as showcase Spain’s vibrant, artis‐ tic culture. As interior design details are put in place, Hard Rock is actively sourcing be‐ spoke memorabilia to be featured in the property from cele‐ brated Spanish artists across music, dance, and art to create an authentic experience for guests that echoes both the ho‐ tel’s location and Hard Rock’s renowned memora‐ bilia collection of more than 86,000 items. The hotel will have six on‐site dining es‐ tablishments and on the top floor, a rooftop terrace will be home to a VIP bar and infinity pool with sweeping views of Playa Nueva Andalu‐ cia below.
COSTA DEL SOL • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM
FREEDOM CLOSER
BUSINESSES and residents across Spain are celebrating af‐ ter masks will no longer be legally required in most out‐ door spaces from today, Thursday, February 10, bring‐ ing the country one step closer to normality. Spain’s Minister of Health, Carolina Darias confirmed the move, with face coverings no longer mandatory in most spaces including school play‐ grounds, in a statement on Tuesday, February 8. The minis‐ ter also announced that the Public Health Commission is studying shortening the quar‐ antine period for positive cases to between three and five days. While a welcome change for many, the law still requires masks in two outdoor situa‐ tions, including at crowded events when standing, and when social distancing cannot be observed when sitting. Regional governments across Spain also recommend wearing masks in crowds. The measure was agreed at a gov‐ ernment meeting where offi‐
FACE MASKS: No longer required in most outdoor spaces.
cials also decided to increase capacity at sports events, which will go from 75 per cent to 85 per cent capacity if held out‐ doors and 50 per cent to 75 per cent if indoors. Spectators will also be re‐ quired to respect measures in‐ cluding mandatory masks and social distancing. The issue of masks has been a contentious one throughout the pandemic, splitting opinion over balancing the need to pro‐ tect public health, while up‐ holding some of Spain’s most‐ valued civil liberties. Advocates of face coverings argue they are a small inconve‐
nience to wearers but a vital step in protecting others. Regardless of personal views, many businesses across Spain are rejoicing at the news, hop‐ ing that this move towards nor‐ mality will signal an increase in tourist numbers this year. Michala Larsen Aguilera of restaurant group Da Bruno told the Euro Weekly News: “I’m delighted that we can fi‐ nally take them off and hope this means we can enjoy a great summer without people afraid of going out. “Hopefully the tourism will pick up and we can go back to business as usual.”
FREE • GRATIS
Archaelogical discovery ALTHOUGH a geological review carried out in 2018 had established that some form of archaeological re‐ mains existed under the sand on Lindavista Beach in San Pedro Alcantara, it took a massive storm to un‐ cover the site. Further digging has taken place which has con‐ firmed that what was considered to be a sand dune was in fact a combination of natural sand and rubble deposited during the late Roman times. The storm which hit the beach in November last year has uncovered at least three kilns where large items of pottery such as amphora were made some time between the third and fifth century AD. In addition, an earlier and well‐preserved irrigation system has been discovered and now the next step will be to catalogue and preserve all of the remains, some of which are very close to the edge of the shore.