ITTN’s Shane Cullen is on his travels again, this time to Club Med Magna Marbella. He will be joined by Irish travel agents Emma Kerrigan (Travel Counsellor based in Dublin) and Emma Campbell (Travel Counsellor based in Mayo) alongside travel and media from England, Scotland and Sweden.
The 3-night fam trip will involve opportunities to enjoy the Club Med Magna Marbella outdoor adventures against the beautiful backdrop of Marbella. Described as a “Green Oasis in Andalusian Style”, the resort will enable Shane to test his sporting talents, or lack thereof, on the courts with Marbella the home of Padel (akin to tennis).
Dublin to Malaga with Aer Lingus
Boarding one of Aer Lingus’ daily flights to Malaga, the flight is about 3 hours and the outbound flight was serviced by an Airbus A320. Without a spare seat in sight, the flight took off for the ever-popular Spanish coast. The return flight (on Saturday) offers the larger A330 more typically seen on transatlantic routes with a 2-4-2 configuration, highlighting the demand for travel to Spain.
New Scanners at Dublin Airport
The advantage of Terminal 2, especially if you are travelling with technology (or young children), T2 security has lots of the new C3 x-ray scanners. The advantage of the C3 scanners is passengers can leave all liquids and laptops inside their cabin bags and the scanners generate 3D images of bags.
The eighth C3 scanner became operational in Terminal 2 last week and it is expected that all scanners in T2 will be replaced by October of this year. My tip is to go left when you go through T2 security (if you can) as you are most likely to get a new scanner.
In fact, around a third of the airport’s 30+ security scanners have already been replaced by new C3 security scanners, with the airport on track to have replaced all scanners in both of its terminals by October 2025.
The advice from the airport is that “Once all scanners have been replaced, passengers will no longer have to remove liquids or electronics from hand luggage when going through security screening. For the moment, there’s no guarantee that you will be selected for a screening lane which has a new C3 scanner, so passengers should continue to prepare as normal or security, ensuring all liquids are under 100ml, with any laptops and tablets ready to be removed. Any changes to security rules will be communicated to passengers in advance via the airport’s website and social media channels.”
Dublin Airport Car Park
If you don’t live near frequent Dublin Airport transport links (I live in the beautiful Garden of Ireland, Wicklow), my advice is to book the car park early. I’ve been caught out more than once not being able to get a parking spot.
Resort Club Med Magna Marbella
Resort Club Med Magna Marbella is a 3-hour flight from Dublin and a transfer time of just 45 minutes from Malaga airport. Having been to this part of the world recently, it’s a straightforward drive for those who wish to hire a car (make sure you book air-con).
Club Med is an all-inclusive resort in Andalusia. Set at the foot of the Sierra Blanca mountains, it is set on 12 acres of terraced gardens with commanding views of the mountains and the sea.
It is less than a 10-minute drive to the old town of Marbella and 15 minutes by car to the beach (cycle in 10 or walk in 30 minutes).
Stay Tuned to ITTN for More on Club Med Magna Marbella
Stay tuned to ITTN for more on Club Med Magna Marbella and the Club Med offering.
