Costa Tropical News

Playing music is banned, and police permission for a barbecue must be obtained a week in advance
The Town Hall in Salobreña is cracking down on noisy bathers with a new ordinance that bans music on the local beaches. Those who play a radio or a musical instrument while enjoying a day in the sun could [...]

Spanish Sports News

Manchester United have accepted a world record offer of £80m from Real Madrid for winger Cristiano Ronaldo.
“United have agreed to give Real Madrid permission to talk to the player,” read a statement from the Old Trafford club.
It added the decision came at the 24-year-old Ronaldo’s request after he “again expressed his desire to leave”.
United said [...]

Spanish Sports News

Barcelona claimed the Primera Liga title on Saturday after second-placed Real Madrid lost 3-2 to Villarreal.
The defeat meant that Real lost their grip on the Spanish title and Barcelona were crowned champions for the 19th time in their history.
For Villarreal the win was crucial, keeping alive their hopes of securing a place in the Champions [...]

Spanish Sports News

Flavio Briatore, the Renault team leader, said agreement has been reached
Two times Formula One racing World Champion, Fernando Alonso, has accepted a wage cut after being asked to do so by the Renault team leader, Flavio Briatore.
Britotre told Italian newspaper, Chi that he had told the Renault drivers that it would be just to take [...]

Costa Tropical & Spanish Property News

A slight improvement in the monthly number of new mortgages sold in March has prompted optimists to call the bottom of the Spanish property market. Though the number of new mortgages signed in March fell 25.5% compared to the same time last year, the rate of decline appeared to slow compared to monthly falls of [...]

Costa Tropical & Spanish Property News

According to the latest house price analysis from Knight Frank, the Spanish property market isn’t faring too badly compared to some other countries.
Just focusing on countries which have experienced a year-on-year decline in house values, Spain is far from the worse affected.
At the bottom of the chart are Dubai and Latvia, both with whopping 30+ [...]

Costa Tropical & Spanish Property News

Spanish bad debt rose at the slowest rate in 15 months in March as savings banks reined in lending and cut defaults, Bank of Spain data showed on Monday in the latest sign the country’s recession may be finding a floor.
The volume of bad debt rose by 769 million euros ($1.04 billion) in March, the [...]

Costa Tropical Business News

Casa del C@fe Albondon. Since opening in February the cafe has gone from strength to strength.
They now offer a selection of English groceries and sweets at affordable prices.
With their first ‘Bingo’ night under their belt they are looking forward to continuing with their regular entertainment program.
Why not call in and see ‘What’s on’ in June. [...]

Costa Tropical Business News

We have reached the point where many parents are looking at school options for next year and at Almunecar International School they are finalising their lists. Why choose to pay for an international school? Why not just send your children to the local school so that they can integrate? If they are young enough and [...]

Costa Tropical Business News

Todos Perros´ dog grooming salon is now open in Motril.  English owned and run by groomer Clare and husband Simon – The salon offers a full groom which includes a bath, brush and groom according to the dogs style or the owners requirements – ears are cleaned and nails are cut if necessary.  It is [...]

Costa Tropical Business News

Transformations
Transformations is an art exhibition set in the beautiful surroundings of the Molino Benizalte in Orgiva, showing new works byEmma Plunkett and Lucy Brotherston.  The exhibition run from 28th May to 14th June

For sale and viewing will bestunning water colour paintings of butterflies fused withphotographic nudes by Emma Plunkett and freshly [...]

Costa Tropical Business News

Every Saturday Jyoti Alpujarra are offering the following food from
around the world:
Saturday June 4th – Mexican Banquette, Chili con carne, rice,
tortilla wrap, nachos, guacamole, salsa. ice cream
10? per person
Saturday June 11th – Indian Banquette, Biryani, dhal, poppadoms,
ryita, tomato relish. Ice cream
10? per person
Saturday June 18th – Greek Banquette, Meatballs, rice, goats cheese,
humus, tatziki. Ice cream
10? [...]

Costa Tropical Business News

When:Dec 2008 – Jan 2009 (annual)

Where:Plaza Mayor

La Carretá is a muscle-packed, exhausting, three-day fiesta that starts with the chopping, gathering and collecting of wood for a large bonfire in the town in honour of the baby Jesus. The word `carretá’ refers to the wagon used to transport the wood down the mountain.

The whole wood-gathering [...]

Costa Tropical Business News

Tapas is the name of a wide variety of appetizers in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or warm (such as puntillitas, which are battered, fried baby squid).
In North America and the United Kingdom, tapas have evolved into an entire cuisine. In these countries, patrons of tapas restaurants can [...]

Costa Tropical Business News

Hidden down a backstreet but only 20 metres from the beach is a little gem.  I’m not sure I should tell everyone as I feel I want to keep this to myself for fear of spoiling things.  There is, in Castell de Ferro a renaissance happening.  The big wide wide world has finally getting a [...]

Costa Tropical Business News

One of my local bars Torrera Alta is just off the main road from Castell de Ferro toward Lujar in the Costa Tropical. Now wait for it…. run by a South African (Leon) and his Spanish wife (Anna) they have a rural guesthouse offering B&B and self contained accommodation as well as a bar [...]

Costa Tropical Business News

Motril and sugar are synonymous.
Now I don’t consider myself obese but at 19 stone I am considered morbidly obese on the BMI index.  A few to many years without a gym, too much amber nectar and a perchance for a curry could have contributed to my needing to “lose a bit” I agree.
It doesn’t help [...]

Costa Tropical Business News

I have just read that visitor numbers are down by about a quarter, recently Sevilliana got everyone’s bills wrong and  Iberbanda lost service for weeks on end.
So what is the common denominator between these events?
Lack of service (in the case of Iberbanda, in more ways than one).
It just seems that the Spanish in general either
1) [...]

Costa Tropical Business News

Now I am not suggesting used car dealers in Spain are any worse than those in other countries but they do seem to be oblivious to basic market forces.
I’ll elaborate.
Used cars in Spain are very expensive.
This is due to a number of factors
1) lack of corrosion – Therefore cars last a long time and people [...]

Costa Tropical Business News

The 44 year old from Santander now faces criminal charges
A 44 year old man has been arrested in Santander for taking on the traffic fines from 24 of his friends and neighbours in just over a year so that they did not lose any points from their licence. The infractions took place not only in [...]

Costa Tropical Business News

There were several examples of the lighter side of EU Election Day across Spain on Sunday
In Barcelona the local police had to go to the homes of several supervisors of a polling station who overslept.
In Huelva, one of the voting table’s spokesmen said he could not read or write, but his substitute did not want [...]

Costa Tropical Business News

A fixed radar registered the driver driving at 22 kms over the speed limit
A fireman based in Valencia province has appealed a fine from the central traffic authority, which fined him for speeding while rushing to the scene of a fire. A radar device registered him driving at 22 kms over the speed limit en [...]