Something for the Weekend? ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ by Delia Owens
Alicia Duggan of The Bookshop with her latest review. This beautifully written debut novel by Delia Owens is part murder mystery, part coming of age novel but mostly a story of survival and hope. Kya lives in the marshlands of North Carolina. When she is six her mother walks out on the family…
England scraps quarantine for arrivals from Spain
Travellers from more than 50 countries including France, Italy and Spain can stop self-isolating on arrival in England from July 10, the UK government has confirmed. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will each announce their own separate rules depending on how they work in England. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the change, which reverses a two-week quarantine policy imposed in June,…
Marbella increases grant to Triple A
Marbella animal charity Triple A finally has reason to celebrate Marbella Town Hall this week reinforced its commitment to Triple A with an annual grant of 80,000 euros, and also announced a project to update the facilities. Mayor Ángeles Muñoz signed the annual collaboration agreement with the president of the group, Bettina Pietsch, on Tuesday. This increases aid for maintenance expenses by…
Marbella launches real time app for beaches
Marbella Town Hall has launched PlayasApp, a real time App that lets the public know the occupancy of the municipality's beaches. Marbella's 27 kilometres of coastline are home to 26 beaches totaling430,000 square metres. Under the new social distancing guidelines, the total capacity allowed is 85,000 people, and the new app will advise you on the occupancy of each beach, as well as local…
UK set to give green light to Spanish holidays on Monday
Brace yourselves. It looks like, this time, the British really are coming! Britons will be able to go on summer holidays abroad as the UK government prepares to announce that people travelling to certain countries will no longer be required to self-isolate for 14 days upon returning to the UK. Ministers are poised to clear the way for trips to France, Greece and Spain after confirming the…
Coronavirus – Over 3000 penalties issued in Marbella during State of Alarm
Marbella handed out over 3000 penalties for breaches of the State of Alarm. That was the finding of the final meeting of Marbella's Security Coordination Commission for Covid-19. The Commission highlighted that breaches during the confinement resulted in 3,200 penalties being issued, and that local police and fire officials carried out more than 13,000 interventions. There were also almost…
No Juan’s Land
One of the biggest nights of the summer has been cancelled this year. Noche de San Juan is traditionally held on the evening of June 23, when leaping over bonfires on the beach and taking your first dip in the sea, while dressed in white, is meant to absolve you of your sins. The purifying nature of the festival has been somewhat neglected over the past few years, with recent celebrations…
Sunday Morning Mutterings – The lighter side of Lockdown
By the time you read this, Spain will have bravely stepped into the ‘New Normal’. To be honest, I have had enough trouble adjusting to the ‘Old Normal’ since the mid-80s, but I blame that on moving from Stoke-on-Trent to Marbella without a suitable quarantine period. Although the lockdown period did impose significant restrictions on each and every one of us, there were some lighter moments.…
It’s the Wheel Deal for San Pedro!
Look out London Eye. Marbella has plans to erect its own observation wheel - not on the South Bank but in San Pedro. The revolutionary tourist attraction was announced on Thursday by Marbella Town Hall. At 50 metres height and with 30 viewing cabins, the wheel will be located on the western end of the Boulevard San Pedro. Due to open next summer, Marbella Mayor Angeles Muñoz, explained that…
Quarantine Quarrel puts Brakes on Brits
Don't pack your bags just yet. Spain may be opening its borders to international tourists on June 21, but British tourists may be forced to quarantine for 14 days on arrival. The impasse comes after Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha González Laya told the BBC that the government was considering maintaining a quarantine period if the British government did not lift the same requirement for…
The British are coming! Spain to open borders to tourists from June 21
It's a small glimmer of hope for summer 2020 in Marbella The British Embassy in Madrid today confirmed that UK tourists will be among those permitted to enter Spanish borders from June 21 After a video conference with the autonomous regions on Sunday (pictured), Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced that it would reopen its borders to most European visitors from June 21, 10 days earlier than…
Sunday Morning Mutterings – It Matters
I didn't watch the video. I didn't need to. The image of George Floyd being 'restrained' was enough. Social Media has fulfilled Marshal McLuhan's prophesy of a Global Village and in recent monts the Internet has been full of videos and photos of black men being killed – for jogging, for reaching for their wallets – for a myriad of reasons. So I knew at once how the video would end. But the…
Staycation Style
If the summer season 2020 is going to remembered for one good thing, it may be for the rise of the "Staycation" As Spain heads into the 'New Normal', the UK still insisting on a two week quarantine for anyone visiting, and no sign of any deal being agreed for UK tourists to be allowed to visit Spain without having to isolate for 14 days, many hotels are looking to the Staycation market -…
Will Spain bar Brits?
Spain may be opening up for foreign tourists from July 1, but at the moment that doesn't include the UK. Discussions for setting up so called 'travel corridors' for British holidaymakers have yet to be scheduled according to the Spanish Foreign Ministry. The bombshell for Brits came as officials said that they were planning on opening up resorts on the Balearic Islands to nearly 11,000 German…
Masks for Marbs
Fashionistas can forget evening dresses or that little black number. It looks like the de rigueur fashion item for summer 2020 in Marbella will be a mask. This fashion heads-up comes after the government said yesterday that face masks will be compulsory in Spain until a coronavirus vaccine is found, with police empowered to hand out fines for non-compliance. Health Minister Salvador Illa…
BREAKING NEWS – Marbella to move to Phase 3 on Monday
Get your motors running and head out on the highway. As long as you stay within the boundaries of Andalucia. The whole province, including Granada and Malaga, will move to Phase 3 on Monday, it was confirmed today. Phase 3 allows movement between provinces, which means that yes, you WILL be allowed to go to Tarifa. Other points include The timetables for taking walks and exercise no…
Search for missing Marbella man continues
The search is still on for missing Marbella man Ruben Cobo Chinchilla. The 38-year-old has not been seen since Tuesday. Ruben is 1.80 m, with an athletic build, green eyes, tattoos and close croped hair. He was last seen on his black scooter , registration 7474 KCM Anyone with information should contact 112, mobiles 642650775 or 649952957 or email sosdesaparecidos@sosdesaparecidos.es.
BREAKING NEWS – Shooting in Marbella
Violence returned to the streets of Marbella this afternoon when a man was gunned down in broad daylight. The attack happened on the Calle Arturo Rubinsteon outside the luxurious Gran Marbella beachfront apartment block (pictured) with the victim reportedly shot by a gunman on a motorcycle. At the moment police have issued no further details, but the manner of the attack suggests a gang…
BREAKING NEWS – Spain announces NO coronavirus fatalities in past 24 hours
It's the news that we have been waiting for. Spain's Health Ministry announced on Monday that it had not registered any deaths from COVID-19 in the previous 24 hours. The Ministry also recorded 35 deaths in the past seven days. There has been a further decrease in the number of new cases with 71, down from 96 on Sunday and the lowest number since March 6. Since the beginning of the health…
Sunday Morning Mutterings – A Banús Blast from the Past
You can easily dismiss ‘The Port’ as full of the wannabies, the It girls, and the has-beens as well as the brash, blinged, blasted and frequently botoxed, but it has been an integral part of my life for decades. Although the anniversary was lost in the lockdown, Puerto Banús celebrated its fiftieth birthday in May. I started to visit Puerto Banús on family holidays and, when we moved to…
Dovak Back
The coronavirus pandemic brought the entire tennis tour to a standstill in early March. Just like millions of other people around the world, the coronavirus shutdown forced the tennis players to stay confined to their homes for the last 2 months. World No.1 Novak Djokovic enjoyed his quarantine with his family at his home in Marbella, Spain. While Djokovic has returned to his hometown of…