Essential Marbella Online - August 2020

COMPLIMENTARY EDITION

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s u o m fa SPORTS RIVALRIES

ISSUE 252 • AUGUST 2020

CIRCULAR LIVING

SPANISH TRAVEL TRIP ALMIGHTY

ALBARIÑO

FERRARI SF90 STRADALE

ESSENTIAL FOR LUXURIOUS LIVING

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D THE SPOTLIGHT d THE STYLE n THE SPA L THE SOCIAL

N º 252 - AUGUST 2020

essential essential magazine® marbella

MARBELLA

FANTASTIC FINCA CORTESÍN

NURIA FERRER SWIMWEAR

AUSTRIAN AFFAIR

z THE PRO

h THE LEISURE

b THE GOURMET

Shhh I will tell you...

LAKE

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GOLF

SPORTS

HOT EL

ORCHARDS

SHOPS

WELLNESS

EQUEST RIAN

23/07/2020 16:55:39

GAT ED COMMUNIT Y

PLOTS F ROM 476.000 €

VILLAS F ROM 1.8M€

ARMED SECURIT Y

Tel: +34 627 203 762 2020-06-24_the-secret-ad-essential-doble pag.indd 3

clients @ otero.com.es

www.otero.com.es 23/07/2020 16:55:44

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contents THE ESSENTIAL

14 Publisher’s Letter

GO TO THE SPOTLIGHT

22 Austrian Affair 36 Hotel Finca Cortesin 44 15 Places To Visit In Spain 60 The New Ferrari SF90 Stradale 66 Dive Watches 72 Great Sports Rivalries

GO TO THE TREND 86 Films to Stream 90 Cinema Greats – Wonder Woman 94 Music Mix 98 Anniversary Publication of Animal Farm 102 Top Reads for the Summer 106 Bang & Olufsen Beosound A2 2nd Generation 108 What’s Cool

GO TO THE STYLE 116 Circular Properties 130 Decor Designs 132 Nuria Ferrer Swimwear 140 Animal Love

GO TO THE SPA 144 Andaluz Skincare 146 Bouclème Haircare 150 Dr. Miguel Gómez Bravo 154 Combatting Tiger Mosquitos

GO TO THE PRO 162 Marbella Property Trends 168 The Vibe 172 Enterprise 184 Business Profile: Strand Properties 188 Miss Marbella 192 Girls’ Education

GO TO THE GOURMET 200 Chef’s Profile: Iván Cerdeño of the new Florida Beach Club 204 Gourmet Bytes 210 Wine – Albariño

THE QUEEN OF MAGNUMS

THIS SUMMER!

A BEAUTIFUL BLUSH ROSÉ OF SYRAH MADE IN THE SIERRAS DE MÁLAGA REGION. FRAGRANT AND INTENSE NOSE WITH RED FRUIT AROMAS. SENSUAL SHAPE BOTTLE WITH A RESEALABLE GLASS TOP.

Issue 252 • August 2020

S T A F F PUBLISHER & DIRECTOR

DIGITAL & CREATIVE DIRECTOR

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

PRODUCTION MANAGER

DESIGN & LAYOUT

OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

ACCOUNTS EXECUTIVE

SALES SUPPORT

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

IAIN BLACKWELL director@essentialmagazine.com ANDREA BLACKWELL andrea@essentialmagazine.com MARISA CUTILLAS editorial@essentialmagazine.com SUSANNE WHITAKER design@essentialmagazine.com INMA AURIOLES inma@essentialmagazine.com MONIKA BÖJTI info@essentialmagazine.com MARIANO JEVA cuentas@essentialmagazine.com JAN DENDAUW jan@essentialmagazine.com KEVIN HORN www.photographermarbella.com IAIN BLACKWELL, BELINDA BECKETT, MICHEL CRUZ, CRISTINA DE LEYVA AFAN DE RIBERA ALICIA DUGGAN, RIK FOXX, PHILIP HARRIS, ADAM JACOT DE BOINOD, TONY WHITNEY, MARK WILKINS

EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING OFFICES COMPLEJO LA PÓVEDA, BLQ. 3, 1º A, CN 340, KM 178, 29600 MARBELLA, MÁLAGA. TEL: 952 766 344 FAX: 952 766 343

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CONDITIONS

The publishers make every effort to ensure that the magazine’s contents are correct, but cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information published herein, or be held accountable for any errors, omissions, or claims for damages.

Marbella Magazine cannot accept responsibility for the claims, goods or services of advertisers, or for the copyright of materials used by them. © Publicaciones Independientes Costa del Sol S.L. for Marbella Magazine.

No part of this magazine, including texts, photographs, illustrations, maps or any other graphics may be reproduced in any form without the prior written consent of Publicaciones Independientes Costa del Sol S.L. Printed on recyclable paper, produced without wood and bleached without chlorine.

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Nagüeles Quinta de San Juan - An extraordinary estate set on an exceptional plot of over 10.000 m2 in a small gated community in Nagüeles.

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E&V ID: W-02IWC8. Price: 14.850.000 €.

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This exclusive single-level villa affords a picturesque garden with outdoor chill-out areas, pool bar and a large swimming pool. Stunning throughout, featuring five exceptionally large suites with a delicate design, two of these are master-suites with seperate sitting areas and dressing rooms. Further features are two spectacular indoor patios and a separate spa house with a gym and sauna. 5 beds, 7 baths. Built 731 m², plot 2.519 m².

E&V ID: W-02GB2G. Price: 3.995.000 €.

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D WORDS BY IAIN BLACKWELL PUBLISHER

STAY SAFE THIS SUMMER!

W

elcome to the August edition of the Coast’s best-loved magazine. The message this month is to go out and enjoy life while taking good care of yourself and we suggest some great options to consider.

We enjoy the pristine beauty of the Austrian lakes in relative seclusion and return via a grand tour of Spain designed by travel specialists, Cris&Kim, visiting some of its most emblematic treasures and languishing in luxurious lodgings.

Closer to home, we find out why Finca Cortesin continues to be regaled with multiple awards from the travel industry.

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Join us for a burn in the new Ferrari SF90 Stradale, the fastest Ferrari road car ever, check out our spotlight on iconic Dive Watches, and recall great sporting rivalries.

We also focus on George Orwell’s ground-breaking Animal Farm, which was published 75 years ago this month and is now being re-released as an illustrated anniversary edition.

Finally, among an abundance of content, don’t miss our features on Circular Homes and Albariño Wines, and find out why the Marbella Property Market is going into overdrive.

“SAFETY ISN’T EXPENSIVE, IT’S PRICELESS”

Contact: Duresa Marbella S.L I email: ds@duresamarbella.com tel: +34 603 389 059 I web: www.duresamarbella.com

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Plot 2.429 m2 • Built 1.170 m2 • Terraces 480 m2 • Bedrooms 8 • Bathrooms 11

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Bed: 3+1 I Bath: 3+2 I Plot: 426 m2 I Built: 441 m2 I puenteromano1.es I € 9.800.000

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Bed: 6 I Bath: 6+2 I Plot: 1.997 m2 I Built: 665 m2 I cerquilla21.es I € 3.295.000

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the spotlight

THE PRISTINE AND SECLUDED BEAUTY OF AUSTRIAN LAKES AND THE ENDEARING CULTURE OF VIENNA ARE THE SUBJECTS OF ONE OF OUR SPOTLIGHT FEATURES THIS MONTH. WE ALSO VISIT SOME OF SPAIN’S MOST RENOWNED LOCATIONS AND BRING YOU NEWS ON HOTEL FINCA CORTESIN. DON’T MISS OUR SELECTION OF ICONIC DIVE WATCHES AND GET READY TO REV THE ENGINE OF YOUR BRAND NEW FERRARI SF90 STRADALE!

GO TO PAGE 22 AUSTRIAN AFFAIR

GO TO PAGE 66 DIVE WATCHES

GO TO PAGE 36 HOTEL FINCA CORTESIN

GO TO PAGE 60 THE NEW FERRARI SF90 STRADALE

CULTURE HISTORY PEOPLE MOTORING 22 Austrian Affair 36 Hotel Finca Cortesin 44 15 Places To Visit In Spain 60 The New Ferrari SF90 Stradale 66 Dive Watches 72 Great Sports Rivalries

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AUSTRIA

The hills are alive with the sound of silence. I grew up to the music and images of Julie Andrews and The Sound of Music but hadn’t realised until I reached Salzburg that I was going to be staying in the very countryside where it was filmed. WORDS ADAM JACOT DE BOINOD

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I

Panorama of the Fuschlsee

t’s in the province of Salzburgerland and is a mere twenty minutes drive from the airport which itself is as swift and seamless as any I’ve passed through. The area has a number of beautiful lakes and is to Austrians what the Lake District is to us Brits and Lakes Como and Maggiore are to the Italians: a refuge, a delight, and a natural source of immense pride.

Fuschl, my local town, exists for Fuschlsee, her stunning lake that’s set in a broad bowl of mountains that are part bald, part wooded. They brood over pastures that have managed to sustain a lush, vibrant green after the heat waves of a long summer. The water of the lake has every shade of blue imaginable from aquamarine to turquoise to teal.

As with the ever-changing nature of the light so with the climate as it alternates between the summer’s sun and breeze and autumnal clouds and rain, causing the water to be flat and still one moment, shimmering and rippling the next. Both serene and mesmeric, the stunning reflections demanded and commanded my attention.

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Lake Fuschlsee in summer

Lake Fuschlsee in summer

The length of the lake is punctuated with benches on the shoreline as places for our own reflection.

From its different angles, I sensed the lake’s varied character and characters.

At night the very few lights emphasised just how underpopulated the shoreline is. A little electronic ferry called ‘Zille’ quietly glides duck-like from end to end, delivering satisfied passengers to blend in with walkers and cyclists who enjoy the full two-hour circuit around the lake and with swimmers and paddle boarders taking on the challenge of the water itself.

Fishermen seeking trout row out in their

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wooden boats after work to be at one with the pure water that has neither litter nor fumes with petrol strictly ‘verboten’.

I walked around the lakeside where the grass from the streuweise (straw meadow) is mown once every autumn and used not for fodder but for straw in the cowsheds. Now and then I was stopped in my tracks by the distinctive aroma of the late summer flowering of pink marsh orchids and the sight of the pale purple crocuses. The more mature of the sycamore trees lining the lakeside peel off bark from their trunks in panels creating a patchwork of grey and reddish

Spanish Riding School, Lipizzaner © WienTourismus/Paul Bauer

brown that reminded me of plane trees.

I stayed first at the lake’s eastern end at Ebner’s Waldhof (www.ebnerswaldhof.at). What a fabulous eclectic mixture this hotel is: part alpine chalet, part modern and part authentically Austrian and suggestive of a bygone era. This amalgamation of buildings has something for everyone with quirky

Spanish Riding School © WienTourismus/Christian Stemper

corridors lined with curiosities such as horse carts and deer antlers, tableaux and taxidermy.

Two days later I went on to the lake’s western and even quieter end to stay at the luxurious Schloss Fuschl (www. schlossfuschlsalzburg. com). Inside and adorning its corridors are black and white photographs of

famous conductors deep in musical ecstasy with their silence expressing their own words. Easily the best set of hotel pictures I have seen. The setting of this historic castle with its formerly royal connections is paramount. Perched on a prime vantage point, it looks across the entire length of the lake. Directly

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beneath the breakfast room that resembles a ship captain’s bridge, at quite a dramatic drop to the shoreline, is broad decking designed for both bathers and sunbathers.

To catch my direct train to Vienna, I came back to the centre of Salzburg, with her expansive suite of squares, her baroque church facades and an impressive statue of Mozart. In August, the city is celebrating the centenary of its famous festival.

Taking place from the 1st to 30th August, it will echo the words of the

founders who were keen to establish 'one of the first deeds of peace'. For it was heralded as a 'festival to shine as a guiding light in the search for one’s own identity, for the meaning of life, but also for the restoration of the identity of whole peoples'.

The programme has adapted successfully, as an abridged version, to the consequences of the pandemic with opera performances of both Così Fan Tutte and Elektra, three different dramas and a large number of concerts with both the Vienna Philharmonic and

guest orchestras. There’s also the Beethoven piano sonata cycle of eight concerts, a fitting tribute to the 250th anniversary of his birth. Not to mention the festival’s very own youth programme.

Quite a bonanza. Don’t wait another hundred years!

My time in Salzburg was a fitting prelude to Austria’s capital which I reached by train in under three hours of passing through farmland and factories. What a dramatic arrival it was as I reached the Hotel Bristol (www. bristolvienna.com).

Lakeside fun for the family

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Wiener Symphoniker's orchestra concert in the Wiener Konzerthaus © WienTourismus/Peter Rigaud

For I opened the shutters on the fourth floor to look directly across at the Opera House and straight down to its appreciative evening audience who watched it all live outside on a giant screen that I was able to share from my balcony.

My own box with a difference!

The hotel has been carefully restored to its former glory, boasting the Duke of Windsor among its clientele. Wooden panelling and stained glass windows with distinctive jugendstil (Viennese Art Nouveau) floral patterns decorate the elegantly stylised

rooms along with an elaborate staircase and an historic elevator with its padded leather seats that suggested both opulence and grandeur.

With the layout of the city centre designed with great efficiency, getting around was so simple for me and the hotel’s position bang in the middle made nearly all my siteseeing walkable and spontaneous.

I explored the Hofburg Complex and among the grand central palace with its courtyards proudly displaying the statues of its emperors, I found the Spanish Riding School. A must for anyone visiting

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Vienna however short their trip. It’s set in a stunning baroque room with beautifully lit chandeliers and conducted to waltz and other classical Viennese music. These stage performances

Secession Building © WienTourismus/Paul Bauer

Museums Quarter © WienTourismus/Christian Stemper

are a sustained tradition and the result of years of dedication. The riders are in their ceremonial costumes wearing black bicorn hats with gold braid stripes, coffee-coloured jackets with rows of brass buttons, pale leather gloves and long boots covering their knees. All complemented by saddles made elegant by their embroidered cloth.

As for the horses, they perform their magical and graceful routine. I sensed the special relationship between man and animal of mutual loyalty and interdependence.

The Museums Quartier is

close by and everything in it is very accessible.

Scattered about are purple blocks acting as loungers that draw together those seeking rest and repose.

Here is the Leopold Museum and the best place to see Austria’s two most celebrated artists, Klimt and Schiele, who are effectively afforded their own permanent exhibitions with a floor each.

Just behind the museums and set in a quiet courtyard I ate at the vegetarian Tian Bistro (www.tianbistro.com). Here, sitting among plants, wooden crates and an unusually

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non-stentorian Austrian clientele, I began with a ‘pick-me-up’ consisting of papaya, pineapple, celery, ginger and Assam long pepper. I then tried a subtle consommé with champignons and fresh herbs before succumbing to the delicacy of Hokkaido pumpkin, spelt cream and polenta fries’ indulgently followed by marinated strawberries, minted sugar and peanut cream. The other thing to experience is ‘Sharing Chef’s Garden’, a combination of five different culinary delights made from locally sourced, seasonal, market-fresh produce. Even as a nonvegetarian, the burger with its barbecue dip was a welcome alternative to its meat version.

That evening I attended a concert at the Konzerthaus and was acutely aware that I was among the cognoscenti in Vienna, the historic heartland of classical music. I was thrilled to witness the tradition alive and well with entire families sitting alongside elderly ladies spruced up for the 30 / AUGUST 2020 WWW.ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM

Konzerthaus © WienTourismus/Christian Stemper

occasion, at the very civilised time of 6pm on a Sunday evening.

This hallowed hall is beautified with art deco windows set in pale blue and yellow beneath a gilded ceiling. In the foyer stands an impressive statue of Beethoven in his signature brooding and imperious mood.

Unlike any other performance I’ve

experienced, the tailcoated conductor smiled at will, and with joyful informality, to his lead violinist and his white bow-tied orchestra.

More than 450 balls are held in Vienna annually, where revellers dance to anything from traditional waltz to more contemporary beats.

Spectacular modern designer villa in a privileged setting frontline Los Naranjos golf in the exclusive Nueva Andalucía, Marbella.

4.995.000,- EUR

Bedrooms 7

Bathrooms 6,5

Parking spaces 4

Pool 12 × 6 m = 72 m2

Living area 540 m2

Plot 1500 m2

Exterior terrace 300 m2

Facing SW

Agents Oliver Hübner Moran + 34 650 952 084 Christoffer Borg + 47 454 333 30 oakestates.no

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Belvedere Palace © WienTourismus/Christian Stemper

At the Techno Ball outfits comprise of suits and sneakers.

Yet in stark contrast to the glamorous and traditional Opera Ball there’s both a Coffeehouse Owners’ Ball and a Confectioners’ Ball.

Things get even more outré with the Chimney Sweeps’ Ball, which opens the season as they pile onto the dance floor wearing their traditional work clothes.

At the Weightlifters Ball, dancers are summoned by the call Alles Walzer (Everyone Waltz) before later, reassuringly perhaps, they lift their familiar dumbbells.

A short stroll west from the hotel and I was looking up at the Secession Building with its glorious white decorated walls with their jugendstil reliefs crowned by 3,000 gilt laurel leaves. I then ambled though the old booths of the Naschmarkt, a market with its rich mix of wellstocked ethnic foods and daily produce along with cafes and bars where tourists fit in seamlessly with locals. I went as far as the point where it peters out beside the lovely floral exterior of the Wagner Apartment Buildings.

My final outing

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was to the Belvedere, a historic building complex consisting of two Baroque palaces (Upper and Lower) set in a park landscape with its botanical gardens, matching flowerbeds and cascading fountains.

At the Lower Belvedere are two marbled and mirrored halls, one with gilded oriental decoration, the other with white relief wondrously set in wooden panelled surrounds. The Upper Belvedere houses both an engaging and rare Monet portrait of a cook as well as Klimt’s iconic The Kiss. As iconic as 'Doe a deer, a female deer' perhaps! e

Extraordinary moments happen on ordinary days.

Let’s set the stage for the extraordinary to happen every day.

Panakuka SL Avda. CĂĄnovas del Castillo 10 29601 Marbella Tel. +34 952 85 79 62 marbella.bulthaup.com

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Welcome to Villa Dorado. A newly built villa created by leading Andalusian architect Manuel Ruiz and designed to best exploit its unrivalled views across the La Reserva Club estate, its golf course and down to the Mediterranean Sea. Ownership comes with exclusive access to the state-of-the-art amenities of La Reserva Club enriching every moment spent on Sotogrande’s celebrated shores.

Villa Dorado is located within El Mirador, a gated community of 6 contemporary villas and part of La Reserva Club Sotogrande, Europe’s finest private residential club.

Contact us to experience a day in the life of a La Reserva Club resident.

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If one thing appeals to the human body, mind, and spirit after a long home stay, it is surely the experience of being in the midst of nature, where opportunities for sport and leisure abound and where there are numerous options to enjoy free time with loved ones. Finca Cortesin resort, ensconced in the sunny area of Casares, is one destination that is famed for its green offering. An array of delicately manicured gardens, nature-inspired pools, and an impressive golf course make for a perfect, safe holiday that looks to the sea and earth for inspiration. This month, the luxury destination will once again be welcoming discerning guests to its installations.

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WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF FINCA CORTESIN

FINCA CORTESIN REOPENS FOR THE BEST SEASON OF THE YEAR

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inca Cortesin’s General Manager, René Zimmer, recently announced, “When we reopen, you will find our exceptional levels of excellence in health, hygiene, and all service areas at a pinnacle, ensuring your safety and comfort while staying with us – all delivered with that Mediterranean flair for which Finca Cortesin is loved.”

These are just a few exciting things you can expect to find at Finca Cortesin in Summer 2020: Z New BBQ and Grill facilities at the resort’s Pool 35 restaurant, including a Josper Basque Double Grill and Oven, which perfects delectable barbecued meat that is juicy and tender on the inside.

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Z A brand new look for elegant Italian restaurant, Don Giovanni, featuring sophisticated décor by Lorenzo Castillo Design.

Z A new collaboration with artisan brewery La Catarina, which will result in Finca Cortesin’s first Blonde Ale. Z New golf health and safety protocols. Finca Cortesin has followed the recommendations stipulated

by Health Authorities to the letter so you can enjoy golf as you always used to. The game of golf has many peculiarities that make it ideal for staying safe – it is not a contact sport, it is played outdoors, and the wide spaces make social distancing easier!

The Finca Cortesin blog reveals all the requirements for playing. These include the payment of green fees online or by phone via credit card; a

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reminder to avoid physical greetings and handshakes; the need to come dressed in your golf outfit (as club facilities will be closed), etc. Prior booking is required and can be made online or via email/phone. The blog also stipulates social distancing and other norms to be followed during and after your game.

Z General Health and Safety Protocols. The Finca Cortesin team is designing a tailor-made arrival experience that includes advanced check-ins to avoid paperwork, passport information sharing via a 24-hour Facetime concierge, distancing between pool loungers, specified distances between diners at restaurants, enhanced villa rental offerings with private chef services to reduce traffic flow in restaurants, strict hygiene measures across the resort, daily cleaning with certified ozone room disinfection technologies, etc.

There will be specific cleaning and disinfection protocols in suites and villas, common areas and restrooms (masks and hand sanitizer will be 40 / AUGUST 2020 WWW.ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM

available); areas will be cleansed following a rigorous schedule; and guidance will be provided on social distancing in all areas – including restaurants, gardens, and pool zones.

Z New Health and Safety Measures for Staff. Employees are receiving regular training on new standards regarding COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Protective measures for staff will include health checks, hand hygiene, wearing masks, social distancing, and more.

René Zimmer is delighted to be offering guests the chance to unwind and forget their cares.

He shares this inviting message: “Our main goals have always been sophistication, exclusivity and privacy, hence the architecture, design and interiors of Finca Cortesin give every area a big, bright, and spacious feel. We are indeed prepared for the future.” i www.fincacortesin.es

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NINE LIONS RESIDENCES IS KEY READY!

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That means as soon as you decide to buy one of the spectacular apartments with the best views of the Golf Valley, the Mediterranean and Gibraltar, you can move in and immediately start enjoying your new luxury lifestyle.

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In the meantime, we invite you to watch our guided tour videos.

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magazine has some fantastic travel promotions on offer! Quote code ckespaĂąa20 and mention the magazine when making a booking with the hotel, by website, or by phone. These discounts will vary depending on the hotel. They include a dinner, a horse ride, a guided tour of the city. Even a discounted second room and many other surprises, and always at the best price guaranteed.

Hotel Burbuja near Toledo

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WORDS CRISTINA DE LEYVA AFAN DE RIBERA PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF CRIS&KIM MARBELLA

15 PLACES TO VISIT IN SPAIN

2

020 will be a year of many changes. We will stay closer to home, we will go by car, and we will take shorter flights. Luckily we can count on the advice of travel experts to guide us. Tailor-made travel designers, like CRIS&KIM, who can recommend the safest destinations.

For this reason, we are sharing our perfect route through Spain. Getting to know the different provinces and some fantastic boutique hotels. Get together with family and friends and you can even reserve them for your private group.

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CLICK TO VISIT

We start with Galicia at the point where the world used to end, in Cape Finisterre. If you fancy something different, you can sleep in the Finisterre lighthouse itself.

Imagine the wonderful views or the unforgettable experience of a stormy night! The local cuisine is also fresh and delicious. i www.hotelsemaforodefisterra.com/en

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You can't leave Galicia without seeing the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Another special place to visit is an old paper factory, lovingly restored by a Galician family. A Quinta da Auga is a member of Relais & Châteaux.

Located next to a river and surrounded by trees, it is just a fiveminute drive from the centre or a 40-minute stroll. After visiting the Cathedral, we head to the central market where we taste magnificent oysters and fresh seafood in one of the two bars in the market. Top tip: visit the local taverns where you can try the best seafood in Spain, served with a good cold AlbariĂąo in a cunca! We love the Black Cat. i www.aquintadaauga.com/en

Following the route through the North of Spain we arrive in Asturias.

The area of the Picos de Europa is one of the most beautiful places in the so-called ‘Green Spain’. We will head up to the lakes of Covadonga and enjoy a picnic of delicious local cheeses, surrounded by cows. We explore some of the national parks where you can still see brown bears

in the wild and take a long walk along beautiful deserted beaches. We will enjoy KM0 gastronomy while visiting enchanting Asturian towns. Top tip: the contrast with the south of Spain is amazing. Everything is so green, so fresh and with gastronomy that we love. And the mohair blankets for sale in Ezcaray are a must! i www.puebloastur.com/en

CLICK TO VISIT

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CLICK TO VISIT We start to descend through the centre of Spain, heading to the ‘genuine’ Hotel Burbuja near Toledo.

The rooms are shaped like a sphere, all transparent. At night, lying in bed, you can contemplate the starry sky, 360 degrees without light pollution!

A perfect place to enjoy luxury, space and silence. i www.miluna.es/en

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A Zen Soul Home to Call Your Own!

Situated front line to the well known Guadalmina Alta golf course, this is a house for a family with kids and some guest rooms for visiting friends. Created by renowned architect Gus WĂźstemann, this unique space offers a total of 480 m2 inside area and a huge garden with big covered outside spaces, where you could live outside day and night, all year long.

Five bedrooms en suite and living areas complete the house on the first floor. Security systems, climate control and energy saving, this special house has everything one can ask for in the most elegant, private and natural way.

UrbanizaciĂłn Hacienda Playa, C.C. Platino, Local 5 29604 Elviria, Marbella (MĂĄlaga) Tel: (+34) 656 25 65 41 / (+34) 637 938 311 / (+34) 952 83 63 00 email: info@marbella360.com - Click here for more information and images.

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We continue towards the Mediterranean as we will visit the unknown region of MatarraĂąa in the province of Teruel, an area often referred to as the 'Spanish Tuscany'.

Stroll through dreamy valleys, bathe in crystalline pools, and enjoy magnificent views of Iberian and medieval towns.

And if you're feeling brave, experience pure adrenaline on the largest zip-line in Europe.

Top tip: fill your suitcase with honey, almonds, cheeses, oils and wines. i wwww.masdelaserra.com

CLICK TO VISIT

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CLICK TO VISIT

We now go up to Catalonia to get to know the Costa Brava. Let's enjoy a night in the town of S'Agarรณ. We can visit the crystalline coves by boat and eat at the various Michelinstarred restaurants, experiencing the magnificent service from the area and

from our hotel. Top tip: experience summer restaurants in the middle of the countryside, between piles of alpacas, surrounded by sunflowers, under garlands of light bulbs. When night falls, it's like being in a fairy tale. i www.lagavina.com

From the Peninsula we make the jump to the Balearic Islands, starting with the most familiar of these, Menorca.

Here, you will find the only five-star agrotourism hotel in Spain. You can book it in its entirety for a group of friends or family. You can discover all of the hidden corners of the island and its incredible beaches. i www.cugogranmenorca.com/en

CLICK TO VISIT

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For a century, Menorca was English and French. Today, we can still appreciate these influences on its architecture and gastronomy: Mayonnaise and Xoriguer gin are good examples. Horses and riders are celebrated at festivals with more than 500 years of history. They continue to mark traditions such as the festivities of San Juan in the palatial city of Ciutadella. In the middle of the island, we find the Mascaró shoe factory, known internationally for the brand Pretty Ballerinas. In the island's capital, Mahón, the second largest natural port in the world, is the so-called Golden Farm house, the home where Lord Nelson lived with his beloved Lady Hamilton before leaving for the Battle of Trafalgar.

CLICK TO VISIT

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We can take a short 20-minute transfer by plane or speedboat to Palma de Mallorca. The capital city of the Balearic Islands is a fabulous place to visit year round. There we find a Relais & Châteaux hotel that also has private villas. Top tip: visit the centre of Palma with its modern shops and magnificent restaurants, then take a boat to the island of Cabrera. This secluded paradise has limited access to a very small number of boats per day. i www.sonbrull.com/en

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Marvellous views of the lush green of the golf course and boosted by the tranquillity of a natural environment. Located in a privileged neighbourhood, it lies in an elegant and exclusive avenue, very close to lots of amenities.

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CLICK TO VISIT We cannot leave the Balearic Islands without visiting the Pitiusas Islands, the quiet, pleasant and unique Ibiza, staying at the Hotel Es Cucons or (closer to the beach) at the Aguas de Ibiza Hotel facing the sea. The best: cross by boat to Formentera and anchor on its incredible Espalmador beach to enjoy the clearest and bluest waters you have ever seen, and go to have lunch at Beso Beach. i www.escucons.com - www.aguasdeibiza.com

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Once back on the peninsula we go decide to rest and disconnect near Alicante at one of the most important comprehensive wellness clinics in Europe. Relish a rejuvenation treatment, lose weight, and enjoy a detox experience. Sha Wellness Clinic also has four villas with their own pools, perfect for greater privacy. i www.shawellnessclinic.com/en

CLICK TO VISIT

CLICK TO VISIT

We then continue along the Mediterranean Coast to the most protected and untouched part of Andalucía. The province of Almería has the wildest beaches in southern Spain and is located within the Cabo de Gata Natural Park. You can sleep in one of the few boutique hotels in the area with only eight rooms. This is an ideal place to enjoy the ‘other’ Andalucía. i www.laalmendrayelgitano.com/en

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Continuing the route through Andalucía, in less than two hours by car from Almería we arrive in Granada.

This Moorish city that has one of the most spectacular monuments in the world, the Alhambra. At night we will enjoy the best flamenco in the Albaicín and then dine at the El Huerto de Juan Ranas Restaurant. This venue enjoys incredible views of the Arab palace.

Finally, we can look forward to retiring to bed at our favorite hotel in the city, a magnificent palace converted into a five-star hotel. i www.hospes.com/palacio-patos

CLICK TO VISIT

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CLICK TO VISIT

Leaving Granada, we head to Córdoba stopping to visit Úbeda and Baeza. These World Heritage cities from the Renaissance period have incredible palaces and cathedrals worth visiting.

Continuing on to Córdoba, we stay at a central hotel with tranquil pool and spa. In the Nasrid city, a visit to its famous Mezquita is a must.

Here, Christians made the wise decision to build the cathedral on top of the mosque, maintaining its structure and magnificent beauty.

In the afternoon, we experience one of the best horse shows in Europe, in the royal stables of Córdoba. The day is completed with a divine dinner at the famous Bodegas Campo restaurant. i www.hospes.com/palacio-bailio

CLICK TO VISIT

We end our trip in Seville, staying in the traditional neighborhood of Triana. Located on the banks of the Guadalquivir River, this is one of Seville's most authentic barrios.

We have selected a stay in an spectacular blue house, from which we have the best views of the city. Heading to the Triana market, we take part in a cooking workshop and visit the Cathedral of Seville, later meandering around the AlcĂĄzar and its beautiful gardens. Top tip: organise a ‘flamenco night' and visit gambling dens where you can still hear and see the authentic gypsies singing. i Istagram: @lacasitaazulsevilla

i For more information contact: Cristina de Leyva Avda. Canovas del Castillo 1, Marbella.

Tel: (+34) 952 859 113. cristina@crisandkim.com www.crisandkim.com

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FUN CHIC FRESH VIBRANT

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FERRARI SF90 STRADALE

Ferrari’s all new SF90 Stradale is the Italian supercar maker’s first series production plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and thus represents a major landmark for the company that has brought us such a wealth of sports car innovation over the decades. And for those thinking something must have been sacrificed to take an environmental path, consider that the car boasts a whopping 986-horsepower, making it the fastest Ferrari road car ever.

WORDS TONY WHITNEY PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF FERRARI

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S

F90 styling is eyecatching to say the least.

The svelte and sinuous lines flow superbly and the car does enormous credit to Ferrari’s in-house design team headed by Flavio Manzoni.

Even parked on the street, the car looks sensational and passers by get to drool over the glimpse of the power unit as they gaze through the small glazed panel sited over the mid-engine location.

The vast power levels are generated by a Ferrari 4.0-litre twin-turbo V-8, boosted by no less than three powerful electric motors. Interestingly, two of the electric motors are located at the wheels and the other at the transmission.

This makes the car the first mid-engine Ferrari with allwheel drive, a highly valuable asset in a car with this much power. Getting all this performance to the wheels is an 8-speed automatic transmission. There are four driving modes, EV only (about 25 km range), Hybrid, Performance, and Qualifying with the last choice exploiting the car’s optimal capabilities.

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The cockpit is very much up to Ferrari’s usual high standards and comes with a wide range of creature comforts, including a large infotainment screen plus six speakers, Apple CarPlay and Bluetooth. There’s also a rear backup camera and warning sensors for reversing, something any owner of a car like this would deem essential. Expectedly, there are some sacrifices owners will have to make and one of them is very minimal cargo space. Two people off for a weekend road trip will have to use lots of imagination to squeeze in anything by way of luggage, but no doubt the hybrid supercar’s performance will easily compensate for that.

What buyers will get, at an understandably substantial price, is one

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of

the fastest Ferraris ever built and driving thrills they will be hard pressed to find in any other car available right now. Like all Ferraris, it will have considerable collector value eventually because the Maranello manufacturer is not likely to build very many SF90 Stradales. e

Z ENGINE: Twin turbo V-8 plus three electric motors.

Z TRANSMISSION: 8-speed dual clutch automatic, all-wheel drive.

Z ACCELERATION: Zero to 100 km/h in 2.5-seconds.

Z TOP SPEED: 340 km/h.

Z I LIKED: Outstanding styling job by Ferrari’s own design team and a joy to look at from any angle. Other-worldly performance almost unmatched anywhere in the industry. Handling developed to match the engine’s capabilities.

Z I DIDN’T LIKE: Very minimal cargo space, limiting the length of road trips.

Z MARKET ALTERNATIVES: Aston Martin Valhalla Z WHO DRIVES ONE? Ferrari enthusiasts with the money to invest in something very special, even by Ferrari standards. Buyers in this class who have been waiting for a PHEV to come along.

Z PRICE AND AVAILABILITY: Available soon at around €562.500. e

@ESSENTIALMARBELLAMAGAZINE AUGUST 2020 / 63

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Rolex Submariner 116610LN

DIVE WATCHES WORDS MARK WILKINS PHOTOGRAPHY SHUTTERSTOCK

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So you are ready to complete the final stages of your PADI or BSAC open water diving course. You’ve completed basic training, in the pool and at the beach, and you are now ready to progress to the open sea. From your checklist of essential diving equipment you start a final review; the Dive School will supply your tanks and a regulator so what else do you need?

A

Scubapro mask – check, an Oceanpro buoyancy control device – check, a 3mm Mares techno neoprene wet suit – check – after all you are shallow diving in the Mediterranean so a dry suit is not needed – a Spyderco Atlantic dive knife – check and a pair of Cressi fins – check.

Wait a minute there’s something missing, which dive watch should you have?

There is a moment when a novice at any new sport or pastime, specifically including riding, skiing and diving, risks being the butt of that trusty expression ‘all the gear and no idea’. This specifically refers to those who, ahead of acquiring any real proficiency in their new pursuit, acquire the very best equipment in order to look like they know precisely what they

are doing. My experience with horses suggests they even knew I just looked the part and was devoid of any handling skills!

So you understand the issue. However, a diving watch can be worn in circumstances other than diving – right? Channelling your inner Jacques Cousteau you will be able to boast around the coffee machine that you have taken up a new sport. You may even consider putting your newly acquired diving kit on E-Bay if you and the sport really don’t work out.

Though I suspect you may well keep and use on a daily basis your wonderful dive watch. After all, watches and water have forever been a lethal combination and if you can find one that survives the rigours of being submerged and still looks wonderful, just imagine what

conversations it could start.

A little bit of definition that is a must to learn. While many watches claim to be shower-proof and an equal number can be worn underwater, to qualify as a dive watch it must carry the ISO 6425 rating. This requires the watch to have a depth rating of not less than 100 metres, be made from a non-corrosive metal, be shock-resistant and be antimagnetic. It also must have a unidirectional bezel that is luminescent and visible in total darkness, with, usually, a glowing second hand that shows the watch is still running. With an internal gasket and a screw-down crown your watch will be as tight as a closed clamshell and sealed against any incoming seawater.

Why is your chosen dive watch so important? Your watch is a vital piece of sub-aqua kit as it allows

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back to CONTENTS Tudor Black Bay

Panerai Luminor Submersible

launched for sale to the general public in 1955.

It’s difficult to determine the Submariner’s precise designer from within the Rolex team but credit is often given to a Director, Rene P. Jeanneret, a keen amateur diver, who in the early 1950s encouraged Rolex to develop a sports watch for divers. the diver to know with great While the design has evolved accuracy how long they have been technically and features have underwater and when they need to been added to improve the overall start to prepare their ascent. functionality, the current Submariner To make a watch that is resistant is guaranteed waterproof to a depth to water was a long-sought prize for of 300 metres. With a variety of watchmakers. The first waterproof slightly differing styles that allow watch appeared in 1926 when aficionados to age any given model, Rolex launched the Oyster that was my favourite dates from 2018 and used in 1927 by Cross Channel is a 116610LV. Launched in 2010, swimmer, Mercedes Gleitze, it continues in loyal homage to with no loss of seal. the 1953 original model. Like other Italian Naval supplier, Panerai, current models, it has the Rolex in 1936 launched Radiomir Gridlock Oyster bracelet that allows – a curious, almost the watch to sit over even the square-cased version heaviest wetsuit. that served its diver The watchmakers at Blancpain clients well. I understand and Zodiac were quick to appreciate that early Radiomir watches were the demand for these watches. Their made by Rolex for Panerai. models, respectively ‘Fifty Fathoms’ The granddaddy of all dive (introduced in France 1953) and watches is the Rolex Submariner, ‘Sea Wolf’, with the latter claiming for which I have a serious passion. to be the first “purpose-built dive Rolex debuted its iconic Submariner watch”. Both models, as originals, (no. 6204) at the 1954 Basel Spring are valuable and desirable collector’s Fair. The 6204, and the slightly watches and their current models smaller 6205, were officially continue to be popular.

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Luxury Omega Watch (Seamaster Diver 300m)

The advance of technology is as present in the diving world as elsewhere and with on-wrist digital dive computers maybe the classic dive watch has had its day. Well not in my part of the sea! Although many have replaced their beautiful everyday watches and are now wearing the brutal Apple iWatch, that includes, in Series 4, a dive watch that claims to be certified to a depth of 50 metres, which other classic dive models deserve a mention?

Zodiac Super Sea Wolf 53 strongly echoes its 1953 predecessor. It comprises a 40 mm diameter and is resistant to 200 metres. Personally, I prefer the rubber strapped version to the bracelet. Priced between €1.100 – €1.400.

Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight – as many will know Tudor is a brand owned by Rolex and as such they are prone to produce very similar looking watches at greatly reduced prices.

As there is no black Submariner in the current Rolex range, although specialists make customised versions, this is a tribute, with its slightly smaller case, to original Submariners. It comprises an automatic movement, is water-resistant to 200 metres and also comes in Stainless Steel, which I really like. Priced around €3.500 Longines Legend Diver – Another great looking watch that draws on its retro past. The Legend Diver design dates from the 1960s and this version

holds the vintage look. At 42 mm diameter and with a depth rating to 300 metres, this watch carries a price tag of between €1.600 – €2.050 depending on the model.

Omega Seamaster Diver 300M dates from 1993 and is the favourite of a close friend. Its 25th birthday version uses Omega’s Master Chronometer co-axial automatic movement and has a 42mm case that is water-resistant to 300 metres. It has a distinctive face with a laser-scribed wave design that is very appealing. It looks particularly good mounted on a rubber or a Cavalry-striped strap. Price circa €5.000.

Panerai Luminor Submersible – As Panerai featured at the start of this trek through the world’s most popular dive watches, it’s fair to include their current Submersible model.

While retaining the iconic shape and automatic movement a rotating bezel has been added, widening its market.

A big but handsome watch with a 42 mm diameter case, it has a depth limit of 300m. Priced range, depending on finish, between €8.500 and €19.000. e @ESSENTIALMARBELLAMAGAZINE AUGUST 2020 / 69

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The world of sport is one of action, legends, competition, and tales of heroic achievements and moments. Nowhere is this more evident than in the herculean battles that shaped many a sport and gave birth to some of the most enduring rivalries of all time.

WORDS MICHEL CRUZ PHOTOGRAPHY © SHUTTERSTOCK

FAMOUS SPORTS RIVALRIES

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signs Union Jack de h is d n ra b s n Rangers fa

V

irtually every sport has its epic clashes that raise it to another level and capture the imagination of the public. They can take the form of personal battles or the pride of entire towns or regions, and often such competitions have social, cultural and even political undercurrents.

Perhaps the rivalries that mobilise the largest numbers of people and rouse the greatest passion among them are the classic football challenges between leading national teams.

The Lazio end of the Stadio Olimpico

THE FOOTBALL DERBY The derby is a classic

phenomenon: a rivalry between opposing teams from the same city or region, as in the case of Arsenal-Spurs (London), Real-Atletico (Madrid), BenficaSporting (Lisbon), FlaFlu (Rio de Janeiro), Milan-Inter, Man UtdMan City (Manchester) or Liverpool-Everton.

The best derbies pitch the top clubs from large cities such as these against each other, the intensity of the occasion fired on by the passionate club loyalties of entire families and suburbs.

But it goes beyond mere sports competition and local pride, as

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The classic Roman colours of AS Roma

old rivalry between the city’s sectarian communities, and while it sometimes brings football clubs often out the worst in sport reflect their century-old followers, you cannot origins and represent deny the intensity of the communities that the occasion. The same support them. is true of perhaps the This can pitch working scariest of all derbies: class teams against Boca Juniors-River middle class ones, Plate, which lays bare clubs from different the rivalries in Buenos immigrant backgrounds Aires society. (as is often the case in Of course, a derby can Brazil or Argentina), as be regional too, as in the well as Catholic versus case of Newcastle UtdProtestant. Perhaps the Sunderland, Leeds Utdworld’s most famous Sheffield Wednesday derby, Glasgow’s Old or Athletic Bilbao-Real Firm between Celtic Sociedad, or indeed and Rangers is fired between major cities. up by a decadesMan Utd-Liverpool is rs ar Irish colou Celtic fans be

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often considered to be English football’s top encounter. In Italy it may well be Juventus versus AC Milan or Inter Milan, in Holland Ajax-Feyenoord, for Germans generally Bayern MünchenBorussia Dortmund, in France Paris St Germain-Olympique Marseille, in Portugal Benfica-FC Porto and in Spain the greatest classic of all: Real Madrid-Barcelona. The latter says it all when it comes to the city, regional and political/ cultural rivalries that make such matches a huge spectacle.

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British playboy he may have been, but James Hunt was also supremely talented

SUPERFAST RIVALRIES

Not all such encounters involve a ball. Over the decades of epic battles fought by Formula One racing drivers, some legendary rivalries have taken shape, both on a team and personal level. The greatest of these is the struggle for dominance between Ferrari and McLaren, best personified by the iconic personal dice for glory between racing legends Niki Lauda and James Hunt on the one hand, and Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost on the other. Football duels have also transcended club level to involve stars of the sport, as currently seen in the friendly race between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, which is as much about style and personality as about sport.

The legendary Austrian precision and class of Niki Lauda

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TO WALK ON THE BEACH.

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BIG PERSONALITIES

Some of the most memorable challenges of will, skill and charisma have pitted tennis players against each other, and few are more inspiring than the battle of female champions between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, sometimes described as the pitting of elegance versus athleticism, but this would do neither of these two great players justice. The same is true of the three-way engagement between Bjorn Borg, the golden boy of tennis; Jimmy Connors, the playful gentleman of the sport; and John McEnroe, then a wistful, whining but also supremely talented and fascinating child genius. Not even the beautiful clashes between Federer, Nadal and now also Djokovic are as bewitching!

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Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal

Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova

Another boxing classic: Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield

Muhammad Ali was a singular sportsman

Ali and Foreman reunite at the 1997 Academy Awards for the Best Documentary Feature When We were Kings

Sports thrive on such big and colourful personalities as much as they do on their athletic achievements. Take boxing, a sport that rides on the ebb and flow of such characters as Mike Tyson, who famously bit the ear of Evander Holyfield. The greatest of all was Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Clay, who really stood unchallenged for a long time, but whose ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ against fellow great George Foreman produced one of the most legendary and singular sports events of all time. This boxing match attended by 60,000 people in Kinshasa, Congo DRC (then Zaire) in 1974, will not likely see its equal – if only because Ali was something of a one-off phenomenon. This led to the third and decisive bout with Joe Frazier, Ali’s greatest rival in the ring, known as the ‘The Thrilla in Manila’. @ESSENTIALMARBELLAMAGAZINE AUGUST 2020 / 79

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back to CONTENTS The Ryder Cup famously came to Sotogrande in 1997

NATIONAL PRIDE

Major battles of this kind also have a national context, taking the form of national pride and grudge games between England and Scotland, Holland and Germany, France and Italy, Brazil and Argentina in football, major encounters featuring the top nations in rugby, ice hockey battles between the USA and Canada, women’s field hockey games between Germany and Australia, and men’s encounters featuring India and Pakistan. The

latter two also want to avoid defeat at all costs in one of the most epic fixtures in cricket, a sport in which the Ashes represent one of the oldest, longest-running rivalries between two ‘foes’ – in this case England and Australia.

Now mythical, this gentlemanly competition dates back to the 1882-83 test series between the two nations, heralding in a keen competition that stretches all the way back to the Victorian colonial era. Another

The boat race: Oxford versus Cambridge

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such rivalry sees Oxford and Cambridge universities set against each other in the annual boat race, or golf’s most keenly contested competition, the Ryder Cup, which pits teams from Europe and America against each other. The 1997 edition was famously held on our own doorstep, at the Real Club de Golf Valderrrama, where Europe beat the USA in a particularly thrilling instalment of one of the all-time classic sports rivalries. e

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CHECK OUT THE LATEST FILM RELEASES TO STREAM AND OUR PREVIEW OF WONDER WOMAN 1984, BEING RELEASED THIS MONTH. WE FOCUS ON LANDMARK TITLE, ANIMAL FARM, PUBLISHED 75 YEARS AGO IN AUGUST, AND REVIEW TOP READS FOR THE SUMMER. FINALLY, FIND OUT WHAT’S COOL IN SPAIN AND BEYOND.

GO TO PAGE 94 MUSIC MIX

GO TO PAGE 98 ANIMAL FARM

GO TO PAGE 108 WHAT’S COOL

CINEMA SERIES MUSIC NEWS

GO TO PAGE 106 BANG & OLUFSEN BEOSOUND A2 2ND GENERATION

86 Films to Stream 90 Cinema Greats – Wonder Woman 94 Music Mix 98 Anniversary Publication of Animal Farm 102 Top Reads for the Summer 106 Bang & Olufsen Beosound A2 2nd Generation 108 What’s Cool

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FILMS TO

STREAM AT HOME If you love nothing more than a night on the sofa with a drink and bucket of popcorn, check out these new additions to the ‘films to stream’ category on various platforms. COMPILED BY MARISA CUTILLAS

SHE’S THE MAN

This is an ideal film for teens who are reluctant to learn about Shakespeare, since it is a modernday adaptation of Twelfth Night. Charismatic actor Amanda Bynes plays Viola – a highschool soccer player who pretends to be her twin brother so she can play for his boarding school’s male soccer team. She unfortunately finds herself attracted to her roommate teammate, Duke (played by Channing Tatum). The result is a comedy of errors that is wonderfully romantic and entertaining. i AVAILABLE ON HBO. 86 / AUGUST 2020 WWW.ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM

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Brad Pitt plays talented astronaut Roy McBride, who misses his dad – Clifford McBride, another pioneering astronaut whose legacy Roy wishes to honour.

Clifford has been missing in space for 15 years and now, an electromagnetic pulse threatening the Earth’s survival is being emanated from the exact spot where he disappeared. Roy suspects that there are pieces missing in the puzzle and he resolves to discover the real cause of Clifford’s disappearance. i AVAILABLE ON HBO, HULU, AND AMAZON.

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ANNIHILATION

From the writer and director of Ex Machina (Alex Garland) comes Annihilation, based on Jeff VanderMeer’s best-selling Southern Reach trilogy. Natalie Portman plays Lena – a biologist and former soldier who goes on a mission to discover what happened to her husband, Kane, on his last expedition. Kane is in a permanent daze and he cannot explain where he has been. The mystery she must unravel is called ‘the Shimmer’ – an anomalous zone that arose three years previously when a large meteor hit the earth and began expanding its boundaries. i AVAILABLE ON NETFLIX.

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MUDBOUND

Dee Rees directed and wrote the script for this timely gem, which features actors the calibre of Carey Mulligan, Jason Mitchell, and Mary J Blige. It tells the stories of two families – one black, one white – who are forced to share the same patch of land after World War II. The families struggle with hardship and extreme poverty, but the return of family members from the war creates a powerful bond that transcends race, despite the racism that abounds outside this small space of peace. i AVAILABLE ON NETFLIX.

OKJA

If you loved Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, then you may have wanted to delve more into his other films. Okja is a good place to start. It is the story of a girl and her best friend – a gigantic animal – that is soon the

target of a company wishing to exploit it.

The film is a clear plea to the importance of respecting animal life and, indeed of being kind to each and every sentient thing on our Planet. i AVAILABLE ON NETFLIX.

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WONDER WOMAN TAKES US BACK TO THE 1980S

Those who love nothing more than sitting in a cool movie theatre munching on popcorn are probably waiting with baited breath for one of the big releases of the year: Wonder Woman 1984, which takes us right back to the decade of big hair, brightly hued clothing, and hits by Duran Duran and Michael Jackson. The original release date was June, but the arrival of the health crisis has delayed it to a later date – one in which cinemas would once again be a safe haven.

Lead actor Gal Gadot announced the U.S. release date on her Twitter account: “In these dark and scary times, I am looking forward to a brighter future ahead. Where we can share the power of cinema together again. Excited to re-date our WW84 film to August 14, 2020.

I hope everyone is safe. Sending my love to you all.”

WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS

WHY 1984?

The reason why the producers of Wonder Woman chose such an iconic decade in which to set the new film is the fun factor.

The choice indicates that Diana will be able to travel through time, which makes sense.

Although the first film she appeared in was set in the 1910s, she popped up in Batman v

Superman, which was set in current times. In 1984, she will continue to do n her ageless persona. In the first Wonder Woman, Diana fell in love with handsome Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), who heroically sacrificed his life for his lady love and the rest of humanity.

‘Will she fall in love with someone new and big-haired (after all, it will be in the 1980s)’,

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you may ask. The answer is no.

How do we know this? Well, Pine appears in the trailer for the new film and he isn’t looking a day older either, despite the fact that over 70 years separate the events in both films.

THE CAST Wonder Woman 1984 will once again boast a star-studded cast that includes Pedro Pascal (the handsome Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones) and Kristin Wiig (the American comedian who has appeared in everything from Saturday Night Life to Ben Stiller films). Word is these two will be playing baddies so it’s look like we will be enjoying a bit of a giggle until our heroine pulverises them by the end of the film. Wiig plays Cheetah – a seemingly well-meaning scientist who gains a cheetahlike appearance and magical abilities from a mysterious curse. Pascal plays Maxwell Lord – a 1980s businessman and TV salesman who is also king of the tele.

experience romance to its full.

Jenkins told NME, “It’s got great fun from the start and great big superhero presence from the start, and is funny and a great love story again, and a couple of new unbelievable characters who I’m so excited about, who are very different than were in the last movie.”

OPEN YOUR MIND The key to making sense of the seemingly implausible time jumps, says Patty Jenkins, is to see the film as an independent story; a bit like the James Bond series, which jumps through times, actors, and locations at the flick of a switch. Superhero films are aimed at comic lovers anyway and if you follow any Justice League comics, then you know that characters and eras, are often in line with the artist’s style. It also looks like Wonder Woman will be significantly more independent than the characters in the Marvel series, who tend to unite more often and battle a common enemy. “We all feel like we’ve turned a corner now. We’re THE SETTING playing by the DC playbook, Director, Patty Jenkins thought which is very different than the that it was about time that a Marvel playbook,” said Warner Wonder Woman film should take Bros chairman Toby Emmerich. place in the U.S. The upbeat vibe “We are far less focused on a of the 1980s, she feels, makes shared universe. We take it one an ideal backdrop for Diana to movie at a time.” e 92 / AUGUST 2020 WWW.ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM

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¿QUÉ PASA? As normality seems to be returning (unless there's a virus spike), town halls all along the Coast have said to check their websites to see what they are allowing to take place.

As well, check your local weekly publications to see what has been arranged. There are also loads of virtual concerts on-line by artists aplenty. All info on this page was correct when written.

The Starlite Festival started on July 30 but no international acts are listed. For the full lineup and ticket info go to starlitemarbella.com The same goes for Fuengirola's Marenostrum

WORDS RIK FOXX

Festival (which started July 11), with Spanish artists only. For the full lineup and ticket info go to marenostrumfuengirola.com Both festivals will only have limited attendance.

The Mijas Tourism Department has a Celtic Festival on August 8 at the pueblo's Municipal Auditorium featuring modern and traditional Celtic music. Entrance is free but it's ticket only; they can be collected from the tourist offices in Mijas Pueblo and La Cala de Mijas. Organisers have stressed that face masks must be worn in order to gain entry.

The Málaga Gira has rock, pop, and flamenco concerts at the Cortijo de Torres Municipal Auditorium. For the full line-up and ticket info, go to malagadeporteyeventos.com The MTV Video Music Awards are set to go ahead with ‘limited or no audience’ in New York on August 30 but could be cancelled due to the pandemic. If they proceed, MTV will no doubt have pre and post shows plus the awards themselves live. Check the MTV listings nearer the date for details.

ELTON JOHN

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The DIXIE CHICKS are no more; they are now simply THE CHICKS. A statement said, “It was decided to drop the word ‘Dixie’ from the band's name. It was the culmination of years of internal discussions and attempts to distance from negative connotations with the word.” They needed permission to use the new title as there is a group in New Zealand with the same name and a deal was agreed. The band were due to release their first album in 14 years and Gaslighter, released on July 17, was expected to top the charts both sides of the Atlantic.

THE CHICKS Missing your live gigs? Then check out monkeon.co.uk/90sfestivalgenerator. It's a randomly generated line-up of thousands of bands (main names and smaller ones) who played a UK festival in the 1990s. Click on the band you want to watch and away you go!

careers of THE EAGLES, JAMES TAYLOR and JONI MITCHELL.

OZZY OSBOURNE and his family are returning to our TV screens from August 2. The new one-hour eight-part series, The Osbournes Want to Believe, airs on the Travel Channel and sees After taking an unscheduled fallow furlough, son JACK attempting to convert his sceptic Glastonbury organisers are hoping to re-sign parents by showing them ‘undeniable’ proof many of this year's booked artists for a bumper that paranormal activity actually exists. festival in 2021. The first new act booked for next year is legendary children's foxy favourite DOLLY PARTON has given fans a double treat BASIL BRUSH. (stop sniggering at the back) – she has added six albums to all major streaming platforms, The legendary LA club The Troubadour may featuring 93 songs, and has released a new not survive the aftermath of coronavirus YouTube series Goodnight with Dolly, featuring pandemic. The venue, which opened in the the singer reading bedtime stories for children late 1960s, was immortalised last year in the of all ages. She also revealed she has recorded ELTON JOHN biopic Rocketman portraying his a click track of her vocals so new music can be US debut in 1970. It also helped launch the made after she passes away.

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KATY PERRY

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KATY PERRY releases her first album in three years when Smile lands on August 14. Not many other established names have scheduled releases this month except for BIFFY CLYRO with A Celebration Of Endings, also on the 14th.

KANYE WEST has been ranting again; he said virus vaccines are “the mark of the beast.” If he goes through with his threat and stands in the forthcoming US election race the live TV debates could be a laugh.

When visiting the White House in 2018 he rambled on and on and D. TRUMP couldn't get a word in edgeways. It will be interesting to hear what P.O.T.U.S. has to say in the campaign rallies about his onetime supporter. And after many warnings over the years, the ROLLING STONES have finally told TRUMP to stop playing their 96 / AUGUST 2020 WWW.ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM

music at his rallies – or face a lawsuit.

There was talk that TONY HADLEY was reconsidering rejoining SPANDAU BALLET again but that went out the window after last month's spoof documentary The Kemps: All True where he was portrayed in a painting with fangs and devil's horns. The singer said, “They want me back but it ain't going to happen. I'd rather be happy on my own than be in that band again.” If you missed this amusing mockumentary, it's on the BBCiPlayer.

The wife of NICK CAVE obviously doesn't like his music. He has been recording new material at home during lockdown but she doesn't allow him to play it back in the house. He has to go and listen to it in his car with the windows rolled up. e

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The OINK of

ANIMAL FARM

The Rebellion

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It was the book that made children cry and world leaders very afraid. George Orwell’s cartoon satire portraying Soviet Russia’s leaders as a ruling class of pigs was a Cold War threat even primary school children could understand. Published 75 years ago this month, Belinda Beckett discovers it still has the OINK Factor – SMS text code for ‘Oh I never knew that’.

ILLUSTRATIONS RALPH STEADMAN 75th Anniversary Edition

W

hether you bawled your eyes out over the death of Boxer the workhorse or became a committed anti-communist pork eater, Animal Farm was likely the constant companion of your senior school years. But sabotaged by a Soviet spy, weaponised by the CIA, inspired by a communist plot to assassinate Orwell in Spain... who knew it had such a chequered history?

Orwell’s demolition job on Stalin’s communism, reimagined as Animalism on an English farmyard ruled by a Berkshire boar called Napoleon, was

political dynamite no one wanted to believe, let alone print. Russia’s Red Army was an ally in the war against Hitler, and publishers in Britain were warned not to touch it.

Everything changed during the Cold War, a term Orwell invented, when the West was obsessed with ‘Reds under the Bed’. Animal Farm became an American weapon of propaganda and millions of copies were air-dropped by balloon into eastern bloc countries. In 1954, the CIA’s Psychological Warfare Department bought the rights to the first animated movie, changing the ending to make the @ESSENTIALMARBELLAMAGAZINE AUGUST 2020 / 99

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humans heroes.

Subtitled A Fairy Story when it was first published, Orwell’s piggy tale was anything but porky pies although he never went to Russia, before or after the Revolution. It was inspired by an entirely different conflict – the Spanish Civil War. Orwell went to fight fascism alongside the Republicans with the Workers’ Party of Marxist Unification. Half way through the war, Stalin branded them Trotskyite traitors. Their leader was executed, its supporters hunted down and jailed on trumped-up charges.

Orwell’s name was on the Wanted list.

‘We started off by being heroic defenders of democracy, and ended by slipping over the border with the police panting on our heels,’ he wrote when he was safely back in England, itching to tell the story of ‘how easily totalitarian propaganda can control the opinion of enlightened people in democratic countries’.

The battles of Animal Farm, the struggles to defend the windmill, the purges, fake news and kangaroo courts, all come from Orwell’s time at the Aragón front, when he saw communism in action in a very different setting. The Spanish workers were betrayed

by Stalin as they were in Russia and as Animal Farm’s socialist utopia was sold out by the pigs.

Orwell knew the nature of pigs from childhood visits to his uncle’s farm, choosing them as villains because ‘they are most annoying destructive animals, hard to keep out of anywhere because they are so strong and cunning.’ His bestial theme was motivated by the sight of a young boy whipping a carthorse.

“It struck me that if only such animals became aware of their strength we should have no power over them, and that men exploit animals in much the same way as the rich exploit the proletariat.” he explained.

He wrote the book in

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Old Major inspires the troops

just three months and gave his pet goat Muriel a part. Orwell is Benjamin, the cynical mule, one of the few animals who can write. His pals nicknamed him ‘donkey George’.

Animal Farm was banned in eastern bloc countries until the collapse of communism in 1989 and it’s still outlawed in North Korea.

Conversely, book sales in America shot up when Donald Trump came to power with his spin doctors, fake news and slogan-chanting rent-acrowd ‘sheep’. e

DECODING ANIMAL FARM Horn and hoof or hammer and sickle? Check out our Who’s Who of Animalists and Communists

Boxer the workh

orse

READ THE BOOK For the 75th anniversary of Orwell’s

chilling fable, Penguin Classics has republished an illustrated version containing the original line drawings made for that infamous CIA-sponsored 1954 film.

SEE THE FILM (eventually) Andy Serkis (Gollum the goblin in Lord of the Rings) is to direct a motion capture production for Netflix which was due to start shooting next year. “It is going to be emotionally centered in a way that I don’t think has been seen before,” he says.

GET THE PRINTS The stunning illustrations for the 50th anniversary edition were drawn by Welsh commercial artist Ralph Steadman. The English version is out of print but you can still find it in Spanish, Rebelión en la Granja. i Or buy the prints at prints.ralphsteadmanshop.com

OLD MAJOR The prize-winning Berkshire boar whose vision of a socialist utopia inspires the Rebellion is a mashup of Marx and Lenin.

NAPOLEON The treacherous porcine leader of Animal Farm after the Rebellion mirrors Joseph Stalin’s rise to power, which he consolidates with hand-reared attack dogs. Stalin used the KGB. MR JONES The drunken owner of Manor Farm is Russian Tsar Nicholas II who abdicated after the 1917 Russian Revolution. His fellow farmers represent Hitler and the capitalist governments of England and the USA. SNOWBALL The original leader after Jones’ overthrow parallels Leon Trotsky who is hounded off the farm and killed, just as Stalin exiled Trotsky and had him murdered in Mexico.

SQUEALER Napoleon’s spin doctor, a small, white porker who twists the commandments allowing some animals to be more equal than others, including himself. He’s modelled on Russia’s propaganda minister Vyacheslav Molotov, not Dominic Cummings!

BOXER THE CARTHORSE The ideal communist whose mantra is ‘I will work harder’, he never reaches his promised retirement pastures. When too old to be useful, he’s sent to the glue factory to fund Napoleon’s whisky habit.

MOSES THE RAVEN With his stories of a Sugarcandy Mountain afterlife, he stands for the Russian Orthodox Church which Stalin brought back to give oppressed workers something to hope for. @ESSENTIALMARBELLAMAGAZINE AUGUST 2020 / 101

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AUGUST

READS

August is proving to be an exciting month for new releases, here are some of the highlights hitting the shelves this month.

WORDS ALICIA DUGGAN OF THE BOOKSHOP IN SAN PEDRO DE ALCÁNTARA, CC LA COLONIA LOCAL 21, SAN PEDRO DE ALCANTARA. TEL: 951 779 785. WWW.THEBOOKSHOP.ES

THE MEMORY POLICE

BY YOKO OGAWA

Originally released in 1994 in Japan, this is the first English translation of this remarkable, Orwellian novel.

On an unnamed island objects are disappearing. From roses to ribbons, perfume to songbirds, once the objects have been destroyed the memories of those objects must also disappear.

Some people on the island are immune to forgetting and are taken by the brutal, authoritarian Memory Police and never

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seen again. The protagonist of the piece is a young female author who is writing a novel about a woman who has lost her voice. She discovers her editor is in danger as he is a ‘rememberer’, so she hides him in a secret chamber in her house. As more things are removed from the collective memory, the inhabitants seem to lose parts of themselves. This beautiful and simple novel explores the power of memory and its importance to the soul.

INVISIBLE GIRL

BY LISA JEWELL

At the age of 10, Saffyre Maddox suffers a terrible trauma that leaves her haunted and self-harming. Her uncle, who she lives with, sends her to therapist Roan Fours for help. After three years Roan decides Saffyre no longer needs his help, despite not having touched on the trauma that scarred her as a child.

When Saffyre is 17 she goes missing in the vicinity of Roan Four’s house,

in a neighbourhood already suffering at the hands of a sexual predator who is assaulting women. Suspicion is eventually levelled at the door of Roan’s neighbour Owen Pick, a 33-year-old loner virgin who lives with his aunt and is seen by locals as creepy. What unfolds is a dark, intensely thrilling, and unsettling story of secrets, lies and deceit.

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WE ARE ALL THE SAME IN THE DARK

BY JULIA HEABERLIN

In small town Texas, Trumanelle Branson disappears leaving only a bloody handprint behind. Her brother, Wyatt, is cleared of all wrongdoing but found guilty in the court of public opinion and left to live as an outcast.

A decade later, Wyatt discovers a mute, one-eyed girl abandoned in a field and asks young cop and Trumanelle’s former friend, Odette Tucker for help. Odette has always been determined to discover the truth about the disappearance and vows to help the newly discovered child.

However, Odette may be putting herself in danger without realising it.

A darkly gothic psychological thriller that explores the darker side of humanity.

UTOPIA AVENUE

BY DAVID MITCHELL

Using colloquialisms and popular Meet Utopia Avenue – the biggest references from the time and place, band you have never heard of.

David Mitchell is particularly talented Utopia Avenue takes place in the at transporting the reader to a specific swinging 60’s where free love, sex and moment in history. You would be hard drugs clash with war, death and riots, pushed to think of a musical act or and follows the eponymous band’s artist from ’67-’68 who does not get rise to the heady heights of stardom at least a cameo. Slightly less eclectic over a two year period before suddenly than his previous novels, Utopia disappearing into obscurity.

Avenue is no less captivating.

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THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY

BY MATT HAIG

‘Between life and death there is a library… and every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived.

Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?’ Nora Seed has lived her life trying to please others, however, her own life has left her feeling desperate and suicidal. When she finds herself in The Midnight Library, she finds that all

her possible lives are stored in books, all the different scenarios had she made different decisions and choices along the way. Nora gets the opportunity to ‘try on’ different versions of her own life, from rock star to Olympic athlete, to glaciologist, but ultimately Nora must decide what makes life worth living for her. Nietzsche meets It’s a Wonderful Life meets Doctor Who in this poignant, nuanced and eloquent new novel from the masterful Matt Haig. e

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This summer will be all about making the most of the plentiful physical and mental health benefits of being outdoors. Whether you are cycling to the beach or heading to the park for a small picnic with friends, Bang & Olufsen’s stunning BeoSound A1 2nd Generation Speaker is one companion you should definitely invite to the party. WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS 106 / AUGUST 2020 WWW.ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM

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Beosound A1 2nd Gen. features Alexa voice assistant built-in and a three microphone array with FarField technology for great call clarity, so you can use it as a conversation tool indoors or outdoors.

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Z 360º sound direction Z 92dB maximum loudness Z 62dB bass capability Z 2.75-hour charging time at 5V-3A charging Z Dimensions in mm: 133W x 46H x 133D Z Weight: 558 g Z Placement: Wall or table/shelf Z Recommended Room Size: 5-30m2 Z Ideal for: small gatherings, mid-sized rooms around the home, and in the office. i www.bang-olufsen.com

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what’s cool?

Marisa Cutillas brings you cool events, announcements, and launches that have been making life a little more fun in Spain and beyond!

BANG & OLUFSEN JOINS FORCES WITH ON RUNNING Swiss sports brand On and Danish luxury audio brand Bang & Olufsen have joined forces to design the ‘ultimate running kit’, which comprises the newly On Cloudboom running shoes and a set of Beoplay E8 Sport running headphones. The Cloudboom is On’s first big release since the On Cloudflow and its timely launch matches the human wish to enjoy the best of outdoor living. The Beoplay E8 Sport, meanwhile, is Bang & Olufsen’s first purposebuilt sports headphone set, as gorgeous as it is sturdy. i www.bang-olufsen.com

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MACARENA Gร MEZ PRESENTS AMOR EN POLVO Talented actor Macarena Gรณmez recently achieved a coup, starring in and producing the film, Amor en Polvo. The movie is funny, dynamic, and has plenty of heart though it still awaits a release date.

Macarena has also produced the short film Quiero Contarte Algo and the documentary El Greco. She is additionally working on the film El Futuro, directed by Kiko Prada.

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BENAHAVÍS FLAMENCA

This is one event we are pleased to announce early. Benahavís Flamenca is a fashion show that will be lighting up the streets of this beautiful residential area on Friday, August 7 at 8pm. Featuring designs by Ada Gutiérrez, Magalí Villanueva, Alba Werner, Amparo Pardal, and Aurora Gaviño. Flamenco designs will feature strongly at the event so if you are looking for the perfect feria outfit, don’t miss out on this event. i www.nuevamoda.com

10 WINE STREET

The fourth edition of the oenological festival, 10 Wine Street, took place recently at Plaza Manila in Estepona’s historic Old Town. The event is a blend of good wine, food, and music, since it includes tastings, live performances, and delicious regional cuisine. i www.estepona.es

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FUERTE LIVE EXPERIENCES FOR ADULTS AND KIDS

Fuerte Hotels has made holidays considerably more action-packed for guests with its Fuerte Live program, featuring a host of activities for guests of all ages. These included trekking, gardening, music, cooking classes, aqua ball, Pilates, nordic walking, aquazumba, yoga, photography and more. i www.fuerte-grupo.com

34TH MIJAS THEATRE FESTIVAL

LOCO POLO MAKES THE SUMMER A LITTLE COOLER

Luxury brand Loco Polo (founded in San Sebastian and now with stores in Málaga and Marbella) is an ice-cream bar featuring a truly impressive variety of ice lollies with different fillings and toppings. i In Marbella, Loco Polo is at the Puerto deportivo de Marbella (Avda. Duque de la Ahumada s/n). www.thelocopolo.com

Mijas was alive with the sound of laughter at the 34th edition of its Theatre Festival, which this year featured well-loved artists like Miguel Ángel Rodríguez ‘El Sevilla’; actors Ángel Pardo, Ignacio Nacho, Carmen Baquero, and Miguel Guardiola in the play Mi Hijo es Imbécil; and Malabaramagos’ circus and magic show. i www.mijas.es

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the style

CIRCULAR SHAPES HAVE A POSITIVE EFFECT ON THE PSYCHE; CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT LIFE WOULD BE LIKE IN A DOME-SHAPED ABODE? WE ALSO EXHIBIT ELEGANT SWIMWEAR BY NURIA FERRER AND PRESENT SOME CUTE ACCESSORIES FOR OUR PETS THIS SUMMER.

GO TO PAGE 132 NURIA FERRER SWIMWEAR

GO TO PAGE 140 ANIMAL LOVE

GO TO PAGE 130 DECOR DESIGNS

GO TO PAGE 116 CIRCULAR PROPERTIES

INTERIORS ARCHITECTURE ART FASHION 116 Circular Properties 130 Decor Designs 132 Nuria Ferrer Swimwear 140 Animal Love

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THE RISE OF THE DOME HOUSE

GOING CIRCULAR WORDS MICHEL CRUZ PHOTOGRAPHY JAPANESE CUSTOM DOME HOUSE, CANNABRIC, NATURAL SPACES DOMES, WHITEPOD HOTEL, NEXT GEN LIVING HOMES

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From Japan to the USA and the Alps, round ‘domed’ homes are a hot new trend in architectural design. Besides fitting right into a new paradigm of construction and sustainability, they offer a fresh perspective on living, vacationing and even working that is taking the world by storm and coming to our shores as well. We tend to think of our homes as being rectangular, or at the very least a combination of right-angled elements, but the earliest homes were all round. Increasingly, new designs are showing just how beneficial that can be, from optimal temperature maintenance and energy efficiency to better resistance against fire and extreme weather conditions.

As a result, a whole new generation of round homes is emerging to suit a wide range of needs worldwide.

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JAPANESE CUSTOM DOME HOUSE Japan’s high density living means it has always been advanced when it comes to developing compact housing solutions. In fact, you could call it the global micro-house expert, and successful experiments with prefabricated and even cardboard homes prove it. The latest development in micro housing to come out of the Land of the Rising Sun is the Dome House, which optimises economies, construction time, and space to offer comfort and homeliness in small homes, holiday accommodation and even business premises.

The innovative system makes it possible to quickly and economically produce a range of round-shaped structures from prefabricated ‘expanded’ polystyrene components.

When placed together, they can produce a variety of shapes varying from circular to arch and extended dome structures, which can be used for anything from homes and cabin suites to offices and even warehousing.

Hugely popular in Japan, where they have above all been a hit in holiday parks, these versatile homes are cheap, easy to build, practical and fun, with excellent thermal qualities and a high level of comfort. i www.i-domehouse.com

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E INTERIOR DESIGN

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URBANIA ICON Signature Villa

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S H O W R O O M M A R B E L L A - A V D A . B LV. P R Í N C I P E A L F O N S O D E H O H E N L O H E . U R B . C A R O L I N A P A R K Opening hours Mon-Fri: 10:00-18:00 Sat: upon appointment T. + 3 4 9 5 1 9 1 9 0 9 2 - M . + 3 4 6 2 6 9 1 8 3 9 2 w w w. a a l t o e x c l u s i v e d e s i g n . c o m

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OFF-GRID HEMP HOUSE In the search for alternative, sustainable building materials, German architect Monika Brümmer with an international team formed

by Adrar Nouh cooperative, ENAT, ENSA (from Morocco) and Fraunhofer CSP (from Germany), has created an ultra-efficient dome house made from hemp. In fact, the property is off-grid and powered entirely by solar panels, which form part of the architecture and structure. The prototype, called SUNIMPLANT, was built by students in Morocco and entered in the ‘Solar Decathlon’, a competition organised by the Moroccan

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Research Institute for Solar Energy IRESEN, UM6P, the Moroccan Ministry of Energy and Environment and the US Department of Energy.

Made entirely from locally produced raw materials such as hemp fibre composites, vegetable bio-resins, hemp-concretes and other local non-synthetic materials, the Hemp House is entirely natural and renewable, as well as economical and energy-independent, so very cheap to run. “This ‘spaceship’ is advanced in time and reflects a turn not only in North Africa but in hemp construction, which doesn’t have comparable prototypes anywhere in the world,” said hemp building expert Monika. In 2017 she co-founded the Rifian cooperative Adrar Nouh whose mission it is to build sustainable hemp housing in Morocco’s underprivileged High Riff region for the stimulation of rural African green economies. i www.cannabric.com www.sunimplant.com

MANDALA HOMES The custom-built homes of Mandala also use natural local resources and rounded architecture to produce a very vernacular, practical and environmentally sound kind of housing solution. Being based in British Columbia, Canada, that natural resource is wood, and Mandala will add elements or combinations of dome segments to create comfortable, spacious

and stylish homes that blend in beautifully with their Canadian Rockies surroundings.

It’s the ideal country property or holiday getaway, featuring appealing looks, first-class energy and environmental credentials, including the region’s first-ever Energy Star Rating in 2011, and comes with panoramic bay windows, doubleheight living spaces and porches – all made to measure.

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NATURAL SPACES DOMES Take the concept a little further into the sci-fi sphere and you come to these avantgarde constructions created

by Dennis Odin Johnson and the team at Natural Spaces Domes. He has been a sustainable construction pioneer since the 1970s, concluding that the Geodesic structure originally conceived

by American architect Buckminster Fuller is the most efficient of all home types.

Based on classic geometrical

principles, the triangular new generation learns of their sections come together advantages. Moreover, they to form the most effective can have a broad range of housing composition ever. Not cladding to produce different only are they strong, practical architectural looks and and easy to construct, but they finishes, are easy to maintain use less building materials, are a pleasant temperature within, lighter and also super-efficient and can be built economically when it comes to energy on a very wide range of consumption. scales. Natural Spaces Already used in greatly Domes specialises in creating varying sizes as greenhouses, affordable, sustainable homes research centres and even that are also very comfortable homes in different parts of the and attractive, and for many world, these low CO2-producing the house of the future. structures are taking off as a i www.naturalspacesdomes.com

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WHITEPOD ECO-LUXURY HOTEL The Whitepod Hotel in the beautiful alpine setting of Valais, in Switzerland, is a fine example of dome structures used as luxury accommodation. Perfect for the prevailing conditions, the pods are distributed to form a very private and spacious form of independent suite accommodation surrounded by gorgeous nature. The pods and eco-chalets of the Whitepod Hotel offer a highly environmentallyfriendly way of enjoying luxury amid spectacular views in ultimate hiking country. They prove just how high-tech, comfortable and stylish a structure of this kind can be, in this case in the form of private suites with full amenities yet not not attached to a main hotel building. It’s a new concept in tourism, and one that suits natural destinations but also straddles the line between glamping and conventional hotel accommodation. i www.whitepod.com

i www.naturalspacesdomes.com

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THE BITCOIN VILLA

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Up to now, the focus of circular homes has been largely on a micro level, but the Bitcoin House created by US entrepreneur and owner of NextGen, an architectural firm, Jean-Pierre D’Zahr, is a different proposition altogether. A former developer and designer at Microsoft and Boeing corporations, he comes from a financial and technical background, and applies his knowledge to the superbly luxurious modern villas he has been designing in the USA and now introducing to Europe and the Middle East.

“There’s an architectural innovation vision that drives me,” says Mr. D’Zahr, who didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps

to become an architect but pursued his passion for home design later in his career, and now owns and operates an architectural design firm since 2015, creating luxury 21st century villas. In this he works closely with like-minded visionary architects, technicians and builders to realise his dream-home concepts, designs, and the creation of the pioneering Blockchain Mortgage.

Once the concept was in place, NextGen had a very unique and revolutionary model ready to be implemented. Here is a modern home brimming with cutting edge design and technology that embodies the luxury of a 21st century villa, offering the highest levels

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of refinement and comfort, combined with top energy consumption and environmental credentials. It wasn’t long before his villas drew attention, eventually leading to a business specialised in creating bespoke new architectural design projects, such as the magnificent All-Star Dream Home.

A UNIQUE CONCEPT COMES TO EUROPE – AND MARBELLA The range of villas has expanded in terms of the available sizes, configurations and features, but typical of a home of this standing is the exceptional level of design and engineering, which includes water features integrated over three layers in the form of

ponds, sheet waterfalls, spas and indoor and outdoor swimming pools. A fine example is the Cantilever Villa, whose imposing fountains provide a visual spectacle as you enter the property. The large, doubleheight and open-plan living areas enjoy panoramic windows that adapt to the amount of sunlight entering through them, thus keeping the temperature constant and doing away with the need for curtains and shades.

As you can imagine,

kitchens, bathrooms, private suites, spas, gymnasiums, entertainment areas and even garages are taken to another level of luxury, while the terrace becomes a glamorous extension of the living room when the doors glide open and the pool areas appear to come into the house. One of the spectacular features of the Cantilever Villa is indeed the swimming pool, the purest example of an infinity pool as it juts out from the main house and actually floats in mid-air.

WHY IT’S CALLED THE BITCOIN HOUSE Along with targeted locations like the USA, Dubai, and the Caribbean, Mr. D’Zahr is now bringing the concept to Europe, setting up base in Monaco and Nice, while also launching in Spain.

“The Bitcoin House is perfectly suited to the Marbella market, with its cosmopolitan high net worth clientele and upmarket lifestyle.” In the EU, these architectural marvels range from €50 million to €200 million (land not included) but come with a revolutionary way of thinking that, according to many, will change the way we own homes. “It’s a top-down process, starting with ultra-luxury villas like

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this, but one day the technology will extend the concept to the broader market too.”

With its unique design and self-sustainability, the Bitcoin House model allows for privacy and multiuse, and it can function as a healing sanctuary, resort, retreat, medical clinic or a highend vacation rental. Owners only pay 20 per cent of the sum down and receive an accelerated mortgage for the remainder. This is not the unusual part; the fact that the property is self-financing is where the Bitcoin villa is unique, for with each property comes a Bitcoin mining facility located in a low-tax domicile.

Its cost is incorporated in the price and it consists of the powerful computing capacity that underlies Bitcoin Mining, and for which ‘miners’ receive Bitcoin remuneration. “Normally, the system uses so much energy that it is prohibitive, but we’ve partnered in the development of

at an accelerated rate. The home buyer pays a 20 per cent down payment and never has a mortgage payment, as the earning from the Bitcoin mining operations pays the monthly mortgage for the homeowner. In fact, if the earnings exceed the mortgage by $200k, NextGen has calculated a bonus to the homeowner with a $100k per month payment to live in the Electromagnetic generators that home, making this the first produce their own renewable income generating home of its energy 100 per cent off-grid at kind in the world. If Bitcoin goes a cost of 1 cent per kWh US, up in value, the extra income putting us in the profit zone.” earned goes towards paying off The renewable energy station the mortgage faster. that comes with the Bitcoin This new way of thinking is House produces a total of 6.5 a true paradigm shift in home MWs, of which 6 MWs is used ownership, combining the latest up by the fully turnkey mining developments in technology, operation and the remaining architecture and finance. “The energy 0.5 MWs is installed world is changing, and so is the and delivered at the 2,440m2 way we are doing things. We’re luxury Bitcoin House – with in a stage of evolution in which the possibility of selling any old concepts are being replaced electricity not used back by new ones, and while a lot of to energy suppliers, if the people fear some of these, there homeowner chooses to do so. is an opportunity to change “The income from the Bitcoin many things for the better. This mining operation is estimated at system is not just unique but it $1.5+ million per month – at the is also a financially sustainable current Bitcoin value of $9,000 model that effectively makes per Bitcoin – more than covering your luxury villa a productive the $892,000 mortgage. economic unit that pays for The innovation in the itself, and much more.”

Blockchain/Bitcoin Mortgage in simple terms is that the 30-year mortgage is paid off i www.nextgenlivinghomes.com

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Projects: Villa M & Villa A & Penthouse H

Interior Design & Property Development Showroom: Avenida Canovas del Castillo 25, Marbella blackshawinteriordesign.com +34 951 403 787

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KEEP

MOSQUITOES AWAY WITH MAGIC MESH Mosquitoes are a big problem during the summer, especially for those with an allergy to bites. Various solutions exist to keep them away – including the use of mosquito-repelling plants, deterrent devices, misting hoses, and fans. For most people, one of the most convenient strategies involves the use of screen doors. These can be fitted alongside sliding doors or can be set up as a separate ‘second door’. WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS

O

ne trend that is really catching on these days are Magic Mesh screens. These can be bought at standard sizes on Amazon, though they can also be custommade to fit openings as

large as the garage or outdoor terraces with some type of frame or column structure to keep them in place. If you have never tried using Magic Mesh before, why not try doing so this summer?

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The standard Amazonsold door allows you to keep windows and doors open thanks to a twopanel magnetic system that opens easily to let you through and shuts immediately afterwards.

Panels generally fit in most standard door entry spaces and can be affixed to the wall or door via Velcro adhesives or tacks. The screens are adaptable to different heights, widths, and door or window types and they are usually available in more than one colour (for instance, white, black, and floral).

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF MAGIC MESH?

There are many reasons why home dwellers can benefit from Magic Mesh, especially in the summer.

These include: » Magic Mesh is super easy to install. The screens come with ‘sticky’ Velcro strips that fit perfectly around your doorframe.

They also have tacks that can be used for extra strength. You can remove the screen in the winter months and reuse them the following summer. » The screen does not require hand contact. Just walk through it and it will close in a flash behind you.

You will hear a little click of the magnets, which indicates the screen has shut efficiently.

» The magnets are ultrastrong. Moreover, there are many of them along the length of the screen so you don’t need to sew or use other materials. » Magic Mesh can essentially be used anywhere you have a door or framed opening – including terraces, bedrooms, home kitchens, home offices, and business premises. » The screen is pet- and child-friendly. Once your pooch and kiddies get used to walking through the screen, you can ensure that when indoors, they will be safe from nasty bug bites. » Magic Mesh is a great solution for those wanting a cheap, user-friendly, easy-to-install screen that effectively keeps bugs at bay and is easy to remove. Why not try one this summer and see if you ‘click’ with it? You will probably find it makes your life a lot easier and that your kids love walking through it in hands-free fashion! i Magic Mesh is available on Amazon.

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SWIMWEAR 2020 BY

NURIA FERRER BARCELONA

Nuria Ferrer is a Spanish brand that has been making beautiful swimwear for 30 years. It is famed for elegant, artisanal designs made with fabric from Barcelona and Milan. One novelty of the brand is that buyers can choose from a B, C, D, E, or F cup, which means that comfort is a big priority. Special attention has been paid to women who have had breast surgery, since they have a dedicated line with a host of beautiful bathers. Nuria Ferrer Barcelona is a truly international brand, with products sold in Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Holland, Russia, Mexico, and the U.S. Take a look at this beautiful collection, which highlights the beauty of the female form. COMPILED BY MARISA CUTILLAS

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i www.nuriaferrerbcn.com

CLICK TO VISIT

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CAT TOY TUNNEL BY WILKO

’ n i v o L r e m Sum RSONAL E P G IN T T MAT BY GE

many a h t i w , r e summ y cool home. t o h g n i r soa ovel l a a r o e f d i with y s d n Get rea nt poolside or i help them relax) TILLAS day spe ur pet busy (or COMPILED BY MARISA CU Keep yo te accessories. these cu

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BY CU

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MINNI PET TE MOUSE OY BY PRIMA RK

CAT FOOD JAR BY DEBENHAMS ESPAÑA

PET NG GROOMEI BY GLOV ILKO W

CLICK TO SHOP www.amara.com www.cuckooland.com www.debenhams.com www.gettingpersonal.co.uk www.primark.com www.tkmaxx.com www.wilko.com

A Y A MAR B N O I H ET CUS SOFT P

CROWN PE

T BED BY T

K MAXX

SLOW FEEDING BOWL BY WILKO

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n back to CONTENTS

the spa

IF NATURAL, REGIONAL SKINCARE EXCITES YOU, CHECK OUT THE LATEST RANGE BY ANDALUZ SKINCARE. DISCOVER WHY THE SUMMER CAN ACTUALLY BE THE PERFECT TIME FOR PLASTIC SURGERY IN OUR INTERVIEW WITH DR. MIGUEL GÓMEZ BRAVO. FINALLY, ENSURE YOU ARE WELL PROTECTED AGAINST THE TIGER MOSQUITO, PREDICTED TO BE A BUGBEAR IN THE WARMER MONTHS.

GO TO PAGE 150 DR. MIGUEL GÓMEZ BRAVO

GO TO PAGE 154 COMBATTING TIGER MOSQUITOS

GO TO PAGE 146 BOUCLÈME HAIRCARE

GO TO PAGE 144 ANDALUZ SKINCARE

PRODUCTS BEAUTY SPA HEALTH 144 Andaluz Skincare 146 Bouclème Haircare 150 Dr. Miguel Gómez Bravo 154 Combatting Tiger Mosquitos

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100 PER CENT

NATURAL GOODNESS

BY ANDALUZ SKINCARE

Summer is here and rising temperatures mean that skin needs a bit of extra loving care if it is to remain hydrated yet non-oily. Just a few common conditions that can arise from being out in the hot sun and arid wind include dryness, irritation, itchiness, inflammation, a sensation of tightness, and loss of elasticity. WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS

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product based on organic wild herringbone lavender essential oil. Unlike traditional lavender, it additionally contains camphor, which has a calming effect. It also soothes skin, helps alleviate irritation and inflammation, and has mild antiseptic properties. Its immediate effects leave skin balanced, natural, and healthy.

ANDALUZ Relaxing Oil is a product made with 100 per cent organic Hojiblanca virgin olive oil, marigold flowers, and ANDALUZ Skincare brings you two products lavender essential oil. It is deeply hydrating that can help boost skin health at this time and nourishing all at once, as it boasts of the year, or indeed during any season a powerful blend of virgin olive oil (rich in which your skin is facing stress. This in antioxidants and vitamins A and E) range features 100 per cent sustainable, combined with marigold flowers (known ecological, natural, ethical products for their anti-inflammatory properties and originating from organic agriculture. They flavonoid content). This concoction boosts are completely free of chemical agents and collagen production and provides skin with aim to provide the skin with all the benefits the nutrients to keep it healthy, hydrated that Mother Nature can offer. and luminous.

ANDALUZ Relaxing Facial Spray is a i www.andaluzskincare.com

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PUT A BOUNCE

IN YOUR CURLS

WITH BOUCLÈME 2 1

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Bouclème is a UK company that is fully dedicated to curly hair. If you have ringlets or waves then you know they can be a challenge to manage owing to issues like dryness and split ends. Bouclème products are packed with high-performance actives that restore moisture and life to dry, lackluster hair. A special three-step system cleanses, conditions, and defines curls and lends them a beautiful shine. The label also offers a host of different oils and treatments to target specific issues. The brand’s products do not contain chemical ingredients and the company tests its products on real curls, never on animals. COMPILED BY MARISA CUTILLAS 1 – SCALP EXFOLIATING SHAMPOO: Aimed at restoring scalp health.

2 – SUPER HOLD STYLER: To help define curls and keep them in place.

3 – CURL DEFINING GEL: Good for styling hair into shape for an all-night event.

4 – CURL CONDITIONER: An extra boost of nutrition for beautiful curls.

5 – CURL CREAM: An extra dose of hydration which is ideal if your hair has been exposed to the sun or wind.

6 – HYDRATING SHAMPOO: This moisturiser will keep curls luscious and shiny.

7 – REVIVE 5 HAIR OIL: Useful for extra hydration. i www.boucleme.co.uk

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7 4

5

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MAKE SLIM M A R B E L L A

A G A I N TM

coolsculpting

after Quarantine

This is far less effective and it is impossible to reach deep tissue freezing temperatures without damaging the skin. This is the reason why Coolsculpting works and the abundance of copycat “crylipolisis” do not.

Most patients opt for Coolsculpting makeover packages with treatment to 3-4 different body zones. These makeover packages can indeed produce results comparable to liposuction.

Coolsculpting is a very good treatment option for patients who:

•Are within reasonable weight range and physically active.

• Have some very stubborn fat deposits that are impossible to tackle even with extreme dieting and excercise.

It is the only non-surgical fat removal technique that can compete with the results of surgical liposuction, and where results are achieved in only one to two sessions. Coolsculpting is the leader in non surgical liposuction in the United States and is FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved.

Zeltiq Coolsculpting has got a track-record spanning more than one million succesful procedures in the United States already, with over 200 centers all over the country. This sets Coolsculpting apart in non-surgical fat removal.

The procedure requires neither incisions, anaesthesia, nor any physical recovery. Depending on area treated, treatment duration is usually one to two hours.

Coolsculpting works via extraction of heat (energy) from the deep fat in the area of the treated tissue.

The heat extraction is extremely effective and produces temperatures down to 12 degrees without damaging the skin. In contrast to Coolsculpting, the abundance of copies in “cryolipolisis” try to apply cold instead of extracting heat.

•Have further understood that they either live with those unwanted deposits forever or do something about it • Do not want to accept the stubborn fat.

• Definitely do not want surgery.

Watch our Video to Learn About The Coolsculpting Technique https://vimeo.com/95763479

C L I N I C

TM

coolsculpting

We are

open !

SAFETY

The covid-19 pandemic has required us to raise our demanding standards to an even higher level with new protocols for the current circumstances.

TRUST

Our mutual goals are patient safety, excellent clinical outcomes, and, of course, your satisfaction and loyalty.

EXCELLENCE

“Excellence is the unlimited ability to improve the quality of you have to offer”.

We a r e g u a r a n t e e d y e a r s o f e x p e r i e n c e a n d o u r p a t i e n t portfolio.

COV SAFE

ID FR

TY P

ROT

OCO

L

EE

CLEANLINESS

The steps we are taking on cleanliness and new hospitality norms are as much about the health and safety of our employees as they are about our patients. If we have learned anything during this pandemic, it is that we are all in this together.

By taking care of our team and following these new protocols we will be collectively taking care of our patients and the global community.

We have incorporated into our cleaning processes, disinfections with all the necessary guidelines to guarantee our patients a COVID-19 free clinic. All our premises have had COLDFOGGING a disinfection system used to remove and kill possible germs in indoor spaces. We apply COLD FOGGING routinely as part of our COVID FREE safety protocol.

952 775 346 contact@cirumed.es

Edificio Panorama, Planta Baja, Local 2.Ctra. de Cádiz Km 184, 29603 Marbella

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PLASTIC SURGERY IS BOOMING OVER THE SUMMER

AT CIRUMED

At a time in which many industries are struggling under the weight of the current global health crisis, plastic surgery is thriving owing to its unique position in the market at this point in time. “Summer has traditionally been considered low season for plastic surgery and aesthetics because many people choose to spend this vacation time with family and friends,” says Dr. Miguel Gómez Bravo, Cirumed’s Medical Director. “However,” he adds, “the global pandemic has given rise to an unprecedented phenomenon in which many people are working remotely. In the past, people sometimes had a hard time finding the perfect ‘gap’ in their busy schedule for surgery or they didn’t want others to notice tell-tale signs that they were in recovery. However, now that so many people are working from home, none of this is a problem. They can heal in comfort and enjoy all the privacy they desire.”

WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS PHOTOGRAPHY KEVIN HORN

THE TIME IS NOW Dr. Gómez Bravo states that some patients prefer to leave surgeries such as body contouring to cooler months because “supportive clothing tends to add warmth.” However, if you are at home working or on holiday with friends or family, then so long as you are in air conditioned interiors, you can still opt for this type of surgery in the summer

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season. Dr. Gómez Bravo notes that “at Cirumed we are famed for procedures such as Dr. Aslani’s ‘bikini makeover’. The latter is more than a breast augmentation; it also involves liposculpture in the abdominal area and a Brazilian butt lift.

At Cirumed our vision of beauty is global; that is, we aim for our patients to have harmonious proportions; we don’t just focus on one part of the body.”

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BACK TO YOUR BEST “The long period of home confinement has meant that many people have eased up on their workouts, regular aesthetic treatments, and the like.”

Indeed, during the state of alarm, people were told to stay at home, only venturing forth for urgent matters and procedures.

“So many patients are excited about getting back to their old beauty routines and their scheduled facial and body procedures,” says Dr. Gómez-Bravo.

WHY MARBELLA? “Marbella has a unique appeal for patients owing to its excellent reputation for medical tourism. Those who have two or three weeks off sometimes elect to have a procedure done, knowing they can recover privately in a beautiful zone with a great climate.” Indeed, it isn’t just anonymous patients who are attracted by the beachy vibe. “Some celebrities have had concerts and other events cancelled so they are taking advantage

of this break to get into tiptop shape.”

POPULAR NON-SURGICAL TREATMENTS “Every patient is different,” notes Dr. Gómez Bravo.

“Some are keen on having their scheduled surgeries while others are opting for non-surgical procedures such as facials delivered with antioxidants like Vitamin C and other powerful actives. One treatment that is very popular at the moment is the HydraFacial.” So popular in fact, that Allure reports that one of these facials is performed every 15 seconds somewhere in the world.

A THREE-STEP FACIAL The HydraFacial involves the use of a medicalgrade hydradermabrasion device to clean, exfoliate, and infuse skin with intensive serums. Skin is purified, smoothened, and moisturised. Instead of blasting pores with fine crystal dust, the treatment vacuums out pores and pushes in active

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ingredients that brighten, hydrate, and plump skin, and the result is a more youthful appearance. It can also involve the use of boosters to address concerns such as fine lines or brown spots SURGICAL PROCEDURES FOR MEN Men are far less reticent in the new millennium to head to the plastic surgeon’s for procedures such as abdominal liposculpture than in the past. If you follow influencers on social media then you know that the

latter is the ‘it’ treatment of 2020 as it leaves men with a toned stomach that lends their figure instant athletic appeal.

“This procedure involves removing fat from areas where there is no muscle in order to highlight the volume of muscles.

It can be undertaken on women as well as men.”

The health crisis may have put a few plans on hold, but it certainly can’t keep the beauty industry down. Cirumed is enjoying a record-breaking summer thanks to the free or home time that many people now have on their hands.

Marbella is also considered a safe getaway for those who wish to combine the pleasure of family time with a little ‘me time’. There is nothing like returning home after a holiday looking refreshed, renewed, and with just a little more sparkle than when you left.

g CIRUMED Edif. Panorama, Planta Baja, Local 2, CN340, km 184, Marbella.

Tel: 952 775 346. www.cirumed.es

ABOUT DR. MIGUEL GÓMEZ BRAVO Dr. Gómez Bravo has an impressive trajectory both in Spain and abroad. He obtained his medical degree at the University of Navarra, coming in 84th out of 14,000 students in the official MIR exams. He then completed his speciality in Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery at the Ramón y Cajal Hospital in Madrid. He has directed the healthcare units of an NGO in Gambia, visited a plethora of centres in the US (including the Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York, the Boston Children’s Hospital and Chicago University), and spent time at Chang Gung Memorial in Taiwan. He has represented resident doctors at the Spanish Society for Plastic Surgery’s (SECPRE) teaching foundation and at numerous other institutions and he is currently completing his doctorate at the University of Alcalá, while fulfilling his functions as Medical Director of the Cirumed Clinic in Marbella.

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TIGER MOSQUITO

© Shutterstock

NUMBERS DOUBLE IN SPAIN OVER THE SUMMER

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© Courtesy of Anticimex

The tiger mosquito – a potential carrier of dengue fever, Zika, and chikungunya – has already doubled in number and will be present in all areas of Spain this summer – according to preventative pest control company, Anticimex. This rise can be attributed to the heat and the amount of rain in some parts of Spain over the past few months. Dr. Mikel Bengoa, a Doctor in Entomology who specialises in the tiger mosquito and works with Anticimex, states that “This insect will be a bigger problem on the Mediterranean Coast, but this year it will reach areas that it wouldn’t have in ‘normal’ years.” WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS

AN INTERVIEW WITH ENTOMOLOGIST, DR. MIKEL BENGOA OF ANTICIMEX SPAIN

T

he active season for this insect lasts from May to October and it tends to peak in September.

The situation “will be worsening over the next few weeks,” says Bengoa, adding, “The recent closure of borders will reduce the likelihood of transmission but we should remain vigilant and take preventive measures.”

Not all tiger mosquitoes carry dengue fever, Zika, and chikungunya but they are vectors for the disease – meaning that if they bite someone with the virus, they can then pass it on.

These three diseases are very serious; chikungunya can cause disfiguration of the body for various months, dengue often requires hospitalisation and can be

lethal, while Zika can cause severe birth defects.

Dr. Bengoa, who has been fascinated by insects since he was a child, answers a few of our burning questions. My take on our interview is that, if you have a villa, you should definitely be taking steps to reduce or eliminate tiger mosquito populations in your garden and in surrounding areas.

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WHICH SPECIES IS THE TIGER MOSQUITO?

“‘Tiger mosquito’ is the common name for Aedes albopictus, an exotic mosquito in Spain. It is reared in small amounts of water outdoors and is located close to human beings because we provide it with the water recipients and blood it needs to thrive. It is considered the secondary vector for various arboviral diseases like dengue, chikungunya or Zika, but it is not as effective as another species called Aedes aegypti, which is not currently present in Spain.”

THE TIGER MOSQUITO IS CURRENTLY A BIG PROBLEM IN SOUTHEASTERN ASIAN AND CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES BECAUSE OF DENGUE, ZIKA, AND OTHER DISEASES. HAVE THESE DISEASES EVER BEEN A THREAT IN SPAIN?

“In 2018, six cases of autochthonous dengue fever linked to the tiger mosquito were diagnosed in Spain, but the risk of an outbreak is not very high. The main threat they pose at this point in time is pain and discomfort, as their bites can cause severe reactions.

The tiger mosquito is now a big problem in New York

and New Jersey and it is making its way across the globe. Entomologists and pest control companies have to monitor its populations in order to prevent an increase in numbers and to reduce the possibility of arbovirus disease outbreaks.

In 2017, the Aedes aegypti mosquito was discovered in Fuerteventura and thanks to quick action, the species was eradicated.”

WE HAVE HEARD OF DENGUE FEVER AND ZIKA IN THE MEDIA BUT CHIKUNGUNYA IS A LESSER-KNOWN DISEASE. WHAT IS IT?

“Chikungunya derives its name from kungunyala, the Swahili word for the characteristic stooped posture of patients with the disease due to their musculoskeletal symptoms.

Its symptoms are high fever and pain in the articulations and in severe cases, it causes the body to bend forward. This effect lasts for around six months.”

HOW DID THE TIGER MOSQUITO ARRIVE IN SPAIN?

“We are unsure but we think it spread to the U.S. and Europe through the importation of old tyres for

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use in recycling. Rubber is recycled into so many things – including roads – and this material is constantly being shipped to the U.S. and other countries. Mosquitoes love laying their eggs in tyres, which can retain small amounts of water. They do so in other water containers as well – including pots with standing water, toys with rainwater, even a bottle cap.”

WHEN WAS THIS INSECT FIRST FOUND IN SPAIN?

“In Spain the first discovery of the tiger mosquito was made by doctors in Sant Cugat del Vallés in 2004, who found that they were treating many patients

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with odd-looking bites.

They concluded that these bites were caused by an invasive species, but they didn’t know which one.

Doctors asked help from an entomologist at the Mosquito Control Service of Baix Llobregat and the latter discovered that the guilty party was none other than the tiger mosquito.

Tiger mosquitoes probably first entered Spain via Italy since we know they have been present there since 1997 (they were first found in the U.S., meanwhile, in 1979).

Since car travel between European countries is so prevalent, they probably spread in this manner.

One study by researchers in Barcelona showed that there are around 70,000 cars with a tiger mosquito in the metropolitan area of Barcelona every day. It is very easy for mosquito populations to spread as they are so aggressive that they can follow us into cars when we enter them.

Later, when we arrive at our destination, the female mosquito flies out, and if

she finds a water deposit, she lays her eggs in it.”

WHAT KNOWLEDGE DO WE HAVE OF THE TIGER MOSQUITO THAT CAN HELP US ‘BEAT’ IT?

“We know that it is lowflying; this is why it tends to bite the ankles and calves, not the arms or face. We also know that this mosquito flies a small distance in its lifetime (around 400m) and that it doesn’t migrate very far from where it is born. It tends to remain within a 50-metre radius.”

WHY ARE THESE MOSQUITOES SUCH EFFECTIVE VECTORS?

“It is the viruses that overtake them which are effective. The mosquito

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ingests the virus when it bites an infected person.

This virus then has to make its way through the digestive system and travels all the way to the salivary glands of the mosquito, where it replicates in astonishing numbers.

This in turn makes the mosquitoes thirsty so they bite more people. When a person is infected, their temperature rises and they in turn become more ‘attractive’ to mosquitoes.

It is a highly complex cycle and a perfect one for the virus to reproduce.”

WHAT TYPE OF HOMES DO THEY ACCUMULATE IN?

“They tend to proliferate in homes with gardens – for instance, villas, since there are often toys, pots, and other items that can collect standing water there.”

HOW CAN YOU HELP PEOPLE WHO THINK THEY MAY HAVE TIGER MOSQUITOES IN THEIR VICINITY? IS FUMIGATION ALWAYS REQUIRED?

“By conducting a very detailed inspection.

Surprisingly, fumigation is a last-case resort at

Anticimex and we try to solve the problem without chemicals if possible to lower the undesired effects on the surrounding beneficial fauna. Sometimes the entire problem can be solved with something as simple as removing a couple of pots, tyres, or anywhere where we find the mosquito or its larvae. We have even had to get rid of small outdoor fountains because they can be breeding grounds for mosquitoes. We also place specialised traps in strategic areas.”

HOW ELSE CAN PEOPLE PROTECT THEMSELVES AGAINST TIGER MOSQUITOES?

“If they are travelling to an area known to have tiger mosquitoes they should wear long sleeves

and apply a repellent solution containing DEET or Icaridin. It is important to be very thorough and to apply the repellent to all exposed areas, including the ankles. If you miss a spot, they head straight for it. Don’t bother with citronella bracelets, because they don’t work.”

FINALLY, CAN YOU TELL ME WHY YOU DECIDED TO BECOME AN ENTOMOLOGIST?

“I grew up in my parents’ villa and I used to love walking in the land surrounding it, collecting insects. When I heard about the tiger mosquito, I grew fascinated by how it transmitted disease and I decided to devote my doctoral thesis to it.” g Anticimex Marbella.

Pol. Ind. Nueva Campana, Nave 95, Marbella. Tel: 951 120 201. www.anticimex.com

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FIND OUT WHY THE MARBELLA PROPERTY SCENE IS HOTTING UP IN LINE WITH THE TEMPERATURE, READ UP ON BUSINESS NEWS, LEARN WHY EDUCATION IS VITAL FOR GIRLS, AND MEET THE TEAM AT BRAND NEW PUERTO BANÚS REAL ESTATE AND INTERIOR DESIGN FIRM, STRAND PROPERTIES.

GO TO PAGE 162 MARBELLA PROPERTY TRENDS

GO TO PAGE 172 ENTERPRISE

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BUSINESS ENTERPRISE PROPERTY FINANCE 162 Marbella Property Trends 168 The Vibe 172 Enterprise 184 Business Profile: Strand Properties 188 Miss Marbella 192 Girls’ Education

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WORDS MICHEL CRUZ PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF ALTAVISTA PROPERTY AND OTERO GROUP

THE COSTA DEL SOL

PROPERTY MARKET POST-COVID

A modern lifestyle villa by Altavista Property

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No sooner did 2020 start on a good note than it all ended in a rather abrupt fashion with the implementation of the period of confinement and enforced inactivity. Some feared a serious economic crisis and freefall of property values would follow, but not only has this not happened as of yet, a lot of agents are actually reporting a significant increase in enquiries.

T

here were more than a few people who predicted a severe environment of recession and crashing property prices once we came out of the three-month lockdown period and emerged back into the light of day. Even though for many it would take almost another month before they could properly return to work, the dreaded crash has so far not materialised.

Instead, we’ve seen a gradual return to normal, with streets, cafÊs and restaurants filling along with offices, shops, malls, department stores, beaches and government offices.

Fears of a second wave continue to exist, but in the interim the return from enforced closure of businesses has felt more like a soft landing than a bumpy ride. This is not to say that no-one has suffered the consequences of the Covid-crisis, far from it, but in addition to tourists beginning to return and residents becoming active again, the real estate professionals we spoke with all report a

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surprisingly high level of interest among potential homebuyers from all the well-known markets, as well as some unusual ones.

to continue to service our clients,” says Smadar Kahana of Engel & Völkers. “This helped many in the decisionmaking process, so that the lockdown time was FAR STRONGER THAN still used in a productive EXPECTED way, but even so we Interest in Marbella have been surprised by property and its lifestyle the sheer number of might have waned in especially high net worth the wake of the Covidbuyers now coming into crisis, but it didn’t. In fact, the market.” They are there has been a strong producing a significant revival in the demand for rise in enquiries for Costa what this region has to del Sol property that offer: space, greenery, an is also experienced by appealing climate and many other agents and living environment, as developers, including the well as a healthy seaside creators of Real de La setting close to nature Quinta, whose country and away from large club concept in the hills urban centres. It seems near Benahavís and Nueva that the confinement Andalucía is proving a hit. experience has awoken “People are looking for in many the desire to locations and properties improve their quality of life that offer space, views, and/or have a pleasant, privacy and proximity secure getaway should to both nature and the Coronavirus cause amenities,” says Simon upheaval on a prolonged Boxus of the Otero Group. basis.

“A new trend is definitely “We used modern tools the willingness to work such as virtual tours and with modern remote Zoom videoconferencing viewing technologies, 164 / AUGUST 2020 WWW.ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM

A turnkey villa by Otero

and this has resulted in 21 out of 24 sales in June not involving a physical viewing.” He finds that demand comes from Northern Europe and Spain primarily, and is well-distributed among a wide range of property types and prices ranges, from €100,000 apartments in Málaga to €3 million villas in Marbella. “People are looking for apartments with sizeable terraces and villas with good but manageable gardens, and a marked new trend is the importance given to

being able to work from home with either a room specially dedicated to a home office with all the latest technologies and/ or having a co-working centre in the community.”

COVID HAS PRODUCED NEW CONSUMER TRENDS Besides the demand for gardens and spacious private areas with good views and close proximity to both services and open nature, people are rethinking the home/ work relationship and are clearly keen to combine the two in a more flexible

manner that doesn’t involve daily commutes and long hours spent in the classic office environment. “We’ve experienced a surge in new clients since the end of lockdown and the kind of modern property we specialise in – with easy-to-maintain private gardens and spacious open-plan living spaces, as well as flexible off-plan design structures – are very much in demand now,” says Michael Liggan, founder of Altavista Property.

“Most interest is

from medium-aged professionals who want to spend part or all of the year in their Marbella property, now not just for holidays but as part of their normal living/ working lifestyle. It’s entirely possible to work remotely from your Marbella home and travel as and when needed, so buyers are keen to create work spaces within the property that allow for this kind of flexibility.”

Among the Altavista projects offered, the compact modern villas of La Finca de Marbella,

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CaboRoyale, La Finca de La Cala and La Vera fit the new buyer trends best. “The present moment feels like a period of evolution and change, but it is important to remember that it bears no direct comparison with the financial crisis, since this is not a financial or macroeconomic situation but the result of a pandemic. There is no property bubble or oversupply, and I think this is why people have the confidence to invest here. Though it is also true that many are making the move to more tangible assets such as real estate right now.”

About to announce an exciting

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new project soon, Michael is part of a large group of property professionals on the Costa del Sol who have responded well to the challenges of the Covid-crisis and are currently seeing a wave of interest as people abroad reevaluate their priorities and opt for the characteristics that have always made this part of the world special—but now seem more important than ever. i www.altavistaproperty.com www.marbella-ev.com www.otero.com.es www.realdelaquinta.com

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SWANS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL GRADUATION CEREMONY

Swans International School hosted a beautiful Graduation Ceremony on 3rd July to celebrate the departure of the Year 13 International Baccalaureate students. Held at Finca la Concepción, which allowed for Covid-19 regulations to be followed, Swans families enjoyed an emotional time with heart-felt speeches, entertainment and videos re-telling the story of their journey throughout Swans School.

Headteacher, Mr Rob Maldonado, said “They will be sorely missed, as many of this cohort have been with us since Early Years in the primary school. But we know that they will enjoy great success at some of the world’s best universities.” i www.swansschoolinternational.es

“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today” – Malcolm X

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ALEXIS DE VILAR AT SHOLEH ABGHARI ART GALLERY

‘In Search of Paradise Lost’ is the inspiration behind stunning photography by Alexis de Vilar, shown at a private viewing recently at Sholeh Abghari Art Gallery in Marbella. de Vilar is an author, explorer, and photographer who invites his audience to change their outlook by discovering the world through his eyes. i www.sholehabghari.com

“Art speaks where words are unable to explain” – Mathiole

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IBERIAN TOUR AT AEDAS HOMES

Iberian Tour, an exclusive four-day event for lovers of luxury cars, recently made its way to Marbella, choosing AEDAS Homes Soul Marbella Sunset development as the backdrop for an exhibition of over 25 high-end vehicles. Attendees enjoyed a selection of delightful cocktails and canapés while also taking photos of the spectacular vehicles, which boasted a perfect blend of style and power. Among those taking part were top businesspeople including the broker, Josef Ajram, and the actor, Maxi Iglesias. i www.aedashomes-international.com

“I have a passion for fast cars. To drive them means

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pure joy to me” – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

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MAX BEACH – A TROPICAL PARADISE

© Kevin Horn

evening with a cool pool, exotic palms, The Metro Group recently opened Max sunbeds, DJ spun music, extensive Beach, situated right on the seafront terracing, and a fully-equipped gym at Riviera del Sol. It is a veritable on the upper floor. Owner Ram tropical paradise where visitors can Nandkishore comments savour an extensive menu featuring that he has put his “heart and soul” everyone’s favourites, cocktails into the creation of Max Beach and it and full bar service. Here, you can shows. Well worth a visit! languidly spend a nice afternoon and i www.maxbeach.es

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FINCA CORTESIN SHINES AT TRAVEL + LEISURE WORLD’S BEST AWARDS 2020

Finca Cortesin is honoured to have been awarded Best Resort Hotel in Spain and Portugal in the Travel + Leisure 2020 World’s Best Awards.

The acclaimed Spanish resort also placed second on the list of the Best European Resort Hotels and eleventh among the Top 100 Hotels in the

World. “We are thrilled to have been named the number one resort in Spain and Portugal by the discerning readers of Travel + Leisure,” said General Manager Rene Zimmer. “With our recent reopening, we are excited to welcome back travellers to Andalusia and to Finca Cortesin. Our team has returned to what they do best: taking care of our guests.” i www.fincacortesin.com

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NVOGA – NEW IMAGE, NEW WEB, NEW OFFICE NVOGA has emerged from tough times with a totally new image, new website, and new premises that boast cutting edge design and beautiful views over the Mediterranean. NVOGA helps clients buy and sell quality homes and offers excellent, up-to-date property portfolios of apartments, penthouses, townhouses, villas, and plots for sale at competitive

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prices along the Costa del Sol. Its new look marks it perfectly as a visionary agency with an eye for style. i www.nvoga.com

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES Canada, Europe and the Middle East, LAUNCHES IN MARBELLA Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices is one of the world's fastest-growing residential real estate brokerage franchise networks, with more than 50,000 real estate professionals, nearly 1,500 offices throughout the U.S.,

and more than $119 billion in real estate sales volume. The network now looks forward to helping clients find their dream home in Marbella as well; visit its site to view the range of beautiful villas and apartments. i www.bhhsmarbella.com

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CAIXA BANK – FIRST SPANISH BANK OFFERING DIGITAL MORTGAGE FOR NON-RESIDENTS Caixa Bank is proud to announce that it is the first Spanish bank to allow non-residents to open an account in Spain and request a mortgage online.

The new digital onboarding enables the residents of 15 European countries to sign up to HolaBank and use the

bank's online and mobile banking services in just 48 hours and from any device anywhere. The commitment to innovation and digitalisation enables the bank to expedite innovative proposals for customers and potential clients, accompanying them in any country and through any service channel. i www.caixabank.com

STARBUCKS OPENS IN LA CAÑADA SHOPPING CENTRE

Starbucks has opened a brand new shop at La Cañada Shopping Centre, with a team of 10 baristas ready to brew your favourite cuppa. Enjoy up to 86,000 different combinations of drinks as well as snacks, sandwiches, and sweets.

Clients will also find an array of colourful reusable glasses that are perfect for cold drinks. i www.starbucks.com 176 / AUGUST 2020 WWW.ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM

TM REAL ESTATE GROUP PRESENTS YOUR FUTURE LOVES THE MEDITERRANEAN

both Spain and Europe (countries including Belgium, Poland, Russia, Germany, France and Sweden). TM, TM Real Estate Group, an via its communication channels Alicante company and leader in and social media platforms, wants the residential tourism sector to offer clients the possibility of specialising in the construction enjoying an immersive experience and promotion of second homes from the comfort of their own along the Mediterranean coast, has home, so that they can get a launched, ‘Your future loves the sense of what it feels like to have Mediterranean’, a neuromarketing a property on the Mediterranean. campaign to support and reactivate The campaign has been produced the Spanish residential tourism in six languages and incorporates economy. The initiative, whose 8D binaural sounds to enhance the objective is to highlight the merits feeling of being on the Spanish of the Spain brand and boost sales coast. of second homes, is aimed at i www.yourmediterraneanfuture.com

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TRIORA MONTEALMINARA OPENS CASA TERAPÉUTICA IN MÁLAGA Triora MonteAlminara has opened a new Casa Terapéutica (therapy home) in Málaga to offer continuity in the treatment of addictions. The aim is to aid the progress of those who have completed the inpatient programme at the clinic, so they can transition and adapt to a new life. i www.triora.es

HOTEL BODEGA TÍO PEPE – WORLD’S FIRST SHERRY HOTEL Jerez is now home to Hotel Bodega Tío Pepe, a 27-room boutique hotel opened by renowned sherry makers, González Byass, within its 19th-century winery. It is ensconced in the Old Town of Jerez, with beautiful views over the city’s Cathedral and just a few steps away from the Alcázar. The Hotel boasts an open terrace with a swimming pool, chill-out area, solarium, and restaurant. It also has a gym and massage room. i www.tiopepe.com

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LEGO PRESENTS CLASSIC NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM POLO VALLEY: HIDDEN GEM JUST MINUTES FROM SOTOGRANDE

Polo Valley is a new polo resort situated just 10 minutes from Andalucía’s polo capital: Sotogrande. This worldclass polo facility and resort offers five-star services and experiences that are completely focused on the game of kings. In five hours, you can learn the basic techniques and strategies you need to shine at the game. Polo Valley is located on a 100-acre estate and surrounded by undisturbed nature. It boasts a private 12-acre lake and pristine polo grounds. i Further information, www.polovalley.com

LEGO presents the brand new LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) – a replica of the 1985 classic console with a buildable 1980s retro television that features an eight-bit Mario on a scrolling screen recreation of a Super Mario Bros. level.

This 2,646-piece LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System will be released on August 1, 2020, for around €200. It includes a controller with a connecting cable and plug, and an opening slot for the Super Mario Bros. cartridge with a locking feature to keep it in place in the LEGO console. i www.lego.com

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THE NEW LPA NETWORK Promoters and real estate agencies based in Mรกlaga and Cรกdiz have joined forces to create a new association of the sector on the Costa del Sol, the Leading Property Agents of Spain (LPA). The entity was conceived with the double objective of promoting the Costa del Sol as a highly qualified destination for residential tourism on the one hand, and to revalue the role of real estate agencies in the implementation and development of residential tourism on the other. To do this, the LPA will scrupulously ensure compliance with the deontological code and ethical principles of the professional activity of its partners, in order to offer a personal and professional service of the highest quality. i www.lpaspain.com

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ECO SAILING EXPERIENCE WITH THE PUENTE ROMANO

Sail into the sunset with the Puente Romano Beach Resort, taking part in an eco-friendly aquatic experience aboard the 53-foot LACRUZ sailboat. Enjoy paddle surfing or snorkelling activities while contemplating views of the mountains of Málaga, the rock of Gibraltar, or the African coast. i Further information, www.puenteromano.com

BACKGAMMON FUN AT THE MARBELLA CLUB

Every month, Culture Club Marbella – a social members club dedicated exclusively to cultural activities on the coast – hosts a backgammon tournament at the beautiful Marbella Club Hotel. In Marbella’s Golden Day, the hotel was the essence of the Marbella social scene and aristocrats and socialites played backgammon day and night. Culture Club Marbella has revived this tradition, inspired by the idea of its members, whose parents were regular guests at the hotel. The tournament will be taking place monthly, with mouthwatering prizes courtesy of the hotel and other partners. i www.cultureclubmarbella.com

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VITHAS ADOPTS INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUE AGAINST COLON CANCER

Vithas Sevilla is the first private hospital in AndalucĂ­a to adopt an innovative technique to remove colon tumours with the aid of a full-thickness resection device (FTRD).

The technique is minimally invasive and it allows surgeons to remove the tumour through an endoscopic procedure, without the need for surgery. The first such intervention took place recently and was published in the prestigious journal, Endoscopy. i www.vithas.es

HOME LUGGAGE CHECK-INS WITH BOB.IO Bob.io is a new service that allows you to check in your luggage at home, thus avoiding long queues at the airport.

This process is highly recommended during the COVID-19 pandemic, since it avoids people standing close to each other for extended periods. The team picks up your luggage when you wish and checks it onto the flight you are taking; you pick up your luggage in the baggage reclaim belt at your destination. i Further information, www.Bob.io

PIEL DE MARIPOSA GOLF TOURNAMENT TAKES PLACE IN AUGUST

Butterfly children charity, DEBRA, will be celebrating its annual golf tournament on Wednesday, August 19. This year the fixture will take place at the Guadalmina Golf Club. g For inscriptions or further information, Tel: 666 337 978. www.golfpieldemariposa.es

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FEMINIST TALKS IN ESTEPONA The Comisión de Jóvenes Feministas de Estepona (Commission of Young Feminists of Estepona) will be taking part in a series of open-table talks throughout the summer. The talks will focus on fascinating topics such as ‘What discourse do we identify with?’, ‘Myths of free choice’, and ‘Misogyny and Trans Exclusion’. The meetings will take place every Tuesday at 8pm at the Plaza Joaquín Cortés, with the last talk taking place on August 25. i comisionjovenesfeministas@gmail.com

CONCIERTOSENCASA.COM PRESENTS CONCIERTOS.CLUB

The team behind Conciertosencasa. com have launched Conciertos.Club – a digital diary featuring information on concerts and festivals in 15 of Spain’s busiest cities. David Mayo, founder of the project, states, “Although many big concerts have been cancelled or rescheduled, there are a select number of events that have adapted to the current situation, with organisers ensuring that safety measures are adhered to.” i Further information, www.conciertos.club

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STRAND PROPERTIES

A NEW TAKE ON REAL ESTATE

Having successfully created a new-vision real estate brand in Finland, husband and wife team Anssi and Sirena Kiviranta are set to do the same in Spain. WORDS MICHEL CRUZ PHOTOGRAPHY KEVIN HORN

U

nlike some of the newly emerging tech industries, the property sector is a well-established one with roots that stretch back a long time. As a result, it has a tried and tested way of working that continues to evolve yet has stood the test of time. Even so, a new approach is always welcome, though in so mature a sector not always obvious, but Finnish couple Anssi and Sirena Kiviranta appear to have found a means of modernising and improving agency practice in a way that has revolutionised their home market – and now seems set to do so in Marbella.

Not new to this area, they moved back to Finland when their children began to reach school age, wanting them to enjoy the very high standards of Finnish education. This meant relocation to a very different way of life, but Anssi and Sirena took with them the real estate bug they had ‘caught’ in Marbella. “We love everything to do with

homes,” says Sirena. “Finding the right property, decorating and/or renovating it, landscaping, adding lifestyle features such as Jacuzzis and saunas, and then putting the finishing touches to what becomes a very personal place.”

CREATING A NATIONWIDE BRAND They decided to found a new real estate company, and while there are many wellestablished agencies in a market where one more would not appear to make much of a difference, Anssi and Sirena took Finland’s property sector by storm.

Their strongly branded company, Bo, transcended normal real estate to offer an entire lifestyle concept that was also represented in everything from the décor of the offices and corporate branding to the design options available to clients, the fluid way of operating, the use of modern technology and communication methods, and above all, a very customer and stafffriendly way of working. @ESSENTIALMARBELLAMAGAZINE AUGUST 2020 / 185

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In just a few years, Bo had grown to have a nationwide presence, with 20 offices and hundreds of sales agents across Finland. Such was the success and impact of this new way of working that the company was sold last year to an investment fund for an eight-figure sum.

Anssi and Sirena retain a small share in the company they founded, and also negotiated the right to do the same in one European territory, Spain. So with their children now a little more grownup, the couple resettled in Marbella with the mission not just to enjoy its lifestyle, but also to introduce the concept behind Bo’s success to the Spanish property market.

FROM BO TO STRAND PROPERTIES The new company they founded to do this is Strand Properties, a new firm and new adventure, but one that shares the 186 / AUGUST 2020 WWW.ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM

philosophy and inspiration of Bo. “Bo is a lifestyle concept in Scandinavia, meaning quality of life, wellbeing and also design, in which it shares characteristics with the now famous concept of hygge. It is also a central part of what defines Strand Properties and how we approach our work,” says Anssi. “Service, efficiency and transparency are naturally key to our business, and we achieve this not only with a very client-friendly ethic, but also by focusing on how the agents themselves operate.”

Just as they did so successfully in Finland, Anssi and Sirena have created an environment where the agents are inspired to do what they do best, namely use their long real estate experience and local knowledge to provide optimal client service in everything from sourcing properties to providing lifestyle, practical

and also technical information and advice. “We offer the very finest working conditions and full operational and marketing support to agents who act with a great deal of independence and responsibility, taking only 30% of a sales commission and leaving the remaining 70% for the agents.”

A NEW WAY OF WORKING They have become known for looking after their team and creating a wonderful team ambience, but Anssi and Sirena also demand complete professionalism, knowledge, ethics and a true track record in the industry. They set high standards and expect the kind of independent thinking of American realtors, providing a strong brand and every kind of support an agent could wish for. “In a similar way we list only what we believe in, but then

invest in the kind of marketing that stands out clearly for its quality,” says Sirena, whose showroom offices in Playas del Duque also showcase the design and décor services offered within Strand, including a handpicked selection of top Scandinavian furniture, wood, sauna and hot tub brands.

Starting in Marbella, Strand Properties will expand to Málaga and into the rest of Spain with a modern, Scandinavian philosophy of openness, reliability and an approach where real estate, design and lifestyle merge.

g Av. Playas del Duque Málaga 1C, Puerto Banús.

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ANNA LIMA BEAUTY WITH A MISSION In the past, competitions that began with the word ‘Miss’ judged something which, for many, is way too subjective to be put to the test: beauty. Since the 1960s and 1970s, however, many contestants have come to do more with their titles than dedicate themselves to beauty or fashion. Linda Carter became a famous actor, Diane Sawyer became one of the world’s most respected journalists, and Michelle Pfeiffer also shone on the big screen. Anna Lima, Miss World Marbella, has even bigger dreams, for her eloquent conversation is filled with her concern about social injustice and the importance of being part of a movement of change. Now in her final year of Law at University, she is also a young mum of two who lives between Málaga and Casablanca (homeland of her husband, who is a real estate promoter in these two areas).

WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS PHOTOGRAPHY KEVIN HORN AND COURTESY OF ANNA LIMA

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A

nna recently took part in the Miss World Miss Málaga competition, which was held on July 11. She didn’t take home the crown but had great fun competing. From the start, her intense drive and passion captivate me. Prior to the competition, she told me, “Winning a title these days isn’t about feeling beautiful; for me, it would mean being able to get my message across and to foster greater awareness on important issues. For instance, beauty pageants were once only for single women but here I am, a mum of two, seeking to let women know that your life as an independent woman does not change when you give birth. On the contrary; having daughters makes me want to be a shining example for them.

I want them to know that you can have it all – and that a full life is one that involves reaching out to others.”

She tells me that Mr. Marbella – who also competed in the Mr. Málaga competition – “is also a dad. We have something in common in that we both are keen on knocking down stereotypes and promoting greater diversity.”

One that hits close to home is the idea that Muslim women ‘don’t

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have a life’. She says, “In Morocco, women go out, they dine with their friends, and they have a big influence in their homes.

Perhaps in very small villages things are still more traditional but in big cities a woman’s quality of life is good.”

She is also eager to dispel myths about Muslim men and women. “I was 18 when I met my husband and he was 25. He is a modern man but is also traditional in the sense that he was very committed to me from the start and knew he didn’t want to waste time dating anyone else.

I had my children a few years after getting married. My daughter is four and my son is one-and-a-half. My husband is a shining example of a supportive husband. He is my number one fan and he encourages all my endeavours. When I compete in pageants I always bring my family with me. I am breastfeeding my son so they are always close by.”

The family divides their time between Marbella and Casablanca owing to her husband’s business, but Anna loves Morocco and settled in perfectly well.

“I speak five languages, two of which I started learning when we moved to Morocco – Arabic and French. I am always wanting to learn new things; I am curious by nature and I love studying.”

Anna is a woman who can’t be stopped and as is the case for all highly energetic beings, she has been working on many projects. One is her commitment to the Andrés Olivares Foundation for children with leukaemia and she tells me a few of her upcoming plans. “I am writing a motivational book for men and women,

highlighting subjects like equality, leading a healthy lifestyle, and the importance of taking care of the body and mind.

After I graduate my hope is to launch a foundation in Morocco that provides food to vulnerable families.”

Anna will also be putting her legal qualifications to good use. “I hope to be the honorary consul for Brazil in Casablanca. My mother is from Brazil and my father is Spanish. Currently, there are many Brazilian prisoners in Casablanca who have been lured into the country with promises of good jobs. They have had drugs smuggled into their luggage and have wound up in jail. As a lawyer and consul I hope to be able to help them.”

When I ask Anna where her altruistic side comes from, she answers, “Definitely my mum. When I was a child she used to buy milk and make food for people who were hungry. She would take her shirt off her back for anyone. My husband also believes that the world works better when we help each other. The less selfish you are, the further you progress and the more you help others do the same.” e

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WHO RUNS THE WORLD?

GIRLS!

Despite the fact that I’m probably going to be kicked out of my GTA group, I have decided to go ahead with this headline (sorry, boys). Why? Well, I have many friends who happen to be girls and I recently came across some pretty interesting research about how many do not have access to education, while others struggle with STEM subjects. I am also an admirer of Malala Yousafzai, Nobel prize winner and recent Oxford graduate. She took a bullet to the head in 2012, when she was on the bus home from school. All she really wanted to do was study and she almost lost her life for it. Today, she is dedicating her life to working for the rights of girls to an education. WORDS JOFFREE KING WHY IS GIRLS’ EDUCATION SO IMPORTANT? Education is empowerment and it is also one of the clearest avenues in which discrimination continues to affect women. There are twice as many girls as boys who do not receive an education – according to UNICEF. In impoverished countries, women who do not have an education are likely to marry earlier and have more children, with studies showing that just

one extra year of schooling for girls reduces fertility rates by up to 10 per cent and increases a woman’s future earnings by about 15 per cent. Educated women are more likely to have a smaller and healthier family, to invest in their children’s education, and to resist gender-based violence and discrimination.

IMPORTANT STATISTICS The statistics on inequality in education are staggering

in some countries. For instance, in sub-Saharan Africa, around 33.3 million girls of primary and lower secondary school age are out of school. Poverty is their biggest stumbling block. Research by girls’ education group, CAMFED, has shown that providing an education to girls and women improves the health and wealth of entire countries; it’s also an important way to tackle climate change.

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In 2017, a group of renowned researchers, scientists, business leaders and policymakers came together for Project Drawdown – whose aim was to identify the most substantive solutions to global warming. The team ranked the 100 most powerful solutions to reversing global warming and educating girls came in sixth in the list. Why? Because the more educated women are, the more competent they are to withstand the effects of extreme weather events and vastly changing weather cycles.

They can find jobs that pay well, thus helping to feed their families during trying times.

Girls are actually very vulnerable to natural tragedies; Brookings Institution researchers have found that when droughts and other disasters happen in countries like Afghanistan, girls tend to be pulled out of school so they can help their families stay afloat economically.

HOW CAN ACCESS TO EDUCATION BE IMPROVED? There are many ways to ensure an education for girls, says UNICEF. These include greater parental and community involvement, offering low cost

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schooling and flexible timetables, building schools closer to children’s homes, giving girls early childhood care (since this boosts selfesteem), and teaching subjects that are relevant to the children’s background.

career choices can be attributed to societal stereotypes, childbearing expectations, or other reasons.

tests. This is because girls may be less inclined to guess answers than boys. They perform better at open-ended instead of multiple-choice SOLUTIONS TO THE STEM tests. Factors like these DISPARITY need to be taken into In order to knock down account to give girls an walls for girls in STEM extra ‘push’ into STEM subjects, many steps fields.

STEM EDUCATION GAPS can be taken. These The gap in education Even in wealthier nations, include educating between girls and boys there continues to be teachers (so that they, is not an easy one to an important gap when themselves, do not add fill – particularly in poor it comes to STEM to the unfair stereotyping) countries, where different subjects. Edutopia.org and actively teaching expectations and a lack reports that in several children that intelligence of means can lead to girls studies, when children is not a fixed concept. marrying and bearing were asked to draw Targeting problem areas children young. We a mathematician or or going over basic can help by supporting scientist, girls were twice concepts can bridge the organisations like as likely to draw men gap and enable girls to Collective Calling, which as women, while boys grow in confidence in aim to help impoverished almost always drew men key subjects. So, too, can children have a better life.

– often in professional emphasising the work of We should also advocate garb. Far fewer girls female mathematicians for more equality in our enter STEM professions and scientists. own schools. Often, the involving mathematics, Testing for STEM biggest stumbling block engineering, science, subjects also needs to to success in STEM and technology. This is change. One interesting subjects is the belief the case despite the fact study undertaken at a set that one ‘is just not that maths and science of prestigious schools in good at’ something. In test scores reveal that New York found that girls fact, when we start from girls perform as well as obtained better grades the basics and work our boys do. Researchers in high-level maths but way up, we can all be don’t know if the reason performed worse than good at anything and for the disparity in boys on admissions everything. e

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Your safety is our priority.

Casares, Andalucía - Spain WWW.FINCACORTESIN.COM

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the gourmet

MEET IVÁN CERDEÑO, FOUNDER OF MICHELIN-STARRED RESTAURANT, CIGARRAL DEL ÁNGEL IN TOLEDO AND NOW EXECUTIVE CHEF OF THE NEW FLORIDA MIJAS BEACH CLUB. WE ALSO CHECK OUT WHAT'S HOT ON THE FOOD SCENE AND SAVOUR SOME COOL ALBARIÑO WINE.

GO TO PAGE 200 CHEF'S PROFILE

GO TO PAGE 210 WINE – ALBARIÑO

GO TO PAGE 204 GOURMET BYTES NEWS GASTRONOMY CHEFS WINE 200 Chef’s Profile: Iván Cerdeño of the new Florida Beach Club 204 Gourmet Bytes 210 Wine – Albariño

GO TO PAGE 210 WINE – ALBARIÑO

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IVÁN CERDEÑO

BRINGS HIS LOVE OF REGIONAL CUISINE TO FLORIDA MIJAS BEACH WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF FLORIDA MIJAS BEACH

T

he brand new Florida Mijas Beach has brought something that was very much in demand in the Mijas area: the luxury beach club concept, one that has enjoyed great success in Marbella and Puerto Banús. The new beach club has everything you

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would expect of an establishment of this calibre: great food, ambience, and resort-inspired design. Florida Mijas Beach is divided into different zones: Palmira Mijas (a restaurant and terrace), Origen (with a pool and beach club), and Lighthouse (for clubbing and dancing

the night away). The surroundings exude luxury and sophistication and the sizable pool is definitely the jewel in the crown.

Iván Cerdeño is another major reason to pay the elegant club a visit. This Chef is the founder and Executive Chef of eponymous Restaurante Iván Cerdeño – Cigarral del Ángel, a Michelin-starred dining haven in Toledo known for its passion for traditional and regional cuisine. “Not many people know this, but the Ebro river was once rich in angulas (eels), which formed the basis of many of Toledo’s oldest dishes. Unfortunately, poor maintenance has caused the loss of this and many other water species.

If you have ever seen fish-shaped mazapanes (Christmas marzipans), then you know that these treats were created to lament the loss of these beloved river fauna,” Iván tells me, and I get the feeling he could speak about regional food indefinitely.

Those who look to Madrid for the roots of high gastronomy should make a stop in Toledo to learn about its role in

this industry. “Toledo has always been a city in which royalty and aristocracy have resided. Its rich history has given rise to dishes made with incredible mental acuity. Old recipe books even feature dishes made with hard-to-source ingredients like red bream; the upper classes in olden days were demanding and ingredients such as this were frequently brought in from coastal areas.”

At his Toledo restaurant, Cerdeño serves delights like aubergine (another regional ingredient), roe marrow, and quisquillas (tiny shrimp). His aim is to usher traditional recipes and zero kilometre produce into the new millennium through a combination of “creativity and intention” and although Mijas is worlds away from the colder climes of Toledo, his plan is identical to what he has set in motion in his hometown. It focuses on highlighting local cuisine through innovation and appealing aesthetics.

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Iván began his professional relationship with the Florida group in 2018, when he took on the directorship of Florida Retiro – an acclaimed restaurant ensconced in Spain’s most iconic park – the Retiro, with its carefully manicured gardens and priceless sculptures. At Florida Mijas, the Chef is bringing diners the seasonal, fresh, beautiful creations that he is known for in Madrid and Toledo. “Palmira will be serving Mediterranean cuisine made with locally sourced ingredients. Dishes will include grilled fish, a range of different rice dishes, top quality meat and more.”

If you are a rice fanatic, then this is the perfect spot to enjoy a hearty dish downed with your favourite glass of white wine. The

appealing names such as Kraken, Vibrante Berry, or Florale Tonic. rice menu alone includes If you are curious about five different dishes, Florida Mijas Beach and including traditional paella the type of cuisine Iván and a fideua with rock Cerdeño has dreamed up squid and Málaga prawns. for this unique venue in There are various tuna Mijas Costa, check out dishes as well (made with their online site, which Almadraba tuna), cured and features all the food and marinated starters, deep drink menus. One thing fried dishes (think puntillitas you should be generous or croquetas with ham), with on your first visit, is and meat dishes (including time. This new oasis is the steak and steak tartar). type of place you should Origen, meanwhile, is plan on spending all day more for poolside cuisine. in. Rent a hammock, bring “We really listen to what your friends, and enjoy an clients demand.” By the afternoon chilling out and pool or beach, what they sampling great food and really crave are dishes refreshing drinks. What like sushi, poke bowls, more could you wish for burgers, cold soups, and from the summer? sandwiches, seasonal salads, and fried foods, g Florida Mijas Beach as well as wonderful C/ Carabelas 9, cocktails such as daiquiris La Cala de Mijas. and margaritas. There is Open daily for lunch and also an interesting list of dinner. Tel: 951 068 807. non-alcohol drinks with www.floridabeach.es

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Tel: 952 818 392 www.thaigallerymarbella.com Puente Romano Hotel, Plaza Village, Marbella.

CH

ALL OUR RESTAURANTS ARE NOW OPEN, WITH SAFETY MEASURES!

IN ES E R ES TA U R A N T PO LY

NEW TAI PAN

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Marbella

ES IA N BA R

Tel: 952 777 893 / 952 775 500 www.taipanmarbella.com Puente Romano, Fase 2, Marbella.

Open Daily for Dinner from 8:00

SUKHOTHAI Exquisite Royal Thai Cuisine Tel: 952 770 550 www.sukhothaimarbella.com Marbellamar, L-3A, Marbella.

Open Daily for Dinner from 8:00

251 Oriental.indd 1

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BODEGAS MONTECILLO

BRINGS VIÑA MONTY LINE BACK TO LIFE

COMPILED BY MARISA CUTILLAS

GO WITH THE FLOW AT KARBÓ BURGER &

PIZZA GRILL

KARBÓ is a new haven for lovers of chargrilled hamburgers and wood-fired gourmet pizzas and it is just as ideal a spot for those into Tex-mex food, vegan dishes, Poké salads, and desserts. The new Marbella establishment also sells a wide variety of national and international beers and wines, as well as fruit cocktails and natural smoothies. Take your experience to the next level by enjoying their supersized projection screens, which broadcast sporting events, music videos, and more. The restaurant is available for celebrations as well. g Avda. Duque de Ahumada 9, Marbella. Tel: 952 008 822. www.karbomarbella.com

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Bodegas Montecillo is pleased to announce that it has recovered its iconic brand, Viña Monty. The winemakers have launched three new limited edition Reserva bottles that carry this label, and are also releasing the 20 remaining bottles from the Viña Monty Gran Reserva 1975 collection.

The offerings include 1,240 cases of Viña Monty Graciano Reserva 2015 (100 per cent Graciano with a 30-month ageing period in French oak and a minimum of 16 months in the bottle), 1,266 cases of Viña Monty Garnacha Reserva 2015 (100 per cent Garnacha, aged for 26 months in mixed oak and French oak barrels with 20 months in bottle), and 340 cases of Viña Monty Viura-Tempranillo Blanco Reserva 2016 (90 per cent Viura, 10 per cent Tempranillo Blanco, aged for 16 months in French oak barrels with 13 months in bottle). i www.osborne.es

LES JARDINS: A

BRAND NEW ALFRESCO LOUNGE AREA OPENS AT THE PUENTE ROMANO BEACH RESORT Les Jardins is a charming little setting for an evening aperitif. Bursting with flora, the space is a subtropical paradise at the heart of the Puente Romano’s emblematic gardens that invite you to escape into nature and share a moment of respite. The menú is as alluring as the décor, since the emphasis CLICK TO RESERVE

is on wholesome cooking made with fresh ingredients. Enjoy a cocktail or carefully selected wine alongside authentic gourmet tapas while you relax and take your time to dine al fresco in style. Les Jardins is open from 7pm onwards. g Please book your table in advance on Tel: 682 112 233.

CLICK FOR MENU

SAN PEDRO FOOD TRUCKS Street food trucks are all the rage in big cities across the world and they recently took over the San Pedro de Alcántara Boulevard. Some of the most popular trucks included Rock and Burgers, The Trick Truck (Mexican food), and Walk (Argentinean empanadas). The event was such a success that locals are hoping it returns soon. i www.sanpedromarbella.eu

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MOSH FUN KITCHEN TURNS FIVE

Mosh Fun Kitchen is pleased to announce that it has just celebrated its fifth anniversary.

Known as a place to ‘eat, drink, party, and repeat’, it is as revered by locals as it is by visitors to the Coast. At this restaurant, you can enjoy fusion cuisine and ‘travel the world with your palate’, thanks to scrumptious dishes made with fresh produce. There is also an

array of colourful cocktails to help you cool down while you party hard. Mosh Fun Kitchen belongs to Grupo Mosh, which also owns Playa Padre, Momento, and Motel Particulier. i Mosh is now a client of Idonea, a prestigious Madrid-based agency focused on lifestyle communications, www.moshfunkitchen.com

A GOURMET EXPERIENCE

AT BIOPARC FUENGIROLA

If you have an annual pass to Bioparc Fuengirola our you simply love gourmet food, take note. The park is now offering an original dining experience with a menu crafted by renowned Chef, Lara Roguez. The new dining space is inspired on India.

Diners can tuck into three courses ‘by the jungle’, enjoying quality food made with produce from the sea and land.

Prior booking is necessary. i bioparcfuengirola.es

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CINCO JOTAS AND THE WORLD’S 50 BEST RESTAURANTS HOLD

GASTRONOMIC AUCTION TO AID THE LUXURY GASTRONOMY SECTOR Cinco Jotas recently took part in 50 Best For Recovery – a large-scaled gastronomic auction organised by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in order to raise funds for the restaurant industry.

The event, which took place in July and lasted for

nine days, included 130 unique experiences at the hands of chefs and brands from the famous The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Cinco Jotas will be offering a luxury experience in the surroundings of the heart of two culinary gems: jamón de bellota 100 per cent Ibérico and wines bearing the Jerez D.O. i www.obsorne.es

UBER EATS NOW IN MARBELLA

Uber Eats, the food app of international company Uber, is now available in Marbella and Fuengirola.

Users can order food from a bevvy of restaurants and have it delivered to their home or office. i Just download the app or log onto www.ubereats.com

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ALBARIÑO & THE RIAS BAIXAS

LOVE AT THE FIRST SIP WORDS PHILIP HARRIS PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF TERRAS GAUDA AND PAZO BARRANTES

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SCENE SETTING Back in 2015 as I sat in the Marusía restaurant in A Guarda, the arrival of a chilled glass of Albariño enhanced my already blissful state. The municipality is the most southerly point of the Rias Baixas region and where the River Miño flows into the Atlantic. While the town could have done with a new coat of paint, the vast portion of shellfish with its fresh tang of iodine could not have been better. Like Italians with pasta, the Spanish innately know how to cook marisco. As I demolished my bowl and probably half of my wife’s, I realised it had been 21 years since my first sip of the legendary grape.

My introduction was totally fortuitous as I was looking for some dry whites with the stipulation that they weren’t the usual crowd-pleasers like Sancerre or anything Australian, both market forces at the time in the UK. An enterprising retailer recommended one from Northern Italy called Lugana and a wine called Lagar de Cervera, made from a grape called Albariño from an unpronounceable region somewhere in North-western Spain. They were both great successes but finding them subsequently on a regular basis proved very difficult.

SERENDIPITY I had no idea then that I would end up working for one of the UK’s most

significant importers of Spanish wine and that the estate I first tasted would be one of their agencies. However, it became clear why finding them again would prove so difficult. Some 20 years ago it was impossible to convince the majority of the public that Spain could even produce white wines.

A few geeks were aware of white Rioja because of red Rioja’s dominance within the market, but that led to consumers believing that all Spanish whites would taste oaky. The whites from Torres were always competent, sometimes excellent, but sold due to the Torres name. Txakolina, often with its Basque script, was usually considered Greek. It is difficult today to imagine a wine list without Albariño, but it actually took a very long time for the wine to become an overnight success.

DAMASCENE CONVERSION A visit to Galicia in 2003, organised by the Spanish

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promotional body ICEX, proved the breakthrough. The last day was a Saturday and we were visiting the Rías Baixas Consejo who had put together an extremely comprehensive tasting and turned out in force. I led the group that day as our natural leader and Spanish speaker Carlos Read was absent. Sadly our translator merely conveyed my thanks but not my comment that French growers wouldn’t have got off their culos that day to provide it. There were some horrors but the consistency was far greater and the quality far better than anything the group tasted that whole week. Albariño was the way forward and perhaps our approach to the market had to be more messianic?

I don’t often use that word as it always sadly reminds me of Tony Blair, but

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ultimately why drink Muscadet when you could have Albariño?

FINDING ONE’S WAY AROUND The Rías Baixas (lower estuaries) takes its name from the three estuaries Arousa, Pontevedra and Vigo that feed the Atlantic. Of the numerous rivers which flow southwestwards to the ocean, the River Miño is the most famous, forming the border with Portugal. However, the Ríos Ulla, Oitavén and Tea all flow through the grape-growing areas. The DO (Denominación de Origen) Rías Baixas was founded in 1988, but was briefly called DO Albariño and actually dates back to 1980 when it was the Denominación Específica Albariño. It is comprised of five sub-regions. Heading south from Santiago de Compostela, the most northerly is Ribeira do Ulla, concentrated along the river banks with

Li

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An appetite for life: traditional open fire-grilled fish and

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creative cuisine with the Mediterranean Sea as your

para que disfrutes de tus almuerzos y cenas veraniegas;

backdrop. Sea grill opens its doors daily, to offer summer

además, te esperamos los domingos con música en vivo.

lunches and dinners in style, with live music on Sundays.

r es taur antes @pue nte r o m a no .c o m +34 682 11 22 33 | pue nt e r o m a no . c o m

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river banks with its heart at Vedra. Val do Salnés, stretches from Villagarcía through Cambados down to Sanxenxo with the smallest region Soutomaior nestled around the town of that name, just south of Pontevedra. To the southeast and south, two regions are situated along the Tea and Miño rivers: Condado do Tea in the east and O Rosal in the west.

Crossing the Miño takes one into Portugal.

REGIONAL DIFFERENCES A variety of soils appear: alluvial in the Ribeira do Ulla, with a bedrock of granite underpinning the regions of Salnés and Soutomaior.Both granite and slate exhibit with light granitic subsoil in the Condado do Tea. O

Rosal has both alluvial and granite soils. These differences, along with temperature, define the character of the wines throughout the DO. With its proximity to the Atlantic, the climate is maritime.

One can expect cool, damp conditions and plenty of fog, but there is abundant sunshine – over 2,000 hrs during the growing season. The coolest and wettest zone is the Val do Salnés with between 45-65 inches of rain. This climate and the granite soil form the steely minerality and crisp acidity present in the wines.

Although one thinks of Galicia as a cool region, particularly when compared with much of Spain, that coolness is limited to the coast. There

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is even a three-degree Celsius rise between Cambados in the north and Tui on the southern border which is impressive given the mere distance of 55 kms!

Furthermore, the Rías Baixas is not typical of Galicia as a whole. If one considers the more easterly regions of Monterrei and Valdeorras around Ourense, everything changes from grape varieties to soil to climate.

GRAPE VARIETIES AND WINERIES Albariño forms 95 per cent of all plantings but the further south one heads, the more

varieties are found. Treixadura, Loureira Blanca and Caíño comprise the remaining 5 per cent.

These three are present in many blends from Condado do Tea and O Rosal. In this aspect, O Rosal has more in common with the Portuguese Vinho Verde region than the Val do Salnés! Albariño is elegant and citric with the best examples reminiscent of tangerines. Louriera (laurel) is more floral, as its name suggests. Treixadura adds weight to a blend. Caíño, when blended with Albariño, adds zest, as the warmer climate of the southern districts produces wines with a more tropical fruit character.

The grapes occupy just over 4,000 hectares of land and belong to 6,000 registered growers.

Taking these figures into account makes one see that many growers are planting vines as part of a polyculture rather than a main crop. Vines are regularly grown on pergolas to allow other crops to be grown underneath as well

as increasing ventilation. The damp conditions mean that very few organic producers exist, although the likes of Gerardo Mendéz at Do Ferreiro keeps intervention to a minimum.

With 180 wineries (from 2015 figures), what names should one look for either in the shops or while holidaying in the region?

I’ve always been impressed by Fefiñanes in Cambados. They were the first bodega to bottle their Albariño, back in 1928, and the quality has never wavered since that innovative decision. Their ‘basic’ Albariño is always impressive with more complicated characters found in their 1583 and Tercer Año wines. Terras Gauda in O Rosal offers a different style but is worth seeking out. Look for La Mar (made from Caíño), Abadia de San Campio and the eponymous Terras Gauda. Pazo de Señoráns wines always please, as does the lesser-known estate of Fillaboa. La Comtesse from Pazo de Barrantes is a rare wood-aged Albariño, although the practice is becoming more common. Paco & Lola, Do Ferreiro, Lagar de Cervera (from the famous La Rioja Alta estate), Zárate and Mar de Frades have all impressed and flown the flag high. Seldom has in-depth research been so pleasurable! e @ESSENTIALMARBELLAMAGAZINE AUGUST 2020 / 215

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