SPANISH TRIP 2015 INFORMATION BOOKLET PARTY LEADER: MRS V MILLIKIN

Transcription

1 SPANISH TRIP 2015 INFORMATION BOOKLET PARTY LEADER: MRS V MILLIKIN

2 ESSENTIAL DETAILS DATES OF TRIP Monday 22 June Thursday 25 June All times given are local OUTWARD JOURNEY - Monday 24 June 03:00 hrs Coach to meet party to load luggage. 03:15 hrs Coach to depart. 04:45 hrs Check in at East Midlands Airport. 06:40 hrs Depart East Midlands Ryanair FR hrs Arrive Malaga (local time). The group will then continue the journey to Benalmadena. 12:30 hrs Arrival at the Hotel Balmoral. Here the group will spend the next 3 nights with half board accommodation. Evening meal will be served in the hotel this evening. RETURN JOURNEY - Thursday 26 June The group will pack and vacate their room after breakfast hrs Depart hotel hrs Check in at Malaga Airport hrs Depart Malaga Ryanair FR :10 hrs Arrive East Midlands (local time). 16:30 hrs Anticipated arrival time at College. Students will have the opportunity to phone home with a more precise return time once we have departed from East Midlands. PLEASE BE AVAILABLE TO RECEIVE THE CALL AND ARRIVE IN GOOD TIME TO COLLECT YOUR CHILD.

3 Hotel Balmoral, Avenida Antonio Machado 1, BENALMADENA SPAIN T TOUR OPERATOR - Encounters Europe, Acorn House, Prospect Road, Halesowen B62 8DU PACKING TO GO You will need casual clothing for wear around the hotel and for the sight-seeing activities. Please remember that we are not checking in any suitcases. You may take one cabin bag weighing up to 10kg with dimensions not in excess of 55 x 40 x 20cm, including wheels and handles. You may also take one small bag with dimensions up to 35 x 20 x 20 cm. Any liquids must be in containers of 100ml or less. The following checklist gives the main items you will need: Shorts /lightweight trousers /skirts etc Lightweight jacket / jumper / shirts / t-shirts Underwear Socks Shoes / trainers / pool/beach shoes Pyjamas Towel ADDITIONAL ITEMS Wash kit Games etc... Books Watch Pencils / pens Personal stereo Music *Sunhat / * high factor sun cream *Water bottle (which can be refilled each day) *Essential

4 We do not recommend that you bring valuables or carry large sums of money. We recommend you take some cash to buy drinks and snacks at the airport and no more than 70 spending money for Spain. REMEMBER YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN POSSESSIONS EXPECTATIONS We want the whole group to have a thoroughly enjoyable experience on the trip. Co-operation is the key to a safe and an enjoyable experience. When taking part in activities, everyone must look out for each other. Due to the large party it is necessary for us to insist on a code of conduct so that everyone enjoys the holiday and returns safely from it. Our primary concern at all times is for the safety of every member of the group. We have the same expectations of students on this trip as we do when in College. Everyone needs to show the respect to everyone they meet on the trip; students are ambassadors for the College and their families. We want everyone to enjoy the trip, so students need to follow the requests made of them by staff. If some areas are made out of bounds this will be to ensure the party is kept safe; please respect this. When sight-seeing; students may be given permission to wander within a given area in small groups. We will always ensure that the group knows where staff will be and will identify meeting places and times clearly. No one is to go out on their own. As a minimum there should be at least three people in any group when sight-seeing or shopping. It is also essential that whichever adult is responsible for you knows who is going, where you are going and when you expect to return. Inside the hostel, students should not be on their own and should remain in groups of at least 2 at all times.

5 Always meet at the agreed meeting place on time. The purchase or use of alcohol or smoking materials is strictly forbidden, even if it is at the request of a relative. Any student who fails to follow staff requests may have restrictions placed on their free time or be withdrawn from activities. If the poor behaviour persists, the student may be banned from future trips and parents/guardians may be asked to come and collect students who are jeopardising the efficient running of the trip; the College will not reimburse any costs that are incurred as a result. All students will be given an in case of emergency card containing key information (staff mobile number/ hotel address) in Spanish and English and the procedure to follow in case of an emergency. Students should have this with them at all times. HOTEL ROOMS On the day of arrival, check your room for damage. If there is any damage, report it to a member of staff immediately. If damage is caused by our party whilst in the hotel, it will not be covered by the insurance policy. We will endeavour to sort out the sharing of rooms before we depart, but students may have to be flexible as to who they share with. REMEMBER - LISTEN, THINK, BE RESPONSIBLE

6 THE ITINERARY Every morning it is important to check that you have all that you require for the day s activities. WHERE ARE WE GOING? Benalmadena is a city of about 53,000 located 20 kilometres from Malaga, between Torremolinos and Fuengirola. Its name comes from the Arab word Ibn-al-Madena, meaning Children of the Mines. The city is one of the tourist centres on the Costa del Sol and has a nine kilometre coastline. There is a beautiful paseo maritime (promenade) along the coast with white cement balustrades and original streetlights. DAY 1 - Meet at College at 3.00am ready to load coach and leave at 3.15am. We will travel to East Midlands airport where we are flying with Ryanair to Malaga at 6.40am, flight number FR4468. We land at 10.35am and our coach will take us to the hotel in Benalmadena. On arrival at the hotel we will allocate rooms and unpack. Lunch is not provided so we will buy lunch locally and also go to the supermarket to buy any creams etc. which we were unable to take in our hand luggage. You will need about 10 in cash so you can buy your own lunch. The rest of the afternoon will then be spent on the beach, relaxing after a busy morning and early start. The evening meal is from 7pm and the evening activities will include relaxing in the lounge/rooms before having an early night! DAY 2 - Breakfast will be at 8am so that we are ready to take the coach to Malaga at 9.30am for our day out. We are booked into visit the Picasso museum at 10.15am. After this visit and having our packed lunches (provided by the hotel), we will go to the Alcazaba y Gibralfaro at 1pm. The magnificent Castillo de Gibralfaro sits on a high hill overlooking Malaga city and port, and dates back to the 10th century. The castle was built in 929AD by Abd-al-Rahman III, Caliph of Cordoba, on a former Phoenician enclosure and lighthouse, from which its name was derived - gebel-faro (Arabic and Greek, meaning rock of the lighthouse). Yusef 1, Sultan of

7 Granada, enlarged it at the beginning of the 14th century, also adding the double wall down to the Alcazaba. The castle is famous for its three-month siege by the Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, which ended only when hunger forced the Malagueños to surrender. Afterwards Ferdinand occupied the site, while his queen took up residence in the town. Interesting historic fact: this was the first conflict in which gunpowder was used by both sides. The Alcazaba is a palatial fortification in Málaga, Spain. It was built by the Hammudid dynasty in the 11th century. This is the best-preserved alcazaba in Spain. Adjacent to the entrance of the Alcazaba are ruins of a Roman theatre dating to the 1st century BC, which are undergoing restoration. Some of the Roman era materials were reused in the Moorish construction of the Alcazaba. At 3pm we will be going by coach to Paloma Park which is situated in Benalmadena. The park is entirely man-made and was opened in the 1980s. Once you are in, it feels as if you are a world away from mass tourism, and usual tourist trappings.

8 It has a wonderful, huge climbing and activity centre. There are 100s of ducks, geese, pigeons, chickens, roosters, and peacocks. There is also a large pen with emus, and a compound with mountain goats. Even rabbits are hiding around the bushes. We will stay there for an hour or so then go back to the hotel by coach, where you will have time to use the hotel pool until 6pm when we will then freshen up and have dinner at 7pm. DAY 3 - We need to have had breakfast and be sorted for the day by 9.30am, swimming kits, sun cream and hats packed for the coach to take us to Aquamijas just 30 minutes away. We will stay until 2.30pm in the waterpark. We will then go onto the village of Mijas. One of the jewels of the Costa del Sol is the beautiful little village of Mijas, which nestles comfortably in the mountainside at 428 meters above sea level. When you wander through the narrow cobbled streets of this Andalucian village, you can understand what has attracted foreigners to settle here over the years. Many artists and writers have made it their home, enjoying the benefits of an excellent all year round climate, without being part of the busier, more commercial coastal towns just 7 kilometres down the mountainside. Despite its huge popularity with tourists, Mijas Pueblo has somehow managed to retain much of its traditional Andalucian way of life, the locals displaying their unabashed passion for all things festive and an unmistakable relaxed mañana outlook on

9 anything that can be put off for another day. At 3.00pm we will have a Nuts n Bults Chocolate-Making Workshop at Mayan Monkey Chocolate Factory & Happiness Lab. Each student will learn to make three bars of chocolate using a delicious range of toppings whilst being taught in Spanish about the origins of chocolate by the bilingual chocolatiers. At around 5pm we will return to Benalmadena where we will be able to go to the beach for a couple of hours before showering and changing for dinner at pm. DAY 4 - An earlier wake up call of 7am will be needed this morning as we need to be ready to board the coach at 8.15am. We need to ensure everything is packed, the rooms are left clean and tidy, we have had breakfast and checked out. The flight home departs at 11.10pm with Ryanair, flight number FR4469, to East Midlands. We land at 1.10pm and with no luggage to collect we should be on the coach back to Oakham quickly. We aim to be back at College by 4.30pm depending on traffic.

10 MEDICAL NOTES We hope not to have any medical problems but in the event of anyone feeling ill or suffering an accident, let the party leaders know immediately. MINOR PROBLEMS It will help you not to suffer needlessly if you remember to: take your pills in good time if you suffer from travel sickness and don t forget a sick bag; avoid greasy food and fizzy drinks at times of travel; drink plenty of water. ACCIDENTS AND EMERGENCIES If you are unfortunate enough to be ill or have an accident we will ensure you are well looked after. If further medical attention is required, Mrs Millikin / Mr Stuart will accompany you to the hospital or surgery. Parents will be contacted as soon as possible and will be kept informed of your progress in such an eventuality. ILLNESSES AND ALLERGIES Please make sure that all illnesses, medical conditions or allergies are recorded on the medical consent form if there is a change to your medical requirements (since completing the medical forms) prior to travel, please inform Mrs Millikin in writing as soon as possible. This information is required to ensure that the insurance company is notified of any particular conditions that may affect insurance as well as for your own comfort and well-being on the tour. MEDICINES Please bring with you sufficient supplies of any medication you may need with a reserve supply in case we get delayed on the way home.

11 Mrs Millikin will take charge of medicines and allow students access to their medication as required. To facilitate this we need: 1. All medicines to be declared on the medical consent form. 2. All medicines to be put in an envelope with the student s name on it. 3. Details of dosages and when medicines are to be taken written on the envelope. 4. A copy of the medicine s accompanying information leaflet. 5. The envelope will be given to Mrs Millikin when you get on the coach at the start of the trip. 6. If you need access to the medicine during the course of the trip simply ask for the envelope, take your medicine and return the envelope for safe keeping. This does not apply to medicines to which access is required on an emergency basis e.g. asthma inhalers. In these cases the emergency medicine must be kept by the student at all times, but any spares should be placed in an envelope as above. All students require a European Health card to be handed in with passports. This can be obtained from the post office or online at Please note that old style E111s which covered the whole family are no longer valid. European Health Cards are now only issued in one traveller s name. STAFF MRS V MILLIKIN, PARTY LEADER MR A STUART

12 Catmose College Huntsmans Drive Oakham LE15 6RP Tel: