Summer Madness
BREAKING NEWS – Coronavirus – Spain orders all discos and late night bars to close
Spain announced on Friday the closure of all late night bars and discos across the country The drastic move, announced by Health Minister Salvador Illa, comes after the country recorded 2,935 cases in the past 24 hours, the highest since April, and 26 deaths. Smoking is also banned if you cannot…
Could Culex Crisis Mean Mossie Mayhem?
Just when you thought that 2020 couldn't get any more, ahem, "interesting", what with one thing and another, now we have something else to watch out for. The areas of Coria and La Puebla del Río in Seville province have reported 12 cases of West Nile virus (WNV), spread by Culex mosquitos. West Nile virus is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States and is…
Picture perfect – Marbella Beach Clubs rank in Instagram Top Ten!
If you've been lucky enough to be chilling out at one of Marbella's Beach Clubs this summer, then along with the great setting, perfect weather and tempting food and drink, you'll also have noticed 'influences' and 'Instamodels' preening and posing around the pool. Ocean Club was the top Marbella Beach Club So it comes as no surprise to find that when swimwear brand Pour Moi analysed…
Sunday Morning Mutterings – Figs and Fings
Fig season has just finished as I write, which means for the past couple of weeks I’ve been enjoying breakfast on my lakeside terrace with fresh fruit plucked straight from the tree. Before you all start to get romantic visions of my pastoral lifestyle, however, it’s best to note that the fig picking is best first thing in the morning, otherwise you end up fighting a losing battle against the…
Starlite – Pijo Popsters Performance Proves Pandemic Protection Pointless!
Starlite Festival came under a hail of criticism on Social Media after Friday's performance in Marbella by Madrid band Taburete. The criticism wasn't for the paucity of the group's 'pijo pop' - which is bad enough trust me - pijo is roughly the equivalent to yuppie. You know the type. Lots of chino wearing, untucked polo shirts, living in Madrid, PP - voting types (frontman Willy Bárcenas is…
Watch the skies! Mars, the Moon and Meteor Magic!
With the current heatwave making the average bedroom in Marbella the temperature of an oven on full blast, sleeping outside seems like a sensible option. And if you needed another excuse to bed down on the terrace for the next few days, there is a stargazing feast that starts on Saturday night! Tonight Mars and the Moon will form a dazzling conjunction - they obviously aren't socially…
Marbella Bullring ready for ‘cultural events’ in 2021
Marbella's Plaza de Toros will be open for business next year. A seven month renovation project costing 800,000 euros has revitalised the bullring and modernised the facilities, including improving the security measures. Marbella mayor Ángeles Muñoz and Councilor for Works, Diego López, visited the bullring this week to inspect the facilities. She stressed that "the refurbishment of this…
Olivia Valere closes temporarily after coronavirus cases
Iconic Marbella nightclub Olivia Valere will remain closed until Thursday after the venue recorded cases of COVID-19 among its staff. "We will reopen on Thursday 6th August" the club said on its website "We are working on cleaning and disinfecting our space so we can keep it clean and safe for you, as law (sic) requires". Olivia Valere, that has previously welcomed Prince, Naomi Campbell,…
The hottest weekend of the summer – and there’s more on the way!
This weekend saw the highest temperatures across Spain to date this year, with Velez-Malaga at 45.6ºC and Coin at 44ºC. Thirty provinces across the country were under amber and yellow weather warnings for extremes of temperature on Saturday, the hottest day of the year in many places. A farm owner in Murcia eas arrested after a labourer died of heat stroke on Saturday. The undocumented South…
Marbella on Orange Alert as heatwave hits
Marbella was placed on Orange Alert for high temperatures as the first heatwave of the summer engulfed Spain. Temperatures of up to 37C were forecast for Sunday while Málaga suffered 39C and the Guadalhorce Valley roasted at 43C. With temperatures between 5-10 degrees warmer than normal for the time of year AEMET, the Spanish Meteorological Office, issued Orange Alerts for Andalucía. The…
Tommy Robinson shares Social Media post from Marbella
Controversial British far-right and anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson has moved to the Costa del Sol. The co-founder and former leader of the English Defence League, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, posted from Manolo Santana Racquets Club this week, where he had been enjoying a game of padel. Robinson fled the UK to Spain earlier this month, fearing for the safety of his family after…
Quarantine – Mayor urges Costa corridor
Marbella mayor Ángeles Muñoz has demanded that Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha González Laya includes the Costa del Sol in any safe tourist corridor agreement with the UK The Foreign Minister is currently trying to secure a deal for the exclusion of the Balearic and Canary Islands from the quarantine imposed by the UK on arrivals from Spain, but Muñoz believes that not including the Costa…
Sunday Morning Mutterings – Mask Murmurings and Bike Business
It’s been an interesting couple of weeks. Once again I managed to upset a number of cyclists who, after reading the reaction to my witterings, obviously regard me as one of Satan’s minor demons. Or the Marbella version of Jeremy Clarkson. I’m not sure which is worse, to be honest. In my regular column for the Olive Press http://theolivepress.es , I wrote that there were several signs that…
Novak’s Saturday Knock Up!
Tennis ace Novak Djokovic surprised the Saturday morning crowd in Marbella this morning when he turned up for an impromptu practice session. The world number one is back in Marbella again after his controversial Adria exhibition tennis tour ended when Djokovic, his wife Jelena, three other players, three coaches and one player's pregnant wife tested positive for the virus. Novak has…
Coronavirus – Marbella reports ten cases in three days
Marbella has reported ten new coronavirus cases over the past three days, but the Junta de Andalucia is not regarding the situation as an outbreak. The five new cases occurred between workers at a well known department store in Puerto Banus, and followed the two recorded on Tuesday and three on Wednesday. None of the employees needed hospital treatment and are currently self isolating.…
Coronavirus forces cancellation of Marbella’s Global Gift Gala
One of Marbella's most star studded events of the summer, the Global Gift Gala, has become the latest victim of coronavirus. Scheduled to take place in August, the event regularly attracts both Spanish and international stars such as Eva Longoria, founder and president of the Global Gift Foundation María Bravo, DJ Luis Fonsi, actor Gary Dourdan, singer Chenoa and a host of celebrities from the…
Coronavirus – Two new cases reported in Marbella
The Junta de Andalucia confirmed on Tuesday that Marbella had reported two new cases of coronavirus. This comes after ten days with no cases reported and brings the total number of coronavirus cases in Marbella to 423 since the beginning of the pandemic. Malaga province reported 23 new cases, of which nine had been hospitalised. No patients required ICU, however. In the province of…
Coronavirus – Mask hacks to beat a steamy summer
Fed up with your glasses steaming up and slipping off when you put your mask on? Fret no more as Specsavers Ópticas shares top tips for wearing glasses with facemasks. You may be of the opinion that they are the signs of a New World Order, Illuminati or other sinister forces at work, but unless you want to be on the receiving end of a fine from the police, facemasks are now as important an item…
Something for the Weekend? ‘The Gilded Cage’ by Camilla Lackberg
Alicia Duggan of The Bookshop with her latest review. The gripping new psychological thriller from internationally bestselling author Camilla Lackberg, is a story of love, betrayal, friendship, and revenge. Faye is married to super wealthy Jack Adelheim. They have a beautiful daughter and Faye is happy with her life despite the constant dieting, Botox and degrading way her husband sometimes…
Movie Magic with Alfresco Cinema Marbella
If you’ve been missing your fix of big screen action due to coronavirus then an exciting new company in Marbella has the answer Alfresco Cinema Marbella, which launched earlier this year, brings all the thrills and fun of the movies for you to enjoy – transforming your garden into an open air cinema, perfect for those summer nights! “We started the business at the beginning of summer” explains…