Barcelo Punta Umbria Beach Resort & Convention Center

Punta Umbría is located on the coast of Huelva, known as “Costa de la Luz” [“Coast of Light”], in the south of Spain, and is bathed by the Atlantic Ocean. Its mild climate and its 300 days of sunshine a year make it an ideal place for holding events.

Located on the banks of the Guadiana river, bordering on Portugal, Ayamonte was always a quiet fishing town that stretches its white houses down to the port. The Greek called it Anapotaman ("over the river"), which evolved into the town's present name. In the tallest point of the city, on top of the ruins of an ancient Roman castle, stands the Parador de Turismo (Inn), with beautiful views of the town and the Guadiana river mouth. Among the most interesting buildings we must point out the churches of Nuestra Señora de las Angustias and San Francisco, both from the 16th century; the parish church of Salvador, from the 15th century; and the Nabob houses. Five kilometres away from this town we have the beaches of Canela and Moral, very popular, specially during the summer.

The Paraje Natural de las Marismas del Odiel is the second most significant wetland reserve in Andalucía after the Parque Nacional de Doñana. This large estuary and marshland of the Odiel and Tinto rivers covers 72-sq-km between Huelva City, Punta Umbría, Gibraleón and Aljaraque. The humid area is an important rest and nest place particularly for migratory birds; it is possible to sight over three hundred different species in a year. Many animal species in danger of extinction can still be found in the wetlands. Some of the birds in this area are: grey and purple heron, spoonbill (30% from Europe can here to nest), flamingo, osprey etc

The Parque Nacional de Doñana is one of Europe's most important wetland reserves and a major site for migrating birds. It is an immense area over 1,300 sq km in the provinces of Huelva, Seville and Cadiz. It is internationally for recognised for its great ecological wealth. Doñana has become a key centre in the world of conservationism. Doñana is well known for its enormous variety of bird species, permanent residents, winter visitors from north and central Europe or summer visitors from Africa, like its numerous types of geese and colourful colonies of flamingo. It has one of the world's largest colonies of Spanish imperial eagles. The park as a whole comprises three distinct kinds of ecosystem: the marshlands, the Mediterranean scrublands and the coastal mobile dunes with their beaches.

The mining quay (muelle) of the Rio Tinto company is a commercial wharf for unloading material originating from the mines of the Rio Tinto Company Ltd, constructed at the beginning of the 20th century on the Odiel River. It is commonly known as the "Muelle del Tinto". It is currently unused but can be visited as a place for walking or fishing.

HISTORY OF EL ROCIO This cult dates back to the 13th century, when a hunter from the village of Villamanrique (or Almonte, depending on which version of the story you follow) discovered a statue of the Virgin Mary in a tree trunk in the Doñana park. A chapel was built where the tree stood, and it became a place of pilgrimage. Devotion to this particular version of the Virgin was initially a local affair. Then, by the 17th century, hermandades (brotherhoods) were making the trip from nearby towns at Pentecost; by the 19th century, they came from all over Huelva, Cadiz and Seville, on a journey taking up to four days. Over the next century, the cult of the Virgin del Rocio became more and more widespread, and these days participants come from as far away as Barcelona and the Canary Islands - not to mention tourists who travel from abroad, around Europe and even further afield.

After five centuries, Columbus remains a mysterious and controversial figure who has been variously described as one of the greatest mariners in history, a visionary genius, a mystic, a national hero, a failed administrator, a naive entrepreneur, and a ruthless and greedy imperialist. Visit the places where the discovery voyage was forged Monastery of La Rábida. “The Cradle of the Discovery”.

The giant opencast mines of Rio Tinto, as surreal a landscape as one will find this side of the Moon, The continual search for iron ore, copper, silver, sulphur and a host of other minerals has opened up amphitheatres of gargantuan proportions, vast man-made craters that measure several kilometres across. Reputed to be the oldest mines in the world, Rio Tinto has a particularly rich history. Their mineral wealth was already legendary in ancient times. According to myth, these are the fabled mines of King Solomon, and a section of the area is still known as Cerro Salomon today. The Spanish government sold the mines to a British syndicate in 1871 for a sum well below their real value. In true Anglo-Saxon style, the company's British managers soon had the mines running at full steam, making this one of the most important sources of copper and sulphur in the world. Also true to form was the way in which they built Bella Vista, a purpose-built village for British employees only. Known as the 'colonia inglesa', the British style houses, neatly trimmed gardens, tennis lawns and social club of Bella Vista can still be visited. This 'British' village in the middle of the Andalusia countryside also features a Presbyterian Church and mining museum. Several kilometres away is the Spanish town of Rio Tinto, built to replace an older settlement that was swallowed up by the mine's expansion. In its heyday, the Rio Tinto Mining Company was quite an innovator. The football pitch and golf course built here were among the first on the European continent, and the half-timbered bungalows built for company employees at the Punta Umbria, on the Huelva coast, are the forerunners of the modern Costa.