Celebrity Mallorca Issue 115

Issue 115

Katy Perry

iHeart Radio Music Awards Lifestyle

It’s Gin O’Clock Next Up:

Danny Rampling Mallorca Hotspots

Vintage Valldemossa

AAA - With Soul Singer

Ruby Turner

Mallorca Property Guide, News and Events...

The magical hotel by Grupo Cappuccino BOOKINGS: www.hotelmama.es +34 871 037 437

Contents 4 6 9 10 12 15 18 20

News & Events

iHeart Radio Music Awards Access All Areas with Ruby Turner Red Carpet Follow up Playhouse Review Club Culture G.B.O. Charity Golf Tournament JoyRon Charity Gala Dinner Birthday Celebrations

Hotspots

24 Valldemossa

Lifestyle

28 It’s Gin O’Clock 37 Half Full by Ayesha Wood

Environment

40 Malena Valcárcel, Paper Artist

Boats, Bikes & Automobiles

44 Island Spring by Hamish Goddard

Property Pages

50 Property Market Update by Amanda Butler Thinking of advertising your business in

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Publisher & Editor: Donna Suarez Tel. +34 602 531 676 email: donna@celebritymallorca.es Administration Executive: Nuria Muñiz Tel. +34 635 691 804 email: ads@celebritymallorca.es Reporter: Wendy Wighton Urquhart Tel. +34 677 603 790 email: wendy@celebritymallorca.es Music & Events Editor: Larrick Ebanks Tel. +34 664 033 490 email: larrick@celebritymallorca.es Director Of Advertising: Matthew Cull Tel. +34 684 169 261 email: matthew@celebritymallorca.es Events Executive: Ayesha Wood Tel. +34 669 177 933 email: ayesha@celebritymallorca.es Celebrity IT Girl: Kaia Tollefsen Tel. +34 655 954 442 email: kaia@celebritymallorca.es Advertising Executive: Michelle Maldon Tel. +34 683 653 450 email: michelle@celebritymallorca.es Event Photographer: Vicki McLeod Tel. +34 649 090 886 email: ads@celebritymallorca.es Graphic Design & Layout: Gaspar Moreno Tel. +34 691 434 985 email: ads@celebritymallorca.es

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Celebrity Magazine - 2003 Registered Title: DLPM - 1526 - 2003

News & Events

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By Wendy Wighton Urquhart he great and the good from the world of music rocked up at the iHeartRadio Music Awards to celebrate the artists and songs that listeners just couldn’t get enough of in 2018, either on iHeartRadio stations or via the iHeartRadio App.

Actress Shay Mitchell was on presenting duty and looked absolutely stunning in a sparkly silver jumpsuit and matching jacket by Nicolas Jerban, set off perfectly by a blonde wig.

All eyes were on newly-engaged Kate Perry who channeled her ‘365’ music video character in a 50’s style Paskal gingham dress covered in clear plastic, black Maryjane heels, white ankle socks and a blonde bob. Orlando Bloom didn’t walk the red carpet with his wife to be, so she posed for photographs with Zedd, who wore a very cool silver flocked pattern suit. Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey won Song of the Year and Dance Song of the Year for their song, “The Middle”.

Bright colours dominated the red carpet and John Legend was clearly down with that.

He wore a lilac Paul Smith suit, white shirt and white Celine boots and later treated the audience to a fabulous performance of his powerful single, “Preach”.

The star studded event took place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles and Rapper T-Pain, fresh from his big win on the US reality show, “The Masked Singer” played host at what’s considered to be one of the most fun events on the Hollywood calendar. As always the fashionistas were poised and the iHeartRadio red carpet didn’t disappoint.

Halsey was bang on trend in a Dsquared2 ensemble of black bow tie, white shirt and skinny black pants teamed with black pointed heels and her pink hair looked great.

Her song, “Without Me” opened the show and she followed that up with “11-Minutes” alongside rumoured boyfriend, Yungblud and Travis Barker. She also took home the This year’s iHeartRadio Awards definitely 2019 Fangirls award. made history. Cardi B hit the record books The stars usually leave their flashy gowns as the first women to win the Hip Hop Arin the wardrobe for this event, but Elle Fantist of the Year Award and Ella Mai scooped ning bucked the trend in an elegant full lenanother first as female R&B Artist Of The gth nude, Miu Miu gown with intricate deYear and took Best New R&B Artist and tail on the bodice. Marshmellow, who was Zedd &Katy Perry R&B Artist of the Year. Alicia Keys also anything but conservative; he took Dance Artist of the Year and was also voted Best New Pop Artist and broke the mould as the first woman to take home the iHeartRaHeidi Klum turned more than a few heads in a short flowing dio Innovator Award and totally stole the show, singing “You Don’t Know My Name” and her latest single, “Raise A Man” leopard-print dress and over the knee boots.

Sashaying down the red carpet and singing on stage someti- with her 8 year old son Egypt accompanying her on piano. mes requires two different outfits. Country music star, Kacey Artist of the Year went to Ariana Grande who also took Pop Musgraves wore a dark green and black mini dress with tiered Album of the Year for “Sweetener” and was hailed as iHearruffles by David Koma and black heels then changed into a ye- tRadio’s Female Artist of the year for the first time ever, but llow maxi to perform her hit song rainbow on top of a massive couldn’t make it to the show because she was busy rehearsing for her upcoming world tour. But she sent a video performance rainbow and with Chris Martin of Coldplay on piano.

Anything goes at the iHeartRadio music awards and fellow of “Needy” instead. country singer Bebe Rexha definitely made her mark in a black Taylor Swift rocked a purple sequinned romper by Rosa Bloom jumpsuit with a plunging neckline, black shoes and a black bo- with Sophie Webster butterfly heels and had pink streaks in her lero style hat with a ribbon tie. Her song “Meant To Be” was hair. She was awarded Best Music Video and also swiped the coveted Tour Of The Year award for her “Reputation Stadium” tour, labeled Country Song of the Year.

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News & Events which sold 2 million tickets and racked up nearly US$300 million dollars in sales, making it the biggest money making tour by a woman in the US, AND the highest grossing tour by any artist in American for nearly 30 years. The superstar paid tribute to her fans in an emotional speech and the Swifties were ecstatic!!!

Multi-talented, rapper, actor, songwriter, entrepeneur, Drake already has a house full of gongs, but iHeartRadio’s Male Artist of the Year award wasn’t one of them, until now! His pal and collaborator, Bad Bunny, has been scaling the dizzy heights of the music business for the last three years. The Puerto Rican rapper has been mixing it up with all the top Latin Artists and is largely responsible for the soaring popularity of Latin trap. He was also a winner, taking the Latin Artist of the Year award for the first time.

Elsewhere, 5 Seconds of Summer were named iHeartRadio’s Best Duo or Group; Luke Combs was awarded Country Artist of the Year; Jordan Davis scooped Best New Country Artist, Rock Artist of the year went to Three Days Grace and Artist of the Decade went to Country superstar Garth Brooks, who delighted the audience with a medley of his songs.

The Backstreet Boys’ performance was without a doubt, one of the highlights of the night. The crowd were on their feet from the first note of “No Place” and when BSB segwayed into their monster hit, “I Want It That Way” the whole place went nuts. DNA is their first album in nearly 20 years and when it came out in February it shot straight to number one on the Billboard Charts.

The Backstreet Boys’ DNA world tour, kicked off in April with 9 hot shows in Las Vegas and they’ll be gigging all over the world between now and October. For tickets log on to www.backstreetboys.com but you better be quick because they’re selling fast!

For a full list of all the iHeartRadio Awards winners follow this link: https://news.iheart.com/featured/iheartradio-music-awards/content/2019-03-14-2019-iheartradio-music-awards-winners-see-the-complete-list/

Halsey

Elle Fanning

Heidi Klum

Aimee Preston & Steven Tyler

Taylor Swift

John Legend

Backstreet Boys

Marshmello

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AAA

News & Events

ACCESS ALL AREAS

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t’s a thrill for me to feature a friend and mentor whom I had the pleasure of working with professionally and knowing personally for thirty five years.

Ruby Turner MBE is one of the greatest soul, Gospal and R&B voices the UK has produced. Not only is this documented, but she has also been awarded an MBE for her contribution to music to prove it. Turner is applauded the world over for her vocal delivery whether she is performing solo with her band or within the tapestry of the Jools Holland Orchestra, who she has spent the best part of twenty plus years performing with.

Born in Jamaica, raised in the UK, you can hear the many influences in Turners musical works which spans over 30 years. Likened to the vocal excellence of Aretha Franklin and Janis Joplin. The rawness and power in her voice is pure undiluted ear candy. Known mainly for her top 20 hits If Your Ready Come Go With Me, I’d Rather Go blind and her No 1 U.S. r&b single, It’s Gonna Be Alright, Ruby’s vocal contributions for other artists are endless. Mick Jagger, Steve Windwood, Bryan Ferry’s Slave To Love, (that’s her sultry tones throughout the track).Ub40, Culture Club.

TV and film appearances include Doctors, Little Britain and Richard Curtis movie Love Actually.

Her latest offering That’s My Desire is a blues EP rediscovered from her performances in Andy Hay’s production of A Street Car Named Desire. The songs were never released during the show eighteen years ago, so Ruby felt compelled to publish them as part of her personal history in musical theatre.

Namaste Everyone, Great to be part of the Celebrity Magazine team to bring you news, reviews and happenings from the beautiful island of Mallorca as well as plugging into the worlds most happening capital,London for some Hot Topic’s.

Larrick Ebanks Music & Events Editor.

If you didn’t become a musician what do you think you’d be doing now?

My first love was Theatre so I guess I would be toiling away at making a successful career acting What got you into music?

Theatre is where I gained my confidence to stand on a stage and sing, so in truth they are not far apart, the spoken words vocalised into song. It’s all drama What’s the best song you’ve ever released and why?

The song I’d Rather Go Blind is the song people mostly associate me with and one of my favourite to preform.

What music or artists are you listening to at the moment?

Right now I’m looking at playing all my CDs given as Christmas presents.

Paul Weller, Van Morrison, Chris ( Christine and the Queens.

Mixed in with my go to gospel box sets.

What’s been your favourite performance place/s?

Preforming at the Royal Albert Hall with Jools Holland and his orchestra.

Always the most exciting and wonderful night.

Please explain your creative process I don’t have, or ever plan my creative processes when songwriting.

I stay tuned into life and the universe, read to be informed about what’s going on, and write from a social and emotional stance.

What’s an average day like for you?

My days when I’m not working is very much, go with the flow. But it’s mainly catching up with friends and family.

What is your favourite part about this line of work?

Your least favourite?

I love the collective sound of band in a live concert, connecting with the audience.

But it’s hard to get to sleep because of the adrenaline high you get from a performance. That’s tough sometimes when you’re very tired from long hours on the road.

Ruby Turner CELEBRITY MALLORCA - 115 | 6

What advice would you have for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?

My advise to anyone is simply this, Find your own path, try not to be too distracted by all the so call competition, believe your truly unique and stay in your lane. But gain wisdom to be the best artist you can be. But most of all enjoy your gift.

JASMINE DOTIWALA

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(Picture: Richard Pascoe)

nown to many as London’s IT girl, I know her as Jasmine MTV because that’s where we first met back in the day when I was co owner of a live music DJ bar in Camden Town and Jasmine was a budding MTV presenter bringing A List celebrities to my bar to film the interviews. I wanted to know what drives her ambitions and how she has gone from strength to strength and showing no signs of slowing down any time soon.

Jasmine Dotiwala is a Producer / Director / Broadcaster / Columnist with acclaim in the media for breaking new, young, British talent and making fresh, ground breaking edgy TV programming with A List showbiz celebrities.

After studying at Roehampton University and gaining her BA HONS degree, Jasmine started at Channel 4 as a runner then floor assistant on The Big Breakfast, then as a presenter on the notorious, one of its kind, nineties youth cult show – The Word, before becoming an MTV News presenter for MTV Europe. Jasmine continued to be the woman in front of the camera as well as behind, and became Senior Producer-Director for many of MTV International’s flagship TV shows. MTV NEWS (Madonna/ Spice Girls/ Radiohead ,U2 etc), MTV CRIBS (inc Dolce & Gabanna / Richard Branson) , DIARY OF..

(Jay Z, Eminem, 50 Cent), & MAKING THE VIDEO ( inc Busta Rhymes, Sean Paul, P Diddy). Her ‘’Essential Mariah Carey’’ and ‘’Essential Eminem ’’ shows rated number one all over Europe and her ‘’Essential Dr Dre’’ premiered at number one on MTV’s hip hop channel -MTV Base! Jasmine left MTV after 13 years and returned to Channel 4 for T4 music specials. and spearheaded ITV’s One Night Stand which included Scissor Sisters and Pixie Lott. As a print colonist, Jasmine writes for The Daily Mail, The Voice plus other papers, and blogs for The Metro UK and The Huffington Post UK. Currently Jasmine is head of the youth media at Media Trust and Executive News Editor & Manager of the 360 brand of TV shows at the BBC. What gets you out of bed everyday?

An annoying alarm clock that I’ve had since i was a teenager.....and Knowing that life is short and every day is a blessing. Getting out there and just living my best life until I am called upon by the angels. YOLO. What initially sparked your interest to work within the entertainment industry?

I was always a showbiz loving kid that loved watching Fame on telly in the eighties but had not one possible showbiz talent. I am tone deaf, can’t sing, can’t act, can’t play an instrument. But i was great at showing my talented pals

News & Events off and telling the world about them at school. I also did ballet, street-dance as a child for years so strutting around and being competitive was in my blood. The juxtaposition of loving being around talented arts & culture people, coupled with my love of talking non--stop naturally pointed to the fact that i would one day be an entertainment journalist of some sort, and here i am 2 decades down the line living my dream job everyday!

After receiving your BA Hons degree, you worked as a floor assistant on The Big Breakfast Show, a presenter of the cult show The Word, to working with MTV. how did that transitions come about and how quickly did it happen?

I made myself indispensable as a runner on The Big Breakfast, i was quickly within 6 months promoted to a Floor Assistant and just as i was training to be a Floor Manager i was asked to ‘’fill in for a final presenter audition as one of the finalists had dropped out’’.

Thinking nothing of it i turned up to ‘’fill-in’’ and noted the other 5 finalists were women with brown skin like myself, and learnt my first lesson about TV companies needing to tick diversity boxes. Within 2 months i was a host for the biggest youth culture show of the decade in the UK, flying around interviewing music and film stars, pinching myself that i really was doing this and calling it work. Within a year the show was finally axed after years of being controversial, cutting edge and too provocative.

We made some really crazy stuff. legendary wild TV content. I was put on a retainer for the TV company for 12 months during which i told everyone I would be ‘’free and ready to work again in a year- who wants me’?’’..... luckily MTV stepped up and said yes!From a runner to presenter in 8 months. From a presenter for a UK show to a presenter for the whole of the MTV Europe region in 2 years. A wild roller-coaster ride!

You are Multi skilled, what did you understand then that would put you in such a powerful position during your working career now?

I’ve never, ever planned any part of my journey. I have simply been lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, I have been prepared, and when preparation meets opportunity, its time to fly. I would always say to people ‘’I reckon I could write a column’’, so they said ‘go ahead’. Pitch yourself and someone might say yes!Also I was determined that young diverse people from my hood would get their shine. The talent in my streets is endless. Also, I’m an only-child. my biggest fear has always been the day i am finally an orphan. When you look at life like that, you have to work harder than the rest to secure your future security. Fear and survival mode are powerful motivators.

-Where do you draw your inspiration from?

I see talent in everyone. I surround myself with influencers and creative people. I see them and wonder how i can make the world see them in an interesting way. Then it’s simply about what the final package looks and sounds like.

What are two of the highlights in your career that you’re most proud of?

Working with so many incredible stars and having them watch your final show about them in front of you and give positive, approving comments is both terrifying and mind-blowing. I have sat with everyone from The Fugees, to Mariah Carey and Wu Tang as they watching specials about them. The shows included opinion, controversy and more and at the end they all hugged me and said ‘’you didn’t hold back- it’s the truth- thank you’’. That’s pretty awesome. I also love watching younger TV talent that Ive CELEBRITY MALLORCA - 115 | 7

News & Events trained fly. When i was starting out I would see how white and middle class all my teams were and ask about diversity. People would always tell me that if I thought I could do diversity in media better than HR i should. So once i had had 15 years of jet setting music and movie highlights i decided to put my money where my mouth was and now I train young 16-25 year olds at Media Trust to get into the industry. Across 8 years I have been an incubator for hundreds of talented diverse young people who are now flying in the media world and nothing makes me prouder than seeing us diversity the platforms which in turn brings in more diversity in front of the cameras too, Name drop an artist you can go to for advice.

Haaa that’s funny. When you’ve worked in the game for as long as I have you tend to grow your career in parallel with artists and some naturally and inevitably end up in your peer friend group. I have many. The one’s that I would feel comfortable enough to call at 4am in an emergency include Mariah, Estelle and Naughty Boy. What has kept you grounded and focused to continue doing what you do?

My peeps. My friends and family are the same as have been by my side since I was 10 years old. They would quickly tell me about myself if my pretend diva behavior became my real self. I also know how blessed I am to have had such longevity. I do for work what most people call fun. I will never take that for granted. I did small odd jobs as a student in dry cleaners, Liberty’s, Selfridges and Santa’s Grotto, i knew that i better work harder than the rest for a while in my early days to enable a lifestyle that’s fabulous in my future.

-Are there any spiritual or religious practices that you incorporate into your daily life?

My parents are Persian Zoroastrian’s so we believe in ‘’good words, good thoughts, good deeds’’. I adhere to most Zoroastrian thought. I love dance and ashtanga yoga classes and a good body pump work out. I need a good walk in a park or alongside a river regularly. Also i worship at the alter of hip hop and hot pepper sauce- with those two in my life I

stay fresh and fiery!

You are stranded on a desert Island, what are your two must haves?

Hip hop and hot pepper sauce.

What are two of your all time favourite songs?

Give it to me- Jay Z - it’s my theme tune. Ollie & JerryAint no stopping us...brings back all the nostalgia from when i first fell in love with hip hop, tracksuits, trainers, break dancing, body popping, first loves. Big Poppa - Biggie Smalls- it’s the first rap track the boys made me recite so I could hang out with them in their car. Mariah, Nas, Joe- Thank God I Found You. Frankie Beverley and Maze- Before I let Go.....singing and dancing to this with someone you love is classic good times.

What advice would you give to people wanting to work within television/Journalism?

Always turn up and meet your deadlines. You can have the worst day ever no one cares, have a thick skin,have impeccable manners, get used to no sleep, learn to listen well, remember everything, get release forms signed, always carry a snack for hours on film sets, be a specialist in a certain area, like talking to strangers, be fearless, always have flat shoes that you can run in with you, love traveling.

With the constant social media trends, what are the pros and cons?

Social media has helped me connect with anyone at all times. It has totally changed who the gate-keepers are, where the power lies and how people consume content. It can be addictive and a bloody ball-ache with anyone thinking they can say anything to you and of course it’s a minefield if you accidentally say something that could kill your career in one fell swoop of a tweet!

Who is Jasmine Dotiwala outside of her work environment?

I am a very mischievous, spontaneous nature loving , long walks in the park and along the river loving, reading at all times, loving a debate, over-competitive, chatterbox that loves having people over for dinner, screaming laughter and fun frolics!

News & Events

Regina King

Emilia Clarke

Charlize Theron

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By Wendy Wighton Urquhart he 91st Academy Awards took place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and a Who’s Who of Hollywood turned out for the biggest show of the year.

The red carpet was awash with colour and pastels were a strong favourite. Kacey Musgraves wore a baby pink tiered ballgown by Giambattista Valli and Yalitza Aparicio, chose a mint, off the shoulder princess dress with silver embellishments by Rodarte for her first Oscars bash.

Super star, Charlize Theron was almost unrecognisable; her blonde locks were replaced with a dark brown bob and she totally rocked a powder blue, long sleeved, backless sheath dress by Christian Dior Haute Couture.

Regina King was Oscar-ready in a white Oscar de la Renta, strapless evening gown with a front split and Rachel Weisz showed off her wild side in a fashion forward red floral vinyl dress.

Brie Larson’s silver sequinned halter with a thigh high split was a red carpet showstopper and Glenn Close looked absolutely gorgeous in a gold lamé cape dress by Wes Gordon for Carolina Herrera.

Lady Gaga wore a custom-made black strapless gown by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen with black gloves but all eyes were on her neck. The Tiffany yellow diamond necklace she was wearing is worth more than 40 million euros and was worn by Audrey Hepburn on the promotional tour for “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” in the 1960’s The men changed it up this year too with velvet, satin, bold colours and jewellery making an appearance. Man of the moment, Rami Malek kept it traditional in a Saint Laurent Suit, white shirt, bow tie and waistcoat by Anthony Vaccarello and Bradley Cooper opted for a Tom Ford suit and bow tie.

Kacey Musgraves

Brie Larson

Mahershala Ali stepped out in an Ermenegildo Zegna XXX Suit and white collarless shirt set off to perfection by a cool black beanie and Alex Rodriguez looked suave in a white shirt and jacket, black pants and black bow tie by Tom Ford.

Spike Lee was all about the colour purple in matching suit and hat by Jaeger-LeCoultre and custom Nikes, but without a doubt, Billy Porter absolutely stole the show, his custom Christian Siriano tuxedo dress was the hottest outfit by far on the red carpet.

The Academy chose to stage this year’s show without a host, so Adam Lambert, Brian May and Roget Taylor kicked off the show with Queen favourites, “We Will Rock You: and “We Are The Champions” and the audience were on their feet and loving it.

Guest presenters, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Melissa McCarthy, Brian Tyree Hill and Serena Williams doled out the gongs and social media went mental after Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s very intimate performance of “Shallow” from “A Star Is Born” which also won the Oscar for Best Song.

On the night Rami Malek won Best Actor for his portrayal of Freddy Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody”; Mahershala Ali was voted Best Supporting Actor for his role in “Green Book” which also snagged Best Film”; Olivia Colman saw off the competition to take home the Best Actress award for her performance in “The Favourite” and Regina King was named Best Supporting Actress for “If Beale Street Could Talk.”

For a full list of the 91st Academy Award winners log on to: www.oscars.org.

PIRATES RELOADED Chloe Ayling - Jess Wright - Eyal Booker If you have a recent selfie with a Celebrity in Mallorca or spot a Celebrity in Mallorca and they pose for you, simply send us your photo to ads@celebritymallorca. es or whats app to 635691804 and you could be featured in our new Celebrity Mallorca “Seen @” section don’t forget to tell us your name and where the photo was taken, see you soon with the Stars !

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News & Events

The ‘Playhouse’ Launch

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By Wendy Wighton Urquhart he ‘Playhouse’ Launch at the Uppereast Club in Sophie has been involved in the house music scene since Port Adriano last month was a massive success. the mid-1990’s.

The event was organised by Sophie Jane Hopwood “I was frequenting clubs like the Ministry of Sound, and her partner Simon and hundreds of people flew in Legends and the Hanover Grand most weekends”, she from the UK and Ibiza just to join the party. recalls, “and I was working in the City at the time so Glamour was the name of the game and Sophie set the I would sit on the train and read all the weekend club tone in a gorgeous, white, figure hugging dress by Forelistings in Time Out magazine to see how many parties I ver Unique and her good friend, blogger and fashioniscould fit into my Saturday night.” ta, Amanda O’Riordan, was right on target, teaming a Sophie moved from Essex to Monaco when she was in scarlet satin dress by Nicole at Left Bank Six, with a red her 30’s and quickly became involved in the house music fedora and the cutest crossbody Chanel bag I think I’ve scene there, organising events for music lovers in the ever seen! It was definitely a night for heels, lipstick and Principality. fabulous outfits and the guys were very cool and trendy But the pull of home was strong and in 2016 she came too. home to Essex to launch ‘Playhouse’.

Three cracking DJ’s were on duty at the decks.

“My friend DJ Brandon Block headlined the launch and Mallorca’s own Award Winning, DJ, Producer and it was a huge success, selling out weeks before the event Presenter, Diablo V, got the party started. His show on even happened,” she says. “I did follow up events in Radio One Mallorca has a ‘must listen’ tag attached, he Essex with DJ’s, Alex P, C J Mackintosh and the late Paul DJ’s at all the top clubs island wide and has toured for ‘Trouble’ Anderson and they were a massive hit too.”

Hed Kandi, Worlds Largest Dance Brand and Ministry of A year later she met her partner Simon, who shares her Sound to name just a few. passion for music and pretty much everything else and Middle man, Steve Altman, is the resident DJ for Soul they now run ‘Playhouse’ together.

Heaven at Ocean Beach Ibiza, has shows on Jazz Funk “We work fantastically well together and we’ve turned Soul Radio (jfsr.co.uk) and on ibizaliveradio.com, but ‘Playhouse’ into a well established and much-loved club still found time to fly in from The White Island for the brand.” she tells me.

Playhouse gig. He’s decked with the best of the best, Last October Simon, Sophie and her 2 daughters moved shared the stage with a whole to the Balearics and they’ve got big bunch of A-Listers and is always plans for the future.

“I would sit on the train and in demand for premieres, priva“We aim to put on some amazing te events and rock and pop star parties where you’ll be able to get read all the weekend club after-parties. up close and personal with some listings in Time Out magazine famous DJ’s in a stunning, intimate Judge Jules, world famous DJ, Record Producer, Presenter, Perto see how many parties I could venue in Port Adriano.” former and Lawyer, was top dog in fit into my Saturday night.”

Port Adriano. He’s super-busy jug‘Playhouse’ Mallorca event inforgling hundreds of events all over mation is on the ‘Playhouse’ FaEurope and the UK including live cebook page, at www.playhouseetours but was determined to lend his support to friends, vents.club and on Instagram @playhouseeventsmallorca Sophie and Simon, at the ‘Playhouse’ launch.

Get Judge Jules tickets and information on the Judge JuThe dance floor was mobbed all night long and Judge les Facebook Page, or at judgejules.net. His latest Global Jules was clearly having the time of his life. Trumpets, Warm Up is free to download at: https://judgejules.podoviolins, classic tunes and new tunes; you name it, he matic.com and his Instagram address is @realjudgejules mixed it; at times hanging onto the notes for so long that Steve Altman’s Soulshine show is on jfsr.co.uk every when the beat dropped it felt like water in the desert.

Monday from 1800 to 2000 and his Disco Hut show runs He was grinning from ear to ear, punching the air and every Saturday from 1500-1600 on ibizaliveradio.com. high-fiving all over the place; fast or slow, the crowd was Soundcloud mixes are available at: https://soundcloud. right there with him, hands in the air, stomping on the com/stevealtman/tracks and he’s on Instagram @djstebaseline, even the bar staff picked up the sway. vealtman Sophie and Simon manage all of the Uppereast Club Diablo V’s Primetime show, ‘Essential Afternoons’ is on events and their aim is to cater for the older, more glamo- Radio 1 Mallorca between 2 and 5 on weekdays, his new rous crowd who love house music. Opening night was website is www.djdiablov.com and he’s on Instagram @ a blast and by the look of the programme, I for one will djdiablov definitely be putting on my dancing shoes a lot more And you can get all the top fashion tips from Amanda often this season.

O’Riordan and find out on what’s in and what’s definitely not at amandazipsitup on Facebook, or at www.amanda“We’re bringing some of the biggest DJ names in the zipsitup.com and she’s also on Instagram @amandazipsitup world to the island,” Sophie assures me, “including Danny Rampling, Melvo Baptiste and Katie Goodman.”

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By Ayesha Wood ito’s is one of the only clubs in Mallorca that has stood the test of time, like a chamleon it changes and adapts to the new demands of the IT crowd and without fail year after year it delivers with the ultimate extravangza. This years official opening yet again dazzled, shone and sparkled as it showcased for summer season 2019.

The beautiful and bold attended, mixed and mingled with champagne and vodka in hand. Now, Tito’s is not Tito’s without its ultimate host Jaime who as always looked after all his guests with his award winning smile and warmth. The VIP section was full to the brim with glamour as was the whole club. The atmosphere was electric and fun as happy clubbers danced side by side.

Known for going all out and never holding back, Titos yet again delivered as dancers took to the stage with with an impressive mass of feathers, studs, diamantes and more. The performers were mesmerising and uplifted the already energised crowd. It was a full and fun night and a great start to the season.

Alexandra & Claude

Ariana & Stella Angela, Rosabel & Marta

Cristina & Giana

Tito’s director Jaime & friends

Danny & friends

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Elisabeth & Zeus

News & Events

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he Social Boutique Club or Social as it’s affectionately known is found in the heart of Palma’s famous Paseo Maritimo. Everything a decedant, swanky and stylish club should be it delivers slick service, lavish surrounds and an exclusive bar menu all this alongside its warm welcoming atmosphere. Social is a classic cubbing experiance with a modern day twist, going back to the basics that makes nightlife so great and getting a ten out of ten for the enviroment, drinks, people and conversation. With its unique mixture of international clientele and eclectic events schedule bringing the Island some of the most infuential names in music Social is sure going to be a hot spot this summer!

CELEBRITY MALLORCA - 115 | 13

News & Events

Global Business Owners

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he sun shone down in Mallorca on the 23rd March as Real Golf De Bendinat played host to the Global Business Owners or G.B.Os first Charity Golf Tournament, bringing investors together from all around Europe.

As the players dined G.B.Os founder Peter Redrin took to the floor to give thanks to both the players and the events main sponsors Gerhard Eisenacher from the UBE Groups Unternehmensberatung Eisenacher, Argo Tech and Deru Glaswarenvartrieb GmbH who provided the beautiful winners trophy, also fellow sponsor Nicky Buchanan from Mallorca Mortgage Consultancy was there on hand with the Champagne, supplying the bubbles on a beautiful day.

Peter also gave a well deserved nod of thanks to Ronald Hawes the Founder and President of the JoyRon Foundation. The charity was founded in July 2018 and has raised an approximately amazing 220,000 euros since it began most of which towards bricks and mortar, building places that will benefit both children in need today and sadly also tomorrow. Most recently an Aquatic day center has been built in Asbace in Bunyola for children suffering with varying effects of Cerebal Palsy.

It was a wonderful event and sure to be the first of many, the perfect swing into the summer!

Sponsor Nicky Buchanan & G.B.O Peter Redrin

Guests enjoying the day

G.B.O Golfers & Guests

Sponsor Gerhard Eisenacher & Friends

Ronald Hawse & Peter Redrin

Ria, Stephanie, Catja, Viktoria, Michaela & Nicky

Peter & Guests

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S I XTY

THREE

Palma Nova’s legendary nightclub, re-imagined

News & Events

PLAZA EMPORIYUM

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laza Emporiyum has already been dubbed the hottest new venue to socialise & dine right here in Mallorca.

It’s unique idea of gathering the best under one roof makes it stand out from the rest. Food & beverage from around the world whilst being entertained by top musicians and Djs there really isn’t a better place to Meet, Eat & drink this summer.

Ben Morris and Nicky Smith

Bianca, Katie, Kim, Mel, Sarah, Leo and Liz Neil and Gaynor

Doran and Rocio

Liam and Katie

Lucy, Gillian, Ben, Max, Angela, Paul and Cian

Tracey, Angel and Emma

Margaret, Astrid and Lauren

Penny, Sanny,Steve,Julia,Paddy & Louisa

Estefania and Annabel

CELEBRITY MALLORCA - 115 | 17

News & Events

JoyRon

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n Saturday 13th April, JoyRon Foundation held its second annual gala Dinner at Finca Son Mir Palma.

The charitable foundation founded by Ronald Hawes some three and half years ago works to provide help for “Children in Need in the Baleares. The event last Saturday was attended by some 250 guests who were entertained from 7.15 throughout the night, commencing with a cava reception with music by the Con Gas Band, followed by a gastronomically delightful menu prepared by Michelin Star Chef Marc Fosh supported by Fosh Catering. During dinner, guests were entertained by an impressive display of flamenco dancing by FlaMallorca. After dinner The Funkers eight piece band immediately had the dance floor filled together with the support of DJ Diablo V, taking the night through to 1.30 Sunday morning. During the evening a raffle co-ordinated by JoyRon and an auction conducted by Jeffrey Archer the UK novelist, all contributed towards raising close to euro 45,000 in total to Help the Children in Need in the Baleares.

The JoyRon Foundation wishes to thank the numerous financial sponsors, product/service sponsors, auction items donators and raffle prize donators who all individually helped to make the event a great success. Plus of course Laura Robles from Events by L and Victoria Cooper Evans , plus the team of JoyRon volunteers who gave their services to the foundation in order to make the event happen. As Ronald reported, “It is truly amazing what an inspired and dedicated team can achieve”.

Alexandra, Hayley, Vanessa & Steven

Ant. & Joana Walton

Eva & Serap

Dominic, Saskia, Petra, Helga & Jurgen

CELEBRITY MALLORCA - 115 | 18

Amy, Christina, Alanna, Joanne, Leire & Hayley

Isabel, Mónica, Asunción, Sedi & María Rosa

News & Events

Gala Dinner The longer term vision of the foundation is to grow, and each year, undertake more community service projects that will benefit the Children in need in the Baleares, by the raising of funds, that will be applied to bring levels of joy, comfort and essential support to the children such as:-Children exposed to violence, exploitation and/or abuse.

-Children suffering from hunger and living in poverty.

-Children orphaned, fostered, in care, or deprived.

-Children seriously ill and/or suffering from a life-threatening illness and in need of special moments within their possible short lives that they can cherish.

As all Foundation Administration Expenses are being privately funded and Support Services are being undertaken by Voluntary Advisory Associates, the Foundation is in a position to ensure every euro raised is 100% for the benefit of the Children.

If you would like to know more about Fundacion JoyRon and support the objectives of the foundation be it financially or by giving some volunteer time, please contact Ronald at info@fundacionjoyron.org or telephone 608531211.

Underprivileged Children in the Baleares Require our Support Celebrity Team (Larrick, Nuria, Isabel, Donna & Amanda)

Christine, Anke, Heike & Isobelle

David, Maria, Ingo & Alexandra

Manuel & Trinidad

Ingrid & Amanda

Anita, Brian & Imelda

Paul, Corinne, Rafa, Mark, Amanda & Debbie

Matt, Megan, Chris & Hannah

Joanne & Regina

Ron and Josephine with Lord Archer.

CELEBRITY MALLORCA - 115 | 19

News & Events

Y

A Blinder of a Birthday

By Ayesha Wood ou would never have known but according to sources it was building work and blowing up balloons till the last minute for the gorgeous Emma Conlin’s special 40th birthday celebrations. The birthday event of the year to date was held at Peaky Blinders and was partyfied by Stephanie Jenkins who in true Peaky fashion paid attention to every detail, even dressing to match the era and looked fabulous!

Birthday girl Emma literally lit up the room as she walked in to a sea of friends and family, some of whom had flown from over sea’s to be there. Its hard to believe the stunning birthday girl is not only the loving mum of Nathan, Dylan, Lucie Mai, Cory and Crue but also just before christmas became a gorgeous grandparent for the first time to Nayra.

The group Hangover

Leon & Emma

CELEBRITY MALLORCA - 115 | 20

The night however was all about Emma, which is hard for someone who is not a big fan of being centre of attention but her nearest and dearest gave her no choice as she was swept around smiling, laughing, singing and dancing. Music is a massive passion for rock chick Emma and her chosen band of the night “The HNGVR” delivered classic tune after tune after tune! The party crowd only grabbing a breath when Emma’s dashing husband Leon had a chance to bring out the cake and again put his stunning wife back in the spotlight.

The night was a celebration that in true Mallorca fashion started early and finished late. Enjoyed and remembered by all, well some may not remember it all, the free flowing cava may have been a little to blame!

Emma’s guests having fun

News & Events

K

ate Mentink recently celebrated her 75th birthday in style at the Santa Ponsa Golf Hotel. Kate is very well known for her local government work. Although now officially retired from these duties, she remains extremely active in the Calvia Rotary Club organising the inter-schools’ debating competition, and an annual fundraising walk for local charities as well as helping many others individually. She was joined by more than 100 of her friends and family for a fun evening of dancing, dining and surprises including bagpipes, Fleetwood Mac, old photos, and a spin around the dance floor with her old ballroom dance teacher Ian Pickles. Entertainment included the guitarist Martin Diaz, the band Syndicate, performer and MC Izzy Newman,and flautist and piper John Lambourne. Kate planned her party with the help of Elena Canals from the the hotel along with many others including Izzy and the Mallorca-based writer Anna Nicholas. Congratulations Kate on your birthday and here’s to many more!

Photos by Oliver Neilson and Vicki McLeod

Izzy Newman hosted the evening expertly

Kate Mentink

Martin Diaz

Kate & events team (Santa Ponsa Golf Hotel)

Hattie Halpin

Izzy with two thirds of Syndicate

Alicia & Syndicate

John Lambourne

Kate & Dance teacher Ian Pickles

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RASPBERRY DAIQUIRI

S.. ON THE BEACH

PIÑA COLADA

PORN STAR MARTINI ESPRESSO MARTINI

BLOODY MARY

MOJITO

MARGARITA

LONG ISLAND ICED TEA

News & Events

H

undreds, if not thousands turned out on Sunday 17th March to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in the sunshine of Santa Ponca.

With lots of free attractions for the kiddies, craft market, food and drink, live entertainment & Irish groups on the main stage, smoothly run and compered by the fantastic Gee Carmichael with Spectrum FM, great fun was had by all, and the Guinness flowing freely throughout the day certainly helped warming up the crowd’s singing voices to join in with the singers on stage. Organised by the International Department of Calvia Town Hall this annual event is going from strength to strength.

Melanie

Jean

Isabell

Carlos (Sirocco Magaluf)

Raimundo

Juan & Toni

Layle & Josh

Fabulous way to end the day

Angela Bruno

Sara & Dee Dee

Paula

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Mallorca Hotspots

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By Wendy Wighton Urquhart he first glimpse you get of this pretty mountain village will take your breath away, red tiled houses tumble down the hill in the shadow of the Cartoixa de Valldemossa, it’s famous blue turret standing proud and beautiful in the sunshine.

As you enter the village there’s a car park on the right just after the Tourist Information Office which is a 2 minute walk from the centre.

Carrer de Vivot, directly opposite, is lined with Artesanal shops, coffee shops and bars and there’s also a bank, just in case you need to replenish your funds! There’s lots of cool places to grab something to eat or drink but my favourite by far is Ca’n Molinas right at the bottom of the street where it meets Via Blanquerna. The cakes are quite simply out of this world, especially the coca de patata, or potato cake, which might sound weird but trust me it’s delicious and just melts in your mouth.

The staff are all smiles all the time, which is amazing considering there’s a constant line of tourists stretching out the door and up the street. If you’re lucky you’ll find a seat in the garden patio at the back of the shop, the perfect place to enjoy a sugar rush before you hit the shops.

When you come out of Ca’n Molinas turn right on leafy Via Blanquerna which is chock full of tempting ‘must have’ mementos, jewellery and clothes.

Then just before Cappuccino, turn right on Plaça Ramon Llull and walk up to Plaça Cartoixa which used to be the parade ground of the Royal Palace of King Sancho.

The building was gifted to the Carthusian monks in 1399 and around 500 years later the Monastery, or Charterhouse, as it became known, was converted. This is where Polish Composer, Frédéric Chopin and his lover, George Sand lived with her two children during the winter of 1838-1839. The couple CELEBRITY MALLORCA - 115 | 24

were, without doubt, Valldemossa’s most famous tenants, but according to village records were despised by the locals because they didn’t go to church and lived together without being married. George Sand evened the score with her scathing biographical novel, “A Winter In Mallorca”, in which she describes the locals as thieves and savages.

Chopin suffered from Tuberculosis, but despite rapidly deteriorating health he was inspired by Valldemossa and composed one of his most famous works, Preludes, Op. 28 while they lived at the Charterhouse.

There are various tours available which include the rooms that Chopin and George Sand stayed in, the Church, Museum and the old Monk’s pharmacy which still has some of the original bottles on the shelves The International Chopin Festival takes place in August with concerts every Sunday of the month in the Cloister of the Monastery.

At the Municipal Museum you can check out the ancient Guasp Printing Press and admire an impressive collection of art including paintings by Joan Miró and at Carrer Rectoria 5, near the Church of Sant Bartomeu you’ll find the house where Mallorca’s Saint Catalina Thomàs was born.

Valldemossa is a lovely picturesque village with photo opportunities round every corner so it’s really worth taking a walk around the side streets where the smell of flowers permeates the air.

There’s no beach, but there is a mooring harbour at Port de Valldemossa, which is about half an hour’s drive from town and very quaint, with a pebble beach and a restaurant, where you can sit and watch the world go by as the waves lap the shoreline.

Mallorca Hotspots Hikers descend on Valldemossa in droves; there’s more than 50 of trails to choose from and at the top of the mountain there’s stunning views of Mallorca and the Mediterranean Sea. If you’re looking something interesting and different to do while you’re in Valldemossa, why not take a tour of Moix Olive Oil. It’s the brainchild of Julian Baraja who was born in Madrid and spent 25 years living in Barcelona before finally settling in Valdemossa. He has fond memories of childhood holidays on the island with his family and 8 years ago he decided to change his way of life. He started the olive oil company, Moix with a view to offering a product that looked different and tasted better than anything else on the shelves.

“I went to the supermarket and all the bottles were the same, black with green letters and most of them were very ugly,” he says.

“I had some olive trees, but not too many, so I thought, why not make a good olive oil and dress it in a very basic can with information in a few languages, and that’s exactly what I did.”

Julian is a partner in the Cooperativa de Sóller, buys the best olives from local farmers in order to produce top quality olive oil and told me that the secret to a bumper harvest is to prune a different section of the olive groves every year, which means the trees will usually produce a lot more olives in the following two years. But as he explains, harvesting the olives is not for the fainthearted.

“In Valldemossa we always pick the olives by hand, never with machines.”

Julián Baraja

“In Valldemossa we always pick the olives by hand, never with machines.” he assures me. “From 5 o’clock in the morning until 6 o’clock in the evening we grab the olives with small poles so that they fall onto a big blanket which is put on the ground to catch them,” he says, “then we take them back to the farm and mill them to remove the juice so that all that’s left is the olive oil, but we have to do it all in the same day otherwise it ferments. The solid parts of the olive are pressed and after about a month they transform into olive oil.”

The juice from the olives is then analysed to determine the quality of the oil and the level of acidity and depending on the results it will be mixed with another olive oil from Valldemossa or Deià area. Julian says the aim is to produce an olive oil that’s very low acidity and tastes really good.

“The flavour of the olive trencada is the flavour of the Mallorcan olive,” Julian informs me, “and it can be different every year, from the mature flavour of tomato or almond to fresh grass. It has a very special flavour,” he continues, “it’s not too sweet and not too bitter and the reason people like it is because here in Mallorca it’s more important to eat olives than to have olive oil, so if you put bad olive oil on the table nobody will complain, but it you put out bad olives everyone will complain,” he laughs.

Last year Moix produced 8,000 litres of olive oil, but this year it’s a very different story.

“We don’t have any Mallorcan olives, no-one in the Cooperativa has any, which is such a pity because two years ago we had so much that we left 40 percent of the crop on the trees,” he laments, “because if you pick the olives you have to pay for the harvest, the production and the storage and if you can’t sell it that money is wasted, so we left the olives on the trees.”

Moix has one brand inside the DO; which means it’s been given the stamp of approval, passed all the quality checks and earned the label, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and everyone wants it because it’s very exclusive and only exists in Mallorca, so Julian is hoping for a much better harvest next year.

In the meantime he’s added another product to the Moix brand.

“I invented a product which is dried figs in olive oil, kind of similar to dried tomatoes in olive oil and it’s going very well,” says Julian. “I use the best products and in the beginning every buyer told me it was too expensive, but now I have clients who only buy their bread from me because its a good quality product that you can eat with so many things.”

For more information visit olimoix.com There’s more details about Valldemossa at valldemossa.com and on the Valldemossa Tourist Information Office website at www.valldemossa.es Chopin Festival tickets and information are available at: www.festivalchopin.com.

CELEBRITY MALLORCA - 115 | 25

Y T I L QUA

?

E T I BS

A R O F G N I K O LO

E W

MYO FITNESS RETREAT, the luxurious Mallorca Retreat is the perfect getaway for anyone ready to revitalise or kick start a healthy lifestyle.

This transformative, 7 day summer time retreat features; daily yoga and meditation practice, boxing fitness and functional fitness classes with world class international trainers. Get adventurous and join them in exploring the incredible island of Mallorca with specifically designed mountain hikes, water sports activities and cycling excursions around the beautiful city of Palma.

Sit back and relax as you indulge in their high quality, nourishing meals, specifically designed and prepared by their professional team at Fitness Kitchen Mallorca. The luxurious villa provides you with the perfect setting to unwind and relax, enjoying every minute of your rejuvenating retreat.

After checking into the luxury villa, getting comfortable and a relaxing healthy dinner. Each day will begin with a morning detox juice before heading to the beach or poolside for you’re first session.

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WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE? CONTACT US ON: 680 779 360 OR EMAIL: myofitnessretreat@gmail.com REFERENCE CELEBRTIY FOR VIP RESERVATIONS

Lifestyle

GIN EVA

Premium gin distilled and produced in Mallorca

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By Wendy Wighton Urquhart ver the last decade Gin has become the epitome of cool ted producing it, but Stefan admits that even although it was and supermarket shelves are buckling under the wei- made with ingredients hand picked on the island, selling it in ght of hundreds of new flavours and brands, thanks to Mallorca was really tough. legislation changes in the UK, US and Australia, which gave “The first bottles were all sold to Germany distillers the right to make Gin in small quanbecause no-one here on the island was intities. Since then Micro Distillers have been terested in Gin. No-one. I went to all the popping up all over the place and the Gins distributors I knew from the wine industhey are creating are anything but traditional. try and they were like, yeah ok, but I only Suddenly words like floral, fruity and herbal want one case. It was impossible. But proare being bandied about and the versatility of duction has doubled almost every year and these new Gins is also inspiring cocktail waiin 2018 we did about 25,000 bottles. Now, ters to whip up unique concoctions, reinforwe sell about half of the gin we produce cing gin’s popularity, and strengthening the here in Mallorca, but it took a long time to global boom. get there and we definitely couldn’t have Here in Mallorca, two micro-distillers are “From a business point survived if we didn’t sell to Germany.” already making their mark. Gin Eva was naof view Gin is the best med World’s Best Signature Botanical Gin Gin Eva is now being exported to Switzerat the 2019 World Gin Awards. It’s made by idea I ever had” land, Belgium, Luxembourg and England, Stefan Winterling and wife Eva Maier. which is proving to be a lucrative market.

Stefan grew up on a vineyard in a tiny village in Germany and from a very young age, dreamed of one day Stefan is concerned about how Brexit will affect trade and has joining the family business and making his own wine. Eva already shipped extra stock to the UK, just in case, but overall studied wine making in Sant Sadurní near to Barcelona and also business is good and he’s very, very happy. has a degree in Agriculture. They met whilst studying winemaking in Geisenheim in the Rhine Valley and after graduation, “From a business point of view Gin is the best idea I ever had, Stefan started looking for work near Eva’s Barcelona home so because wine is a tough business, especially the vineyard work and you have to depend on nature 100%. Gin is so much easier that they could be together. because you can do it whenever you want, it doesn’t turn bad “There’s some nice wine regions just south of Barcelona, like and you don’t need to make a lot for it to turn out good, whereas the Priorat and the Penedès” he recalls, “I was applying for jobs with wine you need a high volume for it to turn out good.” there when I stumbled across an advert There are 5 different varieties at Gin for a winemaker here in Pollença, I got Eva and Stefan talked me through them. it and moved to Mallorca in 2008. In that winery we had a still and we made “Gin Eva is our most important gin. brandy, grappa and fruit brandies.

I It’s made out of juniper and citrus and don’t know how I came up with the idea we use both the Phoenician juniper and that you can also make gin from wine the common variety, then for citrus we spirit, but I had lots of wine spirit, distiuse lemon and bitter orange. “Our idea lled from wine and that’s when I started was, if you drink Gin Eva it has to remy gin journey, in 2010.” mind you of Mallorca and the Mediterranean in general. Eva and I really By 2012 they’d bought their own still and like citrus so we went with that and jusecured premises on an industrial estate niper of course, because without that it near Palma which Stefan affectionately describes as “a garage distillery in the “A garage distillery in the wouldn’t be Gin.” “La Mallorquina Olive Extra Dry Gin Bronx of Llucmajor.” They got great won Best Botanical Gin at the World Bronx of Llucmajor.” feedback about Gin Eva when they starGin Awards this year and it’s much CELEBRITY MALLORCA - 115 | 28

Lifestyle

more savoury than the others. You can really taste the olives, so it’s unusual and people either love it or hate it. Olive is the classic garnish for Gin Martinis and Dirty Martinis, so our idea was to distill the olives and blend them with juniper and a hint of coriander, so it’s extra dry gin with olives, which is like a ready made martini, but it’s nice with tonic too and it’s my favourite gin.”

“Artisan Green Spice Dry Gin is maybe the most complex gin we sell right now.

It has 8 or 9 spices in total so much more than the others. I made it with Inge Holland who’s like the Pope of Spices in Germany. Nobody has the quality of spices that he does and nobody in the world has as much knowledge about them. It’s much more intense, but it’s a great gin and tonic gin. It’s stronger and contains more essential oils, like green juniper, seaweed, fig leaves, citrus leaves from orange and mandarin, green oranges, lime, green pepper, Californian bay leaves.”

so we took the picture off. Eva’s my wife’s name and Gin Eva is also a play on the old dutch liqueur, jenever which is the root of gin so it really works and I love the packaging.”

“No-one here on the island was interested in Gin, no-one, we couldn’t have survived if we didn’t sell to Germany.”

Eva and Stefan adore experimenting with botanicals and they’re making small amounts of all kinds of other stuff like Triple Sec and limoncello, but Gin is definitely their main focus.

“Gin is the reason why the cocktail industry is getting so big now and there’s hardly any new restaurants that open in Palma without a cocktail bar, which makes sense, because if you make a pizza for €12 and you make a gin and tonic for €12, guess which one people are going to choose?” **Gin Eva opens its doors for free tastings every Thursday between 9 and 3pm. **For more information or to make an appointment log on to www.gin-eva.

“Artisan Old Tom Gin is basically our Red Signature Gin. It’s aged for 6 months in old red wine barrels and it’s really good for gin and tonics and for cocktails like Tom Collins. If you want to make really classic Gin cocktails this is the one you need.

“Artisan Bergamot Dry Gin is made with bergamot and juniper, just two ingredients nothing else so it’s really perfumed.

The bergamot is a cross between lime and bitter orange, so for a nice, refreshing, gin and tonic i think this one might be the best”.

The design of the Gin Eva bottles is very distinctive and although it began as a family affair, Stefan made the final decision.

“The first bottle was designed by my father in law and has a picture of Eva’s grandmother on it, but I wanted to simplify it, CELEBRITY MALLORCA - 115 | 29

Lifestyle

GIN PALMA

PASSIONATELY MADE FROM THE ISLAND, FOR THE ISLAND

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By Wendy Wighton Urquhart

After a year in Scotland they moved back to Mallorca and worked on the yachts to make some money to finance their own distillery and from what Byron tells me it’s been a bit of rollercoaster.

in Palma is also making waves on the International stage. It won the ‘Great Gold’ medal at this year’s Spanish Catavinum World Wine & Spirits Competition and will be showcased at the Palma Superyacht Show this summer.

It’s also just been awarded a Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits competition, which is highly regarded in the industry.

“Last year was really busy because our daughter Amelia was born at the end of March, we started the installation of the premises in April last year and officially launched Gin Palma in September, so it was very full on.”

The company is run by Byron and Amber Holland. Originally from Newcastle, they travelled the world working on private yachts before buying The Crafters Barn bar restaurant in Edinburgh. That’s when they first noticed the growing popularity of Gin, as Amber explains.

“We used to travel around the different breweries to taste the beers and at that time a lot of them were starting to distill Gin because it was clear that the next revolution coming, recalls Amber. “The Botanist Gin and Edinburgh Gin were launching at that time and that really peaked our interest so we started specifically going to distilleries and that became our next craze that we were big into researching.”

But Amber says all that stress and hard work was worth it to win two Gold Medals.

“As a couple who sold everything and moved to an island to follow a dream, getting Gold Medals is a massive achievement”.

“As a couple who sold everything and moved to an island to follow a dream getting gold medals is a massive achievement”

They now have two products on the shelf. Gin Palma is made with organic base products and botanicals from local farmers, including juniper, lavender, oranges leaves, tomato branches, orange, lemon peel and almond flowers.

Palma Winter Gin is a limited edition oak aged Gin which was left in a red wine barrel for a month with winter spices, cinnamon, vanilla and cloves. Amber describes the result as “Christmas in a glass.”

Palma Gin takes just three days to make and here’s how it’s done.

“It would be so great for us to have the product on sale back home in the UK” CELEBRITY MALLORCA - 115 | 30

On day 1, 200 litres of 96.4% proof ethanol and 200 litres of filtered water are put into the still. The 100 litres that’s left is made up of base botanicals, juniper, lime, lemon and orange which are loaded into the bottom section straight from the field. The copper still is heated to 60 degrees, then shut off and left to macerate overnight for about 18-20 hours.

On day 2, the infusion basket on the top of the still is filled with delicate botanicals, like almond flowers, lavender, orange leaves and tomato branches. As the still heats up the vapour comes up through the pipe, passes through the delicate botanicals basket, down the condenser and cools back down to liquid. That takes about 7 to 8 hours.

Lifestyle On day 3, the 70% proof Gin from the still is blended with filtered mineral water to get it down to a bottling strength of 46.6%. It’s then put through a chilled filtration system, to take out the natural oils from the citrus fruit; this stops the Gin from going cloudy but doesn’t affect the taste.

One distillation produces a whopping 850 bottles of Gin! Byron and Amber have already secured four distributors in Germany, one in Switzerland and one in Sweden and say they’re now turning their attention to the UK. “We are currently in talks with a distributor that’s based in Edinburgh and it would be so great for us to have the product on sale back home in the UK” says Byron, but he admits “it’s really difficult to know what’s going to happen with Brexit so its vital for us to have something in place very soon.”

As if that’s not enough, these two also have another major experiment fermenting.

“We’ve just got some more red wine barrels from Can Vidalet in Alcúdia and this time we’re leaving the Gin in there for 6 months.” says Byron. “We’re not going to add anything to it afterwards, so it’ll be like a red grape gin with the smoky flavour of wood.

Lots of people love to visit distilleries and the “Make your Own Gin” tour at Gin Palma has proved to be a massive hit as Byron explains.

In the meantime, they’re venturing into the events market here in Mallorca and already have quite a few projects on the go.

“We’re the official Gin and tonics supplier for Gallery Red as well as Golf Events and Tennis and we’ve just teamed up with mymuybueno to supply their events.” says Byron. “Also, we have a portable Gin bar which is great for weddings because it splits into four pieces and can fit into any space.”

These days what’s on the outside of a bottle is just as important as what’s inside and Byron says there are a couple of things that make Gin Palma stand out from the crowd.

“There are 30 different jars and they all contain single distillates, so you have single almond flower distillates, single lavender distillates, and single tomato branches.

We go through each botanical individually and you can smell them and taste a little bit of each one before deciding on your favourites, which we blend and bottle right there and then on site and label it with whatever name you choose.

“Also,” says Amber, “each flavour profile is kept here at Gin Palma, so you can order a refill anytime.”

“We’re working with Flor de Sal to make a Mediterranean Sea Salt Vodka”

The tour costs €120 euros per person and includes a bottle of Gin Palma, numerous Gin and Tonics throughout the day, all the distillates and of course your own unique bottle of Gin. **For more information about Gin Palma log on to: www.mallorcadistillery.com

“Firstly, the bottle design is unique and the inspiration for that came from a family run company we know in Campos called Huguet, who’ve been hand-making tiles on the island for over 80 years. The bottle is imprinted with organic ink and has the rose window of the Cathedral on the front and of course the Gin tastes fantastic.”

“It’s multi-layered.” adds Amber. “First you get the floral sweetness of the almond flowers and lavender, then the punch of the citrus and the earthy back tone of the tomato branches. We wanted to make something that’s different and we’re getting a lot of positive feedback on the flavour, which is very strong but also very smooth.”

Byron and Amber are also about to launch the first Organic Vodka on the island.

“We’re working with Flor de Sal to make a Mediterranean Sea Salt Vodka, which actually won’t taste of sea salt.” Byron assures me. “We think our blend will work really well with cocktails and vodka tonics because the salt gives it such a unique taste.”

CELEBRITY MALLORCA - 115 | 31

Unable to find jams and chutneys that she liked, Justine started making her own on the boats and says that was when her vision for a new life on land began to take root.

By now she’d met her husband, Paul, who was a Captain on the boats and they decided that he would carry on working so that they still had an income whilst Justine put her plan into action.

In each issue of Celebrity Mallorca I’m going to explore a different area of the mymuybueno brand and i’m starting with the mymuybueno Cookery School. It opened in October last year and offers a wide range of courses at all levels for adults and children.

“We do a very British curriculum and follow practical cooking levels 1, 2 and 3 and it’s all in English.” says Justine.

“The menu in the delhi is British and i’m British but there’s always a nod to Spain. For instance, I do a trifle but I use Jerez Sherry and then I do Saffron Creme Englais so there is some influence, but also there’s plenty of places to learn Spanish cooking. On the boats they want English food like Beef Wellington and there’s so many British expats on this island who love it.

Guest Chefs from all over the world are invited to teach at the school and Justine’s already secured some big names.

“My vision is to bring well known chefs to mymuybueno cookery school so that the chefs who are on our books can learn new techniques from them. Mark Tilling has just been, Daniel Clifford is coming and so is Tom Aikens which is a huge deal.”

The Guest Chefs are also invited to do a Pop Up Dinner for 8 guests at the Cookery School.

“The Pop Up dinner is really important to me because that’s for normal people, foodies and anyone who feels they’re not at the level they need to be to do the course. It’s the ultimate chef’s table and it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to eat at a Celebrity Chef’s restaurant for one night only and talk to the chef.

For our next issue I’ll be taking a closer look at muymuybueno deli and talking to Celebrity Chef, Tom Aikens, the youngest ever British chef to be awarded 2 Michelin stars.

For more information about the mymuybueno Luxury Food and Lifestyle Brand, to make an appointment or see what’s new, log on to mymuybueno.com There’s also lots of photographs, information and interviews with Celebrity Chefs on Instagram @mymuybuenochefs

Lifestyle

A Day in the life

O

Son Amar Events

By Angie Guerrero n Sunday 24th of March, the team at Son Amar held an extremely successful open day, to showcase exactly what Son Amar has to offer in the world of weddings and events. Renowned for many years for being a “ world class dinner show, “ At Son Amar we are branching out, and taking full advantage of what is a stunning country estate at the foothills of the Tramuntana mountains, with SO much to offer. Our show is more spectacular than ever.

The Restaurante EL CASTILLO is our new creation, and we are all very proud of both !

Angie & Stella (Events team)

Aisle Of Style Who are we? .... well, we are a Wedding & Event Concierge company located in Mallorca and over the next couple of months, we will be showcasing different professional bodies in their fields that I have had the pleasure of working alongside ie makeup artists, photographers, venues, and of course telling you about our services and what is en trend for 2020.

Julia Ball

Confetti Espania 626 042 735 www.confetti-espania.com CELEBRITY MALLORCA - 115 | 34

I am lucky to be a part of that Son Amar team, myself and my colleague Stella run the events department, it’s a wonderful job, very busy, and every day is different. We wouldn’t have it any other way. We usually go in early to start the day with a coffee ( Café Amar is roasted on site, and it’s lovely ) that gets us set up for a busy time. A big part of our job is to show potential customers the array of different areas at Son Amar, available for everything from an intimate vintage wedding right up to a week-long international conference, and anything in between. Our spectacular Sala Magna is very much the jewel in the crown, closely followed by the magical Terraza Real with our majestic fountain show. From “ state of the art “ technology to the rustic charm of our cobbled courtyard, we have it all going on. The White Wedding Garden and Sala Tafona lend themselves to the perfect wedding. The Vintage Garden and BBQ Ses Roses are the ideal backdrop to a more informal party such as a BBQ, or Paella and Sangria Summer party. We are excited about hosting a Holi party there for 500 guests this Spring. The Son Amar philosophy is very much “ putting the customer at the heart of everything we do , whilst taking care of the environment, and taking care of the staff. We love it !

Son Amar. The Venue, The Team, The Passion !

Live your dream, live your lifestyle...

Lifestyle

A

A2 Dental Clinic Inauguration

By Wendy Wighton Urquhart 2 Dental in Portals Nous is celebrating its Inauguration on May 31st between 17:30 and 20:00 with drinks and live music on the first floor at number 13, Calle Miguel de Cervantes. You’ll have the chance to meet the whole team and see the installations and all you have to do is send an email to info@a2dentalmallorca. com, so that your name can be added to the list.

The practice opened its doors last year and patients have been so impressed with the caring service and state of the art technology, that in just a few months the A2 Dental team has earned a 5-star Google rating.

Dra. Nilsson and Dr. Rico specialise in Advanced Oral Implantology, Aesthetic Dentistry & Veneers and Invisible Orthodontics and they use top of the range, advanced technology, such as a 3D Dental Scan, Digital Smile Design and Plasma rich in growth factors and they’ll happily perform treatments under sedation.

If you’re a bit nervous about going to the dentist you’ve definitely found the right place because the friendly team at A2 Dental really do understand how you feel and no matter what age you are, they’ll be more than happy to talk through any concerns or worries you might have, for as long as it takes.

The practice is slick and modern and it’s right next door to the Hotel OD Port Portals, so drop in for a chat anytime, their door is always open and there’s no language barrier because everyone at A2 Dental speaks English.

For Appointments call: 971 201 123; send an email to info@a2dentalmallorca.com or visit the team at Calle Miguel de Cervantes, 13, floor 1, Portals Nous (Next to the Hotel OD Port Portals) For more information about the treatments available, log on to www.a2dentalmallorca.com

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I

Lifestyle

Half Full

’m a firm believer that life is all about balance, however even as a fitness fan and trainer myself I don’t always get the balance bit quite right especially now with summer here, giving in to the temptation of take-aways, chocolate and oh yes alcohol. you simply cannot beat that feeling when the sun’s on your face and toes dipped in a cool pool or fresh sea, then you just reach for that chilled sangria, iced caiprioska, cold beer or a calorific cocktail! it’s a total slice of heaven, the question is though how do we stop that halo headed angel sitting on our shoulder shouting “don’t do it” (really not a big fan of her).

Even as a total optimist we need to be under no illusions you can’t out train a bad diet, its rubbish but true. actual physical fitness is the way forward if you are able to so let’s start there!

weight plan dieters, see what I did there) document their own diet diaries. the stand out for me with this though, has to be the advice from Lauren it’s so important especially if your making big or small life style changes or training to have that support and advise on hand. you just have to get past the fact she supports Tottenham hotspurs and then you’ll be fine!

If I had to pick one go to move that you could do anywhere on your own or as a group and didn’t require any equipment it would have to be the dreaded burpee, love it or hate it this is a go to mecca of moves when it comes to functional training. a full body workout combining hip-hinge, plank, push-up, squat, jump and for those feeling happy topped off with a clap! there are many modifications you can make if you encounter issues with strength and mobility, it’s also a fantastic way to monitor your fitness levels and improvement. in fitness terms you could definitely call this 1 of your 5 a day….. you are guaranteed to hate it at first but you will thank me after!

Generally feeling good with some time out can also help to mute that perfect princess on your shoulder. not long ago i was lucky enough to have a couple of photo sessions with the super talented, cool, friendly and funny Samantha Hemsley. what surprised me the most was not just the final photos, how she made me look like that is beyond me she is definitely a photographing wizard with a magical camera. it was the whole amazing experience, hours of pampering including a couple of glasses of cava (it was tough!) and all while the whole entire time forgetting about anything at home or work playing on your mind, you just get lost focusing on the lenses. at the end of the shoot you walk out floating, feeling like you have “let it go” frozen style but with survivors “eye of the tiger!”

It’s time for that awful word (drum roll please) diet, everyone seems to be on one, tried one or going on one. nutrition with general advise for the masses is a tough one as everyone is different, however my good friend Lauren Rigg, an established physiotherapist with Mallorca physiotherapy who I met years ago when she treated me for a torn ligament, has just recently added another string to her medically trained bow by becoming a qualified Cambridge weight plan consultant. social media is filled with content on the Cambridge weight plan as many c.w.p.d (Cambridge

Final top tip of the day to keep our little party pooper at bay would be to laugh, knock the halo off her head with a hearty belly laugh. laughing is scientifically proven to have a series of both physical and mental health benefits including relieving stress and boosting immunity. like a burpee, laughing is free and you can do it anywhere, anytime, on your own or with friends but unlike a burpee its infectious and you will want to do time and time again!

So get ready to get your giggle on this summer, dip your toes in the water, relax with the sun shining on your face and reach for your favourite treat!

Here’s to an amazing summer 2019!

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ARE YOU CONFIDENT? CONFIDENCE IS THE FOUNDATION TO YOUR SUCCESS

Natalie Bailey Confidence Coach, Property Developer, International Speaker

TIPS FOR INSTANT CONFIDENCE

SMILE A lady from London, living in Mallorca, on a mission to help people live their best lives.

STAND TALL WITH YOUR HEAD HIGH THINK POSITIVELY

Do you struggle with self belief? Have low self esteem?

Want more from life but don't know how to change things?

FIND HER ON SOCIAL NATALIE ARABELLA BAILEY

This is something Natalie is an expert at. Helping people to be confident in themselves, gain clarity on what they want in life and achieve their goals.

Through her confidence coaching she has helped numerous people get out of their comfort zones and lead happier, healthier and wealthier lives.

This stems from her background in Personal Training, helping people to become stronger, physically and mentally. Travelling back to the UK often to work on the property development company she co-founded with her Mum, Paula Bailey, she is able to fully utilise social media and the internet to coach people internationally.

If you would like to be more confident in yourself, to do more with your life, get in touch today with the details on the right.

HTTPS://GOLDSTAR.LIFE INFO@GOLDSTAR.LIFE

Environment

Malena Valcárcel

I

By Wendy Wighton Urquhart n a tiny village near Alicante, Malena Valcárcel is recycling books that have been cast aside in favour of computers and kindles by tearing out the pages and turning them into extraordinary, miniature pieces of art.

Born in Sant Cruz, Tenerife, Malena longed to explore her creative ability but says her family actively discouraged her from following an artistic career.

English for a year before returning to Spain to start University. She ended up staying in the UK for 5 years, studied English at Cambridge University and went on to teach English in Milan and Valencia, before finally settling in Alicante.

Born in Sant Cruz, Tenerife, Malena longed to be an artist but says her family actively discouraged her from following an artistic career.

At that time Spain was in the grip of the economic crisis, which indirectly, inspired Malena to give up teaching and become a Paper Artist.

“I’ve been always been very good with my hands, and ever since I was a little child I’ve loved doing artis“A lot of second hand shops started appeatic things” she ring in Spanish city streets during the crisays. “But at sis and I would visit them just to check out “Ever since I was a home my pawhat was around. I always saw plenty of rents always little child I’ve loved vintage books and old books on the floor told me not doing artistic things” with lots of dust and dirt on them and I to study thought what a pity, because at the end of anything the day they were going to throw them in arty because i would never be able the rubbish, so I started buying books.” to earn my living doing it.”

Malena’s family were deeply unhappy about her career At the age of 19, Malena change, but this time she stuck to her guns and followed moved to Lon- her heart. don with the intention of “When i changed from being an English Teacher to an l e a r n i n g artistic career my family weren’t very supportive, especially my mother. But i’m not complaining, it’s just how it was and I always knew what I wanted to do so when I became an adult I made my own choice and it’s the best thing I have ever done in my life.”

Malena’s early work was mostly large abstract shapes like hearts and diamonds which later inspired her jewellery range of miniature one-off pendants and necklaces.

The amount of detail in the sculptures is astonishing and Malena admits it’s not only time consuming and very intricate, it can take up to three weeks to complete just one piece.

CELEBRITY MALLORCA - 115 | 40

Environment Orders are now pouring in and Malena has just sold a sculpture called “Other Words For Smoke” to an American company which is using it as the jacket for a book with the same name.

Sometimes a customer loves a particular piece but wants something added or replaced and Malena says she was pleasantly surprised by one request that she received.

“I’ve been called a murderer because I make sculptures out of books” “You have to work with tweezers and a magnifying glass because some shapes are very, very small. One of my first paper sculptures was the Tree of Life and it took me a long time because of all the leaves; a whole tree usually takes more than 60 pages of a book.”

“One of my very famous sculptures is the “Tree of Knowledge” and I received a custom order for that one, but instead of the birds with the books in their beaks they wanted Jewish symbols and it was so pretty in the end and it was very unusual because I had never received an order before for a specific religious symbol sculpture.”

Malena is now lives in a tiny village near Alicante which does make it more difficult to get her hands on books, but she’s enjoying the solitude and loves her work.

“I don’t do this for the money,” she says, “I do it for my soul.”

Malena’s very passionate about her work and loves the fact that she’s giving old books a new lease of life, but says not everybody agrees with what she’s doing.

“In the past i’ve been called a murderer because I make sculptures out of books but actually I salvage them and turn them into art. So many books are just left on the shelf to gather dust and libraries sometimes burn books which is very sad.”

Malena has made hundreds of miniature paper sculptures, but of course, she does have a favourite.

“The inspiration for “Into The Mystic” came from a song by Van Morrison, who I love and that sculpture is very magical”, she explains. It has a girl on a boat lying down surrounded by daisies and with a gramophone next to her and musical notes coming floating in the air and the boat has a lantern with a bird on it and it goes on a river and at the back of the book there are birds flying and trees and it’s very special to me.”

“I don’t do this for the money, I do it for my soul.”

To see more of Malena’s work log on to: http://www.facebook.com/Malena.Valcarcel.Art http://www.MalenaValcarcel.etsy.com http://www.behance.net/MalenaValcarcel https://www.instagram.com/malenavalcarcel

Prices start at around €300 and can cost thousands, depending on the size of the piece and the amount of work involved. Most of them are available at etsy.com and can be shipped direct to customers worldwide, which Malena says is a huge relief.

“I sell all around the world but 75% of my work goes to the United States and because the sculptures are made of paper they have to be packed very carefully, so that they arrive in a pristine state.” she tells me. “With Etsy it was easy, they shipped the orders and I was able to create my own shop on their website with lots of options for selling.”

CELEBRITY MALLORCA - 115 | 41

Palma

Boat Show

Boats, Bikes & Automobiles

Marga and Guni at the CleanWave stand

Christina and Hugo from Mallorca Service Centre

Mark, Pat and Tatiana from Network Consultants

The NautiParts team taking a break!

Bajnok, Gator & Mariann Vardai from Speedfitness

Helen from Anodizing Yachts & Melanie from Neptune

Arantxa and Clarissa from Feretti

Nicky from E3 Systems and Sue from Northropp and Johnson

CELEBRITY MALLORCA - 115 | 43

Boats, Bikes & Automobiles

Island Spring

H

by Hamish Goddard arold Wilson once said that a week in politics is a long time.

Whilst that may have been true in the mid-1960s, the Brexit shenanigans leading up to the 29th March has reduced this to days if not hours. It’s nice to get some relief – at least until fright night on the 31st of October - and to chat about something other than the workings, if you can call them that, of Westminster.

Photo: Stuart Pierce

Borrowing a little from Mr Wilson’s theme, it’s tough to even recall quite how much has been going on in the last two months in the subjects that I cover – but let’s just say that it’s been a bit busy...

It’s also been a bit back to front with the weather, in that immediately after the last issue went to print, I was racing Flying Fifteens in bright spring sunshine in Pollensa Bay - and doing rather well - but now write this under the leaden sky of a wet and windy Easter holiday weekend. There are certainly more wrecked yachts than sunbathers on the beach at CELEBRITY MALLORCA - 115 | 44

Palmanova, although we did see a few dishevelled and shivering stag-nighters listing around, having evidently packed for the beach and stoically persisting in wearing their specially printed stag weekend t-shirts.

So in line with the theme of my column, I’ll start with the boats - particularly as the annual Palma Superyacht Show begins this week. Spring is a busy time for the yachting industry anyway - and the always spectacular Palma Show comes right in the middle of it: https://www.boatshowpalma. com/en This show has grown considerably over the years from parochial to international - and now in its 36th instalment provides show-goers with a single location from which to buy everything from a floating key ring to a 8-figure Superyacht - or just plenty of beers and Manduka burgers, which in spite of what is available, seems to be what everyone wants to eat.

Centred in the heart of the port close to the congery of the old town, it is also the first of the big summer outdoor yacht shows, hopefully taking place in warm sunshine after this bleakest of Easters. I must say that I prefer a warm outdoor event in a maritime setting compared to the huge Düsseldorf boat show that I visited in February for instance - looking at innumerable summer toys as the snow settled quietly outside.

The Easter gales also seemed to hasten the departure of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, on the deck of which George W Bush made his ‘Mission Accomplished’ speech at what he, evidently more than others,

Boats, Bikes & Automobiles

thought was the end of major conflict in the Middle East. After being in the bay for a few days, she was gone, along with her 3200 officers and gentlemen, few who seemed to get the chance to run ashore into the clutches of local guapas.

Quickly following the Palma Show is Real Club Nautico Palma’s hosting of the Palma Vela Regatta, in which I will be competing in the Flying Fifteen class - an old favourite of the Duke of Edinburgh’s ever more distant youth. Trailing the boats down from their home base in Pollensa, we will be just one of several fleets racing in all corners of the bay.

The XV Rally Clasico took place in early March and it’s difficult to write about it without causing readers to burp their way through an indigestible stream of clichéd superlatives. But unless my memory has faded of how good it was last the last time I did this event in 2017, it just gets better every time it is held, with its 15th anniversary year being no exception.

Hosted from its usual home base of Porto Portals, this 14-stage closed road event over three

days has become a jewel in the Mediterranean rally calendar, attracting at least half the field from mainland Europe. That it took place in unbroken spring sunshine brought some additional colour to an island already at its most beautiful.

Although the winter this year has been largely benign, it often feels as if the lights and the heating have been switched on specifically with this event in mind.

A optimistic suggestion to my employer, Roger Horner of superyacht connectivity supplier e3 Systems, that we might support an entry in my old friend and ex-superyacht skipper Gordon Cox’s (conveniently ‘e3 blue’..) supercharged Lotus Elise SC, with me as the co-driver, was picked up with great enthusiasm - particularly as e3 Systems then became an official supplier to the event, providing all participants with fast and free WiFi over the full three days through our 3G4G and Kymeta-equipped Mobile Communications Vehicle.

With extremely poor timing, I became ill before the start and ended up admitted to Clinica Juaneda, only making it into the car for the final afternoon stages, one of which is the best of all from Cap Formentor to Puerto Pollensa. It’s an incredible road anyway, even when deluged with cyclists, buses and Gold Cars. With the route cleared for the event, we took a little over 12 minutes from the lighthouse at the Cape to Pollensa, coming third in the overall event in our group of diverse Show and Zero-Class cars, behind a new 718 Boxster driven by Dani Clos (ex F1 test driver for the HRT team) and a homologation Ford RS 200. We were ahead of several cars that we shouldn’t have been, including an all-carbon CELEBRITY MALLORCA - 115 | 45

Boats, Bikes & Automobiles

Photo: Jim Bell

Alpha Romeo 4C, by only a few seconds after a battle covering all three days. If you have a car and a moderate budget, this is definitely one not to miss. www.rallyislamallorca.com After a quick trip to the UK for the spectacular Goodwood Members Meeting - another event that I would encourage anyone and everyone to attend - we staged the second of our Driving Mallorca Grand Hotel Brunches, again at the beautiful Son Net Hotel at Puigpunyent. They laid on a magnificent spread in the most peaceful and gorgeous of settings after a fairly noisy, ambitious and feisty drive to Mallorca’s southernmost point at Ses Salines.

Finally and onto the bikes, we took part in the March Moto Tourisme Motorcycle Tour around the island with thousands of others, leaving from Palma and finishing at the Last of the Mohicans restaurant  - a grand day out indeed and inclusive of everyo-

CELEBRITY MALLORCA - 115 | 46

ne on any style and size of bike that exists from Vespas to crotch-rockets. What waits around the corner is a trip to the Isle of Man TT Motorcycle Festival in June, where a Ducati and the Mountain Course is expecting me. Another tick on the bucket list..

Snake Bite It has been my wish from the start to test something interesting for each issue - whether a boat, bike or automobile - and re-energised by our fantastic Son Net Brunch, I had the chance to test a quite beautifully restored (and for sale) AC Cobra. Intimidating and intoxicating - and immensely loud - it had been stroked out to 462

rather than 427 cubic inches (7.6 ltr) and well over 450bhp.

A tiny bit of history on the AC Cobra lineage. An tough Texan called Carol Shelby (tough enough to be called Carol..) came over to England in the 1960’s with a view to prising a big-assed

of ways - but conversation was happily impossible at almost any speed and on the one straight when I could really put my foot down, it became an all-enveloping crescendo of immense power and shattering noise. My thanks to Stefan Pietsch - builder of this particular car and local expert of all things Cobra - for trusting me with it. For anyone interested in this incredible machine, please contact me through the ‘Club Driving Mallorca’ Facebook page.

Photo: Jim Bell

American V8 Ford into a suitable English sports car and chose the exquisitely beautiful AC Ace Bristol, giving birth to the 260 and then 289 AC Cobra, before ‘going large’ and replacing the 289 with the 7-litre (427 cubic inch) Mk III version, with which most are familiar today - and which have been variously copied by a number of manufacturers since, with many more usable and refined than the originals. Genuine 427’s are rare and extremely valuable, with the ones that weren’t crashed early on fetching in excess of 7 figures. The ones that were crashed are testament to the fact that these cars are pretty tricky to drive, but rewarding and extremely powerful with a bite quite worthy of their name. They are also specifically credited with the introduction of speed limits in the UK when a Le Mans-entered AC was being speed-tested quite legally on the new M1 motorway in 1964, passing the Watford Gap Service station at 185mph to admiring glances from the local police.

Photo: Gaston Westphal

The 427, much more than its previous iterations, is therefore what one might call an ‘American Muscle Car’ – and it was quickly evident that one needed American muscles to drive it; the peddles offset to make room for the big V8 and gearbox, the clutch heavy, the brakes lacking the feel of cars we’re used to driving today and the unassisted steering requiring an almost pre-planned wringing rather than gentle pressure. I guess one gets used to it - and in the most rewarding CELEBRITY MALLORCA - 115 | 47

Boats, Bikes & Automobiles

Volker & Ben

Jochen & Stefan

Eric, Chris, Pru, Spike & Maggie the dog

Marcella, Sam, Paul, Pierre, Melanie & Amanda

Gary McElhinney & James Whittaker Eric and Chris

Cenk, Roger & Hamish

Clive, Ian, Dave & Tim

CELEBRITY MALLORCA - 115 | 48

Bryan Harris & Nicky Whittaker

Katy and Thomas

Property Pages

Property market update S

by Amanda J Butler o, ‘B-Day’ (Brexit Day) came and went – we now have a 6 month extension until October 31, with the option to leave earlier if the prime minister can secure House of Commons support for her Brexit deal. Theresa May says she will also stand down as Prime Minister once Brexit is delivered. Oh dear what a mess – this will certainly not be a time we British will look back upon with pride! It seems that whatever the options put forward, there is no majority vote – stuck in a virtual reality ‘Ground Hog day’. How this is affecting the British buyers is quite telling, with many still sitting on the fence. Although I will say that there seems to be some renewed interest since the deadline came and went, some obviously fed up with waiting and deciding to get on with their lives – which would certainly be my stance had I been considering a change. Fortunately, the market is not reliant purely on Brits and as we move from Spring to Summer property sales from other nationalities continue to be strong.

100% Green Energy by 2050!

There are no notable changes in property legislation to report upon, apart from those affecting green energy. Late last year the Balearic Government made a bold announcement it wants to convert totally to 100% green energy by 2050. This is an ambitious plan, and quite a surprise considering there was such negativity towards renewable energy in the past, particularly solar, to the point where households were paying a sun tax for the privilege of installing solar energy that negated most benefits of installation!! To date the Balearics have been overly reliant on costly, dirty fossil fuel imports for power, generating only 4% of their power from green energy, the lowest renewables figures in all of Spain! Ridiculous considering Mallorca proports to have 300 days of sunshine a year! However, this thankfully has all changed and the sun tax has been abolished.

New Solar Power Legislation With this new legislation in place, there is less red tape (with only larger installations having to comply with all administrative procedures), solar power installation costs have fallen by about 75% and depreciation time has been reduced by half – so rather than a previous 14 years, in around just 7 years your electricity will be free. (You need to take into account that current solar panels have around 25 years lifespan, but in all can save an estimated 3000 euros.)

Naturally if you live in an apartment then solar panels are probably out of the question, but if you have a house there are numerous aspects to consider. Your main expense will be the solar panels, support structures and wiring. A battery bank for excess energy generated and for use at night or a cloudy period will be an additional expense, as well as an inverter. There are two main types of solar panels: Solar collectors or photovoltaic solar panels. Solar collectors are used in solar thermal energy installations, with the function of raising the temperature of a fluid through solar radiation (they use the heat energy of the sun to heat a liquid, usually used for heating or heating sanitary water).

On the other hand, photovoltaic solar panels are composed of a series of solar (or photovoltaic) cells charged with converting the light reflected in them into electric current (they take advantage of the photons present in the solar rays) Costs for the panels will depend on their generating capacity and quality of silicon used. There are two main types available: Monocrystalline panels are made using higher grade silicon and are more efficient at converting sunlight into electricity, plus they wear out more slowly. Polycrystalline panels are considerably cheaper, but don’t last as long and are less efficient – as always you get what you pay for!! You need to check for the

CELEBRITY MALLORCA - 115 | 50

efficiency rating, warranty period and expected lifespan.

Solar orientation is also important, with the optimum orientation being South. But a Solar expert can give you the right advice as to where viable. The price of a basic installation for a standard sized house is in the region of €10.000 euros. Not only in the mid term will you be saving money on your energy bills, but you can be content in the knowledge that you are personally reducing your negative impact on the planet – which has to be a good thing !!

Another benefit to consider is the increase in value it can add to your house, with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) estimating that for every euro saved through solar consumption, the house value will increase by about 20 euros (1 Eur saved = 20 Eur more in value) Also, depending on the community in which the house is located, you can enjoy economic advantages and deductions when installing thermal is solar energy solutions, and these incentives and benefits are set to increase as we move towards the 2050 due date.

If you live in an apartment and solar is not an option, but I’m pleased to report you can consider a more green supplier. Personally, I have chosen to change to Escandinava de Electricidad (Scandinavian Electricity) who are 100% committed to renewable energy sources from the mainland. So, if you can’t afford to go for solar, or you live in an apartment, you can still do your bit for the environment. They can be found on the web www. escandinavaelectricidad.es/en/ For any questions or if you require assistance with selling or buying a property you can contact Amanda on ajb@mjcassociates.net.

Tel: 971 097 875 Mob: 602 531 676

Email: info@calviaproperties.com www.calviaproperties.com

1.695.000 €

4

500m²

3

9.300m²

Son Ferriol ID:1520

Sea views -Swimming pool

2.100.000 €

6

680m²

5

7.000m²

5

45m²

4

1.650m²

Santa María ID:1568

1.650.000 € Swimming pool

Es Capdellá ID:1595

3.300.000 €

7

Santa Ponça ID:1556

6

4

Swimming pool

3

2 1

390.000 €

140m²

Sol de Mallorca ID:1575

Sea views

74m²

Sea views - Front line

360.000 € Santa Ponça ID:1602

Location, Location, Location

Whether you’re looking for new home, making an investment or selling your property, come and talk to us at Calvià Properties, we have a wide range of opportunities that we know you’ll love.

We’re also part of Real Estates United, which means we work with dozens of other Professional Estate Agents in the Balearic Islands to make sure we find you the best deal at the best price.

Call us now on 971 097 875 or send an email to info@calviaproperties.com In this edition of Celebrity Mallorca Magazine we’re showcasing two investment opportunities.

Negotiable 2.500.000

€

Andratx - Cala Llamp ID:1605

Mallorca’s VIP Hot Spot for the rich and famous boasts some of the island’s most exclusive seaview properties. This development has a finished value of over 6million euros, so if you want to build a dream home or achieve a fantastic ROI, come and take a closer look. The project is well underway and can be sold, as is, for €2,500.000.

Calvia Properties and Inés Rodriguez from Arquitectura 81 will deliver a full report upon request.

Negotiable 3.500.000

€

Costa den Blanes ID:1603

Fantastic Spanish Villa with 1000m built area constructed on a double plot with two separate deeds and sits on approximately 2400m of land. Sea, Valley & Mountain views, 6 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms on 3 levels. We recommend reforming or rebuilding this property, or one plot can be sold separately. Calvia Properties and Ines Rodriguez from Arquitectura 81 will deliver a full report upon request.

Contact Calvia properties on 971097875

or email info@calviaproperties.com www.calviaproperties.com

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