Do you like to surf the web, update your Facebook, go on Skype or send emails while you are away from home?   Then you will be really pleased to know that you can now rent MIFI   from us – which gives you internet everywhere in Spain.

So, what is MIFI?  For those technophobe’s out there .. MIFI is a small device with a  Spanish SIM card installed.  The device connects to the internet through a  3G mobile connection and then creates a wireless network which you can connect your smart phone or tablet to.

You will enjoy 250MB per day at full speed and when surpassed this limit the speed goes down, but you don’t pay more.

This should be enough for surfing on the internet, sending emails, update your Facebook etc. – but should you use it to download music or videos then you will spend your daily amount quite fast.

As it is completely new feature we offer to our clients, then we haven´t had time to make it bookable on our homepage, but you can send a email to bookings@hellehollis.com to book it or you can request it on arrival (depends on availability).

For just 4,25 Euros per day you can now be connected all day.  There is a 100 Euro refundable deposit.  A cheap option to be online anywhere you are in Spain.

Book your car now!

If you like to visit local food markets, then here you have some ideas for your weekend excursion. It is all tempting, tasty and a visual treat.

A new food market has just be inaugurated in Cerrado de Calderón – just on the outside of Malaga city.  It is called Cerrado Food Market and takes place every Saturday from 10 – 15 hours with food stalls with ecological products and food from countries amongst others Mexico, Vietnam, Morocco and of course local Andalusia products.  The market is situated in Calle Rodeo in the Multicentro.  Read more here.

Another option is the to visit the ecological food market in La Cala de Mijas on Sunday the 26th of May from 10-14h.  It is called Guadalhorce ecológico and you will find local farmers selling home grown ecological seasonal fruits and vegetables.

Here are some of the many other markets you may like to try …. there is several each day of the week so you can’t possibly miss a bargain!

Monday:        Marbella, Malaga – Barriada La Cruz & Barriada Las Campanillas

Tuesday:        Nerja, Malaga – Churriana (Puerto de la Torre), Fuengirola – Recinto Ferial

Wednesday:  Estepona, Malaga – Huelin/La Paz, Mijas Costa – La Cala, Benalmadena   Costa – Parque Paloma.

Thursday:     Torremolinos, San Pedro, Malaga – Parque Juan Jurado Lorca.

Friday:          Arroyo de la Miel – Tivoli car park, Benalmadena Pueblo.

Saturday:     Mijas Costa – Las Lagunas & La Cala, Puerto Banus,  Malaga – Huelin & El   Palo, Fuengirola.

Sunday:       Torremolinos, Estepona, Fuengirola Marina (evening), Malaga – next to    football stadium, Nerja, Cartama Estacion.  La Trocha – car boot.

We have said it before – but will repeat it again.  Don´t wait too long to make your car hire booking as the summer holidays are coming up soon and we would hate to disappoint you if your required car group is not available.

Right now we have the widest variety of all car models and at the best price but the summer months are the most busiest during the year, so don´t wait any longer, and make your summer holiday booking now.

Remember all your discounts,
fast lane service,
Extra driver (spouse or partner) for free,
a 2% web discount for booking online,
Early bird discount,
Fair fuel policy
AND you don´t have to pay in advance.

Should you want to change your travel dates or something unforeseen comes up, then with Helle Hollis you have no cancellation or amendment fee !

Book your summer car now

It seems like other car hire companies and car hire brokers like us so much that they copy our name or set up a page that looks that you were booking directly with Helle Hollis.

Unfortunately we also hear sometimes that a client thought he had booked with us but in fact got the car from another car hire company.

Therefore when you recommend us to family or friends to book with Helle Hollis or to use your Home Owners club number then give them the whole webadress www.hellehollis.com and not just tell them to google  “Helle Hollis” where it is very easy for a new user to be mislead to another third party site.

Book directly with Helle Hollis at www.hellehollis.com  and get all the advantages.

Just arrived to the Helle Hollis fleet is the new VW Passat Comfortline Variant (Group F  model)  This trendy 1.6 TDI model with 105HP will take you comfortably around on your holiday trip. The model has all extras such as clima, parking assist, electrical windows and  a very efficient fuel consumption with 23 km/liters.

It is the perfect family car for your summer holidays  with plenty of room for your luggage and five comfortable seats.

Don´t wait any longer but make your booking now.

Do you like Spanish Tapas ?  Then try out the ”Ruta de la Tapa” in Torremolinos where tapas bars and restaurants compete for the best local tapa.

During the 10th of May till the 26th of May you can experience the “Ruta de la Tapa”  with 60 participating tapas bars.  For only 2 euros you can enjoy a drink and tapa in each participating bar.  And you even have the change to win different prizes if you follow the tapas rute and get a stamp in your ” tapasporte” for each bar you visit.

Don´t miss out on the opportunity to participate in the cultural evening / night called “Noche en Blanco” (White Night) which takes place on the 11th of May in Málaga city.

This year the theme is the environment and ecology.

You will find more than 144 activities to see or to join in. All activities are free – and also the participating museums such as the Camen Thyssen Museum or the Picasso Museum will have free entrance. There will be free concerts in the streets and much more.

Follow this link to have full information about all the events (unfortunately it is only in Spanish).

The events start at 20h and last until 2 am in the morning.

One of the much requested features from our clients has been to be able to save the extra driver details.

We are pleased to announce that now you can save the details of your spouse or partner or whoever you wish in your online account.   You have space to have 2 extra driver details saved.

This is how you do it:  Log in to your online account and click “change my profile”. At the bottom of the page you will see the space where you can fill in the details.  Click on save.

Next time you do your booking, then first log into your account, make your booking and when clicking on extra driver, then the saved details will automatically be copied in.

It is very important to notice that you MUST enter the extra driver details and save them in your online account. The driver details entered manually when completing the booking will not be saved automatically.

Please also notice that we will not be going back through old bookings and add drivers to your online file as we will not know who you wish to have saved /added on /as second driver in your online account.

Update your online account now and add on your extra driver details.  This will make it even easier for you to book online !

Book your car now.

Andalusia is full of contrasts – or how to get 4 hours adventure for only 1,80 euros each !

Exactly in the month of April the mountain that lies between Mijas and Benalmadena is in full bloom.  On Sunday April 21st we decided to repeat a hike from the antennas on top of the Mijas Mountain to Benalmadena Pueblo.  Over the years we have made numerous hikes in this mountain – but in April no-one is more beautiful than this one. The object was to enjoy the many wildflowers in bloom just now.

It is easy to find the starting point of the ride.  Just head for the antennas on top of the Mijas Mountains.

When you leave Mijas Pueblo, heading for Benalmadena Pueblo, you pass on your left the municipal football stadium “Campo de futbol”.  About 100 meters further on, the road turns sharply to the right – but you continue straight ahead.  On the right side you now pass the closed water factory – but you continue straight ahead – and up for approximately the next 3.5 km.  To your left you will find a suitable parking space (which may accommodate 5-6 cars).

As you drive up there are some hairpin turns – so drive carefully and be aware that many cyclists use this route for mountain practice.  There is a constant increase of about 10 degrees over a stretch of 5 km.  You start off at 410 meters above sea level at the water factory and end up in 915 meters.  Please do not use the horn around the bends.  It will only frighten the birds and wild life.

Once the car is safely parked – take the time to go up onto the small ridge behind the parking area.  Here is the finest view of Alhaurin and the lush Gualdahorce valley, considered Malaga’s vegetable and fruit garden – over the airport of Malaga (could not spot Helle Hollis) and all the way to Sierra Nevada where the snowy peaks are clearly visible on the horizon.

Now put on your walking shoes – or failing that your sneakers and walk the last 1.5 km on the asphalt towards the antennas.  We consider this part of the trip as sheer warm-up – although the views on a good day are fantastic on this part of the trip as well.  You will normally be able to see the entire Mijas village, Fuengirola with its Marina, and all the way down to Marbella  and on the horizon Gibraltar and the Rif Mountains of Morocco.  But just not on this day!

Before coming all the way to the top you will see a lonely antenna on your left hand. Immediately after there is a signpost with this map, which shows all the “official” trails in the mountain towards Benalmadena.

Here we began our hike. The starting point was R6 top left of the map – “Cerro del Moro”. We followed the blue trail until we reached the junction with the green R3 where we began our descent towards Benalmadena. Before we got to the bottom we branched off to the right following the black R4.

The whole trail is well signposted – lucky as we did not meet anyone to ask for directions.  Even though it was foggy and grey it was not cold. The entire trail is very well signposted and well defined and you will never be in doubt which way to go.  However, we were nearly fooled by graffiti on a pumping station on the R4, indicating we should take a right turn.  Ignore it and continue straight.  This is the only tricky point of the whole trip, which incidentally was 8 km long and lasted a bit more than 3 hours.  Not because it was a difficult trail – but because there was so much to study and admire along the way.

We started out at 11:00 hrs. in 15 degrees and a very thick fog – or maybe it was really a cloud.  Of course it was a shame with the weather as the views are so amazing, but as we had set out to enjoy the flowers and plants we did not mind so much.  Along the way it also cleared up so much that we arrived in Benalmadena in 23 degrees and bright sunshine.  Nice!

At the beginning, underfoot is not very good – with lots of rolling stones, so you need to concentrate on where you put your feet.  After about 500 meters the path widens and the underfoot improves greatly and from here on you will not be acrobatically challenged. As we set out in 915 meters altitude and end in Benalmadena in 247 meters – a fall of 668 vertical meters over 8 km. – the hike is mostly downhill – so no major challenges here neither.     I took photos of more than 50 different wild flowers .Not really that hard to find here.  But to pick them is a no-no!

The  wild orchids are not that difficult to find in the Mijas Mountain. On the way down we came across a spring of clear, clean water and a small basin. Benalmadena obviously gets part of its drinking water from this spring.  Nice and refreshing as the temperature now reached well above 20 degrees.

The trail ends in a meadow of flowers – almost at the heights of the National highway N340, where a tunnel leads under the road and into a residential area.  From here we continued further down a few hundred meters – until we found the main street in Benalmadena.

The trail ends in a flower meadow. We went right for a few hundreds meters and found a nice restaurant where we enjoyed a well-deserved lunch.  There are many restaurants to choose from, both cheap and good quality.

We took the bus back to the car. The line 121 goes from Torremolinos to Mijas and passes trough Benalmadena approximately every hour mid afternoon on Sundays.  The ticket only cost 1,80€ which did not break the budget.

We got off at the football stadium in Mijas and walked the four kilometers on the asphalted road back to retrieve the car.

All in all a fantastic day.  If we had brought our own sandwiches we would have had 4 hours of wonderful experiences and entertainment for the price of a bus ticket – €1,80 – each!

We talked on the way home about how contrasting Andalusia is.  Naturally the weather was contrasting.  In the span of 3 hours we needed both jackets and then sun tops.  Also the landscape is very much contrasting. Within a few kilometers you have the concrete desert of the coast and the natural beauty of the mountain.  And finally the seasons are very much contrasting.  What today is lush and green will be burned to straw in a few months. Pity those who only experience the coast!

Hans Hugo From
Managing Director
Helle Hollis car rental

Last week we wrote about how to avoid to get a break-in in your hire car by leaving no objects visible inside.

If you anyway should be so unfortunate to experience a break-in or have your hand bag or purse stolen while shopping then here is a good advice for how to make the theft report procedure easier with the police – especially if you don´t speak Spanish.

You can call the Spanish National Police phone number 902 102 112 . This phone number is exclusively for foreigners who need to make a theft or robbery report.  The telephone line is open from Monday till Sunday from 09:00h. until 21:00h. and  you can choose to get attended in English or French.  There are certain criteria  where the “telephone report” cannot be done – but situations such as break-in a rental car, lost documents or a stolen bag will be accepted.

After you have finalized the report in English on the phone, you will be asked to choose which police station you will go to sign and verify the report.  You have 48 hours to go to that police station to finalize and sign the report.  When you arrive at the police station mention the allocated number you were given on the phone  so you will be given priority in getting attend to.

There is a small cost (depending on the telephone operator) for calling the 902 – number but the advantage for being attended in English and less waiting time at the police station is well worth it.