Pedalo Hire Marbella
We DID go to Funny Beach today. We didn’t go until after 6pm and there was no charge for getting in. The car park was virtually full and whilst there we saw a tourist reverse and crash into a gorgeous Nissan 4 by 4. They drove off but not before my eagle eyed son had clocked their number plate which we gave to the attendant.
The pedaloes were 15 euros for 30 minutes and 20 euros for an hour. Great fun!
They have the banana boats there and jet skis ( jet skis were 50 euros to hire, those under 16 years need to go with an adult.) They also have doughnuts that are dragged along by a power boat that looked a giggle. Well a giggle for those of us watching them…..They had to wear helmets which was very sensible as there are rocks about.
I saw a man on the beach selling fresh croissants and pastries. What a great idea. He was from a local bakery and the croissants I bought ( large ones only 1 euro each) were delicious. But then again everything tastes delicious on a beach doesn’t it?
Fish Pedicure La Cala
You can get yourself a fish pedicure ( 20 euros for 20 minutes) at the Golden Tarts in La Cala.
You must not have spray tanned feet/legs or any fungal infections. ( I’ve just put myself off my dinner…)
Directions,
If you are coming from Malaga direction, go past the La Cala De Mijas sign and then take the 1st slip, you will see SnackAttack at the beginning of the parade and they are a bit further down.
From Marbella direction come off at La Cala. through the village and then rejoin Carreterra going back towards Marbella and it’s the 1st slip.
Funny Beach Marbella
Today we tried to hire a pedalo at Funny Beach but noticed that you couldn’t access the car park there unless you paid 5 euros. Since they charge 20 euros for an hour on the pedaloes I balked and drove off.
The car park was less than half full and I can imagine that a lot of locals won’t be happy paying that type of car park charge when the rides at Funny Beach though a lot of fun aren’t cheap at all.
Plenty of other beaches that are free to park and have pedaloes so that’s what we will do.
Nice beach in Marbella
Can recommend Hippopotamus beach at the El Rosario turn off. We were there late this afternoon and found car parking to be very easy, the beach was lovely ( bring your own umbrellas) and the children could wade out a long way and just have sand under their feet.
The beach restaurant/cafe is also great as you can sit in the shade ( the whole cafe is under cover) and you are right on the beach, so able to watch your children in the water and enjoy a coffee or something stronger at the same time.
Further down the beach were pedaloes for hire etc.
There is a shower there and the cafe has toilets.
Tick, tick TICK.
Palma Airport Majorca
I have just come back from Palma airport….huge airport. Air Berlin has a large area for check in all to itself and when you have checked in you will need to go upstairs for passport control. Passport control/security is very badly signposted once upstairs, you need to turn right.
It was absolute chaos. There were about 200 people in front of me to check in as we had one entrance point for about 9 check in desks. Once I got to passport control again there were huge queues. I allowed a full 2 hours and I didn’t have much time left over before it was time to board the plane. Some friends who weren’t flying with Air Belin from Palma had their luggage checked in much faster.
The other thing I have noticed is, that like Malaga airport which is now huge, elderly people or anyone with any type of mobility problems that aren’t serious enough to allow a doctor’s note for the extra help at the airport really struggle with the sheer amount of walking that is now necessary at airport such as Palma. The walk from passport control to our boarding gate was colossal. By the time I reached Gate 61 I felt as though I should have been given a bouquet of flowers and a gold medal.
What I really needed was a stiff drink and a packet of plasters for the blisters.
Spain is not expensive
I watched the BBC today and since people tend to believe everything they read in the papers and everything that the BBC spouts is considered gospel I had to start tapping away.
The BBC were commenting on how expensive countries such as Greece and Spain now are. The two examples they gave of drinks was one lady who commented that her drink in Madrid had cost 9 euros. Well I have no idea where she was going to buy a 9 euro drink but I can assure you that a cafe in Madrid won’t charge 9 euros for a beverage. The next example was a cheap taverna bar in Spain, where now you can buy a drink because they have slashed their prices to 4 or 5 euros.
Even here in Marbella you can buy a three course meal for a round 9 euros, sometimes less, many restaurants have a menu of the day and the food is usually very good. 4 or 5 euros for a drink is not a typical price. I woudn’t pay that. Nobody I know would pay that.
We were at the Orange Square in Marbella yesterday and you cannot get more touristy than that. We had a diet coke for 2 euros. Not cheap but hardly going to break the bank. In Marbella high street there are plenty of tapas bars and cafes where you can buy something for around 2.50 euros. They are busy…..don’t go and eat anywhere that doesn’t have Spanish people eating. The Spanish like good food and good prices.
In the summer you can get self catering accomodation close to Marbella for as little as £350. My friend is staying in Riviera this summer, a nice apartment for just that. She negotiated by booking early and got a great deal. It works out as each person paying £12.50 a day.
If you book ahead you get cheaper flights and car hire in Spain is much cheaper than in the UK. In many apartments or hotels you won’t need to use public transport, places such as Fuengirola have great train lines, buses and as a resort everything is within walking distance.
So come to Spain, it is not expensive. Of course it was cheaper a few years ago when the euro was so much weaker, but the BBC are giving out silly facts. I’m sure that if I go to the UK I can find somewhere that will charge me £7.00 for a drink or a large amount for a meal. It doesn’t mean it is the norm……
Tivoli World 10% off
If you go online to the Tivoli World website you can pay for your tickets up to a month ahead and you will receive 10% off. You just print off your paypal receipt and take that to the ticket office at Tivoli.
It cost 99 euros for 5 of us to go to Tivoli and it gave us free rides for 90% of the rides there. Lots of lovely shows on and in summer think about going in the evening until very late at night as with all the concrete there it is seriously hot during the afternoon in the summer and so much cooler and prettier with the lights at night.
Landlord Insurance, rent guarantee
They must have landlord insurance/rent guarantee in Spain, but probably harder to get a tenant referenced checked if they have come from the UK.
However in the UK you can get landlord insurance very easily. I’ve been looking into it and for between £90-£110 per year you get cover should your tenant stop paying you your monthly rental AND legal expenses are also paid to help you get rid of them. For this small sum per year and the peace of mind, it seems foolish to even consider renting out your property long term without rent guarantee insurance cover.
You will need to organise credit checks and there are plenty of companies that offer this as a small extra on top of the rent guarantee insurance, usually around £22, they also check the employment history, any court judgements outstanding, debts etc. You cannot get the rent guarantee insurance without the checks being done.
Cover is typically up to £15,000 for lost rental with legal fees paid. Some will also pay you 50% of your lost rental after the tenant has been evicted for up to 3 months whilst you try to find a new tenant.
Companies that offer rent guarantee include, Simple Landlord Insurance, Just Landlords ( I particularly like this one as it offers more than most) Endsleigh and Legal and General.
English bedding Costa del Sol
If you are after English sized bedding on the Costa del Sol then head to Yorkshire Linen in Mijas as they now have 25% off all their stock.
Yorkshire Linen is a huge warehouse just a short walk from Dunes in Mijas. Walk past Dunes and then past Lidl supermarket and carry on. It is about 100m from Lidl.
If you are a property management company in the area looking for bedding, they can organise it all to be ready for you when you arrive so that you can just pull up outside the shop and go…..
They have beautiful luxury Egyptian cotton sheets and easy iron ones if you are looking for something cheap and cheerful. Towels, cushions, bedspreads, rugs, mattress covers and more.
Health Care Insurance in Spain
Health care insurance in Spain, private medical cover for expats and residents. Suitable for those aged over 50, Staysure offers great value medical cover. If you are not yet at retirement age and you are not working in Spain then you will need to take out health care insurance to pay for any medical bills, minor and major whilst you are in Spain.
Private health care will give you access to GP’s for minor problems and pay for any hospital treatment that you may require.