Costa Blanca Olive Press - Issue 4 by Olive Press Newspaper Spain

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Vol. 1 Issue 4

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May 9th - May 22nd 2019

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To catch a killer E IV US CL EX

A FORMER Scotland Yard detective has joined forces with the Olive Press to track down one of the UK’s most wanted killers. Peter Bleksley, who worked for the Met Police’s undercover SO10 unit in the 1980s, has asked for help in bringing alleged murderer Kevin Parle to justice. The 38-year-old Liverpudlian fled to Alicante more than a decade ago after masked gunmen broke into the home of mum-of-three Lucy Hargreaves and shot her as she slept on her sofa in August 2005. Parle, who is unmissable with a towering height of 6ft 6 and a red beard, is also wanted in connection with the shooting of 16-year-old Toxteth lad Liam Kelly, who was gunned down in Liverpool back in June 2004. “He’s been on the run for 14 years and he could have completely reinvented himself,” Bleksley, who now writes books on unsolved crimes,

The local girl who zoomed into Lewis Hamilton’s racing line, see page 3

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told the Olive Press this week. “He could be living with an unsuspecting partner who knows nothing of his background. He could have a wife and kids, and be delivering washing machines - we simply don’t know.”

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Scandalous

“If I get a text, call, email, message via social media I will go straight to the airport and jump on a plane.” Previous Olive Press investigations have linked Parle to Torrevieja and the wider Alicante area, but other sightings have stretched as far as Perth, in Australia. “He shot a 16 year old boy and a 22-year-old mother of three, it’s absolutely scandalous,” added Bleksley, who is urging any Olive

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Press readers who know or met Parle to come forward. The detective-turned-author particularly wants to speak to British residents who referred to Parle as a ‘gentle giant’ during an Olive Press probe back in 2009. “I will speak to them under the radar and it’s my solemn undertaking to never disclose their identity,” vowed Bleksley, who is currently writing a book on Parle to help raise awareness. The investigator is planning on heading to Madrid on June 1, believing Parle won’t pass up the chance to watch Liverpool FC in the Champions League final. “Parle was a huge Liverpool fan, and there’s only one place for a Liverpool fan who can afford it on June 1, and that’s Madrid,” he said. If you know, knew or ever met Parle, or have any relevant information, no matter how insignificant, please contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es.

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CRIME

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May 9th - May 22nd 2019

Dream Killas The Olive Press helps victims take action following skyrocketing reports of holiday rental scam THE Olive Press is helping victims take legal action against a holiday rental company that scammed holidaymakers thousands for rental villas on the Costa Blanca. It comes as the paper was contacted by new victims of Dream Villas Spain, following last issue’s report on the plight of the Bolton family, who lost €2,000 on a Moraira rental. Petra Deleslie, 42, has now contacted us after losing €6,000 booking a villa in Moraira later this year for her extended family of 18. We agreed to help after she told us she was ‘desperate’ for a break after losing her

Your reporters, here to help on the Costa Blanca Introducing News Editor Laurence Dollimore and Reporter Joshua Parfitt

Sel-fish

Contact them with any stories or news on 951 273 575 or email newsdesk@theolivepress.es (Personal contacts on page 6)

JAVEA Town Hall has begun legal proceedings against the owner of a property who cut off public access to a heritage fishing ground in Balcon al Mar. The unknown owner, who has a luxurious four-storey villa overlooking Cala Ambolo, built a ‘stone staircase’ with ‘metal railings’ that cut access to the Llavadora del Pinet fishery. Councillor Isabel Bolufer said

mother to lung cancer a few years ago. “My nephews and nieces were really looking forward to it as they have never been abroad,” Deleslie told the Olive Press. “I spent two years saving up for this trip, and we just can’t afford to pay for new villa. The kids are devastated.” We helped the family make a police denuncia, after Deleslie said she will lose ‘more than €12,000’ as flights were already booked and her bank were unable to claim their money back. She showed the Olive Press emails asking Dream Villas Spain for a refund, after

the Town Hall began proceedings after learning that the owner had intentionally reformed the stairs, closing access to the ancient site from Calle Samuel Adler. “These works represent a very serious attack on a heritage that corresponds to us all,” said a spokesperson for Jávea Oceanographic Research Institute (IROX).

SCAM: Dream Villas Spain site conned Brits abroad which ‘general manager’ Ro- returns from 2014 to 2017. sella Alba Gutierrez has shut There is no available phone Spain’s Companies House number (the one on the weband reveals that Dream Villas site has been disconnected) Spain, which is registered as and the name Rosella Alba Digital Dream SL, was incor- Gutierrez appears nowhere in porated in 2014 for ‘data pro- the list of employees. cessing and web hosting’. Another victim told the OliBased in Carrer de la Fe, in ve Press this week she had Palma, Mallorca, it filed tax booked a villa in Marbella as a surprise getaway for four friends and five 18-year-old daughters as a post-A Levels present. Sarah Adam, based in London, told us she is convinced she has also been scammed. The company has not responded to email requests for comment. Meanwhile, Darren Coombes from Alicante-based Dream Villa Spain told the Olive Press the fraudsters are cashing in on his credibility and drawing users from his legitimate property business website.

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Vox blocked VOX’S top candidate for Benidorm mayor has been replaced after revelations he received a two-year prison sentence for domestic violence in February 2018. David Perez Brigido was banned from the election, despite two-year sentences sometimes being waived in Spain if the accused has no previous convictions. Perez Brigido was found to have ‘repeatedly abused’ his ex-wife, after he ‘shoved and threw her to the ground, pulled her hair and punched her in the face’. The judge also found the disgraced far-right politician had frequently ‘insulted’ and ‘demeaned’ the woman, who was left with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Swallow the bait CON artists have scammed a British pensioner out of €300 after pretending to help him recover money left at a cashpoint in Javea last Saturday. Brian Stokes, 77, was approached by two ‘20-something’ Spanish men outside the Sabadell bank on Cabo de la Nau Pla claiming he had left €20 in the cashpoint. The thieves then claimed they couldn’t withdraw cash themselves and asked Stokes to re-insert his card, which they stole.

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Mads for it DAVID Beckham has spoken of his love for Madrid after returning to Spain’s capital to launch a new watch. The former England international returned to the city he called home for four years to promote luxury Swiss brand TUDOR. The style icon appeared at the VP Plaza España Design hotel in a dark suit with a mottled green tie while a blue pocket square completed the look. “Great night in Madrid, it is always a pleasure to return to this beautiful city,” the 43-year-old said. The father-of-three is reported to have taken the opportunity to dine at his favourite restaurant in Madrid, the award-winning Asador Donostiarra.

NEWS

SHE is the local girl who’s zoomed into Lewis Hamilton’s affections. Yet, just four years ago Cindy Kimberly was babysitting for just €4 an hour to help single-mum Candi make ends meet on the Costa Blanca, the Olive Press can reveal. The supermodel - who is Spain’s most followed woman on Instagram - grew up in an impecunious single-parent

Costa del Dion A BIG money biopic is to be partly filmed on the Costa del Sol this summer. The Power of Love tells the story of Canadian singer Celine Dion, who bagged an Oscar for My Heart Will Go On in smash film Titanic. The film, which will cost €23 million to make, will start with the birth of Celine Marie Claudette Dion in Quebec in 1968, and go on to chronicle the singer’s amazing rise to fame as a

Model formula The Olive Press discovers how Lewis Hamilton’s eye candy came from a tough Alicante upbringing and grew up an ‘ugly duckling’ according to friends

MADRID FAN: Beckham

May 9th - May 22nd 2019

teenager. It also depicts the role of Dion’s collaborator Canadian artist Rene Angelil, who later became her husband until his death in 2016. Made by Sevilla’s Aralan Films, some 150 people are set to be involved in the production of the movie. French actor Valerie Lemercier stars in and directs the movie, which also uses locations in the USA, Canada and France.

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household in downtown Denia. Yet, last month she was living it up in London - believed to be with multi-millionaire Hamilton - and is expected to hook up with the motor racing ace this weekend at the Barcelona grand prix. She was first linked to the British driver after being seen alighting from his private jet in Barcelona´s El Prat airport in February. Tongues started wagging when a photograph was later published of Cindy holding Hamilton’s arm and staring into his eyes when leaving the airport. While Cindy has played down

EXCLUSIVE By Joshua Parfitt

the rumours, claiming they are ‘just friends’, she did not rule out a relationship in the future. She said: “My heart is currently 70% occupied with my cats and my mother, but all friendships are open to love.” The contrast from her current lifestyle - flying private jets around the world with models and stars - could not be further from her life as a teenager on the Costa Blanca. The Olive Press has discovered that Cindy - real name Cindy Kimberly Rubira Adsuar - was something of an ‘ugly duckling’ who spent her time drafting ‘pretend messages’ to idols, including Justin Bieber. Close friend Aleks Tsanev, aka singer/model @theprincealeks, revealed that Cindy and

LAUNCH: Sleepy Denia now has model credentials

STUNNER: Cindy in bikini her mother suffered ‘financial troubles’, forcing her to scrape a living as a babysitter earning just €4 an hour. The 20-year-old former classmate from Cindy’s school Maria Ibars, in Denia, revealed: “She was really bad in school, she hated it, and would spend hours at home watching makeup videos on YouTube. “She just didn’t enjoy any of the subjects and always dreamed of being a model, until she became one overnight.” And, incredibly, that literally happened when in December 2015, at the age of 17, Cindy’s lifelong hero Justin Bieber out of the blue published a sultry picture of the amateur model asking his 47.5 millions ‘OMG who is this??’ The next day, she had hit superstardom. Spanish news networks descended on Denia, firstly to her school and secondly her home, but, according to Tsanev, Cindy ‘panicked’ and hid from the cameras. In a remarkable rags-to-riches turnaround, her Instagram account exploded to half a million followers within a week, which led to a lucrative modelling contract from Uno Models in Barcelona. Within a matter of weeks Cindy and her mother had moved to the Catalan city and have lived there ever since. “It’s absolutely incredible

what has happened to her,” former hairdresser Tito Merchito, from Peluqueria Venus, in Denia, told the Olive Press. “She was just a normal girl like anyone else, nothing special, except she had these dropdead gorgeous looks like Angelina Jolie.” He continued that things started to change when she started realising how to exploit her film star looks. “She started putting on these crazy clothes, like full army gear, or extravagant heels, and all the men in Denia would stare open-mouthed in the streets.” The breakthrough also helped her mother, Candy Rubira Adsuar, who up until then had run a bar in Villajoyosa working long hours to bring up her only child. The barmaid, from Crevillente, who broke up with Cindy´s Indonesian father when their daughter was only three, has been helping take care of her career. Cindy’s stardom is also helping her friend Tsanev, who is pursuing his singing and modelling dreams, becoming a brand ambassador for GoSexy shoes. “Denia is a small town only really known for bull-running and red prawns. That is, until we started making it famous for modelling as well,” Tsanev told the Olive Press. Oceanview Estates Ctra. Moraira-Calpe, No 142 03724 Moraira tel: (+34) 676 674 111 info@oceanviewestates.es www.oceanviewestates.es

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JAV-A-GO A TRIO of British expats are set to fight for council seats in Javea this month. George Thomas, 78, is standing for the PSOE, while Elena Victoria Gwyn-Jones, 27, and volunteer fireman Terence Curran are standing for the PP. Gwyn-Jones, who runs the Footworks Dance School, said: “I don’t have a political background, but I got involved with the PP out of frustration for having spent €2,800 on a license for my business, which I’m still waiting for three years later.” The PP’s candidate for mayor, Rosa Cardona, said she chose the bilingual Gwyn-Jones as she brings both a ‘young’ and ‘foreign’ perspective. Thomas, who bought a house in Javea 22 years ago, told the Olive Press he got into politics after he could ‘hardly hear’ himself think for the ‘noise of construction’. Thomas works as a translator for current PSOE mayor Jose Chulvi.

Expat businesses still out of action as the clear up continues after heaviest rain for over half a century ONE of the Costa Blanca’s longest running expat businesses is still closed after the worst flooding hit the area for 62 years last month. British-run Scallops, in Javea, lost seven freezers, six fridges and six large cooking appliances during the Easter Sunday deluge. The restaurant that opened 22 years ago in Arenal, had to be evacuated during supper service as water started 'rushing in' leaving the iconic business waist-high in muddy water. A total of 15 diners had to be helped out of the restaurant at 6pm, as the water reached ankle height. The company's 12 employees have been forced to muck in to clean the mud from the floor

Arse end STRIKING binmen and dirty dogs have left Alicante at the bottom of the list of Spain’s filthiest cities. It is a small deterioration, as Alicante, rated as the second-dirtiest in Spain after Jaen, was rated as third bottom the previous year. The study asked more than 5,620 residents of 60 Spanish cities to rate waste management in seven different factors. Alicante came out worst in Spain for ‘rubbish left around containers’ and second-worst for ‘animal excrement’. Elche was rated in the top 20 cleanest Spanish cities. Residents there pay €20 more for waste services, at €67 per person per year. Meanwhile Alicante has been hit by strikes over low-pay and deterioration of equipment.

SHUT: Floods still issue

May 9th - May 22nd 2019

The big clean up My Brexit vision

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The Olive Press meets British art genius Mat Collishaw at his new exhibition

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We’re here to stay! HUNDREDS of new British residents have registered to live in Spain. The number of registered UK nationals in Alicante has zoomed up despite the spectre of Brexit. Around 3,000 more people were registered at the end of last year compared to 2017. And the numbers are expected to have risen further over the last quarter, believe experts. “I think many people are worried, so that has increased registrations,” Anne Hernandez, of support group Brexpats in Spain told the Olive Press. “A lot of Brits are currently moving to Spain, because they don’t want to leave their dream move any longer. “Some of them just say they ‘want to escape the UK’.”

Recession

By the end of 2018 there were 69,289 British nationals registered in Alicante province (In 2017 there were 66,397), the first growth since 2013. The large drop of expat numbers mostly happened over the years following 2013 due to the deep sixyear recession, which was the worst in Spain’s history. This now looks to be in reverse, despite Brexit. “I know many British people who are continuing to move to Spain,” said British councillor in Malaga, Dean Tyler Shelton. “At the same time I think Brexit has been a factor in pushing more British people to register in Spain. Most have no intention of going back,” he added. Almeria had a total of 15,000 British expats registered by the end of 2018, making it the second-largest British population in Andalucia. Meanwhile, Malaga had 47,193 registered Brits in Spain in 2018, and there were 330,911 Brits registered as living in the whole of Spain. Last month, a royal decree was passed giving Brits living in Spain until December 31 2020 to apply for a Foreigner Identity Card, granting them legal status in the country after Brexit.

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FLOODY HELL

Thousands of homes flooded, hundreds left homeless... and dozens of roads blocked as Biblical scenes rock Spain’s celebrated holy week IT will go down as the heaviest Easter rain in a century. An incredible half a year’s rainfall fell in just four days across Semana Santa, with Javea hit by a record 330 litres/m3 of rain in just 12 hours on Sunday night. Houses were flooded, cars were washed away and trees uprooted as firefighters received more Continues on Page 2

STRANDED: Fireman inspect submerged car as (inset) a home became an island when Javea’s Gorgos river burst it’s banks at the weekend

Opinion Page 6

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and remove broken appliances ever since. "It was so shocking as we were serving when the water suddenly flooded in and within 20 minutes it was up to the ankles," owner Gary Payne, 55, told the Olive Press. "We couldn't get back in until the Tuesday, when I found our freezers still floating in the waist-high water. “Over 75% of our equipment was destroyed." Payne, who moved Scallops to the Avinguda de Tamarits site six years ago, said he is still waiting for his insurance company to pay out so they can get things back to normal. One of the main issues is that all claims have now been sent to the government-run Consorcio de Compensacion de Seguros, which will deal with all claims. Payne insists he cannot afford to reopen until he has received the payout. SALES & RENTALS SPECIALISTS

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RUINED: Cars across Costa Blanca were damaged One of his main gripes has been regional authority planning for such an event. He insisted Javea's storm drains 'could not cope' with such a serious downpour and questioned why underground car parks have been built in new apartments across the road. Meanwhile closer towards Arenal, a social club due to celebrate its 25th anniversary could now be out of action for 'six to 12 months' after water flooded the premises to 'within a metre' of the ceiling. "It was like a tornado had ripped right through it," Javea School of Bridge and Social Club (JSBSC) president Barbara Sadler, 72, told the Olive Press. "One of the windows had come

Why are we waiting? ANNOYED Denians have been creative with their frustration over delays to the Denia-Gandia train line by recreating a photograph from 45 years ago, when the last train departed. The original photograph from February 10, 1974, shows citizens waving off the final train to Gandia before the track was closed for renovations that would connect Denia to Valencia. But decades of broken promises led politicians from Gent de Denia to recreate this iconic event by inviting 70 people to stand in the same spot under a banner reading ‘waiting for the train’.

out altogether, the coffee table was outside, and somehow the fridge had managed to get itself on top of the bar." Sadler regrets that one member of staff has had to be laid off as a result.

Conked

She added that temporary premises have been secured at the Inn on the Green, providing a much-needed social space for the club's 135 regulars. The clean up also includes hundreds of cars, most of which will have to be written off. Nearly a dozen were being handled by Larry’s Garage, while over 20 were taken to a nearby Mercedes garage. One British expat Kate Langshaw, 38, based in Javea, has had to have her car scrapped, after it was hit by the floods. “I got caught in the floods and it just conked out. I had to get out surrounded by water and almost swim for it,” she said. Meanwhile it has emerged that 14 subterranean apartments, known as Monty's, have for years been facing a demolition order as they are below a flood plain. The owner of the block Miguel Muntaner was jailed in 2009 following the notorious 'Lliber' construction bribery scandal, in which he bribed the town hall for licences.

Bangers and crash! THIS year’s Benidorm Bangers rally from the UK to Spain has finished with half of the 46 clapped-out cars scrapped upon arrival. The four-day rally, which features a prize for ‘best decorated’ car, saw participants get creative with a ‘Jurassic Party’ people carrier, with a giraffe’s head on the bonnet. The annual 2,000-kilometre event, which sets off from London, raised ‘more than ₤60,000’ for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. It also delivered two van loads of clothes, toys and food for the children of the Preventorio orphanage in Gandia, who were also gifted the Jurassic Party car. “It’s a great laugh,” organiser Rob Scott told the Olive Press. Other creative racers stuck a sticker of a man on a lavatory to the driver-side door, and painted a ‘Benidorm Barbie’ car bright pink.

Left turn THE socialists are set to take control of the Valencian Community after winning 27 of 99 seats following regional elections on April 28. The Socialist Party of the Valencia Country (PSPV), allied to the PSOE, is now expected to pact with Coalició Compromís, which took 16 seats, and left-wing Podemos party, which took eight seats. The new three-party coalition would give Ximo Puig, secretary-general of the PSPV, a 51-seat majority in the Valencian parliament, Les Corts. The main goals of the party are to reduce unemployment, with €230 million pledged to job creation from a total budget of €1.2 billion. This is followed by €200 pledged to reduce hospital waiting lists and €120 towards university scholarships. Puig, who is set to take control in June, has also put emphasis on the ‘new challenges’ of climate change, depopulation and for female equality. The PP party lost 11 seats in the elections, down from 31 in 2015, while right wing party Vox won 10 seats.

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The Olive Press: Alicante edition – 342mm x 256mm

9 May

FEATURE

www.theolivepress.es Voted top expat paper in Spain

A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than 500,000 people a month.

OPINION Dream killas Spain FOUR families have now contacted the Olive Press in desperation as a bogus holiday rental company is scamming Brits out of thousands of pounds, meanwhile the website continues to defraud more and more customers. One woman, Petra Deleslie, 42, had spent two years saving up for a family getaway following the untimely death of her mother from cancer, but soon realised she had lost her ₤5,000 deposit when the company failed to respond. Another Brit, Sarah Adam, called the Olive Press after reading our reporting on Dream Villas Spain, and suddenly realised her Marbella villa booked for four close friends and all their five daughters as a post-A Levels surprise was not for real. It is a newspaper’s job to report on these scandals, not take action, but after our first article was published back in April the fraudulent website is still online. We are now seeking legal action on behalf of those who booked villas in the Costa Blanca, and reported the site to a web hoster, but it should be far easier to get businesses like this shut down. Dedicated police officers need to be made available for these crimes, or at the very least a cyber crime hotline promising rapid action. As the internet becomes the marketplace for more and more of lives, conners can’t be allowed to keep killing our dreams.

Swallow the bait BRAZEN thieves stole two cards from a British pensioner in broad daylight in the middle of a Costa Blanca town last week. While they initially approached Brian Stokes, 77, pretending to help return him a €20 note, they proceeded to shamefully scam him of €300. It comes after a serious of thefts and robberies reported by this paper, which prove that foreigners, particularly the retired, are being increasingly targeted on the Costa Blanca. The town of Javea is situated on the stunning Mediterranean and boasts one of the best micro-climates in the world, but the paradise of sun, sea and sand is still home to crooks. Don’t let your guard down, even if people initially pretend to help, meanwhile reporting these incidents to the police will help to bring a speedy return to peace and safety.

Publisher/ Editor Jon Clarke jon@theolivepress.es

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May 9th - May 22nd 2019

Trump coined it but what is the role of journalism in stopping fake news? Asks Charlie Smith

STORY about a Good Samaritan who was viciously attacked online after helping out a sick neighbour in Spain has revealed the personal consequences of fake news. Usage of the term - popularised by US President Donald Trump - has risen 365% since 2016, and when focused on a single person, fake news can have a damaging impact. This shocking incident, reported in the Olive Press (last issue), saw an innocent man publicly shamed for apparently ‘abandoning’ two dogs in a supermarket car park. The shocking part is that, far from dumping the pets which belonged to his neighbour, he collected them just minutes after making them wait outside. This series of events was made possible TRUMP: King of spouting ‘fake news’ claims at world’s media outlets thanks to a busybody with a keyboard who slammed the innocent man on Facebook where she posted a picture of his car and called him a ‘son of a b****’ (see picture). Police were even notified, tracking the accused man to his home where they discovered…two happy-as-Larry dogs, both microchipped and expertly trained. The doggie debacle is just one cause and effect of the lies spread online. Twitter was caught up in controversy in April after the parents of little Julen who died down a Malaga well were targeted by fake news. The grieving mum and dad are now fighting a court case against three social media users. If found guilty of inflicting ‘degrading treatment’ they could be jailed for up to two years. On a wider scale, Facebook has been accused of allowing Russian-backed posts on its site to reach 126 million Americans during the 2016 US election campaign while CamVoted Dope cookie alert bridge Analytica, a consultancy firm hired BEST expat by Trump, was found to have harvested depaper in tails from millions of profiles. Spain But this year Mark Zuckerberg’s €4.2 billion company hit back, pointing to research that found the amount of fake news spread through its platform had declined dramatically. It claimed that since 2016 there had been a 75% decrease in the amount of fake news Floating unicorns! viewed by Americans. The site insists it is ‘working to fight the spread of false news’ which it says is ‘harmful’ to the community. But what actually is fake news? Well, that depends who you listen to. CLASSIC: Example of epidemic (see back page) Trump would tell you it was anything written by CNN, The Washington Post, the New York Times and maybe even the Olive Press. equally active against, as it not only dange- lling us in order to ensure our sources are Named as their word of the year in 2017, rously misinforms the public but facilitates valid. the Collins Dictionary defines the phenome- a decline in quality journalism. You may be surprised to learn that a large non as: ‘false, often sensational, informa- A recent example of this spread of false- amount of the stories we are sent (well over tion disseminated under the guise of news hood comes from another local paper’s half) are never published, especially when it reporting’. online story that claimed involves conspiracy theories. The key word here is ‘reporpolice in London had war- Look at the Maddie McCann case and the ting’, implying that news orned against people speaking humerous crazy claims made by the wacky The Olive ganisations have a responsiSpanish in public, following a brigade, many of whom are expats based Press, has a bility to deal with fake news. rise in hate crime. here in Spain, one even a former British poSo what is the role of jour- responsibility to ‘A new warning has been lice superintendent with far too much time nalists here? And are newsgiven by police officers to on his hands. rooms still the last bastion of disseminate true those who speak Spanish on There have been so many wild, unsubstantruth? their mobile phones’” the ar- tiated claims, including that her parents kiinformation Local papers, like the Olive ticle claimed. lled her and kept her body in a freezer or Press, have a responsibility When the Olive Press contac- the boot of the car for 20 days, while former to disseminate true informated the City of London Police, Portuguese police chief Goncalo Amaral tion to their readership. British Transport Police and the Metropoli- even claimed that MI5 spies helped to cover From a newspaper’s perspective, that is tan Police to clear up the claims, all three up the disappearance. both a long-term strategy and one which forces categorically denied issuing such In an interview with the Telegraph, the Mcachieves the main job of a local newspaper a statement, commenting that ‘no police Cann’s PR guru Clarence Mitchell recently - serving the community. force’ would have warned against speaking explained: “One of the most ridiculous theoIn a race to the top … or to the bottom … Spanish in public. ries I have heard was that Madeleine was other local newspapers which shall remain This recent example is typical of how the Oli- born as the result of a government cloning nameless, actively promote false material ve Press operates and investigates. project.” on their platforms. We receive information, and we carefully Crackpots have even reported online - and This is something which the Olive Press is take the time to fact-check it before we re- on Twitter and Facebook - that Olive Press port anything. editor Jon Clarke (as recently seen on the This is only possible becau- Netflix documentary) could not have arrived se we have professiona- in the Portuguese resort to investigate on lly-trained journalists and behalf of the UK press when he claimed. are very well-connected in This further developed into a bizarre online Spain, with over a dozen re- diatribe that even hinted that he was soporters around the country. meway involved in her disappearance. The Our libel lawyer is frequent- trolls never give up. ly consulted on tricky sto- The way the Maddie McCann story blew up ries, and we always give is perfect fodder for the fake news age. those we write about a right People love to speculate on whether the pato reply, however difficult it rents ‘did it’ etc. etc., and it is lazy journalism can sometimes be. that allows rumours to swirl unchecked. When the public feed us From time to time, the press does get things information, we firstly cross wrong. But where fake news is concerned, SOCIAL MEDIA: Helps spread fake articles reference what they are te- in this newspaper it’s a non-starter.

Fake news

Citizen Spain

ALTEA council is organising two courses to prepare foreigners for the Spanish citizenship exam, taking place from April 29 to May 13 and May 14-27 at the Centro Social.

Fine

AIRBNB has been hit by a €30,000 fine imposed by the Valencian government for advertising tourist apartments without showing the necessary registry numbers.

FINAL WORDS

Elections

SURVEYS suggest the socialist party (PSOE) is set to lead Valencia’s regional elections on April 28, estimating they will take 30 of 99 available seats.

Fried chicken

A FIRE that broke out in a chicken factory at 11pm on a Sunday in Redovan, Alicante, led to the death of 20,000 birds.

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Vol. 1 Issue 3

Good Samaritan accused of abandoning dogs outside supermarket collected them minutes later

POLICE have warned social media addicts about fake news postings in the Costa Blanca. It comes after a Good Samaritan who helped an ill neighbour home from a supermarket became the centre of a vicious online attack leading

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FAKE NEWS SHOCKER

to a police investigation. It happened after the Gandia local was spotted by a young woman leaving two dogs in the car park of Mas y Mas in the town. Jumping to conclusions - in classic fake news fashion - she posted a picture of his car and

Fly away

DENIA is the municipality that has lost the most population, 15.3%, in the last 10 years in the whole of Spain. Experts believe it is largely down to foreign workers and expats returning home.

NOT everyone was upset with the torrential rains that led to flooding and chaos over Easter. A group of teens in Elche jumped into the Vinalopo river with rubber rings and dinghies and even a blow up unicorn.

April 25th - May 8th 2019

Videos show onlookers stunned as two young men tried to surf through the town centre, until one fell head first into the muddy torrent. In another video, two boys were spotted commandeering a pink unicorn.

number plate on Facebook. Under the claims of abandonment, she described him as a ‘son of a b****’ and appealed for ‘help’. Police were soon called and traced the car to his home, finding his ‘abandoned’ dogs at home, well-cared for. They also had obligatory microchips and up-to-date vaccinations. The man explained that since dogs were not allowed in the supermarket he had expertly trained them to wait in the car park. And they were there waiting patiently when he returned ten minutes later. He had simply taken the neighbour home and was caring for her when police called around. Police have now warned Fa-

cebook users to be careful of publishing un-checked facts online. This is exactly what newspapers and journalists are carefully trained to do.

THE Food Safety agency has issued a warning over cannabis found in children's cookies from the Netherlands. The Girl Scout Cookies Chocolate Kush and Girl Scout Cookies Ginger Cookie Kush, by Dutch company Dr Greenlove, are made with '100% real cannabis bud'. The alarm was first sounded in the Canary Islands during a routine check, in which health authorities queried the products for not correctly labelling the type of flour used. Despite having a large marijuana leaf on the package, it was later discovered that the cookies contained an unauthorised ingredient: cannabis. The Spanish Ministry of Health has launched a nationwide investigation and believes the cookies are likely to be in establishments around Spain. Other products advertised on the Dr Greenlove website include Cannabis Bears, Cannabis High Tea, Cannabis Lollipops and Cannabis Instant Chocolate.

FEATURE

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ERCADONA fancies itself the epitome of the successful family-friendly supermarket. The largest chain in Spain is presented as a role model for entrepreneurs by Javier Alfonso in his book, Historia de un éxito: Mercadona, and his numbers definitely add up: Mercadona dominates nearly a quarter of the country’s retail food market, turning a profit of €593 million in 2018 alone. Yet, along with this kind of large-scale prosperity, there are always one or two flies in the ointment … Take our last issue as an example when The Olive Press reported a string of robberies experienced by expats at the Mercadona store in La Cala de Mijas, brushed off by a spokesman who insisted the current security measures were sufficient. Bad form.

Entry aisle So what do you need to know about Spain’s most successful supermarket? Mercadona currently employs around 85,000 people at just over 1,600 stories in Spain and has made its owner Juan Roig a billionaire many times over and Spain’s second richest man. His family’s story began in 1977 when they transformed eight butcher shops in Valencia into supermarkets which they named Mercadona. In 1981 Juan Roig, along with his wife Hortensia Herrero and two of his siblings, bought out his parents’ shops. A few years later, he bought most of the shares from his brothers. Takeover complete. Mercadona remains a family business with Roig’s wife the company’s vice-president, while brother Fernando Roig owns nine percent of the company, in addition to owning the football club Villareal.

Meat counter Much of the company’s success has been put down to a constant investment in innovation. It was the first Spanish supermarket to use scanners to read bar codes, and the first to offer gluten-free foods - a range that has expanded to over 850 gluten-free products, and a lactose-free range. Over the past year alone, Mercadona has introduced so many changes and new services that it’s hard to keep up. As well as an ex-

MINTED: Boss Roig is Spain’s second richest man

Overview

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Mijas Costa FREE

A Estepona A KIND OF MAGIC ll about

Vol. 13 Issue 316

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April 2019

Estepona has managed to avoid the mass market tourism of the rest of the Costa del Sol, writes Charlie Smith

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A WOMAN holding the world in her hands above the blue Mediterranean sea. and This is a fitting image for Estepona is the subject of the town’s latest mural. the Called Atlantis, it is the 49th work in up town’s series of street art, located the steep hill of Avenida de los Reales, to which offers unparalleled views down the sea (see page 20). But this new painting by Jose Fernandez Rios, unveiled on International Women’s Day, reveals more than just a celebration of female contributions to society. natuIt captures the constantly evolving re of Estepona and its impressive global credentials, despite being a medium-sized town. Within Estepona’s mural series alone, in you have the largest vertical mural Europe, and even the first braille mural in Spain, using ceramic pieces, to assist the learning of the visually impaired. Perhaps one of the most unusual examis ples of Estepona’s worldwide appealearDisney’s discovery of the area in the

Photo by Jon Clarke

Following a series of robberies on expats, Claire Leibovich and Pablo Balbontin shine a light on the murky side to a Spanish supermarket success story

Voted

Vol. 13 Issue 316 www.theolivepress.es April 24th - May 7th 2019

A town in bloom... Estepona special inside

Continues on Page 18

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ESTEPONA, MÁLAGA CALLE CARIDAD, 46, 29680

We’re here to stay! HUNDREDS of new British residents have registered to live in southern Spain. The number of registered UK nationals in Malaga has zoomed up despite the spectre of Brexit. A sizeable 600 more people were registered at the end of last year compared to 2017. And the numbers are expected to have risen further over the last quarter, believe experts. “I think many people are worried, so that has increased registrations,” Anne Hernandez, president of national support group Brexpats in Spain told the Olive Press. “And a lot of Brits are currently moving to Spain, because they don’t want to leave their dream move any longer. “Some of them just say they ‘want to escape the UK’.” Continues on Page 4

Opinion Page 6

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CRIME SPREE: At La Cala supermarket

Expats demand action after spate of robberies at Mercadona

SPAIN’S biggest supermarket chain has refused to up its security despite a string of British expats claiming they were robbed at one of its stores. It comes after half a dozen British shoppers told the Olive Press how

My Brexit vision

The Olive Press meets British art genius Mat Collishaw at his new exhibition Brexit brushstrokes, Page 14

EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore

they had fallen prey to brazen thieves in the La Cala de Mijas branch of Mercadona. The group, who are appealing for action, warned that the same problem is occuring at various other branches of the store along the coast. One expat, Dee March, 55, from Portsmouth, claimed she was robbed a shocking TWO times in 10 days at the same branch. The mother-of-three, who lives near to the store, lost hundreds of euros alongside ‘priceless’ mementos of her dead daughter. “I was so upset yet they didn’t even take me to an office or offer to call the police,” she said.

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“By the time I had gone out they had jumped into a waiting car and been driven off.” Another Brit, Laureen Pye, who splits her time between Mijas and the UK, said she was targeted in November last year. “My purse was tucked in right at the bottom of my bag,” said Pye, who works at the Lions Club charity shop. Finally a fourth victim revealed she was robbed at the same supermarket by two eastern European men while a third distracted her by asking her about ‘the sugar levels in the bread’. “I never take my bag into any store now, everything I need is in my pockets,” she said. Meanwhile, Teresa Jane Sykes, revealed she had been robbed at a Mercadona store in nearby Coin. But when she asked for the store for CCTV footage, it was refused, despite insisting she would be able to identify the assailant.

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Price wars Mercadona might claim that ‘el cliente es el jefe’ - the client is the boss to use its motto, but this doesn’t necessarily help the consumers’ pockets. The supermarket is only the ninth cheapest in Spain, according to consumer body OCU (Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios), with only a few chains such as Carrefour, Supersol and Leclerc weighing in as more expensive. And, in addition, these rivals appear to spend more in store security, which will be of interest to expat readers.

McJobs It is the subject of employment that has garnered the chain the most controversy over the last two decades. While it creates over 1,000 jobs a year and pays well for shop work (a minimum of €1,328 euros a month, not including performance bonuses) the company has been accused of exploitation, anti-union policy and harassment of its workers. As its CEO Roig once said: “We need to work the Chinese way to live the Spanish way”. Alarming to say the least, he has also urged staff to think more about their duties and less about rights. He also once insisted: “First give, then ask, finally demand”. While the company professes certain essential values for its staff to grow on a ‘personal and professional’ level, there are numerous reports suggesting otherwise. Aside from a claimed 1,000-plus dismissals every year, ex-employees cite the pressure of the job, an unhealthy work atmosphere, long hours, very little holidays and too much to do. And don’t think about getting ill...Mercadona has its own company doctors, who according to staff hardly ever grant employees sick leave. It is frowned upon to go to a public doctor, claim ex-employees, and those who present a request for sick leave

risk getting sacked, it has been claimed. Instead, ill or injured employees will typically be moved to another section - for example at the till, where they can sit down. Unfortunately you don’t get to hear about malpractice much as workers have to sign extremely limiting confidentiality agreements as part of their job contracts. Under these, employees cannot criticise the company to the media or on social media. And if you want to join a union, be careful. In 2013 Francisco Enriquez Martinez was laid off shortly after becoming a CGT union rep, despite working at his Malaga store for seven years.

Checkout So all in all, while Mercadona might be the most popular supermarket in Spain, with one on almost every high street, it is not all happy shopping! Think carefully about going there… and as we reported last issue, keep a close eye on your handbag and purse at all times. And in more ways than one.

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“The female manager simply couldn’t care less. I was appalled.” “The thieves took my purse with €180 and all my credit cards the CCTV first time and €30 the second time, as well as priceless mementos from “Even the Guardia Civil in Coin refumy daughter who passed away three sed to let me see the CCTV. And Mercadona wouldn't look at the CCTV years ago. “One was a card from her funeral without police authorisation.” which I can never replace, it’s terri- Despite the complaints, a spokesman for Mercadona insisted that current ble.” She insists the supermarket should measures are sufficient. now erect barriers at tills, introduce He added that the company would more cameras and hire more security not be introducing more cameras, erecting barriers at tills or hiring seguards to deal with the problem. Another victim, 64, who has lived curity guards. in Spain since 1972, added: “I was “When we get a report of a theft we targeted in the same hand over CCTV to police to deal shop when two wo- with,” he added. men stole a purse and Dee March meanwhile has decided to vote with her feet and will shop elmy mobile phone. “I realised instantly sewhere from now on. what had happened “I’m now going to Lidl and Carrefour, and ran to an assis- which are no dearer in any case, and tant who called a co- with much better security,” she adUK BASED lleague for help. He ded. watched two women stroll out of the shop Have you been a victim at Merand said it was them, cadona? Contact newsdesk@ but made no effort to theolivepress.es stop them. Opinion Page 6 for

pansion of its Ready to Eat takeaway section there is an online service called The Hive, beTel: 952 147 834 ing tested in Valencia, and new ‘ergonomic’ uniforms for staff costing a cool €29 million. 902 123 282 That’s not all. In 2018 Mercadona announced the opening of 10 new stores in Portugal, the first of which will open in Oporto on July 2. There’s now a distribution centre in the UK… and the company has hinted at plans to open more stores outside Spain.

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THE Olive Press has broken the one-million-aPages/Session month barrier. Page Views Number of Sessions per User 81 ever, we1.31 In 1.20 April, for the first time had 1.07 mi41,8 llion page views from visitors from around the world andDuration Spain. Bounce Rate Avg. Session Just over half a million 26.21% visitors came to read 00:03:46 about floods in Alicante, robberies in Mercadona, the latest on missing father and son Daniel and Liam Poole and much, much more. e With1.aLanguag quarter of our users coming from Spain, a en-gb quarteren-usfrom the UK and Ireland, a quarter from 2. the rest of Europe and 15% from Gibraltar and en-ie 10% 3.from the US, we’ve got all markets covered. 4. es-es Our exclusive stories, helped bring in 330,000 en-ca NEW5. readers from across Europe. 6. en And the average user spent more than five mi7. nl-nl nutes on our site. 8. sv-se Meanwhile, our Alexa ranking continues its 9. nb-no upward trajectory as we enter the top 7,000 10. en-au websites in Spain (10,000 above our nearest rival) and in the last three months we have moved up by more than 34,000 places globally to 169,700th. © 2019 Google

SPECIAL ONLINE OFFER To celebrate this landmark achievement we have decided to offer an unprecedented deal for annual or half year contracts online. Join us now and we will offer a 300×250 pixel banner on our homepage (normally €300 a month) for just €75 a month plus iva if you book a year and €100 plus iva if you take six months. Or a smaller 300×30 for just €40 a month. NOTE WELL: Your ad will be seen by a minimum 20.000 people a day! Meanwhile a permanent sponsored or native post, with a permanent link, promoting your business and edited by our team of journalists costs from just €175 mas iva, or €150 if you book two or more. Can you afford NOT to sign up to Spain’s definitive market-leading English website? Contact us today at sales@theolivepress.es or call 951 273 575.

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The future’s clean

NEWS IN BRIEF Cruise control ALL coaches, vans, buses and lorries sold in Spain from 2022 will have built-in smart ‘speed assistants’ to adjust the velocity of the vehicle to the limit on the road it is travelling on. Cars will have them too, but be able to switch them off.

Tragic crash A SWEDISH man, 57, has died after his car pitched into a ravine aside a steep road near Pego, Alicante.

Low-rise JAVEA Town Hall has approved plans to reduce the amount of developable land from a proposed 10 million m2 to just 2 million m2. Councillor Isabel Bolufer said this would end ‘savage speculation’ of the 90s and 2000s.

Hind-right SUPPORTERS of far-right party Vox could have gained three more seats in the Generalitat Valenciana, but of 322,000 who voted for Santiago Abascal in the national elections, 43,000 neglected to take part in regional elections on the same day, in the same polling stations.

GREEN

NO more than 10% of household waste will be sent to landfill under new plans to tackle rubbish in the Valencian Community. The waste management plan (PIRCVA) was approved last month and includes measures to make all plastic on the market recyclable or reusable by 2030. No more large-scale landfills or waste treatment plants will be built in the region as new forms of management, such as doorto-door collection, will soon come into effect.

A PASSENGER ferry has killed a sperm whale during a routine trip between Mallorca and Valencia. The giant whale was only discovered when the Transmediterranea ship docked in Valencia on Saturday. Port workers found the mammal encrusted to the front of the ship, having not noticed it due to the ‘size of the ship and

May 9th - May 22nd 2019

Whale of a death engine noise’. Port police rushed to rescue the sperm whale, but it had already died and sunk. The following day divers were called in to extract the body.

Room for improve-rent

The worst car rental companies across Spain have been revealed by consumer group Which? JELLYFISH swarms have hit Marina Alta, littering the beaches of Javea, Calpe, Altea and Benidorm. The by-the-wind sailor jellyfish are blue and float on the surface of the water using an inflatable sail, and closely resemble the Portuguese man-o-war whose painful sting can be fatal to humans. By-the-wind sailors are not harmful to humans, however, and can be differentiated as they have a semi-circular-shaped sail whereas

Ahoy, sailors! a Portuguese man-o-war’s sail is shaped like a stegosaurus.

CONSUMER group Which? has warned British holidaymakers about the car rental firms to avoid this summer. Spanish company Goldcar came bottom of the rankings for the fifth time in six years, as 38% of customers said they would never use the firm. Two out of five customers reported problems with the embattled operator, which were generally to do with credit card changes and poor service. The rental giant, which has a chequered past, is owned by Europcar, which performed the worst out of all the major brands.

According to Which? the second-worst car rental company is InterRent and the third-worst is InterRent. Meanwhile, Cicar, a firm based in Spain’s Canary Islands emerged top of the rankings, followed by AutoReisen and Alamo. Which? Travel editor Rory Boland advised customers to look at quality and not just go for the cheapest option. “One wrong turn at airport arrivals could easily make or break your holiday,” he said. “In an industry dogged by unscrupulous practices, making the right choice is paramount.”

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Feeling blue A TRIO of new beaches have been granted Blue Flag certification in the Marina Alta, adding to Spain’s world-beating total of 566. Marineta Casiana and Les Deveses, in Denia, alongside L’Espigo, in Altea, were added to Spain’s list this year as the country continues its unbroken lead since the certification scheme began in 1987. The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education that a beach meets its stringent operating standards.

Hit

Valencia has the most Blue Flag beaches in Spain, with 135 - nearly double the number of certified beaches in Andalucia and triple the number in both the Canary and the Balearic Islands. Andalucia was hit heavily this year, when it lost 18 flags due to various reasons, such as pollution and over-construction on its beaches. The certification scheme operates in 44 countries worldwide, and has strict criteria on water quality, waste management and active environmental education initiatives.

LA CULTURA

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HARROWING: Skulls

Grave findings A MAUSOLEUM of 120 skeletons has been unearthed beneath the Central Market in Elche. The bones date back to the 11th and 13th centuries and 60% of the skeletons are from children under 12 years old, revealing a high child mortality rate during the Moorish era. The find comes during the third phase of excavations after the ruins of a Roman bathing complex dating back to the 1st century A.D. were found just centimetres beneath Elche’s main square in 2016. Elche town planner Jose Manuel Sanchez said the findings also revealed the possibility of ‘important’ deposits from the 10th century lying just beneath the mausoleum. The final phase of the excavations will soon commence, ending four years of obstruction in the centre of the Valencian Community’s third-biggest city. “The findings open the door for us to make a great exhibition to cherish and identify features of our history that have been little known until now,” said mayor Carlos González.

GREEN

May 9th - May 22nd 2019

Send your informa newsdesk@theolive tion to press.es

Holy moly!

Hundreds of thousands travel to Alicante to see ‘face imprint of Jesus’ ALICANTE has celebrated the second-largest pilgrimage in Spain with almost 300,000 people descending on the Santa Faz monastery in Sant Joan d’Alacant. The 538-year-old pilgrimage is centred around a religious relic known as the Santa Faz, or the ‘Holy Face’, which legend has it was used by Jesus Christ to clean his face when he carried his cross towards Mount Calvary. The cloth, also known as the Veil of Veronica after the woman who offered it, was said to be miraculously imprinted with Jesus’ face, and when a Spanish priest brought it to Alicante in 1489 - legend has it - a tear sprang from its eye

Do you have a what’s on?

PILGRIMAGE: Attendees carry rosemary canes and lay prayers at monastery as sudden rain ended a severe drought in the region. On May 2, hundreds of thou-

sands of pilgrims walked the eight kilometres from Alicante’s San Nicolas de Bari Cathe-

Ship load of history

B-DAY: Date Line ship

IT was 500 years ago that a skilled Portuguese sailor embarked upon the first circumnavigation of the globe, naming the Pacific Ocean and establishing the International Date Line. Though Ferdinand Magellan died on the journey, a replica of the only one of five ships to return to Spain, captained by Juan Sebastian Elcano, has visi-

ted Denia to commemorate this world-changing event. The Victoria, a Spanish carrack with a crew of 42, was in the Marina Alta capital from May 1-5 during the 12th edition of the Denia Boat Show. The ship, built in 1992 by the Fundacion Nao Victoria, in Sevilla, had already visited Marbella, Alicante, Valencia and Palma.

dral to the monastery, where Poor Claire nuns who live in extreme poverty guard the sacred veil all year round. Pilgrims traditionally take up a cane stuffed with rosemary for support during the walk, known as the Romeria de Santa Faz, and leave prayer notes at the monastery before drawing a sign of the cross on the cloth, which is held in a golden frame. President of the Generalitat Valenciana, Ximo Puig, this year prayed for ‘greater employment, peace, coexistence and the great values associated with this open and cosmopolitan city’.

April 25th - May 8th 2019

Gig guide FRIDAY MAY 10 ALTEA: The Stone Bar, 10 pm – The Vintagers BENISSA: Oceana Club 6pm Tina Turner Tribute Dinner Show DENIA: Paddy O'Connell'sMidnight Music with Silkel Aliaga y Las Alimanas JAVEA: Montgo Rock Festival (Day One) 5pm (Tickets Only) Novas Lounge Bar, Costa Nova: 8pm - Frank Abrams MORAIRA Floridita Cocktail Bar 10pm Blackstar PEDREGUER: Black Flame Rte 7pm - Irish Music Night SATURDAY MAY 11 ALBIR: The Church Bar, 9:30pm - McLucas CALPE: Grizzly Bar Grizzly 4pm - Strikland - 16.00 DENIA: Paddy O'Connell Bar, 11:55pm - Los Karatekas FINESTRAT: Finestrat European Day, La Cala 9pm - Becky BB JAVEA: Montgo Rock Festival (Day 2) 5pm (Tickets Only) MORAIRA: Druid's Cave, 8:30 pm - Mark West SUNDAY MAY 12 ALFAZ: Bar La Estacions, 5pm, Jam Session - All Welcome DENIA: Basta Bar, 5pm Eliezer Urener JAVEA: Quo Vadis, 7:30pm The Shamrockers MORAIRA: Saxo Gardens Chill Out , 4pm - Moonshine ORBA: Bar Citrus 4pm - Happy Freuds

10 10

LETTERS

LE T T E R S

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April 25th - May 8th 2019

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Mijas Costa

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Vol. 13 Issue 317 www.theolivepress.es May 8th - May 21st 2019

Through the keyhole: We reveal the property portfolios of Spain’s main party leaders

EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore

Russian

“Luckily they let me fly back to Spain it’s in the Schengen area, but now as it’s going to cost me €1500 to fly to London to get another Russian visa which takes several days to clear, meanwhile me and my business partners are the middle of negotiating a €230 in million deal. “I have already had to cancel meetings this week.” Saunders is close to sealing a deal buy Castorama Russia Ltd, which to being sold by Kingfisher PLC, owner is of B&Q in the UK. It is a huge deal which has taken months of negotiation between his business partners and Russian bank Sberbank, which is set to loan the expat and his associates the 200 million purchase cost. “If someone is paying hundreds of millions of euros then they want to look us all in the eye when they do it,” Saunders added, “this is really affecting everything.” The expat, who has lived in inland Mijas for two years, believes his background in Africa caused the error. Saunders holds two British passports, Continues on Page 8

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Property

A tour of Spain’s

property Malaga’s bestmagazine

A BRITISH expat has been arrested gunpoint and interrogated for over at two hours after the UK government ‘accidentally’ cancelled his passport. Mijas-based Geoffrey Saunders, 61, was dramatically cuffed at Eindhoven airport in the Netherlands when a border control officer saw his visa and passport were no longer valid. Saunders was returning from Moscow in Russia, where he is in the midst of securing a £200 million (€233 million) business deal, which is now at threat. “It was terrible,” father-of-three Saunders, who was born in Ghana but grew up in the UK, told the Olive Press: “Armed guards arrested me and walked me through a hall of 300 people who were all pointing at me and taking photos.

most prolific ‘pavilion’ creators, SEE PAGE XII

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Issue 29

The places they

SEE FREE PROPERTY MAGAZINE INSIDE

May 2019

SHOULD have filmed

Game of Thrones

in Spain... ...Plus our pick the best castles of for sale in Spain this year

See page XVIII

Winter isn΄t coming Agents report good start to 2019 as confidence from Brits returns

ONE of the Costa lieves the stalling del Sol’s leading agents be- and cellent window to of Brexit has brought an ex- so with the pound staying low at around buy. many people failed The six-month delay to make a decision 1.10, “But to buy. added to Parliament of the UK leaving Europe, rulednow that a hard Brexit has been practically Brexit, has left a effectively ruling out a hard hood out and the markets are seeing the likelibuyers, believes Benhealthy situation for British has of staying in the customs union the strengthened a lot. Bateman, of Holmes pound erty Sales in Sotogrande. Prop- “With it being steady at around Not only is the pound 1.16 weeks level against the euro approaching its strongest your now it means you can get a lot for a few more for pound and also take since 2016, but sellers growing anxious advantage of are ralysis to erties on the market sell, having often had prop- want.” and maybe get a better deal on the pawhat you result of the Brexit for longer than expected as a He believes there are “While the pound uncertainty and delay. waiting to buy… and many buyers hovering and has strengthened prices en’t really increased,” as an analogy he cites explains the boss hav- weather and swimming. the togrande’s longest-established of So- “They’re already in their shorts agency. “Many buyers who and ready for a swim. ket towards the endput their homes on the mar- will They’re dipping their toe in the to sell as quickly of 2017 have not been able so? they jump in right away or wait anpool, but as we had forecast It’s just a matter of hour or now been on the market and time. for 4 to 6 months have “All I would say is don’t miss ger than they had lon- best time to this window, the hoped for, due to a buy is now.” in the market. paralysis Other agents have reported “With months of similar findings, such uncertainty regarding Brexit

BLUNDER LAND Continues on

Popular expat nursery Wonderland to shut after six years due to council forced error

Page III

EXCLUSIVE By Timothy McNulty

A POPULAR expat nursery has been forced to close and layoff all its staff after a town hall mistakenly rejected its licence application. Wonderland co-owners Emma White, 50, and Ashlie Walker, 32, were told to apply to become a ‘centro de educacion’ after running the successful play school in Marbella since 2012.

€25,000 on major refurbishment works and on recruiting “We entrusted a project manager to make sure all the rules new staff. The vibrant San Pedro nursery, and regulations were met, but based at La Colonia, was forced after all that effort it transpired to close earlier this year despi- that he hadn't.” te having over 50 children as After learning their application had been rejected, Emma and clients. Emma, originally from Houns- Ashlie tried to salvage what they low, in London, told the Olive could from the business and find new places for their But their application was de- Press: “We jumped through Then, in a cruel twist, infants. nied despite the pair spending hoops and crawled over shards weeks after closing, only two Marbella of glass for that licence. Ayuntamiento contacted Wonderland to ‘congratulate’ Emma on successfully gaining the necessary licence. It is unclear what spurred the sudden u-turn but the mother-of-four said she was sickened to Reliable private hire transfer receive the news. services for any occasion “The call just ru• Luxury vehicles bbed salt in the • Door to door service wounds,” she said. • Airport collections Weddings transport • Sightseeing day trips • Restaurant shuttles

GUTTED: Expats Emma and Ashlie close nursery business

“When we received the call I just felt like that the town hall had made a spectacle out of us.” The expats said they will not try to open the school again after being left so out of pocket. It would also be a huge ‘uphill battle’ to open again. Marbella town hall did not respond to our request for comment. Opinion Page 6

In Gibraltar Issue 96 •

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Goodbye Willie!

Vol. 4 Issue 96

Property

bestMalaga’s magazine property

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May 8th - May 21st 2019

The sites which SHOULD have been in Game of Thrones, plus Gib’s most historic SEE FREE PROPERTY buildings MAGAZINE INSIDE

A tour of Spain’s most prolific ‘pavilion’ creators, SEE PAGE XII

ONE of the Rock’s true gems has passed away. Tributes have been flooding in for the former boss of Rolex, William Serfaty, who died Winter on one of his isn΄t regular trips to coming Spain. The prominent businessman and activist - who campaigned hard for the right to vote in European elections and against joint eignty with Spain - died at 74soveryears old. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo led the tributes describing his an getic and hardworking patriot‘enerand political activist’. “Willie has contributed extensively to the business community and campaigned in all initiatives mote the democratic rights to proof Gibraltarians,” Picardo said. “Willie’s family can justly feel proud of the contribution he has made develop a Democratic British to Gibraltar.” Serfaty, a staunch atheist, led the Self Determination for Gibraltar Group (SDGG) for nine years and was a member of the Integration By John Culatto With Britain Party when it came to office in 1969. He was also on the board A BIG solar power project of the Chamber of Commerce. New Harbours could help at After the frontier closed he was braltar reach its sustainable Gichoensen to recruit Moroccans to come ergy target. to Gibraltar and has ever since The new scheme will add to been a two popular figure around the Rock. other solar projects being introHe was also a long-time supporter duced at the new sports faciliof the Olive Press and, apart ties being built at Europa Point requesting its delivery to the from and Lathbury Barracks. House Rolex shop, he regularly Red “The planet is facing a huge took our special supplements on different vironmental challenge, and enregions of Andalucia on his regular are a part of it,” said John we travels. Cortes, Minister for the EnvironSerfaty joined his father as ment. chitect after completing his an arstudies, “We have a lot more to do, but before taking over the Rolex as shop far as Gibraltar goes, the future which he ran successfully for many is bright for the environment.” years. His passing away comes as He made the statement a big after shock to all of Gibraltar. criticism from Opposition memIt was marked with a one ber Trevor Hammond. minute silence at the recent May Day “When I became a Minister, event for his efforts to advance workers’ ter many years a lonely voice afin rights. www.theolivepress.com

2/8/18 17:01

The Rock’s ONLY free local paper

Issue 29

May 2019

The places they SHOULD have filmed Game of Thrones in Spain...

...Plus our pick of the best castles for sale in Spain this year

See page XVIII

Agents report good start to 2019 as confidence from Brits returns

ONE of the Costa del Sol’s leading agents believes the stalling of Brexit has brought an excellent window to buy. The six-month delay of the UK leaving Europe, added to Parliament effectively ruling out a hard Brexit, has left a healthy situation for British buyers, believes Ben Bateman, of Holmes Property Sales in Sotogrande. Not only is the pound approaching its strongest level against the euro since 2016, but sellers are growing anxious to sell, having often had properties on the market for longer than expected as a result of the Brexit uncertainty and delay. “While the pound has strengthened prices haven’t really increased,” explains the boss of Sotogrande’s longest-established agency. “Many buyers who put their homes on the market towards the end of 2017 have not been able to sell as quickly as we had forecast and have now been on the market for 4 to 6 months longer than they had hoped for, due to a paralysis in the market. “With months of uncertainty regarding Brexit

and with the pound staying low at around 1.10, so many people failed to make a decision to buy. “But now that a hard Brexit has been practically ruled out and the markets are seeing the likelihood of staying in the customs union the pound has strengthened a lot. “With it being steady at around 1.16 for a few weeks now it means you can get a lot more for your pound and also take advantage of the paralysis and maybe get a better deal on what you want.” He believes there are many buyers hovering and waiting to buy… and as an analogy he cites the weather and swimming. “They’re already in their shorts and ready for a swim. They’re dipping their toe in the pool, but will they jump in right away or wait an hour or so? It’s just a matter of time. “All I would say is don’t miss this window, the best time to buy is now.” Other agents have reported similar findings, such Continues on Page III

POWERING THE WAY

the wilderness ignored by GSD Government, Gibraltar the to make a quantum leap into had the present century on these matters,” he revealed.

SDGG chairperson Denis Matthews said: “He was well-versed in Gibraltar’s history and deeply conscious of our heritage.”

Lettings | Sales Investments | Relocations Commercial and Residential

MAKING WAVES: The eco-wave

“Renewable energy and energy efficiency were not even in the Government vocabulary, and

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there was no knowledge or even support for these concepts in either the public or private sectors.” The facts prove his point as carbon emissions have dropped by 39,000 tonnes since 2013. This will be further increased by the new natural gas power station to be opened this year.

The GSLP/Liberals believe could lower emissions by this as much as 25% of the diesel the GSD Opposition had plant proposed. Another sustainable project was launched two years ago, that was the Eco-wave electricity plant. A prototype was placed on Sandy Bay ammunitions jettythe no cost to the taxpayer which at in the long run could create even more green energy. The TM scheme is still being tested.

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(Free or paid for) April 26th - May 9th 2019 Vol. 3 Issue 53 www.theolivepress.es

TALENT: Masterchef Arber at Tema

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April 26th - May 9th 2019

THE BIG CAT

PALMA DE MALLORCA SANTACATALINA-MALLORCA

HIVE: A market trader with his wares and an impromptu exercise class in a Santa Catalina square

One of Spain’s most cosmopolitan neighbourhoods, Santa Catalina is a true melting pot for foodies and people watchers, writes Jon Clarke and Gillian Keller

DESCRIBED by locals as ‘the village in the city’ Santa Catalina has the same charming feel of Montmartre in Paris or Hampstead in London. At the same time Palma’s trendiest neighbourhood has the sort of hip locals you would more normally expect to find in Ibiza or New York’s Greenwich Village. With the city’s best food market, some of its most exciting restaurants and, bit by bit, some of the coolest shops, it is little surprise that this achingly cool barrio has become - by the square metre - one of the most expensive places to buy in Spain. The area may be small - only seven streets wide, stretching from Feixina park to busy Calle Joan Crepsí - but it has literally explod-

ed over the last few years. There has been a huge influx of expat buyers, in particular Scandinavian over recent years, and Santa Catalina today is vastly different to the area that Palma residents remember a decade ago. “It’s amazing how much it has changed in such a short time,” explains estate agent Miguel Llinas, from First Mallorca. “We have seen houses selling there for up to two million euros and it is not just the international market that loves Santa Catalina. We are increasingly getting local Mallorquins also looking to buy,” he explains. This is perhaps no surprise, as the suburb increasingly becomes THE place to eat in Palma and more and more hip and trendy

FELAFEL KING: Ronan at Simply Delicious

Investment Opportunity

The Olive Press spends a week in fashionable Santa Catalina

Continues on Page 12

Bar-Coupe.es

TU PA RN GE TO 11

hippest barrio?

Brexit

2017. Last month, a royal decree was passed giving Brits living in Spain for until December 31 2020 to apply a Foreigner Identity Card, granting TM them legal status in the country after Brexit.

Santa Catalina

Vol. 3 Issue 53

Is this Mallorca’s

longer.

to “Some of them just say they ‘want escape the UK’.” By the end of 2018 there were 10,315 British nationals registered in Mallorca, compared to 10,196 in 2017. The drop of expat numbers mostly the happened since 2013 due to deep six-year recession, which was the worst in Spain’s history. in This now looks to be in reverse Spain as a whole, despite Brexit. “I know many British people who are continuing to move to Spain,” said British councillor in Malaga Dean Tyler Shelton. has “At the same time I think Brexit Brits more pushing in been a factor no to register in Spain. Most have intention of going back,” he added. There are 330,911 Brits registered the as living in Spain. Alicante has highest number with 69,289 regin istered in 2018, up from 66,397

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CATCH THESE CONMEN British families scammed out of thousands from fake holiday rental sites

family a Kent, revealed that when his who A BRITISH TV star has slammed arrived this month, the owner, bogus Palma based travel company gave his name as Klaus, was comthat stole ₤5,000 for a non existent pletely baffled and knew nothing rental. about the rental or website. they Professional chocolate taster Angus lost Kennedy told the Olive Press villa Kennedy seven-bedroom the money when had chosen the 780 different homes his family dis- in Arta out of site. covered a Ger- for rent on the they had been man man living But he only realised an airport pick-up at the Mallorcan scammed when and they caught a taxi villa they had never arrived, property to find booked through to the €600-a-night 15:36 the bewildered German. Villas 16/06/2017 1Dream Untitled-1.pdf to the get to determined “I was Spain. contacted See page 32 Kennedy, from house and immediately

834 282 952 147 Tel: 123 902

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the press” Angus told the Olive Press. “I think many more have been duped and the scam could be worth millions.” exSadly this seems true, after we posed a string of fake holiday webto sites duping tourists coming last Spain two years ago and again year. we In a series of investigations

found dozens of tourists had been scammed out of millions of euros from various sites, which illegally uploaded villa photos from legitimate sites. Among those scammed were British Rugby Union star Dean Schofield, in who lost €50,000 on a fake villa

Mallorca. This time, the website used to book the trip, dreamvillasspain.com, was remarkably similar to those created before. Among its claims is the goal to ‘creContinues on Page 4

Learning curve

Good news, at last!

PUBLISHER/ EDITOR Jon Clarke jon@theolivepress.es

Close but no cigar

Dear the Olive Press,

Thanks for your article on the elections (A guiri’s election guide, Issue 53, pg 6-7). If only you had published the piece on voting eligibility and the electoral census two months ago! Two days before the election I went to my local Centro Civico with my certificate of Empadronamiento and DNI, both fully up to date, hoping to vote in the municipales, only to learn that the voter census closed a month ago. I was told I should have filled in an additional form to be enrolled on the census. Sadly, there has never been a poster in the Centro Civico to advise us expats of this requirement, and there has been nothing in the Olive Press either, as far as I know. So I’ve ended up losing my vote, and in such a tight contest - damn! It might be interesting to know how many others find themselves in my position.

Deposito Legal MA: 835-2017

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Named the best English language publication in Andalucia by the Rough Guides group.

Terrie Singleton, Fuente de Piedra

Whether it works for humans or not is unimportant (Mice work, Issue 3, pg 28). Just think of all the mice that can be saved!

Jenny Dexter, Alicante

XX 1, Santa pagePonca Jaime on Rey more Avenida Find out 0034 871 510 277

Clean up your mess I clean holiday apartments and contrary to popular opinion I definitely do not appreciate being left everybody’s unwanted half-used items! Tidy up after yourselves and take your stuff to the bin so that I don’t have to spend my precious time doing it for you. Sharon Widdison, Javea

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I clean holiday apartments and any left over toiletries I collect and give to a local charity who provide the homeless with a place to shower and change their clothes. I’m always grateful for any half-used things as I know they are going to a good cause. It’s not demeaning at all.

It’s nice to be home.

It's a miracle no one was hurt (Timber, Issue 3, pg 5). But why didn't God just keep the damn thing from falling in the first place? Is this the ole sky daddy keeping us on our toes?

Mice mice baby

2/8/18 17:01

Sky daddy

Finding a new home

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There’s nothing wrong with it at all. I often leave things in apartments when we go back home. Most of it is unopened food, drink and toiletries. Whether or not the cleaners take it I don’t know, but some apartments have food in the cupboards and fridge that are left by the owners for new guests. If we use it, we replace it, because the apartments we stay in are owned by private owners who also use the apartments.

Ed. Hi Jane, we are so sorry to hear that, it must be infuriating for you. However we did run quite a number of stories towards the end of last year and in January about voting eligibility and the electoral census. We frequently publish articles to help our readers stay up to date on the required Spanish documentation. It is a shame you missed them.

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2/8/18 17:01

Jaws of death

THE news that Brits are returning to Spain again, despite Brexit, is the best news we have had for six years. It emerged that more British nationals had registered on the Costa Blanca in 2018 than the previous year. The statistics, released by the Spanish Government, mark the first growth in Brit registrations here since 2013, when David Cameron promised an in-out EU referendum. And the increase was around 3000, taking the total of Brits registered in Alicante province to 69,289. These numbers should be welcomed by all, because they show that Brits can continue to make the best of Brexit. One reason for the increase in registrations was that some were from those who lived in Spain undocumented. It may have taken the UK’s departure from the EU, but British nationals now have that little push they need. More and more Brits are sorting out their lives here and that can only be a positive thing.

OPINION MANY across the Costa Blanca will be left feeling devastated after heavy rains inflicted severe flooding over the Easter weekend. Thankfully nobody died during the four days of torrential rain, but the economic impact on communities is yet to fully emerge. Dozens of cars were fully submerged under water and many residents suffered water damage in their homes.But, as the clean-up continues, it is important that we reflect on the reason there were no human fatalities following the bout of freak weather. Despite occurring during Semana Santa, the answer is not ‘God’. It is thanks to Spain’s fantastic emergency services, who in some cases, literally plucked people from the jaws of death. Some residents were trapped in homes, rapidly filling with water, with no means of escape. Around 400 people were evacuated in total, with police, firefighters, Red Cross workers and other groups all playing their part in both initial rescue efforts and the ongoing rehabilitation. As we come to terms with what has unfolded, take a moment to be thankful for those who have your back.

Personally I don’t see why the UK doesn’t have ID cards like Spain (Good news, at last!, Issue 3, pg 6). It makes life so much easier. The same people who argue against it are the ones who complain about immigration. If you’ve nothing to hide why not have one, you’re already on so many government systems anyway.

Readers react to news that a British mum on holiday in Benidorm was slated for leaving used toiletries as a tip for cleaners (Online, May 2)

ubject to conditions. o t v a l i d f Co r r e n e w a l s . S *Offer ends 30/11/18. N

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A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than 500,000 people a month.

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2/8/18 17:01

We’re here to stay! HUNDREDS of new British resiin dents have registered to live Spain. naThe number of registered UK the tionals has zoomed up despite spectre of Brexit. In Mallorca there were 119 more last Brits registered at the end of year compared to 2017. to And the numbers are expected have risen further over the last quarter, believe experts. “I think many people are worried, so that has increased registrations,” naAnne Hernandez, president of in tional support group Brexpats Spain told the Olive Press. “And a lot of Brits are currently moving to Spain, because they don’t any want to leave their dream move

www.theolivepress.es

Toiletry tips

Andalucia Issue 317 Blunder land II

6 May 9th - May 22nd 2019

Adrian Day, Bristol

Victim of Vox Vox victimise women and defenceless animals (Vox Benidorm candidate booted out for domestic violence, online, May 2). They are a thoroughly nasty bunch, supported by bullfighters and hunters. Gyle Taylor, Albox

Has anything piqued your interest in this week’s Olive Press? Have your say on the matter by emailing newsdesk@theolivepress.es or alternatively message us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OlivePressNewspaper or Twitter @olivepress

Olive Press Crossword 1

11 12 13

16 18

17 20

19 21

Answers on page 30

Across 1 Bay (5) 4 Serious collision (5-2) 8 Group within a group (7) 9 Sort of line dance (5) 10 Large town (4) 11 Capsize (8) 13 Track (5) 14 Anaesthetic (5) 18 Left-hander (8) 20 Worry (4) 22 Electromagnetic telecommunication (5) 23 Flagellate (7) 24 Brings up (7) 25 Entice (5) Down 1 Invertebrate creature (6) 2 Seafood choice (7) 3 Playthings (4) 4 Record cover (6) 5 Free from error (8) 6 Member of the Indian majority (5) 7 Type of Chinese cracker (5) 12 The exact middle of the day (4,4) 15 Aural membrane (7) 16 Falls into disuse (6) 17 Thoroughfare (6) 18 Fragment (5) 19 Mammary gland in cows (5) 21 Baptismal bowl (4)

Ag ele gui

Don’t know your P Join the Olive Pres a whirlwind tour o

OLITICAL deadlock h Pedro Sanchez to go April 28. Politicians of all stripe the country amid a backdro out-of-control national debt It comes as immigration fea rised Spanish society and b Pre-election polls suggest S on a knife edge with no ma their own. To better help our readers Olive Press has provided a b ning, the key issues on whic can get their piece of the po

PSOE Ideology: Social Democracy European Affiliation: S&D Predicted to get: 29%

The Spanish Socialist Wo Spain’s oldest political gr its roots back to 1879, a country’s current governm Once proudly socialist and xist, the PSOE now clings centre left democratic soc PSOE leader Pedro Sanc Spain’s Prime Minister by confidence’ vote against th pular government of Mari June 2018. Sanchez was forced to c election for April 28 after ties that propped up his m government withdrew their voted down his budget. The PSOE proposes a soci which looks to strengthen liaments and nationalise energy ‘as services of publi It also seeks new taxes on fi sactions and digital service an increased rate for high e Sanchez is also consider prostitution in a bit to win who make up 40% of undic

Property

be Ma s m t p laga ag ro ’s az pe in rty e

www.theolivepress.com

Issue 29

A tour of Spain’s most prolific ‘pavilion’ creators, SEE PAGE X

May 2019

The places they should have filmed Game of Thrones in Spain... ...Plus our pick of the best castles for sale in Spain this year

See page IX

Winter ΄ isn t coming Agents report good start to 2019 as confidence from Brits returns

Mark Stucklin

May 2019

www.spanishpropertyinsight.com

What would each political party mean for Spain’s property market? By Mark Stucklin

PAIN is going through a period of political instability with three general elections in the last four years, followed by a censure motion some months ago that brought the current Socialist Government into power on the back of a fragile coalition that has since fallen apart and forced the Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to call another General Election. While PSOE won the most seats, they will still need to form a pact with another party to form a government, unless Sanchez tries to go it alone with a minority government. Either way, what do the main parties propose in terms of housing policies at a time when rising housing costs in Spanish cities and some coastal areas are a political hot potato? Here are the main points from each manifesto:

PODEMOS Far left

PROPERTY

Left turn Help young people get on the property ladder

PSOE

Socialists centre left • Establish a basic emancipation income for young people on low salaries to help them afford housing • Make public land available to build more social housing for rent

Empty homes for council housing

• Impose rent controls and indefinite rental contracts • Limit mortgage debts to the value of the property for borrowers in distress • Make banks pay past and

Allow owners to defend their homes with violence

VOTING MAP KEY - PSOE - PP - CIUDADANOS - VOX

VOX

Nationalist far right • Deregulate the rental market • Reform the laws governing Real Estate Investment Trusts, known in Spain as SOCIMIs • Liberalise the planning process for all building land unless protected for some reason • Allow owners to use violence in the defence of their property

DIVERGENCE: The parties have different outlooks for Spain’s property market, while (above) voting map shows PSOE dominance in April’s general election

CIUDADANOS

Liberal centre right

POPULAR PARTY - Centre right Tax breaks for landlords

present mortgage related taxes • Prohibit evictions with no alternative housing • Confiscate empty homes for social housing

DUMAS

• Increase tax breaks for landlords and insurance protection from late or non payment of rent • Harsher punishments for squatters and more support for landlords to re-

Speed up eviction process

cover their property from squatters • Scrap stamp duty (AJD) on mortgages for main homes • Provide public land for building new homes

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III

May 2019

Should be a hit

DREAMERS: Bilton and Lisa B’s Ibiza winner

Good year ahead From front

as Adam Neale at Terra Meridiana in Estepona, who has seen a strong first quarter. “It is holding up well this side of Marbella,” he explained. “There is a lot of competition from new agents, but there are plenty of buyers out there and many of them are British.” Meanwhile coastal analyst Campbell Ferguson, of Survey Spain, is insisting buyers are now ‘just getting on with it despite Brexit’. “There is still concern at the uncertainty of the effects of Brexit, for both the UK and the EU as a whole, but many are just carrying on hoping that they’ll be able to deal with what is decided,” he explained. He added that certain markets, such as those in Estepona, Sotogrande and Benahavis, are ‘definitely on the up and up’, while Marbella has the strongest Spanish demand and worldwide appeal. “New properties in the right locations are selling immediately after they are announced, with Nordic, Dutch and Belgian clients also being strong,” he added. It comes after new data from national agency Lucas Fox showed that the property market has been regaining confidence with first quarter figures for 2019 showing prices on the rise and a growth in overall sales.

A BRITISH property mogul married to model/actress Lisa B is behind a hip new development in the Balearic Islands. Anton Bilton has drafted in a raft of globally-known architects to create an ‘eclectic community’ for the White Island of Ibiza. The development, which features its own nightclub and spa, is being created for a staggering €360 million. Designed for the super-rich, its collection of 50 cutting-edge homes sit in the sizeable 42-acre

Mediterranean Benz

Sabina estate. The amazing properties, which are around 1,300sqm in size, feature infinity pools and stunning grounds. Renowned architects, such as Sir David Chipperfield, Ami Szmelcman and Rick Joy have designed some of the homes. “I imagined an eclectic community of like-minded owners, attracted to Ibiza and its environment of freedom without prejudice,” explained Raven Property Group founder Bilton, who was listed as the 892nd richest man in the UK, according to the Sunday Times. “We are creating a place where children can run around the gardens or play tennis with friends, in a family and luxury environment.

Return of confidence After 2018 saw Spain’s property market stutter, this year shows early signs that confidence is slowly returning around the country

THE Spanish property market has been regaining confidence with figures for the first quarter of 2019 showing prices and sales on the rise. Data from national agency Lucas Fox has shown a more buoyant property market in places such as the Costa del Sol, the Costa Brava, Barcelona and Madrid. Sales by the agency saw the average

Spain fees among lowest SPAIN has some of the cheapest estate agent fees in Europe. According to analysis by comparison site GetAgent home sellers pay on average 2.75% in agency fees in Spain. The UK has the cheapest fees with an average of 1.2% of the sale price, compared with a top rate of 6% found in Romania. “Estate agents in the UK have a tough time when it comes to justifying their fees,with the predominant

opinion being that they charge too much for the service provided,” said GetAgent’s CEO Colby Short. “This really isn’t the case, the UK is actually home to the lowest estate agent fees in the EU and therefore you could argue, the best service as well.” Short added: “So while you consider if 3000 to 4000 pounds is a justifiable spend in the UK, remember you could be paying upward of 10,000 if you live in other parts of Europe.”

price increase by 9% to €997,675 while the total value of sales more than tripled. Meanwhile new development sales in the first three months of 2019 increased six times compared to the same period in 2018. According to government statistics, Malaga province saw a 35% spike in sales of new homes in the first quarter of 2019 compared to the same period last year. In Barcelona, which is fast becoming Europe’s Silicon Valley, international buyers made up just under three quarters of all sales. “The positive market trend we saw in 2018 has continued in 2019, reflected in some excellent first quarter results in both Girona and the Costa Brava,’ said partner Tom Maidment. According to data from the Spanish Property Registry, in 2018 almost 65,500 homes were sold to foreigners. Maidment said: “The volume of closed sales rose by 13% with local buyers accounting for a third of sales and French and British buyers each accounting for just under a quarter of all sales. With a very healthy pipeline of business, we expect the year to continue on a positive upward trend.”

MERCEDES has used Javea’s Mediterranean coastline as the backdrop for its latest advertising campaign. The German car manufacturer filmed at Casa Sardinera, which overlooks Portichol island, for the national rollout of their new 4x4 GLS model. The now-famous home, which offers 180 degree views of the turquoise bay beneath it, is particularly loved for its infinity pool that can be viewed through a window in the basement spa room. The house won Best Residential Pool in Europe, as well as first prize at the VII Porcelanosa Awards of Architecture and Interior Design 2015, after its construction in 2014. The 1,285m2 property, built by the Roman Esteve Studio, has also been used by LG Electronics, Zara and El Corte Ingles for marketing campaigns this year.

SIMPLE: First council house

House of remembrance SPAIN’S oldest council house is to become a museum to commemorate 190 years since a ‘devastating’ earthquake struck the Costa Blanca. Authorities in Almoradi built the small house four years after the 1828 quake destroyed the town and killed 200 inhabitants. “We wanted to protect this house because it is the last one left standing,” said historian Jose Antonio Latorre, a councillor in the town. “The intention is repurpose it as a place to remember the earthquake as there is nothing to chart this important event in history.” The council has bought the property in Calle La Reina including its original key for just €46,000. The modest one story dwelling is the last of the 124 homes that were built to shelter families following a Royal Decree.

Sotogrande Costa - Independent villa Bedrooms

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Garden

1.100 m2

Built

320 m2

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280 m2

Villa with stunning panoramic sea views over the Mediterranean Gibraltar and Africa, 5 minutes from the beach,water sports, prestigious golf courses, polo, international schools. Set in a mature mediterranean 1.100sq.m garden with beautiful sun bed area and swimming pool, the villa was recently fully renovated to the highest standards with prime materials (including beige marble flooring, granite, air conditioning, heating, double glazing,solar panels). With 320 sq.m built and 280sq.m terrace, the two-story villa is south facing with uninterrupted sea view from East to West comprises a spacious living-dining room (fireplace) giving onto a fantastic covered terrace and solarium, a fully equipped modern open plan kitchen, a guest toilet, 6 bedrooms, 5 bath shower rooms, dressing, laundry, cellar with parking for 5 vehicles. Energy class B 15 minutes from Marbella - 56 minutes from Malaga airport -15 minutes from Gibraltar airport

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PROPERTY

May 2019

Green

Spanish architects with designs on saving the planet

USTAINABLE builds are becoming the hottest thing since global warming and dozens of architects in Spain are at the grass roots of the green boom. Millions of people around the world are waking up to climate change and taking an interest in where their food and household products come

New wave of Catalan sustainability

CATALUNYA home whose undulating Gaudi curves would have raised the eyebrows of the great architect himself has set the bar for sustainable homes of the future. Villa Stgilat Aiguablava in the Emporda region has just been completed for a wealthy Swiss family who wanted a modern property which adapts to its environment. Crafted by Enric Ruiz-Geli and his Cloud 9 studio, the home features a main house, adjacent pavilion and incredible swimming pool. Advanced fiberglass engineering was used to form the enormous sweeping

Catalan vault stretching across the main residence interior, a feature echoing the view outward. The structure and materials recreate the properties of a natural cave to keep things cool during hot summers and cosy during the winter, while their porosity keeps the air inside fresh, making for a highly energy efficient home. Meanwhile, outside, the preexisting community of pine trees are complemented by an integrated native foliage, filtered rainwater swimming pool and adjoining wild native plant garden.

Sell away

Top tips for selling your property on the Costa Blanca

st oa

tant when deciding to sell your home that you make sure potential buyers can see themselves in your well-kept garden or terrace, tidy away poolside clutter and inflaties. tables, replace faded and ripped If you are thinking of selling sun lounge cushions and have your property on the Costa designated areas with comfortaNext, take a Blanca, here is our feedback ble furniture for reclining, a BBQ on what clients are looking long objective area and dining area. for, what puts them off and Curb appeal is always important, look at your how to get your property remake a good first impression by ady to sell. property from keeping paths swept, re varnish 95 % of our sales this year gates, and make sure doors and the inside have been to Belgian, British door knobs are clean and in good and Dutch clients, one of the order. key priorities for both these Get rid of any weeds and consinationalities when buying a proper- der planting a couple of fresh containers ty here in the Costa outside the front door, in the garden or on Blanca, is outdoor the balcony. living, the al fres- Having got the outside in order, the next n the c co lifestyle and thing to do is to take a long objective look o relaxing in the at your property from the inside. We have a sunshine. top three list of ways for you to present the It is so impor- property in its best light.

Eyes

PRING is in the air and certainly for us at Coast and Country it was a phenomenally busy April with lots of clients viewing and buying proper-

e n Ty

Dress to impress We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean put on your Sunday best for viewings but dress you house with fluffy white towels in the bathrooms , soft lighting with low wattage lamps or dimmer switches, subtle throws and cushions and banish any heavily patterned items such as rugs and bed linen to storage, Decorating Colour is a wonderful thing but when it comes to selling your home tone down bright and brash colours and freshen up any bold coloured rooms with a neutral tone.

De-clutter living in a home for years means we collect lots of personal belongings and memorabilia. Why wait until you move to sort it out? Take it room by room, decide what stays, what goes and what is boxed away ready for the move. Simplify everything and invest in appropriate storage containers that can be hidden away for the items that are staying. If you would like help before deciding to sell with a valuation , how best to present your house and with some free no obligation tips and advice, just call the team at Coast and Country or come in and see us in our Moraira town centre office.

Contact us at info@coastandcountry.properties or call 0034 693554967 or visit us at Coast and Country, Avenida De La Paz 3, Moraira.

May 2019

team

from and - increasingly - the fabric of their homes. And with the clock to climate catastrophe already ticking, homebuyers are demanding energy efficient properties and have a low-to-no carbon footprint. Luckily, architects are already coming up with ingenious designs and ideas for energy efficient homes which don’t cut back on the cool factor. We’ve singled out four stunning green houses in Spain that are taking the concept of ‘eco-friendly’ to the max.

Zero to hero

HIS Cantabrian holiday home is so energy efficient it generates more power than it consumes. Villa Slow, as it has been christened by Laura Alvarez Architecture, is built from the walls of a stone ruin and offers the perfect hideaway in the nature reserve of Valles Pasiegos. The home relies on an air-heat pump with a low-temperature heating system while its top-notch insulation keeps energy use at an all time low. “The house is connected to the electrical network, as in Spain you are not allowed to build without this connection,” studio founder Laura Alvarez told Dezeen. “The heat-pump is connected to the grid and produces five kilowatts of energy for each kilowatt that it takes from the network. So, it produces more energy that it consumes, therefore you can call it a zero-energy home.” The property is a replica of a cabaña pasiega barn house typical of the Cantabrian mountain region. A slate roof and stone walls are paired with huge windows offering jaw-dropping views, while the interiors have a minimal look with an open-plan kitchen and living space.

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May 2019

PROPERTY

Houses of cards

Where Spain’s political leaders lay their heads at night after a stormy session in the Senate

UXURY pads in Madrid, cosy apartments in Barcelona and a holiday home in Almeria. These are just some of the properties, homes and cash cows owned by the men vying for political

BY Laurence dollimore

control of Spain. As the dust settles on last month’s snap election, we take a look at the property portfolios of Spain’s political leaders.

Pablo Casado

Pedro Sanchez

HOLIDAY: Home in Almeria while (above right) Moncloa palace and (inset above right) Pozuelo de Alarcon

As a perk of the top job in Spain, Sanchez and his family spend most of their time at the stunning Moncloa Palace in Madrid. But when the official residence of the prime minister gets too much, the PSOE leader has two other properties in the capital he can retreat to. His first home was purchased in 1992, an apartment in the centre which he now rents out for a cool €800 per month.

But it is his second home in upmarket Po- zuelo de Alarcon where he is most likely to be seen. Bought with his wife María Begoña Gómez Fernández in 2008, the property sits in the Prado de Somosaguas urbanisation, and is very close to La Finca, where the majority of the Real Madrid stars reside. Pozuelo de Alarcón is the richest municipality in Spain, with the highest per capita income, while the average price per m2 is €2,700. The father-of-two also owns a holiday home in Mojacar in Almeria. The small apartment in the Victoria Buildings acts as a retreat from the rat race for the Sanchez family most summers, when you can spot the fit Socialist leader dining at the nearby AkuAku chiringuito or taking a dip in the sea, exiting the water James Bond style with body guards posted nearby.

LUXURY: Rivera has moved to La Finca while (below) his old apartment building in Madrid housing €2 million pad

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RETREAT: Casado’s Avila pad while (top) Salamanca in Madrid

Albert Rivera

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THE Partido Popular leader has just seen his party through its worst general election performance EVER. Casado will be working hard in Madrid to face off calls to resign and come up with a new image for his critically injured conservative party, now jokingly known as the Partido Impopular. Luckily he has a luxury flat in the upmarket Salamanca district where he can retreat to lick his wounds each night. Valued at more than €500,000, he shares the swanky pad with his wife, Isabel Orts, and children Pablo and Paloma. But during the summer, the 37-year-old retreats to Avila family in tow - to wind down in a house he has rented for the past five years. Worth €300,000 (a lot considering the area) the pine forest retreat in Las Navas del Marques, less than two hours from Madrid, is part of the primo Ciudad Ducal urbanisation the perfect setting for planning his party’s comeback. There’s no pool but with a natural lake on the doorstep, who needs one?

The leader of centre-right Ciudadanos is doing well for himself having just moved to La Finca, Spain’s most exclusive neighbourhood. He recently began renting a luxury apartment with his partner, the singer Malu (pictured below) where he has Gareth Bale, Juanfran and Simeone for neighbours. The leader of the Cs had been living in an apartment worth €2 million in the nearby barrio of Somosaguas, but reportedly he wanted more privacy. La Finca has 24/7 security and is inaccessible to everyday citizens. You must earn at least €86,000 per year to live in the upmarket neighbourhood which Rivera just clears with his €89,000 declared salary. His girlfriend Malu, meanwhile, rakes in tens of thousands of euros per concert. Before moving to Madrid, Albert Rivera lived with then-girlfriend Beatriz Tajuelo in a modest home in L’Hospitalet, close to Barcelona, a property he still owns. The father-of-one also shares ownership of a home in La Garriga with his ex-wife.

May 2019

Pablo Iglesias

Oh, and in case your interested...

Ceilings with exposed wooden beams, natural stone floors, underfloor heating and a neocolonial style is the mood at casa Pablo Iglesias - the new house that the Podemos party leader bought with his wife Irene Montero for €615,000. Set in the town of Galapagar, in Madrid’s Sierra de Guadarrama, close to the historic hunting grounds of Spanish royalty, the drop dead gorgeous property’s hefty price tag was a red flag to the leftist leader’s bullish opponents with many branding him a hypocrite. Nonetheless, the family and their three dogs have been enjoying the home which is ideally close to alternative schools where the Podemos boss would like to send his future twins. They are set to arrive this autumn. At around 268 m2 on a plot of 2,000 m2 there’s plenty of room. The house boasts three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a fireplace, a garden with an orchard and ‘zen area’ where Iglesias can meditate away his political woes and a small guest house for schmoozing VIPs.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia

PARADISE: Podemos leader’s mansion outside Madrid, featuring ‘zen zone’ and stunning swimming pool

Santiago Abascal The new Vox leader is not a man of property. When he quit the PP party in 2013 and lost his €80,000+ salary, he hit financial hardship. The far right leader, struggling to support four children by two different women, was forced to give up his beloved home in the Basque country when it was reposessed by the bank. And apparently it’s still hurting. “I have lost my home. I lost the property in a bad time,” he recently revealed.

“I know perfectly what it is to have your house, the savings of your whole life remain in the power of a bank. “Nobody has to explain it to me, but I also assume responsibility for committing to a mortgage that I could not pay.” He is now believed to be renting in Madrid, exact whereabouts unknown. But the way politics are going, his fortunes could look up.

Although not leaders of any political party, Felipe and Letizia are part and parcel of Spain’s Realpolitik. The good-looking couple and their daughters spend most of their time at their mansion in the grounds of the Palacio de la Zarzuela in Madrid. Known as the Prince’s Pavilion, access to their residence is gained via a simple garden boasting a pond and three fountains. A spiral staircase shooting off from the main lobby leads to the private quarters of the family. Felipe and Letizia enjoy a master bedroom with two dressing rooms, two bathrooms and a living room with fireplace. Three further bedrooms are occupied by Princess Leonor and the Infanta Sofía who have use of two bathrooms, a living room, large terrace and office. When Madrid simmers in summer, the whole family takes off for Son Vent, their palatial holiday villa in Mallorca. Set in the grounds of sumptuous Marivent Palace, the official summer residence of ex-King Juan Carlos and his wife Sofía, the gardens are open to the public.

VII

PURE CLASS: The Zarzuela palace

VIII

May 2019

PROPERTY

Cinematic 5 stunning Spanish locations that SHOULD have been filmed for Game of Thrones

ROM the frozen wastes of Iceland to the rocky shores of Ireland and on, as the dragon flies, through Croatia, Morocco and Malta, Game of Thrones has featured dramatic landscapes and impressive architecture from all over the world. Spain is at the top in the list of countries visited by the HBO blockbuster, and southern Spain especially has come under the spotlight. More than ten Spanish locations appear in all eight seasons of the show, with five focused on southern Spain. Many articles have reviewed the series´ Spanish highlights

but there are other natural beauty spots and architectural wonders that Queen Cersei of the Seven Kingdoms would have killed for. We’ve put together a list of places we feel would have added to the stark alien beauty of Westeros and Essos. Hopefully they will inspire in your personal and creative endeavours. Who knows - you could be the next George R. R. Martin!

Loarre Castle, Aragon, Huesca This majestic 11th-century fortress in the province of Huesca, Aragon is considered to be Europe’s best-conserved Romanesque castle. Sitting up on a rocky ridge 1,071 metres above sea level it was highly important to King Sancho III the Elder in the Christian Reconquest from the Moors. Together with nearby Marcuello castle, both were strategically significant in the Aragonese defence system against the iron strength of the Moors in Bolea. Although it didn’t make the Game of Thrones cut the castle did feature in Ridley Scott’s 2005 epic, Kingdom of Heaven.

Segovia Alcazar A castle fit for a princess or the fair Daenerys, this famous fairytale fortress an hour from Madrid was rumoured to be the inspiration behind Cinderella’s Castle in Walt Disney World. It stands on an imposing rock promontory shaped like the bow of a ship. This rocky outcrop has been shaped, over time, by the waters of the Rio Eresma, which flow around it and a walk along the Camino de la Cuesta de los Hoyos below it reinforces the illusion that the castle is sailing towards you.

Mezquita de Almonaster la Real, Huelva The only remaining mosque in rural Spain, it was built by the Moors between the 9th and 10th centuries on top of a 6th-century Visigoth basilica from the 6th century and also combines Roman, Almohad and Gothic elements. After the Reconquista it was converted into a hermitage and was listed a historical monument in 1931. Today, it is principally used as a church but also doubles as a cultural centre promoting diversity and interreligious dialogue.

Olvera Castle, Cadiz

Besalu, Catalunya This stunning town has kept much of its medieval structures in tact so the set designers could take a wellearned break. The fortified citadel is laced with narrow cobbled streets that link to its iconic medieval bridge which is spectacularly illuminated at night.

Commanding 360 degree and perfect for frontier the Moors first built this in the 12th century to the border of the Nasrid of Granada against the Kingdom of Castile. Around medieval town of Olvera In 1327 it was taken by King of Castile, Alfons Christians then comrebuilt the castle into the fortress we see today. the castle we see today.

views defence, castle defend Emirate Spanish it, the grew. the XI. The pletely stalwart

May 2019

Own your own castle

Segovia

Here’s your chance to live out your wildest Game of Thrones fantasies, unfortunately no dragons included

La Garrotxa

Classified as a monument of cultural interest, this unique property boasts a rich mix of both Arab and neoclassical architectural styles. The castle was the abode of the 14th Century Kings of Aragon and could be now be yours for €15,000,000.

MORAIRA PLUMBING HEATING Superbly situated in the medieval village of Santa Pau near Olot, this historic 12th century castle in La Garrotxa was recently home to an order of nuns. The €1,450,000 property dates back to 1147 and has undergone numerous modifications and extensions over the centuries.

Guadalest Castle, Alicante

Trujillo

A bendy road from Benidorm leads to this picturesque mountaintop village 30 minutes from the Costa Blanca coast. It’s no longer a best-kept secret but the views are amazing. The castle, built by Muslims in the 11th century, can only be accessed through a 15ft tunnel hewn into the rock while the Torre de Peñon de Alcalá watchtower perched on the highest rock has become an iconic motif of the village. Commanding aerial views of the valleys and rivers below and all the way to the sea, no throne-stealing warrior hoard could hope to plan a surprise attack on this vertiginous mountain eyrie.

This seven bedroom castle built into the walls of the historic, hilltop town of Trujillo close to the Portuguese border, is being offered for sale at €1,600,000. The 820 square metre property sits on 1 hectare of land and offers exceptional views of the surrounding Caceres countryside.

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May 2019

PROPERTY

20 not out

BEAUTIFUL: Martell pavillion in France

Celebrating Spain’s most prolific pavilion creators celebrating two decades of jaw-dropping work

ENTION the word ‘pavilion’ to any posh Brit and it will likely conjure up schoolboy memories of cricket-filled

summers. But for those well-versed in the world of architecture it means just one thing: SelgasCano. This Madrid-based architectural studio has been creating jaw-dropping private and public projects in Spain and Europe since 1998. Silicon House (2007) and the Office in the Woods (2009) in Madrid, the El ‘B’ Cartagena Auditorium and Congress Centre in Murcia (2011) and the Mérida Factory in Extremedura (2011) are all the work of Jose Selgas and Lucia Cano whose colourful, avant garde designs regularly go viral on Instagram. But it is their work on pavilions - architectural joys, annexes or complementary additions to existing spaces, usually

with a leisure focus - that’s winning them most accolades. They were first featured at the Spanish Pavilion during the Venice Biennale of architecture within the collective exhibition SpainLab in 2012. The following year they won the Kunstpreis prize awarded by the Academy of the Arts in Berlin and were named ‘Architects of the Year’ by the German Design Council. In 2015, they designed the pavilion for the Serpentine Gallery in London while more recently they installed the Pavillon Martell in France. Check out our round-up of some of their most eye-catching works.

LUCKY: SalgosCano workers inside their ‘immersed’ office in Madrid

CHARITABLE: The Konokono project in Kenya provided much-meeded shelter for a school

F you ask a homeowner if they would consider selling to an exclusive agency, the answer is usually no. The owner will no doubt prefer to give the property to several agencies to ‘have more options’, and ‘get a faster sale’ - or the owner may wish to sell the house themselves. However what they don’t know is that giving the floor exclusively to an agency has several advantages: A) A bond If an agency has exclusivity, it will invest all its effort in selling it - there is no risk that the result of the work will be taken on by another. You may think that having exclusively takes off the pressure, so an agency can relax and slow down, but in today’s market, relaxing is a luxury agencies simply cannot afford. They will sell your house, or lose their income. B) Transparency Agencies are clear: houses without agency exclusivity are often published without an address, to thwart competitors. This,

Going exclusive There are advantages to selling your house with an exclusive real estate agency obviously, does not respect the buyer, who wants to know from the beginning where a house is located. For this reason, on our website and other portals, we show houses with their exact address. And this makes them look better, gain more interest and sell quicker. C) A single point of contact The process of selling your house is going to be long and hard. You need someone to trust and to guide you. Your house is in the market, and the market is volatile. If you get advice from several different agencies, it may become impossible to draw clear conclusions. Events will happen very quickly and there will come a time when you have

to make decision. If you depend on what several agents tell you, you may end up spreading yourself too thin. D) Fees To think that you can save on fees is like wanting to go to the dentist without paying. Selling a property is something really complicated today: you have to fine-tune the price, find buyers, invest in advertising, attend visits and cut through hefty paperwork. It is also going to be one of the most important economic operations of your life, so any mistake can be a serious problem. The money invested in hiring an agency can be the best investment of your life if you get to sell the house quickly.

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May 2019

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WHEN IN BRUGES: This floating pavillion was star of the show at the Trienniale Bruges event, which invites artists from around the world to produce temporary structures to float along the city’s famous canals

iving on the Costa’s, thousands and Spain since 1991 and have satellite offices cothousands of ex-pat’s have the responsibi- vering the Almeria area, the Costa del Sol and lity and expensive chore of having to regu- the Algarve Portugal. The owner realised with larly maintain and paint the exterior of their all the problems stated above that a product properties, especially now the recession is over was needed to solve these problems. Andura, and house prices are on the climb. a well known English specialist coating manuLiving in Spain you soon become aware it is a facturer have been making specialist protectivery harsh climate and the run of the mill local ve coatings for the harsh English weather for paints do not last or offer the protection that over 40 years and they teamed up with No Need to Paint many years ago is needed in such a harsh environment, soaring temperatures to offer their products exclusively in Spain. Their products are in the summer and low humid Run of the mill ISO9002 & BBA approved and temperatures in the autumn and winter cause the paint to crack local paints do proven to last in some cases in excess of 30 years. sometimes after a year of application. Also, when the Gota Fria not last or offer No Need to Paint Andura arrives, the heavy rains a lot of have hundreds of refethe protection Abroad rences available and are consthe paints can be washed off that is needed tantly looking for display prothe wall and offer absolutely no perties to promote the product in protection for penetrating damp your area. Generous subsidies which these heavy rains can cause. Added to this, when the Sahara sand rain are offered if properties can hold an open day comes and large amounts of sand are deposi- for one day only so members of the public can ted on walls and floors, trying to clean this with see the product being applied and able to have a hose pipe or power washer is impossible and the questions answered and see the product often the paint comes off the walls. To keep firsthand at installation. Though the product your property protected from the elements and costs more than a normal professional paint in first class condition can be an expensive re- job, the little extra it costs is well worth the ingular chore. vestment bearing in mind as stated above in No Need to Paint Andura Abroad have been some cases many people have to paint their operating their long life coating systems in house every two to three years.

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PROPERTY

XII

May 2019

Climate effect How climate change should impact how you view properties in southern Spain, writes Survey Spain’s Campbell Ferguson

OW that the Spanish general election has passed and it looks likely that a government will be formed around the PSOE, the recently announced changes in the Rent Act are likely to proceed. Accordingly, buyers, sellers and lenders will have to be very sure that a property is not let, as where a tenancy is created, the tenant may be able to stay in the property for five years or more, no matter what the lease says. Note that an 11 month contract is not, and has not been, a way to avoid Rent Act legislation. Also, Andalucia may find that changing from a left to a right wing government, at the time when national government changes the other way, will see a less positive attitude to investment.

Climate change FUTURE: Making your house green is good for your wallet and the planet

With the dire predictions of major climate change in the next 10 to 20 even fines in the future. Increased inyears, within the lifetime of most rea- sulation, solar heating of water, and ders and certainly of their children, photovoltaic generation of electricity what can each person and family are essential. do to help reduce the effects? Yes, it’s going Water supply to be expensive, but With rising not doing anything is The prediction for going to hurt a whole southern Spain is that sea levels, is lot more. it will become warmer beachfront really and dryer. With coEnergy certificate the best place to rrect water management, that should not be? be a problem, but inThis now becomes an creased sea levels and even more important less rain coming down item to study when considering buying a property and from the mountains, will permit salby law must be provided with initial twater to enter the underground reproperty details. Poor energy and serves close to the coast. It happecarbon dioxide ratings are going ned in the 1990s when there was a to be penalised by higher costs and drought, and nothing can be done

to stop that, so many coastal wells will become unusable. Location With rising sea levels and greater storm surges predicted, is beach front really the place to be? Surges will travel up rivers, to be met by flash floods from the mountains, so that the map that shows flooding once in 100 years, may see their occurrence come down to a 10th of that. Other matters Do you really need that second car, especially if it is a diesel? Using taxis, increasingly electric and eventually hydrogen powered, uses less

resources and causes less pollution. The money saved can be used to improve the house or even buy a bicycle, with health as well as carbon benefits. Within cities, simple alternatives such as electric scooters, are effective now. Go to Malaga to see it in action. Climate change makes all the world’s other troubles insignificant. So think, what can I do to reduce my energy use and carbon footprint? As consumers and investors, we are responsible for the mess we are in, and we are part of the solution. No matter personal wealth or celebrity, we all have to eat and breathe. There is no planet B. www.surveyspain.com

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BUSINESS

May 9th - May 22nd 2019

Giving more A CHARITY shop franchise which boasts five branches in La Nucia, Altea and Villajoyosa will soon be setting up another location in Albir. Giving4Giving, which opened its first door in Altea in 2012, has raised more than €123,000 to support Costa Blanca cancer charities, homeless shelters, food banks and more. The second-hand goods outlet, which is run by volunteers and gives 100% of its income to charity, regularly holds auctions, sales and fundraising events to flog the items it receives from public donations. “I’ve lost a lot of people to cancer over the years, and the shop started as a hobby but now it takes up 90% of my life,” owner Gary Durr, 61, told the Olive Press. “It’s become a passion and an obsession, so I keep opening more shops hoping to donate even more to charity.” The Albir branch, opening on Cami Vell d´Altea, will be added to two existing

shops in Altea, one in Villajoyosa and a warehouse in La Nucia. Durr, originally from east London, urged the public to donate ‘clothing, bric a brac, electrical goods, household linen and furniture’ to any of Giving4Giving’s six locations.

Walking on plastic

Plastic collected from Spain’s seas are being made into footwear

Our Twitter feed gives users direct to all our stories and every digital access newspaper published

Fully interactive digital copy of the newspaper containing all advertisi ng seen online globally via Issuu

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Celebrating

Ecoalf have recycled 380 tonnes of plastic waste, including 120 million plastic bottles, to make their innovative shoe that uses algae as a rubber sole. This year’s Denia Boat Show took place from May 1-5 and with a focus on the environment included children’s workshops, stand-up paddle classes and catamaran excursions to the Cabo de San Antonio Marine Reserve. On Saturday, the president of Denia Fisherman’s Association also released a turtle that had been saved by the Oceanographic Valencia’s ARCA del Mar ocean rescue foundation.

Sponsored posts on our website with to your site and with an average of links 20,000 page views per day s r r nd ou e sa in pap ou s s Th viewnew l of ita g di

THEY helped save the Notre Dame from total destruction, and now they are coming to the Marina Alta. Drones will now be used to identify and control forest fires in Altea by scanning high-risk zones and locating urgent hotspots. The announcement by Altea’s Environment Department is a first for the Marina Alta, which until now has had to determine how to battle a blaze on foot. "In spite of this being a very new subject, we can count on a company with great experience in issues of forest fire prevention with drones,” Altea councillor for the environment Beatriu Nomdedeu said. The councillor added that GRDONE’s drone pilot has a qualification in forest conservation as well as a license to operate drones from the State Agency for Air Security (A.E.S.A.).

The project, which began in Alicante in 2015 with just three fisherman, has now spread across Spain to include 550 ocean trawlers from 37 ports, including Denia, Javea, Calpe and Altea in the Marina Alta. "We have to be aware of the importance of the sea for society as a whole and we must spread the word," said Gabriel Martínez, director of the Denia Boat Show, which was celebrating its 12th edition this year.

r ur ou s Yo ry to er o st ed llow t o ee 0 f Tw ,00 7

men across Spain and come after four years of research and work.

te l ee ia 00 si Fr tor 0,0 eb i 1 w ed ur ay o -d in r-a to si

Eyes in the sky

GREEN: New footwear made from reclaimed plastic

A SPANISH startup has revealed a shoe collection made entirely from 100% recycled plastic at this year’s Denia Boat Show. Ecoalf’s SHAO shoes are made from plastic gathered purely from the bottom of the sea by fisher-

When you take out an advertising campaign with the Olive Press, you get a lot more than just the printed newspaper

We promote you on our hugely popu Facebook page with 17,000 likes lar and as many followers

The Olive Press gives you more!

May 9th - May 22nd 2019

BUSINESS

Expanding by popular demand Blacktower Financial Management (International) Ltd is continuing make inroads in Spain, offering excellent advice to expats of all nationalities

BY Tim Govaerts

ESPITE Britain's imminent departure rred to us through local communities. from the EU, Spain is still an expat And it's not just the British we assist. Natiodestination of choice for many Brits. nals from around the EU, including France, The lifestyle, the climate, the cultu- Holland and Scandinavia, as well as quite a re - they all play a part in making Spain a few from South Africa and the USA, are sigunique and desirable place that stirs hearts ning up to work with us. and minds. We pride ourselves on haEven with the spectre of ving multi-lingual members Brexit looming, the influx who, in almost all cases, Spain offers much opportunity for investors are expats themselves, of newcomers has anything and retirement planners so their understanding of but dwindled if you go by who are seeking the best expat life has been built the recent growth of British expats on the official pa- for their wealth. Having lived through personal knowleand worked in Spain for over dge of their region, and dron. a decade, I have witnessed However, newcomers, as they can offer advice and well as long-established ex- first hand numerous, dramatic recommendations in a lanchanges and therefore pats, are realising that getguage our clients will unappreciate how it is now more derstand. ting their financial affairs in important than ever to be able order is a priority right now. to offer our clients services The tax system in Spain As one of the leading wealcan still be favourable for they can trust. We pride th management companies ourselves on working with our expats, providing profesin Spain, and with offices in clients, for our clients and in sional and accurate advice Barcelona, the Costa Blan- ensuring they are our number is given enabling growth ca, the Costa Cálida, and potential of capital, assets one priority.” the Costa Del Sol, Blackand investments. tower is able to provide exTim Govaerts, It is our core mission to pats with the trusted finanAssociate Director in Spain understand our clients' ficial solutions they need. nancial situations fully, so So, with the EU landscape when you come to Blackchanging around us, we have put the infras- tower we provide a full review of your finantructure in place to ensure we can offer full cial circumstances, while also gaining an assistance to our existing clients and the understanding of your needs and long-term new clients who are continually being refe- goals.

“

Clarity, transparency and trust are key

planning and pensions. Our clients are able to benefit from unique investment opportunities through the Nexus Portfolio Range: three expertly managed portfolios, all carefully designed and fully regulated to provide diversified, highly liquid investment opportunities. The portfolios make the most of global markets, including rising prospects, and are managed by a British asset management company with more than 200 years of experience to provide robust risk management and active investment management.

Excellence in communication is at the forefront of our service philosophy – we believe that speaking with clarity and transparency is one of the most important things we can do to help clients make the most of our services and to assist them in the most effecSecurity and regulation tive way. Many people feel the financial services industry is rife with complication, contra- Client protection is another of our key mandiction and mystification – we believe this tras for service provision: Blacktower is highly regulated in all the doesn't need to be the jurisdictions we work in, case, so we base the ethos It is really rewarding to we hold relevant licences, of our service provision on be able to help clients and all our advisers are simplicity, suitability and achieve their goals highly qualified and accomtrust. and, as Blacktower’s plished in their relevant Our expertise and holistic experience spans more attitude to wealth mana- than 30 years, we have been fields. gement means we don't through good times, bad times We hold key skill sets and upheavals of all sorts. which help our clients ever apply a one-size-fitsall approach to our clients' We understand how volatile achieve their goals, and the markets can be, but our the more we increase our needs. We know that listening independent outlook means client base, the more we carefully and developing we can work to smooth out the broaden our expertise. Exstrong relationships are the bumpy times for our clients.” pansion means we win and our clients win. It's a very best ways to offer the most Christina Brady, positive situation to be in. appropriate advice. Associate Director in Spain With Brexit looming, we Alongside helping expats have seen understandable to settle in and understand Spain's legal system in relation to tax and apprehension and anxiety among new and finances, we also look at how residency sta- established expats alike. tus can impact upon investments, estate This is natural and we have been spreading the message that - even though no one can possibly identify the final effects of Brexit putting financial matters in place sooner rather than later will be in your best interests. It might explain why increasing numbers of expats are coming to us from across Spain to ensure they are as prepared as possible. It's obvious however, that there will be challenges ahead, but at Blacktower we have worked hard to ensure we are as Brexit-proof as possible. Our continued expansion means we can help more clients who need our dedicated services, and we are currently growing our teams around the regions to maintain our levels of service for everyone who wants and needs assistance with their wealth management in Spain.

“

Blacktower Financial Management (International) Ltd has been established for over 32 years and has worked with clients through the good and the bad times offering sound, independent financial advice. We will be by your side both now and in the future. We know you have a choice about who helps you look after your financial security. Blacktower represents a strong, trusted and progressive choice in Spain. The above information was correct at the time of preparation and does not constitute investment advice and you should seek advice from a professional adviser before embarking on any financial planning activity.

Blacktower Financial Management Ltd is authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority and is registered with both the DGS and CNMV. Blacktower Financial Management (Int) Ltd is licensed in Gibraltar by the Financial Services Commission (FSC) and is registered with both the DGS and CNMV in Spain

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

May 9th - May 22nd 2019

Breader than all the rest

INSPIRATION: Coca bread gave way to pizza

Bearing fruit JAVEA’S chiringuitos have begun preparing for the summer season following a competitive bidding war last year. The five ‘temporary bars’ are preparing to open on Primer Montañar beach for the season which officially began on May 1. Due to bad weather, however, many delayed their opening parties until the sun returned. Javea’s five prime beach spots were the source of furious bidding in 2018 when four-year concessions came up for grabs. Though Javea town hall started bids at €15,000, offers fluctuated between €28,000 and €52,000. The businessman in charge of Mintt Javea, however, bid a massive €85,000 for the prime location next to the Parador. The other chiringuitos include the Aloha Javea, Vive Bonito and Chiringuito Veleta.

White ain’t right WHOLEMEAL breads have been granted a tax reduction in efforts to promote healthy eating in Spain. The proposal from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was approved late last month in a Royal Decree reducing the VAT from 10% to 4%. The reduction applies to breads made from wholemeal flour, wheat bran and wheat-alternatives. Government spokeswoman Isabel Celaa said the move would change the meaning of ‘daily bread’ as more consumers are demanding healthy food.

OLIVA has celebrated the second National Coca Competition to find the best makers of the traditional Valencian bread often cited as the ‘father of Italian pizza’. Oliva’s tourism department, alongside the Friends of the Coca of Oliva cultural association (AGACO), welcomed 20 restaurants from Barcelona, Valencia, Gandia, Oliva, Villalonga, El Palmar, La Xara,

Gata de Gorgos, Ondara and Javea to fight for the top prize. After each team submitted their best coca on Monday, the president of the Cortes Valencians Enric Morera handed out the €1,000 first-prize award to Paqui Vicens from Restaurante Oasis in Oliva. “I dedicate this award to my mother, as my memory of her is the thing that makes me

strive to improve myself each and every day,” an emotional Vicens said. Morera, who was born and raised Oliva, last year claimed that ‘Italian pizza originates from the coca of Oliva’. “The Valencians took it to Naples when it was a Mediterranean power, so anywhere you see Italian pizza, you will find the coca of Oliva,” he said.

Hop to it

Market forces A 16TH century coach-house which housed King Felipe III’s horses and carriages has been turned into a hip gastronomic market in Denia. Els Magazinos (‘the warehouses’) was totally refurbished by Denia hotelier Federico Cervera after a colourful history as a raisin depot, when the Marina Alta port exported the world over. The renovation has stayed true to the ancient brickwork and features 22 outlets across 2,000m2, attracting 10,000 people to this month’s opening. “Life has returned to the old mariner’s quarter,” a spokesperson for Els Magazinos said. “It’s a space for Dénia, made from Dénia, and with care and celebration of all the good things in life.”

Traditional

ARTISAN: Belgian couple bring unique micro-brewery and pub experience to Costa Blanca for summertime

Hot new one-of-a-kind microbrewery launches on the Costa Blanca THYME and raisins have provided the inspiration for a new micro-brewery in Denia that aims to promote ‘local ingredients and producers’. Cerveceria de la Marina Alta opened its doors this mon-

BREWING UP: Patrizia

Something for everyone at

HILL TOP GASTRO PUB

th on Calle Colon with a ‘micro-brewery’ in the back and and a ‘pub’ in the front, where it sells its 12 innovative brews that include a ‘chocolate stout’ as well as ‘herb-infused’ IPAs, lagers and ales. The brainchild of a Belgian-Italian couple, the brewery also pioneers a new style of beer pairing ‘never before seen’ in the region. “We all know about pairing food with wine, but we’re not used to beer pairing,” co-owner Patrizia Crespi, 47, told the Olive Press. “But lager goes really well with a Valencian coca of anchovies, spicy salchicha sausages are perfect with a wheat beer and our chocolate stout can be paired nicely with red fruits.” Crespi said her partner George Castro, 53, from Belgium, has long been passionate about beer. The couple began micro-brewing out of their former home in Beniarbeig three years ago.

Sustainability

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“George grew up surrounded by beer,” Crespi said, adding that in Belgium primary school children like George could choose between ‘water, brown ale or blonde ale’ at lunchtimes up until the 1980s. The couple have a strong focus on sustainability and hope to promote the ‘food ecosystem’ of the region by using local products for everything, except the malt and hops, which come from Germany. The opening last Wednesday was attended by 150 people. The brewery is open from Thurs-Sat from 12pm until 10pm.

Els Magazinos, a ‘neighbourhood within a neighbourhood’, has its own rustic, internal streets of bars serving tapas, beers, lunch and dinner. The space also houses two restaurants run by the Cervera family - Les Cuinetes and A la Fresca - featuring traditional Valencian food, while two terraces provide sunset views of the 11th century Denia Castle. Els Magazinos is situated in Baixa la Mar, between Calle Senieta and Calle Pont, and is open every day from 9am until late.

FOOD,DRINK &

May 9th - May 22nd 2019

THE paper not to miss in Costa Blanca THE Olive Press is now distributing all over the coast in a whole host locations. Found at golf courses, tourist offices, museums and petrol stations, it has become the most sought-after English newspaper on the Costa Blanca every fortnight. Look out for one of our many stands, as seen below at local newsagents. We print around 15,000 copies every issue and take our distribution very seriously, and

DENIA DENIA DENIA DENIA

Carrefour Consum Denia market Tourist office

JAVEA JAVEA JAVEA

Iceland Yorkshire Linen Bay Radio

BENISSA BENISSA

Iceland Pepe Sal

MORAIRA MORAIRA MORAIRA MORAIRA

Pepe Sal Iceland Quick Save Telitec

GANDIA GANDIA

Carrefour Tourist office

ALBIR ALBIR ALBIR

Consum Mendoza Albir Sur

CALPE CALPE CALPE

Consum Britannia clinic Calpe Dental

PEDREGUER PEDREGUER

Harris Furnishing Monroes

ALTEA ALTEA ALTEA

Yorkshire linen Dial Prix Albir Colonial

ALFAZ DEL PI

Costablanca supermarket Mendoza PMR

ALFAZ DEL PI ALFAZ DEL PI

need you, the readers to keep us informed of numbers... and more importantly if each location needs more or less papers. We also want to know where you would like to see it and where you don't think we should bother. Here are a select group of a few dozen key drops. Please get in touch at Newsdesk@theolivepress.es to find your nearest drop or suggest another.

Goat meat may be the latest food trend in the UK, but Andalucia makes it better

T’S the latest UK food trend baa none and that’s the bleating truth. Capra aegagrus hircus is making its way from top London restaurant tables to supermarket aisles where you’ll soon be able to get your goat in sausage, meatball or ready meal form. Don´t worry though, you won’t be missing out in Andalucia. No kidding - goat meat is the star of a whole flock of Andalucian traditional dishes, and over the last few years it has become increasingly popular in the province of Málaga and beyond.

Better still, goat is a healthier alternative to red met - a low-calorie source of protein and iron that’s also relatively low in saturated fats and cholesterol. Goats have grazed in the south of Spain since prehistoric times, as local cave paintings in Ardales, Nerja

Roasted Kid-Goat with Potatoes RECIPE for 4 servings:

FINESTRAT

Marina S

JALON JALON JALON

Cafe Ole Garcia Villas Hamiltons

TEULADA TEULADA

Consum First Stop

BENITACHELL

Lady Elizabeth School Javea golf club

BENITACHELL

WATCH OUT, WATCH OUT

HE Olive Press continues to go from strength to strength along the Costa Blanca. The paper - our fourth edition - has been warmly received from Benidorm to Gandia and as far inland as the Jalon Valley, as our trio of dedicated distributors put out 13,000 papers every fortnight. Every other Thursday thousands of you have been out to locate them at the hundreds of supermarkets, restaurants and golf clubs along the coast. Many of them now have stands, with dozens being added by the month. But this week we come with a stern warning: on no less than three occasions we have heard of bitter rivals either hiding, stealing or binning our papers. And one of our team spotted an elderly lady pick up a bundle outside a bike shop in Javea, possibly to line a litter tray.

Oh my Goat!

This, dear readers, is theft and we do not take kindly to this sort of behaviour. Apart from investing a lot of money on the paper and ink, we have a team of NCTJ-trained journalists and, of course, the distributors who need paying to do their jobs. Please, please, please, if you see such despicable behaviour, we ask you to remind these uncaring cretins that our papers are owned by us… but a personal gift to you, our valued readers. Of course, our industry would die without competition and we encourage it... we just ask you - our readers - to help us maintain a fight fair. Here, are a small handful of our key drops around the region. Please get in touch at newsdesk@theolivepress.es or distribution@theolivepress.es to suggest new drops.

Advertise with The Olive Press TEL: (+34) 951 273 575 EMAIL: sales@theolivepress.es

3 ½ - 4 pounds kid-goat Salt and pepper Thyme ½ cup olive oil 2 onions, sliced 8 medium potatoes (about 2 ½ pounds), peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick 2 green bell peppers, cut in strips 4 tomatoes, peeled and sliced ¼ cup chopped parsley 2 bay leaves 1 head garlic, roasted 1 teaspoon saffron threads ½ teaspoon coarse salt 10 peppercorns 2 cloves ½ teaspoon cinnamon 1 ½ cups white wine ½ cup chicken stock or water

Preparation: Sprinkle the meat with salt, pepper and thyme and allow it to come to room temperature. Spread half the oil in a roasting pan or large cazuela. Place a layer of onions on the bottom of the pan. Add a layer of sliced potatoes, strips of green pepper and sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle generously with salt and half of the parsley. Continue with remaining onions, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes and parsley. Sprinkle with salt. Break the bay leaves in half and tuck the pieces in with the vegetables. Peel the cloves of roasted garlic and push them under the vegetables too. In a mortar, crush the saffron with the coarse salt, peppercorns and cloves. Stir in the cinnamon. Stir in ¼ cup of the wine. Pour the spices over the vegetables. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place the meat, skin side down, on top of the vegetables. Pour the remaining olive oil over the meat. Roast for 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350ºF. Roast 1 hour more. Remove the pan from the oven. Turn the meat skin side up. Baste it with some of the liquid in the pan. If liquid has cooked away, add more water. Return the pan to the oven. Roast 30 minutes longer, until the meat is browned and potatoes are cooked. Allow the meat to rest for 10 minutes before serving. The potatoes will absorb some of the remaining pan juices. If desired, remove meat and vegetables to a serving platter.

and La Pileta testify. Nowadays, Spain has the second largest goat population in Europe after Greece, while the province of Málaga has the largest concentration of livestock in Europe with more than 1,500 goat ranches. Andalucia is home to the Málaga goat, famous for its cheese and suckling goat meat, which is more mild-flavoured and tender than mature goat. The cabra malagueña is a protected breed and the product of two ancient ancestors: the Pyrenean goat from the north of the Iberian peninsula,and the Maltese goat from Africa. Chivo Lechal Malagueño (suckling goat) is the first in Spain to have its own high-quality certificate from the Asociación Nacional de Criadores de la Cabra Malagueña (ACREM). To be certified, the cabrito malagueño must amongst other things have been fed exclusively with the breast milk of female Málaga goats. Common traditional dishes with Málaga suckling goat include paletilla asada (roast shoulder) and Chivo a la Pastoril, made with Malaga wine. But as it has become more fashionable, restaurants are getting creative. Diego del Río, chef at El Lago in Marbella, was one of the first to introduce Málaga suckling goat in a high-end menu in 2009. For an encore, in 2016 he added Payoya suckling goat, a breed from the province of Cádiz. The Michelin-starred restaurant is part of Slow Foods, a network of Andalucian restaurants tcommitted to offering healthy dishes made with local products. These days many more restaurants offer Chivo Lechal Malagueño, especially in the province of Málaga. Companies are also trying out new products like goat sausages and goat paté in Muscatel wine. Since 2008 a Fiesta de la Cabra Malaguena has been held annually each September in a different town, with competitions and free tastings.

TRAVEL

May 9th - May 22nd 2019

Dining Secrets of Andalucia editor Jon Clarke on the delights of San Sebastian barhopping

HE idea was as intriguing as it was exciting: To compare one of San Sebastian’s famous three Michelin-starred restaurants with its world-famous tapas district. A dedicated gourmet, I had long wanted to experience the delights of what, Lonely Planet has now described as its ‘number one foodie experience’ in the world. That is the experience of bar-hopping for pintxos - as tapas are called up there - is a right of passage for any serious food writer. Yet I had only fleetingly visited the town in my early 20s... and again hungover after a stag weekend two decades ago, coincidentally spending an evening bar-hopping with TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson, a fellow journalist by trade, so food was always going to come a distinct second. So this trip needed a bit of planning and the perfect place to stay, with Hotel Villa Soro, a charming villa near the centre ticking all the boxes. From here, we were just a short walk to the main tapas area of the Basque seaside resort of 185,000 people, the area known as ‘Casco Viejo’. It is perhaps no surprise that the city’s tapas - or pintxos, as they are known locally - are so incredibly good. The resort counts on the most Michelin-starred restaurants per capita in Europe — 16

Bar none! SAN FAN: Publisher Jon Clarke and San Sebastian’s pintxos

stars in about a 15-mile radius. It is something of a religion here and there are clubs that are dedicated entirely to eating, while its chefs, such as Juan Mari Arzak, Pedro Subijana and Eneko Atxa have become household names across Spain. We started out at the historic joint of Akelarre on Friday night, where one of the godfathers of Basque cuisine Pedro Subijana has held down three Michelin stars since 2006. After 20 minutes chatting with the seasoned legend - in which he generously gave us his top ten favourite pintxos (and where to find them) for the next day - he led us through one of the most

memorable degustation menus I perfect. have ever tried. It’s hard to say, but we left that niThe 10-course masterclass, was- ght wondering what might come hed down with some fine Rioja, to pass the following day. was fresh, origiAfter a good ninal and exciting… ght’s sleep we yet, somehow set off for our San Sebastian it lacked somepintxo tour, after thing. the most meagre is definitely the Perhaps, it was breakfast possithe rather sterile food capital of ble. dining room and We zoned in on the world lack of views Calle Fermin at night, which Calbeton in the during the day heart of the old stretch for miles town, where Peacross the sea from its clifftop dro had given us a trio of addresvantage. Perhaps, it was to do ses the night before. with the slightly over-polished The first, Sport, had the most service, which was almost too amazing foie and crab crepe, whi-

le the second Borda Berri, had a superb pig’s ear. But we were soon going native and, like a child in a sweetshop, marvelling at the incredible display of delicacies on offer. Every bar had its own unique display of goodies and we literally dived into anywhere that had space at the bar and looked of interest. To be fair, literally everything was of interest and in Calles Pescaderia and 31 de Agosto there were so many places to try. On one bar I found the biggest mushroom I had ever seen, while in another the colours of the array of pintxos almost blinded me. As a golden rule we tried to ask the owner, or at least a waiter,

what they recommended we try. And I can honestly say, I have NEVER eaten so well. It was so good in fact, we scrapped plans that night to go to the theatre and tried another 10 or so places. All in all, there are around 40 or 50 superb places to eat pintxos in the old town, while another area nearby around Plaza Txofre had another dozen or so. To sum up, San Sebastian is definitively the world’s food capital. Forget Paris, forget London, forget New York: The Basque Capital of Cooking has the most exciting and varied culinary offering imaginable.

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May 9th - May 22nd 2019

Reward for good behaviour THE Direccion General de Trafico will give points to bike riders who take extra driving courses, the motoring body has announced. The move is a bid to bring down accident rates following an increase in the involvement of two-wheeled vehicles over the years. Since 2000, bike-related crashes have increased their share of accidents on Spain’s roads from 14’9% to 23%.

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Cristiano Ronaldo is rumoured to have added the world's most expensive car to his multimillion euro collection

PRICEY: New Bugatti allegedly snapped up by Ronaldo

mination of human error would see almost no accidents. “It will also help increase the mobility of disabled and elderley people,” he added, “And in Spain we spend 25,000 hours driving every year. “We can do a lot of things in that time.”

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PHEW: Expat escapes crushing

sports car.’ The unique motor, with a top speed of 260 mph, was styled after the iconic Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic of the 1930s. The company confirmed a new owner has been found for the one-off model but has refused to reveal the buyer’s identity. However, the car will not be available to drive until 2021 as Bugatti still needs to fina-

lise some small details on the model. Ronaldo already has a fleet of luxury cars which include a Rolls-Royce Phantom, a Bentley Continental and an Aston Martin DB9. The legendary striker is known to own at least one other Bugatti, the €1.9 million Veryon, which was the world’s most expensive car on its release in 2005.

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THIS is the moment a British expat’s motor was crushed while she was dining at a Marbella chiringuito. The lady was luckily not in the vehicle when the huge oak came crashing down onto her white Opel. The accident occurred outside popular and newly renovated haunt The Beach House. The restaurant said: “We are open for business as usual despite the huge tree which came down and crushed poor Nikki’s car. “Thanks to a great deal of luck we are delighted to report that nobody was hurt. “The Marbella fire brigade were exceptionally quick to respond and the tree has been removed.”

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CHEAP children's socks could be full of dangerous hormone disruptors, a University of Granada study has found. Researchers compared socks in three different price ranges and found that the cheapest socks had 25 times more bisphenol-A, a dangerous chemical used to make plastics. Alarmingly, scientists have found, they can interfere with the body's hormonal balance causing weight gain, thyroid problems and even cancer. Lead researcher Nicolas Olea said he is ‘enormously concerned’ after his team analysed 32 pairs of socks for children between aged between newborn and four years old.

May 9th - May 22nd 2019

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Stranded mum A BRITISH mother has been left fighting for her life while stranded in the Canary Islands after insurance firm refused to pay medical bills. Elain Ruddick, 57, was struck by pneumonia four days into her holiday and was taken into intensive care in a Santa Cruz hospital. Elaine was left partly paralysed by a stroke in 2015 and now her insurance company has refused to pay out because of a 'technicality'. “This is the closest I have ever come to losing my wife in 37 years of marriage, I have never cried so much in all my life. It has been touch and go for over a week. She's still very critical, but thankfully getting a little bit more stable,” said Elaine’s husband Charlie, 62. He added: “It's almost unbearable for me to see the pain in her face, but I have to be strong

FIGHTING: Brit mum Elaine Ruddick to tell her it will be okay. Honestly though, I don't know if she is going to live or not.” A fundraiser has been set up for the couple, from Milton Keynes, in an attempt to cover outstanding medical costs of €8,600. Charlie said: “I feel so emotionally drained. “This holiday has turned out to be a complete nightmare.”

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GetTING ConnectED

May 9th - May 22nd 2019

Y ponderings this week have been meandering around in all sorts of directions. Maybe it is due to those damned winds around the Costa Blanca of late, that seem to emerge at sundown and cool us off to the point where my electric blanket has been mimicking a Jack-in-the-Box for the past two months, going in and out the winter store like a fart in a colander! Eventually, my thoughts settled

By Loraine Gostling

Cruising along the Costa Blanca can be more terrifying than you think, writes Loraine Gostling with a story about phobias and fears of things or situations that just scare the pants off of you, without any actual reason behind them, although I am told that some fears may be deep-rooted from childhood and it also seems that they can be genetic. Personally, I have only one but I just can’t get over it, despite my many visits to a friend on the Cumbre del Sol. Throughout most of my life BCB (Before Costa Blanca) my only real fear was heights. Now you will

probably think that I am really quite a thicko, hating mountains and scary winding roads and then moving to Spain...and you would be dead right!. In fact, if I had done my homework properly before moving here, I would still be sitting in my semi-detached house in the East End of London, where the highest viewpoint is from the cemetery on Chingford Mount and my life now would be so very different. I would still have to save up to buy a decent bottle of wine, I would never have known the joys of pan y alioli, maybe I would even be in charge of a group called ‘Chingford Connect’. I would be completely oblivious to the opening and holiday dates of Ondara Shopping Centre, which

continues to be one of the most discussed topics of the Javea residents in the last eight years, second only to that of ‘why don’t people pick up their dog’s poo?’ and followed closely by ‘why don’t cyclists pay road tax?’ But I will leave those questions for debate another time. Sorry, I have digressed. I do that a lot. So back to my original musings. My arrival here in Spain was, I think, meant to be. I had never been a risk-taker, I was pretty comfortable financially, I liked my job and everything in life was settled and safe, but just a little boring. The decision to give up all that security and head for El Sol was really a very quick one. The house was sold in August and we moved in October, just missing the infamous 2007 Gota Fria by a few days. There are a multitude of tales following that move, not least of all, the one involving my driving, totally unprepared, over the Pyrenees with my two kids and a dog with John Cleese, the voice of my Tom Tom, guiding me vocally

to, what I felt at the time would be certain death. My knees turned to jelly, my palms were sweating buckets, my partner was constantly hooting at me from the van behind telling me to get back on the right side of the road as I continually veered to the left, not because that was where I was used to driving, but purely because it kept me further away from a two million foot sheer drop. At that point, realistically speaking, the chances were that I would more likely to be hit headon by an Eddie Stobart lorry poodling over the mountain to France, than entering a Shogun slalom down the Pyrenees to meet my maker. So now you know just how much affection I have for my mate who lives in the clouds on Cumbre del Sol as I take my life in my hands just to go and see her. I have travelled that road probably more than a hundred times now but every time I start that journey from Benitachell, the clammy palms return, although my knees are fatter than in 2007 so they don’t knock so much as

wobble a bit now. I feel very sorry for my poor dad as my fear of heights started when I was really young and the family outings from north to south London must have given him many sleepless nights worrying which route to take, as I was a five-yearold with acrophobia and mum was claustrophobic. The tunnel or bridge dilemma! Which was going to cause less screaming? No wonder he ended up disowning all of his aunts and uncles, it was far less stressful for him. Oh how he must have longed for that M25 to be finished, but don’t get me started on that, I would need a page, not a column. So finally, facing your fears? Yes you can do it. I drive the AP7, I have travelled down to Granadella (once), I have braved the perils of a five-rung ladder to trap a cute six inch spider. I have even been driven without pre-warning, across the Javea to Denia Montgo road without a blindfold or any tranquilising drugs, but never again, no señor, I would rather give birth to breached twins.

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SPORT

May 9th - May 22nd 2019

Spit king

THE reigning date spitting champion has again won the world title in Elche with a 10.7 metre launch from his gob. Antonio Lopez completed his hat-trick of victories last week during the 11th edition of the world date spitting championships in celebration of the fiesta de San Vicente Ferrer in Elche. Lopez’s efforts however did not reach his own world record set in 2017 when he projectile-spat a date stone 14.43 metres more than the length of three cars. “We hope that this sport will soon became a new olympic discipline,” joked Carlos San Jose, president of the Penya Altabix, who organised the championship. Lopez took home €100 for his spit, making it perhaps the most lucrative expectoration in the world. Dates are closely entwined with the history of Elche as it boasts the largest date palm grove in Europe, which has been given UNESCO world heritage status for a traditional system of agricultural passed down by the Moors. Olive stone spitting is also a tradition in Elche, and the world record of 36.54 metres was set in 2014. In this discipline however olive stones are spat straight on to the pavement, whereas the carpet used for date stone spitting significantly reduces the distance travelled after the stones hit the ground.

SPITTING: Elche local

FERRARI go into this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona looking to end Mercedes’ domination. Mercedes has finished first or second in all four races this season with Ferrari so far struggling with unreliable engines and uncharacteristic driver errors. The Spanish Grand Prix is held on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, and is traditionally

Grand stand when teams introduce the first major upgrades to their cars. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said there would be ‘no complacency’ in Spain despite the team’s winning start to the season. The former racing driver added: “The Spanish Grand Prix will be anything but easy.”

The Ace-team Group of expats win regional division despite being smallest team in their league AN expat tennis team in Marina Alta have become champions of the Valencia Community-wide women’s 50+ first division. Club de Tenis Benissa beat out eight other teams from across the region to receive the gold medals handed out by representatives of the Spanish Federation League on April 27.

Amazing

The final tournament, which comprised three singles and two doubles matches, saw the six players of the team beat long-time rivals Club de Tenis La Vegas. “It was amazing, last year we made the semi-finals, but this year we finally got it,” captain Cristina Casaus, 56, from Madrid told the Olive Press. She said how Catherine Andrews, 57, from Aberdeen won the final doubles

game of the tournament in style with an ace service, despite ‘never having played tennis’ before she moved to Spain. Club de Tenis Benissa suffered five previous defeats against Ct La Vegas, but this time around Gillian Smith, 63, from Horsham, and Uschi Eichhorn, 62, from Germany, won their singles matches - meanwhile Casaus and Smith won their doubles match, as did Andrews and Eichhorn.

Swim-a-thon

THE world’s only open-water swimming championship came to the Costa Blanca last month for a 9.5 kilometre long-distance challenge around Benidorm island. The Oceanman Benidorm event, one of 18 in the championship, saw 135 brave participants tackling the swim that is more than six times the length of an Olympic triathlon. Competitors set off at 9am on April 27, and each swimmer had to wear a swimming cap, wetsuit, ankle tag and inflatable buoy with

their race number. Italian winner Igor Piovesan completed the swim in 1:57:26 minutes, with the fastest woman, Helena Wenk, in third place with a time of 2:07:08. The event is the only time the championship stops in Spain, and features two shorter races of 5.5 kilometres and and 1.5 kilometres. The longest event had two refreshment points at 3 kilometres and 6.6 kilometres serving water, isogels and bananas.

CHAMPIONS: Expat tennis team in Marina Alta

EXPIRING: Barca track

Off grid THE Dutch Grand Prix has been tipped to take Spain’s spot on the 2020 Formula 1 racing calendar, according to reports. The Zandvoort track, near Amsterdam, has reportedly been chosen to host the motor racing spectacle for the first time since 1985. The Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya has been under threat for some time and Fernando Alonso’s exit from the sport has hit ticket sales. At the end of the season, the Barcelona track could now see its contract expire which would end a 33-year stint in Formula 1. This would allow F1 bosses to replace the struggling fixture with a race at the newly revived Zandvoort circuit. Late F1 Race Director Charlie Whiting said: “I think there’s great potential there in Zandvoort. “A few things need to be changed there, and there’s a great willingness to change.”

Voted

Hummus mishap

BEST

expat paper in Spain

VALENCIAN supermarket chain Mercadona has made an apology to a customer who bought a tub of hummus without a lid, and with the expiry date printed directly onto the chickpea spread.

FINAL WORDS

Two wrongs TWO young foreigners were stopped by Teruel police with a quarter of a kilo of marijuana in their car. The pair were reportedly en route to a court hearing in Alicante for a previous charge of drug trafficking.

Backseat drivers ELCHE police are charging a 13-year-old boy for driving without a license, meanwhile his parents, who were also inside the car, are being charged with collaboration.

Biting back A JUDGE has for the first time in Spain cited a female dog as a witness to an animal abuse lawsuit against her former owner, who threw her into a rubbish tip in a suitcase.

(Free or paid for)

FREE

Vol. 1 Issue 4

Brit mum SLATED online for leaving half eaten packet of cakes as tip A BRITISH holidaymaker has been branded ‘demeaning’ after tipping cleaning staff with half-used toiletries following a Benidorm holiday. Louise Wagstaff posted pictures of her ‘gifts’ on social media, including a pair of sunglasses, baby oil, Radox shower gel, Alberto Balsam shampoo, body spray and a shower pouf. A STREET sweeper has been fired after he was caught on video kicking a pile of rubbish into a stream in Benidorm. The man dressed in high-vis is seen taking out a dustpan and brush, looking suspiciously over his shoulders and then kicking trash from the pavement into a ditch. He then deftly uses his brush to sweep up remaining plastic waste in about the same time

www.theolivepress.es

May 9th - May 22nd 2019

Tip off

Penning a note in Spanish, she thanked cleaners for their hard work and offered toys and sweets in case ‘they have little ones’. But the post led to a backlash as almost 200 people commented on the post on Benidorm Seriously until admin had to shut the debate down. One person said: “I’m thinking the cleaners would

A SPANISH nun could face three years in prison after changing the election ballot of two pensioners from PSOE to PP. The alleged crime took place in an old people’s home, as the sister accompanied the pair of residents to the polling station for the April 28 general election. One of the pensioners, at the Mercy of Bilbao residence, wanted to vote for the ruling Socialist PSOE party and the other, the centrist Basque PNV. Regional affiliate of the PSOE, the PSE-EE said the Electoral Board had registered the potential crime, which could land the nun with a six to 36-month jail term.

Saucy CV

Rubbish Job it would have taken him to deposit it in his portable bin. One social media user called the worker a ‘lazy, lazy, lazy man’ while others called for the sack. “The person involved has now been fired,” vlogger Harry Benidorm, who posted the video on social media, told the Olive Press.

Nun and void

MEASLY: Half-used products left by Brit mum as tip appreciate some €€€€ as a tip rather than the leftover toiletries, I find it rather demeaning, would anyone leave the cleaners in the UK hotels leftover shampoo as a tip for cleaning?” Another commented: “The staff work hard for very poor wages. Instead of insulting

them with all the crap you would throw away anyway do the decent thing and leave a decent cash tip (at least 1 Euro per day).” The admin, Tracy, however rushed to Louise’ defence, writing: “Unbelievable, someone does something nice for a change and gets abuse for it.”

VOX’s mayoral candidate for Marbella used to help run a luxury brothel in the city, it has emerged. Rosa Maria Calvente Martin, who is standing in the May 26 municipal elections for the far-right party, was head of the firm that ran Milady Palace in Puerto Banus. Between 2009 and 2011, she worked for Suncres Costa SL, the company that managed the gentlemen’s club.