26 March -
The clock moved one hour ahead this passed weekend here in Europe. That was a rude awakening on Saturday night at 1.30 AM when Ivan told me. We had a hotel just about full and had been very busy all evening so I was tired and looking forward to a good night's rest... but that was not to be; we changed the clocks and by the time the lights went out it was close to 3AM!! And we needed to be here for 9:15 at the latest!
So what's been happening here in Juzcar of late? Well, first off, today it's raining with lots of fog; I awoke thinking I was hearing rain but imagining it could not be rain. Wrong! Rain and lots of it.
I was having problems with this PC last week and so did not take the time to make a blog entry, well, in fact, I could not as the computer was driving me mad last week. It decided to become very slow, blank screens, tower making all sorts of clicking noises, slow internet connection, maddening really! I did a system restore (which appeared to do nothing to help), a virus screening (with zero results) and nearly slammed it to the floor in frustration! Then suddenly, it was functioning like normal. I just don't get it. There does not appear to be a bug or anything like that in it but now it is O.K. again.
Anyway, what's been happening here in the hotel. For St. Patrick's Day weekend, we had the lads here from London for a stag weekend. They arrived Friday, a smaller group than we expected but friends of ours. The groom, Rob, is a former colleague of Ivan's. He wanted us to attend his stag but thought it might be difficult for us to come to London so he brought the party to us here in Juzcar. We all had dinner at the bar here in the village Friday evening and then partied for a while in the hotel bar. Ivan prepared two whole suckling pigs for dinner on Saturday for the nine of us and he made Rob a special cake, the torso of a nude woman!! It looked so real and it was delicious, chocolate with a sugar topping. We all went up to Francisco's finca on Sunday for the views, his liquor and to hang and then went into to Ronda for dinner. A very nice weekend all in all with friends. The restaurant was closed to the public for this event so that we could participate as well.
We had not planned on having any other guests in the hotel that weekend but there was a slight disaster with one of the adventure company's, called OcioSport! They are based in Malaga and had asked us a few weeks ago if we had some availability for a group of 130 odd people coming to the valley for a 4X4 event. We explained that we would not have any rooms available that weekend but we would check in the apartments next door. They sent us an email with a list of 6 couples asking for rooms....I book all five units for them in the apartments and sent them response explaining the prices and room sizes. They accepted the price quote, transferred the payment to Paul, the owner, and then never bothered to follow up with a list of names of the people who would be staying there. Of course 7 couples turned up for 5 units at 6PM Saturday and I had to deal with the mess this company made; all of them had prepaid for their lodgings. So I had to explain to them that there were only 5 units available and I had a list of names and I crossed off the ones I could not fit. In the end, we had to rent two rooms to this group as we had them available and they had no where to go. Obvious to say we won't be working with this company in the future.
This was the same company that put us in a brochure put out by the Junta de Andalucia for package offers for seniors without out permission. We have no agreement on pricing, payment method or booking procedure... but we are in the catalog and are expecting to get some enquires. we've told them we are not happy with this but they have not bothered to come and speak with us.
After the lads left on Monday, we had a couple here from Monday through Friday; one of them was a friend of one of our guests from last month and his German girlfriend. They travelled around the area including Ronda, the coast and the Cueva de Pileta, a cave with 25,000 year old drawings and a 25,000 years old calendar as well.
Then we received a booking though one of the on-line agents, something that does not happen very often (we wish for more of that of course) for Friday and Saturday. They turned out to be a Scottish couple with a place on the coast. Very nice and interested in providing ideas for promoting the hotel. In fact, Campell suggested we try to get on a radio talk show based in San Pedro aimed at the English speaking community on the coast to talk about the hotel, our services and the restaurant. He said that he's been on the program a couple of times himself and he would recommend us to the producer who I've already emailed. We'll see how that goes.
On Friday (23/03 which was my birthday), a couple of Dutch ladies dropped in asking for a room. Turns out they live in Amsterdam so we had a jolly conversation with them about the Netherlands, one of our favorite places! And they then decided to stay for one more night as well. On Friday evening, while we were in the bar with our four guests, Ivan came out with my birthday cake and we all had some which was very nice.
Strangely enough, there were 5 other people in the hotel on Saturday with birthdays in these few days starting with one each on 20 and 22, me and one other on 23, another on 24 and one more on 26 March! All Aries, as I went through their IDs upon check in and saw this, I asked myself, what's going on here?!!
On Saturday, the hotel was nearly full with seven rooms booked, first time since New Year's that we had so many rooms at once. That's why I was running so much on Saturday evening. we didn't expect so many people at once and so it was just make and Ivan. But in the end, all were happy with the food and the service. The English family of four who left this morning told me last night that they thought all went very smoothing on Saturday evening even though I thought they waited (patiently I add) for their desserts. They said service was so bad back in England that this was quite well run! We also had an American in the hotel Saturday night, a guy living in Cadiz with his English fiance.
Yesterday, most guests checked out. It was a gorgeous clear day as well. The Dutch ladies were walking to Ronda or hitching if they could get a ride.
Now we are starting our preparations for Semana Santa. Guests start arriving for that on Friday. We have quite a few bookings but still have one double available for the weekend itself thanks to some screw up by someone. This guy called on Thursday last week asking for rooms, we had a suite and a double left at that point. After speaking with his wife, and calling me twice more with questions, he booked the double as he did not want to pay 80 Euros for the suite. Someone else called right after that and took the suite. This guy then called again the next morning to cancel because his wife wanted a room with a balcony or terrace!! Meanwhile I had turned away two other queries for the same time because he booked and was going to make a deposit the next morning. Now I still have that room free and am very annoyed at this man for having jerked me around. The trails of being in this business I suppose!! There is still time to book the room nevertheless still annoying!
Well, I need to go and get myself ready to run into Ronda as we have some shopping to do. Maria Jesus just arrived to clean the rooms and feed Diego (who I still need to tell you about in another entry).
Hasta luego.
Thursday, 15 March 2007
15 March - Well I have been remiss in not posting any new entries for a couple of weeks. I've been busy with other things and have not have the time to get around to a new entry.... so I made some time today.
This morning, we had the second meeting of the people interested in promoting the Genal Valley and the Serrania de Ronda. Basically owners and service providers of one sort or another including artists. We had the first meeting last week at a place called Finca Algaba which is located off of the A369 near Ronda. This finca has been open for a year but not many people in the area actually know much about the place. Goes to the heart of the problem we have here in the area, little to no publicity, even to those of us that live here.
Anyway, Finca Algaba has a program in place where people can go and stay on the finca in a primitive surrounding to ascertain how people from long ago survived, growing their own fruit and veg, living in a primitive village that was purpose built on the finca. They are also open for other activities and have live stock wondering around the property.
We all met there to determine if we, as a group, were interested in working together to further our own businesses and interests together. There is definitely more influence and power as an organised group than as individuals. You know the saying, "united we stand, divided we fall". So this morning we had the second meeting here in the hotel. We came to some agreements and we are first going to work toward organising a website with information about all there is to do and see in this area, the area being the Serrania de Ronda and then the Genal Valley more specifically. There is also a consultant on hand who is working for the Junta de Andalucia whose advice and guidance we are seeking. His mandate with the junta is to promote cultural and tourism related activities and events in the region. Let's see where this will take us.
Business has been slow as usual. We had a three rooms last weekend including one drop-in which is always nice. We had no one for lunch on Saturday but our clients all had some dinner; Sunday was a better for lunch and we had another room arrive that day and so they also had dinner. We had a client come for lunch who has asked us to do some catering for her job in May when they are hosting some Europeans from out of Spain for a workshop. Alicia works in a language school in Ronda and Ivan made her wedding cake last year as well as her new husband's last birthday cake. She is a devoted client of ours and she thought of us when this event came up at her job. So we are going into Ronda tomorrow morning to look at the facilities to see what we can do for them.
I've been taking a few bookings these last few days for Semana Santa and Easter as well as May and June. I also had an email from Maggie about her painting workshop in October; she wrote to inform me that it is just about full and she thinks she may be able to get a second workshop organised for a few days after in October. Very good news. I also contacted the other two artists Maggie introduced to me. One confirmed workshop dates for April 2008 and the other confirmed interest in his September 2007 workshop. Artescapes has also contacted me recently saying they have confirmed their September workshop so all good news.... if only we had some of this business now to help with the current stack of bills!!!
We also finally went to meet Guy Hunter-Watts, owner of a B&B on the road to Sevilla. He also puts out a book about small places to stay in Andalucia and I want to try to get an entry in his next published guide. He was very pleasant and told us he would put us in his diary for the next time he is going to do a round of visits, after the summer. He has a beautiful home next to his B&B; he also told us his B&B will be changed into a rental property as he and his partner are now going to start travelling.... what a nice idea that is!! I'd like to do that myself some day, travel around, review hotels for a travel company or guide book.
We also finally went on one of the walks in the valley after being here for 2.5 years. We took the dogs and went on this walk from Juzcar to Cartajima down through the valley and then up to Cartajima. It was really very nice and one sees such a different perspective of things when one is walking on a dirt track down in the valley.
The weather has cooled off since the beginning of the month. It's been cloudy with no rain and cool to cold in the evenings, a turn I did not expect to see again but do appreciate as when it gets hot here, it's darn hot! We have sun today but the air is cool so relatively comfortable actually.
Tomorrow we have a group of lads coming from London for a stag weekend. The groom is a friend and former colleague of Ivan's. He and his fiance have invited us to the wedding in September but I doubt we can attend because the airfare is so expensive. Anyway, he wanted us to come to the Stag Event but understood we have a business to run so he opted for bringing the lads to us. They have nearly filled the hotel which is good and will be here for 3 nights. Rob tried to get them to have a day in the countryside undertaking one of the out activities but they would not have it... they only want to drink and hang! Ivan and company (as at least 3 of the lads including the groom are chefs) will be preparing roasted suckling pig for dinner on Saturday.
Well, this is a good entry for now. Must dash.
This morning, we had the second meeting of the people interested in promoting the Genal Valley and the Serrania de Ronda. Basically owners and service providers of one sort or another including artists. We had the first meeting last week at a place called Finca Algaba which is located off of the A369 near Ronda. This finca has been open for a year but not many people in the area actually know much about the place. Goes to the heart of the problem we have here in the area, little to no publicity, even to those of us that live here.
Anyway, Finca Algaba has a program in place where people can go and stay on the finca in a primitive surrounding to ascertain how people from long ago survived, growing their own fruit and veg, living in a primitive village that was purpose built on the finca. They are also open for other activities and have live stock wondering around the property.
We all met there to determine if we, as a group, were interested in working together to further our own businesses and interests together. There is definitely more influence and power as an organised group than as individuals. You know the saying, "united we stand, divided we fall". So this morning we had the second meeting here in the hotel. We came to some agreements and we are first going to work toward organising a website with information about all there is to do and see in this area, the area being the Serrania de Ronda and then the Genal Valley more specifically. There is also a consultant on hand who is working for the Junta de Andalucia whose advice and guidance we are seeking. His mandate with the junta is to promote cultural and tourism related activities and events in the region. Let's see where this will take us.
Business has been slow as usual. We had a three rooms last weekend including one drop-in which is always nice. We had no one for lunch on Saturday but our clients all had some dinner; Sunday was a better for lunch and we had another room arrive that day and so they also had dinner. We had a client come for lunch who has asked us to do some catering for her job in May when they are hosting some Europeans from out of Spain for a workshop. Alicia works in a language school in Ronda and Ivan made her wedding cake last year as well as her new husband's last birthday cake. She is a devoted client of ours and she thought of us when this event came up at her job. So we are going into Ronda tomorrow morning to look at the facilities to see what we can do for them.
I've been taking a few bookings these last few days for Semana Santa and Easter as well as May and June. I also had an email from Maggie about her painting workshop in October; she wrote to inform me that it is just about full and she thinks she may be able to get a second workshop organised for a few days after in October. Very good news. I also contacted the other two artists Maggie introduced to me. One confirmed workshop dates for April 2008 and the other confirmed interest in his September 2007 workshop. Artescapes has also contacted me recently saying they have confirmed their September workshop so all good news.... if only we had some of this business now to help with the current stack of bills!!!
We also finally went to meet Guy Hunter-Watts, owner of a B&B on the road to Sevilla. He also puts out a book about small places to stay in Andalucia and I want to try to get an entry in his next published guide. He was very pleasant and told us he would put us in his diary for the next time he is going to do a round of visits, after the summer. He has a beautiful home next to his B&B; he also told us his B&B will be changed into a rental property as he and his partner are now going to start travelling.... what a nice idea that is!! I'd like to do that myself some day, travel around, review hotels for a travel company or guide book.
We also finally went on one of the walks in the valley after being here for 2.5 years. We took the dogs and went on this walk from Juzcar to Cartajima down through the valley and then up to Cartajima. It was really very nice and one sees such a different perspective of things when one is walking on a dirt track down in the valley.
The weather has cooled off since the beginning of the month. It's been cloudy with no rain and cool to cold in the evenings, a turn I did not expect to see again but do appreciate as when it gets hot here, it's darn hot! We have sun today but the air is cool so relatively comfortable actually.
Tomorrow we have a group of lads coming from London for a stag weekend. The groom is a friend and former colleague of Ivan's. He and his fiance have invited us to the wedding in September but I doubt we can attend because the airfare is so expensive. Anyway, he wanted us to come to the Stag Event but understood we have a business to run so he opted for bringing the lads to us. They have nearly filled the hotel which is good and will be here for 3 nights. Rob tried to get them to have a day in the countryside undertaking one of the out activities but they would not have it... they only want to drink and hang! Ivan and company (as at least 3 of the lads including the groom are chefs) will be preparing roasted suckling pig for dinner on Saturday.
Well, this is a good entry for now. Must dash.
Saturday, 3 March 2007
03 March - Another gorgeous day in Juzcar... too gorgeous for a normal 3rd of March. It truly feels like May already, well during the day as it was cool last night but even so not cold.
We had a group of 14 for lunch today. The arrived in their classic cars at about 2.30. They all enjoyed their lunch very much. They had last been here before we arrived and were sorely disappointed. When one of them saw the placed had changed hands via our website, they decided to give it a go and see if there was an improvement. They were very happy indeed.
We also had a few other tables for lunch so the bar and terrace were busy today. It was good day although there was another booking for lunch for a group of 13 that did not turn up nor cancel. Slightly annoying but, I ask you, watyagonnado?
I bought some flowers yesterday as it is definitely time to make sure the terraces look good. There were a few geraniums that did not make it from last summer so they were replaced as were the marigolds on the bar terrace. On Monday, we will be reinstalling the shade covering on the terrace as the sun is already that warm. The three guys that had lunch on the terrace today were in the shade of umbrellas without shirts.
Ivan made a delicious new treat, ravioli de pina colada, a ravioli made from fresh pineapple filled with pina colada flavoured mascarpone... very yummy. I took some photos of it this morning and it will be shortly featured in our menu page of the website.
There is a full lunar eclipse here tonight around midnight or so. We plan to observe that... the moon is quite full at the moment and with a cloudless sky, perfect for viewing.
I've got clients waiting for me to bring them extra pillows and pine cones to start a fire (cosy in the room a tonight this way, still) so I'm off. Ciao.
We had a group of 14 for lunch today. The arrived in their classic cars at about 2.30. They all enjoyed their lunch very much. They had last been here before we arrived and were sorely disappointed. When one of them saw the placed had changed hands via our website, they decided to give it a go and see if there was an improvement. They were very happy indeed.
We also had a few other tables for lunch so the bar and terrace were busy today. It was good day although there was another booking for lunch for a group of 13 that did not turn up nor cancel. Slightly annoying but, I ask you, watyagonnado?
I bought some flowers yesterday as it is definitely time to make sure the terraces look good. There were a few geraniums that did not make it from last summer so they were replaced as were the marigolds on the bar terrace. On Monday, we will be reinstalling the shade covering on the terrace as the sun is already that warm. The three guys that had lunch on the terrace today were in the shade of umbrellas without shirts.
Ivan made a delicious new treat, ravioli de pina colada, a ravioli made from fresh pineapple filled with pina colada flavoured mascarpone... very yummy. I took some photos of it this morning and it will be shortly featured in our menu page of the website.
There is a full lunar eclipse here tonight around midnight or so. We plan to observe that... the moon is quite full at the moment and with a cloudless sky, perfect for viewing.
I've got clients waiting for me to bring them extra pillows and pine cones to start a fire (cosy in the room a tonight this way, still) so I'm off. Ciao.
Thursday, 1 March 2007
01 March
AS I mentioned in my last post, I get these fraudulent emails.... here's an example of one received today:
On 01/03/2007 19:37:58, George Clark (george01clark@yahoo.co.uk) wrote:
Dear Sir/Madam
I want to make a reservation in your rooms for 6 delegates.
So we would need an accomodation from the 9th of April to 14th April 2007.
If the rooms are available do calculate and get back to me the total cost for 6 single or 3 double rooms including breakfast and tax. Awaiting your response. Regards, Dr.George Clark Phone +44-702-401-3213
SO I ask, is this a real person? Is that a real UK telephone number? The word "urgent" was omitted in this text showing that maybe someone is editing it and perhaps even thinking.
Yesterday, I received the following email:
"----- Original Message -----
From: "paul girlings" paul4girlings@gmail.com
Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 11:55 PM
Subject: booking enquiry!!!
Hello there I want to make reservation for i and my 14yrs old daughter that would be coming to your country on vacation i would need just a room for 2weeks starting from the 4th of May to the 18th of May 2007,get back to me ASAP with the total cost in EURO so that reservation can be made...i hope you accept credit card as a
means of payment... PAUL +447045702971 "
ONCE again, it has that format that appears suspicious to me. I responded to this one as if it were a real booking query but, I mentioned that we do not accept advanced payments in any form and credit cards are only charged in the event of a cancellation in accordance with our cancellation policy. Naturally I have not heard back from.... "Paul".
TODAY was another gorgeous day here in Juzcar. When I drove into Ronda this morning, it became very foggy by Parauta and all the way into Ronda. By the time I returned, the sun had come out but it was still nicer here in Juzcar. I did a lot of shopping today, buying some chicken filets, cheese which we ran out of and I forgot to buy last week, dog food (not for clients of course, hehe) and a few other things. I forgot to buy legs of lamb, something we should always have on the menu as it is a favorite of our diners.
WE had a few people for lunch today as well. Yesterday, Andalucia Day, we had a few for lunch as well... not a cracking business that we hoped for but something more than a normal Wednesday nevertheless. Today we had two parties of clients drop in unexpectedly, one from Cadiz, the other from San Pedro. The ladies from San Pero have been before for lunch and said they are recommending us to all their friends as the food here is really quite good. The other couple from Cadiz drove up to have some lunch and say hello. They stayed in the hotel back in December along with their 3 year old daughter.
I also found out today that the meeting with the UK consultant is on for sure next Tuesday. I am now awaiting the agenda to see what we're discussing exactly.
More later.
Hasta la proxima!
AS I mentioned in my last post, I get these fraudulent emails.... here's an example of one received today:
On 01/03/2007 19:37:58, George Clark (george01clark@yahoo.co.uk) wrote:
Dear Sir/Madam
I want to make a reservation in your rooms for 6 delegates.
So we would need an accomodation from the 9th of April to 14th April 2007.
If the rooms are available do calculate and get back to me the total cost for 6 single or 3 double rooms including breakfast and tax. Awaiting your response. Regards, Dr.George Clark Phone +44-702-401-3213
SO I ask, is this a real person? Is that a real UK telephone number? The word "urgent" was omitted in this text showing that maybe someone is editing it and perhaps even thinking.
Yesterday, I received the following email:
"----- Original Message -----
From: "paul girlings" paul4girlings@gmail.com
Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 11:55 PM
Subject: booking enquiry!!!
Hello there I want to make reservation for i and my 14yrs old daughter that would be coming to your country on vacation i would need just a room for 2weeks starting from the 4th of May to the 18th of May 2007,get back to me ASAP with the total cost in EURO so that reservation can be made...i hope you accept credit card as a
means of payment... PAUL +447045702971 "
ONCE again, it has that format that appears suspicious to me. I responded to this one as if it were a real booking query but, I mentioned that we do not accept advanced payments in any form and credit cards are only charged in the event of a cancellation in accordance with our cancellation policy. Naturally I have not heard back from.... "Paul".
TODAY was another gorgeous day here in Juzcar. When I drove into Ronda this morning, it became very foggy by Parauta and all the way into Ronda. By the time I returned, the sun had come out but it was still nicer here in Juzcar. I did a lot of shopping today, buying some chicken filets, cheese which we ran out of and I forgot to buy last week, dog food (not for clients of course, hehe) and a few other things. I forgot to buy legs of lamb, something we should always have on the menu as it is a favorite of our diners.
WE had a few people for lunch today as well. Yesterday, Andalucia Day, we had a few for lunch as well... not a cracking business that we hoped for but something more than a normal Wednesday nevertheless. Today we had two parties of clients drop in unexpectedly, one from Cadiz, the other from San Pedro. The ladies from San Pero have been before for lunch and said they are recommending us to all their friends as the food here is really quite good. The other couple from Cadiz drove up to have some lunch and say hello. They stayed in the hotel back in December along with their 3 year old daughter.
I also found out today that the meeting with the UK consultant is on for sure next Tuesday. I am now awaiting the agenda to see what we're discussing exactly.
More later.
Hasta la proxima!
David
Wednesday, 28 February 2007
28 February, today is Andalucia Day, a bank holiday here in Andalucia.
What beautiful weather we've been enjoying these last couple of days. Seems that spring has sprung, not surprisingly as this year is predicted to be the hottest on record for Andalucia and probably Spain and greater Europe. That is not great news but, we have flowers already. Our lavender plants that we cut back in January are already growing nicely. The almonds trees have already lost their blooms and are covered in young new leaves. Our hibiscus plant has flowers on it as well as a few other flowers for which I do not know the names.
We collected three large containers of lemons from our lemon tree yesterday and today... well Ivan did. I helped packed them into bags to sell them, 4 kilos for 2.50 Euros. They are quite nice lemons too, strong scent, firm, and large as well. Ivan is planning to make lemon tarts (which my mom loves!), lemon curd, lemon marmalade, and other things lemon!!
Ivan met with the Juzcar ladies association the other day and we are now waiting for word back from them on how many would like to attend Ivan's cooking course.
Our weekend business was slow as usual. We had a couple of singles which I mentioned in my last entry... they set off early Sunday morning before we arrived in the hotel. And the "drop-in" that was here for one nightset off fairly early as well. We did a few tables for lunch and most sat outside as the weather was so comfortable.
Yesterday afternoon, we went Pujerra to collect pine cones which we were out of. That nice stretch of road on the other side of the mountain from where the village is is convered with pine trees that have lots of pine cones. We prefer the pine cones for starting fires to those fire starters soaked in kerosene and stick of it as well. I'm not too sure how many more fires we will need to be starting with this weather but it's good to have a provision of them around in any case.
I had a call yesterday from Phil and Nicky over in Alpandeire about an upcoming meeting next week. Turns out that the Junta de Andalucia has hired a marketing consultant from London to help promote cultural and tourist related businesses. An American living in the lower valley has apparently arranged for this meeting with business operators such as us and this consultant to hopefully get some (any, PLEASE!!) publicity for the Genal Valley. And it appears that many of the valley businesses are suffering the same as us.... i.e. low business flows which equals low cash flows which equals late bill payments .... oops have I said too much!!? Well that is one of the ugly realities of running your own business, the accounting side of things... never pretty unless of course you are racking them up!! Anyway, the meeting will happen next Tuesday, 06 March.
We also need to now follow up on that possible grant. They told us they hoped to have things sorted by the end of this month and.... that's today. So tomorrow we will ring them to get an update, hopefully!
Other news, the work on the new pool next door has commenced. They have started digging out the side of the hill to make way for the pool. I'll be very happy to see that work completed. We are going to have to buy nice sized bath towels for our guests to take to the pool with them.
Another thing that happens all the time (I receive emails that is) and is kind of annoying as the recipient... that is these fraudulent e-mails that come from "somebody@yahoo.fr" or from someone from Manchester, UK or Edinburgh. Basically they are almost always worded the same, "I am so and so from the Christian organisation so and so and we are planning a religious summit in your country for 8 delegates who will stay at your hotel for 2 weeks (or longer in some cases if you can believe that)." I always wonder why these fraudsters don't look at a map to at least know what town to which they are writing. Anyway, they go on to say that they want to know the total price of the rooms and URGENTLY await this information in order to send their credit card for payment. Always the same wording but always from a different email address and sender. Surprisingly, I recently got one of these from someone who said he was based in Miami, FL. Normally they arrive from the Ivory Coast, the UK, another country in Africa or India. Sometimes they are requesting information related to the wedding reception of their son who wants to have his reception in my hotel.... oh REALLY?? Oh but can we order 10 Nokia mobile phones for them first and do we accept credit cards? I could go on about this subject but won't.
I updated my website in the last couple of days as well. The guest comment page now has photos of the guests making the comment (when I have a good photo of a guest to put onto that page, of course). And I have revised the theme holiday pages to include new paintings by Maggie Price.
We received a request for a proposal for a wedding/baptism in June. Someone from Ronda that found our catering website,
Friday, 23 February 2007
Friday, 23 February - another week gone. This week has gone by fairly quickly.
We had Becky and Mark, a very nice English couple, here for eight nights up to Wednesday. They arrived Tuesday, last week, after getting lost on their way. They had found us last year passing one day and promised themselves to come back and that they did indeed. They brought their bikes; Mark is training for an event back in the UK. They had a very nice week with us and are looking forward to coming back next year for perhaps a bit longer.
Today we had two guests arrive who are looking for a finca. Well, one is looking and the other is a friend along for the ride, so to speak. They told me that their wives are dedicated readers of this blog!! How flattering that was to hear. They discuss our problems and are quite interested in what happens here. So a big HELLO to Shirley and Hillary. Hope you are enjoying your holiday in South Africa, Hillary!!
Last Saturday, we had seven couples from Marbella come and spend the night with us. They had dinner and a grand old time. Ivan put on some Sevillana music and before you knew it, they were on the stage in the restaurant dancing and singing. One of them is a chef an so he spent some time chatting with Ivan in the kitchen. Another was an art instructor and he took some time on Sunday morning to give some instruction to Ivan who enjoys painting as well. They said that they all had a great time and really enjoyed our place, food and service. I, unfortunately, misunderstood when they were leaving and thought that they had put an entry into my guest comment book which they did not but oh well.
I was down on the coast yesterday to go to the US consulate's office in Fuengirola. My passport expires in July so now is a good time to get that done. I gave the American women in the office a brochure and invited her to come up and visit us sometime (nothing like a bit of self-promotion). I also stopped off at the Asian goods shop we know there to buy a few things for ourselves. Ivan and I like to prepare Asian food for ourselves but it is hard to find the ingredients in this area. This shop in Fuengirola is the only one we have found so far.... and it is not cheap either but so be it.
The weather has been wet and dreary the last few days. Lots of fog as well... driving down to the coast yesterday was not so much fun with fog so heavy in both directions. The weather on the coast was considerably more dry and comfortable.
I had to take Lolita in for removal of her stitches today... she was neutered last week. Pasky, our German shepherd, was done a couple of weeks ago. I have not mentioned our dogs much in this blog but most people that spend time here come to love our dogs. They are all (all three of them) well behaved, only in search of food or attention, like most dogs I guess. Here are photos of them.
Francisco was here today. He made some changes in the kitchen that Ivan requested to improve his work space. Very good actually... makes one wonder, "why didn't we do that sooner?" Ivan has also started working on the cooking course the Juzcar women's club asked for; he has put together a synopsis and a list of things to make. These ladies are mainly interested in a pastry course. So Ivan is devising something for that. Later, I'm planning on offering these courses on our website for potential guests to come and learn something while enjoying a stay here at the Bandolero.
I also had an email from Maggie this week, my American artist/instructor. She has confirmed the painting workshop in October, it is full already. This good news leads to the next one. Maggie wants to see if she can get enough participants for another workshop shortly after the first one in October! That would be good news for us. And I finally had contact from another recommendation by Maggie, a friend of hers in California who is now interested in doing a workshop in April 2008. i am waiting to here more back from him but I will be adding that workshop onto the website as well to help promote it.
So, it is now 21.30 and there are people in the bar so I have to move. I just took one more booking for a suite for tomorrow so we will have 3 rooms tomorrow evening. Hopefully we will have some good lunch traffic as we could use the income!!
Buen fin de semana y hast luego folks!
We had Becky and Mark, a very nice English couple, here for eight nights up to Wednesday. They arrived Tuesday, last week, after getting lost on their way. They had found us last year passing one day and promised themselves to come back and that they did indeed. They brought their bikes; Mark is training for an event back in the UK. They had a very nice week with us and are looking forward to coming back next year for perhaps a bit longer.
Today we had two guests arrive who are looking for a finca. Well, one is looking and the other is a friend along for the ride, so to speak. They told me that their wives are dedicated readers of this blog!! How flattering that was to hear. They discuss our problems and are quite interested in what happens here. So a big HELLO to Shirley and Hillary. Hope you are enjoying your holiday in South Africa, Hillary!!
Last Saturday, we had seven couples from Marbella come and spend the night with us. They had dinner and a grand old time. Ivan put on some Sevillana music and before you knew it, they were on the stage in the restaurant dancing and singing. One of them is a chef an so he spent some time chatting with Ivan in the kitchen. Another was an art instructor and he took some time on Sunday morning to give some instruction to Ivan who enjoys painting as well. They said that they all had a great time and really enjoyed our place, food and service. I, unfortunately, misunderstood when they were leaving and thought that they had put an entry into my guest comment book which they did not but oh well.
I was down on the coast yesterday to go to the US consulate's office in Fuengirola. My passport expires in July so now is a good time to get that done. I gave the American women in the office a brochure and invited her to come up and visit us sometime (nothing like a bit of self-promotion). I also stopped off at the Asian goods shop we know there to buy a few things for ourselves. Ivan and I like to prepare Asian food for ourselves but it is hard to find the ingredients in this area. This shop in Fuengirola is the only one we have found so far.... and it is not cheap either but so be it.
The weather has been wet and dreary the last few days. Lots of fog as well... driving down to the coast yesterday was not so much fun with fog so heavy in both directions. The weather on the coast was considerably more dry and comfortable.
I had to take Lolita in for removal of her stitches today... she was neutered last week. Pasky, our German shepherd, was done a couple of weeks ago. I have not mentioned our dogs much in this blog but most people that spend time here come to love our dogs. They are all (all three of them) well behaved, only in search of food or attention, like most dogs I guess. Here are photos of them.
Francisco was here today. He made some changes in the kitchen that Ivan requested to improve his work space. Very good actually... makes one wonder, "why didn't we do that sooner?" Ivan has also started working on the cooking course the Juzcar women's club asked for; he has put together a synopsis and a list of things to make. These ladies are mainly interested in a pastry course. So Ivan is devising something for that. Later, I'm planning on offering these courses on our website for potential guests to come and learn something while enjoying a stay here at the Bandolero.
I also had an email from Maggie this week, my American artist/instructor. She has confirmed the painting workshop in October, it is full already. This good news leads to the next one. Maggie wants to see if she can get enough participants for another workshop shortly after the first one in October! That would be good news for us. And I finally had contact from another recommendation by Maggie, a friend of hers in California who is now interested in doing a workshop in April 2008. i am waiting to here more back from him but I will be adding that workshop onto the website as well to help promote it.
So, it is now 21.30 and there are people in the bar so I have to move. I just took one more booking for a suite for tomorrow so we will have 3 rooms tomorrow evening. Hopefully we will have some good lunch traffic as we could use the income!!
Buen fin de semana y hast luego folks!
Friday, 16 February 2007
Friday, 16 February
So this week was St Valentine's Day. We had an offer for a Valentine's Dinner for two including a bottle of house wine for only 34 Euros and we had no one take us up on it. What a shame. I think 34 Euros for a 3 course meal and a bottle of wine is a fantastic price.
Let's see, what else has happened in the last week? Well, we had a couple who live in Ireland come and stay with us for one night last weekend. They arrived on Friday night last week but had some road trouble along the way which was two flat tires. Apparently the driver went slightly off the road onto the shoulder along our winding mountain road. That road is just that, a mountain road, because it shows that if two flats come of it in no time as well, it could put someone in a predicament. I went and collected them from their car for which they were very grateful. They had a very nice evening with us and then I took them into Ronda in the morning to repair one of the tires and all was well.
We had a booking that came in for one night via one of the hotel search engines... something that does not happen all that often (last time being April 2006). A Spanish couple from Velez Malaga that spent the evening down at Juzcar's own Teleclub, the club next to the church! And a last booking which was unexpected as well. They called from Ronda to ask for a room; they were an American couple living & working in Seville.
We currently have an English couple staying with us for 8 nights. They are into biking and have been going all over with their bikes which they brought with them from the UK. Next time, however, they think they may just rent as that would be much easier.
Tomorrow we have a group of 7 couples from Malaga capital for one night.
Other news... well, we went into the CEDER tourist office in Ronda this week to follow up on some funds that were granted to the hotel under the previous owner but not disbursed to him before he sold the hotel to us. As the funds are granted to the hotel not the owner, we are pursuing getting these funds. There may be enough for us to build the pool we have a project for. That would be fantastic and it does finally sound positive. We pursued this about a year ago but the previous owner still had his fingers in it trying to get the money even though he was not entitled to it. Now the funds are just sitting in a bank account somewhere and the agency seems open to giving us the money. They told us they hoped to have it sorted by the end of this month... fingers crossed!
Paul was here this passed week as well. Paul is the English owner of the rural apartments next door. He came to sort a few things related to his pool project. He is having our maintenance man build his pool (his maintenance man as well). So we (Ivan, me, Francisco and Paul) were all over there at his place checking out where the pool will go, which will be the deep end, how much hill needs to be removed long with a couple of trees, etc. Paul has very generously offered to let us use his pool for our guests so that will be good news when it is all completed and in place. I really look forward to using the pool myself on those very hot July days when there is no one around.
I've also been busy emailing more artists about workshops and tour operators for group bookings or holiday packages. I have not had much luck with the artists, I must say, very disappointing as they have yet to respond even in the negative. I'm not sure I will have any luck with tour operators but I have to give it a go as I have nothing to loose and everything to gain. I've also taken a few more bookings... we have a few for Semana Santa (Easter week) now including a couple of ladies from Long Island, N.Y. And this morning we received a request to cater a small wedding and baptism, simultaneously, here in the countryside so we are working on getting something sorted for this couple from Ronda.
At the moment, our weather is a bit blustery but clear and fresh. More of the almond trees are in bloom and they ares absolutely beautiful!! Here are a couple of snaps I took of trees near the hotel on a rainy day during the week.
So this week was St Valentine's Day. We had an offer for a Valentine's Dinner for two including a bottle of house wine for only 34 Euros and we had no one take us up on it. What a shame. I think 34 Euros for a 3 course meal and a bottle of wine is a fantastic price.
Let's see, what else has happened in the last week? Well, we had a couple who live in Ireland come and stay with us for one night last weekend. They arrived on Friday night last week but had some road trouble along the way which was two flat tires. Apparently the driver went slightly off the road onto the shoulder along our winding mountain road. That road is just that, a mountain road, because it shows that if two flats come of it in no time as well, it could put someone in a predicament. I went and collected them from their car for which they were very grateful. They had a very nice evening with us and then I took them into Ronda in the morning to repair one of the tires and all was well.
We had a booking that came in for one night via one of the hotel search engines... something that does not happen all that often (last time being April 2006). A Spanish couple from Velez Malaga that spent the evening down at Juzcar's own Teleclub, the club next to the church! And a last booking which was unexpected as well. They called from Ronda to ask for a room; they were an American couple living & working in Seville.
We currently have an English couple staying with us for 8 nights. They are into biking and have been going all over with their bikes which they brought with them from the UK. Next time, however, they think they may just rent as that would be much easier.
Tomorrow we have a group of 7 couples from Malaga capital for one night.
Other news... well, we went into the CEDER tourist office in Ronda this week to follow up on some funds that were granted to the hotel under the previous owner but not disbursed to him before he sold the hotel to us. As the funds are granted to the hotel not the owner, we are pursuing getting these funds. There may be enough for us to build the pool we have a project for. That would be fantastic and it does finally sound positive. We pursued this about a year ago but the previous owner still had his fingers in it trying to get the money even though he was not entitled to it. Now the funds are just sitting in a bank account somewhere and the agency seems open to giving us the money. They told us they hoped to have it sorted by the end of this month... fingers crossed!
Paul was here this passed week as well. Paul is the English owner of the rural apartments next door. He came to sort a few things related to his pool project. He is having our maintenance man build his pool (his maintenance man as well). So we (Ivan, me, Francisco and Paul) were all over there at his place checking out where the pool will go, which will be the deep end, how much hill needs to be removed long with a couple of trees, etc. Paul has very generously offered to let us use his pool for our guests so that will be good news when it is all completed and in place. I really look forward to using the pool myself on those very hot July days when there is no one around.
I've also been busy emailing more artists about workshops and tour operators for group bookings or holiday packages. I have not had much luck with the artists, I must say, very disappointing as they have yet to respond even in the negative. I'm not sure I will have any luck with tour operators but I have to give it a go as I have nothing to loose and everything to gain. I've also taken a few more bookings... we have a few for Semana Santa (Easter week) now including a couple of ladies from Long Island, N.Y. And this morning we received a request to cater a small wedding and baptism, simultaneously, here in the countryside so we are working on getting something sorted for this couple from Ronda.
At the moment, our weather is a bit blustery but clear and fresh. More of the almond trees are in bloom and they ares absolutely beautiful!! Here are a couple of snaps I took of trees near the hotel on a rainy day during the week.
Juzcar Almond Flowers
Friday, 9 February 2007
09 February, Friday - my how time does fly by.... as we all know too well.
IVAN and I were on holiday for a couple of weeks and since we've been back, there was just no time to get a blog entry done. So what have we been up to since we started our holiday? OK a quick run down of events.
WE spent eight nights with friends in Amsterdam. We arrived just after a heavy wind and rain storm which had some fatalities across northern Europe including The Netherlands. Trees falling on cars, into canals and the like... not pretty. There were two trees blown over in front of the house we were staying at... one in the canal and one crushing a car. Dutch efficiency had the trees cut up and removed by Saturday evening having landed there on Thursday (I couldn't say that would happen as quickly here ion Andalucia).
SEVEN wonderful days in Amsterdam even though the weather was wet and cold at times, to be expected in January in northern Europe. Lots to eat and drink and we shopped, visited with friends, cooked, slept, baby-sat one entire night (even) and went to the Hague to see the Girl with the Pearl Earring as we had never seen that while we lived there, lovely painting.
WE came back to Malaga very early on the Saturday and went to a large Saturday flea market in Fuengirola for the first time. Then we spent a couple of days in the second week traveling a bit in this area, Cadiz really. We went to Arcos de la Frontera (see photo) ....
View of Arcos de la Frontera, Cadiz from below
View from Arcos
HASTA la proxima.
IVAN and I were on holiday for a couple of weeks and since we've been back, there was just no time to get a blog entry done. So what have we been up to since we started our holiday? OK a quick run down of events.
WE spent eight nights with friends in Amsterdam. We arrived just after a heavy wind and rain storm which had some fatalities across northern Europe including The Netherlands. Trees falling on cars, into canals and the like... not pretty. There were two trees blown over in front of the house we were staying at... one in the canal and one crushing a car. Dutch efficiency had the trees cut up and removed by Saturday evening having landed there on Thursday (I couldn't say that would happen as quickly here ion Andalucia).
SEVEN wonderful days in Amsterdam even though the weather was wet and cold at times, to be expected in January in northern Europe. Lots to eat and drink and we shopped, visited with friends, cooked, slept, baby-sat one entire night (even) and went to the Hague to see the Girl with the Pearl Earring as we had never seen that while we lived there, lovely painting.
WE came back to Malaga very early on the Saturday and went to a large Saturday flea market in Fuengirola for the first time. Then we spent a couple of days in the second week traveling a bit in this area, Cadiz really. We went to Arcos de la Frontera (see photo) ....
View of Arcos de la Frontera, Cadiz from below
View from Arcos
.... to see it as we have had clients from there on a few occasions. And as Jerez was not much further down the road, we took ourselves there as well. Unfortunately (wouldn't you know it), all the bodegas that produce many liquors, wines and sherries, of course, were already closed for the day. Tastings and tours are only in the mornings and by appointment so we now know for the next road trip to Jerez. Jerez's old center is beautiful what little we did see of it. Many old, old, old buildings with fancy facades from the 16th and 17th centuries I would venture to say.
WE also spent a day driving down to the Cadiz along the Atlantic coast passing through Gaucin in the lower Genal Valley (see photo)...
WE also spent a day driving down to the Cadiz along the Atlantic coast passing through Gaucin in the lower Genal Valley (see photo)...
Near Gaucin
Near Conil in Cadiz, how green it is!!
I must say the ride there was very nice, after one passes Algeciras down a narrow winding highway with a wind farm of wind mills. See photo...
Wind farm near Algeciras, Cadiz along the road to Tarifa
THE hills are a lush green, covered with grass or growing produce of one sort or another.
WELL, this blog entry is well over due to be posted. I got distracted while writing this last week and am now only ready to post it, a week later. And in the meantime, things have been happening here in the hotel that I could be making other entries for, so here it is.
HASTA la proxima.
Monday, 15 January 2007
Monday, 15 January
This morning, I arrived early in the hotel to send out those e-mails to the publishers for the guide books. I sent out 4 as that is all I had and one to restaurant client from April 2006 who has a friend at a UK paper and will ask this friend to consider a piece about the area based on what I wrote. I was a bit late in sending the article (8 months late to be exact) but hopefully they will still send it on to their friend.
We then went to Ronda to run some errands as per usual. We stopped by the office of CIT Serrania de Ronda which is a tourist office for the area which aids businesses such as ours. The main guy there is Alfredo, the same Alfredo who penned a letter to the Malaga government on my behalf about our hotel road signs.
Among the things we spoke of today was the Ronda Festival in May. We as a group, are going to start discussions shortly for this festival where, last year, there were cooking demonstrations by various restaurant chef in the valley and Ronda. Ivan participated in that and will do so again this year. We also talked about the jazz festival. I will send out an invite again with a couple of options on dates to have first meeting and will hope to have the festival for 2008. There definitely is interest in seeing what we can accomplish with this.
Other point, even Alfredo is frustrated with the lack of support from any official agencies supporting tourism. All the publicity goes to the coast and it seems at every turn, the government, whether it be the Junta de Andalucia, the Malaga government or the Patronato de Turismo de la Costa de Sol , puts obstacles in the path of tourism here, nothing to makes life a bit easier for any of us.
Anyway, we also covered the fact that I will be sending out invites for a meal, lunch or dinner, to owners of the valley businesses, an idea I had last summer but failed to follow through on, including Alfredo. This could possibly develop into a forum to discuss common concerns, issues or problems amongst business owners and maybe even develop into an owners association of some kind for the Serrania de Ronda of hotels and restaurants, something lacking in this area at the moment.
After we finished with that, Ivan & I headed to Estacion de Jimera de Liber (one valley over from ours named Guadiaro Valley) to try out a restaurant called Quercus which apparently has a good reputation run by a Spanish lesbian couple. After a 25 minute ride to get there (we did not have telephone contact details to call ahead), it was closed and probably closed for the whole month of January and perhaps February as well. So we decided to head to Estacion de Cortes de la Frontera to try a restaurant there that we heard of run by an English couple. Again no luck, they closed their doors permanently a couple of months ago. Not surprising as they had come to our place for tapas once and told us about their place but they didn't really want to continue with it too much longer. So we decided to head back to the village of Jimera de Liber and have lunch at a place run by Javier, someone we know, a small hotel and restaurant. When we arrived, the place looked a bit different and Javier was no where to be seen. Of course, we soon discovered that he left the place two months earlier. So no luck really!! We headed back into the Genal Valley and in Atajate we lucked out... the venta (roadside restaurant) was still serving lunch even though it was already 4.15. Most places in Spain will stop serving lunch at 4.00 and the kitchen closes, period. And then back to Juzcar.
The weather is a bit foggy today, a damp haze everywhere you look and low hanging clouds/fog over the mountain tops. However, all the almond trees started to bloom about 3 days ago and every day there are more flower blossoms appearing in pink or white.
Sunday, 14 January 2007
THIS is something I've written for inclusion in guidebooks, hopefully. I'm sending this some publishers I've come across for their next revised edition of their guides of this area.
The Genal Valley of the Serranía de Ronda, Málaga
(for inclusion in Costa del Sol Guide, Andalucia & Spain guidebooks)
(for inclusion in Costa del Sol Guide, Andalucia & Spain guidebooks)
The quiet and restful Genal Valley has a history that goes back hundreds of years. It is located in the Serrania de Ronda just to the south of the bustling white village of Ronda. It is sandwiched happily between two national parks, La Sierra de las Nieves and Grazalema. There are two main roads that access the valley, the A369 which is known locally as the Ronda - Algeciras road and the A397 (formerly known as A376), known as the Ronda - San Pedro road.
Each road has a turn-off to the Upper Genal Valley. Following the A397 (formerly A376) from the town of San Pedro de Alcantara on the Costa del Sol, the turn for the Valley is located 11km before Ronda. The A397 is a winding mountain road with plenty of traffic, especially in the summer months. It will repay you with the fantastic views of the coast, Gibraltar and, on a clear day, the mountains of North Africa. Following the turn for the Genal Valley, one will see six of the seven white villages of the upper valley, Parauta, Cartajima, Júzcar, Puerra, Faraján and Alpandeire. All have populations of less than 300 and all have very traditional lifestyles. Mobile vendors still pass through these villages on certain days of the week selling a wonderful variety of wares: bread, fish, vegetables, melons among an orchards worth of fruit, as well as fabrics.
Because the upper Genal Valley is still not widely known or developed, it is not heavily travelled; it is therefore a recommended destination for those looking for peace and quiet in a traditional Spanish environment. Each March until May, the valley is filled with wild flowers. As many as 2,000 species growing in this area in springtime with different blooms appearing weekly. The Genal Valley is also chestnut country. In May, the upper valley is filled with the pungent odour of the yellow chestnut flowers in bloom. In autumn, there is a swath of autumnal colours burning across the valley as the chestnut leaves pass through their seasonal change.
Each road has a turn-off to the Upper Genal Valley. Following the A397 (formerly A376) from the town of San Pedro de Alcantara on the Costa del Sol, the turn for the Valley is located 11km before Ronda. The A397 is a winding mountain road with plenty of traffic, especially in the summer months. It will repay you with the fantastic views of the coast, Gibraltar and, on a clear day, the mountains of North Africa. Following the turn for the Genal Valley, one will see six of the seven white villages of the upper valley, Parauta, Cartajima, Júzcar, Puerra, Faraján and Alpandeire. All have populations of less than 300 and all have very traditional lifestyles. Mobile vendors still pass through these villages on certain days of the week selling a wonderful variety of wares: bread, fish, vegetables, melons among an orchards worth of fruit, as well as fabrics.
Because the upper Genal Valley is still not widely known or developed, it is not heavily travelled; it is therefore a recommended destination for those looking for peace and quiet in a traditional Spanish environment. Each March until May, the valley is filled with wild flowers. As many as 2,000 species growing in this area in springtime with different blooms appearing weekly. The Genal Valley is also chestnut country. In May, the upper valley is filled with the pungent odour of the yellow chestnut flowers in bloom. In autumn, there is a swath of autumnal colours burning across the valley as the chestnut leaves pass through their seasonal change.
Along the boundary between Cartajima and Júzcar lies another area which is worth a visit. This is Los Riscos (literally, "The Cliffs"). It is a wild area in which millennia of winter winds and rains have worn the limestone of the terrain into a series of wild natural sculptures. Although these are not as spectacular as others in the province of Málaga, they are worth seeing as a reminder of how desolate and remote this area was in the days before paved roads and the combustion engine and of the days when a handful of hardy Berber Arabs made their way into the mountains from the coast on mule and on foot and decided to stay.
The Valley is a great destination for motorcyclists, cyclists, walkers, bird watchers, star gazers, rock climbers painters, photographers, writers and nature enthusiasts. For bird watchers especially, this area is a must. It is right on the north-south corridor for the annual bird migrations. It is not unusual to see soaring griffin vultures, eagles, falcons or other birds of prey above the mountainous terrain. With all the natural subjects to paint (ruins, mountains, rooftops, churches, valleys, villages, trees, flora, etc) and changing light, painters could spend endless days painting and not run out of subjects. And all of the villages of the Valley have annual traditional fiestas and Semana Santa festivities, August being the month of fiestas for the Upper Valley.
The lower Genal Valley has eight villages which are all located along the Algeciras – Ronda road. Travelling north from the coast, one first comes to Gaucin, the most southern village on the A369 and then to Benarrabá, Algatocin, Benadalid, Benalauría and finally Atajate. All the villages are similar to those of the upper valley in terms of size but all have their own unique charm. Some offer museums, all offer at least one place to stop for a drink or a meal and some offer accommodation.
Júzcar also boasts La Fábrica de Hojalata (the Tin Factory). This was the first factory ever built in Spain which operated from 1731 to 1905 producing tin for the king’s armoury. Alpandeire was once home to the much revered Friar Leopoldo, a local friar who lived out his life in a monastery in Granada but is still admired by many in the Serrania de Ronda; it is not uncommon to come across his portrait in any number of shops, bars and restaurants in Ronda and the surrounding area.
Lodgings and restaurants are available in varying shapes and sizes throughout the valley be it a hotel, casa rural (country house) or other accommodation, bar or restaurant. La Casa Grande in Alpandeire, opened in January 2006, offers 10 double rooms along with a restaurant and bar. Hotel Bandolero in Júzcar, opened in October 2004, offers eight double rooms with sweeping views of the valley and theme painting holidays. Its restaurant, La Bodega del Bandolero, offers creative tapas and country cooking which can also be enjoyed in the bar or on the terrace. Hotel Los Castaños in Cartajima, opened in 2004, is a bit higher end with five luxury doubles, a roof top terrace, sweeping valley views and an in-house residents only restaurant. La Casa del Llanete in Alpandeire opened in 2005, offers bed and breakfast rates as well as creative and therapeutic holidays by the English owners. Restaurant Anafe in Parauta offers a range of game meats while Bar Torricheli in Júzcar offers a variety of tapas as well as combination plates. Restaurant Remidios in Faraján also offers a variety of meat selections on its menu. There is also a camping site in Júzcar, Nuestra Virgin de Moclón, alongside the Genal River for those on a budget opened in the warmer months with a bar / restaurant and a wonderful natural swimming site in the river itself. Hotel Banú Rabbah in Benarrabá has 10 rooms, a restaurant and a good size swimming pool for the summer months. Meson La Molienda restaurant in Benalauría is a museum and restaurant with fantastic views of the valley.
Then there are locally based outdoor adventure companies offering services such as rappelling in the Genal river, paint ball, mountain bikes, hot air ballooning, organised hiking, guided bird watching, quads, amongst others.
Genal Valley - Accommodation and Restaurants
Hotel Bandolero * *
La Bodega del Bandolero
Cl. Tercio Mora Figueroa, Nº 11
29462 Júzcar (Málaga)
http://www.hotelbandolero.com/
Telf:+34.952.183.660
E-mail: reservations@hotelbandolero.com
Hotel Banú Rabbah * *
Restaurante "Kábilas"
Cl. Sierra Bermeja s/n29490 Benarrabá (Málaga)
http://www.hbenarraba.es/
Telf: +34.952.150.288
E-mail : hotel@hbenarraba.es
Hotel Hacienda La Herriza
Crta. Gaucín - El Colmenar, Km. 6
E-29480 Gaucín (Málaga)
http://www.laherriza.com/
E-mail : info@laherriza.com
Hotel Salitre & Restaurant ***
Ctra. Comarcal 373, Partido Salitre
29491 Algatocín (Málaga)
http://www.turismosalitre.com/
Telf: + 34.952.117.172
E-mail : complejo@turismosalitre.com
Hotel Los Castaños * *
Cl. Iglesia, Nº 40
29452 Cartajima (Málaga)
http://www.loscastanos.com/
Telf: +34.952.180.778
E-mail : reservations@loscastanos.com
La Casa del Llanete
29460 Alpandeire (Málaga)
http://www.casadellanete.com/
Telf: +34.951.166.057
E-mail : info@casadellanete.com
La Casa Grande & Restaurant
Cl. Barranco Nº 76
29460 Alpandeire (Málaga)
http://www.avired.com/
Telf: +34.952.180.400
E-mail : hotellacasagrande@yahoo.es
Mesón La Molienda
Cl. Moraleda, Nº 59
29491 Benalauría (Málaga)
http://www.molienda.com/
Telf: + 34 952152548
E-mail : angarilla@avired.com
Mesón La Sierra
Ctra. Ronda-Algeciras, Km. 18
29494 Atajate (Málaga)
www.atajate.net/lasierra
Telf: + 34.952.180.165
E-mail : lasierra@atajate.net
Restaurante La Fuentecilla
Cl. Cerrillo Isidoro s/n
29491 Algatocín (Málaga)
http://www.hotelruralfuentecilla.com/
Telf: + 34.952.150.371
E-mail : lafuentecilla@depcapc.com
Bar Torricheli
Cl. Ereta, Nº 3
29462 Júzcar (Málaga)
Telf: +34.952 .183.677
Camping Ntra. Sra. de Moclón
29462 Júzcar (Málaga)
Telf: +34.659.682.898
Telf: +34.606.802.211
Restaurante El Anafe
Cl. Calvario, Nº 1
29451 Parauta (Málaga)
Telf: +34.952.181.035
Restaurante Los Labraos
Ctra. Ronda-Algeciras, Km. 83´300
29493 Benadalid (Málaga)
Telf: + 34 952117058
E-mail: loslabraos@hotmail.com
Sunday, 14 January
YESTERDAY, Nicky stopped by with a stack of English language newspapers. Nicky, along with her partner Phil, is the owner of a bed and breakfast in Alpandeire where they do creative holidays, painting instruction, therapeutic holidays or plain B&B. Nicky is helping this new publication, called the Olive Press, by taking it around for distribution in the upper valley. The publisher is an Englishman who has worked for a couple of the English dailies and is now starting this one here in the Ronda area for the English speaking community. Nice idea.
NICKY also enquired about the Jazz Festival and how it was going. I told her that as I had not had any responses except one to the last email I sent out there for a meeting and apparently there was not much interest; as it is now January, it is a bit late to get a festival organised for the coming May. She told me that Phil had responded to my mail with some suggestions and that they are interested in attending participating... I did not receive that email. So I think I need to reignite the whole idea for next spring. Since apparently there are people with an interest, I think it would be a good idea to try again to get it organised.
YESTERDAY, we also had a reporter stop by called Lola. She is writing the article for Geo magazine, the same magazine I mentioned in an earlier entry when the photographer came by. She told me the magazine has a circulation of about 30,000 in Spain and she did not think the article would appear in other European issues of Geo but one can hope. So Ivan and I sat with her and her husband for a while and talked about being here in Juzcar, local activities, the valley, the hotel and what it was like building this business.
IVAN sold another cake yesterday to a village person. It looked yummy, I must say.
OF the two TVs I took to the technical shop for repair the other day, one is for the bin and the other one works. I simply don't understand these TVs... I've had problems with them before where a guest complains the TV is not functioning. I have exchanged TVs between rooms and it seems to work. This time that did not happen with one of them as the technician told me it would cost 70 Euros to repair and I can buy one new for about 100 Euros so he recommended tossing it. The other one did not function for me or Francisco but the technician said it functions so back to the room with it. And now I need to purchase a new TV for the room. Or perhaps I should take the over sized TV I purchased months ago for our bedroom at home (I was not thinking clearly at the time of purchase obviously as it won't fit in our bedroom and so is still in its box) and put it in Room 11 and take that small TV and put it in our bedroom.... now that would work! All I need to get is a TV stand big enough for this TV.
ONE more thing to mention today. We had an unpleasant experience with a hotel guest this morning who stayed for the last two nights with us. She was clearly not all there in the head from the start. On Friday evening, Ivan came to me here in reception from the bar to say someone enquired about a single room. He also said she was acting strangely as she was laughing out loud to herself alone in the bar. When she came to reception, she said all she wanted was a bottle of Baileys and wanted to pay right away for the night, all the while smoking.
THE next morning, yesterday, she came to the bar about 12.00 and stood in same place in front of the bar with two packs of cigarettes, smoking, staring into space with two glasses of wine in front of her that she did not drink. Eventually she went onto the terrace for a bite to eat, food she ordered and then did not eat. She came back into the bar in the evening and did the same thing, stand at the bar and smoke.
THIS morning when I arrived in the reception area, I found my computer unplugged, disconnected from everything, reception desk disorganised, answering machine unplugged, radiator cover off, sign on the dining room door attached backwards, lamps unplugged, floor lamp in the middle of the floor, and this woman stretched out on a sofa in the salon, smoking with an electric radiator going next to her. I said to her "what are you doing here?" She said the heat in her room did not work (not true as I checked it last night and it did work). I told her she had to pay and leave right away as I was not impressed with her actions at all. She then broke into song when she noticed a Tarot book in my bookcase. I grabbed the book from her and told her to stop singing and to go wait in the bar. She yelled at me, "In the street?!? In the bar!??" I said go to the bar and followed her.
SHE finally paid me in cash after speaking to me in bad French and acting very, very strangely. I went and checked her room and found that the tub had been filled with water and teabags she had requested the day before. The room stank of tobacco and the ashtray was full ( I opened the windows of course). It was later when I was checking over my PC and putting it back together that I noticed my computer mouse was missing. She took it I assume as it was there last night when I closed up. I did not even know if the PC would function as she had apparently opened the tower as well so who knows what she was doing. Clearly all was well or else I would not be writing this blog entry now. Hopefully, we won't have another experience like that one, ever! But that is the problem when one has a public business such as ours.... you never know who you will encounter. Poor thing, she should not be let out alone as clearly she has issues or perhaps she is not taking her meds regularly!!
WEATHER today, not so nice, overcast and cool. Feels a bit damp too but it has not rained here in weeks and I think we could use the water. I spent some time on the terrace yesterday watering all the potted plants as they were all dry.
YESTERDAY, Nicky stopped by with a stack of English language newspapers. Nicky, along with her partner Phil, is the owner of a bed and breakfast in Alpandeire where they do creative holidays, painting instruction, therapeutic holidays or plain B&B. Nicky is helping this new publication, called the Olive Press, by taking it around for distribution in the upper valley. The publisher is an Englishman who has worked for a couple of the English dailies and is now starting this one here in the Ronda area for the English speaking community. Nice idea.
NICKY also enquired about the Jazz Festival and how it was going. I told her that as I had not had any responses except one to the last email I sent out there for a meeting and apparently there was not much interest; as it is now January, it is a bit late to get a festival organised for the coming May. She told me that Phil had responded to my mail with some suggestions and that they are interested in attending participating... I did not receive that email. So I think I need to reignite the whole idea for next spring. Since apparently there are people with an interest, I think it would be a good idea to try again to get it organised.
YESTERDAY, we also had a reporter stop by called Lola. She is writing the article for Geo magazine, the same magazine I mentioned in an earlier entry when the photographer came by. She told me the magazine has a circulation of about 30,000 in Spain and she did not think the article would appear in other European issues of Geo but one can hope. So Ivan and I sat with her and her husband for a while and talked about being here in Juzcar, local activities, the valley, the hotel and what it was like building this business.
IVAN sold another cake yesterday to a village person. It looked yummy, I must say.
OF the two TVs I took to the technical shop for repair the other day, one is for the bin and the other one works. I simply don't understand these TVs... I've had problems with them before where a guest complains the TV is not functioning. I have exchanged TVs between rooms and it seems to work. This time that did not happen with one of them as the technician told me it would cost 70 Euros to repair and I can buy one new for about 100 Euros so he recommended tossing it. The other one did not function for me or Francisco but the technician said it functions so back to the room with it. And now I need to purchase a new TV for the room. Or perhaps I should take the over sized TV I purchased months ago for our bedroom at home (I was not thinking clearly at the time of purchase obviously as it won't fit in our bedroom and so is still in its box) and put it in Room 11 and take that small TV and put it in our bedroom.... now that would work! All I need to get is a TV stand big enough for this TV.
ONE more thing to mention today. We had an unpleasant experience with a hotel guest this morning who stayed for the last two nights with us. She was clearly not all there in the head from the start. On Friday evening, Ivan came to me here in reception from the bar to say someone enquired about a single room. He also said she was acting strangely as she was laughing out loud to herself alone in the bar. When she came to reception, she said all she wanted was a bottle of Baileys and wanted to pay right away for the night, all the while smoking.
THE next morning, yesterday, she came to the bar about 12.00 and stood in same place in front of the bar with two packs of cigarettes, smoking, staring into space with two glasses of wine in front of her that she did not drink. Eventually she went onto the terrace for a bite to eat, food she ordered and then did not eat. She came back into the bar in the evening and did the same thing, stand at the bar and smoke.
THIS morning when I arrived in the reception area, I found my computer unplugged, disconnected from everything, reception desk disorganised, answering machine unplugged, radiator cover off, sign on the dining room door attached backwards, lamps unplugged, floor lamp in the middle of the floor, and this woman stretched out on a sofa in the salon, smoking with an electric radiator going next to her. I said to her "what are you doing here?" She said the heat in her room did not work (not true as I checked it last night and it did work). I told her she had to pay and leave right away as I was not impressed with her actions at all. She then broke into song when she noticed a Tarot book in my bookcase. I grabbed the book from her and told her to stop singing and to go wait in the bar. She yelled at me, "In the street?!? In the bar!??" I said go to the bar and followed her.
SHE finally paid me in cash after speaking to me in bad French and acting very, very strangely. I went and checked her room and found that the tub had been filled with water and teabags she had requested the day before. The room stank of tobacco and the ashtray was full ( I opened the windows of course). It was later when I was checking over my PC and putting it back together that I noticed my computer mouse was missing. She took it I assume as it was there last night when I closed up. I did not even know if the PC would function as she had apparently opened the tower as well so who knows what she was doing. Clearly all was well or else I would not be writing this blog entry now. Hopefully, we won't have another experience like that one, ever! But that is the problem when one has a public business such as ours.... you never know who you will encounter. Poor thing, she should not be let out alone as clearly she has issues or perhaps she is not taking her meds regularly!!
WEATHER today, not so nice, overcast and cool. Feels a bit damp too but it has not rained here in weeks and I think we could use the water. I spent some time on the terrace yesterday watering all the potted plants as they were all dry.
Friday, 12 January 2007
FRIDAY, 12 January.... Already!! I don't feel like writing much today so I thought I would upload a couple of snap shots I've been wanting to include in this blog. The first two photos you see are of the crocuses that are covering the hillsides at the moment. As I mentioned in a recent entry, they are purple with hints of yellows and appear as miniature French irises.
THESE next two photos are of the cakes Ivan made for the Three Kings Day, 06 January, last Friday. They are not very sweet and are flavored with essence of orange blosom, orange and lemon zest, some whiskey and brandy, sliced in half horizontally and then filled with whipped cream and are topped with candied fruits, toasted almonds and toasted sugar. They were yummy!! Remember, Ivan made 44 of these cakes, we sold 40 of them.
Chef Ivan making Roscones de Los Reyes with assistance of Dani
AND finally, this next and last shot is of the valley yesterday as I drove back from Ronda. You can just see some of the plumes of smoke because the valley is a bit hazy due to the smoke itself. But as I mentioned earlier, this is the time of year for clearing the groves of chestnut trees of excess limps and all the dead leaves. Everyone who burns must obtain a license from the village hall and this goes on until late March.
WE just had a single woman arrive and ask for a room for tonight.... one can never say what will happen when running a small hotel in the obscure mountains of Andalucia.... can one?
HAVE a nice weekend!! Hasta la proxima!
Thursday, 11 January 2007
Thursday, 11 January. We went into Ronda this morning to take care of a couple of errands. No great loss being closed as it is dead quiet here at the moment even though we do arrive back in time to provide lunch to anyone interested in eating.
Yesterday, I spent some time sending a few emails to artists about possible workshops. I am encouraged by the fact that we now have three painting workshops booked for the coming September and October and perhaps that could be four and one now firmly booked for May 2008. But we need to have more of this business in other months to even out the cash flow. Perhaps 2008 will very cash flow, I just have to keep plugging away at those emails.
I cut the lavender plants back on Sunday. They were enormous and I didn't have the right cutting tool so my hand was very sore afterwards. We're hoping that when they come back, they'll have even more flowers.
We received a one night booking at half board yesterday for that family from Malaga that came around the other day. They booked seven rooms as that was all that was available that weekend, in February. And another one reservation for late February, two singles, English. It will be a big family affair for the family in mid-February with 14 people.
We also had a bit of passing trade for lunch yesterday and the two days before. Nothing today. A group of Danes was sitting on the terrace having tapas when I arrived from Ronda after morning errands. Ivan attended to them until I arrived. The first thing they did was ask if I was English? Eventually we were talking about me the American, being from New York City and how they had just been talking about NYC themselves and how much they just love New York! I told them I love it too and do miss it!! Very friendly bunch, as usual.
Well, not much else to say at this point except we are waiting eagerly for our holiday next week. Not sure what we're going to do during the second week of holiday... could just stay here and do nothing but go stir crazy. Or go on a few days trips to places in the area that we have wanted to visit but just did not have the time. Maybe even take the dogs with us.
Ivan is now in the kitchen making sushi for us for dinner. It's gotten a bit chilly but as in the last few days, the weather is quite warm and comfortable during the day with bright sun, cloudless skies, no breeze. But the valley is becoming all smoggy because of all the chestnut burning going on at the moment. The annual exercise of trimming the trees and burning them along with the leaves.
Yesterday, I spent some time sending a few emails to artists about possible workshops. I am encouraged by the fact that we now have three painting workshops booked for the coming September and October and perhaps that could be four and one now firmly booked for May 2008. But we need to have more of this business in other months to even out the cash flow. Perhaps 2008 will very cash flow, I just have to keep plugging away at those emails.
I cut the lavender plants back on Sunday. They were enormous and I didn't have the right cutting tool so my hand was very sore afterwards. We're hoping that when they come back, they'll have even more flowers.
We received a one night booking at half board yesterday for that family from Malaga that came around the other day. They booked seven rooms as that was all that was available that weekend, in February. And another one reservation for late February, two singles, English. It will be a big family affair for the family in mid-February with 14 people.
We also had a bit of passing trade for lunch yesterday and the two days before. Nothing today. A group of Danes was sitting on the terrace having tapas when I arrived from Ronda after morning errands. Ivan attended to them until I arrived. The first thing they did was ask if I was English? Eventually we were talking about me the American, being from New York City and how they had just been talking about NYC themselves and how much they just love New York! I told them I love it too and do miss it!! Very friendly bunch, as usual.
Well, not much else to say at this point except we are waiting eagerly for our holiday next week. Not sure what we're going to do during the second week of holiday... could just stay here and do nothing but go stir crazy. Or go on a few days trips to places in the area that we have wanted to visit but just did not have the time. Maybe even take the dogs with us.
Ivan is now in the kitchen making sushi for us for dinner. It's gotten a bit chilly but as in the last few days, the weather is quite warm and comfortable during the day with bright sun, cloudless skies, no breeze. But the valley is becoming all smoggy because of all the chestnut burning going on at the moment. The annual exercise of trimming the trees and burning them along with the leaves.
Sunday, 7 January 2007
Sunday, 07 January - my cousin Jennifer, her husband Rob and a couple of their friends dropped by this afternoon. They all live in NY but are here in Malaga on holiday. When I saw them at Christmas, they promised to come up and have a look a the hotel. So here they were today. They had a tour of the hotel and then a walk around the village and then back here for some tapas on the terrace. When all was done, they headed off to Ronda and then back down to the coast. That was a nice surprise as I did not know when they would be here.
Again, the weather today has been glorious, sunny, warm and very comfortable. Hope this will last for the next 10 weeks.
Iris did not show for work yesterday as we expected. She went to Belgium with her family for Christmas and we thought she was going to be back yesterday but no word. Guess we'll see if she turns up for work next weekend. Actually, things have been so quiet, better not to have to pay an extra employee when we are not making so much.
This week promises to be quite boring... actually I think it will be this way until after our holiday. We had a family stop by yesterday to look the hotel over in planning a family Saturday night for dinner and stay. They would book the whole hotel in the first or second week of February, a Saturday night.
I have some marketing work I need to get on to. While I was in London on my layover coming back from NY after Christmas, I was checking out some guide books in an airport bookshop on the Costa del Sol and Andalusia to see what they said about this area. Needless to say, there was very little about the Genal Valley or the Serrania de Ronda... there was something in a couple of them but not enough. All of them provide a write in address if a reader knows of an error or omission or a simple update. So I have to write a blurb about this Valley including the other hotels and restaurants and send it in to be considered. That should be done sooner rather than later because I'm guessing the publication date of an update is imminent. I also need to get a few more letters of solicitation out to that list of artists provided to me by Maggie.
I sent a few before Christmas but have received only one response which was not promising. There are a lot more potential artists to write to about workshops and if I want to get the reservation book full, I need to get cracking on that.
I took the Christmas decorations down in the bar this morning and will have Francisco get rid of the lights and tree on the terrace tomorrow. I've taken a couple more bookings for March in the last few days as well. Need more though. And I want to update the website too. Always something to keep one busy when you have a hotel and are building a business.
Again, the weather today has been glorious, sunny, warm and very comfortable. Hope this will last for the next 10 weeks.
Iris did not show for work yesterday as we expected. She went to Belgium with her family for Christmas and we thought she was going to be back yesterday but no word. Guess we'll see if she turns up for work next weekend. Actually, things have been so quiet, better not to have to pay an extra employee when we are not making so much.
This week promises to be quite boring... actually I think it will be this way until after our holiday. We had a family stop by yesterday to look the hotel over in planning a family Saturday night for dinner and stay. They would book the whole hotel in the first or second week of February, a Saturday night.
I have some marketing work I need to get on to. While I was in London on my layover coming back from NY after Christmas, I was checking out some guide books in an airport bookshop on the Costa del Sol and Andalusia to see what they said about this area. Needless to say, there was very little about the Genal Valley or the Serrania de Ronda... there was something in a couple of them but not enough. All of them provide a write in address if a reader knows of an error or omission or a simple update. So I have to write a blurb about this Valley including the other hotels and restaurants and send it in to be considered. That should be done sooner rather than later because I'm guessing the publication date of an update is imminent. I also need to get a few more letters of solicitation out to that list of artists provided to me by Maggie.
I sent a few before Christmas but have received only one response which was not promising. There are a lot more potential artists to write to about workshops and if I want to get the reservation book full, I need to get cracking on that.
I took the Christmas decorations down in the bar this morning and will have Francisco get rid of the lights and tree on the terrace tomorrow. I've taken a couple more bookings for March in the last few days as well. Need more though. And I want to update the website too. Always something to keep one busy when you have a hotel and are building a business.
Saturday, 6 January 2007
Happy New Year. It's been a while since my last entry but I've been busy and distracted.
Ivan had to make 40 cakes for yesterday afternoon, ordered by the village hall for the village people. Today was the day of the Three Kings and it is Spanish tradition to have a particular cake with secret gifts inside covered with dried fruits and sugar and filled with whipped cream (which I made). So Ivan made 40 over two days .. we also provided them with some liquors and hot chocolate. That was a nice little event in the school. This is because there are elections this year and someone is thinking on his feet, campaigning already. This was a first for Juzcar or so we are told.
New Year's Eve was just alright. No one we knew was here for the dinner. Ivan's parents could not make it either , a first. We had seven rooms booked so seven couples for dinner and no one else, which was a bit disappointing. In the last two years, there were people from the village in for the dinner as well and this year, nothing. So it was small. Last year, we also had a group of our friends that came down from London & NYC to spend NYE here. Some we already knew and others were new friends but it was nice and a fun evening. This year was missing that.
Anyway, we had people in the hotel until 03 January so a bit extra business. And yesterday the cakes and chocolate for Juzcar which was good.
This afternoon, after Ivan and I took the dogs for a walk, Francisco came by with our new coffee table that he made from the old front door of the house. He then invited us to stop by his finca as he and his brother-in-law were in the process of making homemade liquor with lemon flavour. So we went up there and had a few tastes of his recently made wine, mosto, and liquors, not to mention some homemade sausage. There were quite a few guys there by the time we arrived. Francisco has so much booze that he's made both from his grapes and liquor and any which way you count it, he has a lot of it! I asked him what he was going to do with all this and his response was that it goes quicker than you would think. Late afternoons like this very one helps to kill off a good portion of his supply... after all there were at least 10 of us there.
The weather here recently has been just gorgeous. I've been wearing shot sleeves and there have been guests dining on the terrace, outside. This is the kind of weather I would have expected for southern Spain, not the cold we've had the last two winters. But then, I know this is not normal weather either. It's so mild in the day that the house in the evenings is not cold at all. It feels more like we've gone directly to spring. And the purple crocuses are already out all over the mountain. This is normal for this time of year already. If this warmth keeps up, I would expect to see some wild flowers already starting to bloom. We shall see... depends on how long this mild climate keeps up for. I'm talking 18 degrees cel here on 06 January.
Anyway, we will be closing for a few days from 19 January for our vacation. We're going to visit some friends. Francisco will take care of Diego everyday providing his meals and taking care of the dogs.
I want to post some of the photos I took of the 40 cakes Ivan made while making them but they're not ready yet so I'll do that next time.
So that's it for now. Time to prepare some dinner.
Ivan had to make 40 cakes for yesterday afternoon, ordered by the village hall for the village people. Today was the day of the Three Kings and it is Spanish tradition to have a particular cake with secret gifts inside covered with dried fruits and sugar and filled with whipped cream (which I made). So Ivan made 40 over two days .. we also provided them with some liquors and hot chocolate. That was a nice little event in the school. This is because there are elections this year and someone is thinking on his feet, campaigning already. This was a first for Juzcar or so we are told.
New Year's Eve was just alright. No one we knew was here for the dinner. Ivan's parents could not make it either , a first. We had seven rooms booked so seven couples for dinner and no one else, which was a bit disappointing. In the last two years, there were people from the village in for the dinner as well and this year, nothing. So it was small. Last year, we also had a group of our friends that came down from London & NYC to spend NYE here. Some we already knew and others were new friends but it was nice and a fun evening. This year was missing that.
Anyway, we had people in the hotel until 03 January so a bit extra business. And yesterday the cakes and chocolate for Juzcar which was good.
This afternoon, after Ivan and I took the dogs for a walk, Francisco came by with our new coffee table that he made from the old front door of the house. He then invited us to stop by his finca as he and his brother-in-law were in the process of making homemade liquor with lemon flavour. So we went up there and had a few tastes of his recently made wine, mosto, and liquors, not to mention some homemade sausage. There were quite a few guys there by the time we arrived. Francisco has so much booze that he's made both from his grapes and liquor and any which way you count it, he has a lot of it! I asked him what he was going to do with all this and his response was that it goes quicker than you would think. Late afternoons like this very one helps to kill off a good portion of his supply... after all there were at least 10 of us there.
The weather here recently has been just gorgeous. I've been wearing shot sleeves and there have been guests dining on the terrace, outside. This is the kind of weather I would have expected for southern Spain, not the cold we've had the last two winters. But then, I know this is not normal weather either. It's so mild in the day that the house in the evenings is not cold at all. It feels more like we've gone directly to spring. And the purple crocuses are already out all over the mountain. This is normal for this time of year already. If this warmth keeps up, I would expect to see some wild flowers already starting to bloom. We shall see... depends on how long this mild climate keeps up for. I'm talking 18 degrees cel here on 06 January.
Anyway, we will be closing for a few days from 19 January for our vacation. We're going to visit some friends. Francisco will take care of Diego everyday providing his meals and taking care of the dogs.
I want to post some of the photos I took of the 40 cakes Ivan made while making them but they're not ready yet so I'll do that next time.
So that's it for now. Time to prepare some dinner.
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