Converting Malaga and Marbella Lighthouses for Hotel Usage
The huge number of tourists Spain has welcomed over the last few years has prompted local councils and port authorities to consider converting existing structures that have stood empty and could be put to better use. What has already happened on Mallorca is now also happening in Malaga and Marbella: emblematic lighthouses have come under scrutiny from beady-eyed developers who want to convert them into hotels.
Since neither building is still being used for its original purpose, these lighthouses are now under the protection and management of the Spanish Lighthouse Project, or the Proyecto Faros de España’, an organisation that aims to conserve lighthouses along the Spanish coastlines, ensuring their continued survival as a useful "member of the community".
In other words, instead of being sold to private individuals who might convert these lighthouses into million-dollar homes for the rich, these old structures should continue to serve the community, either as a tourist attraction or a hotel, so that everyone can enjoy them from the inside as well as the outside.
Bringing old Buildings to Life
It's not just old lighthouses that councils want to bring back to life in an effort to catch the public's imagination and interest. On Mallorca many fine historic buildings are now being made available on special days, when municipal buildings and church-owned monuments are opened to the general public.
Malaga Cathedral, although open to the public, has just gone one step further. Visitors were permitted up onto the cathedral's roof for the first time. Perched some 50 metres above sea level, these lucky tourists enjoyed amazing views across the city and coast. Although only a relatively small number of visitors were allowed to join the inaugural guided tour of the recently renovated terraces, this first attempt at "opening up" previously inaccessible urban spaces proved a great success.
Two groups of twenty visitors each were permitted to join the guided walk. They needed to fit enough to climb the 200 hundred steps it takes to get to the top, but once they reached the first stop of the tour, the cathedrals' north tower, everybody agreed, it was worth the effort.
Walking along a system of stairways and walkways equipped with hand rails and floor-level lighting, visitors are eventually taken to a splendid terrace overlooking the Plaza de los Naranjos and the cathedral's main nave. From there, the tour guide takes tourists to the south tower and then down a set of rather steep spiral stairs to reach firm ground and the cathedral interiors.
Malaga Cathedral is a fine example of Renaissance and Baroque architecture, having been constructed between 1528 and 1782. The guided walk will take place from Mondays to Sundays from 10.30 am to 2.30 pm. Tickets can be purchased at Ars Málaga in the Episcopal Palace, which can be found in front of Malaga Cathedral's main entrance in Plaza del Obispo.
A Room with a Sea View
La Farola in Malaga and Faro de Marbella will be converted into hotels to offer the general public "a unique tourist opportunity", respective port authorities claimed recently. Marbella's lighthouse was built in 1864, boasting a height of 95 ft/29 metres. The historic structure's light beam has a visibility range of 22 nautical miles ( 25 miles on land or 41 km).
Malaga's lighthouse was constructed in 1817 and is a familiar symbol of Paseo Farola, which is situated on the eastern side of Malaga Harbour. The lighthouse is lit up in all its glory at night and would certainly make for a splendid hotel location, boasting fabulous sea views from every room.