Staycation

freshing and conducive to relaxing, so much so I decided to stay overnight to fully embrace the peaceful surroundings and spectacular views. It was also refreshing to pay just €10 for my 24 ­ hour stay in the car park!

I was invited by a friend to spend the day at Puente Romano Hotel and really enjoyed lounging by the pool and brunching at Rachel’s Eco Love. I was pleasantly surprised that the food prices weren’t as high as one might think for such an exclusive location and although the hotel was busy it was also a tranquil setting and felt very five­star.

The day I spent at Ammo Beach Club was a little more upbeat, more of a party Marbella vibe, although I managed to relax there too.

Finally, I had the moment to start the first of the three Joan Fallon novels I’ve been looking at on my bookshelf for I don’t know how long. I started off with ‘Sophie is Still Missing’ and I’m really enjoying it: the style of writing, the storyline and the ease with which you can identify with the characters. I read for four hours without taking a break except for a dip in the pool and a slurp of my melon cocktail. I used to read all the time but it’s been well over a decade since I last felt I had enough energy in my eyes and brain to read a book. Now I’m hooked and anxious to get onto the next of Joan’s Jacaranda Dunne Mysteries.

Ammo is a small pool club with artificial sand, located on the Paseo Maritimo in San Pedro. It has a surprisingly intimate and private feel to it when you get ‘inside’, and for the past couple of years I’ve chosen to spend the day there to celebrate my birthday as www.nicoleking.es