As every year the January sales have begun.

As every year, the past 2nd of January began the January Sales, starting this year with very aggressive discounts due to the crisis.

On January the 2nd they´ve started with the famous winter sales. As usual the autonomous region of Madrid and Murcia were the first who began with there winter sales, followed by one week later the rest of the autonomous regions.


What is the sales origin?
The sales history goes back to early 1930 when a very important department store businessman from New York decided to offer big discounts to reduce all the stock that he had from all of its fashion shops. This sector doesn´t allow to have much stock in their stores due to the constant change of their collections, which made this method to spread out quickly throughout the rest of the world. Nowadays it has become almost a compulsory practice taking place twice a year, one in the winter and one in the summer.

The main aim is to sell all there stock collection from the past season at lower prices, this way the want to give rise to the entry of their new collection.

In Spain, the January Sales were initiated as a result of a "rival war" for getting new customers between El Corte Inglés and its than competitor Galerias Preciados, stores that were scattered throughout all spanish cities. Obviously, the fact that these two major stores also made profit of this new tendence forced the little and medium merchants to join this trend as a necessitty.

Nowadays sales have extended over to almost all kind of sectors, you can find sales in fashion stores, real estate, business service and even in supermarkets.

How long last the January Sales?
In most autonomous regions, the winter sales start on the 7th of January and ends on the 7th of March, except in Murcia and Madrid where they began on the 2nd of January and will finish on the 1st of March and on the 31st of March respectively.

What do they offer during major sales?

The range of sales is very broad and can vary from each store. As general rule, all stores offer between 20% and 80% discount on top of the initial price. In addition, as a reult of the crisis, having important discounts is just not enough, that´s why in some cases promotions are launched even more aggressively. For example, the Desigual shop in Madrid made lately a special promotion that all female customers who entered to the store with its underwear could take there selected clothes with them for free.

If I´m going to Madrid, where about can I go to sales?
If you decide to go to the sales in Madrid, there are several places where you can go to. Among the most prominent ones we can find them at the Gran Via and Preciados street, as well as at the Arenal street. Here about we can find almost everything.

By the other hand, if our tastes are a little bit more refined and our pockets are better filled, we can find the best and most exclusive shops in Serrano street, Velazquez and surroundings.

We cannot leave aside the big shopping centres. Among the most famous ones you have Factory with shopping centres in San Sebastian de los Reyes, Getafe and in Las Rozas.

Where to go on sales in Barcelona?
On the other hand, if our destination is Barcelona, we also can find there a variety of stores with all kind of offers and discounts at this time of the year.

Among the most popular areas for going on shopping is at the centre of the city.

In addition we can also go to the Gothic area, to the Portal del Angel area, Aviñon street, Daigonal avenue, Paseo de la Gracia... If you are visiting the city, the most advisable thing to do is hiring a car rental in Barcelona, this way you can drive easily to all these areas.

Besides of all the shops that we can find among the streets, like any other big city, we can find many shopping centres. Among the best knowns are those of Illa Diagonal, Lamaquinista and Glorias´s.

Which are your favourite places to go shopping? or, which ones you don´t recommend us to go too?


VictoriaCars
Car Hire Alicante
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The return of the beer festival in Calpe

This year in 2011, as with every year, we will once again celebrate the well-known Oktoberfest; a 12 day holiday renowned for its traditional German beer and tasty food.

As mandated by tradition, on October 6 at 20:00 pm the Mayor of Calpe, Cesar Sanchez, will open the first barrel of beer. This will give way to another year of the well-known Oktoberfest in Calpe.

This German holiday has its roots in the German town of Munich and was held for the first time on October 12, 1810. Today it is the town which holds the largest Oktoberfest in the world.
In Calpe it was first held in October 1982 and has since been organized every year by the Calpe Carnaval Club. It is the largest and oldest beer festival in Spain.

Over the years it has gained recognition and people from all over Europe come to celebrate. In any Internet forum you can find people like Fernando de Altea, who says he tries to go to this festival every year:  “I remember the many times in the past that I travelled to Munich to visit this event and can certify that the environment is no different there that to what it is here" (http://www.calpecostablanca.com/calpe/programa-completo-oktoberfest-2010-calpe-fiesta-cerveza/3568).

Last year in 2010 the festival was again a success. About 300 barrels of beer imported from Germany. Visitors tasted the famous knuckles and German sausages, while dancing to the rhythm of traditional German music. For this purpose, they hired more than 25 waiters and about 15 people in the kitchens so that visitors could have the best time possible. It is estimated that more than 10 000 people went through the marquee behind the tennis club in the Partida Gargasindi.
This year it will be held in the same place and it is estimated that even more visitors will attend. It will begin on October 6, as usual at 20:00 and end on the 16th at 20:00 hours.
As every year, the last day is reserved for the groups of bikers and will most likely include a rock concert. The festival will end with a paella contest at about 8 o'clock pm.
After reaching a consensus with the Calpe hoteliers, in 2012 the dates will be changed and the Oktoberfest celebration will be held between October 25 and November 4. They have taken this decision to help the tourism sector, because the date coincides with the long weekend in October. This will help lengthen the season a little more.

Octoberfest 2011 Program:
Thursday 06.10.2011
Inauguration, opening of the barrel by the mayor, dethroning the 2010 Queen of the Festival and the coronation of the 2011 Queen of the Festival

Friday 07.10.2011
Music hits from the past 20 years, Oktoberfest Party with Stefi.
Contest: lifting jugs of beer.

Saturday, 08.10.2011
Celebration with Steinsberg, oldie music night from the 70s/80s/90s, Night Fever Party with "Steinsberg Partyexpress"

Sunday, 09.10.2011
At 11:00 am snack with jazz music from the band "New Orleans Hot Dogs".
Night: Oktoberfest Party with Andy Heu Heu-Zick Zack-HAPPY DAY-

Monday, 10.10.2011
Concert with requested music with Steinsberg, songs with Doris and Bernd-HAPPY DAY-

Tuesday, 11.10.2011
Oktoberfest music hits from the past 20 years and Doris + Steinsbergern Cherilyn.
Oktoberfest Party.

Wednesday, 12.10.2011
At 11:00 am snack with live country music.
Night: Music with Steinsberg and log sawing contest. -HAPPY DAY-

Thursday, 13.10.2011
Non-stop party with Steinsberg, Oldies but Goldies Doris + Cherilyn and Steinsberg-HAPPY DAY-

Friday, 14.10.2011
Music with Steinsberg, Heu Heu Zick Zack, Oktoberfest party. Log sawing contest.

Saturday, 15.10.2011
Oktoberfest Party with The Steinsberg, music hits from 70s/80s/90s.

Sunday, 16.10.2011
At 11:00 am Paellas Competition, Oktoberfest music until the end of the party, about 20:00. -HAPPY DAY-



VictoriaCars
Car Hire Alicante
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Driving in Spain

If you go on vacation to another country and wish to drive a car while there, one must know the main rules for driving.

When visiting another country by car, whether for business or holiday, the first thing we have to consider are the traffic laws in said country. If you’re travelling to Spain, it is useful to review in advance the most important rules of the road.

What do I need to drive a car in Spain?

• As in most European countries you will be driving on the right hand side.
• To drive it is necessary that you have a valid driving license in the EU. All those who are not EU or do not have special agreements with Spain should apply for a special driving license that allows you to drive in the EU for up to 6 months. Once expired you will need to apply for a Spanish license. 
• EU citizens can drive for an unlimited time, and if the license expires you could opt for by a Spanish license. 
• Seat belts are compulsory both for front and rear passengers. 
• The use of a baby seat or a booster is mandatory depending on the age and size of the child. Children under the age of 12 years are not allowed to go in the front seat. 
• You may not use mobile phones at the wheel, unless they are connected to an approved hands-free device. 
• Before you start driving you must make sure you have all the correct documents such as driver's license, personal identification and the car documents. 
• You should have a reflective vest, a first aid kit and, although not mandatory, it is advised you carry a small fire extinguisher. Likewise, you must ensure that all the lights work properly. 
• It is illegal to drive under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol (maximum rate allowed 0.25mg / l) 

How fast I can go?
Speed limits in Spain generally are located in highly visible locations. These limits are:

•  Motorways; 120km / h
•  National roads; 100km / h
•  Country roads; 90km / h
•  In most populated areas; 40-50km / h, depending on the town. 

Recently in some provinces the limit on the motorways has dropped, in Barcelona for example, the limit has been reduced to 80km / h.

  

Other tips ... 

If you are not a resident in Spain, and should you commit any offense you will have to pay an on the spot fine. Otherwise, the enforcement officer will block/remove the car until the fine is paid.

Make sure that your vehicle doesn’t get towed, for the removal and subsequent payment of the fine has a fairly high cost.

Respecting the rules of the road is the safest way to happily finish your trip as planned.

Do you think these laws are too strict compared to other countries?

VictoriaCars
Car Hire Alicante Airport - Car Hire Malaga
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Google maps launches a new service of traffic information and forecast.

Google launches in Spain and in other 12 European countries a traffic information and forecasting service which can help us to avoid traffic jams.

"I have an emergency and I have to get urgently to the airport, which route shall I take? I take my cell phone and call to the Traffic Information Centre and ask them for the shortest route that has no traffic jam. Let me know once you have the information, or "I´ve just arrived at the airport, I´ve hired a car in Madrid and I need to go to the centre of the city, will there be any traffic jams? will I get on time to my meeting?"

From now on this want be necessary anymore. Goolge Maps launched in Spain and in other 12 European countries a traffic information service almost in real time. Just need to make a small query and we will know exactly which is our best route.

At the moment this service is not yet "in real-time", but the information that you receive is updated every 5 or 10 minutes, so you can alomost consider it as a "real time information".

Another interesting option is when we are planning our trip we can make a traffic forecast. This option is based on collected and filtered past information at the same date and time, so it can gives you this way a similar prediction.

Information can be viewed through our personal computer or through any mobile device that supports Google Maps, only by selecting the Traffic option. Immediatly there will apear on the motorway different colour marks like green, orange red and dark red meaning the flow of the traffic in that particular area.

Every day that passes by, the software giant is more familiar to us and it provides us more and more aplications that makes our daily lives more easier.

VictoriaCars
Car Hire Alicante Airport

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Key tips for hiring the cheapest car

Always when holidays are approaching we start to organise the voyage. We book the hotel room or the apartment where we will stay, the plane tickets and in case we are not travelling in our own car, the best option is to rent a car at the destination where we travel to.

10 tips for renting a cheap car in Spain.

1. Choosing the most economical pick-up location
Obviously, depending on the selected destination, prices for the same rental car will vary. However in addition, within the same destination in many cases we can find different prices depending on the point of delivery. Generally the cheapest pick-up points are usually the airports.

2. Book in advance.
Car rental prices, and specially in Spain, increases as we move into summer dates.
During the summer months there is such an important increase in demand which makes that the rental car price rises at the same pace than this demand. Booking a car in advance will avoid us now to pay such high prices. And also we will avoid the risk of not getting any car.

3. Prepayment of your booking.
During the low season we can find that most car rental companies launch tenders for "prepayments". For example, if the car is booked for June and paid in March we are usually presented with a significant discount. Reason of this is that these companies concentrate their business during the summer months but need to keep having incomes during the winter months, which is obvious.

4. 7 days rental or more.
Trying to save money by renting a vehicle for less days than what you need, will only increasing the daily price. At most car rental companies daily prices are less as longer the booking period is.

5. Making a booking through a provider with its own base at the selected destination.
It is advisable that the chosen company where you are booking your car with has its own base at the selected destination. This way we ensure that the rental price has no additional charges as for example extra commissions to third parties, intermediaries, etc...

6. Consult accurately the price of the extras.
Many times we make a reservation through a website where the car rental price is much cheaper than the own suppliers one, disregarding of the extras we need. However, by collecting the vehicle we are surprised how the price of the extras increases our booking price. It is advisable not to make any booking until we have checked the exact price of all the extras that we are going to need.

7. Hiring a fully comprehensive insurance.
Yes, oddly enough, by the end it will be much cheaper and will give us less headaches if we do not hire this insurance. In the first place we avoid holding onto our credit card the amount of the excess, which is the deposit that they charge us in case something happens with the car.

The credit on your credit card is to enjoy your holidays not to have a certain amount blocked on it that you can not use.

Secondly, in case of any mishap with the vehicle, and depending on the rental company, we can have the surprise that the insurance that is included in the car rental price does not cover that particular damage.

8. Hiring a fully comprehensive insurance once collecting the car.
Many intermediary car rental companies are offering full risk insurances at their own web site, which you can hire at the same time of making your booking.

Afterwards we find out that such insurance does not cover the totality of what the full risk covers from the company where we collect the car, who is the owner of the vehicle.

Therefore it is advisable that you hire the full risk insurance at the time of picking up the vehicle, this way we ensure us the maximum coverage.

9. Returning the vehicle at the same pick-up location.
Although that the selected company has an office where you want to return the vehicle, in most cases they will charge us a certain amount by returning it at a different destination.

This is because the rental companies have a determined fleet of vehicles for each of their destinations, calculated in base of the needs. The specific cases where clients require to return the vehicle to a different destination often involves that afterwards the car rental company must return the vehicle to its origin, having to assume this way extra personnel costs, fuel, increases wear on the engine and so on...

10. Fidelity has its reward.
Searching for any offer at the car hire companies website that they might have for their customers. Check their social networks, often just by becoming a fan on Facebook apply us discounts which at times can be up to 30%. In addition to discounts, some companies offer different awards, sweepstakes or contests only available for their clients.


VictoriaCars
Car hire Madrid
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Malaga – the Capital of the Costa del Sol – Spain’s sun coast.

The Province of Malaga is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the World. It is not hard to understand why, with over 300 days of sunshine a year, fantastic beaches, great food and a wealth of cultural and historical monuments.






The development of Malaga’s International airport (now handling over 7 million passengers a year) the expansion of Malaga’s port – soon to be one of the largest in the Mediterranean – have meant that the city of Malaga and the surrounding areas are ever more accessible and will remain so in the future.
Malaga is one of the oldest cities in Europe, with a fascinating history that dates back to 800BC. Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, the Moors and even the French have all left their mark. As with so many towns in Andalucía, the Moorish presence is the one that is most felt today. Many of Malaga’s most famous landmarks come from the Moorish times, including the Gibralfaro Castle and the Alcazaba.

Video and tourist information about the province of Malaga



The list of things to see to do in modern day Malaga is almost endless. The Picasso museum, Plaza de la Merced, Calle Larios, Plaza de la Constitución, Cervantes theater, Malaga’s Cathedrals, and, of course, the beaches. These are just a small taste of what the city has to offer. Malaga is a Spanish town, with a very Spanish feel to it. Come and see for yourself. For your holiday villas in Spain be sure to check out Spain Holiday’s extensive list of Malaga holiday rentals

23nd Oktoberfest in Calpe, the German Beer Festival is about to begin.

From 7th till 17th of October Calpe is celebrating its 23nd Oktoberfest organized by the Carnival Club Calpe. The also called "Fiesta Alemana de la Cerveza" in Calpe is the most famous festival of that kind, celebrated in Spain.

VictoriaCars is pleased to announce once again the traditional celebration of the Oktoberfest in the Province of Alicante, more precisely in Calpe. This year, the tent will space over 15,000 square meters at the fairground of the "Partida Rafol" (located beside the municipal deposit of vehicles)

VictoriaCars recomends you this event

Victoria Rent a Car from Calpe participates every year in this event and offers car hire in Murcia as well as car hire Alicante airport for those who are looking for visiting Calpe's XXII. Oktoberfest as comfortable as possible. Last but not least, please remember: VictoriaCars gives the advice to don’t drink and drive! So everyone can enjoy the Oktoberfest 2009 to the fullest.


VictoriaCars itself has its head office in Calpe and recommends to all clients and holidaymakers not to miss this great multi-cultural event on the Costa Blanca. The Oktoberfest in Calpe will take place from the 7th to the 17th of October and will be open every day without admission fees. All clients and Calpe visitors are invited to taste the German delicacies like the tasty sausages Nuremberg, Frankfurt or Krakauer, the typical salads, the knuckles of pork and,of course, the original "Paulaner" beer from Munich.

But besides being only a gourmet evening, the Oktoberfest visitors will also enjoy folklore with performances of the "Original Steinsberger Musikanten" which will give a concert every day and put the guests into good humour.

The origin

This festival has its origin in Munich with the celebration the engagement of Prince Ludwig, later known as Ludwig I, with the Princess Theresa of Saxony-Hildburghausen.

On 12 of October 1810, all citizens of Munich were invited to the wedding which took place on a meadow in the city. Since then, the conclusion was repeated year after year on the Theresienwiese when circumstances have allowed it. Munich's Oktoberfest is visited every year by year by more than 6 millions of visitors and is considered as one of the biggest folk festivals on the world.

Calpe's Oktoberfest tradition started in 1988, this is why the German beer festival has been established as unmissable event of this kind on the Spanish territory. And while it is obvious that the magnitude of Calpe's Oktoberfest is quite far from the one in Munich, the Oktoberfest in Calpe is at least accompanied with all Bavarian elements to spend a few really special days.

22nd Oktoberfest in Calpe has begun

From 1st till 12th of October Calpe is celebrating its 22nd Oktoberfest organized by the Carnival Club Calpe. The also called "Fiesta Alemana de la Cerveza" in Calpe is the most famous festival of that kind, celebrated in Spain.

VictoriaCars - Car Hire Alicante Airport is pleased to announce once again the traditional celebration of the Oktoberfest in the Province of Alicante, more precisely in Calpe. This year, the tent will space over 15,000 square meters and will be located centrally and easy to access behind Calpe's Tennis Club with the possibility to park for free.

VictoriaCars itself has its head office in Calpe and recommends to all clients and holidaymakers not to miss this great multi-cultural event on the Costa Blanca. The Oktoberfest in Calpe will take place from the 1st to the 12th of October and will be open every day from 18:00pm without admission fees. All clients and Calpe visitors are invited to taste the German delicacies like the tasty sausages Nuremberg, Frankfurt or Krakauer, the typical salads, the knuckles of pork and, of course, the original "Paulaner" beer from Munich.

But besides being only a gourmet evening, the Oktoberfest visitors will also enjoy folklore with performances of the "Original Steinsberger Musikanten" which will give a concert every day and put the guests into good humour.

This festival has its origin in Munich with the celebration the engagement of Prince Ludwig, later known as Ludwig I, with the Princess Theresa of Saxony-Hildburghausen. On 12 of October 1810, all citizens of Munich were invited to the wedding which took place on a meadow in the city. Since then, the conclusion was repeated year after year on the Theresienwiese when circumstances have allowed it. Munich's Oktoberfest is visited every year by year by more than 6 millions of visitors and is considered as one of the biggest folk festivals on the world.

Calpe's Oktoberfest tradition started in 1988, this is why the German beer festival has been established as unmissable event of this kind on the Spanish territory. And while it is obvious that the magnitude of Calpe's Oktoberfest is quite far from the one in Munich, the Oktoberfest in Calpe is at least accompanied with all Bavarian elements to spend a few really special days.

XXII Oktoberfest Calpe Program

Thursday 1 October
Opening. The tap of the Paulaner barrel. The Coronation of the Queen of Oktoberfest 2009. Music with Andy and the Steinsberger. Jamboree with Franzi of Rhineland-Palatinate.

Friday 2 October
Beer Mug Lifting Competition. Showtime with the Steinsberger and Franzi. Oktoberfest-Party with Steffi.

Saturday 3 October
Oktoberfest-Party with the Steinsberger and Franzi. Oldie Night music from the 70s, 80s and 90s.

Sunday 4 October
Music with Andy and the Steinsberger. Oldie Night with music from the 70s, 80s and 90s. Beer Mug Lifting Competition.

Monday 5 October
Happy Hour and Showtime with the Steinsberger and Andy.

Tuesday 6 October
Happy Hour and Showtime with the Steinsberger and Andy.

Wednesday 7 October
Happy Hour and Showtime with the Steinsberger and Andy. Beer Mug Lifting Competition.

Thursday 8 October
Happy Hour and Showtime with the Steinsberger and Andy.
Tombola and Showtime "Oldies but Goodies".

Friday 9 October
Happy Hour and Showtime with the Steinsberger. Final Beer Mug Lifting Competition. Oktoberfest-Party with Steffi.

Saturday 10 October
Music with the Original Steinsberger. Oldie Night with music from the 70s, 80s and 90s and tombola.

Sunday 11 October
Biker Day

Monday 12 October
Tourist Day

Victoria Rent a Car from Calpe participates every year in this event and offers car hire services in Murcia Airport as well as car hire Alicante airport for those who are looking for visiting Calpe's XXII. Oktoberfest as comfortable as possible.
Last but not least, please remember: VictoriaCars gives the advice to not drink and drive! So everyone can enjoy the Oktoberfest 2009 to the fullest.

Car Hire Murcia - shortage on rental cars continues.

Now it has became common knowledge. The car rental companies in Spain run out of cars due to the high demand in the current peak season.

After having experienced a similar situation during last Easter, VictoriaCars already foresaw the difficulties for the summer rentals. Given the situation, VictoriaCars - Car hire Murcia informed its customers of the possible shortage during the summer peak season and encouraged to make reservations in advance.

However, many customers have been waited until the last minute and finally could not get a car. Because inevitably, VictoriaCars had been run out of available vehicles, like many other Spanish car rental companies, too.

The question now is, are we dealing here with one particular case or should European holidaymakers be prepared for further shortages during peak periods.

According to some forecasts, the current scarcity will last until into the fall. Not only that, it is anticipated that this situation will extend to all existing holiday periods during the year (Christmas, Easter, bridging days, long weekends and so on) and even to the summer 2010 campaign.

Moreover, the scarcity is not the only problem: the current situation has caused a substantial increase of car rental prices by the companies in this sector. A car hire Murcia presently can cost up to 30% more than for the same period last year. It is a question of the "law of supply and demand."

Obviously, the cause of this situation can be seen in the economic recession Spain is experiencing. On the one hand, companies in general are suffering from the lack of financing, that also prevents that companies within the car rental sector in particular can expand their fleets. Moreover, even when financing is provided, the difficult times companies in the automotive sector are going through make them highly unlikely to sale their new cars to car rental companies. The common custom that a car hire enterprises could acquire a vehicle for a agreed period of time, and after wards could be sure that the rental car would be repurchased by the dealer is almost abolished. The car dealers are not willing to collaborate to these conditions as these repurchases saturate the second-hand car market and make it more difficult to sale new cars.

To put it in a nutshell, VictoriaCars - Car Hire Murcia, points the difficulty of its branch out to its customers and expects them to take measures and precautions, so they can enjoy the next Spain holidays with a car hire Murcia Airport , Alicante or Madrid.

The new blog of Victoria Rent a Car...Congratulations!

Car hire company, VictoriaCars, from Spain is offering this blog to everyone who is interested in our car hire service at Alicante, Barcelona, Madrid, Murcia and Valencia airport as well as at further locations at Costa Blanca.

You are welcome to post everything what is worth knowing about your Spain holidays here. On the other side, we will try to update it constantly and to let you know about our current car hire offers in Spain.
For more information and our current car rental rates, please visit www.victoriacars.com.