Essential Magazine May 2016

N º 201 - MAY 2016

MEDIA MERCEDES

THE 2ND

SWIMMING S 65 AMG COUPÉ SKIN IS IN

LOCAL WILD

METAMORPHOSIS

TOMÀS CUISINÉ

ICONS & CREATORS WINE ARTISAN

FROM BLOGS SOCIAL MEDIA

TO RICHES

I S S U E 2 0 1 • M AY 2 0 1 6

ESSENTIAL FOR LUXURIOUS LIVING

essential essential magazine® marbella

w THE TREND p THE FOCUS d THE STYLE n THE SPA z THE PRO h THE LEISURE b THE GOURMET . THE GUIDE

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COMPLIMENTARY EDITION

MARBELLA

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Ag So en le cy Enclosed: 213 m² Terrace: 104 m² Price: € 2,250,000

PUENTE ROMANO 3-bed second line beach duplex penthouse with sea views in Jardín Persa of Marina Puente Romano, next to the 5-star hotel with all its facilities at hand and just steps to beach. A great opportunity to acquire an exceptional and spacious apartment in excellent condition on the Golden Mile! Ref. ES8773

An International Associate of Savills

Ag So en le cy Enclosed: 1,037 m² Plot: 5,451 m² Price: €6,950,000

CASCADA DE CAMOJÁN Modern 6-bed masterpiece with Bali touches on a double plot. Superb sea and mountain views. Designed by well-known architect Carlos Lamas and built to the highest standards. Gated community with 24-hr security. Heated salt water pool, cinema, garage with revolving floor, domotic system, wine cellar and many more features.

Possibility to build a guest house. Ref. ES8873

Offices at the Puente Romano Hotel & opposite the Marbella Club Hotel Tel. (+34) 952 863 750 info@panorama.es www.panorama.es

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Issue 201 • May 2016

S T A F F PUBLISHER AND DIRECTOR

YEARS

GENERAL MANAGER ASSOCIATE EDITOR PRODUCTION MANAGER

U ANNIVERSARY U

SALES SUPPORT

IAIN BLACKWELL director@essentialmagazine.com ANDREA BÖJTI sales@essentialmagazine.com MARISA CUTILLAS editorial@essentialmagazine.com SUSANNE WHITAKER design@essentialmagazine.com JAN DENDAUW jan@essentialmagazine.com RÉKA VIDÁTS reka@essentialmagazine.com

ACCOUNTS EXECUTIVE OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

CREATIVE DIRECTOR DESIGN & LAYOUT STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

PRINTING DEPÓSITO LEGAL

MARIANO JEVA cuentas@essentialmagazine.com MONIKA BÖJTI info@essentialmagazine.com

ANDREA BÖJTI INMA AURIOLES KEVIN HORN (www.photographermarbella.com) IAIN BLACKWELL, BELINDA BECKETT, LOLA CULSÁN, MICHEL CRUZ, CRISTINA FALKENBERG, RIK FOXX, RUSSELL GRANT, ALI PARANDEH, CARLOS READ, JOHN WELLER, TONY WHITNEY, KEVIN WOODFORD JIMÉNEZ GODOY A. GRÁFICAS, MURCIA D.L. MA-512-99

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

ESSENTIAL MARBELLA MAGAZINE

@ESSENTIALEDITOR

www.essentialmagazine.com Member of the Association of Spanish Periodical Publications

affiliated to:

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. © 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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PROPERTY DEVELOPERS & ADVISORS · MARBELLA CLUB ·

Our aim and philosophy is to create beauty and high quality properties, for modern day family living in the Marbella area.

We are currently developing a number of contemporary villa projects, in prime locations such as The Golden Mile and Nueva Andalucia. Our properties offer sea and golf views, peaceful and secure surroundings, yet are still conveniently located to all amenities.

Our properties are designed to be at the forefront of the latest trends and requirements in terms of architecture and amenities, accommodating modern living with the increasing demand for low maintenance and energy efficiency. We offer contemporary and elegant splendour, finished to the highest standards, with breathtaking views and spacious outdoors, offered as ‘turn-key’ properties.

Our developments are carried out in joint venture with experienced and reputable local builders and architects, enabling us to provide high quality construction, delivered on time and at competitive prices.

Below are some of the projects we currently have available: Los Olivos: 19 villas in a new gated community in Nueva Andalucia, with sea and golf views. Prices from ¤ 1.795.000.

Show house now ready for clients to view.

Altos de Puente Romano · 2 luxury villas with sea views, located within a gated community, walking distance to the Puente Romano Hotel. Prices from ¤ 2.890.000.

La Cerquilla: 3 contemporary villas in the price range from ¤ 2.500.000 - ¤ 5.500.000.

Please contact us for further information.

OFFICE +34 952 765 060 MOBILE +34 618 886 885 EMAIL info@solvilla.no Hotel Marbella Club, Oficina 10, Blvd. Principe Alfonso von Hohenlohe, 29602 Marbella, Spain WWW.SOLVILLA.NO

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1. Altos de Puente Romano, Golden Mile - 2 Luxury Villas for Sale.

Gated community, 24-hours security, 6 Bedrooms, 6 Bathrooms, Built: 570 m2 , Plot: 1.641 m2. Prices from ¤ 2.890.000.

2 & 3. Los Olivos, Nueva Andalucía - New Development of 19 Luxury Villas, high quality finishes, gated community with on-site security, sea & golf views. Prices from ¤ 1.795.000.

4. 21A La Cerquilla, Nueva Andalucía - Luxury Villa for Sale.

5 Bedrooms, 5 Bathrooms, Built: 575 m2, Plot: 1.684 m2. ¤ 2.750.000.

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En Ex ge clu l & siv Vö e to lk er s

Bahía de Marbella

This is certainly one of the most interesting beachside properties currently offered for sale. Located in the elegant beachfront community of Bahía de Marbella, this magnificent home is situated on a very large and private plot of over 3.200 m2, with spectacular gardens surrounding a 25 meter swimming pool with Gazebo and many outdoor entertainment areas. The villa offers a well-thought-out layout, with large reception rooms and terraces situated in one wing and three bedroom suites set separately

in a different wing on the ground floor. The upper floor boasts a fantastic master suite with a separate dressing room, bathroom and a private terrace with fantastic sea views in one wing and two further en-suite bedrooms on the other side. The lower level consists of two staff apartments and 300 meters entertainment areas. A truly sophisticated home just steps from the beach. 6 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, built 1.149 m², plot 3.234 m².

E&V ID: W-022KIW. Price: 4.950.000 €

Office El Rosario: 952 83 20 40 · www.engelvoelkers.com/MarbellaAndEast

Breathtaking views and a contemporary design are hallmarks of this outstanding home prominently situated in Sierra Blanca, a prestigious private gated community, just a few minutes’ drive from Marbella beaches and all the amenities.

This modern villa is sophistically decorated and offers the highest quality and luxury fittings throughout. Visible from every corner of the ground and upper floor are the mesmerizing views towards the Mediterranean coastline, Gibraltar and Africa. Constructed over three levels with a private lift, you will find

to rs ve e si ölk clu V Ex el & g En

Sierra Blanca

on the ground floor an elegant entrance hall leading to beautifully decorated and spacious reception rooms, as well as a study and a superb kitchen with dining area. The upper floor consists of four bedrooms, with a large master suite and an adjusted private gym. The lower floor incorporates a heated swimming pool, a sauna, TV and games room, and separate guest accommodation. 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, built 880 m², plot 1.314 m².

E&V ID: W-024EIM. Price: 3.700.000 €

Office Marbella: 952 86 84 06 · www.engelvoelkers.com/MarbellaAndEast

You only live once,

Cascada de Camoján: Built on an elevated plot of 8.778 m2 boasting spectacular sea and mountain views. Incomparable in prestige, luxury, location and design! Cinema, gym, indoor pool, full Spa, bodega. 6 beds, 6 baths. Built 2.501 m2, plot 8.778 m2.

E&V ID: W-013GFZ. Price on request. Tel.: 952 86 84 06.

La Zagaleta: A remarkable grand estate showcasing impressive Andalusian style. Breathtaking sea views. Exquisitely presented and decorated. Gym, sauna, bodega. 5 beds, 5 baths. Built 941m2, plot 6.417 m2.

E&V ID: W-024PX0. Price: 5.500.000 €. Tel.: 952 85 98 60.

Sierra Blanca: Well priced! Elegantly designed villa offering the best sea views available in Sierra Blanca. Heated pool, bodega, gym, big garage for 3 cars. 6 beds, 5 baths. Built 702 m2, plot 1.456 m2.

E&V ID: W-0245KP. Price: 3.490.000 €. Tel.: 952 86 84 06.

Beachfront Golden Mile: Best priced modern seafront apartment situated in the gated complex of Las Cañas, close to Marbella Club Hotel and all amenities. 3 beds, 3 baths. Living area 130 m2, terrace 26 m2.

E&V ID: W-021LK6. Price: 1.350.000 €. Tel.: 952 86 84 06.

Beachfront Bahía de Marbella: Facing the white dunes, a unique, spacious townhouse with a private garden in a gated community and direct beach access. 3 beds, 2 baths. Living area 150 m2, terraces 77 m2.

E&V ID: W-024XDQ. Price: 1.175.000 €. Tel.: 952 83 20 40.

Office Elviria: 952 83 55 80 · Office El Rosario: 952 83 20 40 www.engelvoelkers.com/MarbellaAndEast

we will show you where!

Beachfront Los Monteros: There is currently no comparable beachfront property for sale. Timeless and sophisticated style on a very generous plot set in the most prestigious beach resort. Indoor pool, sauna, hamam, gym, home cinema. 7 beds, 8 baths. Built 1.440 m2, plot 3.600 m2.

E&V ID: W-0207K1. Price on request. Tel.: 952 83 20 40.

La Quinta Golf: Situated directly on the golf course, a spectacular modern villa beautifully decorated and ready to move in. Highest qualities throughout. 4 beds, 4 baths. Built 390 m2, plot 1.000 m2.

E&V ID: W-008SOS. Price: 1.595.000 €. Tel.: 952 85 98 60.

Hacienda Las Chapas: Fantastically priced! A truly beautiful house set within magnificent gardens affording lovely sea views in the elegant resort of Hacienda Las Chapas. 3 beds, 4 baths. Built 552 m2, plot 1.501 m2.

E&V ID: W-01ZS6E. Price: 1.150.000 €. Tel.: 952 83 55 80.

Puente Romano: A very stylish penthouse. Recently renovated and decorated to the highest standards. Close to the beach, in the famous 5-star Beach & Spa Resort. 2 beds, 2 baths. Living area 117 m2, terrace 24 m2.

E&V ID: W-024L96. Price: 1.000.000 €. Tel.: 952 86 84 06.

Beachfront Río Real: Best priced beachfront apartment in Río Real Playa, luxurious complex with direct beach access.Very spacious, bright with large terrace. 2 beds, 2 baths. Living area 123 m2, terrace 35 m2.

E&V ID: W-023Z67. Price: 950.000 €. Tel.: 952 83 20 40.

Office Puerto Banús: 952 85 98 60 · Office Marbella: 952 86 84 06 www.engelvoelkers.com/MarbellaAndEast

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Villa - La Zagaleta, Benahavís 5 Bedrooms

5 Bathrooms

950 m2 Built

Price: 3.950.000 € Ref: DM3561

7.293 m2 Plot

Splendid home on extensive plot with impeccable Mediterranean design and the finest qualities.

Convenient layout and landscaped gardens with heated pool make this a perfect family villa for year-round living.

Villa - El Madroñal, Benahavís 6 Bedrooms

5 Bathrooms

772 m2 Built

Price: 3.100.000 € Ref: DM3599

6.955 m2 Plot

Truly charming villa on an elevated position with panoramic sea and mountain views.

Spacious accommodation in main house and independent guest apartment. Plot size allows further construction.

Over 417 Offices in 58 Countries

Av. Cánovas del Castillo, 4 29601 Marbella, Málaga, Spain

Golf Valley, Nueva AndalucĂ­a

Modern architectural masterpiece with panoramic views 5 Bedrooms

4 Bathrooms

667 m2 Built

Price: 2.795.000 â‚Ź Ref: DM3827

1.117 m2 Plot

Exceptional use of light and space to capture stunning golf, sea and mountain views.

Designed by renowned architect using unique features. Must be seen to be appreciated.

Tel: 952 765 138 info@dmproperties.com DMproperties.com

DMproperties.com

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Enclosed: 728 m² Plot: 1,471 m² Price: € 4,150,000

SIERRA BLANCA Newly built, contemporary-style villa in the most exclusive urbanisation on the Golden Mile with 24-hr security. Luxurious 5-bed south-facing villa, finished to the highest specifications. A stylish property, ready to move into!

Ref. ES9126

Enclosed: 342 m² Plot: 1,555 m² Price: € 2,450,000

LA QUINTA Magnificent 4-bed frontline golf

villa. Recently built to high standards, within a gated community of villas. Ref. ES8328

Enclosed: 570 m² Plot: 2,826 m² Price: € 1,650,000

GOLDEN MILE 6-bed villa within an exclusive community. Night time security. One of the largest plots available in Marbella Hill Club. Ref. ES7120

Enclosed: 378 m² Plot: 842 m² Price: € 2,350,000

NUEVA ANDALUCÍA 5-bed villa under construction in La Cerquilla – sought-after area with 24-hr security. Completion autumn 2016 Ref. ES8757

Enclosed: 139 m² Terrace: 38 m² Price: € 925,000

GOLDEN MILE 2-bed apartment in La Trinidad, a 5-star complex with outdoor & indoor pool, gym, 24-hr security, walk to the beach! Ref. ES9208

An International Associate of Savills

Enclosed: 2,513 m² Plot: 4,125 m² Price on application

MARBELLA WEST Beachfront, contemporary-style, 12-bed mansion under renovation that will set the new benchmark

Enclosed: 976 m² Plot: 2,560 m² Price: € 4,995,000

NUEVA ANDALUCÍA Stunning 5-bed modern masterpiece in the Golf Valley. Incredible sea views. Top quality finishes. Ref. ES8115

Enclosed: 863 m² Plot: 2,000 m² Price on application

SIERRA BLANCA 7-bed contemporary-

Enclosed: 163 m² Plot: 776 m² Price: € 925,000

LOS MONTEROS 3-bed renovated beach-

Enclosed: 884 m² Plot: 11,094 m² Price: € 4,500,000

EL MADROÑAL 7-bed cortijo-style mansion.

Panoramic sea & mountain views, 24-hr security.

Possibility to build two further houses. Ref. ES9001

for luxury villas in the area. Set on a double plot on the New Golden Mile, with heated indoor and outdoor pools, gym, spa and security system. Ref. ES8599

side bungalow. Exclusive complex, 24-hr security.

Next to 5-star hotel & beach club. Ref. ES8871

style villa with superb sea views in this exclusive urbanisation with 24-hr security. Ref. ES8867

Offices at the Puente Romano Hotel & opposite the Marbella Club Hotel Tel. (+34) 952 863 750 info@panorama.es www.panorama.es

D

contents the trend Cinema 42

Ingmar Bergman 44

Music News 46

Books: Spring Thrillers 48

Smart Security 50 The Mercedes-Benz S 65 AMG Coupé 52

the focus Evolution of the Media 56 Top Players on the Social Media Scene 62 Celebrities on Social Media 70 From Blogs to Riches 76

the pro

128 Enterprise 130 Kids Club at the Marbella Club Hotel 142 Yorkshire Linen Prestige 144 Illegal Construction of Property 146 The Vibe

the leisure 152 Wild Swimming Near the Coast 160 The Amarè Marbella Beach Hotel

the gourmet 165 Sollo

Rise of Conspiracy Theories 82

167 La Famieke

The Future of Printed Media 86

168 Food News

Property: Villas & Fincas 90

the style Blackshaw Interior Design 94 Shutters in Spain 96 Cape Reed’s ‘The Journey’ Project 102

170 Kevin Woodford’s Cannes 172 Chef’s Profile: Maxime Lenoir of Zozoï 174 Wine: Tomàs Cusiné

the guide 176 Listings

Fashion Feature: The 2nd Skin 106

187 Pet News

Fashion News 114

188 What’s On

the spa

190 Stars for May 192 Family Fun

Beauty Pitfalls 118 Beauty News 120 Health Feature: Effects of Social Media 122 Health News 124 The Centro Hiperbárico de Estepona 126

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Villa Haza del Conde

architects

Villa Sierra Blanca

20 years experience in developing luxury architecture in Marbella

eulalia polo joaquĂ­n amores C/ Azaleas 51, 1 derecha. 29660 Nueva AndalucĂ­a - Marbella (Spain) phone 951 402 080 info@p4arquitectos.com www.p4arquitectos.com 201 P4.indd 1

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French Art de Vivre

Photo M. Gibert. Photograph used as a reference only. Thanks : Taschen.

Mah Jong modular sofa system upholstered in fabrics, design Hans Hopfer.

Rockford rug, design for Roche Bobois.

European manufacture.

MARBELLA - C.C. Torre Real, Ctra. Cádiz - Málaga km 185. - Tel. 952 777 858 - marbella@roche-bobois.com.

Open from Monday to Friday: 10H – 18H. Saturday: 10H30 – 14H.

Complimentary 3D Interior Design Service

www.roche-bobois.com

Bespoke Creations

We’ll Design Yours

Diamond Delight

Boutique and Jewellery Design Studio C. C. Cristamar, Locales 15-16, Puerto Banús (Marbella)

•

www.paves.es

•

paves@paves.es

•

Tel 952 818 822

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D WORDS BY IAIN BLACKWELL PUBLISHER

MASS MEDIA W

elcome to our 17th Anniversary edition which, fi ttingly, is devoted to the Media. Join us on a journey that begins with The Evolution of the Media, encapsulates the Rise of the Conspiracy Theory as a result of our mistrust in the information we are being presented, and finishes with a focus on the Future of Print Media. En route, we examine the explosion of Social Media, its creators, celebrity posting and top bloggers.

This issue is also full of lightning-hot lifestyle content. Put your pedal to the metal with the mercurial Mercedes S 65 AMG Coupé, fi t into a 2nd Skin with some stylish ladies couture and take in Cannes in its film festival month. Cool down with suggested locations for wild swimming in and around Marbella.

Elsewhere, we talk with Villas & Fincas, the experts on high-end inland property, witness the stunning range of designs available from Shutters in Spain, gain an insight into the scope of projects being undertaken by Blackshaw Interior Design, discover a dynamic children’s play complex completed by Cape Reed in Dubai, learn about the many advantages conferred by hyperbaric oxygen therapy, check out the diversity and quality of products on offer at new Marbella store, Yorkshire Linen Prestige, and enjoy a visit to the fun surrounds of the Marbella Club Kids Club.

Make sure to relax and enjoy life with recommended restaurants Sollo, La Famieke and Zozoï this month, and try some in vogue vintages from artisan winemaker, Tomàs Cuisiné of Costers del Segre fame. ¡Salud!

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WHEN HISTORY MEETS CONTEMPORARY

BRAND NEW VILLA IN THE HEART OF THE ORIGINAL GOLDEN MILE Walking distance to numerous restaurants, shops and the beach.

Excellent sea and mountain views, fantastic garden.

Villa 826m2 + porches & terraces, plot 2000m2.

4.750.000 EUR

Photo by

Tel. 952 765 045 • Mob. 629 549 640

www.ivardahl.com

w the trend READING MUSIC FILMS GADGETS MOTORING TRENDS

42 Cinema 44

Ingmar Bergman

46

Music News

48

Books: Spring Thrillers

50

Smart Security

52

The Mercedes-Benz S 65 AMG CoupĂŠ

Gadgets such as tablets and smartphones may have changed the way we consume our favourite media, but in many ways, the content that excites us hasn’t changed much in the past few decades. Whether you are into print or online media, we invite you to catch up on new cinematic releases, music news and reading. If film is your thing, be moved by some iconic films from Swedish genius, Ingmar Bergman

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Bedrooms: 4 • Bathrooms: 4 • Built: 680 m2 • Plot: 1460 m2 Terrace: 208 m2 • Price: 2,595,000 €

Bedrooms: 5 • Bathrooms: 5 • Built: 1030 m2 • Plot: 2195 m2 Terrace: 255 m2 • Price: 5,490,000 €

FRONTLINE VILLA IN LOS NARANJOS GOLF A beautiful and very well built house front line to Los Naranjos Golf in a small gated and private urbanisation. The house has been decorated in a modern style and is being offered fully furnished. The villa features under floor heating, state of the art AC system, central vacuum cleaner and a heated pool. Ref: 176-01258P

VILLA IN LOS NARANJOS HILL CLUB This breath-taking villa was designed and built in 2015 by the renowned architect Gustavo Kloster. It is truly a masterpiece of modern architecture with a very privileged position on the top of a hill in Nueva Andalucia, overlooking the valley below with panoramic views of the sea and mountains.

Ref: 176-01234P

Bedrooms: 3 • Bathrooms: 2 • Built: 177 m2 Terrace: 45 m2 • Price: 895,000 €

Bedrooms: 5 • Bathrooms: 5 • Built: 515 m2 • Plot: 1520 m2 Terrace: 120 m2 • Price: 2,250,000 €

TOWNHOUSE IN ALDEA BLANCA A west facing townhouse situated in a popular community close to Puerto Banus, golf and amenities. Tastefully decorated to the highest Scandinavian standard and luxury quality it features a Bulthaup Design kitchen, designer doors, wardrobes, and staircase. Ref: 176-01237P

LOS NARANJOS GOLF VILLA A classic style villa in privileged position front line golf to the 17th hole at Los Naranjos Golf. The wide living and dining room feeds out onto the covered terrace and down to the large heated pool. The house was renovated approximately 10 years ago to a classic contemporary look.

Ref: 176-01237P

Tel: 952 816 250 / 619 553 065 admin1@andadev.com • Website: www.andadev.com

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w THE TREND cinema WORDS MA RISA CUTIL

e BLOCKBUSTER OF

LAS

THE MONTH

» GENRE Fantasy Bobin (Muppets » DIRECTOR James Most Wanted) Depp, Anne » ACTORS Johnny owska Hathaway, Mia Wasik

to the 2010 Alice in This film is the sequel st es us to some of the mo duc tro rein Wonderland. It but k, boo ll’s rro Ca is Lew from fascinating characters y ma we d rlan e to a Wonde also takes us back in tim not recognise.

d: n a l r e d n o W n i e c i l A the Looking Glass

Through

» GENRE Drama/Thriller » DIRECTOR Jodie Foster (The Beaver) ACTORS Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Jack O’Connell

Money Monster

Lee Gates (George Clooney) is a famous TV presenter whose show on economic matters has made him the foremost expert in his field. However, after Gates recommends the purchase of stock that mysteriously crashes, an angry investor (Jack O’ Connell) takes Gates and his crew hostage, live on air. In this tense thriller, the protagonists must find a way to untangle a complex financial mystery and stay alive, all before the public eye.

» GENRE Animation » DIRECTOR Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reilly (in their directorial debut) » VOICES Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Danny McBride

The Angry Birds Movie

Everyone’s favourite fair weathered friends have finally made it to the big screen, in what promises to be one of the biggest hits of the season for kids: Angry Birds. Comedian Jason Sudeikis voices the character of Red, a bright, bubbly bird who has difficulty controlling his temperament. He is joined by the classic characters of the game, including Bomb (who explodes during the most inconvenient situations), Leonard (the emerald-hued pig with airs of grandeur) and Chuck (who can’t seem to sit still, but whose lightning speed often saves the day).

» GENRE Fantasy » DIRECTOR Bryan Singer (X-Men) » ACTORS Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy

X-Men: Apocalypse

Since the origins of humanity, Apocalypse (the first and most powerful X-Man) has stolen powers from other gifted beings, thus becoming immortal and invincible. Thousands of years later, his disappointment with the world leads him to amass an army which includes the bitter Magneto, in the hopes of creating a new world order and becoming the leader of all humanity. In this fragile state of affairs, Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) enlists the help of Professor X (James McAvoy), leading a young team of X-Men to save the Earth from destruction.

» GENRE Drama » DIRECTOR Sophie Barthes (Cold Souls) » ACTORS Paul Giamatti, Ezra Miller, Mia Wasikowska

Madame Bovary

The beautiful young wife of a village doctor has various affairs, since home life seems boring and limiting to her. Her affair with a dashing Marquis encourages her to taste more of the good life and she begins spending money she doesn’t have on expensive dresses and decorations sold by a merchant who is all too happy to help her accrue greater debt.

42 / MAY 2016 ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM

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w THE TREND cinema It is no secret to cinephiles that Swedish Director, Ingmar Bergman, was one of Woody Allen’s greatest inspirations. Allen was just a teen when he saw Summer with Monika for the first time, and he was overtaken by the beauty and profundity of Bergman’s films. Allen reminds us that despite the complex range of subjects broached by Bergman (identity, women’s roles, child abuse, narcissism, abusive relationships), the Swede was, first and foremost, ‘an entertainer’ whose poetic cinematography, painfully beautiful scripts and fearless treatment of difficult subject matters and relationships, stir our emotions like few other Directors have been able to do. WORDS Marisa CUTILLAS

The Beautiful Mind of

Ingmar Bergman B

ergman won countless awards – Oscars, BAFTAs, Golden Globes, Golden Palms… the list of Directors he has influenced is long indeed and includes Stanley Kubrick, Pedro Almodóvar and Alejandro Iñárritu. The Swede was fascinated himself by Federico Fellini (whose creativity “melted” him) and François Truffaut, who had an uncanny ability to “connect with the audience.” Like Truffaut, he would fearlessly make movies about childhood experiences and impressions, at a time when telling one’s own story on the big screen, was not the norm. Bergman had all the makings of a dramatic childhood; born to a nurse and a strict Lutheran minister, he was involved in theological discussions and surrounded by religious icons from a very young age. The Director recalls that he was subjected to cruel punishments, such as being locked up in a closet for wetting his bed. Ingmar’s world was sometimes cruel, but also food for his naturally creative soul: “I devoted my interest to the church’s mysterious world of low arches, thick walls, the smell of eternity, the coloured sunlight quivering above the strangest vegetation of medieval paintings and carved figures on ceilings and walls. There was everything that

one’s imagination could desire — angels, saints, dragons, prophets, devils, humans”.

The magic and pain of childhood can clearly be seen in one of Bergman’s finest films (a film which usually makes it to the Top 10 of Best Ever film lists): Fanny and Alexander. The latter, one of Bergman’s last films, is centred around Alexander, a handsome, sensitive 10-year-old for whom life is both magical and hellish. Magical because he belongs to a large family and has a loving mum and dad. His father, a theatre owner and actor, is particularly fascinating, as creative and innocent as his gentle son. The first five minutes of Fanny & Alexander made me gasp in awe… I was quite simply overtaken by so much beauty. At one point, Alexander plays with a paper puppet theatre – so intricate and artistic, it is breathtaking, as is the rest of the ancestral home, richly decorated in lush fabrics, baroque furniture and, true to Bergman’s style, clocks – many clocks. The boy then hides beneath a table and looks at an alabaster statue of a woman in the corner. Suddenly, the statue begins to move, gracefully accompanying the sounds emanating from the music box. Behind a curtain, death in a black cloak stares at Alexander

then slowly hides its face.

Despite being one of Bergman’s later films, Fanny and Alexander is an ideal film to start with for those who have never seen the director’s work, as it is gentle and harsh in turns, and the cinematography and interiors are aesthetically wondrous.

Next we suggest Persona – a more revolutionary work that explores the possibility of two identities melding into one.

Bergman’s muse and wife, Liv Ullmann, plays an actress who has become silent after suffering a nervous breakdown, neglecting the son she wishes she never had. The stunning Bibi Andersson (another of Bergman’s favourite actresses) plays her nurse, a woman who commences the film with anticipation about becoming a wife and mother, but who slowly begins to embrace the evasion and silence of the actress. The film contains some extremely memorable images – in particular, that of the actress’ son (we think), who appears at the beginning and the end of the film, touching a screen that masks the combined face of his mother and the new persona. Absolutely chilling!

Another great work is Cries and Whispers – a film which mainly takes place inside one house, where

two sisters and their maid tend to their dying sister. The film is recalled for its dramatic use of the colour red, which abounds on the walls and enriches imagery through the use of scarlet-hued camera filters.

The sisters fear and hate each other, yet the dying sister recalls their childhood as the happiest time of her life.

We also recommend The Seventh Seal, one of Bergman’s earlier works, filmed in black and white.

The film contains some of his most iconic (and most parodied) scenes, including the one in which ‘Everyman’ and Death play chess on the beach. The allegorical film is in turn tragic and comical, in which the Director reveals his interest in spiritual matters and his questioning of why, if God exists, he often seems to be absent in the world. In the end, for Bergman, solace can only be found in others – in the friendships, loves and family members that help us forget that one day, we too, will be accompanying Death to the unknown land. Oh, and do not miss out on Autumn Sonata, a film touching on the essence of cruelty.

If you love Ingrid Bergman, trust me, you have not seen her at her very best if you have missed her performance in this amazing film. e

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w THE TREND music

¿QUÉ PASA? MADONNA

WORDS RIK FOXX

With summer just around the corner, the concert season is warming up as well and ROBERT PLANT has been added to Marbella’s Starlite festival (during July and August). For the up-to-date line up go to www.starlitefestival.com Meanwhile, lots of tribute acts are playing and it’s best to check your local weekly publications to see what’s going on. All information on this page was correct at the time of writing.

There’s a lot going on at Málaga’s Teatro de Cervantes this month and the UK 1990s indie icons THE WEDDING PRESENT headline the three-night Alternativo festival on the 20th; for the full programme and ticket info www.teatrocervantes.com Further afield on the same day – the Territorios Sevilla weekender starts with UK indie rockers THE WOMBATS and the legendary TINDERSTICKS; ticket info and full line-up: www. territoriossevilla.com And UK rapper STORMZY is at Aqwa Mist in Banus on the 30th.

Spanish artist PASIÓN VEGA will play at the Estadio Municipal de Marbella on June 4.

Ticket info: www.ticketmaster.es At the time of writing, the AC/DC gig in Sevilla on May 10 is still happening and several names have offered their services to replace singer BRIAN JOHNSON who has been advised by doctors to “stop touring immediately or risk total hearing loss”.

Howlin' PELLE ALMQVIST, the energetic frontman of Swedish indie rockers THE HIVES, has thrown his hat in the ring and the rumour mill was buzzing after AXL ROSE was seen leaving an Atlanta studio

where AC/DC have been rehearsing – but this is highly unlikely as GUNS N’ ROSES have recently announced a full US tour which could also mean no shows in Europe this summer.

Sticking with AXL, he has been seen on stage recently singing from a throne after he broke his foot on April 1 during the band’s return performance in LA. The throne belongs to FOO FIGHTERS main man DAVE GROHL who used it to tour after he broke his leg in Sweden last year.

Eurovision, the competition which many European countries take seriously, will torture eardrums in Sweden on May 14 and will take on a different format this year, as both juries and public voters award each act a set of points. The points awarded to all 43 participating countries will then be combined. Special guests Australia have been cleared of breaching competition rules after their DAMI IM song, Sound of Silence, was said to include a message that promoted a company, brand and products, which is not allowed. As an April fool’s joke, the Aussies said if they could not use that song they would enter one by KYLIE instead. The UK entry is You're Not Alone

by JOE AND JAKE (who first met while competing separately in the BBC talent show The Voice) while Spain goes with Say Yay! by BAREI, which is in English. It will be interesting to see how the Ukrainian entry 1944 by SUSANA JAMALADINOVA fares as the song highlights history of Russian oppression. The competition is live on TVE1 (Spain) or BBC 1 (UK) at 9pm CET.

FIFTH HARMONY

DAVE GROHL

It’s your last chance to see the MADONNA 50 plus photo exhibition which features many pics from her early days at Málaga’s La Térmica (until May 15), entrance is free.

The ROLLING STONES have been in the news recently with the Cuba concert and Exhibitionism, the collection of rare and unseen memorabilia spanning their 50-year career at London’s Saatchi Gallery.

The band had hoped to perform on the lawn outside the gallery, but residents of the upmarket Chelsea neighbourhood vetoed their proposal. The exhibition runs until September 16 before going on a world tour; it’s not known at the moment if it will come to Spain.

Also announced – original bass player, BILL WYMAN, who left the band in 1993, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. A spokesman said “He is undergoing treatment and is expected to make a full recovery as it was caught in the early stages”.

BRITNEY SPEARS has been flying low on the radar of late but a new single Make Me (Oooh) will land this month (date TBA) with a yet-tobe-named LP to follow four weeks later. She is also in talks to make a reality show to search for a new man in her life. The twice married 34-year-old mom of two will be paid over $900,000 per episode if she signs up.

US girl group FIFTH HARMONY, the biggest and most successful act to come out of the X Factor USA, said they will leave the country if D. TRUMP becomes the next President.

Cuban-born leading lady CAMILA CABELLO (of Mexican descendancy) attacked the real life Tango Man’s views on immigration and women, saying: “It’s not just a danger for America. It’s a danger for the world.”

Meanwhile, the band releases a new album 7/27 on May 20.

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w THE TREND books

Too Good to Put Down:

Spring Thrillers

Spring is a good time to catch up on some great reading, but the key is to take it outside – to your garden terrace, poolside or park. Since time is of the essence, we bring you a list of thrillers that are so addictive, you will probably read them in a couple of days. Take your pick from this selection, compiled by Marisa Cutillas.

Month e h t f o Book

The Shadows behind her Smile by Karen Millie-James

As soon as corporate forensic specialist, Cydney Granger, hears the crunch of tyres on her driveway, she knows her husband is dead. After all, Captain Steve Granger had barely left for Afghanistan when she’d had the first premonition. Although Cydney is a psychic medium, she’s disturbed by her inability to connect with Steve. But when she’s contacted by recently deceased Ray Gordon, he agrees to help her, on one condition. Can she put a stop to his brother’s greed and corruption and ensure Ray’s family get the inheritance they deserve? Sean O’Connell, Steve’s former sergeant, had promised he would always protect Cydney in the event of Steve’s death. But when a client asks her to investigate the scrupulous activities of two high-powered businessmen, and George Edwards appears on the scene intent on pursuing her, Sean finds himself out of his depth. From the heart of Cydney’s corporate world in London to the ruins of war-torn Damascus, men will do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. Can Cydney come out of this unscathed and, after four years, is she ready to let Steve go?

Pretty Is by Maggie Mitchell

Lois and Chloe, now 29, are two women who were once abducted and hidden in a forest cottage for weeks when they were 12. Lois is a writer working on a novel about her traumatic experience that is about to be made into a movie. Lois also teaches and one of her students starts stalking her once he discovers her past. Meanwhile, Chloe, now an actress, will be appearing in the film version of Lois’ novel. The book delves into questions such as why we need to revisit the past and how we are sometimes drawn to those who threaten our safety. This enthralling book is guaranteed to keep you guessing until the very end.

A Good Killing by Allison Leotta

This book is Leotta’s fourth thriller starring sex crimes prosecutor, Anna Curtis. The legal eagle returns home to Michigan, after her sister, Jody, is accused of murdering a local football coach.

But is Jody as innocent as she seems? The police think that she has been having an affair with the married coach and has killed him in a fit of jealousy. Anna peels back the layers of a complex mystery that exposes many secrets the small town is determined to keep under wraps.

Luckiest Girl Alive

by Jessica Knoll

Tifani FaNelli is a successful writer for a women’s magazine who is engaged to the wealthy, handsome Luke Harrison. Tifani is keen to break with the past, changing her name to Ani and waiting with baited breath to adopt her future husband’s surname. However, as she prepares to take part in a documentary about an incident that occurred at a school, she is forced to face her traumatic past and we soon discover the extent to which people are willing to change, lie and connive to achieve social and material success.

I Saw a Man by Owen Sheers

After his wife suddenly passes away, Michael Turner moves to London, quickly building a close friendship with the family next door. Josh, Samantha and their two little daughters symbolise all the things Michael hoped he would have with his wife, yet far from feeling envious, he finds solace in their company. One catastrophic event changes everything and Michael is left with a secret he must keep.

Repression builds to unbearable levels in this brilliant exploration of anger, guilt and attempted redemption.

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w THE TREND technology

SMART

A million things rush into my mind the minute I think of the word secret. Films, songs and books all based on secrets, some which were revealed and others that were kept. Who in this world, day and age hasn’t got a secret?

However, we live in times where it is becoming harder and harder to keep things secret. Your phone calls are logged, your emails are on the web, your photos on Facebook, your likes and dislikes expressed in various platforms and before you know it, you have left more finger prints than you might be able to recall.

SECURITY

WORDS ALI PARANDEH

THE NAKED SECRET

L

ast year I read a book by Patrick Tucker titled The Naked Future, in which he laid out how it would be more and more difficult to hide anything in the future. I am not talking about dead bodies but rather simple things like where you were last night, who you dated, worked with, received money from, had lunch with and even shared a few secrets with.

Via video surveillance, social media, communication and Internet services, you are constantly leaving a digital trail that is worse than leaving your finger prints on an object. For most of you reading this, the biggest issue might be financial information, commercial data, intellectual property details or just details about your lover ‘on the side’. All of these, of course, are good enough reasons for us to want our privacy.

After the Snowden document leak and the Sony hack you might think to yourself is anything at all safe on the web and in today’s digital world? It is the million dollar question. Criminals have broken into

banks and escaped high security prisons; hackers have sown havoc around the world many times over.

My personal belief is that nothing is ever safe, neither physical nor virtual. Rather, it is all down to how much effort it takes.

So, while looking for privacy, hiding a little cash or even an object, the big question is how much effort you think someone else might go to in order to get access to it? Once you have answered this question you can then think about the security measures you need to take.

In February, Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google took a united stance against the FBI’s request to gain access to the iPhone of the shooter of the San Bernardino attack in the U.S. I personally would have thought that helping the authorities on an issue like this would have been a no brainer, but as Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, quite rightly points out, once the “floodgates open, they cannot be closed” and it will not just be your iPhone but your entire digital footprint and content, in future.

Your smartphone already offers you some degree of privacy for most of what you need, but for those of you who want a little more, you may want to switch from WhatsApp to Telegram when it comes to instant messaging. However, if you are the manager of a small or mediumsized enterprise, you may want to look at some extra security for your emails and files.

Up until recently, security has meant keeping intruders out by creating a safe zone and a firewall.

However this is an old concept now and has been the cause of many leaks including that of Sony Inc. A more appropriate, and new way of looking at security, is encrypting all files and giving each person individual access. This means that even if they get access to one file it does not automatically give them access to everything else. From protecting your Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook to your personal documents, I can think of two products and platforms that can give you peace of mind: Virtu and Ovsol.

However, my next question must be: “Should terrorists have the same rights to security as you and I do?”

Just like the AIDS virus that hides inside white blood cells shielding it from any possible attack by our own internal defences, terrorists are protected by the very privacy acts and tools that we build for our little secrets! Who and what should we allow to be hidden? Are our secrets worth more than our lives? While the FBI can easily intercept highly secretive communication in Europe, it does not have the knowledge and capabilities of breaking every single line of code; the only way to do that would be by seeking cooperation or requesting a court order. A collaboration that the Silicon giants are currently refusing. g Ali Parandeh, is the Founder of PC Doctor & Urbytus. He has written five books in the fields of Internet and Biotechnology. He is currently an independent mentor at the Founder Institute and helps entrepreneurs with getting their ideas and work off the ground. parandeh@urbytus.com

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w THE TREND motoring

MERCEDES-BENZ S 65 AMG COUPÉ

WORDS TONY WHITNEY PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MERCEDES-BENZ

For many years, Mercedes-Benz has been almost the only car manufacturer to include in its range a two-door coupé based on a large saloon. The reasons many makers shy away from this layout is the belief that most buyers want four doors when they purchase a large car. But for Mercedes, the company not only perseveres with a big two-door coupé, but makes the model one of the most opulent and expensive it produces. In fact, the S Coupé has always been a showcase for the very best styling and technology the company is capable of and this is understandably reflected in the price.

T

here are three S Coupés to choose from, two with V-8 power and one with a magnificently silky V-12. We’re focusing on the range-topping S 65 AMG because it has the best performance and the most lavish specification to gloat over. It costs more than €292.000 and it’s possible to spend even more by adding some extra carbon fibre parts.

Let’s say €300.000 euros to round it off nicely!

The new coupé is superbly styled and the word ‘svelte’ must have been conjured up just for this car. It has sleek, sinewy, lines and seems to flow down the road rather than merely drive. It’s a real standout car and could easily upstage the most costly of exotics.

The 20-inch AMG wheels look

wonderful and through their spokes, you get a glimpse of the big ventilated disc brakes which bring the beast well under control. It’s a big car, there’s no doubt about that, as its based on the saloon platform, but somehow it doesn’t look bulky in any way. The two doors are very wide, so it’s no problem for people to climb into the back.

There’s also a generous amount

of cargo space in the boot, with 400 litres available. Because of its basic platform, it is quite roomy in the back seat, but not as spacious as it is in the saloon equivalent. Let’s just say that a couple of taller folk won’t want to travel very far in this otherwise wonderful machine.

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The engine is an absolute delight and is super-smooth and very flexible, as you’d expect with six litres and twelve cylinders.

Engines like this are designed for response and refinement, rather than flat-out speed, but even so, this is a very fast car.

The basic Mercedes V-12 has been around for years in one form or another and I must have covered thousands of kilometres in cars so equipped. It is the ultimate engine configuration and not many manufacturers offer them nowadays. Jaguar stopped making V-12s many years ago and to be frank, the less expensive V-8 powered S Coupé is probably just as fast, but that’s not the point. If it’s the best you’re looking for, this IS the best.

The huge powerplant is

aided by twin turbochargers and power is fed to the wheels via a seven-speed automatic gearbox with paddle shifter manual controls on the steering wheel.

This is a rear-wheel drive car and traction control does take care of handling the serious power delivery quite well. It would have been nice, though, to have all-wheel drive with that many horses on tap. This is a car we’d choose to cross a continent in and, on winding roads, it handles with great precision and engenders a feeling of safety and solidity.

The interior is a total delight with every imaginable convenience item possible and some you’d never think of. There are two very large infotainment screens and the flow of the dash and door panels is as sensuous

as the exterior styling. Even the controls for the power seats are designed with a flowing look to them. The chunky steering wheel, which is host to multiple controls, is flattened a little at the bottom to give a little extra thigh clearance. Naturally, the fit and finish is impeccable and the materials throughout the cabin are of the finest possible quality, as expected given the price tag.

The Mercedes-Benz S 65 AMG is one of the world’s supreme cars and you won’t see too many of them about. It offers everything anyone could possible dream up for a luxury car and then adds a few dozen more features. How can you go wrong with a car that has LED headlights with Swarovski crystals and who’d have it any other way? e

Z ENGINE: 630-horsepower 6-litre V-12.

Z TRANSMISSION: 7-speed automatic with manual override.

Z ACCELERATION: Zero to 100 km/h in 4.1-seconds.

Z TOP SPEED: 300 km/h, electronically limited.

Z I LIKED: A supreme motor car and, without doubt, one of the world’s finest in any class. Stunning performance in every way. Impressive response and the flexibility you only really get with V-12 power. Probably a highly reliable car on a very long cross-continent road trip. Fit and finish exceeded by no manufacturer and equaled by very few.

Z I DIDN’T LIKE: With so much horsepower, all-wheel drive would have been nice. Rear seat room isn’t that generous, but most owners would likely have other vehicles to use for transporting multiple passengers.

Z MARKET ALTERNATIVES: Bentley Continental GT Speed, but very little else.

Z WHO DRIVES ONE? People who love fine cars and simply want the very best there is. Buyers who deliberate whether to buy an exotic sports car, but make a more logical decision and opt for a model that has much the same performance and possibly more prestige.

Z PRICE AND AVAILABILITY: Available now at €292.500

ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM MAY 2016 / 53

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p the focus CULTURE HISTORY FEATURES CELEBS INTERVIEWS HUMOUR

56

Evolution of the Media

62

Top Players on the Social Media Scene

70

Celebrities on Social Media

76

From Blogs to Riches

82

Rise of Conspiracy Theories

86

The Future of Printed Media

WE TURN OUR EYE ON AN INDUSTRY THAT HAS BEEN OUR PASSION FOR 201 EDITIONS: THE MEDIA, WITH FEATURES ON THE EVOLUTION OF THE MEDIA, PIONEERS OF SOCIAL MEDIA, CELEBRITIES ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND TOP BLOGGERS. WE ALSO SEE HOW THE MEDIA HAS GIVEN RISE TO COUNTLESS CONSPIRACY THEORIES AND EXAMINE THE FUTURE OF PRINTED MEDIA.

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o u e on y s e t i c nferen al inv

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Photo: Wenzel

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p THE FOCUS media

If we take media collectively to mean communication, i.e. the transfer of information, then it has been around for a very long time and exists in many varied forms. Today, however, we stand at the precipice of another defining moment in the evolution of the media.

THE EVOLUTION OF WORDS MICHEL CRUZ

THE MEDIA The Gutenberg press increased the production and spread of written material

The Telegraph greatly enhanced the reach of the media in the 19th century

P

eople have been transferring news and information since the earliest of times. In fact, our very survival depended on it, so you could say that we wouldn’t still be here had we not devised increasingly effective ways of communicating over distance and transferring knowledge from one person to another. In the beginning this mostly took the form of ‘fast’ travelling messengers and the oral tradition through which wisdom was passed on from generation to generation, but gradually different communities came up with novel ways of relaying information. These include methods that continued in use until not so long ago, such as the tom tom, smoke signals and the peculiar mountain callers who would bellow their story from one valley to another.

The first major leap forward, however, was

the invention of writing. Through the creation of the written word, mankind could for the first time record thoughts and information, making it possible to send instructions and other important messages over long distances on parchment, clay tablets or other portable means. The earliest forms of writing were the hieroglyphs of Sumeria, Babylonia and Egypt, but things really took off when the first alphabets were invented. And so was established the first real building block on the road to our modern forms of communication; other essential ones were the invention of paper in China and the Gutenberg press, both of which made possible the dissemination of information to a far broader audience than ever before. Print media had been born, allowing books, pamphlets and newspapers to be distributed more easily and cheaply to the far reaches of the world.

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FAMILIAR TERRITORY And thus, by the 15th century we had arrived in territory that has remained familiar right up to the present moment. Print media was the dominant force in the spread of knowledge and information for centuries, but with the technological advances of the 19th and 20th centuries came the telegraph, the telephone, radio and eventually the television – and with it the broadcast media whose reign is only now being challenged by new media platforms.

News agencies used both print and broadcasting to get their message out and keep us informed, employing professional journalists and correspondents to interpret events and present them as news to an increasingly global public. Around the same time, a phenomenon known as advertising took root, once again employing both print and broadcasting, though this time to promote goods and inform us of their availability.

Between them, advertising and news, joined by entertainment, produced a communication platform known as mass media through which large portions of the global population could be reached. The problem with the above is that it was largely an exclusive system that limited control of the means of mass communication to those with the resources to operate large news operations, broadcast networks and publishing empires.

Political and commercial agendas could too easily be furthered through this relative monopoly, and the masses too easily influenced and manipulated. The digital world, and in particular the rise of the Internet, was to change this landscape dramatically.

A NEW FRONTIER

The World Wide Web opened up a new frontier, but it was made possible by the advances in electronic engineering that enabled the storing and rapid processing of untold (and ever-growing) volumes of information. Like the Internet itself, this computing capacity is akin to our expanding universe, and about as mysterious, providing the endlessly mushrooming means through which electronic media can absorb, store and distribute information at the touch of a button. Such advances could have rendered the existing and now ‘conventional’ mass media forms – and in particular the huge corporations that dominate them – even more powerful, were it not for the at times anarchical independence of the Net. Originally conceived as an online library of gargantuan proportions, the Internet was also

meant to be free, and while regimes have sought to curtail it and criminals to exploit it, the ease with which the many billions of websites and other online forms of communication spring up also ensures an enduring sense of independence that significantly undercuts the established media moghuls, be they record companies, news syndicates, film studios, ad agencies or TV networks. Indeed, the landscape has changed considerably, for suddenly these mighty kingdoms are feeling the rug pulled out from under them – their raison d’être questioned and their very survival in doubt.

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Future computer gadgetry will be lighter and more flexible

NEW MEDIA

Music, news and film can be accessed on the go

All of a sudden those that were powerful, nay omnipotent, not so long ago are no longer really needed. After all, while generations weaned on TV, newspapers, CNN and even MTV are now communicating on Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp, accessing films on Netflix and creating play lists on Spotify, younger generations are increasingly losing the connection with older forms of media. Forever attached to some device or another – most recently above all a smartphone – they form part of an ever-evolving landscape in which news, information, advertising and even entertainment is delivered in new ways.

What was groundbreaking yesterday rises to the top today only to become yesterday’s news tomorrow. News now travels faster through social media than through conventional channels, stealing the thunder of newspapers and even news networks, but even a relatively recent phenomenon such as Facebook may soon be a thing of the past, surpassed by some new rage that is in itself no more than a temporary successor. The whole on-demand nature of the media these days has further removed it from the programming and editing control of the broadcasters and publishers and given the end-user far more power than ever before.

Not so long ago, we were looking up online references when something was on television; now we are largely independent of all but live broadcasts, deciding ourselves what information or entertainment we would like to access, and when.

We exchange imagery on Pinterest, share our thoughts and experiences on Facebook and Twitter, go to virtual networking events on LinkedIn and catch up with the news on online sources, while picking the film we want to watch and the series we’ve missed on TV. It’s given rise to new media empires, such as YouTube, whose music video, TV clip and amateur film content is as yet unsurpassed.

A new establishment has been born in the process, and the old one has had to adapt, and fast. Almost all now offer their content online, some exclusively so, like The Independent, which published its last printed newspaper edition in March 2016. It’s an important date, for while there is still plenty of print media out there, the overall transition to all things digital has been made.

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THE GRAND COLLE CTION Enquire today for more information on the Grand Collection at Benahavís Hills Country Club.

There are currently 6 Grand Co llection properties available for sale with a choice of 3 mansion layouts. These properties have been specifically designed to represent expansive style and great investment value, there are no comparable properties at this price per square metre across the whole of the region.

The internal layout is distributed across 3 light-filled floors, with uninterrupted views of the breath-taking Andalucian countryside & Mediterranean Sea. Each has a huge basement suitable for playroom/ gym/ cinema room and a private swimming pool. In addition, the clubhouse including restaurant, spa, gym & owners’ concierge service is just a few steps away.

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NEW HORIZONS? Where will it end? Certainly the gadgetry will become more and more sophisticated, with expandable and contractible formats and holographic screens with ‘in the air’ touch controls – meaning that we will be able to work, access news and information, read books, listen to music, watch films and play games on any of a range of highly portable and flexible devices ranging from watches and headsets to pocket pads. If things proceed at the current rate, we will not only be able to call up all sorts of information from around the world and immediately translate it into our preferred language, but the content on offer will also be increasingly interactive, offering a combination of visual, written and moving elements that can be edited and recomposed by us to produce on-the-spot presentations, archives and even interactive games.

Standing at the precipice of a new era is always a little scary yet also highly exciting. The Austrian economist, Schumpeter, spoke of ‘creative destruction’, and at the business end of the evolution of the media that is exactly what we are seeing – the replacement of the old guard with a new generation of innovation-based media forms. In the future, distance, size and format will matter even less than now in the pursuit of information and the exchange of ideas, enabling just about everyone to be a walking office/news station/entertainment centre that doesn’t need to be juiced up to operate but works on solar energy or even the kinetic energy produced by us ourselves. Traditional media forms are likely to continue to exist alongside the new ones, offering us a reminder of the tangible in an ever more virtually focused world. e

Virtual reality is already a reality

On-demand access to information and entertainment has changed the landscape

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p THE FOCUS social media

S R E Y A L P P TO CUTILLAS WORDS MARISA

E N E C S A I D E M L A I ON THE SOC ether or not you’re he question isn’t wh t rather, which into social media, bu . Social media platform you prefer hing from the way we has affected everyt lves, w we perceive ourse communicate to ho ts. ec eff ngs about its with many dire warni g on know that by relyin u yo did , ce For instan on ati orm inf d an news social media for the ent at a risk of entrapm are u yo t, ou ek se u yo the t l bubble’? Or tha in a ‘collective socia e employers these tiv ec sp pro majority of l media sites of job days check out socia dia has cost the UK me applicants? Social ry year because of billions of dollars eve an and has also lead to employee addiction,

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Z WHAT DO WE USE IT FOR? Sharing images, updates and videos.

Z WHO USES IT? Around 26 per cent of adults.

Z NUMBER OF ACTIVE USERS 400 million.

Z HOW DOES IT WORK? It’s very easy – just download the app and start uploading exciting pics and videos of what you’ve been up to. You can take

er bullying and online alarming boom in cyb sitive note, it serves harassment. On a po ians, celebrities litic po as a platform for tool, ccessful marketing and causes, is a su d an s nd frie of millions and has connected the red ffe su ly us vio pre o family members wh out ht sig distance. “Out of alienating effect of : ore ym an t no to say, but of mind,” they used d an e yp Sk , ram tag er, Ins Facetime, Messeng ysical ph ke ma to re he are many other media smaller obstacle to separation a much es. ships with loved on maintaining relation lar pu po st mo the hlight In this article, we hig ir the o int g lvin de , rld wo social media in the d significance. history, audience an

photos with the app itself or use existing photos, and give them an interesting title.

You can choose to share your Instagram pics on other social sites (like Tumblr, Flickr, Twitter of Facebook), making your posts public or private (most people have public profiles). One of the most amazing things about Instagram is its array of different filters, which you can use to make your pics look more vintage, modern, you name it. The result is that even ordinary photos look like works of art that will garner many comments from followers. Hashtags can also be used to identify people with similar interests. To work out whom to follow, turn to The Popular Page (to see which pics have garnered the most likes), or follow the people who like and comment on your photos. Of course, do follow your favourite celebrities as well! Instagram allows you to see how people from all over the world live, eat, dress, and have fun, all from the comfort

of your computer, tablet or phone.

Z WHAT IS THE NET WORTH OF ITS FOUNDER? Instagram Founder, Kevin Systrom, was only 27 years old when he sold Instagram to Facebook for $1 billion. Not bad for a visionary whose company was only two years old when he sold it to the world’s wealthiest social network.

Z HOW WAS IT STARTED? Instagram was started by Systrom and Mike Krieger and was launched in 2010 as a free mobile app. The youngsters were working on an HTML5 project called Burbn and decided to focus their attentions on mobile photography.

They obtained much needed funding from an investor and put the money to good use; in just two years it had over 100 million active users, which attracted the interest of Mark Zuckerberg and his team. Instagram is a portmanteau of the words ‘instant camera’ and ‘telegram’.

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Z WHAT DO WE USE IT FOR? Sharing pics, updates, stories, and videos with the public at large, or with a select group of friends.

MARK ZUCKERBERG

Z WHO USES IT? Some 71 per cent of online adults use Facebook.

Z NUMBER OF ACTIVE USERS In 2015, the site had 1.59 billion monthly active users.

Z HOW DOES IT WORK? Post a profile and search for friends. Like or react to interesting posts, send private messages, and share interesting pics, videos and news stories.

Z WHAT IS THE NET WORTH OF ITS FOUNDER? Forbes Magazine notes that at just 31, Facebook Founder, Mark Zuckerberg, is the sixth richest billionaire in the world, with a net worth of $48.9 billion. Pretty good for a university dropout! Although Facebook is free for users, over one million small and medium sized business advertise on the site and bigger companies spend as much as $100 million per year. Mobile advertising has lifted the site’s revenues in a big way.

WhatsApp, the mobile message app Facebook purchased in 2014, has one billion users and numbers continue to grow. Zuckerberg recently tried to provide free Internet access throughout India but was thwarted by the Indian government in defence of ‘network neutrality.’ Following the birth of their son Max, Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla, pledged to give 99 per cent of their Facebook stock to charitable causes during their lifetime.

Z HOW WAS IT STARTED? It is hard to believe that a social network with a net worth of billions, was founded with such a superficial premise: that of rating university students as ‘hot or not’.

Facemash, Facebook’s granddaddy, was a website invented by Harvard students Mark Zuckerberg, Andrew McCollum, Chris Hughes and Dustin Moskovitz. The software was a Zuckerberg creation, and featured two side-by-side photos of female students. Users had to decide who was hotter. Zuckerberg stole photos from the online books of nine university houses, writing in his blog: “Perhaps Harvard will squelch it for legal reasons without realising its value as a venture that could possibly be expanded to other schools (maybe even ones with good-looking people…).

But one thing is certain, and it’s that I’m a jerk for making this site. Oh well. Someone had to do it eventually...” Harvard reacted negatively, by closing the site and threatening various charges against Zuckerberg (including violation of copyrights). However, in time, all was forgiven and charges were dropped.

Soon, Zuckerberg was at it

again, creating a social study tool in which art history students were able to share their notes prior to an exam. Once again, the site was a boom, with one Professor claiming that his students had scored the best grades in the history of this subject thanks to the possibility of sharing information. Its success led Zuckerberg to dream up a new way to open up Harvard and connect its students. In February 2004, he launched Thefacebook; 24 hours after it was made available, it already had over 1,000 registered users. Eventually, the name of the site was shortened to Facebook, which was shorter and catchier.

A few days after Facebook’s launch, Zuckerberg was once again in trouble: three Harvard students (twins, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, and Divya Narendra), accused him of promising he would work alongside them to create the networking site Harvardconnection.com, only to put out a competing product (the suit was subsequently settled, with Zuckerberg having to pay out big bucks). Zuckerberg also fell foul of Eduardo Saverin, a millionaire Harvard student who

had invested $15,000 into the development of Facebook. In the original limited liability company documents, three names appear: those of Zuckerberg, Saverin, and Moskovitz.

Six months after the launch, Zuckerberg and Moskovitz moved to a rented house in California to work on the site, while Saverin was undertaking a prestigious internship at Lehman Brothers in New York. Zuckerberg asked Saverin to do three things: “To set up the company, get funding, and make a business model.”

Saverin did none of this, irking Zuckerberg further by posting an ad on Facebook for Joboozle (a job site he had founded on his own).

Zuckerberg was rightfully incensed; they had previously spoken about setting up a job search feature within Facebook itself. To cut a long story short, Zuckerberg tried to muscle Saverin out of the company by creating a new company and distributing shares in a way that would effectively give Saverin a vastly reduced interest in the company. In the end, Saverin won the legal battle, and his puny $15,000 investment is now worth over a billion!

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JACK DORSEY

Z WHAT DO WE USE IT FOR? Tweeting short messages about anything and everything; following favourite celebrities, politicians, intellectuals, etc.; commenting on TV programmes with millions of other users simultaneously; sharing news stories, photos and short videos.

Z WHO USES IT? Around 23 per cent of online adults.

Z NUMBER OF ACTIVE USERS 305 million.

Z WHAT IS THE NET WORTH OF ITS FOUNDER? Twitter CEO and Co-founder, Jack Dorsey, is worth $1.29 billion, making him #1694 on the list of the World’s richest billionaires (can you believe there are that many billionaires in the world?).

Z HOW DOES IT WORK? Open a profile and search for interesting celebrities or persons with shared interests. Like and comment on their posts and use hashtags to see what everyone

else in the world is saying about the same subject that interests you.

Z HOW WAS IT STARTED? Twitter was launched in July 2006,

by Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, Biz Stone, and Noah Glass, after a brainstorming session. The idea was to offer an SMS service to communicate with a small group. The group decided on a catchy name in this fashion: “We came across the word ‘twitter’, and it was just perfect. The definition was ‘a short burst of inconsequential information’, and ‘chirps from birds’. And that’s exactly what the product was.”

Twitter was first used internally by the company Odeo, until the latter’s members (who included Dorsey, Willams and Stone) founded Obvious Corporation, acquiring Odeo.com and Twitter.com from investors and shareholders.

Williams notes that when Twitter was founded, the group

had no idea as to what role it would fulfil: “They called it a social network, they called it microblogging, but it was hard to define, because it didn’t replace anything. There was this path of discovery with something like that, where over time you figure out what it is. Twitter actually changed from what we thought it was in the beginning, which we described as status updates and a social utility. It is that, in part, but the insight we eventually came to was Twitter was really more of an information network than it is a social network.”

While with Facebook, identities are open, and the information shared is personal, Twitter is more about sharing public information and private opinions. Thus, users typically do not use their own photo as an avatar, or reveal their true name. Celebrities, of course, are an exception; slinging matches and competitions are common among celebrities, who vie for

the greatest numbers of followers and use the site to publicly shame others. Today, Twitter is one of our favourite social media sites, with over 150 million tweets posted daily around the globe.

Twitter has many more exciting plans up its sleeve; it acquired (short video service) Vine, launched a music app called Twitter Music for iPhone, and announced its plans to buy technology firm, Namo Media, and SnappyTV (which enables users to edit and share videos broadcasted on TV). Twitter also recently acquired Periscope, which allows users to livestream video from any location in the world. Currently, Periscope is being used by companies to live stream campaigns, and by celebrities to publish live music listening parties, or to chat with their millions of fans. Four months after its launch, the video streaming service surpassed 10 million accounts.

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BEN SILBERMANN

Z WHAT DO WE USE IT FOR? Sharing pics, recipes, ideas for arts and crafts, practically any activity or hobby you can think of.

Companies use Pinterest regularly to show off new products, designs and services.

Z WHO USES IT? Around 23 per cent of online adults.

Z NUMBER OF ACTIVE USERS 100 million.

Z HOW DOES IT WORK? Open an account and upload your best pics, links, recipe ideas, DIY ideas, fashion looks, make-up ideas – the sky’s the limit with Pinterest. The site/app is a wonderful educational aid,

with parents and kids finding fantastic ideas for school projects and the like. Users name the ‘boards’ they are interested in, adding specific pics and entries. People can like your pins or follow you, adding your pinned items to their personal selection. Pinterest has a host of existing boards you can follow, categorised by common themes. Find everything from ideas on what to wear, to breathtaking photographs of animals and nature.

Z WHAT IS THE NET WORTH OF ITS FOUNDER? Ben Silbermann, Founder and CEO of Pinterest, boasts a net worth of $1.6 billion. The company was sold to Facebook for $1 billion.

Z HOW WAS IT STARTED?

Pinterest was founded by Ben Silbermann, the visionary CEO who abandoned his plans to become a doctor to immerse himself in his great love: technology. He founded the company during the recession, surviving many failures before his company made it big. He had always looked up to visionaries like

Steve Jobs, George Eastman and Walt Disney, and knew that much could be achieved by ‘thinking out of the box.’ In his junior year at med school, Ben accepted a job as a consultant in the IT department of a firm, and began realising that technology was the way to move forward. Inspired by the movie on Steve Jobs, Pirates of Silicon Valley, he moved West, inspired by one line in the film: “There might be something going on in California.”

He continued in consultancy, working for Google and making product design recommendations.

Ben calls Google a “special place” to build a career, because the bosses “dream big” and encourage workers to do the same. Keen on building his own product, he quit Google, just before the big recession hit. After encountering great difficulty finding investors, he enticed his university friend, Paul Sciarra, to join him and they developed a product called Tote (a kind of ‘phone shopping catalogue’). Silbermann and Sciarra were rejected numerous times and at one point Silbermann

says he almost felt like giving up, but didn’t want to disappoint his partner. One investor expressed interest, which Silbermann used to pique additional investors.

Silbermann and Sciarra’s interests veered more towards Pinterest, since, says Silbermann, “I always thought that what you collect says so much about who you are.” The duo met up with a friend, Evan Sharp, who developed the first ever grid for Pinterest. At first people didn’t understand their project, though users soon began identifying it as a way to connect with the most important things in their lives. It was the site’s users themselves who took Pinterest to a whole new level, utilising it in ways Silbermann says he had never envisioned. Take the board entitled Things that Look Like The Deathstar, or the wealth of boards offering tour guides of cities, collections of maps. Ultimately, says Silbermann, the aim of Pinterest is to get people out and about, doing the things they love.

An excellent marriage indeed of technology and action.

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REID HOFFMAN ©Joi

Z WHAT DO WE USE IT FOR? Making business deals, meeting people in the sector, finding work, building networks within specific job sectors, sharing information about the latest goings on in your sector, etc. This site also helps you discover new opportunities, business ventures and to connect professionally with classmates, friends and family.

Z WHO USES IT? Around 28 per cent of online adult users.

Z NUMBER OF ACTIVE USERS 100 million.

Z HOW DOES IT WORK? Just sign up, upload your CV and start searching for contacts. Join groups with similar interests,

converse with others and share interesting articles and news, ask questions from industry leaders and search for companies that interest you.

Z WHAT IS THE NET WORTH OF ITS FOUNDER? Reid Hoffman is said to have a net worth of $2.6 billion.

Z HOW WAS IT STARTED?

In 2002, Stanford graduate, Reid Hoffman and colleagues from PayPal and Socialnet.com, founded LinkedIn after Hoffman’s stint studying philosophy at Oxford University.

While at university, he had decided that he wanted to have a greater relevance in people’s lives. He initially thought about starting a software company, approaching several venture capitalists who turned him down because of his lack of experience.

He needed, they said, to enrich his professional experience.

Hoffman took their advice, “networking himself a job” at Apple and learning all the skills he deemed necessary – including software development. The next step was a job at Fujitsu, where he learned about product management and business.

In August 1997, Hoffman was keen to set up shop, so he resigned from Fujitsu and started his company: Socialnet – a dating/friendship site.

Soon, however, he realised that his business model was lacking; there was no way his product would reach the tens of millions of users he hoped for. His friend, Peter Thiel, and acquaintance, Max Levchin, had just started Paypal, and offered Hoffman the post of Executive Vice President in charge of Business Development.

Hoffman accepted and during his stint at Paypal, he found specialists in areas like banking and the Internet.

When PayPal was sold to eBay, Hoffman founded LinkedIn, which he financed entirely. Hoffman was convinced that the economic crisis was the ideal time to set up a business, since it would give him a competitive edge – if his idea worked, it would reach millions. Hoffman’s gut instinct was right – to this day, LinkedIn is still the most relevant professional online network and Hoffman predicts that it’s only bound to get bigger and better, with new products lined up that reflect his passion for innovation and making a big impact on the world.

BIG PLAY ERS Some of social media’s coolest sites and apps include: Z SNAPCHAT: a cool mobile App that allows you to send images and videos which selfdestruct after a few seconds.

Snapchat has many cool features including Stories: a string of Snaps that tell a story that chatters can view for just 24 hours.

Z YOUTUBE: This is undoubtedly the place to catch everything from films to music videos, personal vlogs and much more. Everyday, people watch hundreds of millions of hours of recorded footage on YouTube.

In 2006, Google, then only eight years old, bought YouTube (then a rather unprofitable start-up) for a whopping $1.65 billion, helping legitimise video streaming and eventually providing Google with an excellent revenue source.

Z TUMBLR: This blogging platform is most often used to share visual content. Interesting features include the ability to customise one’s blog theme, create blog posts in a variety of formats and follow other users.

Tumblr has 555 million active users.

Z VINE: This cool mobile video sharing app is owned by Twitter.

Videos can be directly embedded onto Twitter or on a website.

Videos are only six seconds long – usually enough for very entertaining viewing! Vine has 200 million active users. e

68 / MAY 2016 ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM

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Life moves in good company

Donald Trum

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p THE FOCUS people

David Cameron once said: “The trouble with Twitter is that too many tweets might make a twat.” How right he was, although it didn’t stop the British premier from setting up an account. Politicians and celebrities understand the power of social media to make – or break – a career. Belinda Beckett looks at who uses it, who doesn’t and who’s made a complete hash(tag) of it.

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her 1989 album was hailed as a master class – a series of parties hosted by Tay-Tay at her four homes across America, and in London, where she baked cookies for fans and boogied with them on her living room carpet.

But even PR geniuses can get it wrong.

Swift suffered a backlash in January when fans trashed her Out of the Woods video for racism and exploiting wild animals.

Lady Gaga is another ‘monster’ of social media with her own social network. On LittleMonsters.com fans can set up profiles, find links for concert dates and get their own @LittleMonsters.com email address. Gaga engages with the site weekly, posting teasers about upcoming tours, and videos, sharing the creation process and peeks into her private life to keep her Little Monsters hungry for more.

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo is also a top scorer off the pitch, with 110 million Facebook fans. He uses the site to push his club, his sponsors and his persona, racking up followers at a rate of nearly one per second.

His most popular Facebook post, a photo with his son celebrating Children’s Day, netted 4.3 million likes.

Vin Diesel, the most ‘liked’ actor on Facebook, manages his own social media profile. “Vin is a very unique case in that he curates that himself and the voice is authentic because all his posts are real,” says Michael Moses of Universal Pictures. Vin milked the trailer for Fast & Furious 6 on Facebook to generate greater fan engagement than all five previous films combined. It’s not work, it’s fun, says Vin. “Everything that I do on Facebook, I did as a kid on the subway.”

Although he may not get much support in the Senate, even Barrack Obama has a 71 million Twitter following. American Presidents like to show they’re human too. Obama is among a host of A Listers who have appeared on America’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! show reading out mean tweets from trolls. It’s a way of getting their own back and racking up kudos.

© Ronaldo / Twitte

‘Donald Trump is the new @Justin Bieber’ was one of the top-trending tweets of the New Year. The man who would be America’s next President raked in 13.5 million Twitter mentions during the first two months of 2016, trumping Bieber’s eight million. And if The Donald gets the big job at the Whitehouse this autumn, a lot of it will be down to his social media savvy.

The brash billionaire is on every social media site going and reckons he understands their principles “maybe better than anybody, ever”, styling himself “The Ernest Hemingway of 140 characters”.

But with 6.8 million followers, Trump has some way to go to catch up with Bieber’s 77 million ‘Beliebers’. And the baby-faced pop idol is a sight more modest about his online success. “Social media helped launch my career,” he says. “Without the internet and without YouTube, I wouldn’t have gotten the chance to put my music out there and have people hear it.”

Whether to sell records, promote films, endorse products or win elections, social media is a direct and personal way for celebrities to engage with their fan bases and reach a far wider audience than traditional media advertising. And no matter how banal their ‘shares’ (what they just ate for breakfast), it makes them seem human to those who lap it all up – more so when the stars write their own posts, rather than their PAs. Katy Perry, Queen of the Twittersphere with over 84 million fans, puts her success down to writing her own messages. “I would say 90 per cent of my Tweets, I’ve just made them up and you can tell because many of them are misspelled and full of typos,” she says proudly.

Also big on Instagram and Facebook, she uses social media to push lucrative product endorsements. The ex Mrs Russell Brand knows the value of a tweeted snapshot of puckered CoverGirl lips or a pair of Claire’s fashion earrings.

With 72.6 million Twitter fans, Taylor Swift’s social media savvy is as finely tuned as her singing voice. Her methods are dissected and copied by professional marketing agencies and her Secret Sessions campaign to promote

r

Social Media Megastars

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George Clooney doesn’t mince his words. He would “rather have a rectal examination on live TV by a fellow with cold hands than have a Facebook page”. And he thinks “anyone who is famous is a moron if they’re on Twitter.”

“First of all, the worst thing you can do is make yourself more available...,” explains the king of the anti-social celebrity lobby. “Then, if you’ve had two too many drinks and you’re watching TV and somebody pisses you off, and you go ‘Ehhhh’ and fight back... you wake up in the morning and your career is over.”

Actress Emma Thompson is equally graphic in her loathing for the internet. “I’d rather have root canal treatment for the rest of my life than join Twitter,” she says.

Jennifer Lawrence is one of the most courted stars in Hollywood without any kind of social media account.

Although after having her phone hacked and private photos shared all over cyberspace, who can blame her?

“I’m not very good on the phone or with technology

and I can’t even keep up with emails,” she says. “So if you ever see a Facebook, Instagram or Twitter that says it’s me, it most certainly is not. I had that one locked and loaded because the internet has scorned me so much.”

After telling everyone she found it “dehumanising to constantly check emails or social sites,” curiosity got the better of Keira Knightley and she joined Twitter under a fake name, for all of 12 hours, before deleting the account.

Her verdict? “It made me feel a little bit like being in a school playground and not being popular and standing on the sidelines kind of going, ‘Argh’.”

Twilight star Kristen Stewart doesn’t social network to avoid the paparazzi… and the grim reaper! “Twitter f****s me over every day of my life,” she says.

“People go, ‘I’m sitting next to Kristen Stewart right now’ and then the paparazzi show up… or somebody who is going to kill me. Someone’s going to Twitter my location and then it’s going to be like, boom.”

Supermodel Kate Moss is no stranger to the cameras but she draws the line at sharing her face on fan pages. “Everyone’s so on their phones that even when I’m in a restaurant someone will come up and ask to get a picture with

me. I’m like ‘No’. There are no boundaries anymore.”

Daniel Radcliffe cites the hypocrisy of over-sharing on the internet and then expecting privacy from fans. “I don’t do it and it makes things a lot easier,” says the Harry Potter star; Jennifer Aniston is technophobic: “When I see people on their BlackBerrys, working them like some girls work a hairdryer, I’m just stunned”; and, for once, Angelina Jolie agrees with her. “As Brad knows, I don’t really know how to turn on a computer,” says the second Mrs Pitt.

As for Daniel Craig, social media leaves 007 completely unstirred. “‘Woke up this morning, had an egg’? What relevance is that to anyone?” he wonders. “Social networking?

Just call each other up and go to the pub!”

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Jennifer Lawrence © Shutterstock

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Celebrity Spats and Tw*ts From Stephen Fry flouncing off Twitter to Piers Morgan’s long-running feud with just about everyone, a celebrity social media meltdown grabs attention… not always in a good way.

Without a PR team to craft their every comment, an offthe-cuff quip or photo share can become a huge social gaff or escalate into a war of words before you can press ‘post’.

Or even with a PR team… unless it was Donald Trump in person who retweeted a troll’s picture and call to action: ‘My parents who passed away always said you were a big inspiration.

Can you pls RT for their memory.’

The photograph was of none other than notorious murderers Fred and Rose West. An honest mistake? Hardly, when the troll’s Twitter handle was @feckhead…

Twitter has become the ultimate public forum where quarrelling celebrities go to hash(tag) it out while the world watches on wide-eyed.

Bafta host Stephen Fry binned his account declaring, ‘The fun is over’ after being cut down in a hail of hate mail for comparing Mad Max: Fury Road’s costume designer to a bag lady. ‘Will all you sanctimonious f***ers f**k the f**k off. Jenny Beavan is a friend and joshing is legitimate.

Christ I want to leave the planet,’ he Tweeted.

Later, he wrote on his website: ‘I like to believe I haven’t slammed the door, much less stalked off in a huff throwing my toys out of the pram as I go. It’s quite simple really: the room had started to smell.’

Actor Alec Baldwin is infamous for his homophobic rants on social media. In 2011, he berated American Airlines for hours for kicking him off the plane. He’d refused to turn off his phone because he was playing a video game. After deleting his Twitter account, he returned in fine form to lambast MailOnline journalist George Stark over a story about Mrs Baldwin tweeting shopping trivia during Sopranos star James Gandolfini’s funeraI. ‘I’m gonna find you George Stark, you toxic little queen, and I’m gonna f*** you... up,’ Baldwin snarled.

Sometimes seemingly innocent posts go badly viral.

The Instagram of Justin Bieber bowing respectfully before Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine managed to provoke the wrath of two superpowers. Both China and Korea believe the shrine pays homage to Japanese World War II criminals.

And did Susan Boyle see the funny side to her PA’s unfortunate choice of hashtag to promote her album party: #susanalbumparty…

What kind of party was that, Sus? Kanye West, Rihanna, Beyonce, Miley Cyrus and the entire Kardashina clan frequently get the gloves off on Twitter.

But Rob Kardashian hit well below the belt over ex Rita Ora’s infidelities.

‘How can a woman who is so busy trying to start her career have time to be with so many dudes all while in relationship? She cheated on me with nearly 20 dudes.’ He deleted the tweets but

#RitaWhora trended for days.

However the prize for online pugilism goes to journalist Piers Morgan.

There was his set-to with John Cleese, after Morgan wrote about spotting the comedian in a New York restaurant. ‘For one tiny nanosecond, our eyes locked in mutual shock, then equally mutual withering contempt. For the next two hours, we avoided all form of contact. It was magnificently British’. Cleese hit right back with a Tweet that has been favourited more than 15,000 times: ‘I just didn’t want to speak to someone I truly detest.’

Lord Sugar and ‘Piersy’, as The Apprentice host calls Morgan – along with ‘saddo’ and ‘DBT’ (double-barrelled tosser) – are almost a Twitter double act, although the banter is mostly tongue-in-cheek. ‘Only one of us had had plastic surgery, Shuggsy @Lord_Sugar. Though if I were you, I’d get a refund’ was one of Morgan’s classics.

Jeremy Clarkson is a more serious sparring partner in a feud that plumbed new depths at the time of the Leveson phone hacking inquiry.

Clarkson tweeted: ‘What a monumental twat this man is. I cannot wait for the day he goes to prison.’ Insults were traded back and forth, with Morgan having the last laugh when the Top Gear presenter was sacked: ‘Met a load of Arsenal legends in the Diamond Club and some jobless vagrant... @JeremyClarkson.’

Even his sporting hero, Rio Ferdinand, isn’t safe from the Morgan mouth. ‘Not injured AGAIN, Sicknote?’ quipped Arsenal supporter Morgan in round one of a four-hour dingdong on Twitter, until Ferdinand finessed it with: ‘Any more jip+I’’ll call Jeremy Clarkson to spark u again.’ Game over! e

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p THE FOCUS people

from

BLOGS

TO RICHES Most bloggers are passionate part-timers posting for love or pin money but there are always exceptions to the rule.

Belinda Beckett looks at five cyberstars who found fame and fortune with their blockbuster blogs.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

PETE CASHMORE GLOBAL MEDIA GURU D

g mashable.com g News, reviews and inspiration for the digital age, without the geek speak g MONTHLY VISITORS: 45 MILLION g MONTHLY REVENUE: US$600,000

>> Blog Tip: “It’s all about utility – thinking about the reader first and ‘what are they going to get out of this?’”

When childhood health problems kept him away from class, Aberdeenshire schoolboy Cashmore began blogging from his sick bed. His parents hadn’t a clue what he was up to until the Daily Mail knocked at the door looking for the 19-year-old ‘genius’ behind Mashable.

“The Internet was something I could do in bed and feel like I was achieving something, it became my replacement education,” says Cashmore, who churned out 10 posts a day and well into the night to target lucrative prime time America.

Today, at 30, the man dubbed the Silicon Laird of Manhattan and ‘the planet’s sexiest geek’ heads a multi-million dollar global media empire, with offices in New York and San Francisco. He has an estimated net worth of $120m, a wardrobe-full of designer suits, a glamorous fiancée and a social circle that includes Hollywood celebrities and Washington politicians.

Billed a one-stop shop for social media and ‘the Connected Generation’, Mashable is a ‘mash-up’ of technology how-to’s, trend forecasts, gadget and product reviews, entertainment and hot news from Silicon Valley.

Described as a workaholic by his team, Cashmore remains the public face of Mashable, which runs its own conferences and annual web awards. He’s also a parttime investor in media-related startups.

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>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Tavi Gevinson Teen Queen of Fashion d

g thestylerookie.com g quirky style blog for teenage fashionistas g Monthly visitors: 3.5 million at peak g Net worth today: US$7 million The ‘kooky kid from Chicago’ launched her blog at the tender age of 11, staging selfie fashion shoots in her back garden and posting after school hours. Her ‘granny-grey’ dyed hair and preference for boyish outfits intrigued the fashion cognoscenti and designers started sending her free clothes to model and critique online.

Soon she was swapping opinions with Karl Lagerfeld, sitting front row at New York Fashion Week with American Vogue editor Anna Wintour and going abroad on fashion writing assignments for top magazines. “Part of the reason the industry takes an interest in my blog is that I’m younger and insecure about other things, instead of appearances, so it’s easier for me to try out kooky things,” she said then, showing a wisdom beyond her years.

At 15 she launched Rookie, an online teenzine with contributions from readers, journalists and celebrities.

Just turned 20, she’s added acting (in movies and on Broadway), giving TED talks and fronting Clinique’s #FaceForward campaign for female empowerment to her many talents. For her next trick, she wants to try screenwriting.

“I’m not fearless – the first year of Rookie, I didn’t sleep and got horrible grades for the rest of high school,” she admits. “But the fear of holding myself back always outweighs the fear of what could happen by doing something.”

>> Blog Tip: “Don’t procrastinate.

The key is to have so much to do that you can’t put it off”

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>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

d

Mario Lavandeira

Hollywood’s Hottest Gossip Queen

g perezhilton.com g Up-to-the-minute tittle-tattle from Tinsel Town and beyond g Monthly visitors: 30 million g Monthly revenue: US$450,000 a month

>> Blog Tip:

“Find a niche – ya gotta get a gimmick – and be prepared to work hard”

Cuban Mario Lavandeira, as he’s not so often known these days, has become his own persona. And yes, Perez Hilton is a sarcastic nod to self-confected celebrity Paris Hilton.

He’s the Internet’s top celebrity gossip blogger and the one the stars fear most. Openly and outrageously homosexual, his style of outing closet gays and daubing offensive doodles and captions over paparazzi photographs of his ‘victims’, has attracted controversy, vitriol and costly law suits. Obsessed with pop culture and celebrity – “I used to be an actor, I used to be a journalist and I used to be a publicist. I know how all these people think,” – he launched in 2005 and hit the big time with the first photographic scoop of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as a couple. He gets up to 1,000 emails a day and rarely enough sleep. “I go out six out of seven times a week to one or two or three events a night,” he says. He doesn’t always get it right. He announced Fidel Castro’s death while the Cuban leader was (and is) still alive and dismissed news of Michael Jackson’s real death as a ‘publicity stunt’. Nothing phased, the media darling who is never short of invitations to appear on TV says: “If I was the kind to have regrets, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Matt Kepnes Globe-trotting Travel Tipster d

g NomadicMatt.com g How to backpack the world on a budget g Monthly visitors: 1 million g Monthly revenue: US$45,000

>> Blog Tip: “Don’t make your writing about yourself; make it about how you can better the reader’s life and travel experience”

Most bloggers only dream of travelling the world and getting paid for it. Bostonian Matt Kepnes has been doing that for real since 2008. Under the alias of Nomadic Matt he has visited over 70 countries on a shoestring, helping millions of others to see the world on a budget in the process.

It all happened when his money began to run out during an 18-month backpacking trip to Thailand. “I was needlessly racking up bank fees and missing out on free flights, so I sat down and figured out how to manage my own personal finances abroad,” he says.

A self-confessed Internet dummy and business ingénue when he set out, today he’s one of the world’s top travel bloggers with a staff of two, a best-selling book – How To Travel the World on $50 a Day – and an educational foundation called Superstar Blogging.

His site is packed with tips on travelling light and finding free accommodation, cheap flights and meals – he highly recommends maggots which he says “taste like French fries” and “keeping an eye on currency exchange rates which can wipe out half your budget”. Of course, these days Matt gets many ‘free’ invitations to see more of the world on press trips.

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Direct access

It is important to us that our clients have direct access to their relationship managers. Therefore we have no call centers.

Instead, each of our clients has their own personal relationship manager who they can contact anytime - to quickly make good decisions.

There are no obstacles or barriers between us.

Welcome to a bank out of the ordinary.

JYSKE BANK (GIBRALTAR) LTD. • 76, Main Street • P.O. Box 143 • Gibraltar Tel. +350 606 33322 • Fax +350 200 76782 • info@jyskebank.gi • www.jyskebank.gi Jyske Bank (Gibraltar) Ltd. is licensed by the Financial Services Commission, Licence No. FSC 001 00B. Services and products are not available to everybody, for instance not to residents of the US.

Ann_230x300+3mm_Direct_access_Gibraltar.indd 1

25-02-2016 12:16:32

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Heather B. Armstrong The Mother of all Mommy Bloggers d

g dooce.com g The candid confessions of an ex-Mormon mum g Monthly visitors: 3 million at peak g Monthly revenue: US$50,000 at peak

>> Blogg Tip: “Stay true to yourself and don’t be afraid to pour your heart out. The benefits far outweigh the negatives”

The blog that got this Salt Lake City mum sacked from her web design job for sharing too much information about her workmates ended up supporting her entire family.

As her Twitter profile states: ‘I exploit my children for millions and millions of dollars on my mommyblog’.

Dooce is a baby-vomit-and-all chronicle of her daily life dating from 2001 – “from when I lived life as an unemployed drunk, to when I threw up and became unbearably swollen during the pregnancy, to the birth, to the aftermath, to the postpartum depression that landed me in a psyche ward.” Many empathised with her outspoken approach to everything from breast pumps and post-natal sex to divorce and her mad Mormon upbringing. Others affronted by her honesty threw rocks at her home and trolled her on social media. Humourous and avant garde – some posts might be a word or one-liner, others a vitriolic rant – she was soon coining it in with banner ads and sponsored content. It backfired last year when her daughters tired of being cajoled into advertising products. Fifteen years on, mum has taken a step back to focus on public speaking, consulting, a third book and other spin-offs from her fame. To be ‘dooced’ – a word Heather made up – has come to mean anyone losing their paid job as a result of blogging. e

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Hacienda Las Chapas - Marbella

Exclusively marketed by

The design of the Dollar bill is said to have a secret signiďŹ cance

p THE FOCUS the media

THE RISE OF

CONSPIRACY THEORY Though conspiracy theories have been around for a very long time, their recent proliferation is the product of a new media age.

WORDS MICHEL CRUZ

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Where to begin?

The second Iraq War is shrouded in controversy

The crash landing of a manned UFO was reputedly covered up by the US government

Almost every event is questioned these days

T

here was a time when we believed in King and country, God and our elders.

We might have been fools deluded in the steadfastness of our truths but we had constancy and a certain peace of mind. Or did we? Looking back over the past few decades, it is tempting to say that mankind – particularly in the western world – has suddenly become awash in conspiracy theories that question everything from war and government to economics and the very water we drink. While many may be grounded in very reasonable doubt and the right to question the official story, together they represent a collective cynicism that when taken too far can lead to mass paranoia.

In reality, conspiracy theories have been with us for a long time, they are not just

prevalent in the modern era. What has changed is the breadth of their scope and public acceptance, which in itself is a reflection of the fact that we live in an age where few of us still believe anything with any degree of certainty. In fact, in this era of post-modern individualism, it is more credible not to believe in anything – and therefore to give credence to at least one or more conspiracy theories.

These present the case that things are not as they seem or as we are told they are, not now nor in the past. As sensible as this is, my problem with conspiracies is which ones to believe and where to draw the line. For that matter, they have become so popular and ideological in nature as to potentially be yet another agenda-driven spin created to confuse, distract and misinform us.

You see the dilemma? Once you begin to question everything, you set in motion a domino effect of doubts that can have you seeing ghosts behind every tree. For the greater part we therefore regard the majority of theories and especially those that ‘take things too far’ as being the domain of crackpots. To do this, however, is not to dismiss the idea that the world is more complex than how it is presented to the general public, and that therefore we have not – and are not – always told the truth. Is this so bad? In the past, diplomacy between nations was secret, the plots of foreign policy just that, the preserve of a trained elite that ‘knew better’ than the man on the street how to keep his country safe and sound. Many of us would still be inclined to accept such a situation if they did indeed feel safe and protected within a soundly managed world, but as we see the world crumbling around us and reflect upon the disasters of the past, it is very hard to conjure up this kind of trust.

Just as we no longer take the mass media version to be the gospel truth, so the Internet has enabled thousands of would-be theorists to expound their theories – often producing wild claims without proper factual backing. Given this, the realm of conspiracy theories becomes a veritable minefield through which it can be hazardous to navigate if you take them all too seriously. Here is a selection of some of the major types of conspiracy theories both old and new. I leave it up to the reader to decide which may or may not be on to something, with the parting advice to keep common sense and intelligence engaged along the way, for the disgruntled have always sought to find a scapegoat for their grievances in spectacular plots and hideous controversy. Maintaining a clear head means you will be as critical of the theories as you are of the conspiracies they describe.

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The Bilderberg Group is accused of orchestrating world events

9/11 is marked in our memories, but is it all it seems?

Since the beginning of time Conspiracies both real and imagined have been with us since humans first started interacting in groups.

Many of the ones that circulate today look back in time to describe events that may have happened many decades or even centuries ago, often seeing a continuum that binds them to the very present.

Among the more persistent have been conspiracies involving the Jews and Freemasons, who in the Middle Ages were seen as heretic demons drinking the blood of good folk and in more recent times have been regarded as anything from harbingers of liberalism, anti-monarchy republicanism and communism to capitalist exploiters who dominate the world through their control of institutions such as the US Federal Reserve, the World Bank, IMF and others. Jews have alternatively been blamed for the rise of the Soviet and Nazi threats, only to create the illusion of a holocaust as a ruse for further control and as an excuse for the creation of the state of Israel.

Most other nations have not needed to go to such lengths to create a state, and indeed, similar World Government or New World Order conspiracies are laid at the feet of privileged Westerners, a multinational global elite and/or the leaders of the legal/corporate entities that rule the ‘so-called’ democracies and economies we live in. The Bilderberg Group and Illuminati are said to trace their roots over centuries, perhaps even through a link that leads back to the Knights Templar. Another institution that has been the target of vociferous theories is the Catholic Church, which is accused of everything from managing wars since the Middle Ages to rewriting the bible to suit its ends.

However, to muse about the Machiavellian nature of power politics is not necessarily the stuff of myth, for even former President of the United States and Allied Supreme Commander, Dwight D. Eisenhower, spoke of the interests of the military-industrial complex when

pondering who stands to gain from wars. And indeed, especially the US armed forces, security services and governments form the focus of conspiracies for everything from covert actions and so-called False Flag Operations to the creation of LSD, mass diseases and the assassinations of the Kennedy brothers and Martin Luther King.

It is even said that the US faked the moon landings in a studio, but primary in this list are the Roswellrelated alien theories claiming that the US government has been keeping secret its knowledge and interaction with aliens, and the now widely held belief that 9/11 was perhaps a US False Flag Operation designed to rally support behind an illegal invasion of Iraq.

Perhaps you believe mass shootings are the product of the gun control lobby, governments have us under surveillance or pacify us through the water supply (or for that matter, programmes like X Factor), that the Jewish and Armenian genocides are fantasy, climate

change a political hoax or that a small group of people – perhaps in collusion with aliens? – aim to dominate the world’s population through electronic tags. You may agree with some that Princess Diana was murdered by British Intelligence, that Charlie Hebdo’s team was shot

by French intelligence officers to frame the Muslims or that the CIA was behind everything from 9/11 and AIDS to the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines MH370 and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, but to my mind such theories are too narrowly based. Keen to ride a wave of public discontent and a hunger for all things extraordinary, conspiracy theorists also seem to have an agenda of their own, their questioning of the reality as presented to us too often leading to the exact same conclusions. While I believe there are and always have been complots and agendas, I think the world is perhaps a little more complex and less easily controlled by cat-stroking evil geniuses than some would have us believe. e

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p THE FOCUS print media

WORDS Michel cruz

The future of the

printed

medium

Future trends in brand marketing

T

he first answer is simple – people haven’t fallen out of love with magazines. In spite of the fact that there was a veritable explosion of titles in the run-up to the digital era, we still love those publications that have the ability to inspire and transport us, especially of a luxury format.

Beautiful presentation, good content and specialised topics are central to this.

So, if the magazine is being created for the reader as an object of pleasure and recreation, and much of the advertising focus is going digital, where does this leave it as a promotional platform?

Increasingly specialised, as the medium regains its integrity as a product in its own right and is no longer simply the conduit for mass marketing, the magazine is once more becoming a highly effective tool for the presentation of specialised brands, and luxury ones in particular.

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As mass-markets go digital, magazines become specialised in both their reader appeal and their commercial focus. In so doing they present the key to communicating with a wide range of sub-markets that can be catered to in a bespoke and focused way. In this new digital age of websites, social media, keyword-driven content and online marketing strategies it would be tempting to believe that the printed medium – and the magazine in particular – has had its day. However, as much as the Internet and other digital media are becoming part of our daily lives, research shows that people are not quite willing to give up on magazines and books yet and that a digital screen is no substitute for the sensory experience of having a beautifully printed product in one’s hands. In reality, what the electronic revolution has done is not to end our relationship with the printed medium, but to cause a shift in the purpose and makeup of the magazine as we know it.

Even before the impact of electronic competition made itself felt, the sheer proliferation

of titles and accompanying advertising had started to water down the effectiveness of print as a marketing platform. Remember stepping into a newsagent and trying to find the magazine you were looking for among the hundreds piling off the racks?

In becoming saturated both in numbers and in content, the printed medium had allowed itself to be deviated from a popular product with the ability to communicate with a large audience to a rather thinly veiled vehicle for mass advertising. The result was a saturation fatigue that is now pushing magazine publishing back towards the reader. Many titles have and will disappear as part of a culling within the industry that is sped up by the online revolution, yet those publications capable of effectively engaging a readership will be able not just to survive but to find a new niche and renewed sense of purpose.

The magazines that succeed in doing this remain a powerful tool in communicating actively with targeted audiences. Today, more than ever, consumer and producer alike are brand-focused.

Obsessed, some might say, but

as disposable income continues to grow around the world and large new consumer markets open up in Asia, Latin America and Africa, the hunger for mid and high end brands is likely to grow, not diminish.

As they grow, the demographic profiles of such global brands become more specific, and defined by age, gender, interest group or income level. Each of these has its own voice and point of contact, and it is through the sense of shared values that brands aim to communicate with their potential public. Increasingly, this is not just based on the practical purpose of the things we buy but on their accompanying associations. In other words, we derive utility from the product, but a declaration of identity from its associated brand status. More and more, the choice of brand therefore reflects a conscious affiliation, communicating to the outside world what we believe in and how we wish to present ourselves.

Marketing platforms To reach these target audiences and establish this kind of identity

In this edition, we speak about a topic that is close to the heart of publishers, advertisers and readers alike, and ask ourselves the question: what is the future of the printed magazine? Have people fallen out of love with magazines, and what, if any, role does print have to play in an increasingly digital world?

recognition among them, those who create, develop and own brands need effective ways of communicating their message.

Different market segments and audiences respond to different approaches, and while a large percentage of affluent people are highly conversant with the Internet and other digital formats, they tend to use such technology as a tool and do not have the personal affinity with it that the ‘techy generation’ enjoys. In their case, the values associated with a brand – and its desirability – come from other sources.

The luxury market has lowered its average age considerably in recent years, yet the majority of people with buying power are likely to remain, for the greater part, in the thirties and above range, with the highest concentration in the age group starting from middle age. The luxury brands they enjoy and identify their successful status with are not ideally profiled through the Internet but by word of mouth, through association with luxury events, corporate sponsoring and by means of appropriate visual stimulation.

Luxury lifestyle magazines represent the most effective

and important form of the latter, offering a collective of inspiring visuals, brand profiling and stimulating editorial in a single format. In such a magazine, design is all-important and quality goes before quantity if it is indeed to appeal to the luxury market, but add effective distribution and you have a powerful communicating tool that reaches its target audience in situ – locating them rather than depending on them finding things on the Internet.

The anatomy of a good magazine If we accept that specifically targeted luxury magazines are a good, proactive way of reaching a desirable audience, then what is it that makes one magazine good and another not so successful?

Above all, a quality magazine that is also effective engages with its readership through welldefined content, presentation and distribution. If it caters to a particular audience it should stand out as such in an unambiguous way, and endeavour to become the very best reference in its chosen segment. Such a specialised publication should also enjoy a wide distribution reach, be it

national or international.

A more broadly focused title, such as a lifestyle, luxury or ladies’ magazine will often have a more delineated distribution spread, catering to a specific region or language group but covering a wide range of lifestyle-related topics. In either case the design has to reflect the magazine’s identity, its content has to be authoritative, and both have to be of a highly professional standard.

Seen in this way, the parts that make up a good magazine are not unlike the main component elements of a car.

In the latter, the bodywork is what draws you into the showroom, providing the initial visual stimulus that makes you take note and want to take a closer look. For a magazine, this role is undeniably played by the all-important cover, while the inside pages must be as engaging as the interior of the car you can’t resist peering into. If it woos you sufficiently, you will want to ‘open the door and get in behind the wheel’, so the content must be both arresting and well written.

The first pages of a magazine should make you want more, but even if you, the reader, greatly enjoy the publication, there is still

one more highly important role it must fulfil. Just as a goodlooking, luxury car with a weak or underperforming engine is no good, so a beautiful publication without an effective circulation is poorly balanced too. Indeed, what’s ‘under the bonnet’ should match the enticing design and interior, and the horsepower of a magazine is related mostly to its print run and the effectiveness of its distribution network if it is to work for reader, advertiser and publisher alike.

As with any product or service, a strong and clearly focused promotional campaign begins at home, so a publication should lead by example and use a mix of advertising and marketing options, but above all stand out above the rest and make a name for itself.

For the right kind of brand, target audience and/or niche market, the luxury lifestyle title is more than ever the most effective means of showcasing products and communicating with a clearly defined readership. In other words, those publications that fulfil a need, provide the future of a trimmeddown and leaner print medium, where for the first time in many years it is possible to see the forest for the trees. e

ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM MAY 2016 / 87

LA FINCA de MARBELLA

ALTAVISTA property.com

z THE PRO property

&

VILLAS FINCAS The Lure of the Country WORDS MICHEL CRUZ PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF VILLAS & FINCAS

In a market dominated by Marbella villas and penthouses, country properties are sometimes overlooked. The fact that Villas & Fincas has created a highly effective niche in this specialist segment proves that it is an exciting field in its own right.

W

hen Oscar Enstsen first founded Villas & Fincas, country property was regarded not only as a somewhat prosaic offshoot of the mainstream Costa del Sol real estate sector, but also as a potential minefi eld in which it was hard to tell whether a property was fully licensed or not. “It’s true, the countryside was famous for this. You would find a charming property only to realise upon investigation that it had never been legalised,” says Oscar. What’s more, uncovering the legal status of rustic homes was a complicated affair, so people had traditionally depended upon local lawyers and so-called corredores to do the footwork for them.

“It wasn’t a very effective system as there was a lot of confusion about land boundaries, building permits and what you generally could and couldn’t do once you’d acquired a country property. In some cases financial grants applied if you were looking to develop it for agricultural or tourist development, but again nothing was particularly clear and straightforward.” It was a state of affairs that held back the potential of the country property market, but over the years professionals such as Oscar have developed an expertise in the segment and knowledge of the associated planning processes that enables them to provide expert advice to their clients.

GROWTH IN A NICHE MARKET “We love the country and always wanted to specialise in its beautiful properties,” says Oscar, who has confounded some by enjoying success in this niche market at a time when even mainstream markets such as Marbella were still shrugging off the effects of the financial crisis. “Our initial focus was in the area of Casares, where we are based, and in popular country chic spots such as Gaucín and Ronda. Gradually our geographical reach grew to also include rustic villas and haciendas in the Costa de la Luz area, as well as grand estates in the provinces of Sevilla, Huelva and Córdoba, but in the process we have also become specialised in the luxury country market.”

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An international market

The strength of this market and the appeal of rural Andalucía among a wealthy, sophisticated international clientele may surprise many, but the fact is that owning a country estate is by no means out of fashion. “Quite the contrary.

Ten years ago it was above all retirees and other people with a romantic vision of living in the countryside who bought and renovated fincas and villas in Andalucía, but in recent years we have seen a growing number of very wealthy clients searching for spectacular country estates in which to relax, indulge their outdoor interests and also entertain guests in style,” says Oscar. “For many, it forms part of a trend that sees a lot of ultra high net worth individuals expanding their real estate investment portfolio. Country estates are now an important asset class within this category.”

He has become a specialist in finding such properties across the region, knowing the different areas and individual properties inside out and working with knowledgeable lawyers and technical teams such as Agroforesta, a technical consultancy that offers expert advice, valuations and detailed business plans for agricultural and rural enterprises. “They are one of the leading companies in their field in Spain and an important font of knowledge, as many of our clients do want an estate with a productive or even commercial element. Often this is geared at covering the operating costs of a large rural property, and while the most popular production types are olive groves, vineyards and also hunting estates, almonds are also being introduced into the model, often in conjunction with one of the above.”

Increasingly, the clientele is global, with the largest estates particularly in vogue with Russian and Arabian buyers, though there is also demand from Europe, the Americas and China. “Essentially our market is divided between luxury country villas in the Serranía de Ronda or properties that can be converted into them, and expansive landed estates in the sierras and rolling countryside of Huelva, Córdoba and Sevilla,” says Oscar.

Particularly popular are those locations that offer natural beauty, privacy and also easy access to major road networks, airports and cultural cities such as Sevilla.

“The main focus is on properties with a beautiful location and ideally an attractive historic country home that can be modernised, and so much the better if it has stables, solar power and its own water supply.” For the very wealthy, owning such a property is very much like acquiring a home in Monaco or a prime address in London, Paris or New York, while for the lesser mortals who yearn for a country villa with modern comforts but strong on rustic charm and setting, it is all about enjoying Andalucía in style – which normally means being within reasonable striking distance of the coast and the amenities of Marbella.

For both markets the technical expertise and product knowledge of Villas & Fincas has made Oscar and his team the point of reference for luxury Andalusian country properties. “We love what we do and over the years have become very specialised in it, from finding a charming home near Casares or Gaucín to sourcing country properties to the highly precise requirements of very discerning international buyers. It’s a fascinating world of property that exists right on the periphery of the Costa del Sol.” g Villas & Fincas Carretera de Casares, Barriada Los Ponis, 8-B, Casares. Tel: (+34) 952 895 139. info@villasfincas.com www.villasfincas.com

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INTERIORS ARCHITECTURE ART DESIGN GARDENS FASHION

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Blackshaw Interior Design

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Shutters in Spain

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Cape Reed’s ‘The Journey’ Project

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Fashion News

SEE THE SCOPE OF BLACKSHAW INTERIOR DESIGN’S EXPERTISE, BE IMPRESSED BY THE VERY LATEST PRODUCTS FROM SHUTTERS IN SPAIN, DISCOVER CAPE REED’S NEW LANDMARK PROJECT IN DUBAI, MARVEL AT TOP FASHION ITEMS BY THE 2ND SKIN, AND STOCK UP ON THIS MONTH’S MUST-HAVE SARTORIAL PICKS.

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Now selling your dream home Antima is a family company developing real estate on a global scale. By pursuing excellence and quality in every project, Antima has established some of the most prestigious homes around the world. The company rapidly grew into the multinational awardwinning firm that it is today. Antima is now developing and selling houses in Marbella, and offers unique and fully furnished villas.

For more information please feel free to contact us:

Sander A. Brendmoe, CEO sander@antima.no Phone: +34 608 412 71 | +47 900 99 665 www.antima.no

d THE STYLE design

Blackshaw Interior Design Building, Renovating and Designing Your Dream Home or Business

You may have driven past the stunning glass doors of Blackshaw Interior Design’s elegant showroom on Marbella’s circunvalación and been taken by the gorgeous lighting features, furniture pieces and kitchens on show, yet don’t let first impressions fool you; the renowned company undertakes far more than interior design work – it is a major player on the construction and renovation scene, taking care of everything from obtaining a renovation licence for clients, to putting the finishing touches that add plenty of panache to living spaces. WORDS Marisa cutillas Photography kevin horn

S

ally Blackshaw has just returned from a meeting with architects and planners on the day of my visit; far from being just a designer, she is usually right in the thick of things, visiting the Town Hall for permits, planning new builds

alongside architects, and heading her sizeable construction team.

A talented designer for almost 20 years, Sally launched Blackshaw Interior Design eight years ago, and from the start, she says, “I always thought big. We are, above all, a service provider, and our aim is to make the major changes that give our clients’ homes a new lease on life.” She quickly reminds me that the company also provides its services to commercial premises, restaurants, spas and beauty centres, and offices, working closely with clients to perhaps update the complete corporate identity, interiors, graphics and marketing, improving layouts and increasing the potential of the premises and business.

Although the real estate market is back on form, Sally notes that now is still an excellent time to buy, since prices are already starting to increase. New-builds, however, have been placed on the back burner somewhat, owing to changes in the PGOU and the barrage of new requirements and time delays for obtaining licenses.

“Currently, around 90 per cent of our business comprises major renovations rather than new builds,” says Sally, adding, “When someone decides to renovate, we immediately get to work and obtain all permits in around three to four weeks. Licences for new builds are currently taking between seven and eight months; the Town Hall office is choked with piles of applications,

which is causing serious delays.”

Renovations are an excellent idea, not only for families wishing to live in greater comfort and style, but also from an investment perspective: “To calculate the extent to which a renovation will increase the value of your home, multiply your renovation spend by two to three. A typical client may buy a house for around €600.000, and spend in the area of €300.000.

They could then sell their home for around €1.3 million.” What seems clear is that clients can make a good return from renovations that Sally’s company carries out.

Sally notes that her main clients are foreign buyers wishing to settle in Marbella, or those who have purchased a second home

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here. “Their absence during the renovation process means that they have to fully trust that what my team has designed for them comes to fruition in time and exactly as they had envisioned.” Thanks to Sally’s expertise, professionalism and talent, clients soon realise that the best thing they can do, is relax and let the team do the work. “Our clients come to build a bond with us; they know they can count on us to be their eyes and ears while they are away.” Some of the work is taxing: overseeing construction, obtaining the necessary paperwork, etc.; often, however, it is highly creative. Sally asks all the pertinent questions from clients to discover their vision, imagine the layout and design features of each space, and determine the necessary changes to make the interiors more dynamic, well-lit and spacious.

One of the most singular aspects of Blackshaw Interior Design, is that it offers a one-stop shop for builds and renovations. Sally tells me, “We have our own in-house builders, which enables us to work to deadlines and we never have to worry about someone selling us short. Relying on in-house builders always makes the process run more smoothly and speedily. They know how I like things done and they work in a set line. That saves having to do things over and it also keeps us within the fixed budget.”

The showroom reveals just the surface of what Blackshaw Interior Design has to offer: contemporary pieces which are modern yet boast a timeless flair, include tables, chairs, sofas… if you are up for a major kitchen renovation you must visit the showroom, with its pristine white tabletops, made in the same material

that Zaha Hadid uses to bring life to her dreamlike curved structures and furniture pieces. Everything comes in a range of colours, materials and fabrics so wide, you will undoubtedly rely on the team’s keen eye, to help you come up with harmonious combinations. Contemporary lighting features, handmade luxury beds and designer furniture by Trussardi Casa and Fendi Casa catch my eye. The Fendi Casa sofa I nestle on, I am told, is worth close to €18.000. “We have a range of brands and prices, but also like to stock high-end brands, since some clients wish to use specific brands in their homes.”

Blackshaw Interior Design may specialise in large-scale projects, yet they can also help with smaller jobs, such as building a new open-space kitchen, or renovating one part of a home or commercial premises.

Sometimes, dark areas or badly

used space can really wrest from a premises’ utility, and minimal work can make a big difference.

Sally notes that, currently, her client base comprises homebuyers and commercial retailers alike: “We are working on almost 15 jobs at the moment and new clients also tend to come in after the Easter break.”

If you feel that your new home or commercial space isn’t living up to its full potential, speak to Sally and her team. They have the experience and skill it takes to make your dream come true, within your established budget. “As large as some of our jobs are, we always work to a budget and our many years in the business ensure that we deliver what we promise.” g Avda. Cánovas del Castillo 25, Marbella.

Tel: 951 403 787/ 681 662 000. www.blackshawinteriordesign.com

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Exciting New Waterproof Shutter Range at

Shutters in Spain It is amazing to think that just a couple of years ago, it was virtually impossible to have shutters fitted at your home on the Costa del Sol. Indeed, the Spanish word for shutters (persianas) generally covers everything from Venetian blinds to swings and authentic shutters. The opposite is true in countries like Australia, the U.S., Belgium, Holland or in Scandinavia, where shutters are one of the main choices for keeping out the sun (or letting it in!).

WORDS Marisa cutillas Photography Courtesy of Jasno, RMN & Zonnelux

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hutters in Spain have changed the scenario for buyers from overseas wishing to enjoy the best that shutters have to offer. The company, founded and run by Belgian husband- and-wife team An and Jan Dignef, stocks the very best products on the market from renowned firms like Jasno, RMN, Fusta, Zonnelux and Sunway. Despite being made with top quality materials like solid wood and PVC, the shutters are surprisingly affordable so that any home can avail of their stylish looks

and practicality. Jasno and Sunway have won many prestigious awards; just recently, Jasno (a household name in Northern Europe) took home the prestigious iF Product Design Award 2016, while Sunway (the ultimate choice for buyers in Holland) also boasts a string of impressive prizes.

The friendly team at Shutters in Spain can show you how their wide range of products can greatly benefit the quality of your home life. Jan reveals the company’s latest ‘babies’: exterior wooden

and aluminium shutters, based on the same principles as interior ones, and PVC interior shutters.

The latter look and feel identical to wood. The difference? “PVC shutters are meant for use in bathrooms and swimming pool areas, since they can get wet without losing any quality.” An adds, “Many homebuyers renovate their homes by eliminating the bath, but then the shower is often placed right next to the window, which brings about the need for shutters. Until now,

wood wasn’t really an option so the PVC shutters are proving to be immensely popular with our clients.”

As I take the sample shutters in my hand, I instantly fall in love with their ease and simplicity. Just flick one shutter down and all the rest follow, just like magic. Each shutter also completely bends over to the other side, making for easy cleaning. “Shutters need very little maintenance,” says An, “We just use a duster and maybe once or twice a year, a damp cloth.”

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Because these magnificent shutters make a full turn at the touch of the hand, they also provide excellent light adjustment; with one touch, you control how much sun enters your home, and where... they look amazing, too. Jan pulls out a box of samples and I am surprised to see that shutters come in so many colours – just about every pantone colour you can think of. The samples I peruse contain around 30 different shades of grey, cream and beige... absolutely beautiful and very tempting.

Clients can also choose between different types of shutter doors; some fold directly into the room; others are connected to a floor rail, and are ideal for wide windows or doors. They can also adapt the shutters to any shape – curved, triangular, rectangular, etc.

Shutters are slowly but surely making their presence felt in Spain; currently, it is not uncommon to drive by a neighbourhood and look up to see gorgeous shutters adorning windows, usually in white but sometimes in bright colours like blue or yellow... ultimately, they aren’t simply practical fixtures, but a stylish addition that can give your home a little more ‘oomph’.

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The team at Shutters in Spain visits, measures and installs all shutters, though An tells me that “some handy clients choose to install the shutters themselves.” The range is wide and includes gorgeous roller blinds (I’m mad about their Eclipse collection), blinds, shutters, you name it.

Your safest bet is probably to have the team complete the installation. They are professionals boasting a long track record in the industry; Jan himself worked for Bulthaup for many years and has completed countless renovations, so he has the know-how required for things to go without a hitch.

An and Jan travel outside the province of Málaga when required, which is handy, considering that they are the only official dealers of Jasno Shutters in Spain. Says An, “We recently completed works in Murcia, Zaragoza, Barcelona, Extremadura and Tenerife.”

If you are tired of curtains and the work they impose for cleaning and maintenance, and you are up for a change that will enhance the beauty of your home, make cleaning easy and last a lifetime, visit Shutters in Spain in their Marbella offices (by appointment only) and let them know your ideas – we are sure that in no time, An, Jan and their team can make them come to life. g C/ Hungria 16, Marbella.

Tel: 608 299 309/ 681 055 383. www.shuttersinspain.com

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“Cape Reed understood my vision right from the first meeting, and through their creativity and craftsmanship brought my dream and the expectations of the investor to life in the perfect way.”

CANDY FANUCCI Client Representative, The Journey

The Cape Reed Marbella Management Team: John Neal (Marketing) and Claude Marais (Construction)

CAPE REED

d THE STYLE decor

CREATING INNOVATIVE ENTERTAINMENT FOR KIDS

WORDS MICHEL CRUZ PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF CAPE REED

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A safe ‘jungle’ for kids to explore

Following on from their established market in the creation of resort and restaurant facilities, private entertainment areas and guest accommodation, Cape Reed’s new landmark project in Dubai showcases just what can be done in children’s entertainment parks.

O

n the Costa del Sol we have come to know Cape Reed as a specialist builder responsible for the creation of iconic thatched structures.

Beautifully styled, environmentally friendly and long lasting, the wood and thatch cabanas, beach bars, restaurants, spas, entertainment areas, pool houses and guest cottages have become an appealing part of the landscape from Sotogrande in the west to near Málaga in the east, often fitting in with subtropical gardens as they round off private homes or beachside resort hotels.

While Cape Reed remains very much in demand for this kind of product – the Puente Romano Hotel’s new Sea Grill beach restaurant and club being a prime example – it is in Dubai that the inspiration for a whole new range of applications has taken shape.

“I thought that children’s play facilities were pretty much made up of parks and playgrounds, with the occasional smaller-scaled themed entertainment facility being about as sophisticated as it gets, but I learned otherwise when we were contracted to create an entire kids entertainment centre in Dubai last year,” says Louis van der Vyver, founder and CEO of the Cape Reed group of Companies.

Entrance to a childrens’ paradise

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“The concept of The Journey was inspired by a wonderful childhood growing up on a game farm in South Africa.

In our modern era, where technology tends to take over children’s lives, they need more than ever the freedom and time to play. After all, play is not a luxury, it is a necessity.”

Beautiful greenery for open air fun

Designed with children of different ages in mind

Building a kids’ paradise When Cape Reed’s Dubai office was contacted

by Candy Fanucci, a fellow South African who has lived in Dubai for more than 15 years, Louis expected to be briefed on the creation of what would have amounted to a modern playground area. “The reality was far more innovative and ambitious, something which I guess I should have expected by now in Dubai.” In true style, The Journey, as the project is called, represents the pinnacle of children’s entertainment facilities.

Located just off Kite Beach in Umm Suqeim, it has been described as the ‘perfect environment for kids to play and have fun’, consisting of an expanse of semi-tropical greenery dotted with playground areas with wooden ‘forts’ and other funky structures.

The compound also includes splash pools, hiding nooks, soft grass lawns, sand areas and separate play and adventure zones specially designed for children of different age groups.

The complex is there so that children can play, run around and enjoy themselves in a safe, carefree environment where trained staff is on hand and parents can either participate or relax and enjoy a little off time in a lovely setting.

However, as part of the idea is allowing the little ones to reconnect with nature, there is also a sensory and educational element to The Journey that has proved to be every bit as popular as the play zones.

The Journey taking shape

This includes a vegetable and herb garden, an orchard and a mini farm with little animals for the kids to interact with. All of this is set within a landscape of flowers, trees and verdant lawns, with special fun interactive programmes such as junior survival classes and mini markets planned on a regular basis, along with a mini academy where the little ones can have their first (safe and monitored) go at cooking, art and crafts. Mums and dads, meanwhile, can enjoy yoga classes or a heavenly break in a pretty café that also offers healthy snacks for their offspring.

The Journey, which counts on the full support of royals such as H. H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, has been a tremendous success – answering a muchneeded call for quality children’s facilities in a city that otherwise has it all. “The project also caters to birthdays, overnight camps and other events, but it is so popular that you have to book several weeks in advance to get a place. We were taken

on as the designer and main contractor, taking responsibility for everything from the design and logistics to the construction of the structures, the water features, the landscaping and the creation of all the necessary infrastructure,” says Louis, “and we are really proud of what has been achieved here.”

In the words of Candy Fanucci, the client’s representative and concept manager, “The concept of The Journey was inspired by a wonderful childhood growing up on a game farm in South Africa. In our modern era, where technology tends to take over children’s lives, they need more than ever the freedom and time to play. After all, play is not a luxury, it is a necessity.”

“Cape Reed understood my vision right from the first meeting, and through their creativity and craftsmanship brought my dream and the expectations of the investor to life in the perfect way.”

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Creating new landmark attractions

Staff is on hand to support parents and kids

The Journey also includes luxury areas for mums and dads Areas for kids to explore and enjoy

As someone who has been realising diverse projects in both Dubai and Marbella for many years, the groundbreaking nature and success of The Journey has got Louis thinking. “I would love to see something similar done on the Costa del Sol, not just because it would be great to use our expertise in this field, but above all because it’s the kind of project that would really add value to this region.”

For any leading international tourist destination like the Costa del Sol, providing first-class children’s facilities is a must, and while there is a good choice of aqua parks, swimming pools, beaches, mini zoos and also some adventure parks, there is nothing like The Journey between Málaga and Gibraltar. “A wellplanned, manned complex of this kind that offers excellent facilities along with an interactive programme of events is just the kind of landmark attraction that the Costa del Sol needs to satisfy the requirements of its growing number of visiting tourists and local residents. We were handpicked to realise the project in Dubai because Cape Reed fits the concept ideally, but the climate and natural conditions of Southern Spain make doing something similar here so much easier.”

Unlike in Dubai, a park of this kind would probably not occupy a beachfront location in Marbella, but then again there is no reason why it should. “There are many sites a little inland from the beach that don’t have mainstream planning permission but are suitable for a project like this and, judging by the Dubai example, it is just what mums, dads and above all the children of this region are waiting for. For people keen to get their kids off computers and iPads and back into the fresh air for a few hours it’s just the thing.” g Cape Reed Avda. Bulevar Principe Hohenlohe, C.C. Marbelah Pueblo, Local 7, Marbella.

Tel: 951 775 495. europe@capereed.com www.capereed.com

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d THE STYLE fashion

Girlson Film If a red carpet event or gala is coming up, turn heads like Cinderella at the Prince’s Ball in one of these beautiful designs by The 2nd Skin. COMPILED BY Marisa cutillas

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Retro Inspirations ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM MAY 2016 / 107

Skin

Deep 108 / MAY 2016 ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM

Magic Polka Dot

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Chartreuse

Charm

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Shimmer and

i www.the2ndskinco.com

Shine

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Chop ard

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Spring Vibes Marisa Cutillas brings us a few cool items that will add plenty of colour to the Spring season.

Happy Fish watch

by Chopard

Ring by Louis Vuitton

Necklace and ring by Aristocrazy

Shoe by Rebeca Sanver

Bags by Louis Vuitton

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Rondes de Nuit JosĂŠphine ring by Chaumet

CONTACTS: Aristocrazy www.aristocrazy.com Chaumet www.chaumet.com Chopard www.chopard.com Louis Vuitton www.louisvuitton.com Rebeca Sanver www.rebecasanver.com

Happ y Dia

mon

ds n

eckla c

e by

Michelle sunglasses

by Louis Vuitton

For the little ones in the family, few things dress up their world as much as cute toys and accessories. We love this vintage inspired collection by Blaubloom, dressed in the colours of Spring. i www.blaubloom.com

Blaubloom for Kids Spring Collection Compiled by Marisa CUTILLAS

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PRODUCTS BEAUTY SPA SCIENCE TREATMENTS HEALTH

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Hair Oils

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Beauty News

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Health Feature: Effects of Social Media

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Health News

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The Centro Hiperbรกrico de Estepona

HAIR OILS ARE THE LATEST THING FOR SILKY FLOWING LOCKS; CHECK OUT THE BEST PRODUCT FOR YOUR HAIR TYPE IN OUR BEAUTY FEATURE. IN HEALTH, SEE HOW SOCIAL MEDIA CAN AFFECT US BOTH POSITIVELY AND NEGATIVELY. PREPARE TO BE INSPIRED BY THE FASCINATING STORY OF THE FOUNDERS OF THE CENTRO HIPERBร RICO IN ESTEPONA.

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Enjoy the Relaxing Shanti-Som Wellbeing Retreat RESTAURANT - SPA - YOGA - HOTEL

Ctra. de Ojen km 22 - A355 Monda - Marbella Tel: 952 86 44 55 or 628 79 30 13

www.shantisom.com

Open daily for lunch to the public

...only 10 minutes from Marbella

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n THE SPA beauty

SMOOTH, SHINY SLEEK

&

WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS

THE WONDER OF HAIR OIL You may have noticed attractive bottles of hair oil in your favourite beauty shops, and wondered if your hair needs a moisture boost. Hair oil can be a somewhat mysterious product; those with oily hair fear it may wrest from volume and add to their problem, while those with dry hair wonder to what extent it can actually help. The truth is that all hair types can benefit from a good hair oil; the key lies in selecting the right product. The following problems in particular can benefit greatly from an oil treatment at least once a week:

Z WISPY AND FLY-AWAY HAIR: When your ends are dry, they cause entire strands of hair to fly away, even if you have spent time blowdrying or straightening hair in the morning. Apply a few drops of oil to your fingers and spread over wispy spots. Keep a good dry shampoo on hand to remove excess oil.

Z DAMAGED HAIR: Colouring and heating hair causes it to become dry and brittle. Apply a good pre-wash oil from the middle of your strands downwards, rinsing off after around 20 minutes. For extra dry hair, apply a few drops to wispy spots after you have styled it.

Z DULL HAIR: One of the prime requirements of beautiful hair is shine.

Use a good spray oil after styling, or apply to the upper portion of hair for a sleek ponytail.

What Types of Hair Oil are There?

There are many brands to choose from, though for optimal hair health, opt for natural oils like argan, coconut, amla, pomegranate seed or grapeseed oil. Argan oil in particular is in vogue, because in addition to affording youthful shine, it also protects against the heat and intensively repairs dry or damaged hair.

If your hair is very dry or destroyed, or is difficult to comb and easy to tangle, buy a good pre-shampoo moisturiser such as Burt’s Bees Avocado Butter Pre-Shampoo with Nettles and Rosemary. It’s not technically an

oil, but the principle is the same.

Leonor Greyl Paris also has an excellent pre-shampoo product that protects colour and prevents damage from the sun and water.

If you have extra curly hair, go for a thicker product such as Motions Enhance and Define Pre-Wash Detangling Butter.

When Should I Apply Hair Oil?

Regardless of your hair type, aim to use hair oil at least once a week and definitely before any treatment that can dry out your hair, such as colouring or perming. For extra dry or frizzy hair, apply oil after your shampoo and before drying. For oily hair, apply sparingly after styling.

Finally, if you are simply after a shinier look, apply an oil mist as a finishing spray and get ready to start turning heads.

The Importance of Nutrition As with all things to do with beauty, nutrition is important. Oils will only go a certain length towards undoing the damage caused by dehydration and nutritional neglect. Make sure to consume healthy fats (choose coconut oil, extra virgin or Udos oil for cooking) and don’t neglect your Omega-3 levels (consume fatty fish like tuna or salmon and eat a few walnuts every day). Drink plenty of water and don’t forget to have a head massage at least once a week to boost circulation. Beauty is always enhanced when we approach it from within. e

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The secret of youth.

We work with the best brands

Essential _fullpage_2016_v3_final.indd 1

Oasis Business Centre. Local 3B. Bulevar PrĂ­ncipe Alfonso de Hohenlohe.

The Golden Mile. CTRA N-340 Km 176.

29602. Marbella. MĂĄlaga + 34 951 134 983.

www.pureskin.es 19/04/2016 15:51:44

n THE SPA beauty

1 – OLAY REGENERIST NIGHT RECOVERY CREAM: This luscious night cream contains a powerful amino-peptide complex that delivers hydration 10 layers deep, plumping skin and stimulating cell turnover.

2 – CLARINS MULTI-ACTIVE NIGHT YOUTH RECOVERY CREAM: Skin that has just begun to show the first sign of wrinkles will benefit from this product, which is rich in vitamins, antioxidants and natural plant extracts.

3 – MURAD ESSENTIAL-C NIGHT MOISTURE: Vitamin C is one of the most useful free radical busters; find it in abundance in this moisturiser.

4 – THE BODY SHOP VITAMIN E NOURISHING NIGHT CREAM: A rich cream that repairs skin while you sleep thanks to its high antioxidant content.

5 – THE BODY SHOP FIRMING NIGHT CREAM WITH ORGANIC POMEGRANATE: Plump up and lift skin with this rich moisturiser.

6 – MARY KAY TIMEWISE NIGHT SOLUTION: This pretty firming gel is pumped to the brim with peptides and antioxidants, as well as fragrant floral and wild mint extracts.

7 – MARKS & SPENCER PURE NATURAL BEAUTY SUPER GRAPE NIGHT CREAM: Resveratrol is the secret ingredient that ensures your complexion is brighter, and your skin smoother and more elastic.

8 – ROC RETINOL CORREXION DEEP WRINKLE NIGHT CREAM: Reduce the appearance of expression lines and deep wrinkles with the one ingredient that never lets a girl down: retinol

NIGHT BEAUTY Marisa Cutillas brings you her own personal list of top beauty creams for the night time.

5 4

3

1 8 6 7

2

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Social media has drastically affected our lives – to the extent that, nowadays, it is often the first form of media we consult when we wake up and the last we engage in before going to bed. It all seems pretty harmless, really, and of course catching up with old friends and sharing amusing posts are as fun as they are fulfilling, yet… are we unwittingly harming our health every time we click on that familiar blue icon? These are just a few of the ways that social media can affect our mental wellbeing.

WORDS Marisa cutillas

The Many Ways that

kid taking your lunch money; nowadays, it’s all about public posts displaying your intimate pics, jokes about your body image and sarcastic comments in response to your posts.

Studies have shown that bullying and cyberbullying have longlasting effects, which include a significantly higher chance of depression, anxiety and heart disease.

alcohol: Does marketing actually lead teens to dabble in drink?

You bet it does! Studies have shown that adolescents are very much affected and influenced by attractive ads, especially when their favourite musical or sports stars feature in them.

Z Hampered sleep: A new study has found that teens who use social media during the night time can ruin the quality of their sleep and increase their chances of developing anxiety and depression. Students claim that they feel the pressure to be connected all day, and one fifth of those surveyed admitted to waking up in the middle of the night to connect. The immense amount of homework coupled with the large number of social media outlets (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.) leaves children with little time to just relax.

Needless to say, social media use can also have a negative impact on learning. Parents take note: Teens need around nine and a half hours of sleep every night; are yours making the grade?

Z The glamorisation of

Z Distorted body image

Social Media

Affects our Health Z Social media has been linked to depression:

Researchers at the University of Michigan revealed that those who use Facebook for more hours, are more likely to be unhappy, than those who log on less. To a great extent, the source of the problem is comparison and jealousy. People tend to present their best ‘face’ (and their best angle) on social media sites and when we log on, it can seem like everyone else is vacationing in the Seychelles, shopping at Armani or dining at El Bulli. Hold on, El Bulli has been closed for a few years now, hasn’t it? Oh, and what about THAT friend who is in a bikini,

24/7, showing off the evident effects of her four-hour daily fitness sessions?

Z Social media is a commonly chosen platform for bullying: Forget about the

perceptions: A study in The International Journal of Eating Disorders has found that social media use can lead to a distorted perception of one’s body image.

Frequent use of Facebook is also related to disordered eating. Teens who use Facebook frequently also tend to display more narcissistic tendencies and also show more signs of aggression and antisocial behavior.

Not all the effects of social media are negative of course.

Other research has shown that young adults who spend considerable time on Facebook are more apt at showing ‘virtual empathy’ than those who don’t interact online. The Internet is also an excellent platform for shy youths to open up and express themselves, and to connect with others. Finally, social media often provides children with excellent tools for learning and its dynamic nature can make education more engaging than it ever was. What’s your take on social media? Does it all boil down to moderation, or is it so addictive that once you start, you find it difficult to stop? e

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Your Health and Beauty Clinic in Marbella

Love of Beauty is Taste The Creation of Beauty is Art

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n THE SPA health WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS

WHY TAI CHI CAN NIGHT PROMOTE TIME HEART HEALTH EATING IS A NO-NO Most of us are guilty of snacking when we least should: late at night. A new study on mice has revealed exactly why we should put an end to this habit asap. One group of mice was fed during the day, while another was fed at night. Both groups were tested on their ability to remember specific objects and rooms associated with a small electric shock. The late-night snackers scored lower on both tests, leading researchers to conclude that the time we eat can disrupt the area of the brain responsible for memory formation. Midnight snacking can also cause acid reflux and create symptoms that can develop into esophageal cancer. Try to avoid snacking after dinner and if you just can’t resist, have a low-GI piece of fruit, like strawberries or blueberries.

Why are Teens so

VULNERABLE TO DRUGS? Researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine in the U.S. have discovered one reason why teens are more susceptible to drug addiction than adults: one tiny molecule called elF2, which regulates the body’s ability to produce new proteins.

The team injected teen and adult mice with either saline or a low dose of cocaine. The results showed that in the teen group alone, cocaine reduces elF2a activity, leading to a strengthening of connections between dopamine storing neurons and, therefore, a greater sense of pleasure. Since drugs are much more pleasurable to teens than adults, schools and parents should foster greater awareness about the effects and danger of drugs, and discourage their use.

TURMERIC

A Powerful Aid against Inflammation Inflammation is a common condition that is strongly linked to a host of serious illnesses, including Type II diabetes, stroke, arthritis and heart disease. The good news for lovers of Indian cuisine, however, is that one of its most popular ingredients, turmeric, is a powerful inflammation buster. Turmeric contains three curcuminoids which have long been used to heal inflammatory conditions, skin diseases, digestive upsets and liver conditions in the Ayurvedic and Chinese medical traditions. More recently, the spice has been found to lower the levels of inflammation-causing enzymes, as well as to aid in digestion, reduce the risk of blood clots and prevent neurodegenerative diseases. Just add a small teaspoon to your favourite stew or curry and enjoy its sweet fragrance and vibrant yellow hue.

HEALTHY TOWNS

TO BE BUILT IN ENGLAND Those who don’t believe in the power of ‘censorship’ (or Orwellian-style control) may think it’s a bad idea, but you can’t deny that it is impossible to break one’s diet when fast food simply cannot be found. This is precisely the idea behind a brand new initiative, which will see 10 ‘healthy towns’ built by the English NHS. The towns, extending from Darlington to Devon, will have 170,000 residents, who will hopefully reap the benefits of living in a nonobesogenic environment. Well known clinicians, designers and technology wizzes will work together to create an environment that promotes healthier lifestyles, thanks to new health services and the right infrastructure. The towns will contain excellent cycling and pedestrian networks, ‘dementiafriendly streets’ with fewer obstacles, fast-food free zones, etc. Issues to be addressed in the planning of the towns include obesity, mental illness and physical inactivity.

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It is hard to imagine that every day, while carrying out our normal activities, we meet many people who are facing battles we know nothing about. Such is the case for Jorge Keller who, alongside his lovely wife, Sady Alexandra, founded the Hyperbaric Centre in Estepona a little less than a year ago. Jorge continues to rise to the kind of challenge saved only for the very strong. Three years ago, the successful entrepreneur, deep sea diver and photographer, suffered a myocardial infarction and spent over six months in intensive care.

For a long time, Jorge was in a coma and his family struggled with a decision which is almost too tragic to mention: that of whether or not to take him off life support.

THE CENTRO HIPERBÁRICO IN ESTEPONA

Oxygen for Life

WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS PHOTOGRAPHY KEVIN HORN

N

ow, three years later, he is the very picture of health and dynamism. It is harrowing and painful to think that after his heart attack, Jorge had to learn absolutely everything from scratch: how to say the alphabet, how to tie his shoes, how to eat. “Getting up from a chair may be second nature to you, but I have to carry it out in steps. First the hands on the armrest, then the knees straighten, then I lift my body…” Jorge recognises that he is in a different phase in life. “I always say, my brain was working fine, then it broke… when my heart attack occurred, my brain showed up on the CAT SCAN as almost completely black.” His wife Sady Alexandra, adds, “He didn’t know who I was and when he first looked in the mirror, he thought he was his grandfather.”

Jorge is not alone; he never was.

When the heart attack occurred, Sady Alexandra went on a veritable crusade, finding the country’s top experts to treat her husband. She also completed studies in assistant nursing, to personally attend to him.

He may seem perfectly well, but he assures me that he still has quite a way to go. He has daily sessions

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with everyone from neurological specialists to molecular medics.

For Jorge, one of the defining treatments that led to improvement, is oxygen therapy. “We opened this centre after seeing the progress my husband began making thanks to hyperbaric chamber therapy,” says Sady Alexandra. This consists of lying down in a comfy bed within a glass hyperbaric chamber, which enables you to see everything around you while you breathe in 100 per cent pure oxygen at an augmented pressure. Sady Alexandra says that once her husband started making it out of the woods, she then hoped to share the benefits of the chamber with other people.

Hyperbaric therapy is currently used with excellent results to treat many conditions, including: Z Ulcers Z Diabetic skin and feet Z Bone infections Z Injuries Z Effects of radiotherapy Z Neurological problems Z Ischaemic stroke in newborns Z Effects of having had a heart attack

Cerebral hypoxia Air or gas embolism Soft tissue infection Thermal burns Autism Migraine Traumatic brain injury Recovery from plastic surgery Lyme disease Sports performance Stress Through this therapy, Oxygen is dissolved directly into the plasma, thus reaching the tissues where it can bestow its therapeutic effects.

Inflammation is reduced and white cells become more capable of fighting bacteria; moreover, new blood vessels can grow more quickly in damaged areas. In patients with brain injuries, Oxygen can stimulate dormant tissues and help them return to normal function.

Sady Alexandra tells me that one of the most dramatic improvements she has seen has been in a little boy with autism.

“The boy has been receiving hyperbaric therapy since he was three. He is now nine and the difference in his communication Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z

skills and engagement with the world around him is tremendous.”

Sady Alexandra and Jorge are in the process of buying a second, ‘double-sized’ chamber, big enough to enable parents to comfortably lie inside with their children.

There is absolutely no doubt that going through a life-changing experience like Jorge and Sady Alexandra have done, changes one dramatically. Jorge tells me of the many people with neurological damage he has met during his visits to neurologists – young children who have suffered falls, a boy who fell from a bicycle, so many people who, as Jorge says, “had their whole lives ahead of them.” The couple try their very best to make this life-giving therapy as affordable as possible; the first consultation with the doctor is free and there are vouchers and free sessions for frequent clients. Sady, Alexandra and Jorge have carried a very heavy cross for the longest time, but they know that, in due course, with patience and hard work, they will make it through just fine. It all begins with one step and one small but mighty imperative: Breathe!

g Avda. España 242, Estepona. Tel: 952 806 796. www.centrohiperbarico.com

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THEY ARE NOT FROM ANOTHER PLANET, THEY USE MEDICAL THERAPIES THAT ARE ALSO AVAILABLE TO YOU!

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) consists of a patient being placed into a hyperbaric chamber where increased atmospheric pressure in used in order for the patient to breathe100% oxygen. Under these conditions, oxygen becomes a medicine and begins therapeutic treatments on the body. The treatment is particularly recommended for reducing inflammation, generally helping wounds to heal, as well as wounds that are difficult to heal, such as ulcers or diabetic foot.

It can even be used to prevent cases of amputation.

Furthermore, its effects on the post-operative recovery process have been proven as have its support for plastic and reconstructive surgery. It is also recommended for sports injuries, bone fractures, neurological damage, autism, providing relief from the effects of radiotherapy or burns, and reducing stress and chronic fatigue.

Specifically, it is the oxygen going through the blood in greater concentration that helps the body on a general level. The hyperbaric chamber at the Hyperbaric Medical Centre is made from entirely transparent material, and has room for one person, allowing for direct communication with medical staff; as well as offering hygienic, comfortable and exclusive conditions with the greatest possible availability of times.

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CENTRO MÉDICO HIPERBÁRICO Avda. de España 242. Estepona (Málaga) Tel.: 952 806 796 / 663 418 023

www.centrohiperbarico.com

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the pro

ENTERPRISE LOCAL BUSINESS PROFILES FINANCE/LAW THE VIBE

Compiled by Marisa CUTILLAS

The Olympics Come to Sotogrande

La Reserva de Sotogrande recently brought together the captains of different golf teams, just a few months before the Olympic games.

Manuel Piñero, Captain of the Spanish national team, hosted the event, which was attended by Sergio García and José María Olazábal. Piñero told the press that his aim was “to pay homage to the persons who have done so much for Spanish golf, including Severiano Ballesteros and José María Olazábal. Thanks to them we are making a return to the Spanish Olympics.” i www.sotogrande.com

XIV Butterfly Children Golf & Ball: Two Events One Great Cause It’s time to swing for solidarity, birdie for the Butterfly Children and dance for their future at the XIV Butterfly Children Golf and Ball on the first weekend of June at Aloha Golf Club, in aid of the Butterfly Children Charity (DEBRA). For golfers, the fun begins on Saturday June 4, with a Stableford Individual Golf Tournament at Aloha Golf Club. For only €75 players can enjoy this beautiful course with the opportunity to win €10.000 worth of prizes. On Sunday June 5, enjoy a Night Under the Stars on the breathtaking terrace of Aloha Golf Restaurant. Tickets cost €55 and include a delicious three-course meal with wine and live music from the fantastic Ricky Lavazza and Mr Maph, Simone Lisa and their band. The Butterfly Children Golf & Ball is supported by professional golfer Miguel Angel Jiménez who every year donates a unique piece of golfing memorabilia to be auctioned during the gala dinner as well as many other luxury golf items and prizes. g For reservations,

contact Tel: 952 816 434. butterflychildren@debra.es

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A Cuatro Manos at the Puente Romano Hotel Last year’s A Cuatro Manos was definitely a coup for the Puente Romano Beach Resort & Spa: Chefs from restaurants with a total of 20 Michelin stars gathered alongside Dani García to create truly culinary magic at the first A Cuatro Manos event. This year, the event featured 18 Chefs from restaurants with a total of 71 stars! The impressive list of Chefs taking part in the event included Ferran Adrià (elBullifoundation), Joan Roca (El Celler de Can Roca), Quique Dacosta (QD Restaurante), Andoni Luis Aduriz (Mugaritz), Daniel Humm (Eleven Madison Park in New York) and Juan Mari Arzak (Arzak). On April 19, Dani García, Paco Morales and Ángel León whipped up a fantastic meal without using any culinary technique developed after 1995, in an event called Unplugged.

On April 20, A Cuatro Manos saw García cooking alongside Eleven Madison Park’s Daniel Humm.

On April 21, García created a dazzling meal with Sebastian Frank of the Horváth Restaurant of Berlin. i For further information,

www.grupodanigarcia.com

New Iberostar Costa del Sol Hotel Opens in Estepona The new Iberostar Costa del Sol Hotel recently opened in Estepona, with the attendance of José María García Urbano (Mayor of Estepona) and Xisco Martínez (Commercial Director of Iberostar Hotels and Resorts in Spain, Italy and Cape Verde). The four-star hotel boasts 265 rooms, most of which have a sea view, as well as magnificent offerings in the areas of wellness, gastronomy, entertainment, kids’ areas, etc. i www.iberostar.com ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM MAY 2016 / 129

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MARTA MESA DEL PERAL WINS GOLD AT SPANISH SHOWJUMPING CHAMPIONSHIPS Marbella’s own Marta Mesa del Peral took home the Gold at the National Youth Showjumping Championsips (youth category). The Championships took place in Segovia, at the Club Hípico Castilla y León. Marta, who normally trains at the Hipódromo de Mijas (directed

by Samuel Oliva) completed her routine to perfection atop her beautiful horse, Zobia Bella, whom she has been riding for four seasons.

AGROJARDÍN HOLDS CONFERENCE ON PALM TREE TREATMENT

EASY FM – LOVE SONGS ON THE COAST EASY FM (106 FM) is a new international radio station on the Coast based in Marbella, playing soft pop and contemporary music. If you enjoy listening to music without the interruptions of DJs, competitions, phone-ins and endless commercial messages, you’ll love EASY FM, one of two radio stations belonging to the Magix Media Group operating in Marbella (the other being MAGIX FM, playing dance music). Listen to love songs and light hits from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, as well as modern tunes. The station’s studios are located in Puerto Banús, with transmitters at the top of Altos de Marbella and Mijas. i www.easyfm.es

The Agrojardín Garden Centre recently held a conference concerning two of the biggest threats to palm trees: the red palm weevil and tree fungus. The conference was given by the Glen Biotech company, which specialises in fumigation and plague control.

The company also held a conference about puppy care, given by Hill’s Pet Nutrition. Attendees learned all about basic care, vaccines and food for pups. i For

further information, www.agrojardin.com

THE MARBELLA PROPERTY MAGAZINE, VOLUME EIGHT

CUDECA WALKATHON 2016 Cudeca Cancer Hospice will be celebrating the 14th edition of the Cudeca Walkathon on Sunday, May 15 in Benalmádena. The aim is to increase awareness about its ‘special kind of caring’ and raise much needed funds. The event will kick off on the beachfront at Sunset Beach Club in Benalmádena from 10am. There will be three routes: two, five and 10 kilometres, respectively. Cudeca was also the recipient of €6.200, raised by Steve Hughes, who organised an event called Charity through Music at the Millenium Bar in Calahonda, featuring Terry Shaughnessy, Memphis Trio, Dirty Little Secrets, Amelinde and Deborah Dee. i For further information, www.cudeca.org

Panorama, Marbella’s longest established real estate agency, and the exclusive international affiliate of Savills for the greater Marbella area, has just published the latest edition of The Marbella Property Magazine. Considered by many to be the best quality real estate publication on the Costa del Sol, the magazine features Christopher Clover’s 2016 Marbella Property Market Report, articles on buying and selling Marbella property and some of the most exceptional properties on the market in the Marbella area. Copies are available at their offices opposite the Marbella Club hotel and at the Puente Romano hotel, at various Marbella distribution points, or by contacting Panorama with your full name and address to receive a copy by mail. g Tel: 952 863 750. www.panorama.es

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® essential marbella magazine W W W. E S S E N T I A L M A G A Z I N E . C O M

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essential magazine is the longest established publication dedicated to Marbella’s opulent lifestyle, mixed with lively features from all around the world. Always in great demand, we continuously strive to produce quality content that will inform and entertain you. Available free from all the best commercial locations and in luxury hotel bedrooms along the Costa del Sol, we present your brand to a high-end market, benefitting from the unrivalled prestigue and recognition we have achieved over the last 17 years. Don’t miss out!

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TEchnal Construction Conference A conference on Lightweight Shells, Architecture and Urban Planning will be taking place on May 18 at the Hospital Real Misericordia in Marbella.

The event will begin at 6pm and will feature talks on 21st Century Lightweight Construction and the Wit House, by Architect, José Ramón Rodríguez Álvarez. The talks will be followed by a discussion about the planning situation of Marbella and by the awarding of the Marbella Arquitectura prize.

Finally, there will be a catered networking event. i www.technal.com

Lives Transformed by Ocean Clinic Marbella’s Reconstructive Surgery Mission to Kenya First International Network Meeting in Estepona CITE (The Centre for Tourist and Business Initiatives in Estepona) and Shaw Marketing Services held the First International Bilingual Networking Meeting in Estepona on April 21 at the El Invernadero Restaurant (in the Agrojardín Garden Centre) at 9am. The meeting provided Spanish and international businesses and entrepreneurs in the Estepona area with an opportunity to share ideas and business opportunities. Attendees learned about each other’s business, found beneficial synergies and created valuable relationships. i For further information,

comunicacion@citeestepona.com

Andalucia Lab to Train 1,800 Professionals in 2016 The Costa del Sol’s pioneering centre for innovation in tourism and business, Andalucia Lab, has announced that it will be running 126 training courses in 2016, which will help 1,800 professionals. These free courses are created to meet the real needs of professionals working in Andalucía, focusing on four key themes: online marketing, marketing for tourism, social media and entrepreneurs. The centre also offers an affordable shared office space within their Co-working Area, to allow even small business owners to work away from home in a positive and inspirational environment. i www.andalucialab.org

Nearly 40 people living with disfigurements in a poor area of Kenya have had their lives transformed thanks to a reconstructive surgery mission, led by Dr. Kai Kaye, Head Surgeon at Ocean Clinic Marbella. Dr. Kaye teamed up with his friend and colleague, Dr. Stasch, of Nairobi’s Valentis Clinic on the nine-day charitable campaign. Working in collaboration with the Kenyan Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (KSPRAS), they put together an eight-person surgical team, including an anaesthetist and two Plastic Surgery Residents from Nairobi and three nurses from Ocean Clinic Marbella.

The team travelled to Lamu, a rural archipelago on the northeastern coast of Kenya, where they met with more than 100 men, women and children suffering with disfigurements such as congenital malformations, tumours, burns, scars and other deformities. They were able to successfully operate on 39 patients. i www.oceanclinic.net

Sports and Education, Flexible Pathways at Sotogrande International School Students who are passionate about pursuing their sport to the highest level now have the perfect opportunity to couple their sporting dreams with their academic ambitions at Sotogrande International School. Starting in September this year, SIS will offer an exciting new course for 16-18 year olds, entitled Flexible Pathways. The latter is a rigorous academic course of study, where students can choose from a programme of A Levels or High School Diploma courses to follow in the afternoons, leaving ample time for intensive sports training every morning.

Flexible Pathways students also have the option of boarding at the San Roque Boarding House, which boasts excellent facilities and outstanding, personalised academic and pastoral care. i For further information, admissions@sis.gl

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New Markilux Shades at TipTop Shade

A New Head of Hair and Back to Work in 48 hours Did you know that with the latest hair transplant techniques you can have a new full head of hair with only two days’ down time? Medicine has progressed at such a rapid rate, that you can now undergo micro surgery hair transplants that leave no visible scars. All you need to do is sit back, relax, and then wait for your new hair to grow naturally.

Dr. Panno and his British-trained team use the very latest techniques in hair loss restoration, transplants and non-invasive treatments for men and women at their state of the art clinic in Marbella. i www.drpanno.com

It isn’t a classic parasol and it isn’t a classic awning; it’s a shade and it’s part of the new Markilux collection, called Planet Flex. The new shade allows you to precisely define the areas of shade and sun you desire, since it is turnable by 335° so that shade will be cast exactly where required. The Planet is a great stand-alone sun protection – and the perfect aesthetic complement for any existing shade solution like shade sails, fixed sun awnings or pergolas. Seven stylish frame colours and all fabric designs from the premium Markilux collection are available as of now at your one-stop shop shade solutions partner. g TipTopShade. Tel: 661 030 816. solutions@tiptopshade.com

Op De Beeck & Worth Employees Raise €9.000 for Charity Partners

UNIQ: Your Wellness Partner in Body and Mind In a world where life moves at such a fast pace, we need to learn to take control of our emotions. UNIQ offers the best luxury spa treatments in your home, office or hotel, for the entire family. Look after yourself and enjoy life, with an array of treatments using only the finest products. The team at UNIQ can also organise everything from personal yoga sessions on the beach, right through to sports activities for your family and friends. Feel the difference… feel UNIQ! g Tel: 618 433 898.

www.uniqyoma.com

Employees at Op de Beeck & Worth insurance brokers in Marbella have achieved their goal of raising €9.000 for chosen charities. The money raised will be split equally, with €3.000 going to each of their three charity partners – Debra España, Mary’s Meals and Asociacion Crece. Director Danni Worth, presented a cheque on the 17th at Op de Beeck & Worth’s office in Marbella, attended by employees and members of the press. Over the last 10 years, Op de Beeck & Worth has been actively involved in local, national and international fund raising. Since 2015, the company has donated €1 from each policy sale or renewal to the fund, and Danni raised in excess of €14.000 last year for Mary’s Meals by cycling the Camino de Santiago with his son Tom. i www.opdebeeck-worth.com

MITICA INDIA FESTIVAL II The Association Andaluza of Yoga in collaboration with the Council of San Pedro de Alcántara presents the second edition of Mitica India Festival at the Carpa Municipal of San Pedro fairgrounds on Saturday May 21 and Sunday May 22. The festival aims to bring participants a vision of India through yoga. Over the two days there will be classes and visitors workshops of all kinds of yoga: Hatha, Kundalini, Vinyasa, yoga for two and yoga for children, as well as lectures, conferences and workshops on mantras, kriyas and homa taught by great masters from different countries.

Also featuring music, dance, shows plus a market and stands. On Saturday, there will be an entrance fee of €5, a percentage of which will go to butterfly skin charity, DEBRA. g Tel: 952 775 634.

Escuelaandaluzadeyoga@gmail.com

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Marbella Racing Drivers Club (MRDC) success in the Andalusian Historic GTI Championships

Virginie French Gourmet & Decoration Brings Style and TastE to the Golden Mile Virginie is the charming new French gourmet and décor boutique opened on the Golden Mile to bring you gourmet delicacies from the south of France, as well as stunning décor items that will bring new life to your home. Goods include an excellent selectin of Bordeaux wines, Chablis, Côtes du Rhone, organic rosé from Provence, Sauternes and much more, to complement your aperitifs and meals. There are also various types of foie gras products (including entier de canard, confit de canard, rillettes and pâté, delicious when spread on toast and downed with a sweet fig wine.

There are gourmet mustards, special oils and vinegars, aperitifs and liquors, etc. Beauty lovers will adore the selection of beauty products made with pure Argan oil, while those into design will marvel at everything from brightly hued table linen by Jean-Vier, to genuine French table knives from Corrèze, a variety of tableware and stoneware, candles, fragrances and more. Speak to Virginie about creating your own wedding list from her many beautiful items, or shop for the perfect gift or treat at this stunning shop. g Marbella Real Local 20,

Marbella. Tel: 952 834 398. www.frenchgourmetmarbella.com

Members of the Marbella Racing Drivers Club recently took part in the 2016 GTI championship, known for its exciting races. Meetings are held throughout the year in Andalucía, on renowned circuits such as Jerez, Ascari, Cartagena, Guadix, Almeria and the new Andalucía Circuit. All drivers race regulated-race prepared MK2 Golf GTI 1.8 (8 valve) cars. Although some MRDC members have much faster and exotic race cars, they choose to compete in the GTI championship owing to its competitive nature. The first meeting of the year was held at the Guadix Circuit in March.

The Marbella Racing Drivers Club entered five drivers into the 2016 Historic Touring Car and GTI Championships, achieving impressive results. i For further information,

www.marbellaracingdriversclub.com

Oceane Beauty Launches First Spanish Store in Puerto Banús American brand, Oceane Beauty, has opened its first store in Spain, right here in Marbella. Made by specialists in the materials, the brand’s products have been extremely popular thanks to their main ingredients, pearl powder and marine plant stem cells, whose benefits have been demonstrated in the realms of aesthetics and beauty. During the evening, attendees enjoyed Champagne and strawberries while discovering first-hand the many possibilities that this line of cosmetics (which has eight different collections, including one especially for men) can offer. g Muelle Ribera 42,

Edificio G-H, Planta Baja, Puerto Banús.

Tel: 951 319 270. www.oceanebeauty.com

Global Optical Group Specsavers Celebrates 10th Anniversary in Spain Specsavers Opticas is proud to announce that it is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary.

Founded 31 years ago in the UK, the company is now an International retailer with more than 1,600 stores across 10 countries and is the third largest optical group in the world. To celebrate, Specsavers Opticas will be offering free eye tests, special offers such as glasses for just €10 and the popular Spectacle Wearer of the Year competition throughout April and May. i To join in the celebrations

Childline Andalucía presents Fundraising Event Childline Andalucía is holding a charity gala dinner at the Hotel Tamisa Golf Mijas on Saturday May 21, featuring a live performance by The New Jersey Boys. The event will include dinner and an auction and raffle, and tickets cost only €35. A new charity to the Costa del Sol, Childline Andalucía aims to support the immediate needs of expat children and teens through dedicated help and advice. For the first time in Spain, these kids will have a contact point for dealing with issues such as bullying, cyberbullying, domestic violence, drugs and suicide awareness. g Tel: 952 585 988/ 677 854 530.

and enter the competition, pop into your nearest store or visit the website www.specsavers.es

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ARBORETUM OPENS REGISTRATION PERIOD FOR NEW URBAN ALLOTMENTS

FREE AESTHETIC SERVICE FOR CANCER PATIENTS AT XANIT HOSPITAL The Vithas Xanit International Hospital has widened its range of treatments for cancer patients, with a new personal image counselling service to help patients deal with the physical consequences of cancer treatment. The aim is to help patients adopt the style that best suits their face, body and lifestyle. i For further information,

www.xanit.es

Arboretum Foundation has announced the availability of 70 more organic urban allotments which will encourage sustainable development and bring together the community. Residents and groups can apply for an allotment to grow their own fruit and vegetables, learning about organic cultivation methods and applying them. Applicants must be schools or groups located in Marbella, or residents who have been registered on the Marbella council register for at least one year.

The application period closes on the 15th of May. i www.arboretummarbella.org

YOUNIQUE COSMETICS COMES TO SPAIN Save the date: Younique is coming to Spain as of May 2016.

The company sells natural-based cosmetics which are hypo-allergenic and free of all parabens, sulphates and talc.

All products are cruelty free and contain quality ingredients that enrich and nourish skin. The famous Moodstruck 3D fiber lashes is one of their most desirable items: this amazing mascara can increase your average lash volume by 400 per cent and has been a huge success alongside other star sell out products. g For further information, contact Jennifer on

Tel: 618 878 063. katzjen@gmail.com/ Facebook: Unica y guapa con younique

STEM CELL TREATMENT AT THE ARQUES MEDICAL CLINIC Alopecia, psoriasis, scars, burns... these traumas to the skin will no longer be a problem for those who visit Arques Medical Clinic, a centre specialising in aesthetic medicine based on the newest and most effective techniques currently available on the market, including the use of stem cells at a dermal level to regenerate skin which has been damaged as a result of burns. This process can be used to remodel scars, or treat skin diseases or baldness. i For further

MARBERUN NIGHT RUN FOR ASPANDEM Aspandem, an association with helps over 600 persons with intellectual disabilities on the Coast, recently held the second Marberun Night Run, organised alongside the Club de Atletismo Marbella and the Marbella Town Hall. The 10km run started in Plaza Antonio Banderas in Puerto Banús, continued to the San Pedro Boulevard and ended once again at Plaza Antonio Banderas. The official sponsor was Marina Banús. g Tel: 952 787 650.

information, www.arquesclinic.com 138 / MAY 2016 ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM

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BOUTIQUE INFANTIL

C/ Huerta Chica, 12. Marbella. Tel: 952 507 063.

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© Julia Roder/ Design. Photography. Illustration. Webdesign

z THE PRO business

NEVER GROW UP!

Kids Club at Marbella Club WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS PHOTOGRAPHY KEVIN HORN AND COURTESY OF THE MARBELLA CLUB HOTEL

D

iscerning mums and dads know that the Kids Club at the Marbella Club Hotel is probably one of the most stunningly designed children’s areas on the Coast.

Ensconced in the middle of a verdant area where centenary-old pines soar into the heavens, it is filled with gorgeous touches that hark back to the glamour of childhood in decades past. Gorgeous wooden flooring, colourful flower gardens (complete with wheelbarrows and vintage brooms), antique chests filled with costumes of all colours and sizes and a raised wooden-decked openair theatre are just some of the many stunning features that take your breath away. The Club is actually the redesigned farmhouse of Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe, and a chic rustic air definitely prevails.

For children, time at the Kids Club isn’t all about design, of course; rather, it is about learning, exploring and revelling in the glory of childhood. Manager, Marta Arrese, greets me on the day of my visit and I instantly glean that this magical lady has discovered many secrets that keep children entertained and happy.

As she ushers me through the Club’s many rooms and nooks, her passion for bringing out the best in children is infectious and, as a mother myself, I cannot help but marvel at the original

vibe she and the Marbella Club group have brought to the Coast through this Club.

We should begin with the basics: the Club (which welcomes unaccompanied children from ages four and above) can be enjoyed in many ways. There are various membership options: annual, 16week, eight-week, four-week and even one-week. The Club is open from 10am to 6pm and all food and drink is provided. Marta and her team (who are all bilingual) have drafted a comprehensive programme of activities which includes everything from storytelling to cooking, gardening, dancing, theatre, and sporty days out (tennis, golf, horse riding, artisan visits, kayaking, etc.).

Every holiday is carefully planned at the Kids Club; at Christmas, for instance, kids bake traditional holiday sweets (such as Gingerbread Men), enjoy a holiday hunt and make Santa-shaped soap.

There plenty to do at the Club, which is expansive and comprises many separate areas and rooms.

Take the kitchen – a gorgeous designer space with a large island on which up to 10 (or more) kids enjoy conjuring up their own recipes and learning the principles of cooking.

Then there is the Aroma Room, which really caught my eye. Dark

glass bottles house essential oils of all types (chocolate, neroli, peach, you name it). Marta the potion master leads an aromatic workshop in which each child makes their own signature perfume, which is bottled and branded with the Kids Club logo.

Plenty of earthly delights are made here – soap bombs, glittery candles, colourful lip balms (containing edible natural dyes and edible essential oils).

Nearby is the Experiment Lab – where kids learn about everything from static electricity to tornadoes, or make their very own Slime (remember that fun kids’ product that first boomed in the 1970s?).

The Kids Club is home to a lovely library, for storytelling and reading, as well as a dance and theatre room, music room, games room, art room, and more. Kids tap into their creative side, conceiving collages and collaborative work under the guiding hand of talented artists. There is also a Teens area, where older kids can surf the Web or paint gigantic wall graffiti.

Staff is very important at the Kids Club and Marta expresses her delight at having the freedom to hire Marbella’s very best professionals in various areas, including cooking, artistry, music, etc. She tells me that a local artist teaches children how

to work on combined pieces, each child adding their own talent to all the works being created on a given day.

The Kids Club can also be hired for parties – just choose your theme and let Marta and the team create a bespoke party for your little ones. Another new development is the Mums Club for Mums and babies – stimulating the senses is vital in the early stages, and babies learn everything from movement to crawling, honing their motor skills and having a great time.

The list of activities carried out at the Kids Club is truly varied, comprising everything from pottery making to basket weaving and, in the summer, kayaking, bodyboarding, volleyball, etc. Kids take part in activities in teams, enjoying their own ‘mini Olympics’.

As I leave the premises, inspired by the beauty, range of activities and professionalism of the staff, I realise I may just have stepped into an enchanted spot where children learn to express themselves and find their passion. I smile as I recall the Club’s motto, emblazoned on Tshirts for the kids: ‘Never Grow Up’. g At the Marbella Club Hotel.

Blvd. Príncipe Alfonso von Hohenlohe s/n, Marbella. Tel: 952 822 211. www.marbellaclub.com

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Welcome to the Marbella Club Kid’s Club Memories to last a lifetime

Come and join us as we open the doors to our Kids Club, a place where

all the ingredients have been carefully chosen to form a playful and dynamic space that invites to explore, discover and experience. There will be something for everyone to enjoy and to be inspired by. Our programme has been specially designed to help develop and nurture special talents, teach essential life skills and offer a truly extraordinary childhood experience.

Open 365 days of the year from 10am to 6pm and intended for children aged 4-14, the Kid´s Club has something to suit the personality and interests of every child.

Be ready to roll up your sleeves and get creative in the Garage Kitchen or let your imagination run wild in the arts and craft studio.

We are delighted to announce a unique

opportunity to become a member of our Kid’s Club. We are now offering a limited number of memberships for families here in the Marbella area and also for those who are not based here but who visit Marbella on a regular basis.

Sport lovers will burn off excess energy with the extensive range of action-packed sports and seaside activities on offer, including sea kayaking and paddle surf.

If you wish to receive further information about our Memberships please contact Marta Arrese / arrese@marbellaclub.com

Marbella Club Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa Bulevar Príncipe Alfonso von Hohenlohe, s/n, 29602, Marbella, Málaga, Spain (34) 952 822 211 Fax (34) 952 82 88 84 marbellaclub.com

z THE PRO business

YORKSHIRE LINEN PRESTIGE For a Stylish Home at a Great Price WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS PHOTOGRAPHY KEVIN HORN

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he Golden Mile of Marbella has always been a hub of entrepreneurial activity but things are really on the up thanks to the recent opening of cool coffee shops, restaurants and now, gorgeous interiors shop, Yorkshire Linen Prestige. You can glean quite a bit from contemplating the gorgeous window display, featuring a King-sized bed fi tted with linen designed by Aussie diva, Kylie Minogue, chic silver-hued side tables, and a lovely dining table-andchairs set, in solid looking crystal and metal. The feel is uber-modern yet timeless, capturing the very essence of what Yorkshire Linen Prestige is all about. The shop was launched very recently by dynamic duo Steph and Julie, who also own the 500m2 Yorkshire Linen in Mijas, and Beds & More (also in Mijas and selling everything from beds to carpets and lamps).

Don’t be fooled by the name: Yorkshire Linen Prestige is neither pricey, nor just about linen. The spacious shop houses an eclectic range of home items which includes headboards, beds, sofas, curtains and curtain accessories, bed linen, pillowcases, duvets, pillows of all shapes, materials and sizes, and

even electrical items from brands you would only find in the UK – I marvelled at everything from air fryers to steam vacuum cleaners and more, by Morphy Richards.

There really is so much to seduce the eyes and best of all, everything is surprisingly affordable, even the designer items. I was drawn to a lovely single duvet set by renowned designer, Catherine Lansfield, featuring painted birds and Natureinspired drawings. I checked the price tag: €19,99 – cheaper than what you might find at the local mall for plain sheets. Further into the shop, there are various beds dressed in beautiful linen and bearing very distinct inspirations – from Kylie’s glamorous, sequinned, sparkly cushions and duvets, to more traditional embroidered styles by Christy or crisp, simple designs by Belledorm (made with 100 per cent Egyptian cotton).

You don’t just get what you see at Yorkshire Linen Prestige; many items can be made-to-measure. Steph tells me, “We can make a whole bed for you or just a headboard.”

The shop can also make your very own Chesterfield sofa, in a range of stunning colours, including duck egg blue, cream, fuschia, you name

it! The staff can help you make your home more beautiful and more practical, by creating an individual storage bed or complementary furniture pieces. They also sell super-size beds since for some people, King just isn’t big enough.

The shop houses an impressive range of duvets – including Hungarian goose down and more affordable varieties. There really is something for all budgets, I notice, as I pick up a pillow costing just €8 and take a look through their range of hypoallergenic pillows. “Our main focus is linen,” says Steph, though there are many little touches that would make great presents for a birthday or special occasion – including artwork, small furniture pieces and decorative details.

Rentals are another area they can help you out with. Steph says, “We have a huge stock of lines which are perfect for rental properties and we work closely with many of the interior design companies, estate agents and rental companies all along the Coast and Gibraltar – making sure we stock the right products in quantity. If sent a client by referral, we do our upmost to give that client a great experience.”

One of Yorkshire Linen Prestige’s strongest points is its staff – I overheard customers asking for advice and the staff was quick to identify their needs and point them in the right direction. Their skill is also handy when it comes to keeping purchases to within a budget: “We have everything from pillow cases from €5,50 a pair, to one thousand thread count cases for €45. Of course, there are various price ranges in between.”

Steph and Julie make sure to cater for customers with different expectations: “Some clients wish to furnish their home while others simply want to make a rental property more appealing or jazz up a home they are selling.” Regardless of what your reason is for giving a home a new look, Yorshire Linen Prestige, with its wide range of linens, furniture and décor pieces, is set to make your home cosier, more stylish, and a more faithful representation of who you are.

g CN340, km 179 (opposite Da Bruno a Casa), Marbella.

Tel: 952 773 165.

Facebook: Yorkshire Linen Prestige www.yorkshirelinen.es

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z THE PRO law

COURT RULING TO DEMOLISH?

Back in mid-February at the CIVISUR conference on the Marbella PGOU, the head lawyer of the Junta de Andalucía in Málaga made clear her position regarding the numerous rulings to demolish illegal constructions: she would not ask for them to be carried out. WORDS CRISTINA FALKENBERG

H

er point of view wasn’t arbitrary but based on an important and most reasonable alteration introduced in article 108.3 of the law of administrative procedure. A parallel alteration has been introduced in article 319.3 of the Criminal Code should the illegal construction rank as a criminal offence. Both are effective since October 1, 2015.

Anyone considering buying property they truly and reasonably believe has been developed legally, should feel confident to go ahead.

As couldn’t be otherwise, Court rulings must be complied with.

However, Law 7/2015 of July 21 introduced a special clause in the case of the rulings ordering the demolition of illegal constructions.

Be it a breach of the administrative law or the criminal one, a deposit must be put down before the works are physically demolished, should the interests of owners of good faith be affected.

The law is the result of many years of heated debate on third parties acquiring property they didn’t know had been built contravening the planning rules.

It’s a fact that Town Halls have at times issued illegal licenses or,

more often, simply ignored works being carried out without a license at all or against the specifications of the permission obtained.

When such property appears both in the Land Registry and in the fiscal one (catastro) and the purchase is registered by a Notary, there is little chance the purchaser could possibly know their acquisition hadn’t complied with all prior legal requirements.

RULINGS AFFECTED A final sentence declaring a construction illegal, always entails an order of demolition, even if it isn’t expressly stated. However the Constitutional Court has always held that Courts must take all circumstances into account when executing their rulings. In the case of orders to demolish constructions, the pace and extent of these to physically execute sentences declaring buildings illegal must be weighed carefully.

One is a buyer in good faith when purchasing property with the diligent and reasonable belief that it was developed according to planning regulations. Good faith is presumed – unless the contrary is proven – should the property be inscribed in the Land Registry.

Other cases of buyers in good faith may be considered too.

Fully valid demolition orders may be issued but not executed until the buyer in good faith is compensated for the loss they will be facing. Issuing the order to demolish is in itself legal and a natural consequence of the sentence. However as of October 1, 2015 it can not be physically executed without a prior deposit covering any losses. The date of the Court ruling or the demolition order are, in this context, irrelevant.

The Judge will first have to examine if there are any ‘good faith owners’ of the assets, as is often the case. They will have to decide too on who must make the deposit. It isn’t unusual however that unscrupulous builders and developers have disappeared, leaving the Administration to foot the bill.

If this might at first sight seem unfair, consider that the Town Hall has a direct obligation to ensure that construction works comply with planning rules. Collusion with illegal land development or mere tolerance of such activity renders the Administration responsible for paying the deposit.

A valuation by an independent

surveyor should always be sought and one could think of including other damages such as Court costs, furnishings and all sorts of expenses associated with buying and inhabiting a home.

The law doesn’t presume the Administration will be solvent.

On the contrary, damages must be calculated and the lump sum must actually be lodged before the diggers may physically enter the property.

Apart from paying the deposit, the builder, the developer or the Administration must of course face the cost of knocking down the illegal construction and clearing the rubble.

From the Administration’s point of view, demolishing illegal works will not only have a likely cost for them, but they will cease to receive all taxes emanating from property such as local land tax, stamp duty on sale or inheritance tax.

It therefore seems that for reasons of material justice and economic convenience, the material execution of more than one demolition order might be left on hold indefinitely, the exception being of course, works that could pose a danger or buildings that are unfit for human habitation. e

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z THE PRO vibe

Essentiel Antwerp Opens in Puerto Banús Belgian fashion brand, Essentiel Antwerp, has chosen Muelle Ribera in Puerto Banús as the site of its second store in Spain. Attendees at the launch event enjoyed cocktails and discovered new pieces from the Spring/Summer 2016 collection. The brand stands for refreshing, offbeat and luxurious fashion and is renowned for its graphic, floral prints and trendy mixes of colour.

“Life isn’t perfect but your outfit can be” – Anonymous

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vibe THE PRO z

International Marbella Open House Tine Hagemeister and team hosted a cocktail event to launch a stunning contemporary six-bedroom villa, the latest property from luxury developers, Marvillas.

Over 155 guests attended and were treated to Champagne and a selection of 1,000 different canapés. The event was certainly a splendid way to welcome the spring season in Marbella. i www.internationalmarbella.com

“Home is where our story begins…” – Anonymous

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z THE PRO vibe

United Nations Marbella Now Summit Nicole King and the team at Marbella Now recently held the first United Nationalities of Marbella Now TV summit at Laude International Colllege in San Pedro, to bring the community together and discuss key issues such as how to make Marbella more sustainable, function as a year-round destination, how to improve integration with the Spanish community and Marbella as a charity hub.

“When there is unity there is always victory” – Publilius Syrus

PHOTOGRAPHY kevin horn 148 / MAY 2016 ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM

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vibe THE PRO z

Roche Bobois presents Spring/ Summer 2016 Collection Roche Bobois is famed for its stylish furniture and, every season, clients line up to see its very latest collections. It was all about Spring/Summer 2016 at the company’s recent cocktail event, which delighted visitors with vibrant colours and designs. i www.roche-bobois.com

“Colour does not add a pleasant quality to design – it reinforces it” – Paul Bonnard

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z THE PRO vibe

Triple A Celebrates 25th Anniversary Triple A is one of the hardest working homes for abandoned pets. Recently, the association celebrated its 25th anniversary with an event featuring live music, food, drinks and cake stands, as well as stalls selling gift items. Some emotional speeches were given on the occasion, as guests pondered on the many good things animals bring to their lives. i www.tripleamarbella.org

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself” – Anonymous

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h THE LEISURE recreation

the best places for

Wild Swimming in and around Marbella In many ways, Andalucía and its traditions of flamenco, colourful clothes and paella epitomise what the world thinks of as Spain’s diverse and stunning landscape, rich with an equally enthralling history and culture. The influence of the Moors, who conquered Andalucía (Al-Andalus) in the early eighth century and ruled for nearly 800 years, is clearly evident in villages, forts and architecture. WORDS and photography John Weller and Lola Culsán

Río Genal, Secret Pools

Among the chestnut trees of the spectacular Genal valley of the Serranía de Ronda, the river which gives the valley its name wends its way between La Sierra de las Nieves and Grazalema national parks. The abundance of trees and shade and the gentle river providing a refreshing escape from the blazing Andalucian sun.

There are pools and long deep channels all along the river, but the area near the Venta de San Juan provides a good place to start. Explore the river north of the bridge for pretty and peaceful stretches. You can do a 2km upstream ‘aquatrek’. Suitable for young children in the summer. Next to the bridge at Venta de San Juan, you’ll find a restaurant which specialises in barbecued meat.

At the village of Algatocín, follow the MA-8305 signposted Genalguacil through chestnut forests.

Stop when you reach the bridge and park by the restaurant, Venta de San Juan. There’s a nice campsite overlooking the river with home-cooked food: Camping Genal www.campingenal.com Head upstream at the bridge and follow the river. There’s a deep bend for dips about five minutes upstream. After another five minutes is a 100–200m stretch where you can swim and picnic. Apporach: easy. Duration: 15 minutes. GPS: 36.5705, -5.2449

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T

ourists and emigres from Britain and Europe have flocked to this southern paradise for decades, attracted by the year-long sunshine and beautiful coastline. But away from the salt, sand and overcrowded beaches – just a few kilometres inland – a wealth of rivers, mountain lakes and reservoirs offer wilder settings for long swims. The authors of a new book, Wild Swimming Spain, spent three years adventuring across Spain to find the very best outdoor swimming locations in the heart of nature.

Among olive and almond trees, which flourish despite the dry and dusty earth, they encountered crystalline pools carved into the rocky valleys, enchanting Andalucian lakes and clear green rivers ideal for long swims and paddling with children.

Less than an hour’s drive from Marbella, you will find pretty whitewashed mountain villages perched above dazzling reservoirs, and you can relax beside winding rivers and stunning waterfalls.

So you want to nadar en plena naturaleza en España (wild swim in Spain)? Here we reveal the best wild locations, many within easy reach of the Costa del Sol.

What do you need to take?

A swimming costume, a pair of comfortable shoes, a lightweight towel and a keen sense of adventure.

Aqua shoes or canyoning shoes are excellent for scrambling over rocks, and essential if exploring gorges or walking along a river bed. Hiking boots are recommended for sites that require longer walks. A sleeveless wetsuit can help children stay warm in colder mountain streams, and sunscreen – especially in the mountains where the cool air can deceive – is vital, as is insect-repellent for evenings in the woods.

Always bring lots of water so no-one, especially children, runs the risk of getting dehydrated on a long hike. Finally, don’t forget the camera.

Ten ways to be wild and safe ZZ Downstream of hydroelectric dams, pay attention to changes in water level.

ZZ Do not explore narrow gorges if rainstorms are expected upstream.

ZZ Don’t swim in canals, urban rivers or stagnant ponds. Cover cuts and wounds with waterproof plasters if you’re unsure of the water quality.

ZZ Never swim in swollen rivers and beware of water quality in dry periods.

ZZ Do not swim alone and keep a constant check on weak swimmers.

ZZ Never jump into water unless you’ve thoroughly checked it for depth.

ZZ Make sure you know how to get out before entering the water.

ZZ Do not get cold. Do warm-up exercises before a swim and put on warm clothes straight after. A wetsuit is useful in colder rivers.

ZZ Wear appropriate footwear, both in and out the water.

ZZ Wear sunscreen. While swimming, it’s easy to forget how strong the sun can be.

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Charca de las Mozas, Río Guadalmina

Get away from the crowds on the Costa del Sol and visit this family-friendly inland beach which lies where the Río Guadalmina cuts an impressive gorge through limestone rocks between the busy Marbella coast and the foothills of the Serranía de Ronda.

There are a number of natural pools, including the Charca de las Mozas (wenches’ pool), also known as the Charca de las Novias (brides’ pool). The name is derived from a popular local legend which claims that a young woman was ‘swallowed’ by the pool. Blinded by love, her boyfriend jumped in to rescue her, only to disappear too.

You’ll find two natural pools for a relaxed day of rock jumping and swimming. We spent a pleasant afternoon challenging ourselves to jump or dive from ever higher spots into the cool waters. The pools can be popular during summer weekends, but the crystal clear water and imposing rocky landscape make a refreshing change from Marbella and they are only a few kilometres from the coast. Between the two large pools there is over 1km of river, running between limestone crags through pools and small waterfalls, to explore. Bring water shoes.

From Benahavís, head south on the A-7175, reach the roundabout and take the second exit.

Continue and you’ll see the river on your left, parking on your right. If it’s full, there’s another car park 100m on your left or, alternatively, a larger car park 1km further on at the second swimming spot.

Steps down to Charca de las Mozas are 100m north of the first parking spot. Head south down the river to the second, larger pool (GPS: 36.5132, -5.0344).

You can also find parking in Benhavis itself and walk down to the river. Approach: easy. Duration: two minutes. GPS: 36.5172, -5.0400

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Cueva del Gato

From the typically Moorish village of Benaoján in the Guadiaro river valley, you can hike through poppy fields and olive groves to the splendid Cueva del Gato (Cat Cave – so named because it looks like the face of a cat), tucked beneath the imposing limestone peaks of the Sierra de Grazalema. Below the mouth of the cave a tumbling, magical waterfall unleashes itself into the turquoise pool below. Take a dip in the cool and invigorating waters which have travelled 8km through dark subterranean passages. It’s possible to jump from the rocks but watch a local go first.

From Ronda, head west on the A-397, turn left onto the MA-7401 and follow for 7.3km. Take a right when you see the sign for Cueva del Gato. The waterfall is well signposted. Approach: easy. Duration: five minutes. GPS: 36.7272, -5.2380

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Embalse del Conde de Guadalhorce

The beautiful and unexpected ‘Andalucían Lake District’ combines three startlingly bright turquoise lakes bordered by cool shady pine forests. These stunning artificial lakes were created by a dam across the 200m-high sheer cliffs of the Guadalhorce river gorge. This is a lovely spot for a long lazy swim across the lake and back. A good traditional menu and superb views can be found at nearby restaurant, El Kiosko.

From Ardales on the A-357, head north on the MA-5403. After 6km continue on an unnamed road towards Parque de Ardales. You’ll soon pass El Kiosko restaurant on your right.

Park anywhere around here or go another 200m to reach the swimming spot on your left, where parking is also free. Approach: easy. Duration: five minutes. GPS: 36.9317, -4.8027

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La Charca del Canalón

The wild location of this beautiful pool and stunning waterfall is an absolute paradise.

Its location, 8km along a rocky mountain track from the ancient Moorish village of Istán, means you are unlikely to find a big crowd, even in the summer months. The village is tucked away beneath the Sierra Blanca at the head of the valley of the Río Verde, close to the Serranía de Ronda hunting reserve and boasts a number of à la carte restaurants and tapas bars. The jewel in its crown for the more adventurous among us, however, is the crystal clear water of the charca, surrounded by trees and high on the hillside. Climb up the rocks after the waterfall to find even more secret and secluded pools and waterfalls.

Just before the centre of Istán, turn right onto Calle Calvario, following signs to Altos de Istán. Keep going upwards, passing the sports centre, and after 1km you’ll come to a crossroads. Take the tarmacked road left (signed Nacimiento/ Monda) and after 500m you’ll pass the recreational area Nacimiento de Río Molinos. The road becomes a stony track.

After 3km you’ll reach a locked gate (GPS: 36.6020, -4.9360). Park here and follow the track parallel to the river for 2km until you get to the pool. Alternatively, if you have water shoes, walk up the river. It is hot and dusty so we recommend setting out early, before the sun gets too high, taking a picnic, and staying for the day.

There are no facilities here.

Approach: moderate.

Duration: 25 minutes.

GPS: 36.5983, -4.9411

g Wild Swimming Spain by John Weller and Lola Culsán (£15.99, Wild Things Publishing) is available online and from all good bookshops. For 30 per cent off the price of the book simply visit www.wildthingspublishing.com and enter ‘Marbella’ as your coupon code.

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h THE LEISURE hotel

elegant vibes at the

AMÀRE

MARBELLA BEACH HOTEL

The prestigious El Fuerte Group has a brand new baby to boast about: the Amàre Marbella Beach Hotel, ensconced on the beach frontline of Marbella and offering an adults-only stay in which luxury, wellness and great music are just a few key features to be enjoyed in the Spring/Summer season.

WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF THE EL FUERTE GROUP

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here are 236 contemporary rooms at the Amàre, dressed in youthful blue and white hues and designed by the prestigious Liev Rodríguez architect studio alongside interior specialists, Verum Hotel Development. True to El Fuerte’s strong commitment to sustainability, LED lighting brings life to the outside of the hotel, with geometric and curved steel and glass reflecting beams of natural light into the interiors.

One of the hotel’s most exciting features is Amarè Club, a fun way to enjoy your stay in three different areas: Z Amàre Beach (with cosy sunbeds, beach massages and the scintillating sounds of the resident DJ).

Z Amàre Lounge (featuring a chill-out area and bar adjacent to a pool. In the evening, take part in fun themed parties, listen to live music and sip on a mojito or two).

Z Amàre Pool (soak up the rays and when you need a cool drink or any other service, ring the ‘call

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button,’ and be attended to by the staff).

Z Although entertainment is on the agenda at this Hotel, the rooms are cosy enough to merit an early night in and boast interesting names: Z Oh La Lá is a large double room with a front or side sea view, with lots of sun. The rooms are built with glass walls and decked out with designer furniture and tech gadgets.

Z Sea Lovers, another double room, makes the most of the bejewelled Mediterranean, with its frontal sea view.

Z My Way is a double room with a side sea view.

Z Dolce Vita: This junior suite with side sea views houses a cosy bedroom and comfy living room.

Z I Was Here: This standard room embraces you in the Amàre charm, with its contemporary design and comfy beds that guarantee a great night’s sleep.

For an extra special stay, ask about The One: a collection of services designed to make guests

feel privileged. Enjoy the very best rooms, access to a private lounge with snacks and drinks from 11am to 11pm, and special in-room services such as free late checkout, high speed WiFi and more.

Make sure you stay fi t during your stay at the Amàre; relax tense muscles at the hydrotherapy circuit, or work up a sweat at the gym, fi tted with the very latest equipment. Discover the meaning of Zen at the thermal relaxation pool and the Turkish bath and, after a workout, enjoy a massage beneath a shaded palapa on the beach or in the privacy of the spa. Turn back the hands of time with treatments by Germaine De Capuccini, a prestigious cosmetics firm that has been setting standards for over 50 years.

If you’re not into sport, catch up on entertainment and world news on your tablet or smartphone, thanks to the top quality WiFi connections, which can be accessed even on the beach!

Meanwhile, if golf is your thing, ask

the staff about the special offers for guests.

Sunsets are a big thing in Marbella and there are few better spots to enjoy them than at the Belvue Rooftop Bar – the only location of its kind in Marbella.

Get ready for the party season this summer; the Hotel will be hosting a plethora of live music events and performances, such as Noche de San Juan (Midsummer’s Night), featuring acrobatics, ceremonial fires and more! We’ve had a look at scheduled events and the list is impressive! It includes DJ sets, DJ + saxophone/electric guitar/violinist, Chill-Out Duo (guitar and singer), flamenco nights, etc.

The events take place at Amàre Beach, Amàre Pool or Amàre Lounge.

Keen gastronomes won’t be disappointed at the Amàre; the Mare Nostrum restaurant offers the very best in seafront dining, featuring a hearty buffet breakfast on the sunny terrace, and healthy, innovative fare by night!

g Avda. Severo Ochoa 8, Marbella. Tel: (+34) 952 768 415. www.amarehotels.com

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165 Sollo

167 La Famieke 168 Food News

170 Kevin Woodford’s Cannes

172 Chef’s Profile: Maxime Lenoir of Zozoï 174 Wine: Tomàs Cusiné

We sample the fare at two amazing restaurants: Michelin-starred restaurant, Sollo and Old Town haven, La Famieke. Meanwhile, Kevin Woodford savours the best of Cannes and the Chef of Zozoï, Maxime Lenoir, tells us about the philosophy behind his culinary creations.

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A

J O U R N E Y

O F

F L A V O U R S

G A S T R O - L O U N G E - D R I N K S

O p en d a ily 1 pm - 2 am

TO BE OR NOT TO BE, KALINKA MALINKA & Câ&#x20AC;&#x2122;EST LA VIE

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Reservations Tel: 952 868 396 / 619 984 539 Email: reservas@lescubesmarbella.com Oasis Club, C.N. 340 KM 183, 29602, Marbella www.lescubesmarbella.com

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AT THE PLAZA VILLAGE IN THE HOTEL PUENTE ROMANO

Puente Romano Hotel, Blv. Principe Alfonso Von Hohenlohe, Marbella. www.thaigallerymarbella.com

Tel: 952 818 392

TAI PAN chinese cuisine polynesian bar

Serving Marbella in a Select Atmosphere for Decades.

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

Open Daily for Dinner from 8:00 www.taipanmarbella.com

SUKHOTHAI Exquisite Royal Thai Cuisine

Tel: 952 770 550 Open Mon-Sat. C.C. Marbellamar, L-3A. Marbella. www.sukhothaimarbella.com

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Diego Gallegos, the young chef/proprietor of Sollo, has achieved something out of the ordinary by receiving a coveted Michelin star within the first year of opening his restaurant at Reserva del Higuerón.

A journey of exploration

WORDS MICHEL CRUZ PHOTOGRAPHY KEVIN HORN

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s befits a good Michelin star restaurant, Sollo is in many ways unique. This sense of identity starts with the minimalist modern décor and works its way through the menu to complete an overall experience that stands out from your average restaurant visit. Situated within the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Resort & Spa in the exclusive residential complex of Reserva del Higuerón, the restaurant adds to first class on-site facilities such as a wellness centre, tennis club and a beach volleyball court.

The star of the resort is however Sollo – especially now it has a Michelin star. Entering the restaurant, the first thing you notice is the avant-garde décor, which sets this out as an eatery with serious credentials. The panoramic, floor-to-ceiling windows provide a fantastic view from Reserva del Higuerón’s slightly elevated position across rolling hills to Fuengirola and the meandering coastline. To catch it at dusk is a true delight, setting the tone for the evening and providing the backdrop for the meal.

DINING WITH A DIFFERENCE Sollo is very much a gourmet’s restaurant, where true food lovers will be satisfied in their search for something new and inspired. The creative mind behind it all is Diego Gallegos, a young Brazilian who originally came to Spain to study law, but after a holiday helping out at a

beach restaurant, found his passion and métier. “I caught the bug as soon as I was immersed in the process, so I gave up law school and began studying to become a chef.” It was on the Costa del Sol where his career took shape, and by March 2015 he had embarked upon an exciting venture with Sollo.

Opening your own restaurant is exciting enough for anyone, let alone a young chef, but there was more to come, for by November Diego had been awarded a Michelin star in recognition not only of the quality of the cuisine and service on offer at Sollo, but also of the innovative concept behind what has become a very special dining experience. You see, in reference to his native Brazil, where most cooking is with fresh water fish, sturgeon is at the heart of a series of tasting menus that will truly take you on a journey of exploration. The result is a restaurant that is not for beginners, but all the more loved by gourmets.

TASTING MENUS The evening got underway with a glass of Jarel, a deliciously fruity and refreshing dry Moscatel from the hills behind Málaga. It’s delightful that we have such a standard of winemaking in our own vicinity, good enough to accompany us on our Short Tasting Menu. The menu begins with an amusebouche in the form of a little cheese and papaya jam bread presented on a nest – the presentation of the dishes

is undoubtedly one of the things that earned Sollo its Michelin star status!

Thus started, the menu glides along at a gentle pace, but even the traditional homemade bread and olive oil accompaniment is different here, taking the form of a hand picked strong, green Piqual oil from Jaén and a novel caviar butter that is creamy with a hint of caviar luxury. Another popular choice to be enjoyed along with the menu is a good Champagne, but the slightly unctuous Moscatel was equal to the task. The pace was still gentle, but the gravity of the dishes began to grow with the spicy tomato tartar and snail caviar offsetting the deep flavours of a crispy Sturgeon Skin ‘Dipa’ with aubergine humus and Kaminski cabbage sauce.

The Oyster of the House with Wakami seaweed and coriander jelly once again comes beautifully presented and elucidated by Luz, the friendly and efficient head waitress. Its hearty flavour is countered by the sweet and sour squash with salmon caviar.

These feisty creations require dexterity of mind and technical skill, and they tingle the taste buds as they prepare you for a gently rising crescendo. The next step in that process is provided by the Tilapia Tiradito, a dish made up of gorgeous raw fish slices served in a spicy sauce of sesame oil, soya and lime. Its succulent, melt-in-your-mouth texture is followed by the powerfully flavoured Chilcano soup before you are

g Urb. Reserva del Higuerón, Camino del Higuerón, 48, Fuengirola.Tel: 951 385 622. www.sollo.es 201 ReR Sollo.indd 165

SOLLO

served an exotic vegetable risotto of quinoa and green peas with salted eel in an oyster sauce.

Sobrassada is a traditional Spanish sausage, but when made from soft sturgeon into a pastry with goat’s cheese and honey from Frigiliana, and a Dashi Thai soup poured over it, it becomes something truly special.

This is followed by sturgeon and onion, the only dish on the menu that would qualify as ‘comfort food’, with its soft, savoury taste. Diego’s Brazilian roots came to the fore again with the final main course, a Feijoada black bean and meat stew, here delicately presented with smoked trout to form a decidedly refined treat.

Though the main theme is definitely savoury, the innovative creativity of Sollo continues into dessert. And how can it be otherwise in a restaurant that sources the finest ingredients and has its own vegetable crop and fish tanks?

The citric fruits, for instance, included a melt-on-the-tongue sweet made up of basil oil, lemon sorbet, lime foie and seaweed jelly. Not to be outdone, the chocolates are every bit as innovative, featuring a yoghurt cake with cacao flakes, soft chocolate mousse, banana sauce and flowers to top it off.

For lovers of a culinary experience with a difference, Sollo is just the place.

Its high standards of creativity and technical skill will make you appreciate why the Costa del Sol has just gained another Michelin star establishment.

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restaurant & cocktail bar

LA PLAZA 路 PUENTE ROMANO BEACH RESORT & SPA T (+3 4) 952 82 0 9 0 0

london 路 marbella

restaurants THE GOURMET b

LA FAMIEKE

© Marisa Cutillas

WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS PHOTOGRAPHY KEVIN HORN

Fine Mediterranean Dining in the Romantic Old Town

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arbella’s Old Town is beautiful by day, but by night, it takes on a unique ambience that can best be described as somewhere between romantic and mysterious.

The cobblestoned streets wind, serpentine-like, around traditional whitewashed houses and a buzzing vibe populates the streets, where diners at a handful of lucky restaurants spill over onto terraces lit with candles or romantic street lamps. I say ‘lucky’ because any restaurateur will tell you that the coveted nooks and hideaways in the Old Town are the ultimate dream location for any restaurant, yet these locales are few and far between.

Maryse and Benoit of Zozoï fame undoubtedly deserve their heavenly spot facing one of the most beautiful squares in the Old Town. Their new restaurant, La Famieke, opened a little over a month ago, yet on the evening of my visit (a Tuesday) the restaurant was abuzz with eager diners. The family sitting next to us were keen to

share some of their favourite dishes when they saw us debating over what to order (they suggested the grilled liver); typically, it hasn’t taken long for la Famieke to build a regular client base.

Maryse and Benoit, in case you are new to Marbella, are a veritable institution, one of a small group of family restaurateurs who have enjoyed great success in all their culinary ventures. After 13 years at the helm of the famed Zozoï, the couple sold the restaurant to take a sabbatical for a year, enjoying the fruits of their hard work.

The pair are restaurateurs by vocation; Maryse is the friendly face of La Famieke; she is joined in attending to guests by the lovely Rara. Benoit is the Chef, assisted by the talented Johnny; together, they guarantee the excellence of the food and the experience. La Famieke is all about enjoying excellent French/ Mediterranean fare, in the company of family. Traditional dishes are given an exciting twist with creative touches bearing the ‘oomph’ of herbs and spices from Asian cuisine.

Starters at La Famieke comprised everything from a spicy Asian beef salad to a foie gras, fig and apple terrine, or a prawn and chorizo risotto, while mains are made up of a good selection of meat, fish, lamb and chicken dishes.

After enjoying complimentary cheese and ham croquettes with our first glass of wine, we decided to share a couple of starters; one was the lobster ravioli, made with lemongrass and drizzled with a tasty bisque that really whet our appetites. This dish is an absolute must for lovers of traditional Italian pasta; it was served as one plump ravioli, full to the brim with fresh lobster and wonderfully inviting spices.

Our second shared starter was the house antipasti: a colourful array of dishes that is another 10/10 choice. The plate contained everything from fine slices of Iberian ham, to a homemade black olive tapenade, arancini (stuffed rice balls), courgettes filled with sweet red pepper, aubergine topped with lamb, grilled artichokes and tomato with mozzarella. Each bite was no less than special – so many seasonal flavours and textures combined to perfection.

We also enjoyed the tomato and rosemary bread, made on the premises by Maryse and Benoit’s son, Sebastian. Served with a buttery ali-oli, it bore a lovely spongey texture and an irresistible taste, so much so that I threw my low carb diet out the window for the evening.

Our main meals were equally delicious. I opted for the grilled turbot fillet, served over a bed of

g Open every evening for dinner from 7pm except Sunday. C/ Cruz 5, (Plaza Puente Ronda), Old Town, Marbella. Tel: 952 775 412.

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Mediterranean vegetables (light yet satisfying all at once), while my companion chose our ‘star dish’ of the evening: grilled calf liver with onion and sage fritters and a piquant devil’s sauce, and topped with crisp parma ham.

The liver went down well with our choice of wine: a full-bodied Viña Ardanza Rioja (Reserva). The wine list is excellently crafted and contains bottles from Spain, France, New Zealand and Italy in a wide range of prices.

Portions are hearty at La Famieke, yet you must make room for dessert.

We enjoyed a lovely white chocolate mousse, whose texture and blend of sweetness and slight saltiness reminded us of a cheesecake. Served with shavings of white chocolate and topped with raspberries and tiny bites of crunchy caramel, it was the perfect end to an exquisite meal.

We shouldn’t end our review without mentioning the décor, the work of renowned local artist, Aldo, who has created a homey atmosphere that is still every inch as chic as is merited. A gorgeous mural featuring a group of Italian men reminds us of the importance of family, and Maryse and Benoit provide their own touch on the menus, which bear images of a man and a woman – portraits which they are proud to say, hang in their own family home.

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b THE GOURMET news WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS

La Galería Gastromercado Opens in Fuengirola The centre of Fuengirola is now home to a brand new gourmet market: La Galería Gastromercado, featuring various stands including O Mamma Mia (Italian), Pela Gambas (seafood), Crumble Café (desserts), My Sushi (sushi and sashimi), Primeat (steaks and burgers), La Salmoreteca (featuring various gourmet foods), Cruzcampo Origen (beer), Tierra Mía (traditional Spanish dishes), La Galería Copas (cocktails and drinks), La Bordelesa (wine), Miguita’s Molletería (molletes) and Pequeños Placeres (fried foods). i www.mercadogaleria.com

Frangos Launches in Marbella

Andoni Luis Aduriz at Healthouse Las Dunas Healthouse Las Dunas is famed for its detox and weight loss programmes, but also for its exquisite healthy meals, crafted by Andoni Luis Aduriz of Mugaritz (two Michelin stars) fame. The Master Chef recently delighted guests with a one-off special menu which included rabo de toro consomé, black seafood rice with toasted garlic alioli and saffron, lamb tagine, piña colada ‘Healthouse style’ and plenty more.

At Healthouse Las Dunas, Aduriz has achieved the impossible, with his exquisite yet very low-cal and low-carb meals. i www.healthouse-naturhouse.com

If tasty chicken and juicy meat (grilled in an open kitchen) make your mouth water, head over to Frangos, a new restaurant in Marbella whose motto is ‘The secret is in the sauce.’ The menu features free range chicken and meat dishes, burgers, wraps and a kid’s menu. Long tables and a cosy interior, as well as a secluded terrace area, have made Frango’s a big hit with the locals.

The restaurant also has a takeaway service. g Open Tuesday to Sunday from Midday to 11pm. Closed Mondays. C/ Jacinto Benavente 5, Local 9, Edif.

Mendisol (near the market), Marbella. Tel: 952 916 521.

Finca La Torre

Wins Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil Award The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment has awarded the Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil to Finca La Torre for the fourth year in a row, for its magnificent Finca La Torre Selección Hojiblanca oil. The award is the most prestigious in the sector and was created to give due value to the best quality olive oils in Spain, to encourage producers and to increase awareness among consumers. Congratulations to Finca La Torre for this wonderful achievement.

El Lago Pays Homage to Spices Michelin-starred restaurant, El Lago, whose Head Chef, Diego del Río, recently paid homage to all things spicy. Diego, who worked with Marcos Reguera (Head Gastronomic Advisor of Verstegen) on the occasion, claims that his cooking is inspired by the wonderful spices from all corners of the globe. During the event, the duo prepared cauliflower crème with turmeric, steak tartare with Lampong pepper, red fruit ketchup with Jamaican pepper, potato purée with nutmeg, and deer with chestnut purée, celery and cinnamon. Dessert comprised chocolate, jazzed up by the flavours of ginger and star anise. i www.restauranteellago.com

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The Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez has the only two-Michelin star restaurant in Cannes

© Gary Edwards

b THE GOURMET travel

WORDS KEVIN WOODFORD

CANNES PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF THE GRAND HYATT CANNES HOTEL MARTINEZ

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ong before he became known as 007, Roger Moore used to drive around the South of France filming The Saint, an iconic TV series of the 60’s. The Champagne-sipping, suave, handsome character raced around this fabulous part of France in his silver sports car and seemed to have the world at his fingertips.

I can still recall memories of the show flooding back during my first stroll along the beautiful La Croisette promenade in Cannes.

These days the area is probably better known as the location for the star-studded Cannes Film Festival, held in May each year, at the Palais de Festivals (this year 11-22 May).

This high profile event attracts top international movie stars, along with famous film directors and producers – thus making Cannes a magnet for anyone keen to get close to the rich and famous.

In order to feel part of the action, I would strongly recommend a stay at the Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez. Situated right on the Boulevard La Croisette, this hotel is without question the epitome of style and acts as home to many of the stars during the festival. All 409 rooms and suites are quite rightly marketed as

five star and the suites in particular are exceptional.

As a guest of the Grand Hyatt, you have access to their own private beach, Zplage. This is a fabulous facility as you will quickly realise if you wander along the tree-lined Boulevard La Croisette during the summer season, with the intention of spending some time sunbathing on the beach there – where you would struggle to find an inch of space.

If I have a complaint about Cannes, it’s the fact that it’s so difficult to simply spend all of your time in the town. Don’t misunderstand me, there’s plenty to do, it’s just that the outlying area is so rich with wonderful places to visit.

For perfume lovers, a short drive to the village of Grasse is essential, as this is home to some of the most famous parfumiers in the world. For gourmets, a trip to the stunning village of Mougins is recommended. Here you can experience the gastronomic delights at Moulin de Mougins (an old mill set in a fabulous village originally owned by one of France’s most regarded chefs, Roger Verge) and a little further afield, the medieval village of Èze is a must see and well worth the trip.

Delicious fare at The Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez

However, if your preference is to remain in Cannes during your stay, then be assured that you won’t be disappointed. The town is alive with great cafes, top designer boutiques and restaurants to suit all tastes and pockets. For me a visit to L’Oasis in La Napoule for dinner is always on the agenda. The Raimbault brothers somehow manage to fuse Asian and Mediterranean ingredients more successfully than many other restaurants I’ve tried and to dine on a balmy summer evening at a table on the terrace is quite special.

Many visitors to Cannes might be in awe at the sight of stars such as George Clooney, Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp strolling along the boulevard, but for me the biggest star in Cannes is Christian Sinicropi; who I hear you ask?

Christian is the Executive Chef at the Grand Hyatt and responsible for achieving two Michelin Stars (the only two-star restaurant in Cannes) and his modern interpretation of many classic French dishes is quite outstanding. As a collector of recipe books, I can tell you that his publication Petits Plats, Grand Ecran, which has recipes associated with the movies, is one of the most novel

ever produced. For example, one of his recipes pays homage to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, in which toasted French brioche is flavoured with aniseed and basil chocolate, a dish that simply explodes with flavour. But perhaps his strangest concoction is a dish composed of lamb fillet with smoked eel, sweet pepper and aubergine, which in his mind is a tribute to ET. As much as I rate him, I think that particular recipe would motivate me to get on my bike and ride fast!

g Kevin is an Internationally renowned chef, former Head of Department for one the UK’s most prestigious Colleges of Higher Education and more latterly one of the BBC’s most versatile television presenters, having presented Holiday, Ready Steady Cook, Can’t Cook, Won’t Cook, Big Kevin, Little Kevin, Planet Cook, The Heaven & Earth Show and a host of other network shows. He was the recipient of a National Television Award and the subject of This is Your Life and acts as a consultant to several International Hospitality Companies.

Kevin Woodford is also a Presenter at BBC Watchdog.

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b THE GOURMET profile

MAXIME LENOIR of

Zozoï

Live to Work, Work to Live WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS PHOTOGRAPHY KEVIN HORN

Maxime Lenoir is not your typical Chef. Fit, fun and brimming with excitement about cooking, he is not stressed out by long hours, incapable of having a hobby, or aiming for a Michelin star. An authentic vocational Chef strictly trained in French cuisine yet inspired by the flavours and spices from all around the world, he never sees work as a burden, for “I truly live to work, and work to live. Cooking means everything to me.”

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he charismatic Belgian whiz kid credits cooking with having opened his heart and mind to the magic of the world. “I started travelling at 19, straight after graduating from cooking school,” he says, “and I haven’t stopped since.

I have no pretentions as a Chef because I’m curious and I love my job, so it is easy to do things well.”

Maxime spent three years in the Caribbean, with a prolonged stay in St. Barts. He originally came to Spain after being offered the post of Professor at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu in Madrid, an undoubted honour for any Chef in the world. “I loved the job but felt I was too young to be a teacher. I am still in my mid-30s and for me, this is still a time of experimentation, invention, and tapping into my creativity.” Le Cordon Bleu, he notes, has very strict requirements in terms of course content and methodology. “Perhaps when I am in my mid-40s, I will return to the school. I certainly learned a lot when I was there, reviewing all the essentials during my preparation for class.”

Maxime loved the hustle and bustle of Madrid, but longed for the warmer climes he had become accustomed to in the Caribbean.

He headed to Marbella and spoke with top restaurateurs, agreeing to head the kitchens at romantic Old town restaurant, Zozoï and bring his French-based cuisine, jazzed up with Vietnamese, Thai, Italian and even Moroccan touches, to savvy diners from all over the world.

Some of Maxime’s most popular dishes bear Vietnamese and Thai influences with a dash of Italian.

His inspiration? Travel. He explains: “Travel is a passion for me, and I am always keen on honing my technique and learning about new cultures and traditions.”

Sultry Morocco makes its presence felt in a gorgeous gilthead tajine served with citrus (orange, lemon, lime), cooked in fish stock and served with fregola (a Sardinian grain similar to bulgur bearing different appealing shades).

Lovers of French cuisine won’t be disappointed, with delights on the menu like the pork spare ribs with a reduction of caramelised

tomato, citric fruits and sugar, or the cassoulet, served with a tender cut of pork and flavoured with star anis and a balsamic reduction. Another firm favourite is the Belgian beef tartare, prepared with a mayonnaise that lends it a silky smoothness.

Zozoï is also famed for its unique pizzas – take the Artist, made with artichoke crème, ruccula, ham, mozzarella and lemon oil.

There are a plethora of warm winter dishes: a dazzling scallop and prawn red curry with jasmine rice, as well as cooler, lighter options, including salads. An excellent light entrée is the tomato with crevettes from the North Sea. Maxime laughingly says that becoming a Chef probably kept him out of trouble in his youth; funnily enough, the first spark for his interest in cooking was a set of gleaming knives belonging to a friend. Maxime, then only 14 years of age and taken by their glamour, asked what they were for.

“Cooking,” answered his friend, “I am studying to become a Chef.”

Maxime instantly knew that he had to follow suit.

Creating culinary delights is an obsession that keeps the Chef in a mindful state: “Every day, when I wake up, I think, ‘What am I going to cook today? Tomorrow? Next Season?’”. Being part of a team is another aspect of his job that gives Maxime great joy: “You spend so many hours together, it’s like having a second family,” he smiles.

Being as passionate as he is about food, Maxime concedes that “it can sometimes be difficult to find a place to dine where the staff is not only well trained, but also focused on making food with love. As our interview draws to a close, he shares his Instagram gallery with me (search for CHEFMAXIMELENOIR to see the pics for yourself), and I see that his talent for tasty fare extends to desserts. Photographs of delicate, stunning cakes and macarons fill my world with colour, just for one day. Lucky I know I can always enjoy them with all my senses, at Zozoï. g Plaza Altamirano 1, Marbella.

Tel: 952 858 868. www.zozoi.com

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b THE GOURMET wine

Tomàs Cusiné

The Quiet Dynamo behind Costers del Segre

In 1996, while I was taking a break and living near Girona, I came across a fascinating bottle of old fashioned but agreeably fragrant red wine with an intriguingly archaic label that clearly pertained to another age, in a small wine shop in the Jewish quarter of the town.

WORDS Carlos Read Photography Courtesy of Tomàs Cusiné

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his prompted me to track down the estate to see whether it still existed.

Despite its advanced age, the wine clearly had pedigree, though my research revealed that there was little evidence of any recent offerings on the market.

This led to an interesting phone conversation with a laconic and slightly bemused individual called Tomàs Cusiné with an appealing dry sense of humour who explained to me that the estate – Castell del Remei – still existed but was in a somewhat sorry condition.

He added that his family had bought it back in 1982 and that he was intent on restoring it to its former glory.

Eventually, I got there (and wow is it remote!) – around 40 minutes north west of Lleida/ Lérida or 90 minutes north west of Barcelona – and what an extraordinary place it was...

Founded in 1780 by the Girona family, who built the Madrid-Barcelona railway, the estate comprises 400 hectares, with vineyards, orchards, a castle, its own beautiful church, a flour mill, olive oil mill, distillery and dozens of old stone houses.

In its heyday, this thriving community supported over 80 families. In the late 19th century, Ignasi Girona, having learnt to make wine in Bordeaux, brought back not just French grape varieties and winemaking techniques but families from

these lands to work on the estate.

Girona would go on to be first person/winery to sell bottled wine in the whole of Catalonia, winning a succession of gold and silver medals at international wine fairs in 1887, 1902, 1903 and 1907. After his death in 1923, his son Joan carried on, winning the top prize at the Barcelona World Fair of 1929.

During the Civil War, the estate sustained considerable damage and when Joan died in 1950, leaving no beneficiaries, it fell into disrepair.

Meanwhile, in the semi recent past, Tomàs – ably assisted by second in command Xavier Cepero and a small,

savvy team of cohorts – made a serious go of things and by 2003 not only had major inroads been made in restoring some of the estate, but its wines (particularly their most popular Gotim Bru, an exceptionally well-priced and well balanced red fruit scented blend of Tempranillo, Cabernet and Merlot with just the right amount of attractive American oak) were firmly back on the map.

In 1997, the Cusiné family bought an additional 32 hectares in several different parcels in the more rugged terrain of La Pobla de Cérvoles in the southernmost extreme of the Costers del Segre DO (founded in 1986), to which both estates belong.

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Recom men dations Z Tomàs Cusiné Auzells 2015

A fresh, zingy, exuberant blend of Macabeo, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Albariño which is 10% barrel-fermented. Dry but ever so aromatic, no variety dominates; this is simply a plethora of intertwined citric, floral and white stone fruit flavours worthy of Northern Italy.

Z Cérvoles Blanc 2014 Lovely buttery zesty citric lemon and pineapple; zippy, fresh and substantial (see main text).

Z Tomàs Cusiné Finca Racons 2014

Old vine Macabeo barrel-fermented in French oak; spicy, tingly, high tone citrus and toasty vanilla vie with pear and other white fruit flavours; great acidity. Some 2,000 bottles are made.

Z Tomàs Cusiné Llebre 2014 This was an entirely different land from the flat, dry, continental wilderness of Castell del Remei where the cultivation of grapes and other fruit is only possible due to the fantastic network of irrigation channels built in Victorian times to bring in much-needed water from the foothills of the Pyrenees.

It resulted in two much more radical wines: Cérvoles Negre – an intense purple-hued red with wild black fruit flavours, a distinct herbal twist, heaps of chargrilled spice and major tannins. Made from a blend of Tempranillo, Cabernet, Garnacha and Merlot with a generous dollop of mainly new French oak; and the exquisite Cérvoles Blanc: a 50/50 Allier-fermented Chardonnay/Macabeo blend

which is not only pleasantly toasty but has the most sublime lingeringly lemon core and a refreshing acidity rarely found in Spanish whites.

In 2003, however, things took a turn for the worse when Cusiné Senior – whose considerable wealth had been amassed thanks to the mule business and that of agricultural machinery – divided up his estate between his two sons.

Older brother, Manuel, had a controlling 51 per cent share and decided that it was high time for him to step into the limelight of the more glamorous wine business that younger brother Tomàs had created and was flourishing in.

Tomàs therefore abdicated and in that very same year

bought approximately 30 hectares in Vilosell, just a stone’s throw north of La Pobla, to start from the very beginning, using his own name.

In the intervening years he has created an astonishing range of wines and, having bought property in the neighbouring DO of Conca de Barberà, makes a couple of very decent entry level wines (Cara Nord) as well.

Meantime, in 2014 everything turned full circle, and with half a dozen business partners he bought out his brother and is now – finally – the King of quality, Costers del Segre, with his two original estates and former crew, who once again form part of the repertoire.

A simple but most pleasurable blend of Tempranillo, Cabernet, Merlot and Samsó aged for just three months in oak. Pale garnet with smooth, expressive red plum fruit and overtones of chocolate. Pass the bottle...

Z Tomàs Cusiné Vilosell 2013

Mainly Tempranillo with some Syrah and aged for around nine months in newish French oak; dark, upbeat and fresh with attractive broody, aromatic dark red fruits and appealing coconut toasty oak.

Z Cérvoles Estrats 2008 Cabernet, Tempranillo and Garnacha with two years in new French oak and boasting an extensive bottle age: dark, full-flavoured ripe juicy blackcurrant with more than a hint of herbs set in a well-structured framework of smokey oak. Glorious but will improve further.

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. . THE GUIDE listings

the guide

Price guide per head for a three-course meal with wine

*restaurants

under €25

€25 – €40

Yanx

american

Open from 9am Monday to Saturday and Sunday from 11am for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Centro Plaza, Nueva Andalucía. Tel: 952 818 861

Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.

C/ Ramón Areces, esq. Marina Banús, Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 908 024

argentinean

HARD ROCK CAFÉ

Jacks Open seven days a week from noon till late. Puerto Banús, Tel: 952 813 625, Puerto Marina, Benalmádena. Tel: 952 563 673

Mr. gourmet burger Open from 6pm ‘til late every evening.

Avda. Luis Braile 20, San Pedro de Alcántara.

Tel: 952 785 257

Buenos Aires South Open Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner. C/ Virgen del Pilar, 6, Marbella. Tel: 952 779 297

el banco Open Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to midnight. Urb. Aloha Pueblo, Local 35, Nueva Andalucía. Tel: 952 907 570

€40 – €60

LISTINGS PET NEWS WHAT’S ON STARS FOR may FAMILY FUN €60 plus

belgian El Coto

Open daily for both lunch and dinner. Ctra. de Ronda (El Madroñal), San Pedro de Alcántara.

Tel: 952 786 688

mytilus Open daily for lunch and dinner. Plaza de Los Naranjos, Puerto Sotogrande. Tel: 956 790 212

french

Casa mono Open Monday to Saturday from 1pm to 11pm. C/ Calderón Estébanez 19, Marbella. Tel: 952 774 578

gauchos

le bistroman

ROUTE 66

Open daily for lunch and dinner. C.C. Laguna Village.

CN 340, km 159, Estepona. Tel: 952 897 744

Open daily for lunch and dinner. El Corte Inglés, Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 909 990

Open 10am until midnight every day.

Plaza Antonio Banderas 17/29, Puerto Banús.

Tel: 951 136 333

ruta 40

LEs deux

Open from 9am to 12 midnight daily. C.C. El Zoco, Sitio de Calahonda. Tel: 951 133 737

Open daily from 10am to 8pm. At the Puente Romano Beach Resort. Tel: 951 194 760

Valderrama Restaurant Open Tuesday to Saturday for dinner only and on Sunday for Buffet Lunch. Apartado 1, Ctra. de Cádiz, km. 132.2 Sotogrande, Cádiz. Tel: 956 791 200

gluten-free

celicioso

Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

At the Puente Romano Hotel on the Golden Mile.

Tel: 952 820 900

greek

Red Pepper Open daily for both lunch and dinner.

Muelle Ribera, Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 812 148

grills

Asador Criollo Grill Open nightly for dinner. CN340-A7, km. 166,

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listings THE GUIDE .

Cancelada, El Saladillo. Tel: 952 784 463

Marbella. Tel: 952 822 211

Asador guadalmina

Old Town Grill

Open Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner.

Urb. Guadalmina Alta, C.C. Guadalmina, Local 3, San Pedro de Alcántara. Tel: 952 883 003

Open Monday to Saturday for dinner and Sunday for lunch. C/ San Lázaro, 3, Pza. Victoria, Marbella.

Tel: 952 867 306

cabaña nagüeles

Restaurante Rancho

Open Monday to Thursday from 11am to 2am and on Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 3am. Urb. La Carolina, Marbella. Tel: 951 134 083

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Ctra. Cádiz, exit Las Chapas. Tel: 952 831 922

El Carnicero

Open daily for lunch and dinner. C.C. Odeon, Locales 9-10, C/ Las Yedras, Nueva Andalucía. Tel: 952 003 434

Open daily for both lunch and dinner. Pueblo Viejo Cancelada. Between San Pedro & Estepona.

Tel: 952 886 307

El Carnicero 2 Open every day for lunch and dinner. Ctra. de Cádiz, km. 176, Marbella. Tel: 952 867 599

El Gaucho Open daily for dinner from 7.30pm. Galerías Paniagua. Sotogrande. Tel: 956 795 528

El gaucho de banús Open daily for lunch and dinner. Muelle Benabola 9-11, Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 812 167

el rancho del puerto Open for lunch and dinner every day. Muelle Benabola 4, Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 816 252

Grill del puerto Open for lunch and dinner every day. Muelle Ribera 47H, Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 811 686

MARBELLA CLUB GRILL Open every night for dinner. Marbella Club Hotel. Blvd. Príncipe Alfonso von Hohenlohe, s/n,

VOVEM

indian

Jaipur palace

Friday and Saturday from 1pm to 4pm and from 7pm ‘til late and on Sunday from 10am ‘til late.

Dársena de Levante, Local 39, Estepona Port. Tel: 951 703 060

Aidan’s bar & Grill

aroma Open daily for lunch and dinner. C/ Moncayo 23, Fuengirola. Tel: 952 665 502

baboo lounge and restaurant

Open Thursday to Tuesday for dinner from 5:30pm. Closed Wednesdays. C/ 4/5 Montemayor, Cancelada (opposite the Farmacia). Tel: 952 887 828

Open every day for lunch and dinner, closing Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at 8pm. Ctra. Arroyo de la Miel, s/n, Benalmádena. Tel: 902 102 675

Al Rolo

Open daily for lunch and dinner. CN340, km 146.5, Casares. Tel: 951 704 884

Open from 1pm to 4pm and 7pm to 11pm daily.

At Reserva del Higuerón. Avda. del Higuerón 48, Benalmádena. Tel: 952 661 174

Albert & simon

Bahia beach barbq artesanal burgers Open every day for lunch and dinner. C/ Jacinto Benavente 5, Marbella. Tel: 952 770 656

beach house

Open every night except Tuesday for dinner.

CN340, km 194, next to Camping Cabopino, Marbella. Tel: 951 310 004

Open for lunch and dinner from Monday to Friday and for dinner only on Saturday. Closed Sundays.

Urb. Nueva Alcántara, Edif. Mirador, Bloque 4-B, Marbella. Tel: 952 783 714

Jaipur Purple

alberts

beckitts

Open daily for dinner. CN 340, km. 166, Estepona.

Tel: 952 888 353

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Puerto Cabopino.

Tel: 952 836 886

Open Monday to Sunday for dinner. C/ Camilo José Cela 4, Marbella. Tel: 952 868 898

Massala

alumbre

Besaya Beach

Open daily for dinner. 57, Duquesa de Arcos (Sabinillas seafront). Tel: 952 897 358

Open daily for lunch and dinner. C/ Strachan 11, Málaga. Tel: 951 500 022

Mumtaz

Amanhavis

Open daily for both lunch and dinner. Casa No.7, P. Banús. Tel: 952 812 090

Open for dinner from Monday to Saturday from 8.00pm. Calle del Pilar 3, Benahavís. Tel: 952 856 026

Open Monday to Thursday for lunch, Friday and Saturday for lunch and dinner and Sunday for lunch. Urb. Coral Beach s/n, km 176, Marbella.

Tel: 952 777 299

international 11&11 Restobar

Open Monday to Thursday from 7pm ‘til late, on

amigos Open for dinner from Monday to Saturday.

C/ Málaga 3, Benahavis. Tel: 952 855 175

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Urb. Coto de los Doles, Carril del Relojero, Elviria, Marbella.

Tel: 952 839 458

BIBO Open every day for lunch and dinner except Sunday afternoon and all of Monday. At the Hotel Puente Romano. Bulevar Príncipe Alfonso von Hohenlohe s/n, Marbella. Tel: 951 607 011

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. THE GUIDE listings

Black and white Marbella

cerrado del águila

Tel: 952 880 126

El Restaurante del Casino

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Muelle Benabola, under the Torre de Banús, Puerto Banús.

Tel: 952 815 607

Open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Urb. Cerrado del Águila, Camino del Acevedo, s/n, Mijas Costa. Tel: 951 773 521

EL CASTILLO

Open every day for dinner from 8pm-4am. Hotel Andalucía Plaza s/n, Marbella. Tel: 952 814 000

bono’s beach

c’est la vie

El Corzo

Open daily from 11am to 9pm. Urb. Costabella, Avda. Cervantes s/n, Marbella. Tel: 952 839 236

Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Paseo Las Palmeras, 15, San Pedro de Alcántara.

Tel: 952 783 394

Open daily for dinner. Hotel Los Monteros, Ctra. de Cádiz, km. 187. Tel: 952 771 700

cortijo fain

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Muelle de Honor, Puerto Banús. Tel: 951 778 797

bora bora beach Open daily from 11am to 2am. Paseo Marítimo de San Pedro de Alcántara. Tel: 952 789 100

Brunings Kitchen continuously open Monday to Friday from 1pm to 11pm. Saturday – dinner only. Closed Sunday. Las Palmeras 19, San Pedro de Alcántara.

Tel: 952 786 156

CAFÉ DE RONDA

Open every day for lunch and dinner. Ctra. de Algar, km. 3, Arcos de la Frontera, Cádiz. Tel: 956 704 131

del mar Open daily for lunch and dinner. At the Hotel Puente Romano. Bulevar Príncipe Alfonso von Hohenlohe, s/n, Marbella. Tel: 952 820 900

Open daily for breakfast and lunch until 7pm.

Avda. Ramón Gómez de la Serna 23, Marbella.

Tel: 952 862 149

Don Leone

Cafetería ke

D-wine

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Puerto Deportivo de Sotogrande, s/n. Tel: 956 790 333

Open Monday to Sunday for lunch and dinner. C.C. Azalea, Edif. A, CN340, km 173, Nueva Andalucía.

Tel: 951 339 309

Casanis Open every day from 6pm except Sundays.

C/ Ancha, 8, Marbella. Tel: 952 900 450

Open every night for dinner. Puerto Banús, Marbella. Tel: 952 811 716

El Bolero

celima

Open every night for dinner from 8-11pm. The San Roque Club, CN 340, km. 127, Cádiz. Tel: 956 613 030

Open every day for lunch and dinner. Hotel Hermitage, Ctra. de Casares, Casares.

Tel: 952 895 639.

Open every day for lunch. Open for dinner on Friday and Saturday. CN 340, km. 168, Estepona.

El Campanario

Open Tuesday to Sunday for dinner. C/ El Pilar s/n, Benahavís. Tel: 681 294 442

EL GRAN GASTBY EL JINETE Open daily for dinner except for Friday. Ctra. La Cala Golf, km 45, La Cala de Mijas. Tel: 952 119 170

El lago Open Tuesday to Sunday for dinner. Urb. Elviria Hills. Avda. Las Cumbres s/n, Marbella. Tel: 952 832 371

EL MIRADOR Open for breakfast every day. At the Kempinski Hotel Bahía Resort. CN 340, km. 159, Estepona.

Tel: 952 809 500

El oceano beach hotel Restaurant & Spa Open daily for lunch and dinner. CN 340, km 199, Miraflores Playa, Mijas Costa. Tel: 952 587 550

EL OLIVO Open Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner and Sunday for lunch. At Marbella Golf & Country Club. CN 340, km. 188, Marbella. Tel: 952 830 500

Fabiola Open Tuesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner and on Sundays for lunch. Cortijo Los Canos, Pueblo Nuevo de Guadiaro, CN-340, km. 132, Sotogrande, Cádiz. Tel: 956 695 114 / 619 694 484

Finca Besaya Open daily for lunch and dinner. Urb. Rio Verde Alto, s/n. Tel: 952 861 382

Finca El Forjador Open daily for lunch from 1-4pm, Wednesday to Sunday. Ctra. de Casares, km. 10. Tel: 952 895 120

fonda restaurante el postillón Open Tuesday to Sunday from 7:30pm to 11pm.

Ctra. de Mijas, km. 1, A-387, Alhaurín El Grande.

Tel: 951 254 520

funky tapas Open Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner.

Avda. Miguel de Cervantes, 68, La Campana. Tel: 952 814 041

Galeria San Pedro Open from 11am until midnight. Closed Sundays.

Avda Las Palmeras 15, San Pedro Alcántara.

Tel: 952 780 927

GD Gourmet deli marbella Open 9:30am to 9pm from Monday to Friday and

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listings THE GUIDE .

Saturday from 12am to 6pm. Closed Sundays.

Bulevar Príncipe Alfonso von Hohenlohe 7, Marbella. Tel: 952 774 049

hermosa Open Tuesday to Sunday for dinner from 7pm.

Closed Monday. Local 1A. Puerto de Cabopino.

Tel: 952 837 483

Herrero del Puerto Open Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner.

Casas de Campos, 1, Málaga. Tel: 952 122 075

hills cafe Open every day for breakfast and lunch, except Monday. Dinner by reservation is possible on Friday and Saturday. Tel: 952 856 171

Horizon steakhouse Open daily for lunch and dinner. Avda. Antonio Machado s/n, Benalmádena. Tel: 952 560 094

hotel marbella club buffet

Open Tuesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner and on Sunday for lunch only. Ctra. Ronda, km. 46, Urb. Las Medranas, local 4, San Pedro de Alcántara.

Tel: 951 275 750

La Terraza

los arcos

Open everyday lunch and dinner. Golf Hotel Guadalmina, Marbella. Tel: 952 882 211

Open every night for dinner. Hotel Meliá La Quinta, Urb. La Quinta Golf s/n, Marbella.

Tel: 952 762 000

la brisa

Open daily for dinner. La Cala Resort, La Cala de Mijas, Mijas. Tel: 952 669 000

Open for dinner Thursday to Monday from 7pm.

Kempinski Hotel Bahía Estepona. CN 340, km. 159, Estepona. Tel: 952 809 500

La cabaña del mar Open every day for lunch and for dinner from Monday to Saturday. Kempinski Hotel Bahía Estepona CN 340, km 159, Playa El Padrón, Estepona. Tel: 952 809 500

LA CANTINA DEL GOLF Open for breakfast and lunch until 8pm. Closed Sunday. Flamingo Golf Club, Cancelada, Benahavís.

Tel: 951 318 815

la FAMIEKE

Open every day for lunch. Blvd. Príncipe Alfonso von Hohenlohe s/n, Marbella. Tel: 952 822 211

Open Monday to Saturday for dinner from 7pm.

Closed Sunday. Calle Cruz, Plaza Puente Ronda, Marbella. Tel: 952 775 412

il mare

LA GRANADA DIVINO

Open every evening for dinner. Playa del Rodeo, Marbella. Tel: 951 319 372

Open daily for lunch and dinner except Tuesday.

C/ de las Piedras, Gaucín. Tel: 951 709 075

karma

La Loggia

Open every day from 10am until late. C/ Las Violetas 7, Conjunto Andalucía Garden Club, Nueva Andalucía. Tel: 952 815 736

Open daily for breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks. Hotel Villa Padierna & Flamingos Golf Club, Ctra. de Cádiz, km. 166 (Cancelada exit), Benahavís. Tel: 952 889 150

LA biznaga

La Terraza La Veranda Open Tuesday to Saturday for dinner.

Hotel Villa Padierna, Urb: Flamingos s/n, Marbella. Tel: 952 889 150

La Verandah Open week days for dinner at 7:30pm and weekends for lunch and dinner, closed Tuesdays.

Ctra. de Cádiz, km. 136. Playa Guadiaro, Torreguadiaro, Cádiz.

Tel: 956 615 998

La veranda lobby bar Open every day for lunch and dinner. At the Kempinski Hotel Bahía Estepona. CN 340, km 159, Estepona. Tel: 952 809 500

LIMA Open Tuesday to Sunday from 6pm to 12am and for lunch on Sunday from 12pm to 5pm.

Plaza Practicante Manuel Cantos 2, Marbella.

Tel: 952 866 630

los bandidos Open every night for dinner. Muelle Ribera, Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 815 915

Los naranjos restaurant Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Urb. Los Naranjos de Marbella. Nueva Andalucía.

Tel: 952 816 105

Macaoo beach Open daily for lunch and dinner except Sunday. C/ Jose Echegaray, San Pedro de Alcántara.

Tel: 952 113 618

Magna Café Open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. C/ Calderón de la Barca, s/n. Tel: 952 929 578

Mc café Open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Marbella Club Hotel. Blvd. Príncipe Alfonso von Hohenlohe, s/n. Tel: 952 822 211

Messina Open for dinner Monday to Saturday. Avda. Severo Ochoa, 12, Marbella. Tel: 952 864 895

les cubes

MOJO

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Urb. Oasis Club, CN340, km. 183, Marbella. Tel: 952 868 396

Open from Monday to Saturday for dinner from 8pm ‘til late. Monte Paraíso Golf, Marbella. Tel: 951 217 272

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. THE GUIDE listings

momo marbella Open Monday to Saturday from 6pm to midnight.

C/ Tetuán 7, Marbella. Tel: 952 771 560

mos eisley Open Tuesday to Sunday from 12pm to 12am.

Closed Mondays. Urb. El Pilar, C/ Ojén, km 166, Marbella.

Tel: 951 196 609

Miraflores Golf Restaurant Open daily for Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Ctra. de Cádiz, km. 199. Urb. Riviera Golf.

Tel: 952 931 941

NELI Gs Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. C.C. Benavista, Estepona. Tel: 952 928 576

nōmō brasserie Open for lunch and dinner every day except for Sunday. Bulevar de San Pedro, San Pedro de Alcántara. Tel: 951 702 168

NUEVA CAMPANA Open daily for lunch and dinner, except Tuesday.

Avda. Miguel de Cervantes, 68, La Campana.

Tel: 952 814 041

ocean club Open daily for lunch and snacks. Avda. Lola Flores s/n, Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 908 137

OCHO Open Tuesday to Sunday for lunch and dinner.

C/ Moncayo 12, Fuengirola. Tel: 952 460 232 / 648 502 822

oyarbide

Open daily from 12pm to 12am. C.C. Guadalmina, Urb. Guadalmina Alta. Tel: 952 882 820

passion café Open for lunch and dinner every day. C.C. La Colonia, San Pedro de Alcántara. Tel: 952 781 583

puente romano beach club Open daily for lunch. Blvd. Príncipe Alfonso von Hohenlohe s/n, Marbella.

Tel: 952 820 900

PURO BEACH Open daily for lunch and dinner. Laguna Village, Playa El Padrón, CN 340, km 159, Estepona.

Tel: 952 800 015

Restaurante royal Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. At the Hotel Torrequebrada, Benalmádena Costa.

Tel: 952 441 414

Rojo Open every day for lunch and dinner except Sunday. C/ Granada, 44, Málaga. Tel: 952 227 486

Sea grill At the Puente Romano Beach Club. Open daily for lunch and dinner. CN340, km 187, Marbella.

Tel: 952 820 900

shanti-som – amrita Open Monday to Thursday from 1.30pm to 4.30pm, Friday and Saturday from 1:30pm to 4.30 pm and 8pm to 10.30pm. Ctra. de Ojén, km 22, A355, Marbella-Monda. Tel: 952 864 455

Skina Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday to Friday and

Saturday for dinner only. Closed Sunday and Monday. C/ Aduar 12, Old Town, Marbella.

Tel: 952 765 277

901 050. C.C. Mary Sol, Sotogrande. Tel: 956 796 931. C.C. La Cañada, Marbella. Tel: 952 868 663. C.C. Parque Miramar, Fuengirola. Tel: 952 663 937

smart café

the little geranium

Open 8:30am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 9:30 am to 6pm on weekends. C/ Los Olivos 1, above the Enjoy Golf Academy in front of Aloha College.

Tel: 690 001 045

Open Tuesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner. C/ Ronda, La Cala de Mijas, Mijas Costa (pedestrian street behind the Town Hall). Tel: 952 493 602

sollo Open nightly for dinner except Sundays. Urb. Reserva del Higuerón, Málaga. Tel: 951 385 622

Open 9am to 11pm every day except Sundays.

Avda. Ricardo Soriano 1, Local 1 (Edif. Portillo), Marbella. Tel: 952 772 577

Suave

The orange tree

Open every day for lunch and dinner. Paseo Maritimo Rey de España 93, Fuengirola.

Tel: 952 866 627

Open every evening from 6:30 pm-11 pm. Plaza General Chinchilla 1, Plaza de los Naranjos, Marbella. Tel: 952 924 613.

The meeting room

SUite

THE PLAYWRIGHT

Dinner and afterwards dance to music by resident DJ. Thursday to Saturday. Hotel Puente Romano, Marbella. Tel: 952 820 900

Open daily for lunch and dinner. C/ Manzana, Locales 8-11, Pueblo Los Arcos, Elviria.

Tel: 952 830 868

sutton

tikitano

Open nightly for dinner. Urb. Marbellamar 93, Marbella. Tel: 952 770 760

Open every day for lunch and dinner. Urb. Guadalmansa, CN340, km 164, Estepona.

Tel: 952 798 449

tanino Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

CN 340, km 168, Benamara, Estepona.

Tel: 952 883 259

Trocadero arena Open every day for lunch and dinner. Torre Real Beach, Marbella. Tel: 952 865 579

Terra Sana

trocadero beach

Open Monday to Saturday for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Nueva Andalucía next to the Casino.

Tel: 952 906 205. Marina Banús, Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 817 977. C.C. Laguna Village, Estepona. Tel: 951

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Playa de la Carolina, Marbella. Tel: 610 704 144

Trocadero Entre dunas Open daily for lunch and dinner. Playa del Pinillo

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listings THE GUIDE .

s/n (CEPSA exit next to Marbella Arch), Marbella.

Tel: 608 100 945

Trocadero Sotogrande

Open every day for lunch and dinner from 7pm onwards. Muelle Benabola, Casa 5A, Puerto Banús.

Tel: 952 813 464

casa G-H, local 43, Puerto Banús.

Tel: 952 816 453

Don giovanni

Leonardo da vinci Open every night for dinner. Urb. Doña Lola, Local 21-22, Calahonda, Mijas Costa.

Tel: 952 934 667

Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Paseo del Parque s/n, Sotogrande.

Tel: 956 795 012

aragona Open every day for dinner. Avda. del Mar 3, Marbella. Tel: 951 134 322

Open Friday to Monday for dinner. At Hotel Finca Cortesín. Ctra. de Casares, Casares. Tel: 952 937 800

UNI

Aretusa

Frascati

Open Tuesday to Sunday for dinner. At the Puente Romano Hotel on the Golden Mile. Tel: 952 820 900

Open daily for dinner. Front line P. Banús.

Tel: 952 812 898

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Plaza de Los Naranjos s/n, Sotogrande. Tel: 952 790 392

Venta garcía

Carpaccio

gold restaurant

Open daily for lunch and dinner every day except Monday. Ctra. de Casares km 7, Casares. Tel: 952 894 191

Open every day for lunch and dinner. Frontline Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 813 357

Open every day from 10am to 12 am. Complejo Benabola 13, Beach Side, Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 929 055

Metro

villa padierna club de mar

Open every evening for dinner. C/ Ortiz de Molinillo 14, Marbella. Tel: 951 712 227

Il Tartufo

nunos

Open from Monday to Saturday for dinner from 6:30pm. C/ Tetuán 9, Marbella. Tel: 951 087 323

Open daily for lunch and dinner. At the Caleta Hotel. Catalan Bay, Gibraltar. Tel: +350 200 76501

Open daily for lunch from 1pm to 6pm.

CN 340, km 166, Marbella. Tel: 647 791 515

zest Open Monday to Saturday from 8:30am to 4:30pm and for cocktail hour from 4:30pm to 8pm. Centro Plaza, Marbella. Tel: 951 319 151

zozoI Open Wednesday to Monday for dinner. Closed Tuesday. Plaza Altamirano 1, Marbella. Tel: 952 858 868

italian Al Dente

Open every day for dinner. Closed on Mondays.

Urb. Jardines del Puerto, local 12, Puerto Banús.

Tel: 952 906 181

Amore e Fantasía

casa tua CONRADS IL Ristorante Open Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner.

Avda. del Prado s/n, Edif. Sport Café, Nueva Andalucía. Tel: 628 593 409

Da Bruno Open all day. Da Bruno Cabopino: CN-340 Km. 194,7. Tel: 952 831 918. Da Bruno a Casa: Marbella Mar, Local 1, Marbella. Tel: 952 857 521 – closed on Sunday. Da Bruno A San Pedro: Avda. del Mar, local 1E, San Pedro. Tel: 952 786 860 – closed on Monday. Da Bruno Sul Mare: Edif. Skol, Paseo Marítimo, Marbella. Tel: 952 903 318/19. Da Bruno Mijas Costa: Ctra. de Mijas, km. 3.6, Mijas. Tel: 952 460 724

Da Paolo Open everyday for lunch and dinner. Muelle Ribera,

Lombardo’s Open daily from 7pm. Galerías Paniagua, Sotogrande, Cádiz. Tel: 956 795 924

MADE IN SARDINIA Open every night for dinner. C.C. Cristamar, Avda.

Julio Iglesias, Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 906 608 Open every day for lunch and dinner. Puerto Marina, Benalmádena. Tel: 952 446 460

la fiorentina

O mamma mia

Open daily for lunch and dinner. C.C. El Pilar, Local 11 (opposite the Crown Plaza Hotel), Estepona.

Tel: 952 885 765

Open every day except Sunday for lunch and dinner. At El Corte Inglés Food Hall, Puerto Banús.

Tel: 952 909 990

la pappardella di estepona

Pizzeria Picasso

Open every day for lunch and dinner from 1pm to midnight. Puerto Deportivo de Estepona.

Tel: 952 802 144

Open daily from 12 noon. Puerto Banús.

Tel: 952 813 669

LA pappardella sul mare

Open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

C.C. Laguna Village, Estepona. Tel: 952 808 035

Open every day for lunch and dinner. C.C. Laguna Village, Estepona. Tel: 952 807 354

la trattoria de marbella Open nightly for dinner from 6:30pm.

C/ Las Malvas, Edif. Online, Local 4, Nueva Andalucía.

Tel: 952 817 591

portofino laguna village ristorante san martino Open daily for lunch and dinner. C.C. Pinares de Elviria s/n, Elviria, Marbella. Tel: 952 832 702

Rosmarino della piazza Open every day from 12pm ‘til midnight for lunch

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and dinner. C.C. Pinogolf de Don Carlos 34, Elviria.

Tel: 952 850 148

Ctra. Istan km 1, Marbella. Tel: 952 906 674

Dragón de Oro

(above disco Seven), Puerto Banús.

Tel: 952 811 592

Ta-kumi

meca

Open daily for lunch and dinner. C/ Gregorio Marañón 4, Marbella. Tel: 952 770 839

Open from Monday to Saturday for dinner at the Puente Romano Hotel on the Golden Mile.

Tel: 952 771 798

Open every day from 12.30-4pm and 7pm until midnight. Closed Monday lunchtime. Ctra. de Cádiz, km. 141, Urb. Hacienda Guadalupe, Manilva.

Tel: 952 890 956

Open every day for lunch and dinner. C.C. Pino Golf, Don Carlos, Local 1, Elviria, Marbella.

Tel: 952 830 365 / 658 646 829

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Avda. Manolete 20, Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 816 549

valparaíso

golden wok

Namazake

thai gallery

Open nightly for dinner. Ctra. Mijas – Fuengirola, km. 14, Fuengirola. Tel: 952 485 996

Open every day for lunch and dinner. Urb. Marbellamar, Marbella. Tel: 952 866 840

Open Tuesday to Saturday for dinner. Hotel Puente Romano. Tel: 952 820 900

Villa Tiberio

Hanuri KOREAN BBQ & BAR

Osaka

At Plaza Village at the Hotel Puente Romano.

Blvd. Príncipe Alfonso von Hohenlohe s/n, Marbella.

Tel: 952 818 392

Open Monday to Saturday for dinner. Ctra. de Cádiz, km. 178, Marbella. Tel: 952 771 799

mediterranean

Open Tuesday-Friday dinner only from 6pm ‘til late and Saturday and Sunday for lunch and dinner.

C.C. Los Jarales 6, Calahonda.

Tel: 951 406 082/ 952 932 011

Open every day 13:30-16:00 & 19:30-24:00. CN-340, km. 166 (Benavista). C.C. Costa del Sol. Tel: 952 885 751

Restaurante bar carmen

HIDEYOSHI wagyu

Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. C.C. Laguna Village, CN 340, km 159, Estepona.

Tel: 952 806 739

Open every day for lunch and dinner.

CN 340, km 178.5, Marbella. Easy parking.

Tel: 952 857 403

Open every day for lunch and dinner. Avda.

Jardines del Puerto, L.5, Puerto Banús.

Tel: 952 817 536

seraFina

oriental Asia Food

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Centro Comercial, Pinares de Elviria, Marbella. Tel: 952 850 060

Asian fusion bing

KABUKI raw Open Tuesday to Saturday for dinner. At Finca Cortesín Hotel. Ctra. Casares s/n, Casares.

Tel: 952 937 800

Kaiden Sushi

Open 12.30pm-4.30pm and 6.30pm to 12am daily.

Fuengirola, Paseo Marítimo, L-42C. Tel: 952 470 218

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Centro Com. Guadalmina Alta, Guadalmina 4, local 2, lower floor, San Pedro de Alcántara. Tel: 952 896 508

asiatico zen

Kama Kura

Open every day for lunch and dinner except Tuesday lunch. C/ Lirios s/n, Nueva Andalucía.

Tel: 952 817 691

Open Tuesday to Saturday from 8-11pm. The San Roque Club, Ctra. de Cádiz, km. 127, San Roque, Cádiz. Tel: 956 613 030

BAMBOO

Makitake

Open Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner.

Open daily for lunch and dinner. C/ Ribera s/n

Sakura

Sapporo Open daily for lunch and dinner. C.C. Costa del Sol, upper level. CN-340, km. 166 (Estepona).

Tel: 952 888 710

Teppanyaki samurai

Thai Style Open daily for lunch and dinner. Avda. Playas del Duque s/n. Edif. Gaviotas IV, Puerto Banús.

Tel: 952 813 675

tHapa thai Open every day for lunch and dinner. Urb. Puerto Deportivo 13, Edif. Poniente, Estepona.

Tel: 951 318 445

top thai Open daily for lunch and dinner. Centro Plaza, 64, Nueva Andalucía. Tel: 951 319 778

Sukho Thai

Tse yang Dimsum club

Open for dinner from Monday to Saturday. Centro Comercial Marbellamar. Tel: 952 770 550

Open daily for lunch and dinner except Sundays.

At El Corte Inglés Food Hall, Puerto Banús.

Tel: 952 909 990

Sushi Katsura Open for lunch from Monday to Friday and for dinner from Monday to Saturday. C/ Ramón Gómez de la Serna, 5, Marbella. Tel: 952 863 193

Tai Pan Open seven days a week for dinner. H. Puente Romano, Ctra. de Cádiz, km. 177, Marbella.

Tel: 952 777 893

Wasabi Open daily from 1.30 pm for lunch and dinner.

C.C. Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 908 577

scandinavian Aloha restaurant

Open every evening for dinner from 6pm to

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11.30pm. Avda. del Prado s/n, Nueva Andalucía.

Tel: 952 811 285

CN 340, km 159, Estepona.

Tel: 952 808 165

At El Corte Inglés Food Hall, Puerto Banús.

Tel: 952 909 990

Skandies

Santiago

la moraga bistró

Open Tuesday to Sunday from 7pm to 11pm. Closed Mondays. Avda. Antonio Belón, 26 (behind the lighthouse), Marbella. Tel: 952 776 323

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Paseo Marítimo, 5, Marbella. Tel: 952 770 078

Open daily for lunch and dinner. C/ Ramón Areces s/n, in front of El Corte Inglés, Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 817 448

seafood

cervecería ostrería santiago Open daily for lunch and dinner. Avda. del Marzo, Marbella. Tel: 952 770 078

El Barlovento Open from 11am-4pm and 7.30-11pm every day except Mondays. Puerto Deportivo de Sotogrande, Cádiz. Tel: 956 790 370

Restaurante La Marina Open every day from 1-4.30pm and 8pm until midnight. Paseo Marítimo s/n, La Atunara, La Linea de la Concepción, Campo de Gibraltar.

Tel: 956 171 531

La Torre Open daily for lunch and dinner. Muelle de Honor, Club de Mar, Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 811 561

Marisquería La Pesquera Open daily for lunch and dinner. Plaza de la Victoria, Old Town, Marbella. Tel: 952 765 170

Restaurante El bote

spanish

Cano 11, Marbella. Tel: 951 245 889

*cinemas & theatres AUDITORIO MUNICIPAL MIJAS

Plaza de la Libertad 2. Mijas. Tel: 952 590 380

AUDITORIO MUNICIPAL TORREMOLINOS

La red

Plaza de España, Recinto Ferial. Tel: 952 379 521

Open daily from 9.30am to 6pm. Playa La Fontanilla, Marbella. Tel: 952 821 450

AUDITORIO PARQUE DE LA CONSTITUCIÓN

La Taberna del Alabardero

CENTRO CULTURAL EL INGENIO

Open everyday for lunch and dinner except Monday. San Pedro Playa, Urb. Castiglone. Tel: 952 785 138. Also at Ctra. de Ronda, km. 167, San Pedro.

Tel: 952 786 265

Garcia Morato, s/n. San Pedro. Tel: 952 786 968

Mesón el adobe

Avda. Julio Iglesias, Puerto Banús. Tel: 951 196 665

Open daily for lunch and dinner except Tuesdays.

Avda. La Fontanilla, Edif. Balmoral, Bajo 3, Marbella.

Tel. 600 003 144

cinesur

Open Monday to Sunday for lunch and dinner. Avda. Duque de Ahumada, Marbella.

Tel: 952 863 780

mi taberna

Avda. Camilo José Cela, s/n. Fuengirola.

Tel: 952 800 056

El Portalón

Paellas y Más

Mijas. Tel: 952 663 738

Open Monday to Saturday for lunch 1-4pm and dinner from 8pm-midnight. Ctra de Cádiz, km 178, Marbella. Tel: 952 827 880

Open daily from 10:30am to 11pm. C/ Jacinto Benavente 33, Marbella. Tel: 952 822 511

PALACIO DE LA PAZ

Vila do grove

TEATRO ALAMEDA

Hacienda

Open Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner. C/ Las Malvas, Edif. On Line, Local 2, Nueva Andalucía.

Tel: 952 813 415

Calle Córdoba 9, Málaga. Tel: 952 213 412

Bahía

Open every evening for dinner. At Hotel Don Carlos. Avda. Zurita s/n, Marbella. Tel: 952 768 800

Casa de la era Open only for lunch – call for times. Ctra. de Ojén, km 0.5, Marbella. Tel: 952 770 625

Casa Fernando Open from Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner. Avda. del Mediterráneo s/n, San Pedro de Alcántara. Tel: 952 853 344

DGust

Open every day for lunch and dinner. Paseo Marítimo Rey de España, Fuengirola.

Tel: 952 660 084

Open from 1-4.30pm and 7.30 -11pm. Closed on Sunday afternoons and Mondays. Urb. La Alcaidesa, La Linea de la Concepción.

Tel: 956 582 700

palapa

La máquina

Open daily for lunch and dinner. C.C. Laguna Village,

Open daily for lunch and dinner except Sunday.

Open Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner.

CN340, km 178, Marbella. Tel: 952 827 880

vegetarian

Marbella. Tel: 952 825 035

CINESA LA CAÑADA La Cañada. Marbella. Tel: 902 333 231

cines teatro goya C.C. Miramar, Fuengirola. Tel: 952 198 605

MULTICINES ALFIL MULTICINES MEDITERRÁNEO Recinto Ferial. Fuengirola. Tel: 952 589 349

TEATRO CERVANTES Ramos Marín, 199, Málaga. Tel: 952 224 109

TEATRO CIUDAD DE MARBELLA Plaza Ramón Martínez, Marbella. Tel: 952 903 159

loving hut

TEATRO SALON VARIETES

Open daily from 10.30am to 11.30pm. Avda. Miguel

Emancipación 30. Fuengirola. Tel: 952 474 542

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VERACRUZ CINES

www.esteponagolf.com

Los Naranjos Golf Club

ALHAMAR GYM

Veracruz. Estepona. Tel: 952 800 056

Finca cortesín golf club

18 holes, Par 72. Tel: 952 815 206

C.C. Alhamar, CN-340 km 197. Tel: 952 934 684

YELMO CINEPLEX

18 holes, Par 72, Tel: 952 937 883. www.golfcortesin.es

Marbella Club Golf Resort

ATENAS

18 holes, Par 73. Tel: 952 113 239

Barquilla 1. Marbella. Tel: 952 776 240

*golf guide

Flamingos Golf Club

Marbella Golf & Country Club

AZTEC COUNTRY CLUB

18 holes, Par. Tel: 952 889 157. www.flamingos-golf.com

18 holes. Tel: 952 830 500

Urb. Riviera del Sol, Mijas-Costa. Tel: 952 934 477

Mijas Golf

CENTRO DEPORTIVO EL FUERTE

18 holes, Par 71. Tel: 956 791 0400. www.alcaidesa.com

Golf Río Real

36 holes, Par 70. Tel: 952 476 843

Av. El Fuerte s/n. Marbella. Tel: 952 861 624

18 holes, Par 72. Tel: 952 756 733

Miraflores Golf

CENTRO DE YOGA Y SALUD INTEGRAL

Alhaurín Golf

Golf Torrequebrada

18 holes, Par 71. Tel: 952 931 960

Ramón y Cajal 21. Marbella. Tel: 952 773 804

18 holes, Par 72. Tel: 952 595 970. www.alhauringolf.com

18 holes, Par 72. Tel: 952 442 742

Monte Mayor Golf & Country Club

CENTRO PLAZA GYM

Guadalmina Golf

18 holes. Tel: 952 113 088

Nueva Andalucía. Tel: 952 817 074

Almenara Golf

36 holes, Par 72. Tel: 952 883 375

Parador Málaga del Golf

Cerrado del águila

27 holes, Par 72. Tel: 956 582 027. www.sotogrande.com

La Cala Golf Resort

18 holes. Tel: 952 381 255

Mijas Costa, Málaga. Tel: 951 773 523

54 holes, Pars 71, 72 and 73.

Tel: 952 669 033. www.lacala.com

Real Club de Golf Las Brisas

CLUB DEl SOL

18 holes, Par 72. Tel: 952 810 875

18 holes. Tel: 952 907 085. www.clubdegolfaloha.com

La Dama de Noche

Real Club de Golf Sotogrande

Tennis /paddle classes. Calahonda.

Tel: 952 939 595

9 holes, Par 70. Tel: 952 818 150

18 holes, Par 72. Tel: 956 785 014

Dynamic training centre

Atalaya Golf

La Duquesa Golf & Country Club

San Roque Club

C.C. Le Village, Marbella. Tel: 952 775 021

18 holes, Par 72. Tel: 952 882 812. www.master-hotels.com

18 holes, Par 72. Tel: 952 890 425

18 holes, Par 72. Tel: 956 613 030

FITNESS CENTRE NEW STYLE

La Quinta Golf

Santa Clara Golf

Amapolas, s/n Nueva Andalucía. Tel: 952 817 916

Cabopino Golf

18 holes. Tel: 952 850 111

Fuerte Gym

18 holes, Par 70. Tel: 952 850 282

27 holes, Par 72.Tel: 952 762 390 www.laquintagolf.com

Santa Maria Golf & Country Club

Avda. El Fuerte, Marbella. Tel: 952 861 624

Cerrado del águila

La Reserva Sotogrande

18 holes, Par 72. Tel: 952 831 036

GIMNASIO ESTADIO

18 holes, Par 71. Tel: 951 703 355

18 holes. Tel: 956 695 209

Sotogrande Club de Golf

Club de Golf La Cañada

La Zagaleta Golf & Country Club

18 holes. Tel: 956 785 012

Trav. Huerta de los Cristales, Marbella.

Tel: 952 828 217

18 holes, Par 71. Tel: 956 794 100

18 holes. Members only. Tel: 952 695 209

Valderrama

HAPPY DIVER’S CLUB

El Paraiso Club de Golf

Lauro Golf 18 holes

Atalaya Park Hotel, Marbella. Tel: 609 571 920

18 holes, Par 71. Tel: 952 883 835

Alhaurín de la Torre. Tel: 952 412 767

18 holes, Par 72. Tel: 956 791 200 www.valderrama.com

Estepona Golf

Los Arqueros Golf & Country Club 18 holes, Par 71. Tel: 952 784 600

*gyms & sports clubs

CN340, Km77,5. Marbella. Tel: 952 820 900

18 holes, Par 72. Tel: 952 937 605.

Plaza Mayor. Tel: 902 220 922

Alcaidesa Links

Aloha Golf Club

HOTEL PUENTE ROMANO KRAV MAGA SELF-DEFENCE CENTRE At Hotel Pyr, Puerto Banús. Tel: 655 689 455

MANOLO SANTANA RACQUETS CLUB Ctra. de Istán, Km 2. Marbella. Tel: 952 778 580

MARBELLA GUN & COUNTRY CLUB Monda. Tel: 952 112 161

MARBELLA SPORT Km 171.5. San Pedro Alcántara. Tel: 952 788 315

MULTI SPORT Avda. Picasso 27. San Pedro. Tel: 952 782 801

New Concept Training Monte Paraíso Country Club, Camino de Camoján s/n, Marbella. Tel: 952 866 843

02 CENTRO WELLNESS Plaza del Mar. Marbella. Tel: 952 900 420

P-E SPORTS CLUB Urb. Parcelas del Golf, Aloha Gardens, N. Andalucía. Tel: 952 818 357

qi sport Urb. La Alzambra, Marbella. Tel: 952 907 090

SATURNIA REGNA Marbella Tel: 952 761 475, Elviria. Tel: 952 834 835

SEVEN STARS SCHOOL Tai Chi & yoga. Pasaje Estrecho, Estepona.

Tel: 952 923 055

Sport Club Reserva del Higuerón Avda. del Higueron, Benalmádena. Tel: 952 565 761

SPORTCLUB ROUTE 66 Ctra. Mijas, 1.5km. Fuengirola. Tel: 952 461 648

SPORTING CLUB ATALAYA PARK HOTEL CN340, Km 168,5. Estepona. Tel: 952 888 212

TICKET-TO-RIDE Cristamar, Pto. Banús. Tel: 952 905 082

Vitality studio C.C. Le Village, Marbella. Tel: 952 902 362

*museums

Basilica Vega del Mar San Pedro Alcántara.

Tel: 952 781 360

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Bonsai Museum

El corte inglés

Parque Arroyo de la Represa. Marbella.

Tel: 952 862 926

Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 909 990

Bull-fighting Museum

Tel: 952 467 843

Plaza de Toros. Estepona.

Estepona

Museo Cortijo Miraflores

C/ Málaga 82–84. Tel: 952 800 537

Marbella. Tel: 952 902 714

Fuengirola

Museo de Bella Artes

Pza. los Chinorros. Tel: 952 474 384

C/ San Agustin 8. Málaga. Tel: 952 218 382

Marbella

Museo del Grabado

Jac. Benavente, 14. Tel: 952 772 898

Hospital Bazán. Marbella. Tel: 952 825 035

Nueva Andalucía

Museo de la Villa

C/ Jazmines. Tel: 952 810 887

Plaza de la Libertad 2. Mijas. Tel: 952 590 380

San Pedro

Museo Ralli

Pizarro, 41. Tel: 952 780 39

Urb. Coral Beach. Marbella. Tel: 952 857 923

*street markets

Museum of Málaga Wines Carrera 39. Ojén. Tel: 952 881 453

Museum of Miniatures Carromato de Max

Fuengirola

Monday benahavís

Arts & Crafts. Village Square, from 8pm

El Compas. Mijas. Tel: 952 489 500

Marbella

Pablo Ruiz Picasso Foundation

Fairground (Avda. de Juan Alameda), 9am-2:30pm

Plaza de la Merced 15. Málaga. Tel: 952 060 215

Tuesday Churriana

Picasso Museum Málaga Palacio de Buenavista, C/ San Agustín 8. Málaga.

Tel: 952 127 611

9am-1pm

Roman Public Baths

Recinto Ferial (close to the CN340, on the same side as the bullring), 9am-2:30pm

Guadalmina Baja. Tel: 952 781 360

Fuengirola

*post offices

Monda

Calahonda

Nerja

C.C. El Zoco. Tel: 952 932 175

C/ Chaparil, 9am-1pm

C/ Los Huertos, 8am-2:30pm

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. THE GUIDE listings Wednesday Alhaurín de la Torre

Calahonda

Club deL Sol

Calypso, 9am-2pm

Tennis/paddle classes. Calahonda. Tel: 952 939 595

Avda. del Limón, 9am-2pm

Las Chapas

Club de tenis don carlos

benahavís

La Víbora, 9am-2pm

Arts & Crafts. Village Square, from 8pm

Rincón de la Victoria

Hotel Don Carlos, Avda. Zurita, CN340, km 192.

Marbella. Tel: 952 768 800

Benalmádena Costa

Málaga. Plaza de la Iglesia, 9am-1pm

Club Internacional de Tennis

(Second hand items) Recinto Ferial, 10am-2pm

Ctra. Cádiz, km 173. Marbella. Tel: 952 813 341

Calahonda

Saturday Coín

Calypso, 9am-2pm

C/ Urbano Pineda, 9am-1pm

Benahavís. Tel: 617 647 223

Estepona

La Cala

Club Nueva Alcántara

Avda. Juan Carlos II, 9am-2:30 pm

Recinto Ferial, 9am-1pm

San Pedro Alcántara. Tel: 952 788 315

Istán

Maro

Hofsaess tennis academy

At the entrance to the town, 9am-2pm

Close to the Nerja Caves, 9am-1pm

La Cala

Mijas Costa

Monte Elviria (next to German School).

Tel: 952 835 812

Recinto Ferial, 9am-1pm

Las Lagunas, 9am-2pm

Lew Hoads Tennis Club

Thursday Alhaurín El Grande

Nueva Andalucía

Ctra. de Mijas, Km 3,5. Mijas. Tel: 952 474 858

Next to the bullring. Park near CN340 and walk upwards, 9am-1pm

Manolo Santana Racquets Club

By the Guardia Civil Offfices, City Centre, 9am-1pm

Málaga

Sunday benahavís

Club Madroñal

Ctra. de Istán, Km 2. Marbella.

Tel: 952 778 580

Marbella hill tennis club

Opposite the Guardia Civil Offices, City Centre.

9am-1pm

Arts & Crafts. La Ermita Park, from 10pm

Avda. El Fuerte, Marbella. Tel: 659 677 539

San Pedro

Estepona

marbella playa tenIs

By the sports pavilion, in the Divina Pastora district, 9am-2pm

Puerto Deportivo, 9am-1pm

CN340, km 189, Marbella. Tel: 657 619 630

Fuengirola

Miraflores Tennis Club

Torre del Mar

Recinto Ferial, 9am-2:30pm

Avda. Europa, 9am-1pm

Málaga

Urb. Miraflores, Km 199. Calahonda.

Tel: 952 932 006

Torremolinos

Next to Rosaleda football stadium, 9am-2pm

Puente Romano TEnnis club

El Calvario, near Town Hall, 9am-1pm

Sotogrande

Marbella. Tel: 952 820 900

Vélez Málaga

At the Marina, 9am-1pm

royal tennis club marbella

Opposite the Guardia Civil Offices, City Centre, 9am-1pm

*tennis clubs

El Rosario, Marbella. Tel: 952 837 651

Friday Benalmádena In the area between Tivoli World and the Plaza San Pedro, 9am-1pm

Aztec Country Club

Urb. Riviera del Sol, Mijas-Costa. Tel: 952 934 477

bel air tennis and paddel club Urb. Bel-Air, Estepona. Tel: 952 883 221

Sport Club Reserva del Higuerón Avda. del Higueron, Benalmádena.

Tel: 952 565 761

*tourist offices

Benahavís Tel: 952 855 500 Benalmádena Tel: 952 442 494 Estepona Tel: 952 802 002 Fuengirola Tel: 952 467 625 Gibraltar Tourist Board Tel: 956 774 950 Marbella Tel: 952 822 818 Málaga Tel: 952 213 445 / 952 216 061 Mijas Tel: 952 485 900 Ronda Tel: 952 871 272 San Pedro Tel: 952 785 252 Tarifa Tel: 956 680 993 Torremolinos Tel: 952 381 578

*train

Customer assistance T: 952 128 267 General Info T: 902 240 202 Reservations T: 902 240 202 Ave T: 952 128 079

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pets THE GUIDE .

WORDS Marisa CUTILLAS

K9 Body Work: The Power of Massage for Your Pet Caroline Stone is a registered, qualified therapeutic masseuse who is a Member of the Therapeutic Canine Massage Guild in the UK. She is the founder of K9 Body Work on the Coast: a company dedicated to bringing all the benefits of massage to your pooch.

Therapeutic massage is a holistic way of treating your dog; it is majorly popular in the UK and other European countries, since it can aid many of the body’s systems to perform their respective functions well. Caroline states: “There are approximately 700 muscles in the dog’s body. This accounts for 45% of the animal’s total weight. If you’ve ever pulled a muscle yourself or had a back or neck injury, you will undoubtedly know how debilitating such an injury can be. Using four modalities of massage – Swedish, sports, deep tissue, and myofascial release – it is possible to identify and treat a range of muscular injuries, support orthopaedic conditions, and promote general wellbeing and improve vitality.” Caroline is an expert in behaviour, anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, and deep tissue massage. All of these aspects are most important as an unqualified person may unintentionally harm a dog. g Tel: 608 803 897. www.k9bodyworkspain.com

Train Your Dog

with Natalie at Pointer Veterinary Clinic Estepona Whether you have a little puppy or a dog whose behavioural or lead walking skills need a tiny bit of honing, the Pointer Clinic Dog School with Natalie is an excellent place to start. Natalie teaches the puppies and beginners class on Wednesday from 4pm to 5pm, and the advanced class from 5pm to 6pm. g Tel: 952 804 165. www.pointerclinic.com

Birthday Parties at Bioparc Fuengirola

Hunting Season is Over, Animals Suffer

If you’re running out of ideas for an original and informative birthday party for kids, Bioparc Fuengirola may be the perfect place for you! The day starts out with a fun guided tour throughout the installations; kids discover lots of fantastic facts about everything from slithery snakes to chattering chimpanzees and they can ask all the questions they’d like. The highlight of the day is the animal show, featuring swooping birds, deer, pigs and much more. Afterwards, kids enjoy a meal and some birthday cake and receive free animal masks to take home. i www.bioparcfuengirola.es

Dog shelters across Spain are suffering the result of hunting season having come to an end; now is a better time than ever to take one of these dogs home with you. When the season ends and the Spring begins, approximately 50,000 greyhounds are mercilessly abandoned or, worse still, put to a cruel death by their ‘owners’. The Partido Animalista (PACMA) is pushing for the prohibition of hunting (and hunting with dogs), to stop massive abandonment. i For further information, www.pacma.es ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM MAY 2016 / 187

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what’s on...

. THE GUIDE what’s on

Events in May and first week of June Until May 10 THEATRE – FUENGIROLA

The Salón Varietés Theatre in Fuengirola presents Accidents: A Midsummer Night’s Madness, comprising four short plays with one thing in common: the trials and tribulations of love! Nightly at 8pm, Sunday at 7pm. www.salonvarietestheatre.com

Until May 31 ART – MARBELLA

Galería Yusto/Giner presents Who Am I?, the second individual exhibition by contemporary artist Miguel Laino, who studied at the prestigious Central St. Martin College and has dedicated his professional life to fashion design and art. www.yusto-giner.com

Until June 30 ART – MARBELLA

Artist Roger Cummiskey will be exhibiting his colourful work at The Golfer Sports Bar on C/Pablo Casals.

The title of the exhibition is Abstract Oil Paintings made with a Pallet Knife in Marbella. From 7pm to 10pm every evening. www.rogercummiskey.com

Until September 11 ART – MÁLAGA

The Museo Picasso de Málaga presents Juego de Ojos. Fondos de la Colección – a new exhibition exploring the

prominence of eyes in many of Picasso’s works. Featuring drawings, ceramics, illustrated books and more. www.museopicassomalaga.org

Until September 30 HOLISTIC RETREATS – MIJAS COSTA

Throughout May and until the end of September, sign up for a four-day holistic retreat, where you will learn asanas, pranayama, meditation, silence, yoga, nidra and mantras, with the aim of achieving a balance of body, mind and spirit. For further information, Tel: 625 853 353.

NEW AND REGULAR EVENTS Monthly on different days AMERICAN CLUB – MARBELLA

The American Club Costa del Sol Chapter meets monthly for excursions, sports and social events. Tel: 952 772 789. www.americanclubcostadelsol.com

AMIGOS DE LA CULTURA – COSTA DEL SOL

The members of this cultural group meet at different times and places for lunches, lectures, concerts, ballet, theatre, opera, etc. Further information, Tel: 669 445 809.

LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE – MARBELLA

Integral Psychotherapist Gabriella Kortsch helps you with everything from relationship breakdowns to depression, poor communication with loved ones or financial stress, at her weekly

Tuesday May 3 to Saturday May 7

ART EXHIBITION – MARBELLA The Ralli Museum presents a temporary exhibition dedicated to magic realist painter, Carlos Revilla. Tel: 952 857 923.

group meetings, which start at 7:30pm.

For information on locations, info@advancedpersonaltherapy.com

Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday JIVE – MIRAFLORES, ESTEPONA AND LA DUQUESA

Learn to dance with Colin and the team from Jive Spain at Miraflores Restaurant on Tuesday, El Campanario on Wednesday and El Goleto at Duquesa on Friday. For precise times, colin@jivespain.com

Every Wednesday ART – MÁLAGA

The Museo Picasso de Málaga offers free guided tours in English (included in the entry price), from 11:30am to 2pm.

Tickets cost €8 for adults. Children enter for free. www.museopicassomalaga.org

FLAMENCO – MIJAS

Every Wednesday at 12pm, a dazzling flamenco show takes place at the Plaza Virgen de la Peña in Mijas Pueblo. www.mijas.es

Every first Wednesday of the month CULTURE AND COCKTAIL – MARBELLA

The Association of Art and Culture Marbella holds a monthly cocktail at Magna Café at Magna Marbella Golf, from 8pm-10pm. Tel: 627 833 262. www.artandculturemarbella.com

Every Thursday NETWORKING – MARBELLA

The Marbella Business Group holds its weekly breakfast meeting, which features presentations, discussions and introductions of new members. At 8am at the Hotel Senator in Marbella. To become a member, www.marbellabusinessgroup.com

Every last Friday of the Month COFFEE MORNING – ESTEPONA

ADANA animal rescue charity coffee morning at Plaza Manilva (outside Longman’s Bookshop) 11am – 2pm.

Kennels open 10am – 5pm Monday – Friday and 10am – 2pm Saturday, Sunday and holidays. Further information, Tel: 952 800 975. www.adana.es

BUSINESS LUNCH – MARBELLA

Marbella Business Institute holds an invitation-only lunch club for local and visiting business people, active and retired. To apply, visit www.marbellabusinessinternational.org

Every Saturday MARKETS – PUERTO BANÚS

Head for the Puerto Banús bullring every Saturday for a fun street market featuring everything from clothing to music, accessories and home ware.

Starts at 9am and ends at 2pm. www.marbella.es

Saturday May 7

HEALING HORSES WORKSHOP – MIJAS Jennifer McCann, Intuitive Healer, Spiritual Coach and Author, will be holding a Healing Horses workshop at Finca El Algarrobo at 10am.

Deepen your relationship with horses and discover their healing abilities. www.qevento.es

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Every First Sunday of the month OPEN DAY – MIJAS

PAD animal shelter, Cerros del Águila, welcomes visitors from 12pm-3pm.

Further information, Tel: 952 486 084. www.padcatsanddogs.org

OCEAN CLUB SATURDAYS – PUERTO BANÚS

Catch some rays by the pool and enjoy a fabulous lunch every Saturday while you enjoy live DJ music and a superb party atmosphere. www.oceanclub.es

Tuesday May 3 REVóLVER – MÁLAGA

Rock singer Revolver will be playing hits old and new at the Teatro Cervantes de Málaga at 8pm. For tickets, www.nvivo.es

Friday May 6 BEACH PARTY – MARBELLA

Euphoria Marbella will be holding its opening party, featuring a three-hour party cruise from Puerto Banús to Marbella. Featuring international DJs, a free bar and the chance to take a swim in the glistening Mediterranean. From 3pm to 7pm. www.euphoriavip.com

Saturday May 7 SPORT – MARBELLA

Marbella will close down a section of Avenida Ricardo Soriano next to the Alameda Park to host a day filled with basketball activities, bike rides, chess games, dancing and great deals at

the local restaurants, bars and shops.

11am to 7pm at the Plaza de Alameda, Marbella.

Monday May 9 CULTURAL TALK – MARBELLA

Lost on the Titanic – The Making of the Great Omar Binding is the title of this month’s cultural lecture by the Costa del Sol DFAS. The Great Omar was the most fabulous, elaborate and opulent book binding ever created. It was embellished with over one thousand jewels, five thousand leather inlays and a hundred square feet of gold leaf, and took a team of craftsmen over two and a half years to make. Lecturer: Dominic Riley. At 4:30pm at the Salón Varietés Theatre in Fuengirola. www.costadelsoldfas.com

CAFÉ QUIJANO – MÁLAGA

Brotherly trio, Café Quijano will be lighting up the Teatro Cervantes with their blend of rock and pop music.

The show starts at 8pm. For tickets, www.nvivo.es

Saturday May 14 and Sunday May 15 THE ABBA EXPERIENCE – FUENGIROLA

Enjoy a fabulous ABBA tribute concert at the Salón Varietés Theatre in Fuengirola.

On Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 7pm. www.salonvarietestheatre.com

Sunday May 15 CHUCHO VALDÉS – MÁLAGA

Famous jazz musician and pianist, Chucho Valdés, will be performing his greatest hits at the Teatro Cervantes at 7pm. For tickets, www.nvivo.es

CUDECA WALKATHON – BENALMÁDENA

Join the team from the Cudeca Cancer Hospice on the 14th annual Cudeca Walkathon and help them raise funds.

The event will kick off on the beachfront at Sunset Beach Club in Benalmádena at 10am. There will be three routes: two, five and 10 kilometres, respectively. For further information, www.cudeca.org

Monday May 16 ANI LORAK – MARBELLA

Pop singer, Ani Lorak, will be performing at the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Marbella at 9pm. For tickets, Tel: 951 245 593/ 680 632 797.

Wednesday May 18 CONSTRUCTION CONFERENCE – MARBELLA

A conference on Lightweight Shells, Architecture and Urban Planning will be taking place at the Hospital Real Misericordia at 6pm. Featuring talks on 21st Century Lightweight Construction and The Wit House, by Architect, José Ramón Rodríguez Álvarez. www.technal.com

Friday May 20 CREATIVE COOKIE DECORATION – MIJAS

El Corte Inglés Mijas will be hosting a special creative dessert making workshop for kids, with a focus on cookies shaped like flowers. For children aged six to 10, from 6pm to 8pm. www.elcorteingles.es

Friday May 20 to Sunday May 22 THEATRE – FUENGIROLA

The Salón Varietés Theatre presents Ghost Writer, a mystery thriller, at 8pm on Friday and Saturday, and 7pm on Sunday.

Friday May 20 to Sunday May 22 WATER WEEK – MARBELLA

This event aims to inform all citizens about European Maritime Day and promote environmental education.

The programme will include water activities like kayak trips, paddle surfing, expositions and competitions.

At the Marbella Port. Tel: 952 772 504.

Thursday May 12 to Saturday May 14

MIGUEL POVEDA – MÁLAGA Miguel Poveda is one of flamenco’s most lauded singers. This month, he will be giving heart and soul at a concert at the Teatro Cervantes. The show starts at 8pm. For tickets, www.nvivo.es

Saturday May 21 PUNK FESTIVAL – MARBELLA

The first ever Punk Festival on the Coast will be taking place at La Catarina Craft Beer Bar, featuring five local groups:

The Reinfected, Jarrea, Ralf, Animal Sex Six, Gatos Enfadaos, who will be playing original music and punk classics. The venue is located in the La Campana business park, above Nueva Andalucía.

There will also be stalls with punk items, as well as an exhibition of punk inspired art from Swedish artist Mats Riedeborn.

Tel: 670 652 977.

Saturday May 21 to Sunday May 22 INDIAN FESTIVAL – SAN PEDRO

The Association Andaluza of Yoga in collaboration with the Council of San Pedro de Alcántara presents the second annual Mitica India Festival at the Carpa Municipal of the San Pedro fairgrounds. The festival aims to bring participants a vision of India through yoga. Featuring workshops on Hatha, Kundalini, Vinyasa, yoga for two and yoga for children, as well as lectures, conferences and workshops of mantras, kriyas and homa. Tel: 952 775 634.

Escuelaandaluzadeyoga@gmail.com

CHARITY GALA – MARBELLA

New charity, Childline Andalucía, will be holding a fundraising dinner at the Tamisa Hotel Golf in Mijas Costa, featuring dinner and a live performance

by The New Jersey Boys. Tickets cost only €35 and can be purchased on Tel: 608 043 841. hello@childlineandalucia.org

Saturday May 28 NIÑA PASTORI – MÁLAGA

Flamenco pop sensation, Niña Pastori will be performing at the Málaga Auditorium Club – MAC Málaga. The show starts at 10pm. For tickets, www.nvivo.es

Saturday May 28 to Sunday May 29 ASCARI CIRCUIT – RONDA

Salon Spain is a premier supercar event focussing solely on the top tier of the automobile sector. There will be a presentation of the very finest, luxury automotive brands, alongside rare and valuable vehicles at the Ascari Formula One Circuit in Ronda. Featuring demonstrations and adrenalin-filled laps alongside professional drivers. For precise times, www.salon-espana.com

Saturday June 4 to Saturday June 30 ART – MARBELLA

The Museo Ralli presents the exhibition Portraits of Women, featuring a host of classical and avante-garde works created between 1900 and 1980.

Featured artists include Marie Laurencin, Louis Latapie and Nicolas Tarkhoff. www.museoralli.es

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. THE GUIDE stars

www.russellgrant.com

Russell Grant’s Monthly Horoscope May 2016

TAURUS April 21st - May 21st Love, romance and adventure are yours for the taking in May. If you’re thinking about updating your appearance, the New Moon on the 6th presents the perfect opportunity to do so. Don’t be afraid to spend a little more money than usual on clothes, toiletries and spa treatments. Your creative powers will be more impressive than ever; devote more time to painting, playing music and designing works of beauty. Are you looking for love? You could find it at a garden, park or campground.

If you’re already in a relationship, you and your amour will enjoy a relaxing break together. The Full Moon on the 21st will attract money from an inheritance, legal settlement or refund. Save this windfall for equipment repairs, it’s important to keep your car, computer and appliances in good working condition. A disagreement over values could strain a friendship or romance towards the end of the month.

Love, romance and adventure are yours for the taking in May. If you’re thinking about updating your appearance, the New Moon on the 6th presents the perfect opportunity to do so

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ARIES [21 mar - 20 APR]

You can turn a creative pursuit into a moneymaking venture in early May. The New Moon on the 6th is ideal for landing a lucrative job, getting a pay rise or increasing your prices. Getting paid what you are worth is imperative. When more funds arrive, put a percentage of them into a savings account. Having a financial cushion will protect you from uncertainty. If you’re self employed, it will be easier to find steady work and good customers during the first half of the month.

Have you been thinking of opening your own business?

The middle of May is the best time of the entire year to do so. On the 21st, a legal decision could be rendered in your favour, allowing you to leave the past behind and forge a brighter, happier future. An old romantic partner may try to reconnect as June approaches. Be wary about getting involved again, even if there is powerful chemistry between you.

GEMINI [22 May - 21 Jun]

Keeping a low profile will be enjoyable in early May. Solitary activities like reading, writing and communing with nature can keep stress at bay. This is also an opportune moment to enjoy the company of pets. The New Moon on the 6th will prompt you to adopt a more spiritual approach to problems. Suddenly, money and status could become relatively unimportant.

If you need a bank loan, scholarship or grant, submit an application during the first half of the month. Your business or romantic partner will have exciting news on the 21st, courtesy of the Full Moon. Your lives will become much more adventurous as a result. Go ahead and yield the spotlight to your partner during the second half of May. They’ve worked hard for this recognition; let them bask in their fame and acclaim. Be receptive to advice from an accomplished but stuffy expert. It’s best to play it safe at work as June approaches.

CANCER [22 Jun - 23 Jul]

Your social life will sparkle with excitement at the beginning of the month. Be sure to attend a party on the 6th, when the New Moon will put you in the path of some interesting, attractive people. If you’re looking for love, you could find it with a tremendously accomplished person. Are you already in a relationship?

Your partner will be proud to be on your arm. Acquiring marketable skills will improve your job prospects. Sign up for an adult education course in May. The Full Moon on the 21st will yield impressive results of a health regime. You’ll look good and feel great during the second half of May. If you mistakenly offend a colleague, offer a sincere apology. Back up your words with actions. By demonstrating good will, you could make a friend out of an old rival. Lean on your romantic partner for support when your confidence wavers.

LEO [24 Jul - 23 Aug]

You’ll achieve great prominence in your career throughout early May. This is also a wonderful time to run for office. Launch your campaign on the 6th, when you will have the strength of the New Moon behind you. Your hard work and accomplishments will win the respect of people from all walks of life. If you’re happy with your current position, take this opportunity to improve your workspace. Thriving plants, vibrant colours and comfortable furniture will make you much more productive. Ask your superiors to make improvements during May. The Full Moon on the 21st marks an exciting turning point in your love life. You

could meet someone special at a sporting event, gym or walking the dog. If you’re already in a relationship, schedule a fun trip with your amour. Money could be tight in late May; cut back on household expenses.

Stretch resources as far as they will go. Prepare meals instead of eating out.

VIRGO [24 AUG - 23 SEP]

A chance to expand your horizons will arrive in early May. This is a wonderful time to study, write and travel. The New Moon on the 6th could prompt you to visit a beautiful country that has always captivated your imagination. If you’re looking for romance, you will find it on this trip. Do you already have a partner? It will be virtually impossible to resist your charms during the first half of the month. Take this opportunity to ask for a favour or push your agenda. Getting a pet is a distinct possibility. The Full Moon on the 21st could find you buying or selling a property. This transaction will improve your financial standing. Be patient while a loved one adjusts to a change in your home life. You’ll embrace this transition, but a relative will not share your enthusiasm at first. Be as supportive as possible.

LIBRA [24 SEP - 23 Oct]

Your love life will heat up considerably in May. If you’re single, you could meet someone special at a restaurant, garden or luxury goods store. Are you already in a relationship? You and your amour will feel like you’re falling in love all over again. The New Moon on the 6th will mark an especially passionate encounter. Alternatively, you might receive an impressive windfall from a legal settlement, insurance refund or dividend. Take this opportunity to rest, relax and pamper yourself. The Full Moon on the 21st is ideal for attending a party. You may cross paths with a bold entrepreneur at this gathering. If you play your cards right, you could enter into a business alliance.

Be conservative with your initial investment. It will take time and hard work to build a solid venture. Be patient; slow and steady wins the race as May turns to June.

Hasty decisions will be a cause for regret.

SCORPIO [24 Oct - 22 NOV]

A close friendship or romance will be a profound source of pleasure in early May. If you want to get engaged or married, the New Moon on the 6th presents the ideal opportunity to do so. Are you already in a committed relationship? Your partner may have some exciting news; be sure to go out and celebrate.

A stalled group project could come back to life during the first half of the month. Don’t be surprised if you are asked to take the helm of this organisation. The Full Moon on the 21st brings in some extra money; use it to upgrade your car, computer or phone. Having equipment that operates well will further improve your earning potential. Be prepared to refuse a loved one’s request for a loan at the end of May. The last thing you need is to mix friendship with finance; keep these realms strictly separate.

SAGITTARIUS [23 NOV - 21 DEC]

A fitness program will yield impressive results at the beginning of May. If you’ve been longing to get in shape, use the strength of the New Moon on the 6th to propel you forward. Establishing better eating, exercise and sleeping habits will be relatively easy. Your career

prospects will also improve during the first half of the month. Don’t hesitate to accept more responsibilities at work. You’ll quickly earn the respect of both your peers and superiors. Negotiating a pay rise is a distinct possibility in money minded May. Let your best friend or romantic partner lavish you with affection on the 21st.

That’s when the Full Moon will illuminate your charms.

Being receptive to love will make you a better friend, partner and relative. Beware of discouraging a family member from pursuing their dreams at the end of the month. You have very different priorities, so you’re bound to take divergent paths.

CAPRICORN [22 DEC - 20 Jan]

Love, romance and adventure will find you in May. If you’re single, this is the best time of the entire year to meet someone special. Be sure to attend a party or social gathering on the 6th, when the New Moon will turn you into a virtual love magnet. Are you already in a relationship? Plan a special evening for you and your amour. The two of you will find each other irresistible. Planning a fun holiday together will greatly enhance your relationship; choose a destination that appeals to both you. On the 21st, the Full Moon will prompt you to pull away from work and enjoy some solitary activities. Reading, writing and communing with nature can recharge your batteries. Don’t let pushy relatives and friends interfere with your private time. It may be difficult to gain access to an exclusive club or institution at the end of the month. Don’t let it bother you.

AQUARIUS [21 JAN - 19 FEB]

Home life will be a profound source of pleasure in early May. Take this opportunity to stock the pantry, tidy your surroundings and do the laundry.

Comfortable surroundings will keep stress at bay. Hosting a dinner party is strongly advised for the 6th, when the New Moon will cultivate an atmosphere of happiness and harmony. Money from a scholarship, grant or loan could become available in the first half of the month, causing you to heave a sigh of relief. Take this opportunity to enjoy some creature comforts. You’re not especially materialistic, but it is important for you to enjoy sensual pleasures from time to time. The Full Moon on the 21st marks an exciting turning point in your social life. You could meet an influential teacher at a party. Let this instructor take you under their wing. Sparks might fly between you and someone close towards the end of the month.

PISCES [20 Feb - 20 Mar]

You’ll be pleasantly busy in the opening days of May. Running errands, stocking the pantry and returning phone calls will make the days fly by on wings. The New Moon on the 6th will bring good news about a family or community matter. This will be a cause for celebration. Hosting a party will bring everyone together in a spirit of harmony.

Your love life will also get back on track, thanks to your amour’s increased availability. If you’re single, it will be easy to meet someone who is supportive, kind and enthusiastic. Resist the temptation to speed up the courtship phase. Instead, enjoy getting to know someone special before making a serious commitment.

The Full Moon on the 21st will bring fame and acclaim.

Use this positive attention as a springboard to bigger and better career opportunities. A well connected friend could get you a job interview at the end of May. ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM MAY 2016 / 191

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. THE GUIDE family

May Calendar

MAY 1 MOTHER’S DAY Spanish Mother’s Day gives us another date to recognise the ones who brought us up and made us who we are. You’ll likely see lots of families out on this Sunday so – if you’re looking to go somewhere special – be sure and book early.

Check out MarbellaFamilyFun.com for recommended venues for lovely brunches by the seashore. All day, everywhere.

The month of May delivers long sunny days and the anticipation of summer. As the school year draws to a close parents turn their attention towards summer activities for the kids. As a premiere summer playground, Marbella offers a wide variety of exciting programmes for kids and teens on the Costa del Sol. If you’re looking for ideas, check out this list of recommended Summer Camps in Marbella. There is truly something for everyone!

FAMILY FUN For the latest updates on Summer Camps in Marbella, visit MarbellaFamilyFun.com

COOKING, SPORTS, GYMNASTICS, SINGING, DANCING & MORE Clubs Complete Summer Camp is offering a day camp in Marbella and an overnight camp in Sotogrande. This British-based organisation is highly recommended for its well-organised programmes and professional counsellors. Tel: 956 795 902. www.clubscomplete.co.uk

FILM CAMP FOR ASPIRING ACTORS & MUSICIANS

Write it, direct it, produce it, rap it, star in it! Kids and teens gain first-hand experience with this camp of the entire process of film production, from idea generation and storyboard creation all the way through to post production.

Tel: 673 505 838. www.madhattersfilmcamp.com

SWEDISH CAMP IN PUERTO BANÚS

The Swedish School Summer Camp

is open to international families in Marbella looking for a fun, engaging and multilingual holiday programme.

With weekly themes, your kids will come home with great stories that create an unforgettable summer experience.

Tel: 952 868 252. www.svenskaskolanmarbella.com

BECOME A SCIENTIST AND GET THE HARRY POTTER EXPERIENCE

Kids love to experiment and now there’s a way you can get them to embrace science through hands-on activities that engage their minds. The Science Cottage in New York is bringing its fantastic assortment of science programmes to Marbella this year. Tel: +001 631 241 5952. www.thesciencecottage.com

DANCE WITH CHAMPIONS

This dance school was founded by European championship level dancers with a passion for excellence. Their lessons are rigorous but taught in a fun and engaging way, enabling young students to learn dance through playing.

Kids and teens will grasp the basics of dance and participate in dancing games

and fitness. Tel: 655 301 919. www.cezarkaterina.com

THE MULTISPORTS CLUB

This long-established club in Nueva Andalucía is perfect for an interesting offering of sports activities from football to zip lining. It’s also highly flexible – you can enrol your kids by the hour, day or week. Parents are welcome too!

Tel: 678 286 490. www.themultisportsclub.com

SUMMER SCHOOL IN ESTEPONA

The summer programme includes sports, crafts and fun in a relaxed atmosphere in both English and Spanish.

The school follows the Montessori approach in the early years of nursery, fostering a love of learning. Tel: 952 884 789. www.marbellaschool.com Wishing you a fabulous May full of fantastic experiences with the family.

For further information about these and other events taking place on the costa del sol, visit marbellafamilyfun.com

MAY 7 HAPPY SPORT SATURDAY Marbella will close down a section of Ricardo Soriano avenue next to the Alameda Park to host a day filled with basketball activities, bike rides, chess games, dancing, and great deals at the local restaurants, bars and shops. 11am to 7pm at the Plaza de Alameda, Marbella.

MAY 14 MUSICAL DOCUMENTARY Cocó Chanel & Igor Stravinsky is a film by Jan Kounen set in Paris in 1913 at the Theatre Des ChampsElysées. In original language with English subtitles. This is a must see classic for the whole family. 7pm at Urb. La Virginia, Marbella.

Tel: 689 000 944.

MAY 20 - 22 WATER WEEK ‘SEMANA DEL MAR’ This event aims to inform all citizens about European Maritime Day and promote environmental education. The programme will include water activities like kayak trips, paddle surfing, expositions and competitions. At the Marbella Port. Tel: 952 772 504.

MAY 28 - 29 SUPERCAR EVENT Salon Spain is a luxurious automotive event at the worldfamous Ascari Raceway appealing to car lovers and discerning guests, collectors, buyers, owners and enthusiasts of the world’s most exotic cars. At the Ascari Racetrack, Ronda.

Tel: 603 207 688.

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