Olive Press Mallorca Issue 156

P

CHEAP SEATS!

CHEAP cinema tickets for pensioners is the latest promise from PSOE Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in the run up to local elections next weekend.

The nationwide promise will encourage the over-65s by slashing cinema tickets to just €2 on Tuesdays.

It comes after the socialist leader also promised subsidised domestic and European interrail train tickets for youngsters.

“The pandemic forced cinemas to close and other adverse effects,” said Sanchez. “We need to make culture a state policy.”

His party has promised €10 million for the plan, while €170 million has been set aside to guarantee a 50% discount for all 18 to 30-year olds on train travel in the summer months.

SYSTEM FAILURE

A GIANT two thirds of British voters have been eliminated from the electoral roll for the forthcoming May elections.

A staggering 61,500 expats have lost the right to vote in the May 28 council elections.

The 63% drop comes with a large

TheKingandI

Two thirds of Brits scythed from the electoral roll for May elections

percentage of British residents failing to re-register their right to vote by the January deadline.

EXCLUSIVE: Our man at the Coronation, See page 6

Figures from the National Statistics Institute (INE) show the giant fall in non-Spanish participation with councils putting it down to lower British registrations.

The number of British expats registered to vote in the last local elections in 2019 (97,585) has now dropped to just 36,543 residents, the official stats reveal.

The alarming drop of 61,042 people has come about as a consequence of Brexit with British residents now having to separately register to vote every four years, as well as joining the padron . They are no longer automatically included on the roll. Data shows that Brits represent just 8.8% of the foreigners regis-

By Alex Trelinski & Alberto Lejarraga

tered to vote in Spain this year, a considerable decrease from 21% in 2019.

Just 1,622 British expats are registered to vote in the Baleares, out of 19,000 foreign voters. This is a ‘system failure’, according to expat councillor Scott Marshall, in Benahavis, near Marbella.

The Councillor of Tourism blamed it on unnecessary paperwork and a failure to better explain the new rules.

“Because of bureaucracy, British residents have had to re-register again and many of them did not remember or realise on time,” he told the Olive Press Mijas councillor Bill Anderson

agreed. “The numbers don’t surprise me as many Brits got caught short with the registration process,” he told the Olive Press “We were not notified until the last minute and there was a lot of confusion,” he added.

However, the Scottish expat does not believe it’s the only reason for the low participation. “There

is always a degree of apathy in the international community with regards to participating in local elections,” he continued.

“For example, only 8% of the foreigners registered to vote in the 2019 elections actually did so,” he explained.

Meanwhile on the Costa Blanca it is a similar story.

Taking the town of San Fulgencio, as an example, in the 2019 municipal elections, 57% of the electorate was foreign, while this time the percentage has fallen to 38%, accounting for 1,728 non-Spaniards.

San Fulgencio councillor, Darren Parmenter, said: “Many people didn't know what to do and this is despite us publicising registration information.”

Problems

The mayor of San Miguel de Salinas, Juan de Dios meanwhile, has predicted problems on polling day with registered foreign voters now down to 11% in his municipality.

“We will see people turning out to polling stations that have voted for years who will discover for the first time they are not on the register,” he warned the Olive Press.

Despite most media groups publicising on how to register to vote, most British expats have missed out on a fundamental right to express their views on who should be running their local services.

Opinion Page 6

From the incredible designs of Europe’s top architects...

Seriously injured

AN 80-YEAR-OLD is seriously injured after being hit by a car near the Plaza de los Patines (Palma). He has been taken to hospital with a severe head haemorrhage.

No smoking

ANTI-SMOKING association Nofumadores.org has called on the Spanish government to ban the sale of tobacco in bars, restaurants, hotels and petrol stations.

Got wanted

ONE of the UK’s most wanted was nabbed in Estepona after a tip from British police. Mark Francis Roberts, 29 allegedly stabbed a man and stole his £60,000 Rolex in Liverpool in 2016.

Racist bosses

A CHEF has taken her employers to court for wrongful dismissal after her boss allegedly beat her, called her a ‘resentful black puta’, and then sacked her.

A BRITISH man in his mid-forties has been remanded in custody accused of raping a friend of his son’s at a Magaluf hotel.

The alleged offender was arrested at Palma airport having brought forward his return to the UK.

The British victim went to the Guardia Civil to report the attack, which

Bad Brit dad

she said had happened in the early hours of that morning on May 9. The woman - in her early twentieshad asked the man’s son if she could sleep in his room as she had already checked out of the hotel where she

had been staying ahead of flying back home. Her friend said he had no issues with that and went out partying as she slept, only for his father to allegedly force himself on her. He was later arrested at Palma airport having changed his booking for an early flight home.

WELL DESERVED

SPAIN'S Supreme Court has upheld a 135-year prison sentence for a British teacher who created and distributed pornography of children in his care. Ben David Rose was exposed by the Olive Press for changing his name by deed poll to become a nanny in Spain following convictions in the UK. His devious behaviour led to the stiff jail term last year after being found guilty of molesting up to 36 children aged between four and eight years old. It came after he was able to deceptively land a job at one of Madrid’s most prestigious private schools.

No respite for Brit paedo teacher

By Alex Trelinski

The case raised serious safeguarding concerns after it emerged he had been convicted for similar crimes in the UK and placed on the sex offenders register before moving to Spain. Incredibly, his move was not properly monitored and he landed a job as an au pair in Zaragoza and then as an English teacher in several schools in the capital.

The 33-year-old had been convicted of sex crimes against children while running a summer camp near London under his previous name Ben David Lewis in 2016.

In an Olive Press probe, it emerged that within days of being handed a suspended sentence and placed on the UK sex offenders register he changed his name to Ben David Rose. He applied for a new passport and fled to Spain where he quickly found work as a nanny looking after three children.

BAR ATTACK

A MAN aged 38 accused of committing a violent robbery in a hotel in Cala Millor has been remanded in custody.

The hooded man is said to have entered the hotel bar after midnight after it closed.

A security guard heard noises and went inside the bar, where he was attacked by the accused who then fled the scene.

Police recognised the alleged attacker from CCTV footage and later arrested him.

SCHOOLS

PAEDO CALL

NEWS: We exposed Rose last year

Rose then moved to Madrid and cared for two young children before taking a job as an English teacher at a private school. Police were tipped off to the presence of a ‘dangerous sexual predator’ working in Madrid after an investigation by police in Australia. They established that someone in the capital was making and distributing obscene images. When police later searched his phone, they found dozens of obscene photos and videos of him with girls as young as six years inside a classroom.

The Supreme Court upheld Rose’s sentence in a lower court last year.

Does your tax planning travel well?

The tax and estate planning vehicles you used in the UK are unlikely to be effective in Spain. You may need to set up new arrangements to make Spain a tax-efficient place to live and to be able to distribute your assets as you wish. Likewise, Spanish tax planning is not suitable if you return to the UK.

With offices and advisers in both Spain and the UK, Blevins Franks specialises in cross-border wealth management and provides solutions for both countries. Contact your local advisers for personalised advice.

Accidental fascist

A FAR-RIGHT fitness guru who was extradited from Spain to face terror charges in the UK told a court he is ‘horrified’ that he might have encouraged violence.

Liverpool native Kristofer Kearney, 39, has pleaded guilty to two counts of disseminating terrorist publications but denied that he shared the videos with that intention. The court case hinges on whether the Telegram posts calling for violence were ‘reckless’, as Kearney claims, or deliberate. The court previously heard that Kearney claimed that Adolf Hitler ‘showed people the way’ and encouraged violence against black people, Jews and Muslims.

Kearney was known online among far-right activists as ‘Charlie Big Potatoes’ and created a channel for exercise tips called Fascist Fitness

The offences relate to two Telegram posts on January 23 and March 8 2021, which included the manifestos of Christchurch mosque killer Brenton Tarrant and Norwegian mass-murder Anders Breivik.

Kearney is expected to return to Spain to serve his sentence once the judge hands it out on June 23.

Kearney has close links to Marbella and the Costa Blanca.

BACK IN THE RING!

THE ‘Gypsy King’ Tyson Fury is set to go another round in Mallorca after tearing up the island last summer.

The heavyweight’s declaration to return comes on the back of his jaw-dropping talk about his life at an event last August.

“He’s coming back to the same villa in Son Vida,” explains celebrity agent Gaston Montauban.

“He’s planning to come every year now, having fallen in love with the island last year,” continued the realtor, from Mallorca Deal.

Tyson, a frequent visitor to Spain, was introduced to the island by his commercial manager Spencer Brown, who regularly spends time in Mallorca.

While he has frequently trained or taken holidays in Marbella, last summer he was persuaded to spend a week at

this stunning six-bed villa, with stunning grounds and pool.

It came after his popular ‘After Party’ bash at Son Amar, when he enthralled the 500-strong audience, holding court and even singing. His manager, Brown, has become a close friend and confidant of Fury’s over the last few years.

The 734-msq villa, which sits next to Son Vida golf course and hotel, is for sale at €4.9m via www.themallorcadeal.com

Imagine they Get Back

Heard and seen

ACTRESS Amber Heard

has moved from Mallorca (pictured) to Madrid, it has been claimed.

Ex-girlfriend of Hollywood star, Johnny Depp, has relocated to the capital with her two-year-old daughter Oonagh Paige.

She appears to have ‘quit Hollywood’ for good for a new life in Spain in the wake of losing an infamous defamation trial to Depp last year.

Heard, 37, was seen looking relaxed and happy with her child in Retiro park, while sources claim she has rented a modern house on the outskirts of the city.

The identity of Oonagh’s father has never been revealed, while she has allegedly split up from her lesbian lover Eve Barlow, a Scottish journalist, who worked for music magazine NME.

FRESH life has been breathed into a cold case involving some of the most iconic photos in rock and roll history. The remarkable set of pictures of John Lennon and Yoko Ono - including their iconic Gibraltar wedding snaps - have been missing for decades. While the Olive Press launched a special investigation in 2016 to help recover them for photographer David Nutter, the trail has since gone cold.

Cold case reopened: Fresh lead in missing John Yoko wedding photos

EXCLUSIVE

By Walter Finch

Over the course of a year we managed to establish that the stolen negatives were being offered by a shady Far Eastern cartel that claimed to own them.

However, despite receiving a copy of a contact sheet we were unable to finally secure the negatives or pin down the seller.

Now, out of the blue, we have received a mystery letter from an apparent Good Samaritan in the USA who claims she had the missing negatives in her hands in 2011.

Offered to her company by a third party, they were digitally scanned but not purchased over concerns of copyright. Having recently read our reports from 2016 she has decided she wants to return to the photographer himself and has reached out to the Olive Press to help.

“I feel real sympathy for Mr

Nutter’s plight and I want to get the scans to him,” she wrote, adding she would actually like to deliver them herself.

Taken in Gibraltar in 1969 by Nutter, the incredible photos captured the infamous, whistlestop wedding of Lennon and Yoko.

The valuable negatives – estimated to be worth at least €150,000 – vanished in the 1970s after Nutter, now 84, lent them to a friend Anthony Fawcett to use in his book, John Lennon: One Day At A Time.

They were allegedly stolen during the repossession of Fawcett’s apartment ‘he claimed’. Despite two separate investigations by British police and the FBI they have never been recovered.

If you can help (or are the anonymous letter writer) pls contact jon@ theolivepress.es in strict confidence.

Brits to the fore!

FORMER

UK glamour model Katie Price has been pictured in Spain in a patriotic Union Jack bikini to celebrate the Coronation. The controversial star, formerly known as Jordan, has been eschewing the usual celebrity hotspots for a week’s holiday in Murcia. Price, 44, posted photos on social media posing by her pool in Roldan in the depths of inland Murcia. Her distinctive figure - she aims to have ‘Britain’s biggest boobs’ - was also spotted around Altea and Albir, on the Costa Blanca this month.

It is her fourth vacation of the year despite facing bankruptcy proceedings. She was taking a break with her boyfriend Carl Woods and kids at a villa surrounded by olive groves. The Olive Press tracked down the home to Roldan, some 20km from Murcia capital and 35 km from Torrevieja - a long way from glamour hotspots of Marbella and Ibiza.

Notorious for her love of cosmetic surgery, Price underwent her 16th boob job procedure in December, transforming her breasts to an astounding double H cup. She was pictured posing with Benidorm legend Crissy Rock.

Looky looking up!

HEADS had to be turned and craned upwards as the passing Basketball legend Michael Jordan visited Marbella.

Ironically, a lookylooky man selling fake Nike Air Jordans was the first to notice the real NBA star, 60, was walking around after lunch at La Milla restaurant. Jordan was on holiday with his wife, the Cuban model Yvette Prieto.

WE – Sandro and Pascal – are two bike lovers from Germany who made their passion a profession. Together with our experienced chief mechanic Ted we believe that biking goes beyond fashion or business. Its a way of life – our way of life!

“If you want it – you can have it”

“If you need it – we can make it”

BACK FOR MORE: Tyson in Mallorca with Gaston

WEDDING: John and Yoko and our 2016 report

UNSEEN: Scan of negative sent to OP

JADE Jagger has been arrested for assaulting police officers outside a restaurant in Ibiza.

The 51-year-old daughter of Mick and Bianca Jagger is said to have been asked to leave a restaurant in Calle sa Creu, where her male companion was ‘making trouble’ on Wednesday evening. He allegedly started to insult, scream and threaten other dinners.

They were believed to be in an intoxicated state. He was asked by restaurant employees to step outside, where a number of police officers were waiting.

Jagger’s companion is said to have pushed and struck the officers. She then allegedly left the restaurant and started behaving aggressively towards the cops.

‘F*** police’.‘You have to respect me,’ she allegedly said. “The arrested woman then pushed and scratched an agent” a Policia Nacional source has told the Olive Press.

The spokesman added: “Her companion also shouted ‘F*** you’, ‘you need to respect me’ ‘you are racist’ and ‘stupid police’.

They were both restrained, arrested and taken to a nearby police station.

After spending the night in a cell, both detainees were expected to be taken before a judge yesterday (Thursday May 18).

SUPER POOCH

A DOG trained to search for victims in emergencies has joined the Guardia Civil.

‘Hanoi’, a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois, is specialised in searching for missing people in open areas, landslides and at sea.

The ‘new agent’ is also trained to search rubble in disaster areas for missing people, and is equally at home in the water. She has been trained by the Special Group of Underwater Activities (GEAS) to dive into the sea in immediate response to emergencies.

Apathy aid

CRITICS have slammed a central government plan to give €2.2 billion in drought aid to farmers, insisting it is down to ‘poor planning’.

PP leader Alberto Feijoo insisted the giant emergency drought measures come after five years of ‘apathy’ and without proper planning of the country’s water

By Simon Hunter

resources.

“The countryside doesn’t want to be showered with aid but rather water,” he said at a rally in Valencia.

“The country needs its land to be productive and to sell

its products,” he added. It comes after Andalucia failed to get a projected desalination plant commissioned and built in time for what is expected to be the worst drought for decades. Rainfall in Spain has been 27.5% lower than average for the last eight months and forecasts suggest the country will not see significant rainfalls until September. So far, 2023 is the fifthworst year on record in terms of the amount of water stored in the country’s reservoirs. In Andalucia, reservoir levels are critical, standing at just 27.9%, some 10% down on last year and 35% down

on the same month in 2013. The Cabinet approved decree includes urgent measures to support the agriculture sector, with the drought already having caused losses to over five million hectares of cereal crops.

Subsidies

The assistance includes direct aid of more than €636 million, plus subsidies of up to 70% on insurance policies for drought.

“Our immediate action will guarantee the supply of water for this summer,” insisted Teresa Ribera, minister for environmental transition.

Zero booze at the wheel

NOVICE drivers will face zero tolerance for drink-driving under proposed new EU-wide driving licences.

The European Commission aims to reduce the 20,000 lives lost on roads last year. The changes focus on young drivers, reducing the driving age to 17 and easing the route for them to get their C licence to drive lorries.

Other important changes include making the licence digital to allow authorities to punish infractions committed across borders and making it easier for UK drivers to exchange their licence for an EU one.

THIRSTY TOURISTS

TOURISM has been found to account for more than half of water consumption in some parts of the Balearic Islands. This is the finding by a new government study, which concluded that overall, visitors account for almost one in every four litres of water used on the islands.

A comparison of water consumption during the Covid pandemic, when there was virtually zero tourism on the islands, allowed researchers to see the effects of tourism on water use.

They found there was a 24% decrease during this period. But the most touristic municipalities experienced a whopping 58% reduction in water consumption during the pandemic.

The good news is that Mallorca’s two reservoirs, the Cuber and Es Gorg Blau, are almost full after torrential rain during the last 10 days. Capacity has gone up by 187%, from 3,500 to 10,043 cubic hectometres - or 10,043 billion litres. But tourists coming to the island will use that quantity three times over.

There is also a desalination plant in Alcudia in the north of Mallorca capable of supplying 14 million litres per day.

LIFEGUARDS serving Palma beaches are to go on strike from this Sunday in a dispute over promised improvements made last year not happening. The indefinite walkout will affect beaches at Platja de Palma, Cala Estancia, Ciutat Jardí, Portixol, Can Pere Antoni and Cala Major.

Lifeguard union secretary, Julian Delgado, said the entire workforce - around 45 workers in the low season and 60 in the high season - will leave beaches unsupervised until their employer Emergencies Setmil fulfills commitments made last summer.

One of the pledges was a salary increase but the beach safety franchise holder, Setmil has said it has not received enough money for that from Palma council.

Nevertheless, extra staff have been taken on and beach coverage started at the beginning of April as opposed to May.

That’s rich

BARCELONA FC has vehemently denied a report claiming that the club has been hit with a substantial €15.7 million fine over irregular transfer payments.

A report appeared in El Confidencial claiming that Hacienda had dished out the fine after an investigation into payments concerning former players. But the Catalan giants have rejected the allegation and have officially requested a correction from the digital newspaper.

BROKEN PROMISES Snow and hail

SPAIN’S alarming year of weather has continued with snow falling in parts of Spain and hailstones in the Mediterranean.

Snowfall landed in Asturias, while hail came down in Catalunya and Valencia.

Many of the areas affected had not seen a single drop of rain in months.

According to state meteorological agency, Aemet, the year has been the driest since records began, with less than half the average rain registered up to May 1.

Showers and storms are forecast around the country this week while temperatures will rise from Monday in the south.

A €2.2 billion water emergency plan is too little too late, insist critics

Body shock

Holidaying Brits find corpse on Menorca beach

A WOMAN made a grisly discovery while out for a pre-dawn run along the beach when she spotted a decomposing corpse.

At first, Emma Brogdan dismissed what she had seen on the Arenal den Castell beach in Menorca as just a large jellyfish floating in the waves.

“But something told her to turn back,” her partner Lee Brogdan told the Olive Press

It was only on closer inspection that she made the grim realisation she had seen the naked body of a middle-aged man.

As there was no one around on the beach at that early hour on Wednesday, she ran back to her hotel.

By the time Emma returned with Lee and hotel staff, the body was being rolled around in the sand.

“He kept getting washed back into the sea,” Lee said.

“But I reacted fast and soon put a stop to that. I placed sticks and rocks under the body to stop him from being swept back out.”

“My partner is still shook up but I seem fine at the moment.

“We are just very pleased it was us who found him and not children because that could have had a major impact on them.

“It was not pleasant, but now his family will be able to rest knowing the man can have the send off he

FINCA TRAGEDY

A EDINBURGH man died and his newlywed wife was taken to hospital after the gas fridge malfunctioned resulting in a carbon monoxide leak at a Cala Mesquida finca.

Jamie Carsi, 40, was found dead by Capdepera Policia Local officers after they were alerted by friends and relatives who were meant to be going with the Scottish couple on a boat trip.

Jamie’s 39-year-old wife, Mary Somerville, was taken in serious condition to Manacor Hospital.

A hospital spokesman told the Olive Press on Wednesday that she remained in intensive care and was still ‘seriously ill’ 10 days after the May 6 tragedy.

An autopsy confirmed Mr Carsi died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Police went to the finca on the Son Barbasa urbanisation in Cala Mesquida and found the couple lying in bed with a strong smell of gas coming from the vicinity of a refrigerator.

The finca was owned by Jamie’s father and the couple who got married a fortnight earlier, had been staying there for a few days.

deserves.”

Guardia Civil arrived to take charge of the investigation, seeking to confirm the identity of the deceased.

It has been reported that the body did not present any sign of violence .

“We do not know anything about the cause of the death yet. An autopsy will be carried out but the results will not be made available anytime soon,” a Guardia Civil spokesman told the Olive Press

RYANAIR told two tourists they needed to pay €45 for taking a box of Mallorca’s famous ensaimada inside the plane at Palma Airport.

The airline told both passengers that the box containing the traditional sweet is considered to be an extra piece of baggage.

However, they were told by airline workers that they could bring the exact same product inside the plane if they had bought it at the airport.

But it has been reported that ensaimadas at the airport are much more expensive and of worse quality than the ones made in the city.

“I think it is abusive, they are going to put an end to the local bakery business in Mallorca,” a friend of the affected said.

State-owned airport operator Aena said that ‘it is the policy of each airline to classify them as extra baggage or not’.

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 two million people a month.

OPINION

Failure in democracy

VOTING is a key right that people have died for down the years. The fundamental democratic function to keep our politicians and mayors in check comes just once every four years in Spain. So it is a tragedy that so many expats - including tens of thousands of British nationals - have lost the opportunity to cast their vote on May 28.

And this, despite a last minute agreement between the UK and Spain during the shambles of Brexit that enshrined the right. However, little known to almost everyone, Brits now would need to register to vote every four years before a mid-January cut-off date.

Sounds simple enough, but despite some small, sporadic information campaigns to remind people last year, the majority of British nationals didn’t get the message.

Registration has understandably bombed and alarmingly in some regions, such as Murcia, only 5% of foreign residents will be able to vote.

Take the resort of Manilva, where as many as 4,000 (25%) of the town hall register (padron) is made up of British expats, yet less than 800 can apparently vote.

Taxes

This is a total joke given most British expats pay taxes in this country and have often struggled to get properly registered, not to mention get TIEs and driving licences.

They have a right to vote.

So to give them just a six week window to register, stretching across Christmas, New Year and the Three Kings, was a total joke.

An extension of just one day was even more laughable!

“There were so many ridiculous hoops,” explained one longterm expat, on the Costa del Sol.

“You could register online but most people don’t have the digital certificate… and you still needed a clave (password). And then you needed a video conference.

“For someone in their 60s or older without decent Spanish and not digitally savvy it was a major uphill struggle.”

This is simply not acceptable and the Olive Press is now calling on the British government and embassy to step in and get this sorted out for 2027.

We need a proper post mortem and pressure from the embassy. The ambassador and his team need to get their act together and quicker than they did with driving licences. This is as easy as ABC. There’s been a failure in democracy. Sort it out and sort it out fast!

PUBLISHER / EDITOR

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Best expat paper in Spain

HUNDREDS of people go missing in Spain every year. Mysteriously, when it involves a tourist or someone from the expat community, it is not uncommon for the case to go unsolved for ages – or never be solved at all.

A search for missing English rugby player and X-Factor star Levi Davis, who had been living in the Balearics, has yielded no results after six months. The high profile investigation has attracted a lot of media coverage, but it is by no means an isolated incident. Meanwhile, the mystery of Baltic expat Agnese Klavina may be closer to being solved with her body very likely to have turned up a fortnight ago in Marbella.

But the strange cases of teenager Amy Fitzpatrick and mum Lisa Brown (both of which the Olive Press investigated at length) are no nearer being cracked.

Agnese Klavina

Last seen leaving celebrity hangout Aqwa Mist nightclub in Puerto Banus with British millionaire Westley Capper, Latvian expat Agnese has not been seen since September 2014.

Privately educated ‘Wes’, who died from Covid in 2021, partly grew up in Essex and partly at posh private schools in Marbella. He and his Scouse accomplice Craig Porter (whereabouts unknown) were filmed forcing Agnese into a car on the club’s CCTV. A body language psychologist concluded that Agnese looked ‘visibly distressed’.

The following day CCTV footage showed four masked men loading a large black holdall onto a yacht belonging to Wes’s dad – John ‘Freddie’ Capper, a self-made millionaire who owns various homes in the Benahavis hills, including Madronal and Zagaleta, where he mostly lives.

Capper and Porter had claimed that they were driving Agnese to another party but she changed her mind and asked them to drop her off near her house in Monte Halcones, close to the villa of ex-England manager Flavio Capello.

WHERE

Since a body was never found, the pair were ultimately convicted in 2019 of the lesser crime of ‘coercion’ after a judge ruled that they had not unlawfully detained her.

Instead, Capper was sentenced to two years in prison and Porter got six months.

But in a sensational twist, police are now investigating the discovery of skeletal remains in a suitcase in Benahavis, just yards from Monte Halcones and within 400m of at least two Capper homes. Police have yet to rule out it is that of Agnese, but are awaiting DNA tests to confirm or refute the theory.

Lisa Brown

Nearly eight years ago, Brown, 32, an expat from Scotland, failed to collect her son (who was eight at the time) from school in Guadi-

LIFELONG memories, a sense of pride and a stiff right arm are the legacy of King Charles III’s Coronation for one Olive Press staffer, who took part in the historic event.

Never without a huge smile on his face - even after a 5am dress rehearsal finish in cold, rainy three-degree London - Matt Jones made Spanish expats proud.

The 48-year-old Olive Press sales representative, who lives in the humble, sleepy, down-to-earth Andalucian village of Alozaina, was whisked into a world of royalty, pomp and pageantry on the golden streets of Westminster.

In incredible access to the May 6 procession, he ended up lining up alongside 99 other Royal British Legion (RBL) standard bearers in Parliament Square.

Acting as a ‘guard of honour’ he needed to be carefully vetted and was flown over to the UK from Malaga ‘in secret’ a week before and put up in a five star hotel at Marble Arch.

“It was an absolutely amazing experience. It was such an honour and privilege for the RBL to be asked to be part of it,” recalls Matt, who joined the media group last year.

“We were the only non-military organisation to be asked to be part and the reaction from the crowds was brilliant. They were even clapping and cheering us throughout .

“In fact, I am still buzzing from the Matt was not the only expat involved from Spain. Mary Kemp, 57, who lives in Alicante, carried the standard for District Spain North

The Sussex lass joined Matt, who represented the south of Spain, to bear their branches’ flags up the Strand, past the Cenotaph and then take up station by Westminster Abbey.

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“We stood within five feet of the parades as royalty proceeded past - we could not have been closer,” continues Matt.

“No one had a better view! Except of course we had to

aro, near Sotogrande, on the Costa del Sol. The mother-of-one, who moved to Spain at the age of 18, had just begun a new job in Gibraltar and was said to be ‘happy’. Her partner, Dean Woods - a drug dealer, who had changed his name by deed poll to ‘Simon Corner’ - oddly vanished from the Costa del Sol just after Lisa was reported missing in November 2015.

He was arrested at Heathrow in 2018 and brought to Spain for questioning, but the case was controversially dropped. Although it was later reopened and he was extradited to the UK six months later, that inquiry also came to nothing.

Woods was sentenced soon afterwards for a completely different crime – his involvement in a €10 million cocaine ring.

The Olive Press revealed that police believe she inadvertently became involved in drug runs on yachts across the Med, but when she found out and argued with her partner he or fellow gang members killed and dumped her at sea.

Somehow Woods escaped prison while on day release in November 2022 and has been on the run since.

TheKingandI

Incredible honour as Olive Press man does his bit protecting the king on Coronation Day

keep eyes front the whole time! But we could still take in what was happening!

“The only problem was it was raining so much. Those standards weigh around 12 kilos dry. Once wet they felt like they weighed a ton. You can imagine how sore my right arm was after hours of holding the standard.

“But of course it was all worthwhile. It is such a small price to pay for being part of such an incredible moment of history; to honour your King and represent your colleagues in the RBL.”

It was certainly a long day for the 100 standard bearers. They were bussed to Whitehall at 7am where they mustered for a 100 yard procession to Horse Guards Parade.

“This was an honour in itself - a civilian organisation being permitted to be on the ground,” insists Matt, who was up at 5am finishing preparations on his uniform and boots.

From there they marched to Westminster Abbey to proudly stand with their standards, before a short rest during the Coronation service itself.

They were directed to Dunbar Court for a cup of tea and a sandwich, before returning to their posts.

Following the King’s departure, the RBL members broke ranks to head back to their hotel where they were presented with certificates

TEEN: Amy vanished in Mijas in 2008, while Levi (right) disappered in Barcelona last year

More questions than answers remain in missing person cases involving foreigners in Spain. As the body of tragic Agnese may have finally turned up, we look at five others

Kick off your heels at Spain’s hottest new hotels

See page 8

roperty

Swiss salute!

A MAJOR global exhibition is to recognise the work of architectural giants Herzog & De Meuron, as they reach their 45th anniversary. The Royal Academy show, in London, is exploring the Swiss pair’s incredible designs, with a healthy half dozen built in Spain. These include (from top left) the Barcelona Forum, Madrid’s CaixaForum and (main) the remarkable 2007 HQ of Spanish bank, BBVA. Since 1978 the pair have grafted on 600 projects, many yet to be built, including Jerez de la Frontera’s City of Flamenco.

Golden Millionaire

SPAIN’S golden visa scheme is expected to survive… but it’s going to double in price.

While Portugal and Ireland recently scrapped their programmes, in Spain the visa scheme is expected to be extended.

Government sources indicate that only those investing €1million or more will be given a three-year residency permit.

A source told El Pais that the figure will be doubled from the current total of €500,000 invested in real estate or as an investment in a Spanish company.

Spain’sGoldenVisaschemetosurvive…butinvestmentthresholdlikelyto riseto€1millionanditcouldencouragespendinginless-populatedareas

By Walter Finch

It comes after left wing political party Mas Pais claimed that Spain’s Social Security Ministry had provisionally confirmed it was to scrap the scheme.

Leader Inigo Errejon claimed the scheme had led to a ‘brutal’ increase in house prices, adding: “Spanish citizenship cannot be bought”.

But the government was quick to deny his claims, insisting the ministry was actually looking at alternatives with suggestions from various political parties. One of these is to allow investment but only in less-populated areas or in socially beneficial projects.

Introduced in 2013 in the wake of the Euro crisis, the scheme was intended as a means to re-inflate the housing market through foreign in-

vestment.

However, it has been frequently criticised for creating inflationary pressures and came under scrutiny for encouraging black money into the Spanish economy.

Currently, the scheme allows foreigners to obtain a three-year residence permit, extendable for another two, by investing at least €500,000 in real estate, excluding any mortgages.

The mechanism also applies to in-

vestments of more than €1 million in deposits or shares of Spanish capital companies, or more than €2 million in government bonds.

Certain desirable highly skilled professionals and family reunification cases are also eligible for this residency permit without investment.

In 2022, Spain granted 2,462 golden visas to property investors, an increase of nearly 60% from the previous year. Only a handful invested in companies or government bonds. Since the scheme began some 31,000 people have acquired a golden visa.

Super-rich buyers

ATOTAL of 8,995 foreign buyers spent €500,000 or more on Spanish property in 2022, which represented 10.1% of foreign demand, according to the latest annual report from the land registrars’ association. This is the result of a significant rise in foreign demand for highend property over the past three years. Having hovered around 5% to 6% between 2012 and 2019, it started climbing rapidly between 2020 and 2022. So the market share of wealthier buyers is growing fast.

Excluding markets of little interest

Percentage of foreign buyers spending €500,000 and up on Spanish property rose to 10% for the first time in 2022

to foreign investors (which made up less than 2% of the market between them), some 34% of properties in this category were in Andalucia, followed by the Balearics (24%) and Catalunya (18%).

In Andalucia 42% of buyers spending €500,000 or more came from outside the EU, including the UK, whilst in the Balearics, where German buyers dominate the foreign

market, the proportion fell to just 24%.

Buyers from outside the EU spending €500,000 of their own funds on Spanish property meet the investment criteria for applying for a Spanish Golden Visa.

Super-rich & superprime in Spain

This increase in the number of foreigners investing big sums of money comes at a time when Spain is firmly on the radar of super-rich global investors.

According to the Knight Frank Wealth Report 2023, Spain is the top destination for high-net-worth Europeans purchasing a new home, and the third destination for wealthy buyers from the Americas. Globally, Spain is in fourth place

behind the US, UK, and Australia, and ahead of France in fifth place. However, buyers will find a scarcity of product for sale in some segments at the very high-end, including the super-prime serviced-apartment segment that tends to appeal to so-called ultra-high-net-worth individuals, (or UHNWI for short).

As I found out when researching an article on super-prime serviced apartments in Spain compared to the UK, there is very little left on the market, and almost all of it is in Barcelona and Madrid.

“We are down to our last remaining full-floor apartment,” says David Rolt, Director of Francesc Macià 10 in Barcelona, the first project in this segment launched in Spain. “There is clearly international demand at the very high-end, but the pipeline of super-prime serviced-apart-

ments in Barcelona has nothing new coming in, so it won’t be long before high-end buyers can’t find what they are used to in cities like London and New York.”

The very high-end of the market in Spain, where buyers spend as much as €45 million on an apartment, is a tiny fraction of the segment of buyers spending €500,000 or more, but the growing market-share of wealthy foreign buyers is a reality that is captured by the latest market report by the land registrars, and supported by the Knight Frank report. The wealthy tend to survive times of economic turbulence better than most, so it will be interesting to see if this growing appetite for Spanish property amongst wealthy foreign investors translates into another increase in market share in 2023.

BIG SPENDERS: Percentage of foreign buyers spending €500,000 or more on Spanish property

NEARLY 100 empty properties are being seized from their owners in Catalunya.

SEIZED FOR THE NEEDY

SPANISH workers spent an average of 43% of their salary on rent in 2022.

So far 70 flats are being expropriated from large property owners in a bid to create more council housing.

The apartments - located around the region, from Tarragona to Vic - will be converted to social housing in areas of high residential demand.

en, they will be expropriated. The regional government has set aside €5 million to buy an initial 50 to 70 flats at a fair rate.

This is a 3% increase on 2021 and 17% higher than a decade ago, according to a Fotocasa study. It also came during a year when wages decreased overall by 0.7%. According to the report rent prices are the highest ever seen in the country.

And it is at its worst in the Baleares and Catalunya where people spend an alarming 58% of their earnings on rentals.

Valencia meanwhile sits at 42% and Andalucia at 38%.

Murcia is the third cheapest region where residents spend just 32% of their salary on rent.

RENTAL LIMITS

A NEW housing law controlling rents and putting new limits on evictions has been passed.

The Senate now needs to ratify the bill that protects tenants from abusive rent rises, introducing a limit of 3% during 2024. Among other changes, tenants will no longer have to pay an estate agent a fee when they sign a new contract, and only the landlord must pay.

Meanwhile large landlords will be considered as having five properties, down from 10, while eviction dates must be communicated to tenants in advance.

It comes after a law was passed by the Catalan Parliament in 2022 allowing lo-

cal authorities to expropriate a home if it remained unoccupied for more than two years. Initially owners are being allowed to take action and rent out their homes, or to come up with a good excuse. Letters to the owners are going out this month and if no ‘acceptable’ answer is giv-

Tie-break victory

Tennisstar’sBalearicestatefinallysold aftertwodecadesof legalwranglings

IT was a mammoth five-setter that went down to one of the longest tie-breakers in Mallorcan history.

But, finally, after 17 years on the market, the rustic mansion of German tennis star Boris Becker has been sold.

In one of the longest, most turbulent chapters in Spanish property sales, a German businessman has acquired the 13-bedroom estate, near Arta.

Even local star Rafa Nadal couldn’t have withstood the two decade onslaught Becker has taken over the property, that sits in 30 hectares and counts on, naturally, a tennis court, gym and stables.

According to a German newspaper the anonymous buyer got the property, Finca Son Coll, in an extremely good deal given its poor state or repair.

By Jon Clarke & Alex Trelinski

But it wasn’t long before he got into trouble when in 2003 the Mallorca High Court ordered him to knock down a large part of it, which he failed to do, leading to a €500,000 fine. Then throwing in the towel, he put it on the market for an initial €19m that quickly dropped to €15m by 2011.

Eventually, as Becker’s debts mounted up a court ordered it to a public auction, valued at €8.5m, in 2012, with the star finally managing to come to an agreement with his creditors.

Debt

THE government has approved a new measure to help young people buy their first home.

The ICO (Spain's Official Credit Institute) will act as a guarantor for up to 20% of a mortgage taken out by those aged 35 or under and families with children, only if the annual income is less than €37,800.

The €37,800 limit on income will double if the property is bought between two people and they ask for a joint mortgage. For those families with children under 18, there will be no age restrictions when asking the ICO to be a guarantor.

A government minister said the move was aimed at improving access to housing and could help up to 50,000 families.

The 2,900msq prop erty was effectively almost a ruin and had been squatted for a number of years by a group of German hippies.

The new owner told Bild am Sonntag the property needed a ‘lot of work on it’.

“We filled up 150 rubbish bins when we bought the house,” he revealed.

The former Wimbledon star, who was jailed by a UK court over his bankruptcy issues last year, bought Son Coll in 1997.

ICON RETURNS

A HOTEL that once put up the likes of the Aga Khan, Prince Rainier of Monaco and Grace Kelly is set to return to its former glory. Marbella’s Incosol, which was officially opened by dictator Franco (left), in 1973, is set to get a massive €150m facelift.

The 50-year-old grand dame is being revamped by Ilanga Investments, who plan to have the

However, just two years later, with the property then valued at just €7.2m, it was ordered once again to be auctioned over a €100,000 debt to his administrative and security team. At the final hour, Becker got a stay of execution and put the property back on the market for €7m. However, things went from bad to worse and in 2017 he was declared bankrupt in London and eventually sent to prison in 2022. With the star declared insolvent a British private bank, Arbuthnot Latham, took over the rundown estate in 2019 and put it up for sale. But not before a group

NEWOWNERS:Becker’sMallorcanestatehasfinallybeensoldafter 17 years on the market

of squatters had moved in and, despite claims, allowed it to fall apart over a two year period. The new property owner - de-

“We are doing everything we can to help families in a vulnerable situation,” explained regional councillor Juli Fernandez. Mortgage move

scribed as a young entrepreneurhas spent some time redesigning the finca, which he plans to move into this summer.

Need more brickies

THERE is a major shortage of builders for the Spanish construction industry.

The average age of brickies is 50 and only 9% are under 30, compared to 27% who are over 50, revealed the Labour Construction Foundation (FLC).

And to make matters worse it is predicted that a third of the workforce will retire over the next 15 years, with nowhere near enough young builders to replace them.

“There is a lack of interest from youngsters,” explained a spokeswoman for Malaga’s Association of Builders and Promoters.

“They perceive it as unstable, physically tiring and even dangerous work,” she added.

This is despite a major modernisation of the industry over the last decade and the fact that builders rarely work at weekends and usually knock off at 3pm on a Friday.

The labour shortage is particularly acute for bricklayers, but also electricians, plumbers and plasterers.

hotel reopen as a five-star joint with 160 rooms in 2025.

It will focus on the latest in health treatments, for which it became famous, before it shut during the economic crisis a decade ago.

HANGING GARDENS

IT cascades down the hillside like a modern-day hanging gardens of Babylon.

Nestled in woodland overlooking the sea, it offers the dream lookout for nine wealthy owners looking for a quiet escape on Spain’s most exclusive island retreat.

Designed by architect Jordi Herrero, its organic feel uses a mix of wood, glass and concrete, creating a visually stunning masterpiece. The Mallorca-based talent is already

Jordi Herrero’s organic design integrates seamlessly into its natural island surroundings

known for his iconic designs around Spain. But Andratx Hills is something a little different. The development overlooking Andratx port in southwest Mal-

lorca, ‘boasts unparalleled luxury and charm’ while integrating seamlessly into its natural surroundings.

Herrero was given free rein to unleash his creative genius, and no compromises were made in fulfilling his artistic ambitions.

The result; a development that has been meticulously crafted with a keen eye for detail.

A total of eight apartments and one villa have the highest specification, each with their own pool, gym, spa, wine cellar and cinema.

“All of them are designed to maximize the breath-taking views of Andratx and its harbour and they exude elegance and luxury, while providing the utmost in privacy,” explains Alby Euesden, of The Agency Mallorca, in charge of sales. The US agency has a range of unique global listings including the Walt Disney Estate, The Playboy Mansion and The Private Residences of Four Seasons, in Los Angeles.

MALLORCA FOR FAMILIES

MALLORCA is attracting a growing number of people every year due to its continuously improving infrastructure, modern architecture, international schools, diverse culinary options and new business opportunities.

This is an audience from all over the world who want to live and work from an idyllic location with great weather and a relaxed lifestyle. One of the most

exciting current developments here is the renovation of the front line Paseo Maritimo in Palma, which will be a larger promenade for pedestrians running along the seafront. The renovation will provide a more environmentally-friendly and convenient space for walkers, featuring more foliage, lots of trees and more space for restaurant terraces.

It will also reduce the number of cars in the area, making it more accessible for pedestrians.

This modernization of Palma will inevitably attract more tourists and boost the local economy, which is also leading to a better infrastructure around its

harbour areas and an increase in super yachts. Mallorca also has plenty of excellent international schools, which is another draw for fam-

ilies looking to relocate. Most of the top schools are growing and expanding the learning experience and have a proven track record of accessing the top universities worldwide.

The varied culinary scene is also a highlight, with new restaurants popping up all the time, serving cuisine from all over the world. This wide diversity, combined with the island’s natural beauty, makes it a great place to call home. This modern villa in Anchorage Hill in

Bendinat (left), is a prime example of an ideal family home. Offering sea views, a large swimming pool, spacious bedrooms and an open living area. Situated in the perfect location, close to all the amenities and supermarkets, and only ten minutes away from Palma or the motorway to reach the busy airport. If you’re looking for a family villa closer to Palma, there are some new luxury designer villas in Bonanova (above) with sea views, ideally located a short walking distance to one of the renowned international schools, Queens College.

For more information on this and many more properties in The Agency’s portfolio, please visit www.theagencyre.com or telephone on +34 871 610 678

Mallorca is a thriving destination for anyone looking to enjoy the Mediterranean lifestyle. Families looking to relocate will find the island has everything they need, with excellent schools, great food, and a range of properties to suit all budgets. Contact us for more information.

The new promenade and good schools are just two reasons to buy a luxury villa near Palma

IN an age of international style, global trends, and ‘one-size-fits-all’ interiors how can you create a stunningly stylish Iberian-flavoured home? How do you distinguish Calvia or Cadiz from California?

The simple answer is to shop local and enjoy all the associated environmental and cost benefits this brings.

Most notable among Spanish handicrafts are our textiles and ceramics, so let’s hit the road, and drop in on a couple of areas with the richest heritage of artisanal crafts.

Textiles

Our first stop is in the Alpujarra, on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada, where towns like Bubion and Capilera are a Mecca for textile-lovers.

Here you will find Hilacar, which still makes traditional fabrics (and offers weaving workshops) using traditional methods. Check its website.

Historically tejido Alpujarreño is most familiar as ‘cortinas de calle’ (or street curtains), but Alpujarreño textiles are

GO LOCAL

When it comes to textiles and ceramics, the Iberian Peninsula has a wealth of amazing producers, writes Julia Begbie

inexpensive and finding new design markets.

Where I live in Gaucin, the excellent local restaurant Platero & Co has crafted an excellent interior scheme around Hilacar fabrics (curtains, room dividers, and seat cushions), combining these with hessian and local natural materials for a distinctive solution that feels just right in our mountain village.

Meanwhile in Madrid, Eduardo Rodriguez Turel, proprietor of Eturel, showcases Alpujarreño fabrics alongside hessian and Canary Island stripes in an explosion of colourful contemporary chic. See his online shop for design and colour inspiration, and for high quality yet relatively inexpensive finished products, such as tablecloths, cushions, bags, and storage baskets.

Historically, the Iberian Peninsula has Berber shepherds to thank for the wool that feeds their mills; the Spanish town of Grazalema grew rich on the wool trade, and iconic Grazalema blankets sit well in traditional and contemporary interiors.

Visit Mantas de Grazalema to indulge a taste for the monochromatic.

Colour lovers meanwhile, should investigate the premium mohair blankets so beloved of Spanish children; the iconic brand Ezcaray – based in La Rioja and approaching its centenary celebrations - is world-famous for its sumptuous, soft and fluffy, jewel-coloured investment pieces, woven from the hair of Angora goats (above).

Over the border

Crossing the border into Portugal, our next

stop is Reguengos de Monsaraz, another hotspot of textile production and home to Fabricaal, a business combining tradition with bold contemporary vision. Fabricaal’s range includes fantastic rugs, and blankets, and the artefacts (bags, cushions, and stools) they create from the product of their looms.

Ceramics

The Iberian Peninsula is also justly famous for heritage ceramics and tiles in colours and patterns to give your home instant regional recognition and personality.

In Spain, the town of Nijar is to ceramics what Bubion is to textiles. Set the satnav for Avenida Federico García Lorca and browse stalls teetering with stacked pots and colourful plates. Chat to seventh-generation potters like Lorenzo Lores, the current custodian of family business Alfareria Angel y Loli

This family business has been operating since 1755, and Lorenzo still works with the most traditional brown, yellow, green, and blue slips and glazes (manganese, iron, copper, and cobalt, since you ask).

In Portugal, you might want to check out some of the excellent ceramics around the Sintra area.

Take our modernist new-build home in Gaucín, we have introduced contemporary Iberian ceramics to give a sense of location.

Our choice is Casa Cubista, a Portuguese brand that overlays simple designs on traditional base materials, and mixes well with old-style ceramics collected in nearby Morocco.

CHECKLIST:

HILACAR www.jarapahilacar.com

PLATERO Y CO

www.platero-gaucin.com/es/

ETUREL

www.eturel.com

FABRICAAL www.fabricaal.com/en/

MANTAS DE GRAZALEMA

www.mantasdegrazalema.com

EZCARAY www.mantasezcaray.com

ALFARERIA ANGEL Y LOLI

www.instagram.com/alfarangelyloli

CASA CUBISTA www.casacubista.com

From a small sitting room to the hottest new restaurant, we will assist in creating your vision. With over a decade of experience, based between Barcelona and London. Curating a bespoke design plan using the best local and international artisans.

References and testimonials available.

hello@sedesigns.studio

www.sedesigns.studio

WhatsApp: (+44) 7775 782 418

WARM AND WONDERFUL: Grazalema blankets are multi-purpose items

BEST OF SPAIN: Shops include Casa Cubista, Alfareria Angel y Loli and Eturel

Se-designing

SHE may have come from a land down under, but Sara Eski is right on the cutting edge of modern design in Europe. Based out of Barcelona and London, her company SE Designs offers a bespoke, great value service to help you renovate, upgrade or totally rebuild any space you want.

Drawing inspiration from her surroundings her original ren-

distinct lifestyles and personalities of her individual clients. Both relaxed and sophisticated, her approach focuses on curating furniture and decor that elicit an emotional response.

Through a well worn process of online consultancy via normal or zoom calls, she guarantees to help clients through the complex and frequently fraught interior design process. Here, in the first of three example renders with mood boards, she offers up a few suggestions for a contemporary living room.

She explains: “Texture and feeling are something embedded within my design process, often in the form of an object or piece of furniture that ignites my creative flow, lining the foundation of the concept.

“In this example, I wanted to design a space that represented being present. A space that can be silent but also filled with personality, a space you get lost in or escape to.

“Through use of tonal textures, I have created interest within the smallest of details, allowing your eyes to wonder, but not tire.

“From the cloud-like movement cascading up the walls, to organic shapes within the furniture, the two elements marry harmoniously.”

Visit www.sedesigns.studio for more info

EXCLUSIVE VILLA IN SOL DE MALLORCA FANTASTIC FAMILY VILLA IN SON VIDA GARDEN APARTMENT, COSTA D’EN

This exclusive villa which is situated close to the charming harbour of Portals Vells, sits on an automatically irrigated and even plot of land in a coveted residential area. Lots of pretty beaches as well as leisure and sports facilities are close at hand. The spacious villa offers a high level of comfort and its top quality furnishings are included in the purchase price.

The top floor gives access to the entrance hall, living room, dining room, fitted kitchen, utility room, a double bedroom with en suite bathroom and the master bedroom with en suite bathroom and dressing room. On the lower floor there is a living room with fireplace, a TV room and three bedrooms with en suite bathrooms. On this floor there is a possibility to create a guest or service apartment.

BLANES

This completely renovated garden apartment is located in a small complex with only 6 units located in Costa den Blanes.

The flat has just been completed renovated and has four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a guest toilet, a spacious light-filled living and dining area with an open fully equipped kitchen, fireplace and access to the covered terrace.

BEDS 4 | BATHS 4 | BUILD 539m2 | PLOT 1726m2

BEDS 6 | BATHS 6 | BUILD 734m2 | PLOT 2295m2

BEDS 4 | BATHS 4 | BUILD 189m2 | PLOT 238m2

chair by Gubi 3. Kastrup (Closed on Sunday Edit) Rug by Henzel Studio 4. Ming's Heart Armchair by Poltrona Frau 5. Manon floor lamp by Heaps & Woods 6. Chimera side table's by Arketipo 7. Xtabay by Impotsible ceramics

As well as keeping a close eye on Spain, Sara Eski (left) offers up the most original, contemporary designs from around the world

WHERE TO KICK YOUR HEELS

From French shoe designer Louboutin’s quirky Alentejo hideout to Branson’s soon-toopen UNESCO protected Mallorca estate, the Olive Press picks a Top 6 of new Iberian Peninsula hotels for 2023

WHEN it comes to the world’s best luxury hotels, Spain ticks many boxes. And the accommodation on offer just keeps getting better, particularly when it comes to architecture, with a host of hip new hotels opening over the last year.

Whether you are seeking rural tranquillity, a lively city break, a taste of history or a beach holiday, there is something for everyone.

Here we take a look at 6 of the best new hotels in 2023…

VERMELHO HOTEL, MELIDES, PORTUGAL

Opened May 2023, from €278 a night in low season

THIS sleepy part of central Portugal was mostly overlooked for decades, until the nearby coastal strip of Comporta got globally fashionable a decade ago. While a little way south and inland, the Alentejo boutique hotel of shoe legend, Christian Louboutin (above), is by far THE style hotel of 2023 so far. Opening this month, it is inspired by Louboutin’s ‘eclectic, maximalist and daring’ tastes. And that is all too clear, looking at the photos on the website, which champions, as much, its artisan designers and artists as its actual location or rooms.

The Parisian fashion legend fell in love with the region decades ago and has carefully gathered together the best of

its authentic style.

This is the listed historic home he frequently locked himself away to work on his winter collection and, who knows, maybe inspired his famous red soles (top left).

It is very much a reflection of the region’s laid-back vibe and wonderful light and its 13 bedrooms are a riot of colourful details, including frescoes and unusual tiles.

The Matinha suite, in particular, is out of the grand dreamy playbook of the kings of Sintra. While carefully preserving the building’s detailed architecture, the gardens are a step on, being designed by landscape specialist Louis Benech, who

has even worked at the Gardens of Versailles. There is a natural heated swimming pool. Need we say more.

www.vermelhohotel.com

SON BUNYOLA, BUNYOLA, MALLORCA

Open June 16,

From approx €600 a night in September

WE first wrote about the incredible UNESCO heritage estate British tycoon Richard Branson owns in the north-west of Mallorca a few years back… and when he opened a couple of villas last year we expected the hotel to follow soon afterwards.

Now, finally, after plenty of chopping and changing, the Son Bunyola Hotel will open with 26 rooms and suites next month.

The hotel is expected to be a new definition of luxury for the island, sitting in its incredible 1,300 acres of private land. On a rocky headland, enveloped by a pine forest, the privileged guests can be guaranteed peace and silence. It will count on two restaurants, an outdoor swimming pool and hot tub, as well as a spa.

CANFRANC ESTACION, HUESCA

Opened February 2023. From €159 a night

EXPERIENCE First Class accommodation at this former railway station. Sitting in the heart of the Pynenees, just seven kilometres to the French border, this stunning hotel is an architectural gem, both in its original design and recent reform.

Opened in 1928 with a ceremony attended by King Alfonso XIII and president Gaston Doumergue, at the time it was a modernist masterstroke made of steel and concrete.

Promising a route from Paris to Madrid and Lisbon, via Zaragoza, it was suitably grand (and long, at 241m in length).

But the Spanish Civil War ended any hopes of romanticism as the border shut and during World War II, Canfranc witnessed a wagon-load of arrests, espionage and gold trafficking across the border

into Spain.

It became known as ‘the Titanic of the mountains’ particular after the station (and route) closed in 1970. Thankfully after much tooing and froing it was acquired by the regional Aragon government and in 2017 work began on bringing it back to its former glory.

In February its doors finally reopened with 103 rooms, care of the Spanish Barcelo group.

You enter the hotel via the grand, imposing central booking hall (right), with giant windows and views onto the Pyrenees. It sets the scene developed by Barcelona interior firm, ilmio, who have renovated the rooms to a high standard maximising the views.

www.barcelo.com

GRAND HOTEL SON NET, PUIGPUNYENT, MALLORCA

Opened March 2023, From

approx €615 a night in low

season

IF grand, country estates are your thing, then Son Net takes some beating. Like an Italianate villa its grand proportions shelter some of the best appointed suitesand communal rooms - in all Europe. And this is no fusty, sit-on-their-laurels grand family sitting back and collecting tithes from the fortunate few. Son Net was taken over by Andalucia’s leading five-star delight, Finca Cortesin, last year. They know how to do luxury… and discreetly to boot.

Far from worried about occupancy, they concentrate on amazing service (the sort where Santander bank’s Botin family can feel comfortable, dining next to the likes of Slash, from Guns & Roses or Pe-

ter Andre).

After a year of expensive renovation which carefully conserved its palatial design (stone floors, beams and arches, etc) it has recently emerged as a sophisticated retreat with classically elegant bedrooms and suites.

Nudging into the foothills of the Sierra Tramuntana mountains, the grounds are to lay back and be pampered beside the 30-metre pool flanked by private shaded cabanas, a phalanx of flower-beds and a vineyard and ecological vegetable garden.

www.sonnet.es

A modern and mediterranean style villa that boasts of privacy and peace, located in Es Capdella town, only a 15 minutes drive to Palma center.

With a spectacular green view to the Galatzo mountains.

The spacious villa has floor to ceiling windows and a green landscape view from almost every room in the house. 1 bedroom, bathroom and a guest toilet is located downstairs, along with the living and dining area, open plan kitchen and utility room. Upstairs are the remaining 3 bedrooms and its respective bathrooms.

CASA PALACIO PAREDES

LIVE like a conquistador. The price for a junior suite may seem a touch high, but then you are staying in a five-star Renaissance palace with parts dating back to the 14th century.

Caceres is one of the most charming towns in Extremadura, with the ancient streets reminders of the wealth that poured in from South America. Its opening was a dream come true for Jose Polo

NOBU HOTEL SEVILLA

YOU looking at me? You looking at me? Well you should be. Nobu Hospitality - part owned by Robert de Nirohas just opened its latest palatial hotel and restaurant in the heart of Sevilla.

Steeped in modern luxury and historic charm it offers an unforge -

Opened April 2023, from €350 a night

ttable style-orientated experience in this most historic of Andalucian cities. Situated in the vibrant and colourful Plaza San Francisco, it counts on has amazing views of both the cathedral and Giralda.

The five-star establishment has 23 luxurious rooms each offering a sanctuary of modern Japanese minimalism.

Walnut wood-panelled

ref: RH-37027-property

Type: Mediterranean Villa

Location: Es Capdella

Build area: 412m²

Lot size: 1794m²

Bedroom: 4

Bathroom: 4

View: mountain

Build year: 2019

Price: €2.950.000

Real estate boutique specialising in the promotion and sale of luxury housing in Majorca; with an extensive knowledge of the island and widespread experience in luxury real estate.

+34 971 694 055

info@lovianproperties.com

www. lovianproperties.com

Avenida Rey

Jaime I, 109, D5, 07180, Santa Ponsa, Mallorca, Spain

Opened March 2023 From €1,139 a night

SAAVEDRA BY ATRIO, CACERES IKOS PORTO PETRO, MALLORCA

and Tono Perez, famous for their three Michelin stars at the nearby Atrio Restaurant (also a hotel), in Caceres.

A further step into luxury, this architectural jewel is artfully placed in a key historic barrio of this wonderful city. The reception areas of the hotel follow ‘a simple, unified architectural canon in harmony with its surroundings’, and there is a distinct sense of tranquillity.

The beautiful courtyard has maintained its original co-

suites have subtle furnishings and luxurious comfort detailing, from deep beds to ‘crisp high thread count linens’.

The Miyabi and Zen suites are particularly well appointed with their soothing cobalt and cream walls.

www.sevilla.nobuhotels.com

lumns and flagstone floors, while its suites are surprisingly modern, yet work with a range of original features from vaulted ceilings to Juliet windows. At least the price includes breakfast and you can normally (one expects) get a booking in the nearby Atrio restaurant.

www.restauranteatrio.com

Opening June 2023 from €338 per night

ALL inclusive luxury Greek resort group Ikos is opening its second hotel in Spain this summer. Already going great guns with their hip resort in Estepona, the group is set to open a second retreat in Mallorca. Tucked away in upmarket Cala d’Or away from the hordes, you will definitely re-

lax enjoying the five a la carte restaurants, food hall concept and a whole range of sports and treatment activities.

Best of all, kickback and head

down to the nearby hidden beaches, which are among the best on the island.

www.ikosresorts.com

Office: +34 971 489 118 Mobile: +34 711 009 479 www.crocodileproperties.com

Dúplex for sale in Santa Ponsa

Magnificent Land in Santa Ponsa

Luxurious Villa in Cala Vinyes

Avenida Rei Jaume I, 104, local 1 07180 Santa Ponsa - Mallorca Reformed

Spectacular duplex with views of the port of Santa Ponsa. This duplex of approx. 90m2 is distributed over two floors. On the upper floor we find a spacious and bright living-dining room with a fireplace, a fully equipped open kitchen with a laundry room and access to a large terrace with views of the port, on the lower floor there are three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It has hot and cold air conditioning in all rooms, climalit windows and parquet flooring. It is completely renovated, new plumbing and electrical installations, all with top quality materials. Reformed in 2023.

It is located in a very quiet residential complex with a communal pool and has parking

Over 2500 sqm flat plot located at the end of a cul de sac, with the possibility to build an800+ sqm metre mansion plus basement.

Interested, please contact Crocodile Properties for this exciting opportunity.

Villa currently under construction in first sea line in Cala Vinyes. It is situated on a plot of approx.1321m² with private access to the sea. The house of approx 750m² will have a spacious and bright living-dining room, fully fitted kitchen, five bedrooms with fitted wardrobes and seven bathrooms.

All with high quality materials.

Furthermore it has air-conditioning hot and cold, underfloor heating, venetian blinds, summer kitchen on the terrace, jacuzzi on the lower terrace, swimming pool, garage, two fireplaces, lift, sauna and security system with alarm and video surveillance.

One of the last available large plots to develop in Nova Santa Ponsa.

FROM US TO YOU.

Are you looking for a new property? We have the most unique listings in Mallorca. In addition to the properties on our website, we have dozens of pocket listings of premium properties that are not listed publically anywhere. We are here to help our clients from the first-time buyers to experienced investors to make the best possible deals in real estate.

If you are interested in selling or buying a property, our experienced agents at Strand Properties are trusted advisors and are happy to help with that. Contact us:

ARE THEY?

Lisa’s family believe Woods may have returned to Spain, where he has many friends and connections on the Costa del Sol.

On leaving court in 2020, Lisa’s brother Craig said: “We are still hoping for information, but at this moment, the judge is not bringing any charges.

“But it’s an ongoing case and if anybody knows anything, they should act on it. “It’s still very difficult for the family, everybody feels it.”

A £100,000 reward is still being offered by Lisa’s family for information on her whereabouts.

Amy Fitzpatrick

Amy, who would have celebrated her 31st birthday last month, vanished from Mijas Costa on New Year’s Day, 2008. She had been babysitting. Her aunt received a phone call in 2014 from an anonymous source who said Amy was buried at the former Hippodrome racecourse in Mijas. However, as the Olive Press recently reported, Spanish police have yet to investigate or excavate the site. She was just 15 when she disappeared on the short walk home to Riviera del Sol. The Dublin teen was

living in Spain at the time with her mum Audrey Fitzpatrick, her stepfather Dave Mahon and her brother Dean. No trace of Amy has ever been found. The family faced further tragedy when Dean was stabbed to death by his stepfather Mahon in 2013. Mahon was later convicted of manslaughter and jailed. He and Audrey remain together despite the tragedy.

Levi Davis

The case of Levi Davis has dominated headlines since he first went missing on October 29, 2022. However, a new development has sparked fresh hopes the 24-year-old could be found alive.

A close friend of Levi’s told a private investigator

hired by the family that a text sent to Levi on December 15 had been opened and read recently. The friend had written to say, ’Please come home. I love you. And miss you xx’.

And beneath the message an acknowledgement had appeared to show the text had been read.

Levi had been staying in Ibiza but travelled to Barcelona with just €40 and no change of clothes. He was picked up on CCTV leaving the Old Irish Pub near Barcelona’s La Rambla about 10pm on October 29, a few hours after arriving on the boat. Levi’s mother, Julie, received information from an alleged eyewitness that her son had ‘been sighted’ at Placa de Sant Agusti looking ‘lost and confused’ on November 14.

So far, only his passport has been found, which Mossos D’Esquadra agents discovered near the city’s port.

John Leach

John Leach, who was 65 at the time and appeared in 1990s BBC TV series Eldorado, has not been seen since leaving his home in La Cala de Mijas in 2012.

He was last seen walking alongside the A-7 next to El Sheriff bar sometime between 12.30pm and 1pm on August 21.

It is believed he may have decided to go to a wake being held in El Chaparral golf at a bar called The Hut at 4pm as he had called a few friends the day before to see if they were going.

He was carrying €10 in cash and his mobile phone but failed to answer calls made by his daughter Jessica, who was visiting Spain when he disappeared. Jessica said at the time.: “He likes his daily routine and always sticks to it so this is not normal behaviour for him.

of appreciation before sitting down to a gala dinner.

“I am so happy it went so well. It was nerve wracking leading up to it. We didn’t have long to prepare for the event, just a few days of practice. I had to learn how to march in step as I have never been in the military. In the end the adrenaline saw us through,” he explains.

“But we all helped each other and worked as a unit. Everyone looked after their colleagues’ backs. If you had a shirt not tucked in, or a tie askew, a friendly tap on the shoulder

would be given, and everything would be sorted out.”

And to cap off the longest - and possibly best - day of his life, Matt, who has lived for 13 years in Spain, previously working for the Costa del Sol News and Spectrum Radio, managed to reacquaint himself with some decent English beer.

“We were not allowed a drink in the days leading up to the coronation, but after the gala dinner it was straight down the pub.

“It was a great day to be British, and a great day to drink British beer!”

“Me and my mum are sick with worry and just hope he is found safe and returned home soon,” added Jessica. But 11 years on, nothing more has been heard about John, who was a well known and popular figure around La Cala..

He was wearing a grey polo shirt with beige or white three-quarter-length trousers and brown shoes.

If you have information on any of these cases the Olive Press on 951 273 575 or email newsdesk@ theolivepress.es

CRIME SCENE: A body and skull, which could be Agnese’s, turned up at The Crest development in Benahavis this month

OFF TO THE PUB: Straight after the gala dinner with Matt, ringed at work (above) in the morning outside Big Ben

Pic credit: Jon Clarke

Kicking up a stink The robots are coming

A LLUCMAJOR poultry farm has been fined the maximum €200,000 for not doing enough to stop the smell of excrement wafting across adjoining urbanisations.

The Son Perot farm has been giving off the pungent stench since 2019 prompting several demonstrations from residents and a formal complaint to the government. Some 9,000 people are said to have been within sniffing distance of the farm.

The Environment Commission has now imposed the maximum penalty on the hen laying farm for what it calls a ‘serious infraction’.

The facility also does not have the appropriate environmental authority for farms that have 40,000 hens or more - it currently has 135,696 hens.

The tough sanction was handed down because the Commission says the owner has another similar farm which has been legally approved and therefore cannot claim ignorance over the law.

READY FOR TAKE OFF

A MADRID company, NextNorth, has unveiled plans for an air taxi service linking the Balearic Islands.

It says a journey on its first proposed route between Mallorca and Ibiza would take just four minutes, but everything is subject to approval from the European Union Agency for Aviation Safety

(EASA).

Nevertheless, NextNorth has chosen Bluenest as a developer to construct vertiports and convert existing heliports on the five Balearic isles. Initially helicopters will be used with the long term aim being to convert to eVTOL electric flying pods, which are being developed now.

Meta data drought

Meta’s planned data centre will require ‘660 million litres of water a year’ in drought stricken area

A PLANNED data centre that will serve Facebook and Instagram owner Meta will need 660 million litres of water a year to run in a drought-stricken area. The structure is due to be built in the Toledo munici-

By Simon Hunter

pality of Talavera de la Reina.

The project was given approval as a Project of Singular Interest (PSI) by the

PROFIT SURGE

ENERGY company Endesa has announced a 76% surge in net profit for the first quarter of the year, defying the effects of Spain's windfall tax.

The company, owned by Italian energy titan Enel, revealed that it had trousered a staggering €594 million from January to March, despite paying a €208 million windfall tax in the first quarter.

Spain's energy firms have benefited from soaring gas prices but Endesa is still challenging in the High Court the legality of the temporary 1.2% levy on utilities' sales.

FIRST CLASS

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IN a recent survey of our customers after using Línea Directa’s Roadside Assistance and breakdown services, over 90% said they would happily recommend our insurance services to a friend or colleague.

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DID YOU KNOW?

All Línea Directa insurance policies offer additional features specifically designed for expatriates living in Spain.

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regional government of Castilla-La Mancha. This means that the project will be fast-tracked given the economic impact it will have on the region. But among the plans from the company are a requirement for 200 million litres of water a year for the data centre itself, and then another 440 million for the rest of the infrastructure on the site. Claims that the Meta site is in an ‘area in danger of drought’, and that it would require increased consumption from the River Tajo (Tagus) basin.

But the regional premier of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano Garcia-Page of the Socialist Party, said that his government would not allow for a lack of water to ‘endanger the arrival of companies’.

Garcia-Page is one of the many politicians running at the upcoming regional and local elections that will be held across Spain on May 28. Barring any obstacles, the work to build the Meta Data Center Campus will begin at the end of this year. It will occupy a 125-hectare plot of land in an industrial park.

THE Palau de Congressos de Palma hosted the seventh Economic Forum this week.

A number of tech experts held forth on the challenges posed by the advent of AI, demanding regulation before bad actors exploit its capabilities. Renowned for its economic analysis in the Balearic Islands, the event featured notable speakers such as Antoni Riera, Nicolas Huss, Jose Ignacio Goirigolzarri, and Jose María Alvarez-Pallete.

Panel members, fearing the implications of AI, called for intense debates on privacy issues, safeguarding individual rights and protecting against manipulation. They also highlighted the danger that Large Language Models could pose to democracy and truth itself.

Pay boost

BUSINESS bosses and trade unions have agreed to increase workers’ wages by 4%. Both sides have reached the deal known as the Agreement on Employment and Collective Negotiations (AENC) after months of bargaining in the context of the current inflation. The Executive Board of the Confederation of Business Organisations (CEOE) unanimously approved the agreement and will ask Spanish businesses to apply it.

Old faces

ARCHAEOLOGISTS in Spain have unearthed five 5th-century stone reliefs of human faces belonging to the ancient Tartessian culture of the 8th–4th centuries B.C.

The two most complete depict women wearing jewellery and researchers believe they could have been major figures in society, with one of the figures possibly representing a warrior.

The Tartessos civilization inhabited the southern Iberian Peninsula and is only known from archaeological discoveries.

The discovery was made at the Iron Age site of Casas del Turuñuelo in Badajoz province in western Spain which comprises of a large, twofloor building made of adobe walls on stone foundations.

Roman way of death

New exhibition tells the lives of gladiators, with help from their tombstones

SLAVES, prisoners of war, condemned criminals or even free men who voluntarily chose the job… there was no one route to becoming a gladiator in Roman times. But one thing was commondeath was never far away. Now a new exhibition in Burgos is telling the stories of some of these warriors through artefacts used to commemorate them.

LOVER’S TOMB

A 5,400-year-old megalithic tomb has been discovered at the foot of the Peña de los Enamorados (Lover’s Rock) in Antequera.

Located at the foot of the prominent lone mountain in southern Spain, the funerary complex was built approximately 5,000 years ago.

According to the lead author of the study, Leonardo García Sanjuán, professor of Prehistory at the University of Sevilla, the funerary enclosure consists of an almost rectangular structure, 4.5 metres long by 1.45 metres wide, which was excavated from the bedrock’ Stone slabs were arranged to align with the summer solstice.

By Simon Hunter

The Museum of Human Evolution in the northern Castilla y Leon region has borrowed six funerary ‘steles’ from Cordoba’s Archeology Museum for the show, which is called ‘Death in the arena. Gladiators of Cordoba’.

The steles – made from slabs of limestone or marble – are inscribed with the life stories of the dead gladiators, and were once located in a necropolis in Cordoba.

The site was discovered in the 1930s when the local council in Cordoba decided to build a new neighbourhood. It was then that workers found a spectacular underground tomb, and some years later proper excavation work located 15 burial sites (five of them with two occupants) for a total of 20 gladiators.

The exhibition also features re-

EPITAPHS: On a Gladiator life and (top) a helmet

productions of the equipment that these gladiators used, including shields, helmets, daggers and armour. The items on display date from the first and second centuries A.D. but the exhibition explains the birth of the profession of gladiator from as far back as the fourth century B.C., when combat would honour someone’s memory. The display would later become the preferred public spectacle in the times of the Roman empire, according to the museum. The exhibition will run until autumn and is free to enter. Guided tours are also available at no charge.

Visit www.museoevolucionhumana.com for more info

LA CULTURA

Freed with a brushstroke

From slave to grand master: Jack Gaioni recalls a remarkable, little known chapter in Spanish art history involving Velázquez & Pareja

DIEGO Velázquez (1599-1660) needs no introduction. Perhaps the best-known painter in Spain’s Golden Age, Velázquez’s paintings became the paragon of excellence for the great Spanish realist and impressionist painters that followed.(think: Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Salvador Dali, etc.). Recently, Velázquez has been on the minds of art historians and museum curators for reasons you might not expect.

Of late, on-going discussions by those in the art community argue that Velázquez’s legacy has brought a new dimension to the world of art. Allow me to explain… Early in his career, Velázquez had a modest, somewhat regional, reputation as a painter. That changed when the Flemish great Peter Paul Rubens, who while visiting Madrid, recognised the young man’s potential. He encouraged Diego to travel to Italy to paint, study and learn from

the great masters. In 1629 he left Malaga for Genoa, entrusted by King Philip to continue to paint but also to procure paintings and sculptures for the royal palaces.

Traveling with him was a personal entourage of other artists, assistants, and - wat for it - a Morisco slave named Juan de Pareja. Even after the expul-

sion of Moors (1492), Spain remained a muti-racial and highly stratified society but artists were known to have slaves in their workshops. To some extent, Velázquez’s subject matter while in Rome reflected this diversity. With his brilliant use of a loose (almost impressionistic) style of brushwork, vivid colors, shading, and light, Velazquez brought to life a certain ‘vitality’ to darker-skinned subjects.

During his stay in Rome, Velázquez’s painting of his slave, The Portrait of Juan de Pareja was exhibited at the Pantheon (1650) where it not only was popularly received, it ‘electrified the city of Rome’.

As one biographer noted:

“The Portrait of Juan de Pareja was widely applauded by all the painters from different countries who said the other pictures were ‘art’ but Velázquez’s portrait was ‘truth’.

Very little is known of Juan de Pareja’s background. He was born around 1609 in Antequera and came to Velazquez either by purchase, gift, or inheritance.

Pareja was believed to be born of an African slave and white Spaniard. Early on, as a member of Velazquez’s household and workshop, he demonstrated knowledge that went beyond merely mixing paints, cleaning brushes and setting up easels.

‘Manumission’

Rather, he evolved into not only a dedicated apprentice but as an emulator of the masters around him - especially in his time in Rome.

There he developed stylistically into an artist in his own right and was prolific in his painting. One critic described his bold brushwork as ‘more of a sign of courage rather than confidence’. Diego Velazquez would ultimately free him by ‘manumission’ or formal emancipation from slavery.

Juan de Pareja had entered Rome an enslaved Morisco but left a free man with an accomplished reputation.

Flash forward nearly 300 years to the world of art in New York City. In 1926, The Carnegie Corporation purchased a private art collection from a Puerto Rican

man of mixed-race named Arturo Schomburg. Schomburg, a historian, writer, and activist, often collected ‘slave narratives’ - evidence of what he called ‘hidden black achievement’.

Known as part of an intellectual revival of African arts called the Harlem Renaissance Movement, the Schomburg/Carnegie collection is housed today in the New York Public Library. Schomburg however was not finished with his efforts. Using the proceeds from his sale to the Carnegie Corporation, he traveled to Spain to retrieve many of the works of Juan de Pareja. At the time of this writing, much of Schomburg’s collection pertaining to the works of Pareja is on display at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. The exhibition offers an unprecedented look at the life and times and artistic achievements of Juan de Pareja. The Met hopes to better position the voices of enslaved people through art.

The presentation examines ways in which ‘enslaved art’ and a multiracial society are linked to Spain’s Golden Age.

The infamous Portrait of Juan de Pareja is contextualized by the presence of much of Pareja’s works. Even the original historical document which ‘freed’ Velasquez’s dedicated assistant is on display.

These works, combined with Velazquez’s portrait of Juan de Pareja serve as a thread connecting 17th Century Art with 20th Century Art.

DID YOU KNOW?

● I, Juan de Pareja is an award -winning novel by American writer Elizabeth Borton de Treviño. In 1966 the fictional- ized novel won the prestigious Newbery Medal for excel- lence in children’s literature.

● “Decolonization of art”-- the process of freeing institu- tions (e.g., museums, exhibitions, etc.) from the cultural and social effects of Euro-colonial art, is receiving in- creased attention. Many museums are issuing state- ments of solidarity hoping to offer greater access to the art of colonized people. For a fascinating video on this subject matter with associate curator at The Met , Maia Jessup Nuku, go to: https//YouTube/SBfGRVFFczk.

● Not all Pareja’s work is presently in New York. His classic The Calling of Saint Matthew can be viewed at the Mu- seo del Prado in Madrid. At the Museu de Belles Arts in Valencia, the Portrait of the Architect José Ratés Dalmau can be viewed.

● The Met’s Exhibit in New York City runs until July 16, 2023.

OP Puzzle solutions

Quick Crossword

Across: 7 Zoom, 8 Graduate, 9 Sparkler, 10 Nods, 11 Alive, 12 Reduced, 14 Telstar, 16 Egypt, 19 Tact, 20 Songster, 21 Aerobics, 22 Mats.

Down: 1 Compel, 2 Improvisation, 3 Agile, 4 Barrier, 5 Quinquagesima, 6 Stodge, 13 Warship, 15 Enamel, 17 Pretty, 18 Gnash.

SELF PORTRAIT: Pareja (far left) and, above, his pic by Velázquez

CELESTIAL: Bautismo, while (below) Portrait of the Architect José Ratés

FOOD, DRINK & TRAVEL

PERFECT PAELLAS

A WEBSITE extolling the virtues of traditional Valencian paella has celebrated its 10th anniversary by publishing details of 20 'hidden' paellas - special recipes 'not known even to Valencians'.

Wikipaella acknowledges 364 restaurants that make authentic paellas to Valencian standards.

Unsurprisingly 320 of those are in the Valencian Community, but outsiders are found in Madrid and Murcia, as well as further afield in the United Kingdom and the United States.

“A proper paella is down to unique ingredients,” said Wikipaella co-founder Guillermo Navarro.

The 20 'hidden' paellas have been compiled by Josep Piera who states that paella is 'not a recipe' but a technique of cooking rice which is considered by experts to be one of the hardest rice dishes to produce.

Brits lead the way as visitor numbers soar

SPAIN was visited by 13.7 million foreign tourists in the first three months of the year - 41.2% more than in the same period in 2022.

Between January and March, the total spend by international tourists was €17.2 billion, an increase of 44.7% compared to the same quarter last year, according to the National Statistics Institute.

In March, 5.3 million visitors arrived in Spain (an increase of 30% compared to March 2022), who spent a total of €6.6 billion, 31.1% more than a year ago.

Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Hector Gomez,

AIR Nostrum will be offering flights connecting Mallorca and Ibiza with Nice this summer, starting from June 10.

The airline has announced it will offer three services a week with Ibiza and two with Mallorca until July 17. It will then provide daily flights linking Ibiza with the Cote d’Azur capital and six services a week to Mallorca from July 21 until

FOREIGN TOURIST SURGE

By Alex Trelinski

claimed the figures were proof that ‘2023 is becoming an extraordinary year for tourism in all measures with higher spending and longer stays’.

“We are witnessing the consolidation of tourism as one

Nice trip

September 3.

Flights between Nice and the two Baleares cities have been made available one month earlier than in 2022.

Leading to increases of 73% and 50% in the number of seats offered.

of the main drivers of the Spanish economy, which is also reflected in the quality of employment in the sector and in an increasingly varied and innovative range of destinations," Gomez added. By country, the United Kingdom, dominates the foreign arrivals with 1.1 million visitors, experienced strong growth in March (up 29.4%) compared to the same month in 2022. France and Germany are the countries that come next on the visitor numbers tally. The Canary Islands were the top tourist destination in March, accounting for 24.7% of all foreign tourists (1.3 million people) - up 15.5% more than a year ago.

DIGGING THE CAVES

ANDALUCIA’S white villages, the pueblos blancos, cling to mountainsides throughout the region and rank among the most beautiful in Spain.

But there’s one that deserves to be singled out: Setenil de las Bodegas, in the northeast corner of Cadiz, is unique for its cave houses and cave restaurants and shops.

The village has grown up in and around cliffs in a river valley, located less than 20 kilometres north of Ronda. Many of the homes and businesses are set into caves, with just the whitewashed façades visible under the overhanging rock face.

Several of the streets are also dug into the cliff and sheltered by massive jutting boulders, some of which are draped in ivy. On the outskirts some

Unique, historic, and always cool on a hot Spring day, the village of Setenil de las Bodegas near Ronda is the perfect spot for an excursion

By Anthony Piovesan

terraces of houses jut straight into the cliff face, some with curtailed rooflines, others, somehow, with chimneys (above right).

Walking through the town feels almost surreal: you just can’t imagine that a place like this exists – or that people actually live here.

Invasions

But Setenil has a population of nearly 3000, and records show there has been a village here since the 12th century - and it was certainly a settlement in Roman times.

Long before that, it was home to cave dwellers: Excavated objects show the town inhabited by troglodytes 25,000 years ago.

As the modern village grew, people dug into the cliff face and enlarged the caves, and built houses in the spaces between the rocky cliffs. This prevented them from getting too hot in the summer, and too cold in winter.

The chisel marks where caves have been excavated are still visible inside bars and restaurants. If you stay overnight in a cave house, you’ll be able to admire the handiwork while lying in bed or taking a shower.

Modern Setenil was founded in 1484, when Christian armies came from the north and expelled the Moorish rulers.

It took the Christians 15 days to rid the village of the Moors who defended

themselves from the castle at the top of the mountain.

The name ‘Setenil’ is believed to derive from ‘septem nihil’, a Latin phrase meaning ‘seven times no’ – in reference to the number of invasions successfully repelled.

The other part of its name – ‘Bodegas’ – is the Spanish for ‘store’, and refers to the caves which were once ideal for storing wine, grown in the nearby Ronda hills and popular back in ancient Rome.

Commercial wine production died out in the 19th century when phylloxera marched through, but today there are over 30 nearby vineyards (or bodegas) in the area again.

Valley walk

Setenil is a popular day trip, and on weekends you’ll see many tour buses and cars circling in search of a space. But here’s a hot tip: If you’re planning to drive to Setenil, leave your car in Alcala del Valle and take in the beautiful scenery and work up an appetite by walking the remaining three kilometres along the picturesque Arroyo de los Molinos.

On the weekends the cave restaurant terraces under the dramatic overhang on Calle Cuevas del Sol are very busy, but in the week it’s usually quiet. They specialise in Cadiz mountain food: tasty stews, pork and chorizo; revueltos (scrambled egg mixed with black pudding or asparagus); Conejo a la serranía (rabbit) and sopa cortijera (soup made with bread, poached eggs, and asparagus).

Dear Jennifer:

WORRY-FREE TRIPS

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They do good desserts too: puff pastry with quince, cider dumplings, and torta de aceite – cake made with olive oil and almonds. If booking ahead, try to get a table at La Frasquita, Bar la Escueva or La Tasca (all on Calle Cuevas del Sol) for top atmosphere and shade.

Exploring

After lunch, explore the backstreets, some of which wind up between the huge boulders to the top of the town and the ruined Moorish castle. The tourist office in a medieval building has a beautiful patterned Moorish wooden ceiling, while there is an attractive 16th century church (Our Lady of Encarnacion) built on the site of a

mosque.

A steep winding staircase right by the river on Calle Cuevas del Sol leads to a lookout, the Mirador del Carmen. From here, you can see the town complete in all its beauty, its rows of whitewashed houses snaking up the mountain, the jagged cliff faces, as well as the surrounding olive and almond fields. It’s no surprise Setenil consistently makes it onto the ‘top places to visit’ lists, and particularly after the New York Times singled it out among its Top Ten for 2019.

For more information, visit www.turismodesetenil. com

METEORITE: Like a giant rock has dropped on homes and streets

Aussie lessons

SPANISH actor Javier Bardem has told chat show host Conan O’Brien that listening to AC/DC songs helped him learn English, including ‘All the curses, all the bad words’.

Cashing in

THE Spanish state received €300 million over 10 years from ‘forgotten’ bank accounts under a rule where any cash or shares in dormant accounts must be handed over after 20 years.

Just quackers

A FAMILY of ducks led to a hold-up at Madrid’s Barajas airport when they decided to go for a waddle along the runway. They eventually strolled away unharmed.

O P LIVE RESS The

Mayday!

Urgent rescue mission as pod of Orcas sink sailboat with crew of four

LIKE a scene from a horror movie, the crew of a sailboat had to be rescued half a mile off the Cadiz coast after a pod of aggressive killer whales tried to sink it.

Four sailors aboard the Alboran Champagne yacht made the distress call just after midnight.

The pack of enormous marine

By Walter Finch

predators had disabled the rudder and smashed a hole in the hull. Upon realising that they were taking in water, they donned their lifejackets and prayed that the coast guard would arrive in time.

Salvamar Enif arrived to rescue the crew just as the sailboat was starting to go under. The Alboran Champagne was so flooded that it was unable to be towed back to port, and so the boat was left adrift with a special light activated to warn

Hairbrained scheme

A BALD-faced attempt to cheat in a driving theory exam by hiding a camera under a comedy toupe did not pay off for one desperate learner driver.

The 24-year-old, of Chinese origin, attended his exam in Guadalajara with ill-fitting hair that immediately raised suspicion. Police swooped and discovered the wig hid a mini spy camera and a small earpiece, which the man had used to communicate with a friend who was reading the questions through the camera.

The man was given an automatic failure and a disqualification from taking the exam again for a further six months.

TRULY STUCK

other vessels in the area.

Several hours later it was almost entirely submerged under the Atlantic when a Guardia Civil auxiliary patrol boat arrived to salvage what was left of the wreckage. Orcas are apex predators, meaning they are at the top of the food chain, and they have been known to hunt a wide range of prey including fish, squid, seals, and even whales.

Wild

Despite their name, orcaswhich are a type of dolphinhave very rarely been known to attack humans in the wild. There have been reported cases of a specific pod of orcas harassing or bumping into boats in Northern Spain, west of Portugal and around Gibraltar.

A YOUNGSTER got himself into a tight spot after getting wedged between two fences in Benidorm. A fire crew was dispatched to the resort’s ‘English Zone’ where it used its hydraulic separator, normally used in traffic accidents, to free him.

Let us out!

YOUNG Brits fled the UK in their droves ‘to escape the King’s coronation’ - and Spain was one of their top getaways.

Short-haul jaunts to a host of Spanish hotspots were up fourfold over the coronation weekend. Demand for trips to Benidorm and Ibiza rocketed – with travel firm Last Night of Freedom revealing clients were specifically saying they wanted to ‘escape the coronation’. Marbella and Madrid also saw a bump in bookings from Brits, while trips to Barcelona rocketed by a staggering 400% over the long weekend.