Essential Magazine September 2016

N º 205 - SEPTEMBER 2016

COMPLIMENTARY EDITION

FRIENDS

TIM BURTON

SPOTLIGHT

BOCONCEPT

COMES TO MARBELLA

ELON MUSK’S FAMOUS BEST SENIOR MASTERS BEAUTIFUL HYPERLOOP CUP AT PUENTE ROMANO BENTLEY BENTAYGA

FRIENDSHIP

FRENZY

essential magazine® marbella

ISSUE 205 • SEPTEMBER 2016

ESSENTIAL FOR LUXURIOUS LIVING

essential

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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MARBELLA

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Built: 820 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 home, finished to the highest specifications. A stylish property, ready to move into!

Ref. ES9126

Built: 464 m² Plot: 1,589 m² Price: € 2,300,000

NUEVA ANDALUCÍA Contemporary, high quality, 4-bed frontline golf villa near Los Naranjos Golf Club. Close to Puerto Banús. Ref. ES8799

Built: 533 m² Plot: 2,000 m² Price: € 2,450,000

CORTIJO BLANCO 5-bed, beachside villa on

Built: 478 m² Plot: 5,000 m² Price: € 1,695,000

EL MADROÑAL 3-bed villa, 1-bed independent

Built: 108 m² including terraces Price: € 550,000

GOLDEN MILE Luxurious 1-bed, modern garden flat in Imara. 24-hr security. A few minutes’ drive to the sea and town. Top specs. Ref. ES9361

guest apartment. 24-hr security. Amazing sea, golf & mountain views. Priced to sell! Ref. ES9341

An International Associate of Savills

a spacious plot in San Pedro. Steps to the beach and amenities. Ref. ES9205

Ag So en le cy Built: 695 m² Plot: 2,703 m² Price: € 3,650,000

NUEVA ANDALUCÍA Magnificent frontline golf mansion set in a prestigious community with 24-hr security overlooking Las Brisas golf course. Designed by the renowned architect Melvin Villaroel. High specifications throughout. 6 en-suite bedrooms, including independent guest house. A tropical oasis ideal for entertaining. Minutes to Puerto Banús. Ref. ES6037

Built: 200 m² Terrace: 127 m² Price: € 2,300,000

BEACHFRONT GOLDEN MILE 3-bed apartment with concierge service. Incredible views.

Walking distance to Puerto Banús! Ref. ES6127

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

EL MADROÑAL 7-bed mansion with sea &

Built: 345 m² Plot: 960 m² Price: € 1,375,000

MARBELLA EAST Beachside! Luxurious, 4-bed villa in Marbesa, near the best beaches and all amenities. Top specs throughout. Ref. ES9402

Built: 270 m² Terrace: 100 m² Price: € 2,960,000

LOS MONTEROS PLAYA 4-bed beachside duplex penthouse. Complex with 24-hr security.

Direct access to beach. Fully furnished. Ref. ES9406

Regulated by RICS

mountain views. Gated community, 24-hr security.

Possibility to build two more houses Ref. ES9001

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 205 • September 2016

S T A F F PUBLISHER AND DIRECTOR

YEARS

GENERAL MANAGER ASSOCIATE EDITOR PRODUCTION MANAGER

U ANNIVERSARY U

SALES SUPPORT ACCOUNTS EXECUTIVE OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

CREATIVE DIRECTOR DESIGN & LAYOUT STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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 MARIANO JEVA cuentas@essentialmagazine.com MONIKA BÖJTI info@essentialmagazine.com ANDREA BÖJTI INMA AURIOLES KEVIN HORN (www.photographermarbella.com) ANNA ROSEN ICB STUDIO – IRYNA IVANOVA & CARLOS BLANCO ROJAS CAROLINE AZZI FASHION LABEL NATALIA DRAGANOVA CAROLINE AZZI

COVER MODEL PHOTOGRAPHY JEWELLERY & ACCESSORIES HAIR & MAKE UP PRODUCTION CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

PRINTING DEPÓSITO LEGAL

IAIN BLACKWELL, ANDI BLACKWELL, BELINDA BECKETT, ALISTAIR SPENCE CLARKE, MICHEL CRUZ, RIK FOXX, RUSSELL GRANT, PHIL HARRIS, ALI PARANDEH, 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 ·

We are currently building more than 55 quality homes in prime locations such as Nueva Andalucia, La Quinta and The Golden Mile.

With a dedicated and professional team of architects, project managers and advisors we aim to be a safe and trustworthy partner for our clients. Whether you are looking for a holiday home or an investment property, we can help you.

One of our headline projects, Los Olivos Marbella, consisting of 18 luxury villas within a 24h gated community has been a great success. With only 4 units remaining, we urge you to come and visit our new Show Villa and see for yourself. Prices from ¤ 1.795.000.

Find all our projects on www.solvillacollection.com Please come by and meet us at our sales office in the Marbella Club Hotel above the MC Café, or at our development office in Centro Expo. We look forward to meeting you.

OFFICE +34 952 765 060 MOBILE +34 627 813 545 EMAIL info@solvilla.no Hotel Marbella Club, Oficina 10, Blvd. Principe Alfonso von Hohenlohe, 29602 Marbella, Spain WWW.SOLVILLA.NO

·O

SHOW HOUSE IS NOW READY! Prices from ¤ 1.795.000

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Sierra Blanca

Exceptional panoramic views and elegant modern luxury combined with full privacy turn this villa into one of the most attractive properties in Sierra Blanca currently offered for sale. Occupying one of the best corner plots in this exclusive gated community and enjoying mesmerizing sea views from every corner of the ground and upper

floors of this villa, the property comprises an impressive entrance hall, large reception rooms, ample bedrooms suites and terraces.

Further features include cinema room, sauna, wine cellar, nice office and guest apartment. 6 beds, 5 baths. Built 1.003 m2, plot 2.024 m2.

E&V ID: W-0263ZB. Price: 3.950.000 â‚Ź.

Office Marbella Golden Mile: 952 86 84 06 ¡ www.engelvoelkers.com/MarbellaAndEast

A rare opportunity! Situated 50 meters from the white sand beach dunes of Los Monteros, this residence is certainly one of the most luxurious beachside properties. Set on a large plot with marvelous mature gardens, this stunning, sophisticated beach property offers a unique contemporary design with

to rs ve e si ölk clu V Ex el & g En

Los Monteros Beach

majestic large reception areas, exceptional ample corridors with integrated artwork and very large main suites. Separate staff quarters. Spectacular villa for grand indoor and outdoor entertaining. 5 beds, 5 baths. Built 894 m 2, plot 3.561 m 2.

E&V ID: W-00AR4I. P. O. A.

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

You only live once,

El Madroñal: The most spectacular panoramic views! A remarkable grand estate showcasing an impressive Andalusian style in this exclusive gated community. Marvelous gardens, waterfalls and ponds. 8 beds, 7 baths. Built 1.165 m2, plot 6.950 m2.

E&V ID: W-025R6G Price: 3.700.000 € Tel.: 952 85 98 60.

Beachfront Marbella East: A unique villa, set on a prime seafront plot with unbeatable views from every room. Large plot, total privacy. 4 beds, 3 baths. Built 370 m2, plot 2.475 m2.

E&V ID: W-023X1H. Price 2.850.000 €. Tel.: 952 83 55 80.

Frontline Golf La Quinta: Fantastically priced, very stylish modern villa with panoramic sea, golf and mountain views situated directly on the golf course. 5 beds, 4 baths. Built 641 m2, plot 1.300 m2.

E&V ID: W-01ZNZ3. Price: 1.295.000 €. Tel.: 952 85 98 60.

Elviria: Bargain! Best priced penthouse with panoramic views in the prestigious community of Elviria Hills. Golf course, tennis, club house, golf academy. 3 beds, 2 baths. Living area 150 m2, terrace 50 m2.

E&V ID: W-01JFDB. Price: 499.000 €. Tel.: 952 83 55 80.

Frontline Puerto Banús: Top luxury. Modern and beautifully designed, very large apartment in the heart of the famous marina. 2 beds, 2 baths. Living area 150 m2, terrace 20 m2.

E&V ID: W-025H96. Price: 935.000 €. Tel: 952 85 98 60.

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

we will show you where!

Golden Mile: A rare find on the Golden Mile. Enjoying fantastic sea views and the best of contemporary style, this recently completed villa offers the latest design and luxury features. 7 beds, 6 baths. Built 825 m2, plot 1.268 m2.

E&V ID: W-02667L. Price: 4.500.000 €. Tel.: 952 86 84 06.

Altos Reales: Best priced. Modern, beautifully refurbished villa in the prestigious gated community. Staff quarters, wine cellar, heated pool, garage for 10 cars. 7 beds, 6 baths. Built 870 m2, plot 1.624 m2.

E&V ID: W-023R3O. Price: 2.850.000 €. Tel.: 952 86 84 06.

Golden Mile: Spectacular views, modern design, sophistication and highest qualities. A must see villa, situated just below Sierra Blanca. 5 beds, 5 baths. Built 845 m2, plot 1.000 m2.

E&V ID: W-025ZAR. Price: 3.195.000 €. Tel.: 952 86 84 06.

Beachfront Los Monteros: Beautiful sea views! A spacious apartment with a large private garden. Direct beach access in Palm Beach. 2 pools, 24h security. 2 beds, 2 baths. Living area 139 m2, terrace 40 m2.

E&V ID: W-025O7R. Price: 900.000 €. Tel.: 952 83 20 40.

Marbella Hill Club: Breathtaking sea views! A beautiful small villa, very chic and stylish, designed by a renowned interior architect. 3 beds, 2 baths. Living area 148 m2, terrace 100 m2.

E&V ID: W-01HB7X. Price: 795.000 €. Tel.: 952 86 84 06.

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

LOS GRANADOS GOLF - NUEVA ANDALUCÍA

4 Beds 4 Baths 497m2 Built 220m2 Terrace Price: 990.000 € Ref: DM3878

Stunning southwest facing duplex penthouse, with impressive frontline golf and sea views. Private plunge pool.

Gated community with 24 h security, communal gym, sauna and indoor pool. Best value for money.

ALOHA, NUEVA ANDALUCÍA Great family home

5 beds

5 baths

NUEVA ANDALUCÍA 508m Built

1.189m Plot

2

2

Price: 1.850.000 €

Ref: DM3722

500m from Puerto Banús

4 beds

4 baths

Ref: DM3915

301m2 Built

Price: 1.000.000 €

NAGÜELES, MARBELLA GOLDEN MILE

BELLEVUE, NUEVA ANDALUCÍA

Sea views

Amazing price 4 Beds 3 Baths 373m2 Built 800m2 Plot

4 beds

Ref: DM3710-01

4 baths

599m Built 2

1.200m Plot 2

Price: 1.250.000 €

Over 417 Offices in 58 Countries

Ref: DMV822

509m2 Plot

Price: 950.000 €

NUEVA ANDALUCÍA Av. del Prado, Urb. Fuente Aloha 2A - Tel: 952 908 415

LOMAS DEL MARBELLA CLUB - MARBELLA GOLDEN MILE

4 Beds 4 Baths 521 to 889m2 Built

Unique gated community of 8 luxurious villas with 24h security, stunning views and the finest quality specifications. Located in one of the most sought-after addresses in the Golden Mile.

LA TRINIDAD, MARBELLA GOLDEN MILE Duplex Penthouse

3 beds

3 baths

231m Built 2

46m Terrace

CARIB PLAYA, MARBELLA EAST Sea views Ref: DM3734

5 beds

3 baths

571m Built 2

Prices from 2.500.000 to 3.800.000 €

Ref: DMD1366

SIERRA BLANCA, MARBELLA GOLDEN MILE 2

Price: 1.795.000 €

Ref: DM3727

958 to 1.660m2 Plot

Sea views

5 beds

6 baths

440m2 Built

1.253m2 Plot Price: 3.500.000 €

Ref: DM3651

SANTA CLARA, MARBELLA EAST

941m Plot 2

Price: 1.200.000 €

MARBELLA Av. Cánovas del Castillo, 4 - Tel. 952 765 138

Gated, 24h security Ref: DM3910

6 Beds 6 Baths 413 m2 Built 794m2 Plot Price: 1.295.000 €

DMproperties.com

D

contents the trend Cinema 38

Biggest Box Office Flops 40 Music 42

Reading 46

Elon Musk’s Hyperloop 48 The Bentley Bentayga 50

the focus What is Friendship? 56 Friendship Types 62

the pro

128 Enterprise 136 Interview with Tamara Comolli 138 Law: Brexit and Taxation 139 Entrepreneurship 140 The Vibe

the leisure 146 The Senior Masters Cup at the Puente Romano Beach Resort & Spa 152 Wellness at the Marbella Club Hotel with

Enduring Friendships 70

Amanda Hamilton

Famous Best Friends 76

154 Luxury Ibiza Getaway

Enigmatic Film Director, Tim Burton 80 Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children 82 Screen Star Eva Green 84 Smadar Kahana of Engel & Völkers 86 Reserva del Higuerón 90

the style Stylish Décor by Bo Concept 94 A Reformed Villa by Blackshaw Interior Design 102 Teresa Helbig Fashion 104 Fashion News 112

the spa Beauty Bloggers 116

the gourmet 159 Origen Asador Argentino 161 Café Flore 162 Food News 164 Kevin Woodford’s Vancouver 166 Chef’s Profile: Benoit of La Famieke 168 Wine Trends

the guide 170 Listings 179 Pet News 180 What’s On 182 Stars for September 184 Family Fun

Beauty News 118 The Health Benefits of Friendship 122 Health News 124 Dr. María del Mar Luque Fernández of Hospital Banús 126

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Dare to dream pure luxury!

LUXURY EVENTS / LUXURY ESCAPES / CONCIERGE / WEDDINGS / PRIVATE TRANSPORT / PROPERTY FINDING

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02/08/16 17:16

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Photo Michel Gibert, used as a reference only.

éditionspéciale 3.490

€*

reduced from 4.290 €

French Art de Vivre

Ozia. Large 3-seat sofa in leather, designed by Philippe Bouix.

Dimensions: L. 240 x H. 65/91 x D. 112 cm. Upholstered in Tendresse leather, cowhide, corrected grain, pigmented finish. Adjustable backs, in HR foam 25kg/m3 (optional electric mechanism with multi-positions and remote control). Seat cushions in bi-density HR foam 40-45kg/m3. Structure in solid wood and plywood. XL cross-webbing elastic straps suspension. Base in solid beech with dark grey stain finish. Also available in other dimensions, as an armchair or ottoman. *Price reduced until 21/11/16 on the sofa as shown.

Optional deco cushions. Bubble pivoting armchair, designed by Sacha Lakic. Bijou cocktail and pedestal tables, designed by Fabrice Berrux. Flou floor lamp, designed by Sophie Larger. Manufactured in Europe.

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.

3D Interior Design Service

www.roche-bobois.com

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D WORDS BY IAIN BLACKWELL PUBLISHER

FRIENDS are the family you choose

T

he human race is a social order that finds meaning in love and companionship.

Friends are a natural consequence and such an important factor in many people’s lives that we dedicate this month’s edition to the subject. We examine what forms this attachment in its many different guises and feature some famous best friends as well as examples of enduring friendships.

September is one of the best months for personal time here on the Coast and to enjoy life with friends and to help you do so, we bring you the lowdown on what’s trending, including the forthcoming Senior Masters Cup at Puente Romano, BoConcept’s PlusStore which has just opened on The Golden Mile, and hot dining venues Origen Asador Argentino, Café Flore and La Famieke.

Don’t miss our profiles on Tim Burton on the eve of his new release, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, and its sultry star Eva Green, who is also a principal protagonist in cult series, Penny Dreadful. Closer to home, we have exclusive interviews with jewellery designer, Tamara Comolli and Smadar Kahana of Engel & Völkers, and we welcome Amanda Hamilton, experienced nutritionist and TV presenter, to the Marbella Club Hotel.

Further afield, we marvel at the concept of super fast travel with Elon Musk’s Hyperloop, glide in luxurious comfort in the Bentley Bentayga, visit Ibiza’s raved-about STK, and find our why Vancouver is rated as one of the World’s best cities to live in.

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Essential JULY 2016.indd 2

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Adding solid value...

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by adding solid stone

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Bespoke natural stonework for architectural and landscaping projects Whatever your vision, your dreams, your plans, Global Stone Works makes them a reality in the finest natural stone.

Working in both contemporary and classical styles, we create exquisite stonework for the most beautiful buildings and landscapes.

Solid added value for new builds and refurbishments, timeless stonework for a lifetime of enjoyment.

Contact us for a free consultation.

Global Stone Works S.L Azalea Beach, B5-1 29660, Marbella, SPAIN +34 951 196 753 +34 645 149 030 info@globalstoneworks.com www.globalstoneworks.com

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w the trend READING MUSIC FILMS GADGETS MOTORING TRENDS

38 Cinema 40

Biggest Box Office Flops

42 Music

46 Reading 48

Elon Musk’s Hyperloop

50

The Bentley Bentayga

Summer is slowly fading, the kids are back in school and September is a great month for some personal time here on the Coast and to enjoy life with friends. To help you do so, we bring you the lowdown on what’s trending, both locally and further afield.

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G R U P O

LEZAMA-LEGUIZAMÓN

NEW VILLA – BUILT 2016

Situated in Guadalmina Baja, just 100 meters from the beach.

The plot is 3,191m2 and the total built area is 1,100m2 plus terraces.

Two contemporary Villas – Guadalmina Baja 5 bedrooms – 5 bathrooms + 1 staff bedroom.

2.100m2 plot/each

For information please contact the promoter directly:

952 780 191 653 964 609 katy@llodilu.es

www.llodilu.es

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w THE TREND cinema

COMPILED BY MA RIS

A CUTILLAS

TH

THE MON e BLOCKBUSTER OF

» GENRE Comedy n Maguire (Incendiary) » DIRECTOR Sharo lweger, Colin Fir th, » ACTORS Renée Zel Imrie ia Cel , sey mp Patrick De

iting nes saga have been wa Fans of the Bridget Jo t en lm tal ins rd this, the thi with baited breath for r way he nd fi to ing try l gir a t of the franchise abou et dating. This time, Bridg in the dif ficult world of od, a rho the mo of s rrie wo is facing the joys and and with the wit, humour challenge she accepts r so he h wit e lov in l fal us craziness that made many years ago.

y b a B ’ s e n o J t e Bridg

» GENRE Fantasy » DIRECTOR Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands) » ACTORS Eva Green, Samuel L. Jackson, Kim Dickens, Asa Butterfield

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

Fans of the series Penny Dreadful are thrilled by the fact that Tim Burton’s latest gem stars none other than Eva Green. The film is based on the best-selling book of the same name, about a 16-year-old boy called Jacob Portman who travels to Wales to learn more about his grandfather, after the latter is murdered. Jacob discovers that his grandfather used to live in a derelict orphanage, which he decides to visit. There, he meets Emma, a beautiful girl who can control fire and who helps him travel to the past to meet Miss Peregrine, the orphanage Director, who lives in a peculiar ‘time loop’.

» GENRE Comedy » DIRECTOR Barry Sonnenfeld » ACTORS Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Garner, Christopher Walken

Nine Lives

Tom Brand (Kevin Spacey) is a successful entrepreneur who values making money more than spending time with his daughter Rebecca (Malina Weissman) and his wife Lara (Jennifer Garner). In a rush to find a lastminute gift for his daughter’s 11th birthday, Tom enters a mysterious pet shop run by Felix Grant (Christopher Walken) and buys a cat.

On the way home however, he is involved in an accident and finds himself trapped inside the cat’s body. He is told by Felix that he must reconnect with his family in seven days, or remain a cat forever.

» GENRE Comedy » DIRECTOR Liza Johnson (Return) » ACTORS Michael Johnson, Kevin Spacy, Alex Pettyfer, Colin Hanks

Elvis & Nixon

This is the untold true story about the day that the King (Elvis Presley) met the President of the USA (Richard Nixon), resulting in a strangely surreal moment that would be photographed for eternity and stored in the National Archives of the USA. Elvis and Nixon had more in common than one might assume, including a burning ambition to be number one.

» GENRE Historical Drama » DIRECTOR Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) » ACTORS Jack Huston, Nazanin Boniadi, Ayelet Zurer

Ben-Hur A falsely accused Jewish nobleman (BenHur) is forced to live and work as a slave for five years. When he finally obtains his freedom, he resolves to take revenge on his best friend and adopted brother – a Roman who betrayed him. Ben-Hur decides to challenge his brother to a chariot race and is forever changed by chance encounters with Jesus of Nazareth.

38 / SEPTEMBER 2016 ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM

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Hacienda Las Chapas - Marbella

Exclusively marketed by

w THE TREND cinema

In last month’s edition, we presented the cinematic world’s biggest winners: films made on a shoestring budget that garnered millions, striking a chord with audiences across the globe. This month, we focus on the biggest losers – films that had all the ingredients to be box office successes, but which failed miserably, bringing big losses to their producers. These are just a few of the worst… WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS

5

BIGGEST

BOX OFFICE BOMBS Z 47 RONIN (CARL RINSCH, 2013) The problem with this film begins with its title; named after Akira Kurosawa’s great epic (1941), it confused audiences, who initially thought the new film was a remake of the original. In fact, 47 Ronin had little to do with Kurosawa’s masterpiece. The original was all about a group of samurais who become ronin (wanderers with no lord or master), seeking revenge for the wrongdoing committed to their Lord. The 2013 version, on the contrary, centres on a character called Kai (Keanu Reeves), an adopted half-Japanese, half-English outcast who joins the brave group of ronin to see that justice is served. The film lost a whopping $151 million, failing to attract audiences in America or Japan owing to its dull pace, lack of well known faces and confusing plot (the film adds elements of fantasy, including dragons, to what should be a simple tale of honour and duty). The critics also panned Reeves, who may be popular with female audiences but who hasn’t had a big hit in over a decade.

Z CUTTHROAT ISLAND (RENNY HARLIN, 1995) You can’t blame Michael Douglas for having accepted the lead role in this film, only to run for the hills when he actually read the script. The film may just have been too much ahead of its time. Released almost 10 years before the highly successful Pirates of the Caribbean, it lost a depressing $147 million, largely, say critics, because of its unlikely premise: Geena Davis is far from believable playing a captain of a galleon whose aim is to find a treasure hidden by her father. It doesn’t help that the male lead, Matthew Modine, is constantly on the sidelines, escaping from the action and leaving Davis to test her mettle against an unbelievably inept group of pirate thugs.

Z SAHARA (BRECK EISNER, 2005) This buried treasure action film, starring two Oscar-winning actors (who hadn’t won their Oscars yet), Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz, grossed a decent $120 million across the globe, yet production was ludicrously

expensive, amounting to over $240 million. It is rumoured that hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent on bribing officials where the film was made.

Moreover, a ridiculous $2 million was spent on a plane crash that didn’t even make it into the film! Sahara is a wake-up call to overly ambitious producers to try to work within a budget, regardless of how positive box office predictions may be.

Z MARS NEEDS MOMS (SIMON WELLS, 2011) How on earth does a mere animated movie lose over $140 million? The producers of Mars Needs Moms are still asking themselves this question. The film, which featured motion-capture technology, seemed promising indeed, yet for some reason, audiences don’t appear to enjoy motion-capture films, with some critics claiming it makes characters look strange and unappealing.

The premise also failed to find its niche; older kids were turned off by the word ‘Mom’ in the title, while younger ones were scared off by the idea of a group

of aliens abducting their mothers. The producer, Walt Disney, had thankfully enjoyed great success with previous releases such as Toy Story and Alice in Wonderland. Still, the studio will probably think again before producing such an expensive technological experiment which somehow lacked heart.

Z GIGLI (MARTIN BREST, 2003) This film, starring unexciting couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer López, cost $74 million to make but brought home less than $4 million worldwide. Affleck and López were A-list actors at the time, yet the charisma was lacking and soon after, Affleck would actually tell the press that his relationship with López was the worst thing that ever happened to his career. To say the film is bad is an understatement.

Just take a look at the plot: Affleck is a mobster whose mission is to kidnap the mentally disabled brother of a prominent politician. López is a lesbian mob enforcer sent to ensure Affleck’s character doesn’t screw up. Slow, lacking in humour and poorly scripted are the kindest adjectives we can think of to describe this dozer. e

40 / SEPTEMBER 2016 ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM

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w THE TREND music

¿QUÉ PASA?

The Gibraltar Music Festival is the main attraction this month (see below) but there’s bound to be lots of tribute acts performing along the coast and it’s best to check local weekly publications to see what’s going on.

All information on this page was correct at the time of writing.

Spanish icon PASIÓN VEGA plays Marbella’s Palacio de Ferias y Congresos on the 17th. For those who like heavy music and fancy a trip, German thrash metal outfit DESTRUCTION are at Sevilla’s Sala Custom on the 27th; ticket info for both: ticketmaster.es The Gibraltar Music Festival takes place over the weekend of September 3 and 4 with the STEREOPHONICS, NE-YO, BRYAN FERRY and JESS GLYNNE headlining.

There’s a special offer: children under 12 get free entrance (I.D. must be shown) if accompanied by an adult. For more info: gibraltarmusicfestival.com BRITNEY SPEARS is taking time out from her Las Vegas residency to push her recently released album, Glory, which docked on August 26, the day after she appeared on the now famous JAMES CORDEN Carpool Karaoke slot. To top it all, she is headlining the iHeartRadio Festival on September 23 and 24, alongside DRAKE, U2, ARIANA GRANDE, ONEREPUBLIC and USHER among

The much sought after BEATLES album Live At The Hollywood Bowl will surface in a CD format on September 9 (vinyl version on November 18) complete with a 24-page booklet. The original LP, which features 17 songs taken from three concerts in 1964 and 1965, was deleted in 1977 and with the current global vinyl revival, has been fetching loads of money.

LED ZEPPELIN

RADIOHEAD

WORDS RIK FOXX

others, plus a few names from the past, in STING, BILLY IDOL and TEARS FOR FEARS. America’s CW Network is recording it all and will air a two-day televised special on October 6 and 7.

There was one shock omission from the recently announced UK Mercury Prize Album of the Year list – ADELE. DAVID BOWIE and RADIOHEAD are the two main names but the award is bound to go to someone we have never heard of – it usually does. BBC 4 has live coverage of the event on September 15 at 10pm – an hour before there’s a speciallymade programme on the BBC Red Button featuring all 12 of the shortlisted albums plus further content at bbc.co.uk/music ADELE might have missed out on the above award but she was contacted while on the current sell-out American tour by the organisers of the Superbowl who want her to headline the prestigious half-time show next February. Also, a studio duo with BARBRA STREISAND might be on the cards as the US superstar is putting together a duets album and wants to team up. And, our London girl might be the ninth highest earning celebrity worldwide (according to the latest Forbes List), but she had an embarrassing episode when shopping at H&M in San Jose recently.

The star was told she couldn’t purchase anything as her credit card had been declined.

Then, on September 15, the highly anticipated documentary feature film about their early career by Oscar winning director RON HOWARD gets its cinema release. The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years concentrates on the early years (1962-1966) of their career when the Fab Four captured the hearts of all worldwide while touring. When told, many are surprised to learn that the band didn’t do any more live gigs after their performance at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park stadium on August 29 1966.

A day later, a ‘new’ LED ZEPPELIN album, The Complete BBC Sessions, drops featuring the never before released Sunshine Woman. The 1969 session was recorded off the radio by a fan who gave the tape to the group’s guitarist JIMMY PAGE who restored it to releasable quality. The album is available as a two CD / four LP standard edition, a three CD / five LP deluxe edition, digital download and a deluxe box-set. In other news, the band were offered £10 million to appear at

next month’s California Desert Trip festival but once again singer ROBERT PLANT shut the gate on it.

New tracks by GEM (the three remaining SPICE GIRLS) have leaked out and are said to be ‘perfect pop’ and Song For Her could be their first single as a trio – but apparently, they still haven’t given up on trying to persuade Madame BECKHAM and MEL C to rejoin them even though the latter said she would rather spend her time making a new solo album.

RIHANNA is to appear in the final series of the US TV drama, Bates Motel.

She has been cast to play shower bound, soon to be stabbed, Marion Crane, the role made iconic by JANET LEIGH in the ALFRED HITCHCOCK 1960 classic Psycho.

A Minnesota judge has thrown out claims by 29 possible heirs to the PRINCE $300 million plus fortune; it’s a wonder SIMON COWELL didn’t try to make a reality show about the whole charade.

42 / SEPTEMBER 2016 ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM

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w THE TREND books

Friends for Life Are your friendships the most treasured things in your life?

Are you trying to end a toxic friendship or are you seeking to get closer to someone you have just met? In this edition about the positive and sometimes heartbreaking aspects of friendship, we bring you top reads on the subject.

WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS

FRIENDS TO THE END: THE TRUE VALUE OF FRIENDSHIP BY BRADLEY TREVOR GREIVE

Why are friends so important to us? What does our choice of friends reveal about our own personality? What are the common characteristics of the very best friendships – those that stand the test of time? Best-selling author, Bradley Trevor Greive answers all these questions and more in a book that is now seen as a classic on how to make and keep good friends.

ON FRIENDSHIP

BY ALEXANDER NEHAMAS

“Friendship, even when motivated by a desire to regain a common past, is also crucial in forging a different future.”

Thus states the introduction of this fascinating book by philosopher, Alexander Nehamas, who investigates friendship, exploring what philosophers have said on the topic (from Aristotle to Emerson and beyond), and gleaning vital information from books, art, literature and his own experiences. Nehamas notes that, in the past, friendship was as much a public idea as it was a private one – inexorably linked to politics and favours. Today, it is much more personal than it used to be, yet still just as crucial to a happy life.

BREAKING THE MALE CODE BY ROBERT GARFIELD

Psychotherapist, Dr. Robert Garfield, argues that the lingering pressure on men to hide their emotions and to face difficulties stoically, has wreaked havoc on their relationships and friendships, making them more likely to suffer from depression, anger and loneliness. Garfield has the advantage of having worked with emotionally challenged men for decades. In this wonderful book, he teaches men how to identify inner worries, express emotions and communicate openly.

THE FRIENDSHIP FACTOR: HOW TO GET CLOSER TO THE PEOPLE YOU CARE FOR BY ALAN LOY MCGINNIS

The first edition of this book sold 350,000 copies and it continues to be considered somewhat of a Bible on the subject of friendship.

Loy McGinnis presents us with case histories and anecdotes about celebrities the likes of C.S. Lewis, Howard Hughes and George Burns, sharing the secret of how to maintain loving, healthy friendships.

FRIENDSHIPS DON’T JUST HAPPEN: THE GUIDE TO CREATING A MEANINGFUL CIRCLE OF GIRLFRIENDS BY SHASTA NELSON

Work demands, kids and partners often take up all of our free time, leaving a void that only girlfriends can fulfil. This practical book reveals how, despite being busy, it is possible to build a circle that will enrich your life in unexpected ways. The book enlightens readers on how to evaluate their current social circle, recognise the type of people they wish to attract, create a prioritised friendship action plan and more.

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w THE TREND technology

Elon Musk’s

HYPERLOOP Travel at the WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS

Speed of Sound

T

he one thing that stops most of us from travelling to far-off lands that we all lack: time.

Far from being just about money, time is a personal treasure, an invaluable commodity which everyone consumes equally yet which a lucky few somehow have more of, despite the fact that they cannot technically buy it. Imagine being able to cheat time, travelling from Málaga to Barcelona in 15 minutes to catch Madonna live, then to Madrid for a fine dinner at the oldest restaurant in the world (Botín) and finally, heading home to the Coast to slip into bed, ready for work the following morning… it could all be possible, thanks to a new way of travelling called the Hyperloop, idea of Elon Musk, the visionary who is used to seeing all of his dreams fulfilled. Add that to his other plans – acquiring SolarCity, launching the SpaceX rocket for the sixth time and other wild imaginings…

The Hyperloop is Elon Musk’s “fifth mode of transportation” – one that, he hopes, will someday connect cities and reach hypersonic speeds. After chancing upon the

idea for the loop in 2013, Musk gathered together a team of engineers from Tesla and SpaceX (the two companies he heads) who took nearly a year to create a preliminary design for the tube and pod of this revolutionary new transport system. After working intensely during this period, the team drafted a 58-page report that plotted a route between San Francisco and L.A., which could take just 35 minutes to complete.

The sensation of travelling in the Hyperloop will be very similar to that in an airplane; pods carrying passengers will travel in a low pressure environment, hovering in a tube which will offer minimal resistance. The aim is to reduce normal travel times of six to nine hours, to between 15 and 30 minutes.

Currently, a team at UCLA are working from the ground up, since everything about Hyperloop travel will be new – the station, the process of boarding, etc. Reduced travel times will have implications which are far-reaching; there will be major social changes when travel

becomes such an easy, accessible matter. The most important challenge, say the experts, is making Hyperloop travel comfortable.

Travellers are expected to feel a powerful thrust when the pod takes off, though the rapid velocity means that they will feel almost no sense of movement while the pod is in motion. The most important thing they will recall is probably arriving at the station and leaving. Engineers and designers are working to make pods/capsules as comfortable as possible, since there are so many design options available.

Also, because travel times will be reduced so drastically, people will also expect to spend less time at stations, so that greater efficiency and speed will be required upon embarking and leaving the Hyperloop station.

What about safety? Would you dare to be one of the first passengers to step into a Hyperloop capsule, to sample the inimitably free sensation of defeating two of humanity’s most

powerful foes: time and distance?

If the thought intrigues you but you are worried about safety, fear not; as engineers at UCLA note, most major accidents of traditional transport systems are caused by human error. Hyperloop will be completely computerised, so you can rest assured you don’t need to worry about seeing someone that looks like a driver/pilot having a G&T before heading into a vehicle.

Hyperloop travel is still some way off and will require major funding. It is estimated that it will actually come into being in 30 years’ time, with a complex network of loops carrying everything from people to cargo. Venture capitalists of Hyperloop One (a rival company to Musk’s) have already committed over €80million to the project, with the first ever open air test having taken place in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The company said it could connect Stockholm and Helsinki in just 28 minutes and estimates that the first fully operating Hyperloop will be launched in 2020, with an additional two ready by 2022. What about you?

Are you ready to loop the loop? e

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w THE TREND motoring

BENTLEY BENTAYGA SPORT UTILITY At first, it was a shock to diehard Bentley enthusiasts when the fabled British carmaker announced that it would build an SUV. After all, Bentley has always been best known for either stately saloons or stylish, sporty, models like the Continental series. But all manufacturers ultimately have to give customers what they want and today, there’s no doubting the widespread popularity of SUVs, even in the super-luxury class.

WORDS TONY WHITNEY PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF BENTLEY

L

ooking back at Bentley history, utility vehicles are not entirely new to the company. Over the decades, numerous coachbuilders have created estate cars or shooting brakes based on standard Bentley models. A full-blown SUV, though, is something new, but most makers in the premium class have been more or less compelled to offer a model in this segment due to customer demand.

Twenty years ago, who would have thought that Porsche, Jaguar, Cadillac, Lincoln, Audi and others in the luxury saloon class would have come up with sport utility models? And it won’t be too long before no less than Rolls-Royce

joins in with its contender. If that sounds unlikely, a local dealer friend told me that he has 17 firm orders for the Rolls and it may not arrive until 2020!

Bentley’s prestigious SUV entrant is the Bentayga, a model that is clearly meant to set the class on its ear. The name was inspired by the remote Taiga forested wilderness area in Siberia. It’s a superbly styled and appointed vehicle that’s clearly aimed at the very pinnacle of the SUV fraternity. The styling is, as one might expect, tastefully restrained and offers the same elegance and unobtrusive luxury as the cars. It’s a full-sized rig and combines it’s high level of practicality

with astonishing comfort and interior opulence. Since Bentley is part of the Volkswagen Audi Group, it’s bound to use some of the all-wheel drive expertise built up over many years by Audi and few will complain about that.

Under the Bentayga’s regal bonnet (which of course has the iconic Bentley radiator grille) is a mighty all-new 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged W-12 developing a lusty 600-horsepower. The power unit is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission and permanent four-wheel drive gets all the power to the tarmac or to whatever gnarly off-road surface you’ve decided to travel on.

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The performance of the Bentayga is remarkable and Bentley, probably with full justification, is describing its new hauler as the fastest SUV on the planet. Zero to 100 km/h in only a shade over four seconds is out there in supercar territory and this is a large, heavy, vehicle. Likewise, the beast will top 300 km/h flat-out, which again, puts it into a very exclusive group. It’s been tuned to handle exceptionally too, so despite its bulk, this can be a pretty wieldy vehicle. It rides on huge 20inch Pirelli-shod alloy wheels.

The interior, unsurprisingly, is well up to Bentley’s finest standards, with superlative detailing, outstanding materials and, despite a mass of instrumentation and controls, a fairly easy-to-learn layout. The aroma of leather is alone worth the price of admission

and the highly polished wood trim is a delight.

The seats are partly quilted and even the embroidered Bentley logos on the leather are beautifully stitched rather than being embossed. Available extras include a fitted Mulliner fly-fishing outfit in the rear cargo area, a ‘must have’ for the serious angler.

This Bentley must be the most comfortable and satisfying way ever to ride in speed and refinement to your favourite fishing stream.

The Bentayga, despite its price, is sure to be a very successful product for Bentley and will certainly give Rolls-Royce a run for its money when that more expensive rival is launched.

And according to several off-road enthusiasts, the big SUV will go just about anywhere you could take a wheeled vehicle so it’s not just a plush 4WD for boulevard cruising. e

Z ENGINE: 6.0-litre twin-turbo W-12 600-horsepower.

Z TRANSMISSION: 8-speed automatic with permanent AWD. Z ACCELERATION: Zero to 100 km/h in 4.1-seconds.

Z TOP SPEED: 301 km/h.

Z I LIKED: Nicely restrained styling that still retains valued Bentley touches. A serious off-roader, though that’s probably not where most owners will take it. Wonderful interior with high levels of comfort and luxury. Handles well for a large rig and straight-line performance is something of an SUV landmark.

Z I DIDN’T LIKE: A heavy vehicle, something that couldn’t be avoided, but this does not seem to restrict performance.

Z MARKET ALTERNATIVES: Upcoming Rolls-Royce model, topend Range Rovers, Porsche Cayenne, Jaguar F-Pace and others on the way as the class grows.

Z WHO DRIVES ONE? Owners of Bentley saloons or Continentals will love one of these alongside it in the garage. People who own a Porsche SUV who would like to move up a notch.

Z PRICE AND AVAILABILITY: Available now with prices starting at around €208.000.

ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM SEPTEMBER 2016 / 51

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p the focus CULTURE HISTORY FEATURES CELEBS INTERVIEWS HUMOUR

56

What is Friendship?

62

Friendship Types

70

Enduring Friendships

76

Famous Best Friends

80

Enigmatic Film Director, Tim Burton

82

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

84

Screen Star Eva Green

86

Smadar Kahana of Engel & Völkers

90

Reserva del Higuerón

We turn our eye to the magnificent subject of friendship, ruminating on all the good things it brings to our lives.

Enjoy our articles on the nature of friendship, discover some unlikely alliances and see how Hollywood celebrities are managing to keep it real with a little help from their friends.

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p THE FOCUS friendship

It is often said that you inherit your family but choose your friends.

Are friends random or really that handpicked, and how many different kinds of friends are there? Which are the best and what is the nature of true friendship? In other words, when do you know you have a friend for life?

WHAT IS

FRIENDSHIP? WORDS MICHEL CRUZ

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F

riendship is a form of love, a bond between two or more people. It ties them, regardless of blood, sometimes for life and sometimes just for a short while. What do we take from our friendships? Do we learn from them, do they give us fulfilment or make us belong, or are they simply a conduit for social interaction? My guess is that the many different types of friendship can provide all the above. We meet many people in the course of our lives, and those we choose to stay connected to can be pleasant but superficial acquaintances or important friends that help shape what and who we are as much, or sometimes more, than our family does.

As in most human relationships we are often inclined to perceive friendships from the perspective of what they give to us, not in the first instance what we give to them – i.e. the friend. In the tripod of life, family is the first anchor, friends are usually the second building block in one’s life and your romantic partner is the part that seals a coming of age and forms both the most challenging and the most rewarding relationship in life. It goes without saying that in all three we need to give as well as receive the appropriate kind of love and support – a fact that is complicated by the many kinds of friendships and relationships we are capable of.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

By the time you’re grown up you should be an expert at friendship, for humans begin to form bonds from the word go. First comes family, but soon enough outsiders are brought into the world of interpersonal contact as toddlers engage in the give and take of playing together. It might seem a harmless and even ineffectual passing of time, but playing is of vital importance to the development of young people.

Kids will suss out potential playmates, make contact, play nicely for a while and eventually fall out – only to make up for a while.

Come to think of it, that sounds a bit like dating, but of course it’s very different. In many ways making friends comes much more naturally to us than approaching people on a romantic level because we do the former when still in a very natural state but are by definition already pretty grown up by the time we get round to the latter. When we’re small we go on instinct, unbridled by the insecurities that beset many when they first start interacting with the opposite sex, so the process of trial and error is one that seems more robust.

This is not to say that there isn’t room for improvement.

Who hasn’t wished they had treated a friend better or not been duped by a phoney one? For all this experience, we still don’t really know too much about the nature of friendship as we move from childhood friendships into adult ones. I think it’s because we simply take the process for granted as a more or less automatic part of life and don’t consider it too much. While I’m not in favour of over-thinking it, here are some reflections on the subject.

ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM SEPTEMBER 2016 / 57

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FRIEND, ACQUAINTANCE OR JUST FRIENDLY? Most of us made friends when we were younger, many lost touch over the years and others have people in their immediate circle that they have known almost from the cradle.

While the latter certainly provides an anchoring in life not unlike the strong bonds of family, there is no judging whether the longest friendships are also the best. As we move through the educational system and into a work environment, our automatic perception of friends begins to divide itself between ‘friends’ and ‘acquaintances’. Ask any two people to define these terms and you’ll receive differing answers, but I think we all believe that an acquaintance is someone you know well enough to come into contact with from time to time, while a friend is a person whose company you actively seek out.

Someone is not always ‘just’ an acquaintance by our choice.

Sometimes we would like to know them better but there exists a

gap caused by rank, age, physical distance or a host of other reasons that can be hard to bridge. Equally, it is fair to say that though we might delude ourselves to the contrary, very few of our pals are actually handpicked by us. It would be pretty contrived if we admitted people into our circle on the basis of a wish list.

Many of our actual friends would probably fail a rigorous snag test, but at least they are real and we met them in a natural way – which these days increasingly means not just at work, while socialising, through other friends or from shared interests, but also online.

Today, many friends and acquaintances ‘meet’ long before they ever set eyes on each other, so it is even more important to know what you’re dealing with. Millennia of evolution have given us skills we don’t even realise we have, such as the ability to subconsciously scan other people for signs of danger.

We register the tone of someone’s voice, their body language, their eyes, stance and hand gestures as much as we listen to what they are saying without even being aware of it most of the time. Not being able to see them reduces this capacity, but while on the phone you can at least gauge a voice — exchanging typed messages pretty much scrambles all our usual alarm bells.

Knowing who your friends and acquaintances are and when someone is just being friendly or polite is the starting point for one’s conduct in these situations. Some people are blessed with a natural gift for social interaction, but many need to remind themselves what are and aren’t reasonable demands made upon or by a friend. If you know someone vaguely or do not really get on, it would be unreasonable to give or receive major loans or favours. Neighbourliness aside, you wouldn’t do this for a stranger, so it

is important to question whether a request is at all appropriate or always one way traffic. Cast your mind back over who always pays, who always makes the effort or the kind gestures and you might find that the person you thought of as a good friend does not treat you like one.

Ultimately, someone who isn’t there for you when you need them isn’t a real friend but at best an acquaintance, at worst a user. They say you learn who your real friends are in times of need, and the results can surprise you, so don’t automatically confuse the people you have fun with for true friends – though ‘good-time’ buddies are important in our lives too. In fact, not everyone need be a really good friend to qualify; there’s space in our lives for people we laugh with, people we learn from, people that challenge us and those that cross our lives for a short while. In their different ways they can all be an important part of our lives.

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22/7/16 14:09

Can men and women be friends?

There are many who say that friendship is all good and well but not something men and women can truly indulge in. Such views seem antiquated today, when people don’t just hang out and confide in people of their own sex but can also be best mates across the gender divide.

Naturally the dynamic is different, and it would be fair to say that men and women will always be that little bit more relaxed when surrounded by their own ‘kind’ – men less worried about saying the wrong thing and women freer to speak their minds.

There is a relaxing, be-yourself quality about men bonding with men and women with women, though as

we all know such relationships are not devoid of complication and role playing either. It’s often believed that men are forever competing with each other like little boys and that women are bitchy among one another, but then again, the people who say this are also inclined to believe that there is no such thing as a platonic relationship between a man and a women. Fortunately, many examples to the contrary exist, though how many are charged with even a hint of sexual tension is hard to say.

These days the more relevant question to ask is: why are guys and girls going out in ever-greater groups of the same sex? We knew

about guys hanging out and the ‘girls night out’ has become a modern institution, but these groupings of close friends are growing all the time, picking up more and more vague acquaintances until the intimacy of a few turns into a rowdy platoon of often drunken men and women.

Segregated of course, for in an age of ‘bromances’ and sister-love it seems they’re having so much fun on holiday or a night out that they barely remember the other sex. In fact, such is the pull of adolescent style friendship these days that the hen and stag parties enjoyed with such fervour seem to be the new highlight of a wedding – often to be repeated

in deed, if not word, well after the event itself.

In this context of changing social relationships we should perhaps not question if men and women can be friends as much as actually encourage it, lest we end up a more rather than less segregated society.

And to those pale-faced cyber addicts out there I’d say, throw away the gadgets, leave the virtual world and feel the sunlight on your skin.

Forget about your virtual friends for a while and find out how people have been making pals of all kinds since the beginning of time. You never know, you might just enjoy talking to a real person. e

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p THE FOCUS friendship

A Rough Guide to Modern Friendships... with thanks to Aristotle

FRIENDSHIP TYPES

BFFS The Best Friends Forever acronym that began as an affectionate SMS text signoff is used by all and sundry to describe anyone who has ever said hello to them.

But as the learned Aristotle would point out, you can’t have more than one Best Friend, grammatically-speaking. And as science says, nothing is ‘forever’.

Sociology studies have shown that we replace at least half our friends every seven years. Life moves on, people change... your BFF goes off to a different

Sex equality, the Pill and social media may have changed the friendship landscape but Aristotle wasn’t so wrong, over two millennia ago, when he said there were only three types of pals: useful ones, fun ones and soul mates. So what would the great Greek philosopher make of Facebook Friends, Friends with Benefits, Bromantics and other 21st century chums?

Belinda Beckett finds out.

college, takes a gap year or takes up taxidermy and offers to stuff your cat and you never see each other again.

The internet breaks down distance barriers but girls are better at making and keeping friends than guys. While one in three women remain in touch with school friends through the years, eight per cent of British men (2.5 million) told a YouGov survey they had no one they could turn to for help in a crisis, outside the home; and 51 per cent had two-or-fewer friends they

could talk to about personal problems.

In later life we’re less exclusive (or maybe more cynical) and prefer a variety of BFFs. Research suggests we average 15 but can count on five or less in a crisis, and four of those will probably be a family member or partner.

True best friends – the ones who would put you over their Jimmy Choos any day – are an endangered species and Aristotle has more to say on that subject next.

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FACEBOOK FRIENDS

Aristotle’s manuscripts were read by many people during his lifetime but if push came to shove him off the top of the Acropolis into the River Eridanus, he wouldn’t have expected too many of them to have torn off their togas and dived in to save him.

Our Facebook fans are our readers, just like Aristotle’s, although we post electronically instead of writing on papyrus. And while one or two of them might love you enough to put their own lives in jeopardy on your behalf, more than you think would

simply stand on the hypothetical river bank and shout, ‘I’ll miss you’.

Aristotle categorised friendships into three types: Utility (workmates, babysitters); Pleasure (golf buddies, party pals); and Virtue (the sort who make you want to be a better person). He dismissed the first two as shallow, but rated the third, most commonly translated as brotherly love (women didn’t count for much then) as the heroic ideal, requiring selflessness and sacrifice.

You’re probably connected on Facebook to a great many Type Ones and Twos but how many Type Threes can you count? Only this year,

Oxford University anthropologist Robin Dunbar studied British Facebook users with 150 fans they considered friends. After setting up various fake emotional crisis, the number of friends who expressed sympathy averaged 13.6 while only 4.1 offered active help. “Social media encourages promiscuous ‘friending’ of individuals who often have very tenuous links,” he concludes.

BROMANCE

A trendy new name for a relationship that’s older than the seven hills of Rome: the heroic friendship.

Then, as now, it was about two bros digging each other in a non-sexual way and fiction is full of examples (King Arthur and Sir Lancelot, Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson). Aristotle wrote about heroic friendship extensively, rating it more noble than romantic love, although perhaps it was harder to attain in his day, when it was customary for men of wealth and status to take promising young lads under their wings to ‘mentor’ them in a way that was anything but platonic.

This ‘pure’ friendship was based on intellectual and emotional empathy and expressed itself in self sacrifice and valour on the field of battle. Modern bromances are

more about supporting the same football team and being able to down a dozen pints while remaining upright, and manifests itself with much back-slapping and cries of ‘I love you, man!’

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon hopefully don’t go that far but these Boston bros since childhood are joined at the hip through mutual affection, professional respect (they’ve worked as a team on more than 10 projects) and a shared Best Screenplay Oscar for Good Will Hunting.

But the oft-cited bromance between Brad Pitt and George Clooney most closely matches Aristotle’s virtuous ideal. “Not only do I enjoy him as a person and respect his talent, but I also love what he does in the world,” George says of Brad.

“I can’t speak highly enough about how hard he works at making the world better. I’m very proud to call him my friend.” And the feeling’s mutual.

Heroic bromantics Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and Brad Pitt and George Clooney

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WOMANCE

Aristotle has nothing at all to say about heroic friendship between women (the Sisterhood hadn’t been invented then) but the bible does. A ‘Ruth and Naomi’ relationship is often used to illustrate the heroic ideal through the Old Testament story of the bond between a young widow and her mother-in-law.

Modern life also has its examples although please not X-Factor judges Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden (they hold hands and wear matching outfits). That may well be a Womance (a daft name) but there’s nothing heroic about it.

In Victorian times, when spinsterhood was social and financial suicide, single women often lived together for mutual support. It became known as a Boston Marriage after Henry James’ novel, The Bostonians, based on his unmarried sister.

Female emancipation changed everything and American suffragettes Susan Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were a formidable feminist team. Spinster Anthony travelled the country rallying support while married Stanton stayed home and wrote her speeches. They remained close friends for life. Stanton wrote to Anthony: ‘No power in heaven, hell or earth can separate us, for our hearts are eternally wedded together.’

Nor could anything more than a tennis net come between Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, best friends off the court, calling each other in

the middle of the night to talk, double dating... and Navratilova introduced Evert to her second husband.

The sisterhood is not to be sneezed at and if Greek mythology can have its heroic male friendships, modern society has worthy female equivalents. Look at Thelma and Louise. They may have been criminals but even Aristotle could have appreciated that kind of unto-thedeath friendship.

FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS

In Aristotle’s day, all friends came with benefits. If not, you would have been a complete wallflower at the orgy.

Sex on demand without having to plight any troths or meet the parents is particularly appealing to the young who can sow their wild oats with a trusted companion while waiting for Mr or Ms Right.

FWBs are especially prevalent among college students (67 per cent in one America study) although surprisingly, the sex came second to the ‘no commitment’ factor. The risk of one partner developing unreciprocated feelings was seen as the greatest disadvantage. But under 20 per cent of these no-strings relationships go anywhere long-term. Rapper Drake has enjoyed Rihanna’s beneficial friendship, on and off, since 2009 but she won’t put a ring on him.

Although

known as ‘the virgin Queen’ because she never married, Elizabeth I of England was not averse to horseplay with her Master of the Horse and childhood friend, Lord Robert Dudley, according to the Spanish Ambassador. ‘Lord Robert has come so much into favour that he does whatever he likes,’ he wrote to the King of Spain, ‘and it is even said that Her Majesty visits him in his chamber day and night’.

That relationship didn’t go anywhere either. But good Queen Bess got double benefits, as Sir Robert’s sister became one of her BFFs.

FRENEMIES Keep your friends close and your frenemies closer, as Aristotle would say. There’s no one more dangerous than the foe disguised as a friend – ask Julius Caesar.

In a recent internet poll, 84 per cent of respondents fessed up to a toxic BFF. In order of heinousness, the egomaniac frenemy came tops (it’s all about them, not you) followed by the emotional vampire (too needy), the over-critical chum, the belittler and the backstabber.

Frenemies entered urban slang after a similarly-titled episode of Sex and

Friends or frenemies?

Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker

the City, ironically at a time when Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker were not such bosom buddies off-screen.

Catrall was irked that Parker earned more; Parker was peeved that Cattrall’s character Samantha became the fan favourite.

It usually boils down to jealousy.

Everything was sweet between childhood BFFs Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian until La Hilton’s former employee (Kim was her stylist) had the temerity to become even more famous.

The pair still smile at each other... through gritted teeth.

With real enemies, you know where you stand. Frenemies are especially disconcerting because of the inconsistency, which is why 83 per cent of their victims find it too difficult to say ‘get lost’. To be sure, check your blood pressure. Studies show that it’s higher around people we have mixed feelings for than those we genuinely dislike.

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CROSS-SEX FRIENDS It’s more than 25 years since Harry Met Sally in the movie and explored the question: can women and men really be just good friends?

That’s a “No” from Aristotle, and modern science tends to agree, theorising that such friendships are merely evolved mating strategies formed by males for sexual access and by females for protection.

The question didn’t arise when women were chattel and moved in a separate world to men. But since they were promoted from bedroom slave to boardroom chair, cross-gender platonic friendships would seem to be the new norm.

Wrong, says relationship expert April Masini. “They can’t be friends, and if they think they are, the clock is ticking. Eventually one person will have a crush on the other.” US psychologist April Bleske-Rechek agrees: “Men are more sexually attracted to their female friends and overestimate how much the attraction is reciprocated.”

Behavioural psychologist Dr Linda

feels we can say anything to each other,” he says. “I speak to her all the time. But as friends – not lovers.”

FOUR- LEGGED FRIENDS

Platonic and Titanic – the Winslett/DiCaprio friendship

Sapadin thinks otherwise, as these relationships have many benefits. “Men get to express their deeper feelings with their female friends while women can joke and banter without any emotional baggage,” she says. “And what they liked most of all, was getting some insight into what guys really think.”

Who’s right? Ask Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslett, whose Titanic friendship turns 20 next year. Winslet has declared Leonardo her “closest friend in the world” while DiCaprio, best man at her third wedding, has spoken of their ‘unbreakable bond’.

“She’s one of my closest friends and

Dogs retain their status as man’s best animal friend, in preference to cats, mice, iguanas, pot bellied pigs, tarantulas and other species in our extended family menagerie. Indeed, according to an American Animal Hospital Association survey, 40 per cent of married female dog owners receive more emotional support from their pet than from their husband or children.

Kurt Vonnegut, was inseparable from his Lhasa Apso Pumpkin. “I cannot distinguish between the love I have for people and the love I have for dogs,” he said. And Elizabeth BarrettBrowning famously wrote a poem to her beloved Spaniel Flush who kept a vigil by her sickbed: ‘Only loved beyond that line, With a love that answers thine, Loving fellow-creature!’ Ernest Hemingway preferred cats, and lots of them. ‘A cat has absolute emotional honesty,’ he wrote. ‘Human beings, for

one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not.’

Animals have been domesticated for utility and pleasure since Aristotle’s day but you wouldn’t have caught the Greek philosopher taking his dog to the local baths for a ‘peticure’ or dressing it up in a toga.

Yet, animal-loving Brits lavish over £4.5billion annually on pet food, vet’s fees, designer outfits and even psychological counselling and dog beer for their furry ‘babies’. Queen of twerk, Miley Cyrus, even bought a Range Rover for her four dogs. She also owns two cats and a pig called Bubba.

The troubled pop star is a walking advertisement for why it’s important to have human friends to tell you to pull yourself together. Sometimes you can have too much unconditional love.

Meanwhile, mind the traffic if you’re crossing the street in an unfamiliar neighbourhood. A survey by psychologists at Georgia Regents University found that in a hypothetical scenario where a dog and a human were in the path of an out-of-control bus, people would be more likely to save the dog if the animal was known to them and the human was not. e

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Strange

&

enduring

FriendshipS

Friendship is a vital part of life but not something we necessarily associate with famous people.

Once we reflect on it, it seems logical that they too should have important friendships, though some of the pairings are not what you would expect. WORDS Michel cruz

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Ronald Reagan

hat would we do without friends? Family, partners, lovers and children are the central characters in the theatre of our lives, but friends and acquaintances are very important actors too. We meet most of our friends by chance, in our youth, at work, through shared interests or as we travel, and today increasingly not in the flesh but online. It is no different for famous people, who have gone on to form some of the most unusual but also some of the most heart-warming personal relationships of all.

Some of these are as famous as their protagonists, some unknown to the public at large and some no doubt even hidden, but whatever the nature of the relationships in question, they reveal the true depth of personal bonds that transcend class, position, age, gender, creed or outlook on life. You will be amazed how ‘opposite’ some of these pairings really are – a fact that provides hope for us all.

Margaret Thatcher

Ronald Reagan & Margaret Thatcher

The Birth Of A ‘Special Relationship’ What started with the wartime alliance between Churchill and Roosevelt dwindled in subsequent decades until it was revived by Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. Here was a close association and personal understanding between two leaders who shared the same basic economic and political ideology – a collaboration that was to lead to the creation of the so-called ‘special relationship’ between the US and the UK. To me, it always seemed like the roles played out between a teacher and his toadying pupil, but in all fairness, Thatcher was far more a match for Reagan than Blair was for Bush Jr. In fact, if truth be known, she thought the American President seriously lacking in the intellectual department.

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Voltaire

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Voltaire & Frederick the Great Opposites Attract

If the relationship between Thatcher and Reagan was built upon similar ideals and goals, that of the French philosopher Voltaire and the 18th century Prussian ruler was quite the opposite. Indeed, Voltaire was a famous liberal theorist, a shining star of the age of reason and the Enlightenment, whereas Frederick was an absolute ruler who loved to play soldiers and wage war.

In theory, the two should never even have crossed paths, so widely removed were their worlds, but the intellectual correspondence that evolved between them was not an unusual thing at the time but strange for combining two such diametrically opposed pen pals.

It appears that for all his military bravado, Frederick the Great was a man who enjoyed intellectual discourse, while Voltaire put his famous declaration to fight for the rights of those he disagreed with

Frederick The Great

Marilyn Monroe

to the test when he accepted an invitation to the Prussian court. He declined a post in Berlin but must in some way have influenced and perhaps modernised the views of one of Europe’s most famous kings.

Harry Houdini & Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Things Are Not What They Seem

Superstars at the beginning of the 20th century, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was the quintessential British gentleman whose creation, Sherlock Holmes, solved mysterious crimes based on rational thought and logical deduction. Moreover, as a medical doctor himself, you would think this man of science would reject spiritualists, whereas the famous escapologist was likely to believe in that which the eye cannot see. Wrong! Perhaps Houdini knew too much about the theatre and the workings of illusionists, but the fact is that he was a rationalist in

Harry Houdini & Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Ella Fitzgerald

search of truth whereas Doyle, who had lost a son in World War One, was a romantic in search of solace.

He publicly supported spiritualism and many of its practitioners, some of whom were in turn publicly denounced as charlatans

by Houdini. This situation did eventually end the unlikely friendship that had developed between the two men.

Marilyn Monroe & Ella Fitzgerald Unlikely Pals

But it’s not just men who cross the borders of convention to strike up long-lasting friendships.

Women too have created surprising relationships that transcend social boundaries and show that at the heart of any friendship is the meeting of two kindred spirits. In the America of the 1950s, high profile cross-race friendships were not encouraged and black artists, though popular, were restricted to small-time venues.

Marilyn Monroe jumped both these hurdles when she insisted that LA’s hottest nightclub, Mocambo broke their rules to hire Ella Fitzgerald. “I owe Marilyn Monroe a real debt,” said the jazz legend later. “She personally called the owner of the Mocambo and told him she wanted me booked immediately, and if he would do it, she would take a front table every night… The owner said yes, and Marilyn was there, front table, every night. The press went overboard.

After that, I never had to play a small jazz club again. She was an unusual woman – a little ahead of her times.”

Marilyn was a huge fan of Ella’s, and as they became friends she admitted that she had listened to her recordings thousands of times in an effort to develop her singing technique. For the actress better known as a sex idol, this unlikely friendship is conceived to have had its benefits too, for as the years wore on her singing continued to improve.

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Sammy Davis Jr.

Frank Sinatra

Charlton Heston

Sidney Poitier

Jackie Robinson

Richard Nixon

The Rat Pack Singing Buddies

For many years it didn’t get much bigger than the Rat Pack. The Italian-American stars Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin were on top of the world, performing together to form a memorable duo who were, in fact, also good friends in real life. Admitted to this club was Sammy Davis Jr, a colleague and friend whose voice complemented that of Dino and Ol’ Blue Eyes. You could say that the Rat Pack were drinking buddies, but when Sinatra, Martin and Davis reunited for a global tour in 1987, the relationship was put to the test. Dean Martin had become an alcoholic who turned up late and

couldn’t remember the words, while Sammy Davis Jr suffered from poor health, leading the ever-professional Frank Sinatra to continue on his own.

Charlton Heston & Sidney Poitier

A Shared Mission

They were both debonair actors from a glamorous Hollywood era, but on the evidence of recent decades you wouldn’t have put them together, much less have expected Heston to join Poitier in a civil rights march on Washington DC. Now remembered above all

as a conservative Republican who supported the right for citizens to bear arms, Charlton Heston was once a Democrat. He never fell out with his fellow actor but did leave a political party he believed continued to shift to the left, yet the image of Heston joining the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington would surprise many today.

Jackie Robinson & Richard Nixon

Not Birds Of A Feather What do a baseball legend and a US President have in common?

Not much really, especially if the former’s status as the first great black baseball player cast him in a prominent civil rights role and the latter was regarded as a conservative Republican. And yet Robinson and Nixon became friends, for personal liking is sometimes stronger than the things put in its way. The athlete even endorsed the politician, withstanding intense pressure to follow the more typical Democrat route, but in the end the friendship stranded upon the ugly realities of politics as Robinson could not reconcile himself with the ‘Dixie’ politicians Nixon was aligning himself with to gain votes in the deep south – proving that friendship doesn’t always win out.

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Katy Perry & Rihanna Pop Star Bffs

Katy Perry and Rihanna may not have written songs together but the pop superstars are bestest friends in an industry where that is less common than you might think.

Often spotted together at glamorous events, the two have been Best Female Friends since 2009, when they first met and ‘bonded’ over a Valentino handbag. Since then the bond has endured as boyfriends and husbands come and go, with each appreciating the sincerity of the other.

“I’ll tell you, you do not find people like her in this industry,” said Rihanna about Katy Perry. “She’s gorgeous, charming and so unedited it’s scary. That’s what intrigued me

Katy Perry

Rihanna

Michael Jackson

Liz Taylor

Black Adder

Baldrick

most when I first met her: she said it like she saw it. I trust people like that. I feel safe around people who tell me the [bleeped]-up [bleep], because I know they’ll always tell me the truth.”

Elizabeth Taylor & Michael Jackson

Friendship Across The Generations Michael Jackson was still a nipper when Elizabeth Taylor was the leading lady in Hollywood. Back then she dated tough men like Richard Burton but always had a soft spot for more sensitive, soulful types like Montgomery Clift and James Dean. It was much later in

life that she met and befriended the young Michael Jackson, but likely saw something similar in the shy superstar. Differences in age and life experience didn’t matter as the two remained friends and worked together on charitable causes during many years.

Black Adder & Baldrick

Friendship Dressed In Servitude

It’s a concept that goes back a long way, from Don Quijote’s bossy dependence upon Sancho Panza, his little helper, to Black Adder and his ‘cunning’ Baldrick. Dressed up in abuse and servitude, these are close friendships in the guise of master and servant. But the theme extends back even further to the Middle

Ages, when Norman lord and King of England, Richard the Lionheart, formed just such a friendship with his bard, Blondel.

Though Blondel de Nesle, as he was properly called, was an aristocratic troubadour, it was unusual to be on such close terms with one of the most powerful men in Europe at the time. True friendship also shone through when the King was taken prisoner in Germany on his return from the crusades, for it is said that Blondel travelled in search of him and arranged for his ransom when many a noble failed to do so in fear of Richard’s brother, King John.

Real, enduring friendship, therefore is best displayed in selfless acts that are the most sincere way of showing how important your friends are to you. e

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THROUGH THICK AND THIN! The Very Best Celebrity Friendships The rocky road towards success in Hollywood is wrought with disappointment, tough competition and shattered dreams yet, as Marisa Cutillas discovers, these celebrity BFFs have managed to weather the toughest of storms, relying on each other to ride through the sometimes acrimonious ambience that prevails.

PHOTOGRAPHY © SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Z JENNIFER LAWRENCE AND AMY SCHUMER

&

Talk about an unlikely alliance! Irreverent comedian, Amy Schumer, and Oscar winning actress, Jennifer Lawrence, seem just about as opposite as can be – one starring in Trainwreck as an alcohol guzzling party animal who just can’t commit – and the other garnering great acclaim for everything from Winter’s Bone (in which she plays a little girl forced to solve a crime and fend for her two young siblings) to Silver Linings Playbook (Lawrence is the recovering nymphomaniac who finds solace in the arms of a depressed ex-con).

The chemistry between Schumer and Lawrence was there from the start – so much so that they took just three months after meeting to decide to write a movie together. Their friendship began when Lawrence mentioned Schumer’s name casually during an interview, leading Schumer to freak out on social media. A little later, after seeing Schumer in Trainwreck, Lawrence emailed the comedian, stating, “I don’t know where to get started. I guess I should just say it: I’m in love with you.” The stars began emailing each other and Schumer, trying to be friendly, invited Lawrence to a boat trip with her closest friends. Says Schumer, “It was kind of a hypothetical ― and she was like, ‘I think I’m coming!’”

The pair posted pics on social media and soon began working on a new comedy. J-Law recently told The New York Times: “We play sisters. We’re almost done writing. It just flowed out of us.”

Lawrence explained it, like it was totally no big deal, and friends just do this kind of thing every day. “Amy and I were creatively made for each other. We have different flavours. It’s been the most fun experience of my life. We start the day off on the phone, laughing. And then we send each other pages.

And we crack up. I’m flying out tomorrow to see her in Chicago.”

JENNIFER LAWRENCE AMY SCHUMER

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Z DREW BARRYMORE AND CAMERON DIAZ Cameron Diaz is notoriously private, so much so, she caught the media by surprise when she recently wed Good Charlotte singer, Benji Madden, yet one small tidbit of information she has shared with us, is her friendship with the much more open Drew Barrymore. This is one of those slow brewing friendships that have been around long before either actress became a Hollywood hit. Drew told Marie Claire magazine: “I’ve known Poo Poo [Cameron Diaz] since I was 14 years old. We just happened to know each other before her career started, and I was working in a coffeehouse trying to refigure out my life.”

Despite Barrymore’s busy role as the mother of two toddlers, she has managed to keep Diaz close.

Their friendship extended into their professional lives, with the two starring in Charlie’s Angels. She elaborated to Elle: ““We’d see each other out and wave and say hi, but we didn’t even have each other’s phone numbers.”

Two movies later and “we spent every waking moment together for months and months – and years!” The paparazzi have since captured these lovely ladies together at everything from red carpet affairs to music festivals and even exotic beaches. When Barrymore recently announced her divorce from baby daddy, Will Kopelman, Diaz showed her support, saying she was “pulling

the wagon” for her friend in this tough time. It is no wonder that Barrymore has claimed that if she ever ran into trouble, it would be Cameron Diaz who would most likely come to her rescue. “Not that any one of us are going to jail anytime soon,” Barrymore quickly added. “But 100 percent. She would, like, get in there and get you out,” she told Good Housekeeping.

Z MATT DAMON AND BEN AFFLECK One can almost forgive Ben Affleck for the horrible Batman vs Superman by harking back to arguably his best work ever: Good Will Hunting, for which he and best friend, Matt Damon, won an Oscar for screenwriting. The film was based on a short story that Damon had written at university, while rumour has it that the Bourne star did the lion’s share of the work, with Affleck pitching in a clever line or two. Damon and Affleck have known each other for 35 years (they met as primary school kids in Boston), bound together by their mutual love of film.

The boys were obsessed with acting and directing and they inspired each other to reach for vertiginous heights.

Both have certainly created benchmarks in their profession: Damon has starred in countless hits, including the Bourne franchise films, The Martian, and The

Talented Mr. Ripley. A keen political activist, Damon is known for having chosen the stable life away from the spotlight when he is not working. He has been married to his wife, Luciana Bozán Barroso (she was a bartender at a bar he happened to stop at with friends one day), since 2005 and the couple have four daughters. Damon calls himself lucky for having met and married someone who does not work in the industry – “that takes a lot of pressure off,” he told The Guardian, adding, “There’s nothing scandalous about a guy who’s married and has kids.

If they come outside where I live, they are going to die of boredom — there’s just nothing really going on that would sell a magazine.”

After the duo’s early success in Good Will Hunting, Affleck took longer to find his own stability; his relationship with Jennifer Lopez drew negative attention from the media and is considered a low point for the actor. Says Damon, “Ten years ago, the public image of him could not have been farther apart from who he actually is. It was like he was being cast in a role, that he was a talentless kind of meathead, with his whole relationship with Jennifer Lopez. He just got cast as this person that he wasn’t.

It was just really painful. It was painful to be his friend,

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because it wasn’t fair, you know? To my mind, nobody really got him at all. And through his work, he climbed from the bottom of the mountain all the way back up to the top and past where either of us had ever been.”

Affleck struggled through box office bombs like Gigli (in which he co-starred with López) and Daredevil, before slowly building his name again, acting in cult noir biopic, Hollywoodland and really shining in his exquisite directorial debut: Gone Baby Gone, whose screenplay he also co-wrote. In 2012, his film Argo would receive an Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA Award for Best Film. If you doubted he could act, check out Gone Girl, in which he gives a flawless performance as the emotionally aloof husband of a manipulative woman who ‘kidnaps herself’ to frame him.

Affleck also struggled personally recently; he is in the midst of a divorce from long-time wife, Jennifer Garner, though the tabloids claim a reconciliation is underway. One thing that has remained constant in his life is his friendship with Damon, which he recently celebrated by posting a collage depicting Damon dunking his friend’s face in his birthday cake, captioning the image, ‘This guy. #NationalBestFriendsDay.’

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Z JIMMY FALLON AND JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE Jimmy Fallon is one of America’s top TV presenters and comedians, achieving impressive ratings on shows like Saturday Night Live (SNL) for almost 20 years. Fallon appears in a host of skits with top actors as part of his show – everyone from Josh Rogen to Zac Efron – yet few times is the chemistry quite as visible as when he acts alongside his good buddy, Justin Timberlake. This pair of friends met at a strange time in their respective lives: Justin Timberlake had just quit N’Sync and Fallon had yet to score his own show. Their meeting took

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place backstage at the MTV Awards show, which Fallon hosted for the first time in his career.

Fallon recently told Timberlake: “I remember talking backstage during those VMAs. I was totally nervous and you were nervous and we both ended up having a good night,” Fallon said. “We’re good luck to each other— like each other’s rabbit foots.”

Fallon and Timberlake first starred together in an SNL skit called The Barry Gibb Talk Show, playing the brothers Gibb conducting serious interviews while breaking into falsetto. Another classic skit is The History of Rap, in which they perform the best rap songs in history on the Late Night stage. The chemistry between them is so thick you can slice it – somehow, Jimmy is the yin to Justin’s yang and the audience is all the better for it.

In 2013, Time Magazine named Jimmy Fallon one of the 100 Most

JIMMY FALLON JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

Influential People of the Year. The person chosen to write an essay about him was Justin Timberlake, who penned: “Watching you laugh might be the thing that makes Jimmy most happy. This explains this man’s unwavering mission to get me to break every time we do our send-up sketch of the Gibb brothers on SNL. Or why we jump all over each other’s sentences during any segment I’ve ever been a part of on his show. Jimmy’s lightning wit — mixed with a kindness you don’t normally find in comedy — is what makes you feel so comfortable having him in your home every night. And no matter where the joke goes, the audience feels like they are in on it too.

That’s because Jimmy loves to share the moment.”

Z LEONARDO DICAPRIO AND TOBEY MAGUIRE Like Matt Damon and Benn Affleck’s, this is another long-standing bromance which commenced in the 1980s, when little Leo and Tobey were teens auditioning for the same roles. Instead of competing against each other, the

two hit it off like a house on fire and vowed to help each other succeed.

Leo was the first to make it big, in TV series Parenthood – he convinced the producers to bring on Tobey as a guest star, and the latter shone so much he was eventually offered many gigs, the most renowned of which was probably Spiderman a few years down the track.

DiCaprio and Maguire reunited to play Gatsby and Nick Carraway, respectively, in the wonderful film The Great Gatsby, arguably the best version of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s seminal work. “Venturing into a work of this magnitude and trying to adapt such a respected, celebrated novel like The Great Gatsby wouldn’t have been easy if I didn’t have a trusted ally like Tobey,” said DiCaprio, while Maguire noted that the trust factor was vital for both actors to give their very best. When DiCaprio won his long overdue Oscar for Best Actor at last year’s Academy Awards, he was flanked by his mother, Maguire and Maguire’s wife, for although he won, he could very well have lost, and who better to have by your side when life is at its best, or worst, than your best friend? e

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LEONARDO DICAPRIO TOBEY T OBEY MAGUIRE

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Local 3, Casa Sevilla, Playas del Duque, 29660 Puerto Banus / Marbella

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p THE FOCUS tim burton

Tim Burton admits that he doesn’t quite understand either audiences, or critics. Some of his most critically acclaimed films, he says, have failed to shine at the box office, while many of his most panned works, have brought in big bucks across the globe. It is wrong, one would argue, to approach this visionary director from a commercial perspective. For fans of works like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Frankenweenie and the inimitably beautiful Edward Scissorhands, every time Tim Burton releases a new film, it’s Christmas! WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS

TIM BURTON IS BACK!

Miss Peregrine’ s Home WITH… for Peculiar Children B

urton does not see his work as dark or particularly alternative, yet for some reason his creativity has struck a chord with those who celebrate all things Gothic – fashion, music, art… the Director is, without a doubt, enamoured by death, something he attributes to having growing up in Los Angeles, where his childhood was marked by his attraction for two things: monster films and the Mexican culture. He explains his fascination with the latter: “In Mexico, you have events like Day of the Dead and other cultural celebrations that take a lighter, almost humorous side to death. I can relate to how this and similar cultures accept death as part of life.” One can, indeed, perceive both humour and deep sentimentality in films like Frankenweenie, the amazing stop motion film based on a short film Burton made during his brief stint as a young animator at Disney. There is something indescribably sad about an essentially solitary little boy losing his best friend (his dog, Sparky), yet plenty that is comical about pets of all sorts coming back to life, with monstrous results…

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Tim Burton often says he doesn’t understand why some audiences would see his films as ‘scary’; The Nightmare Before Christmas, Alice in Wonderland and Ed Wood are incredibly funny and bear a slightly childish touch thanks to the presence of actors like Johnny Depp.

Burton is enamoured by actors who portray emotions with their facial expressions… few have managed to seize the hearts of audiences around the world with a grip quite as firm as Johnny Depp’s in Edward Scissorhands.

Loneliness, segregation, guilt, are qualities that also abound in Burton’s films, as is the idea that those who are truly innocent, good, and beautiful, are ostracised and eliminated by a rather cruel society.

Human beings are often ignorant with disastrous results – Burton cites Frankenstein as an ideal example of an innocent creature who is driven to destruction simply because he is different. Edward Scissorhands, too, is another Christlike figure who is crucified when the local village needs someone to blame, despite having brought his beautiful artistic vision to a sadly conformist, bland neighbourhood.

One very much has the feeling that Burton sees himself through his most wonderful creation – Edward – one can imagine the Director in his editing room drawing sketches, snipping and cutting, in the same way that Edward continues to fill the world with beauty by making it snow.

Tim Burton’s fans would probably be flabbergasted to know that, weren’t it for a twist of fate, we might never have enjoyed his films. The Director studied animation at the prestigious California Institute of the Arts. The latter is an expensive institution, and one he admits he would not have attended were it not for the fact that animation was a new programme being offered there, and they were “handing out scholarships.” While there, he made the short films Stalk of the Celery Monster and King Octopus. His work attracted the attention of the people

at Disney and, soon, he was hired as an animator and artist. Burton describes his time at Disney as somewhat uncomfortable… he dabbled in drawing and sketching but felt that he was not at home in a organisation which had yet to become the visionary animation company it is today.

Burton’s time at Disney didn’t go to waste, though; he made two iconic shorts: Vincent (a six-minute stop motion animation inspired by the one-and-only Vincent Price) and Frankenweenie (about a little boy who revives his dog Sparky after the latter is run over and killed by a car). Actor Paul Reubens chanced upon these films and was absolutely taken by the Director’s profound artistic sensitivity. He asked Burton to direct his feature film Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, which was made on a small budget yet brought in huge takings in the United States.

It was while making this film that Burton would find Danny Elfman, the eccentric songwriter who would write the scores for every single one of his films except Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, since the latter, being a musical, already had its own score. Burton then directed Beetlejuice – the hilarious comedy horror about a family forced to rely on the talents of an evil little exorcist called Beetlejuice. Once again, the film grossed an impressive amount ($80 million in the United States alone), leading Burton to be offered his first major commercial film: Batman.

Despite his highly criticised choice for the lead actor (a brilliant Michael Keaton), the film garnered €400 million worldwide. Tim Burton had made it big commercially, despite presenting a much darker, grimmer view of the superhero world. Batman influenced subsequent comic book films, which are now

given much greater psychological depth than early installments.

Now that Burton had shown he was a good investment, he was able to truly shine in what is arguably his most prolific period – the 1990s.

It was during this decade that he made Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and James and the Giant Peach, all critically acclaimed. Regarding the latter, Burton stated that he had always been a huge Roald Dahl fan.

Many things would happen for Burton in the 2000s – for one, he would meet his wife, Helena Bonham-Carter, whose work he had hardly seen but whom he thought would make a great ape for Planet of the Apes.

This decade also saw gems like Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the unforgettable Corpse Bride, his first full-length stop motion film as a Director (the film, which

features the dulcet voice of Helena Bonham-Carter, was specifically written for her). In 2007, Burton released Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, a faithful adaption of the original musical.

The 2010s would also bring fans incredible films: Alice in Wonderland, Dark Shadows (his first collaboration with Eva Green) and Frankenweenie (one of Burton’s all-time best, also featuring stop motion technology).

His latest project, soon to delight us, is Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, a spine-tingling tale of a group of children with extraordinary powers, forced to live in a time loop or be erased from the face of the earth forever. We await the film, due for release on September 15, with baited breath… nothing quite makes our world spin like the magnificent Tim Burton.

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Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children Tim Burton fans are already queueing (albeit online) for pre-screening tickets to what promises to be a very special film: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, based on the book of the same name by Ransom Riggs (yes, that is his real name), a very original author whose strange fascination for the otherworldly matches that of Burton himself.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children was originally meant to be something completely different: a picture book featuring eerie vintage photos which Riggs had collected throughout his lifetime. The pictures in his collection were hair-raising, including those of a girl with a frankly frightful face levitating, an invisible man, a woman with ghost-like eyes… all are in black and white and taken in past centuries. I admit to having been unable to gaze at the images too long, fearful that one of these ‘monsters’ would reach out and grab my soul.

When Riggs approached his publisher about his strange idea, his editor made a brilliant suggestion: Riggs should write a story which connected

these odd creatures. The result was Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, which spent almost a full year on the New York Times best-seller list before taking the Number One spot in the Children’s Chapter Books category.

The book (and now the film) centres on a little boy called Jacob, who is broken hearted when his most loved family member (his grandfather, Abe) passes away. Abe had always spoken to Jacob about strange individuals (an invisible boy, a girl who could fly) yet Jacob had always chalked these anecdotes down to his grandfather’s overactive imagination. When Abe is on his deathbed, he begs Jacob to “Find the bird in the loop.” Abe passes away and Jacob decides to visit the orphanage in Wales where his grandfather grew up. To his amazement, he encounters children who are, indeed, as peculiar as those Abe once spoke of – the strange twins, the floating girl, the invisible boy… and ‘the bird’ – Miss Peregrine – capable of transforming into the fastest bird in the world: a peregrine falcon. The odd group

of creatures tells Jake that they are in a time loop; it is vital to keep the loop safe because the home and their entire world will vanish if the ‘hollows’ (once peculiar children themselves and now monsters) obtain access to the children.

The group relies on Jacob to save them and he begins to ask himself whether he is normal or, in fact, as peculiar as the otherworldly children he meets and grows to love.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is populated by amazing children with secret yet exciting powers.

They include: Z EMMA: This beautiful girl has the capacity to make fire using only her hands. Emma’s mother, fearing her daughter’s incredible powers, abandoned her and her father locked her in her bedroom and beat her. She was saved by her younger sister, Julia, and by Miss Peregrine, who found her working as a fire eater in a travelling circus.

Z ENOCH O’CONNOR: Has the peculiarity of being able to bring the dead back to life, if only for a brief period.

Z THE TWINS: Dressed in white and wearing eerie masks, they have telepathic abilities. They were two of Abe’s closest friends.

Z OLIVE ABROHOLOS ELEPHANTA: Olive is lighter than air; aged 75, she is one of the youngest children in the Home. Her photograph features on the cover of the book.

Z MILLARD NULLINGS: This young scholar is invisible, yet still wears clothing.

Z FIONA FRAUENFELD: This silent girl has the power to make plants grow.

Z BRONWYN BRUNTLEY: She may be cute but she is unbelievably strong.

She “didn’t know her own strength until the night she snapped her rotten stepfather’s neck.”

Z HUGH APISTON: This teenager loves bees so much he keeps an entire hive in his stomach.

Z CLAIRE DENSMORE: Has an extra mouth in the back of her head.

Z HORACE SOMNUSSON: Has prophetic dreams.

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“ Wh e n yo u are s er i o u s ab ou t R eal Es tate”

Built: 50 m2 Price: 199.000€

Estepona first line beach. Completely renovated in a modern scandinavian style. Perfectly situated one bedroom apartment with an urban feel situated right on the beach promenade in the town center of Estepona. Just a few steps away from the fabulous beach, bars, restaurants and shops, stunning sea views over the Mediterranean to Gibraltar and the African coastline. Probably the coolest apartment in Estepona centre. R2413841

Built: 200 m2 Plot: 160 m2 Price: 270.000€

Monte Biarritz. Perfectly situated between San Pedro and Estepona with walking distance to the beach 3 bedroom townhouse with private garden in the front and back and private parking space. Walking distance to all amenities.

R734227

Built: 152 m2 Plot: 116 m2 Price: 495.000€

Azalea Beach. Beachside, within walking distance to Puerto Banús. South facing 6 bedroom townhouse, corner unit only a minute walk from the beach. Very bright living room with dining area, leading to a covered terrace and garden. There are two swimming pools in the communal gardens. R2520497

Built: 201 m2 Plot: 65 m2 Price: 2.500.000€

Golden Mile. Beautiful beachfront 3 bedroom villa located between Puerto Banús and Marbella. Very stylish and elegantly decorated, built on 2 levels with lovely terrace by the pool and another upstairs with wonderful sea views.

R2585912

Built: 131 m2 Terrace: 19 m2 Price: 229.000€

Hacienda del Sol. Beachside between San Pedro and Estepona, ground floor 2 bedroom apartment with direct access to the garden and the swimming pool, located just a stone throw from the sea. Gated and 24 hour security.

There are 3 swimming pool areas and a gym. Also walking distance to shops and restaurants. R735040

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A glance at Eva Green’s filmography reveals that, despite her insanely beautiful appearance (which garnered her the role of Vesper Lynd in Quantum of Solace), the actor is, above all, a creature of the dark – mysterious, regal, and somewhat otherworldly. Eva Green was certainly the best (the only) choice to give life to Miss Peregrine in Tim Burton’s Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children – she has played witches, Dracula’s spouse, a victim of possession, a Queen and, now, a bird woman, though it was, perhaps, her role as Vanessa Ives in hit series Penny Dreadful that best highlighted her ability to encapsulate purity and mystery, evil and goodness, innocence and experience all at once…

EVA GREEN Goth’s Dream

Penny Dreadful, set in Victorian England and populated by some of English literature’s most fascinating characters (Dorian Gray, Victor Frankenstein, Dracula) is often touted as a Goth series, yet for Eva Green, it is far from a dark, scary tale. For her, its attraction lies in the depth of its human element; its ability to broach subjects like loneliness, despair, depression, guilt, shame, vision, risk, daring, disappointment, life, death… themes which have captured the hearts of so many viewers around the world.

Penny Dreadful is a series with memorable scenes, such as that in which Vanessa Ives’ psychiatrist, Dr. Seward, asks her patient if she falls in love with difficult men because her true desire is to be alone… or the scene where John Clare, the ‘monster’ created by Victor Frankenstein and actually the most sensitive soul in the series, recites the poem I Am by his namesake, John Clare… Penny Dreadful is the

story of the untameable Vanessa Ives, a character called upon to face the devil, who wishes to take her as his bride and put an end to the world. Vanessa houses the polar extremes of good and evil within, yet she is saved, to the same extent that she saves the world, by love – her love for her mentor, Sir Malcolm Murray (Timothy Dalton), for Ethan Chandler (the handsome Josh Hartnett) and for humanity itself.

Eva Green is right; the series is filled with hope, despite its Gothicstyled scenes, filmed at midnight in the foggy cobblestoned streets of London.

While the actor may find it hard to understand why she is perceived as such a dark force on screen, she nevertheless admits that she is drawn to complex, perturbed characters.

Her role in Miss Peregrine’s, meanwhile, allows her to draw on her physicality, since she actually transforms between human and

bird various times throughout the film. To capture the essence of the speedy falcon, Eva worked closely alongside a movement coach, to learn how to reproduce the quirky, nervous movements of a bird. This is not the first time she has worked with Tim Burton; the Director also relied on her sultriness in Dark Shadows, a film adaptation of the cult classic television series. Eva plays a witch who, scorned by her lover, buries him alive. In Penny Dreadful, she gives life to a “dark Mary Poppins with the ability to manipulate time.” As usual, just a little bit of killing is part of her role, something she finds “wickedly funny.”

Eva Green seems to have appeared out of nowhere, yet she has actually been acting solidly since 2003, making her first appearance in Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Dreamers. The role, which called for a great deal of nudity, scared Eva at first; another actor, Maria

Schneider (who had starred in Bertolucci’s Last Tango in Paris) had suffered a nervous breakdown after feeling tremendously humiliated in her numerous naked scenes).

Eva’s mother advised her against taking the role but the actor was determined and admits that, although nude scenes are ‘difficult’, the beauty of the story prevailed.

Eva is used to playing powerful, diabolic characters, yet admits to being surprisingly shy. Acting, she says, saved her, since she has always felt strange, different, as though she were “floating, just a tiny bit.” Acting, she says, keeps her grounded, yet oddly enough, she manages to uplift her audience with her rarity and distance. She is all there yet not, impossible to decipher and capable of expressing an impressive array of emotions.

We look forward to watching her captivating face fill the big screen once again, in what promises to be the trip of a lifetime! e

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Swans International School Dedicated to teaching and learning for over 45 years

Swans International School are, once again, celebrating the best set of IB Diploma results in their history.

Sara Benkirane 44 points

Andrés Bereznev 39 points

Ranya Leguel 43 points

Alena Kapnulina 38 points

Jenny Simon 41 points

IB Diploma results 2016

We are so proud of the student’s achievements, which is all down to their hard work and dedication. They have been a wonderful sixth form and know that, results aside, they are all perfectly prepared for University and their future working lives.

Highest ever score in the school’s history achieved by Sara Benkirane of 44 out of 45 points.

Inés Martel 38 points

Alexander Shcherbakov 38 points

Only 1.0% of all students worldwide achieved 44 or above in 2015.

World average score in 2015 was 30.2, Swans is 32.7 in 2016.

Luca De Jonge 38 points

to the s n o ti la tu a r g n o c y n a M ent ll e c x e ir e th n o 6 1 0 2 f cohort o examination results!

Swans Primary School info@swansschool.net 952 773 248 swansschoolinternational.es

Swans Secondary School admin@swansschool.net 952 902 755

p THE FOCUS people

What do Britney Spears, Lord Alan Sugar, Estée Lauder and Philipp Plein have in common? In addition to being worldrenowned celebrities, they all approached Engel & Völkers to sell their homes. It is no wonder that Engel & Völkers manages to attract clients of this calibre: with 750 shops worldwide and over 8,000 highly skilled agents, the company has gone from strength to strength, building an international network that does not depend on an affiliation with other organisations.

WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF ENGEL & VÖLKERS

& VÖLKERS ENGEL

Successful Property Sales Built upon Solid Advice

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ngel & Völkers, which specialises in luxury real estate, is not just for the celebrity, but for anyone who wishes to buy or sell a home, relying on trusted professionals that can give them the kind of advice that comes from specialised knowledge.

Smadar Kahana, holder of four Engel & Völkers licences on the Coast, notes that “New real estate shops are constantly sprouting up which offer poor advice to sellers and buyers. Engel & Völkers was founded 40 years ago. The most exclusive houses in the world are listed with us and we have built up a reputation for trust and commitment that is impossible to rival. One of our homes was recently House of the Week in

The Wall Street Journal and another was featured in Qatar Airlines’ inflight publication. We are a logical choice for property writers looking for something really smashing, since we have amazing homes all over the world.”

“Many agencies will set any price the seller wishes, yet if the set price is not what it should be, the home will remain on the market for years and will eventually be sold at a lower value than it could have achieved if it had been set at the right value from the beginning, using the right marketing strategy,” notes Smadar, “At Engel & Völkers, we ensure our clients obtain proper professional advice regarding fair value to ensure

a better and quicker sale process.

Studies have shown that homes that sell at the highest reachable price based on market value are those which sell within a reasonable time frame.”

When asked how long it might take to seal a deal, Smadar replies, “On the Coast, a home should sell within six to 12 months of being on the market. Engel & Völkers has a valuation service which is very similar to a bank’s; it takes into account the size of the home, location, view, and any other characteristics which might raise or lower its price.”

“When we take on a home on an exclusive basis, we invest in a marketing strategy that ensures the

home reaches its target market.”

The company advertises in the right places and publishes various magazines, including GG (a lifestyle magazine available at Engel & Völkers offices and at international airports and other targeted distribution points). On the Coast, Engel & Völkers’ catalogue features all homes represented by the company, while publications such as Private Residences Second Home are distributed door-to-door in London, in areas like Chelsea, Knightsbridge and Kensington, where most homeowners also have second homes in famed holiday areas.

“But above all, our main advantage compared with any competition

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is Engel & Völkers’s unique huge data base of existing investors from around the world. We know exactly what they are looking for and use our very useful and focused internal marketing tools to reach them immediately with the best proposals.

We are fully committed to helping the vendor make the sale. It’s not just about money but, rather, providing excellent service.”

Smadar is very much focussed on the long term. “So many of our clients come to us by referral; we are determined to be around for another 40 years, maybe longer, so we are fully committed to providing a trustworthy service based on sound advice. At Engel & Völkers, all our agents are specialised in one specific area – this means that they know every single house available in their area, every street, every urbanisation. Their keen knowledge enables them to match each home to a buyer’s needs.”

The publications are just an example of the unique services Engel & Völkers has to offer. “We are a onestop luxury provider. What other realtor has its own aviation service?

From small jets to long-rage super jets, business aircraft charters to

aircraft purchase and sales, aviation legal and tax consultancy to aircraft structured finance, we can help clients out.”

Engel & Völkers also has its own concierge services: “We can take care of all our client’s needs, from the moment they buy their property to any subsequent wishes that arise, including full renovations, babysitting… whatever they need, we will supply it.”

Smadar’s passion for her company and for raising the standards of her industry show in her sales. She shows me official Marbella Sales Figures for 2015 and I note that over €1 billion euros has been sold in property on the Coast; Engel & Völkers sold over 10 per cent of this total, pretty impressive considering that very few new properties have been built since 2007.

She largely attributes her success to her excellent team.

“Christian Völkers, founder of our company, once said that he always hired refined people to work for his company because it was much easier to teach the real estate business to people with manners than to teach manners to real estate people.”

When asked about the effect of

Brexit on real estate sales, Smadar states: “We have already had clients back out of deals owing to Brexit.

However, we can compare what is occurring to the GFC of 2007-2008.

The upper end of the real estate market recovered very well. High-end purchasers buy into a lifestyle and they can still afford to do so. Brexit will mainly affect the mid-to-lower market, especially retirees relying on a pension who are concerned about issues such as healthcare.”

She explains that there has been a change in the market over the past couple of years. “Up until this time, properties were very easy to sell. It was most certainly a buyer’s market.

Although the market has stabilised, however, it is important to keep prices reasonable. “We never take on a property without being completely sure that we can sell it,” she says.

Interestingly, some properties represented by her company are on waiting lists. “There are big demands for specific locations, views, etc.” she says.

“There are many things that make us different,” stresses Smadar. Take our Private Offices, which caters to the highest market. We travel with clients all over the world to find them

the very best homes – these clients wish to work discreetly. Buyers have access to our private office portfolio and sellers have their homes listed within this portfolio.”

Smadar and her team are just as keen on helping sellers, as they are on helping buyers find the right fit for their needs. “My team is highly trained so that they can quickly identify the right type of home and location for each buyer. We don’t want to waste the time of either the seller or buyer.”

Engel & Völkers doesn’t only sell luxury villas; they also have excellent apartments in prime areas like Elviria, ranging from around €300.000 or €400.000. “Plot size, access, views, orientation and an extra special something can turn an ordinary property into something extraordinary… and we always look to the latter, since our clients have a wide knowledge of what real estate is about and they need a trusted partner to find their dream home, or ensure their home is sold at the best price it can achieve.” g Blvd. Príncipe Alfonso von Hohenlohe, CN340, km 178.2, La Poveda Local 5, Marbella. www.marbella-ev.com

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LA FINCA de MARBELLA

p THE FOCUS property Living with ever-changing stunning vistas

MEDITERRANEAN w e n the COLLECTION

Reserva del Higuerón Resort offers style and exclusivity in a panoramic location midway between Marbella and Málaga. It’s a powerful lifestyle proposition further enhanced by the seductive new Med One collection of luxurious modern apartments and Penthouses. WORDS MICHEL CRUZ

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ou would think the stars at Málaga FC and Unicaja basketball team would all opt to live in opulent Marbella, joined by the region’s wealthy entrepreneurs, young professionals and affluent foreign residents. While many do, it is certainly not a foregone conclusion, as a large proportion has long chosen Reserva del Higuerón Resort as their full time residence or home away from home. Why? Because this elegant enclave in the hills overlooking the Fuengirola coastline provides the setting for

a country club lifestyle marked by tranquillity, privacy, security and a range of on-your-doorstep amenities that is quite frankly unequalled on the Costa del Sol.

A WORLD OF EXPERIENCES ON A VILLAGE SCALE Pass the gated entrance to Reserva del Higuerón Resort and you enter a peaceful, private domain that combines the refinement and facilities of a country club with the community sense of a village. The tranquil, tree-lined

roads are free of passing traffic and surrounded by beautifully kept gardens, green zones and paths.

It’s an environment made possible by the master-planning of a single large urbanisation, and the only development of this kind apart from Sotogrande and La Zagaleta – but even they can’t match the range of activities and lifestyle options available here.

From their villas, townhouses and apartments, residents at Reserva del Higuerón Resort really do have a comprehensive list of

facilities on their doorstep. They are centred around the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel Resort & Spa, which features not just the state-of-the-art Nagomi Spa with extensive health and beauty treatments, a large deck with poolside bar/restaurant and a racquet club offering tennis and padel, but also a stunning, panoramic rooftop pool club with all the allure and sophistication of the coast’s best beach clubs. It’s quite the place to enjoy cocktails and watch the most spectacular sunset on the Costa del Sol.

The flow and style of a modern home

Ultra-modern styling in the bathrooms

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Lifestyle living From this position you look down across the coastline, also taking in the greenery and homes of Reserva del Higuerón Resort, which features its own beach volley centre and frontline beach club. Though just a few hundred metres away, a free hourly transit service takes residents and visitors to its seaside setting.

The resort also includes a small shopping centre and a total of seven restaurants, offering Spanish, Italian, Asian, informal and Michelin star dining. Indeed, the inspiring young Michelin-starred chef, Diego Gallegos, is set to earn a second star at Sollo, which has brought the concept of sustainable haute cuisine to Andalucía.

It follows that the residential concept at Reserva del Higuerón Resort goes beyond mere homes,

to offer an entire lifestyle concept in which real estate and living are fully integrated. With everything at your fingertips at 20 minutes from Marbella and Málaga, and less than quarter of an hour from the international airport, this is a very self-sufficient yet central community that even provides bus links to four prestigious international schools in the area. In keeping with this focus on quality of life, the villas, townhouses and apartments at Reserva del Higuerón Resort have evolved with the times to offer the ultimate expression of 21st century comfort and style.

The Med One Collection Med One is a prime collection of 81 luxurious apartments and penthouses whose modern vanguardist architecture takes luxury

living to a new level. Conceived with the latest trends and tastes in mind, it features seamless floorto-ceiling windows that allow the natural light and fantastic 180-degree seascapes to provide a panoramic backdrop to living on the edge of the Mediterranean. The spot could not have been better, as in many ways its slightly elevated position, 450 metres from the beach, is the very best location available at Reserva del Higuerón Resort. Indeed, it’s a one-off that can’t be repeated.

Fine wooden floors blend with sleek white architectural forms and the latest technologies and amenities to create a very special living environment. Open-plan interiors integrate the lounge, dining room and kitchen to produce one interlinked space that is further enhanced and expanded as the sliding doors

glide open to an area dedicated to outdoor dining, lounging, relaxing and entertaining. The luxurious two, three and four-bedroom homes set within three elegantly styled buildings are surrounded by equally attractive gardens whose greenery complements the deep blue of the nearby sea and communal pools and Jacuzzis.

Penthouses always represent the pinnacle of a development, and here they come with large panoramic terraces whose inspiring views can be admired under the sun and stars or seen through stylish modern oculus windows. Made for private enjoyment and entertaining in style, this is a unique space where you can watch the sun set from your own terrace Jacuzzi – experiencing the lifestyle the Med One Collection was designed for. i www.reservadelhigueronresort.com

The Nagomi Spa features top of the range health and beauty facilities

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d the style

INTERIORS ARCHITECTURE ART DESIGN GARDENS FASHION

94

Stylish Décor by Bo Concept

102 A Reformed Villa by Blackshaw Interior Design 104 Teresa Helbig Fashion 112

Fashion News

Delve into the creative world of decór by Bo Concept, witness the magic touch of Blackshaw Interior Design and dress up in the coolest fashion by Teresa Helbig.

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CONTRACT I COMMERCIAL I HOSPITALITY I RESIDENTIAL I RENOVATIONS I ARTCHITECTURE I PROJECT MANAGEMENT INTERIOR DESIGN I CONSTRUCTION I FIXTURES I FITTINGS I FURNISHING I KITCHENS I BATHROOMS I LIGHTING

CONSTRUCTION + INTERIOR DESIGN SERVICES FROM NEW BUILDS TO RENOVATIONS AND INTERIORS. WE HAVE IN-HOUSE BUILDING CONTRACTORS.

Excellent service and a high standard of finishes with our team of top professionals working in all areas of renovation and bespoke, design and build.

Visit the studio to see a range of furniture, fixtures and fittings.

BLACKSHAW INTERIOR DESIGN Avda. Canovas del Castillo 25 Marbella 29601, Mรกlaga, Spain Tel: +34 951 403 787 Mob: +34 681 662 000 info@blackshawinteriordesign.com w w w. b l a c k s h aw i nt e r i o rd e s i g n . co m

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d THE STYLE decor

There is no reason for outdoor living areas to lag behind in style and refinement

Jan Petersen

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One of the most exciting modern/contemporary design brands comes to Marbella with the opening of a new flagship showroom on the Golden Mile. WORDS MICHEL CRUZ PHOTOGRAPHY KEVIN HORN AND COURTESY OF BOCONCEPT

BOCONCEPT comes to Marbella B

oConcept has had a presence on the Costa del Sol for some time now – indeed, many a luxurious and tastefully decorated home in the region proudly sports the renowned Danish brand’s décor and furniture pieces – but with the opening of a stylish new showroom on the Golden Mile this summer, world-famous Danish design flair comes to the heart of Marbella.

“We have enjoyed great success over the years both with individual pieces bought by collectors and design enthusiasts, and with our full interior styling service,” says Jan Petersen, the man who leads the BoConcept operation on the coast. It is this popularity that

has prompted the brand to expand its direct presence in Marbella, where its range of avant-garde and retro-futuristic designer pieces are very much in vogue because they add a contemporary, urban edge to homes. “It’s true that our designs are very well suited to modern architecture and the contemporary style homes being built right now, but the beauty with a brand like BoConcept is that it is capable of going far beyond that and providing the basis not just for modern minimalist interiors but also warmer décors and eclectic ones in which contemporary design is tastefully matched with retro or classic elements.”

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Bo Concept combines modern and retro inspiration to great effect

Advanced styling for indoor and outdoor use

Danish design flair This is very much in keeping with the longstanding philosophy of Danish design, which has built much of its impressive global reputation for concept and style on an approach that is advanced yet never afraid to circle back to the past for inspiration and use warm, natural materials to create living and working environments that are informally chic – modern without being stark. Indeed, Danish-designed homes are typically warm, personal and intimate, as well as evoking a very strong balance between visual impact and home comforts.

“This is exactly why BoConcept offers both highly avant-garde and also retro-inspired furniture,” says Jan, who designs and styles entire home interiors for clients. Sometimes it takes the eye of a connoisseur, but many of the sleek, ‘modern’ chairs and other decorative pieces we admire so much are actually modern classics created by famous designers such as Arne Jacobsen or Van der Rohe many decades ago. The fact that they remain so current and bewitching, and fit into today’s homes so well, is the final testament to masterful timeless design.

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‘Let’s make the most of your space’ BoConcept uses the above saying as a reminder that it desires not just to decorate a room or home, but above all to make it beautiful. This enrichment is naturally in large part the visual effect created through gorgeously styled furniture and supporting decorative elements, but it also comes from the optimised use of space that allows even small rooms to breathe, great interiors to blossom and large, opulent homes to look their impressive best.

“People generally think it’s just about decorating your house with beautiful objects, and while this obviously is a part of creating a stylish home, it does take a knowing eye to be able not just to combine the right colours, tones and textures, but above all to know how to use the available space,” says Jan, whose design teams are specialised in conceiving how to produce an effect with lighting and the distribution of furniture pieces. “We don’t just fill a room evenly but study the space, its flow and functionality, and even where the doors and the sources of light and views are. From this point on we create intimate areas that make up the living room, the dining area and other spaces in such a way that it all remains clean and uncluttered – neither too crowded or too empty.”

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Made to measure modular units and office furniture

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Bo Concept’s new Marbella store on the Golden Mile

Creating a personal style

Timeless design classics feature prominently

Bo Concept also designs accessories to complete home décors

BoConcept has always had the ability to turn a small, cramped apartment into a stylish home with a beautiful interior and optimal, clever use of space, as well as being able to create a stunning look for large villas and luxurious penthouses, but in Marbella of course the emphasis is on the latter. Large or small, the philosophy remains the same, centred as it is upon creating a personalised style for each client. “It would be easy to just fill each home we are commissioned to decorate with BoConcept pieces and do it to a tried and tested formula,” says Jan, “but this is not how we work. Ours is such interesting work exactly because we approach each project as unique and focus first on the individual person to know exactly what they have in mind and also learn more about their practical needs and lifestyle. Then we look at what we have to work with in terms of the property and its characteristics, and it is from this combination that designs emerge to create uniquely personalised homes.”

Some clients will up the ante by insisting that particular items must stay or be included in a particular way. “There is often a story behind someone loving a decorative piece that is not obviously attractive to others, and it is from information of this kind that we really get a true feeling of who the client is and what kind of home setting they wish to create.” Putting the pieces together in this way and coming up with a personalised interior style that is visually stunning and also makes practical use of the home’s space is at the heart of what BoConcept is all about.

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Bo Concept offers a range of designer furniture in a choice of materials, tones and configurations

Showroom and PlusStore

Individual pieces or an entire home decoration service

Jan takes this role so seriously that he usually blends BoConcept pieces with those from other designer brands. “BoConcept furniture combines very well with other quality decoration, be it modern or more eclectic in style and, in addition to our own in-house designs, we also carry the collections of complementary manufacturers such as Hay, Muubs and Kartell, Carl Hansen chairs, Flos and Louis Poulsen lamps, Montana storage pieces, and iconic Fritz Hansen items.”

These and other names, such as outdoor furniture makers Cane-line and Skagerak, are available in the BoConcept showroom’s PlusStore, which besides the cream of Scandinavian design also features a handpicked selection of top Spanish designers such as Jaime Hayon and Marset, a renowned maker of beautifully crafted lamps. As much as BoConcept is about offering a complete home design service – in which you pay for the furniture pieces only, and the professional interior design work is free and part of the overall package – the PlusStore reflects that this is also a showroom where you are welcome to come and have a look, be inspired and buy individual pieces large or small.

“We are both a design service and a showroom with high-design furniture,” says Jan, “so we range from decorating homes, show flats and commercial premises such as hotels, restaurants, offices and shops to selling a single lamp, table or terrace chair.” It’s an authentic Scandinavian concept that harks back to the very philosophy behind the company and the designs it creates, ensuring that BoConcept takes pride of place in what is fast becoming a Danish design centre on Marbella’s Golden Mile. i www.boconcept.com/es-es/

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d THE STYLE decor

A Dream Home by

Blackshaw Interior Design

What happens when your dream holiday home starts turning into a nightmare? This was exactly what happened to a family who purchased a villa in the hills of Elviria around 12 years ago. Slowly, they began to fall out of love with it, and decided that major refurbishment was in order. They decided that the ideal team to turn their ramshackle house into a home was Blackshaw Interior Design, founded and run by renowned designer, Sally Blackshaw. WORDS Marisa cutillas Photography kevin horn

B

lackshaw Interior Design offers something quite unique in Marbella: an all-in-one service which includes construction, design, and all the final touches that make returning to your all-new home a pleasure. “Dealing with old spaces often involves difficult planning and management and therefore requires a professional, experienced team that follows all regulations to the letter,” says Sally.

The person in charge of the Elviria home was Lucy, a talented designer from London. She states: “The first step was to speak to the client and find out how they wanted to feel in their home. We then came up with possible design ideas – this included structural changes, architectural details, creating features and focal points

and of course technical plans for our tradesmen. During the initial stages we chose, alongside the client, all furnishings and fabrics.

We ordered, bought and stored all items until the house was clean and ready for them. We even made the beds so that they were free to come and enjoy the home straightaway. We sent them weekly photographic updates throughout the process.”

Sally notes: “One of the biggest and most challenging tasks consisted of trading pitched ceilings for drop ceilings so as to close in the large rooms and add new options for lighting (indirect soft and spotlighting) for a cosier look. Additionally, the wall hung air conditioning did not belong in a villa of this calibre, and we needed the drop ceiling to incorporate the new ducting.”

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Lucy summarises the main changes made to the villa: The Entrance: “Three oversized planter pillars take the spotlight, beneath a double-height pitched ceiling. Three suspended chrome globe lights are hung at staggered heights to draw the eye up.

Directly below, a glass-topped table with a base comprising large chrome rings, echoes the shapes from the lights above.”

The Living Area and Kitchen: “These areas work together in harmony, creating a much more social environment. The large bespoke fitted carpentry in tinted oak is now a focal point and feels like part of the building, instead of looking like it was ‘stuck on’ as an afterthought. The proliferation of wood brings welcome warmth to this house.”

The bedroom: “The bedroom was designed to be elegant; a rich navy blue is the perfect colour, paired with warm grey and nude tones.

The curtains and sheers are neatly recessed into the ceiling design; the latter allowed us to use the hidden diffused light, providing a warm glow.

There are three different types of lighting here so it is possible to create any mood desired.”

The bathrooms: “They are spacious, and modern with clean lines. The flooring is the same as in the rest of the house, which gives a feeling of more space. The showers are all walk-in with a single piece of fixed glass, for reduced lines and minimal cleaning. The vanity units are all suspended from the wall, which also gives the illusion of additional space.” g Avda. Cánovas del Castillo, 25, Marbella.

Tel: 951 403 787. www.blackshawinteriordesign.com

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d THE STYLE fashion

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Talented designer, Teresa Helbig shows that, sometimes, subtlety makes the best statement possible.

Marisa Cutillas brings us a few outfits any elegant woman would desire to own.

Teresa Helbig Inspires

Neutral

&

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Fibonacci and Femininity

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Professional Flair

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Lovely in Leather

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Ebony Elegance i www.teresahelbig.com

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d THE STYLE fashion

you

FALLING FOR Marisa Cutillas brings you a selection of top fashion items and accessories for the upcoming autumn season.

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Bag by Jimmy Choo

Shoe by Jimmy Choo Shoe by Elisabetta Franchi Lingerie by Eres

sias na Igle Adria

CONTACTS: ADRIANA IGLESIAS: www.adrianaiglesias.eu BAUME & MERCIER: www.baume-et-mercier.com CHOPARD: www.chopard.com ELISABETTA FRANCHI: www.elisabettafranchi.com ERES: www.eres.fr JIMMY CHOO: www.jimmychoo.com L.K. BENNETT: www.lkbennett.com

by Skirt

Belt by L.K. Bennett

Bag by Jimmy Choo Lingerie by Eres

Shoe by Elisabetta Franchi

Happy Sport watch by Chopard

Watch by Baume & Mercier

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n the spa

PRODUCTS BEAUTY SPA SCIENCE TREATMENTS HEALTH

116

Beauty Bloggers

118

Beauty News

122

The Health Benefits of Friendship

124

Health News

126

Dr. María del Mar Luque Fernández of Hospital Banús

DISCOVER WHO’S WHO IN THE WORLD OF BEAUTY BLOGGING, REAP THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF FRIENDSHIP AND ENJOY OUR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH DR. MARÍA DEL MAR LUQUE FERNÁNDEZ, NEW PATIENT COORDINATOR AT HOSPITAL BANÚS.

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Your Health & Beauty Clinic in Marbella

Love of Beauty is Taste The Creation of Beauty is Art Plastic & Aesthetic Surgery Aesthetic Medicine Orthopaedic Surgery Vascular Surgery Bariatric Surgery Dental Cosmetic

Av. Ramรณn y Cajal, 7 - 29601 Marbella 0034 951 775 518 - Mรณvil : 670 770 455 info@oceanclinic.net - www.oceanclinic.net

n THE SPA beauty

6

BEAUTY BLOGS YOU MUST CLICK ON WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS

Without the beauty blogging world, a woman can get tangled up in conventional media images of what she should look like and how she should wear her face and hair. The truth is that there is so much more going on in the beauty industry than you can imagine. These top blogs will give you all the confidence you need to break free of the mould, trying out interesting trends born and bred on the streets of some of the world’s busiest cities…

Z BEAUTY IS BORING

Would you consider ridding your face of heavy foundation this summer and applying just one bold splash of colour on one spot of your face, apply just one tone of gorgeous bronze eyeshadow or rely on just a little radiance on your face for a change? These are just a few suggestions by Photographer and Make-Up Artist, Robin Black, who has a love-hate relationship with beauty and who wishes to inspire women to find new, simpler, more natural ways to highlight their individual beauty. i www.beautyisboring.com Z CULT OF PRETTY

Ann Colville Somma describes her blog as covering “the best beauty products you’ve never heard of.” She specialises in product development and innovation in the beauty industry and she covers everything from drugstore brands to more elite releases.

Her categories include skincare, make-up, fragrance, nails, and hair care. She focuses on predicting the year’s biggest trends yet funnily enough, is far from a product junkie herself. As she explains, “When you work in a donut factory, you don’t exactly crave donuts.” i www.cultofpretty.com Z CAROLINE HIRONS

This blogger is a brand consultant and highly skilled facialist who knows just about all there is to know about skin. Her recommendations send thousands of women across the globe rushing to stores, thanks to her refreshing honesty and unbiased reviews. Check out her useful suggestions for acne, ageing skin, spots, crucial beauty routines, etc. For the best piece of advice on beauty, see her article Things I Say Over and Over Again. It contains gems such as this: “You are

obsessed with your pores.

They do not open and close like doors. You say they are HUGE – then send me a picture and I can SEE NOTHING. We CANNOT see your pores.

The only person that can see your pores close-up is your opthamologist – or your boyfriend. Your opthamologist is looking at your eyes.

Not your pores. And if your boyfriend is thisclosetoyou and notices your pores? He’s gay.

Or not attracted to you. Or at best, rude. Rethink the entire relationship.” i www.carolinehirons.com Z SALI HUGHES BEAUTY

This blog covers everything from reasonably priced fragrances to the best make-up for selfies. It also contains a host of useful videos which will teach you how to layer, create a smooth looking smokey eye, and perform a make-over in just 15 minutes. Sali Hughes is a Guardian Weekend columnist

and professional make-up artist so you can be sure you are obtaining advice from the very best. i www.salihughesbeauty.com Z INTO THE GLOSS

This blog is written by one of the Internet’s biggest successes so far as beauty is concerned: Emily Weiss, once a ‘Super Intern’ on television show The Hills and now an entrepreneur who has achieved international success.

Weiss invites readers into the bathroom cupboards of some of the world’s most glamorous women, who work in a variety of industries: engineering, publishing, music… she features top products and advice on hair, skin, nails, make-up, eyes, lips and even health! i www.intothegloss.com Z LISA ELDRIDGE

Professional Make-up Artist, Lisa Eldridge, is known for her signature look (‘fresh and

flawless’), yet she has also been called upon to work her magic for the runway at top fashion shows or for editorial shoots for magazines the calibre of Vogue, Elle and Harper’s Bazaar. With a list of celebrity clients that includes Cate Blanchett, Claire Danes and Gigi Hadid, she has developed an impressive global online following, owing in no small part to her collaboration with fashion houses such as Prada, Gucci and Chloé. Her site features photography of her stunning work, videos for everything from everyday looks to party looks, an excellent list of recommended products (including concealers, mascaras, skincare, etc.), and a brilliant list of articles which includes Halloween make-up inspiration, advice on strobing powders and the skinny on eyeshadow sticks. Worth every second of browsing. i www.lisaeldridge.com

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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

NATURAL

BEAUTY

BY BENECOS Benecos is a natural cosmetics company founded by young couple, Silke and Stephan Becker. Silke was pregnant with their third baby and was on maternity leave, while Stephan’s career in the cosmetics industry flourished. The couple decided to join forces and start their own company, Benecos (‘bene’ is Latin for good, and ‘cos’ is short for cosmetics). The range of stylish natural beauty products are BDIH certified, since they are free of paraffin, parabens, silicones, PEG, synthetic colour and fragrance and synthetic preservatives. WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS

1 – POMEGRANATE AND ROSE BODY LOTION: Keep skin hydrated with this beautifully scented lotion.

2 – TRANSLUCENT POWDER: Try this light powder to keep make-up in place and illuminate tired looking areas.

3 – FRESH BRONZING DUO – IBIZA: Top up your tan with this natural looking bronzing powder.

4 – APRICOT GLOW EYESHADOW: For a more natural look, try this peachy-nude shade.

5 – GREEN LAGOON EYESHADOW: Apply a dot of colour to your eyelids and leave them otherwise bare for an original look at your next summer soirée.

6 – MATTE EYESHADOW IN FROZEN YOGHURT: Battle oily skin with this neutral matte eyeshadow.

7 – VEGAN NATURAL MASCARA: Curl, lengthen and thicken eyelashes with this cruelty-free mascara.

8 – PINK BLOSSOM PINK GLOSS: This long lasting gloss has a fashionable berry hue. i www.benecos.co.uk

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4 2 5 6

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B-LITE

BREAST AUGMENTATION

EXPERTS

Cirumed has now become one of only two centers in Spain which is able to offer B-Lite lightweight breast implants. B-Lite implants are based on high-quality German cohesive gel technology, which has been used in conventional breast implants. However, B-Lite implants are around 30 per cent lighter.

All our surgeons are specialist consultants at the Department of Plastic Surgery of Spain’s elite hospital, Hospital Quirón. As their particular field of interest, our team of surgeons has specialized in advanced technology for free fat transfer of the patient’s own fat, ideal for natural looking breast and buttock augmentation.

Chairman of the Department of Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery

Cirumed Clinic /// Edif. Panorama, Planta baja, Local 2 /// Ctra. De Cadiz, km 184 /// E - 29603 Marbella /// Tel: +34 952 775 346 /// www.cirumed.es /// www.alexanderaslani.com /// www.alexander-aslani.es

Hospital Quirón Málaga Hospital Quirón Marbella Director of Cirumed Clinic Marbella

DR. ALEXANDER ASLANI

AESTHETIC DEPARTMENT CIRUMED CLINIC

SILHOUETTE SOFT // FILLERS // BOTOX // COOLSCULPTING // FRAXEL // SUGARING // ENDOLIFT // MICRODEMABRASION // MICROAGUJAS // MICROPIGMENTACION

n THE SPA health

The Surprising Health Benefits of Friendship

STAND BY ME WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS

We all know that friendships brighten our lives, help us connect with people who have common interests, and increase our sense of purpose, but did you know that they also bring measurable health (physical and mental) benefits? It can be difficult to make new friends and many of us who hail from other countries can miss our golden, tried-and-tested friendships back home. However, we all need someone to hang out with and tell our problems to, as these interesting findings on friendship suggest: Z FRIENDSHIP INCREASES MENTAL FUNCTIONING: Scientists at the University of Michigan found that talking with others regularly can help us solve common problems.

For their study, the researchers analysed executive function after friendly encounters. They found that conversation with people we like enhances working memory, selfmonitoring, and the ability to filter out external and internal distractions, promoting a more ‘in the moment’ state of mind.

Z CROSS-ETHNIC FRIENDSHIPS HELPS SCHOOL KIDS FEEL LESS VULNERABLE: The Society for Research in Child Development in the United States found that children who have cross-ethnic friendships feel safer than those who only stick to friends of their own ethnicity, since no single ethnic group is numerically more powerful than other groups. There is safety in numbers, so to speak… and in diversity.

Z FRIENDSHIPS ARE AS IMPORTANT AS EXERCISE AND DIET THROUGHOUT LIFE: A study carried out earlier this year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the United States found that the more friends children have at an early age, the better their health is at the beginning and end of their lives. Early friendship was linked to better measurements of important markers such as abdominal obesity, inflammation, blood pressure, etc. Poor measurements are linked to a host of serious diseases, including heart disease and cancer.

Z A STUDY PUBLISHED IN 2012 IN THE JOURNAL DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY FOUND THAT FEELINGS OF SELF-WORTH AND LEVELS OF STRESS HORMONE, CORTISOL, ARE GREATLY DEPENDENT ON THE SOCIAL CONTEXT OF DIFFICULT EXPERIENCES. Having a good friend around during tough moments has an immediate effect on children’s physical

and mental wellbeing. If a child is alone when they fight with a classmate or are berated by the teacher, their cortisol levels soar, a phenomenon which does not occur when a good friend ‘has their back’.

Z CONFIDING IN FRIENDS, NOT RELATIVES, HELPS OLDER ADULTS WHEN THEY LOSE A SPOUSE: Bereavement is one of the hardest experiences for any human being, but when one is older and loses a spouse, it can feel like one’s world has shattered.

Research shows that having a friend in whom to confide decreases stress levels, while often, the opposite can be said when we confide in a family member. This is because the emotional complexity involved in families can add tension. Family is obligatory; friendships are relationships we freely choose.

Z FRIENDSHIPS HELP US AVOID UNHEALTHY LIFESTYLE HABITS: While friendships often involve a bit of ‘unhealthy’ socialising – e.g. going

to the pub and knocking back a few glasses of wine or G&Ts, friendship as a whole helps us make healthy choices.

The truth is that friends are likelier to sign up for the gym together or try out a healthier diet, than they are to spend hours on end at the pub… unless they are aged 19 and at university, of course; then the pub is the most likely place you will find your BFF when you most need them.

Z BEING A GOOD FRIEND MAKES US A GOOD SIBLING: Researchers at the University of Illinois recently discovered that children who have had rewarding friendships prior to the birth of their younger brother or sister, are more likely to have a good relationship with their siblings, than those who never connected with a friend. The findings, based on a 13-year study of 28 pairs of siblings, found that those who had made friends earlier learned complex social and emotional skills that wielded benefits for future sibling harmony. e

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n THE SPA health COMPILED BY Marisa cutillas

Head of Digestive Health Department of Xanit Hospital a Rising Star

Most People with Sun Allergies are

Unaware of their Condition Summer may officially be over, yet on the Coast, it might as well be July or August, with temperatures continuing to soar in September. Many of us have an allergy to the sun, which mainly manifests itself in the spring and summer months and which mostly affects young people, but can also affect those who are older. The main signs of an allergy to the sun include repeated skin lesions that produce itching, mainly on the face, neck, thorax, forearms and legs. Itching and rashes are common. If you suspect you may be affected, see a specialist.

A low calorie diet can significantly increase our lifespan, according to a new study published in the Journal of Proteome Research. Calorie restriction works by reducing reactive oxygen species in the body and changing lipid metabolite and specific hormone levels which are linked to age-related conditions. The study was carried out on four groups of mice, each of which followed a specific diet: low fat, low fat and calorie restricted, high fat and high fat with calorie restriction.

The researchers found that calorie restriction with a healthy diet worked best for longevity, though further studies need to be carried out on humans.

Dr. Sánchez Yagüe, Head of the Digestive Health Department of the Vithas Xanit Hospital in Benalmádena, was recently awarded the Rising Star prize by the Spanish Society of Digestive Pathology, in recognition of his work in research, his dedication to clinical practice and his participation in leadership posts, both at a national and international level. Dr. Sánchez Yagüe is renowned for having developed a system that permits internal biliar drainage, which makes life much more comfortable for patients. The Rising Star prize is given to upcoming gastroenterologists who are involved in research and who are willing to attend congresses, share the results of their research, etc. i www.xanit.es

What Factors Make Us

Look Older?

If you haven’t signed up to ocean Clinic’s newsletter yet, then you should; it is an excellent read that keeps you posted on the latest developments in aesthetic surgery and beauty. In a recent edition, Dr. Kai Kaye and his team highlighted the tell-tale signs of age, most of which can easily be addressed, either surgically or cosmetically. These signs include wrinkles, sagging jowls, eye bags, loose neck skin, spotty/veiny hands, thinning lips, a gaunt face and breasts which are less than perky. i For further information on how you can make a change that will help you feel younger and more vital, www.oceanclinic.net

Calorie Restriction for Good Health

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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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n THE SPA health

María del Mar

Luque Fernández

New Patient Coordinator of Hospital Banús WORDS Marisa cutillas Photography kevin horn

H

ospital Banús, located on the Golden Mile and boasting two operating rooms, a wealth of specialities and a highly qualified team comprising some of the best doctors on a national and international level, has a brand new Patient Coordinator: Dr. María del Mar Luque Fernández, a brilliant and highly acclaimed doctor who specialises in three diverse yet often interrelated specialities: Intensive Care, Traditional Chinese Medicine (including acupuncture) and Cosmetic, Aesthetic and Anti-Ageing Medicine. She is the perfect fit for Hospital Banús because her interest in traditional and Eastern practices have taught her that no two patients are alike; to be successful or satisfying in the long-term, all treatments must cater to each patient’s particular needs.

The magnificent installations and equipment at Hospital Banús offer great support to the human quotient. The luxury hospital boasts a 24-hour emergency service, as well as two operating theatres, its own lab, rehabilitation and physiotherapy unit, podiatry unit, dental area, diagnostic imaging area, and much more.

Specialities include allergology, aesthetic medicine, plastic surgery, diet and nutrition, endocrinology, gynecology, biological medicine, psychiatry, psychology, traumatology, urology and practically any and every speciality you would expect at the world’s best hospitals. Indeed, the hospital is home to one of the most renowned digestive specialists in Spain (Dr. Carlos de Sola).

Because there are so many specialists and patients may not necessarily know which to approach, Dr. Luque Fernández serves as a first point of contact. Her friendly, welcoming, warm manner make her the ideal person to assess a prospective patient’s needs, and her vast experience enables her to point them in the right

direction. “Take the case of a common problem such as erectile dysfunction – a patient facing this condition will need to be assessed by a multidisciplinary team to cover all possible causes – not only from a urological point of view, but also from a cardiovascular, endocrinological or mental/ emotional sphere – they may also benefit from the help of a psychologist.”

In addition to ensuring that the precise cause of any problem is found and treated, Hospital Banús is famed for its cutting edge technology. “We have the most advanced techniques in minimally invasive surgical procedures, in spine surgery and gynecology (umbilical single port) or tramautology, to name a few specialities. Additionally, our treatments feature the very latest technological advances, such as laser vaginal rejuvenation and urinary incontinence treatment, laser acupuncture, new generation opthalmological surgery, minimally invasive and early detection of prostate cancer, same day dental implants, etc.”

Dr. Luque Fernández admits that she is most passionate about aesthetic medicine, regenerative plastic and reconstructive surgery and anti-ageing.

Her knowledge of the very latest treatments is indeed impressive. She asks me what I would do to fill in marionette lines, for instance (the deep lines that form in the sides of the mouth) and I answer, “Fillers in the lines.” She smilingly suggests that the best way to obtain a natural look may be to actually fill the cheek area, which would naturally lift the lines away. “My aim,” she says, “is to listen to you, and to suggest the different ways we can help you meet your expectations.

For example, if you are thinking of having a facelift, we can suggest alternative techniques to surgery, including chemical peeling, laser, fillers with hyaluronic acid, PRP, micro fat grafting, thread

lifting, carboxytherapy, etc. Whichever procedure you do opt for, you can rest assured that you will be treated by a highly skilled and experienced professional in their field.”

Dr. Luque Fernández and the hardworking team at Hospital Banús are constantly adapting to new trends and demands. For instance, muscle marking, which is hugely popular among both men and women seeking to define areas like the abdominals, biceps, buttocks, calves, etc.

Other surgeries are more profound – “We carry out highly complex, exclusive procedures such as ethnic plastic surgery and complete sex changes, which includes not just genital surgery, but the change of facial features, hormone treatment, implants, follow-up treatment, emotional support, etc.”

Dr. Luque Fernández notes that the increasing popularity of aesthetic surgery and the proliferation of low cost surgery services means that there are more and more cases of complications after plastic surgery. “Luckily, our patients can count on the expertise of a highly qualified reconstructive surgery specialist… we are also at the forefront of stem cell treatment, not only in plastic surgery and aesthetic medicine but in all areas in which this technique has produced excellent results, including post-operative healing, orthopaedic joint issues, diabetic ulcers, anal fistulas, inflammatory bowel disease, etc.”

Dr. Luque Fernández and her team are clearly equipped with the training, experience, technology and caring to ensure that you can be the very best version of yourself in terms of beauty, health and wellbeing. g CN340, km176, Marbella. Tel: 951 055 951. www.hospitalbanus.com

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REINVENTING HEALTH CARE WE SPECIALISE IN THE LATEST TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES: • digestive and obesity unit - Dr Carlos de Sola is the leading expert in digestive pathology on the Costa del Sol for the past 30 years.

• men’s health unit, with comprehensive check ups

CY

• laser technology (vaginal rejuvenation and incontinence, cryolipolysis, tatoo removal...)

EN

• complete sex reassignment surgery, facial feminization and ethnic surgery

E ME R L G A

MEDI

• stem cells

C

• plastic and reconstructive surgery (six pack abs, weight loss surgery, corrective surgery...)

• dentistry, with same day top quality implants • new eye unit, offering an extensive range of expert services, including laser and cataract surgery

We work with all International and travel insurance companies

CN 340, km 176 (Golden Mile) - 29600 Puerto Banús, Marbella Tel: 951 055 951 • email: info@hospitalbanus.com • www. hospitalbanus.com

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z z THE PRO enterprise

the pro

ENTERPRISE LOCAL BUSINESS PROFILES FINANCE/LAW THE VIBE

Compiled by Marisa CUTILLAS

Cutting Edge Architecture for the Costa del Sol September sees the launch of Real Capital Solutions’ much anticipated new-build villas in Atalaya. Arboleda is a development of 18 luxurious homes that unite five different villa types into a sophisticated community. This approach allows a diversity of size and style, with each property set to uniquely complement its surroundings. Taylor Cox of US equity fund Real Capital Solutions says, “While we wanted to bring the ultimate in American standards of excellence to the property market in Spain, we also wanted to retain the essentiality of comfortable living. Arboleda is all about blending organic beauty with architectural brilliance.” Atalaya is an established area at the heart of the Costa del Sol, between Marbella and Estepona. i www.arboleda-villas.com

International Medical Meeting Puts Marbella on the Map as Health Tourism Destination Marbella is on track to become a leading health tourism destination following an event which shone a spotlight on the area’s first class medical facilities. The Marbella International Plastic Surgery Summer School (MIPSS), which took place recently, was the first of its kind in the south of Spain. The event welcomed more than 50 plastic surgeons from across Europe and Africa and included 30 presentations covering a diverse range of topics from cosmetic procedures and reconstructive techniques to gender reassignment surgery. MIPSS was organised by Dr. Kai Kaye, Head Surgeon at Ocean Clinic Marbella, who wished to bring aesthetic specialists to the Costa del Sol in order to discuss best approaches and advancements in the field. He says: “It’s very important to bring professional scientific meetings here to the coast. We’re well known for leisure tourism, but we have to face the fact that we’re becoming more and more of a health care destination, especially Marbella. Medical tourism is already an important branch and I think it will become increasingly more important in the next 10 years due to the infrastructure we have here.” i www.oceanclinic.net

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enterprise THE PRO z

OCEAN CLUB CLOSING PARTY TAKES PLACE ON SEPTEMBER 29 According to local tradition, the Marbella summer season opens and closes at Ocean Club, so make sure you’re there to see it off. The black and gold closing party runs from 7pm to 2am, with all the food, Champagne, cocktails, entertainment, fashion and beautiful faces you could hope for at one of Europe’s ultimate summer occasions. A glamorous event not to be missed, with Erick Morillo as special Guest DJ and a celebratory midnight fireworks display as the party melds into the early hours to add a final sparkle to your summer! i www.oceanclub.es

CONCORDIA CELEBRATES ITS 20TH ANNUAL FUNDRAISING GALA Concordia, the association dedicated to combatting AIDS, recently celebrated its 20th fundraising gala at the Palacio de Babilonia at Olivia Valere.

Volunteers, collaborators and around 300 friends of Princess Maria Luisa of Prussia attended the event, to raise funds for one of the world's deadliest viruses. The exquisite dinner was prepared by the staff from Babilonia and Lepanto and served by students of Les Roches. Covap, Bodegas Sánchez Romate, Pernod Ricard and Logistransol also sponsored the event. i www.concordiamarbella.com

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z THE PRO enterprise First Edition of Kuwait-Spain Festival in Marbella a Success The Antonio Banderas Plaza in Puerto Banús was the perfect backdrop for the first Kuwait-Spain Festival in Marbella, featuring numerous performances and products from both countries. The organiser of the event, Abrar Al Masoud, stated: “This idea was born because of my love for this country, in particular Marbella, where I have many fond childhood memories that I will treasure for many years. I hope this event sheds some light on the relationship between Spain and Kuwait in relation to the economy, politics, culture, art and tourism among others, thus creating stronger links between both countries”.

Dario Poli Composes New Song for the Peace Justice and Security Foundation The Hague

La Cala Shows its Caring Side at the Fundación Pequeño Deseo Golf Tournament

Talented Composer and Performer, Dario Poli, has composed a song called Ever Changing World for the Peace Justice and Security Foundation. Dario was approached by Florence Olara of The Hague Justice Portal, who informed him that the Foundation was planning various events and activities to increase society’s awareness about peace, justice and security. Dario’s original song captures the essence of The Hague and calls for its high standards to be applied on a global scale. Dario also attended the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, held at the Peace Palace in The Hague. He relied on the talents of lyricist, David Mairs (Co-Author alongside Dario of Amsterdam the Musical) and renowned British Musical Director, David Redston.

Mugge Fischer and Ose del Sol produced an original painting and CD cover to accompany Dario’s song. i www.marbellamarbella.es

La Cala Golf Resort recently hosted the Fundación Pequeño Deseo Golf Tournament, which was held to raise funds for ill children. The best way to motivate and help a child deal with a difficult situation, is by making their wishes come true. Around 50 players took part in the competition, which was held on La Cala’s América golf course. i www.lacala.com

Busy Days for Cudeca Fundraisers for cancer hospice, Cudeca, have been working hard as usual, organising a host of events.

The Moonlight Gala Dinner at Lew Hoad's Tennis and Padel Club in Mijas saw guests enjoy a hearty meal and live performances by Mike Sterling (West End star), Deborah Dee and Simona Mango. Cudeca also held a Family Sports Day at Club La Costa Resort, featuring a foam party, nine-metre slide, traditional sports day games, Disney characters, kids’ entertainment, a bouncy castle, music and refreshments. i www.cudeca.org

Gabriela Recalde Marbella Properties Opens at La Alcazaba, Puerto Banús Real estate firm, Gabriela Recalde Marbella Properties, recently invited clients and friends to celebrate the opening of its new offices, which will be run by Gabriela herself, a professional with many years of experience in the sector. The firm will manage the sale and rental of properties in Marbella and surrounding areas, including Puerto Banús, ranging from apartments, penthouses, townhouses and villas, to fincas, plots, commercial and promotions. i www.gabrielarecalde.com

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z THE PRO enterprise

Black & White, New Landmark for Stag and Hen Nights

First Anniversary Party for P4 Arquitectos P4 Arquitectos, the firm founded by husband-and-wife team Eulalia Polo de Uña and Joaquín Amores Sardá, recently celebrated their first anniversary. P4 may be new but its staff boast over two decades worth of experience, having been involved with everything from luxury villas to contemporary office spaces.

Congratulations to the team on their one-year anniversary. May they celebrate many more! i www.p4arquitectos.com

Black & White restaurant in Puerto Banús, part of the successful Bluebay Gourmet group of restaurants, has become a landmark for stag/hen parties, holding around 42 of these events a week in high season. The restaurant offers international cuisine, boasts an extensive menu, and offers group menus to suit all budgets.

According to Manager, Carlota Zapata, in high season (April to October), “We have about six stag/hen parties every day and sometimes there are more than 50 per week.” Regarding nationalities, she notes, “In general, most are British, followed by the Irish, we have very few Spaniards.” Carlota emphasises the fact that “Spanish customers have a preconceived idea of Puerto Banús; they think the prices are over the top, but I’d ask them to come check our menus, and I’m sure they’ll be surprised.” i www.blackandwhitemarbella.com

11th Copa Condesa Villapadierna Golf Tournament at the Villa Padierna Palace Hotel Over 100 golfers recently took part in the 11th edition of the Copa Condesa Golf Tournament, enjoying a fantastic awards ceremony afterwards in the company of Ricardo Arranz Villapadierna (son of Alicia Villapadierna and Ricardo Arranz). The competition, which took place at Flamingos Golf, saw Alejandro Arranz and Marlene Asher victorious (in the male and female categories, respectively). A Scratch prize was also awarded to Ignacio Sarasola Arribas. i www.villapadiernapalacehotel.com

Leonor Navarro AG’ Difusión de Autor Opens in Estepona

El Patio Lights up the Summer Sky at the Marbella Club Hotel Those who love parting know that the place to be during the summer season was undoubtedly El Patio, the brand new party spot whose visionary creator was Hubertus von Hohenlohe. The beautiful plaza was the perfect backdrop for a host of parties built around a particular theme, including Flower Power, Studio 54 and Miami 1950s. The jetset rocked on to the break of dawn in this chic setting, with Hubertus playing the perfect host to the parties’ many guests. i www.marbellaclub.com

Estepona Stylist, Leonor Navarro, is proud to announce that she has opened the first Leonor Navarro AG d'Autor training center in Andalucía. The centre, which follows the lead of famed Stylist, Antonio Garrido, will be teaching professionals the very latest trends in the worlds of hair styling, barber shop services and styling in general. Leonor Navarro is an Educator and Member of the Antonio Garrido brand, which boasts four centres in Madrid and three in Barcelona. g C/ Jesús Nazareno, Plaza Francisco

Umbral, Estepona. Tel: 952 801 027.

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z THE PRO enterprise

Hyperbaric Medical Conference in Estepona The Auditorio Felipe VI will play host to the second Hyperbaric Medicine conference, organised by the Centro Médico Hiperbárico de Estepona, on Friday September 16 and Saturday September 17. The conference will highlight the latest news in hyperbaric medicine, which can help the body heal from a host of conditions, including stroke, infections, and wounds which are difficult to heal. i For further information

and precise times, www.centrohiperbarico.com

The Heredian Gives to Aspandem Paul Smith and his partner, Ally McCormick, who founded The Heredian last year, organised a fantastic Ladies Ascot day to raise funds for ASPANDEM. Paul and Ally were approached by Irene Olofsson to help her uphold the Ladies Ascot Day annual tradition. Paul and Ally chose ASPANDEM as their chosen charity and immediately began asking businesses for donations. Although The Heredian closed its doors, Guillermo Carnicería Holandesa stepped in to provide the food. In addition to the cash donations, ASPADEM benefitted from a raffle draw and auction and a total of €2.505 was raised. Paul and Ally would like to thank their many sponsors.

New Honorary Consulate of the Czech Republic in Gibraltar The Ambassador of the Czech Republic, His Excellency Libor Secka, officially launched the new Honorary Consulate of the Czech Republic in Gibraltar. A special reception was held at the Rock Hotel following the appointment earlier this year of Stanislav as Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic to the UK in Gibraltar.

Beyond providing assistance to Czech nationals, Honorary Consul, Stanislav, hopes to build stronger links between the Czech Republic and Gibraltar in three fields in particular: tourism, economic and commercial cooperation and education. g The Czech Honorary Consulate is located in the Cloister Building (Blands) in

Irish Town and can be contacted on gibraltar@honorary.mzv.cz 134 / SEPTEMBER 2016 ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM

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z THE PRO business

TAMARA COMOLLI and the Colourful World of Nature TAMARA COMOLLI, is known for its high quality jewellery made with diamonds, precious gemstones and gold. Designed by the vivacious Tamara Comolli, the brand exudes style, elegance, playfulness and a love for nature that shines through in every piece. TAMARA COMOLLI has always been in vogue among the jet-set in Marbella and now, shopping for your favorite piece is easier than ever, thanks to the new boutique at the Marbella Club Hotel.

The TAMARA COMOLLI brand boasts various collections, including the new FAIRY Collection (which connects with the youthful, feminine spirit), the INDIA Collection (featuring handcrafted leaf pendants made of materials

such as delicate Mother-of-Pearl or Bobinga wood), the MIKADO Flamenco Collection (a paradise of gemstones) and more… All items are designed

by Tamara Comolli herself, who has born in Germany but raised in Spain, Gibraltar, France and Germany. Tamara studied business in Munich, founding her fine jewellery brand in 1992 and winning a string of prestigious awards, including the De Beers Award for Design in 2004. Her flagship store was set up in The Hamptons, though she also operates three stores in Germany and her latest was recently launched at the Marbella Club Hotel. Marisa Cutillas brings you this exclusive interview with the designer herself: PHOTOGRAPHY KEVIN HORN AND COURTESY OF TAMARA COMOLLI

DO YOU THINK THAT YOUR INTERNATIONAL UPBRINGING INSPIRED THE TYPE OF JEWELLERY YOU DESIGN? For sure... growing up with a father who operated Casinos, in a glamorous environment filled with elegant, bejewelled people, beautiful women decked in jewellery and a mother who loved gemstones and taught my sister and me the names of gems and designers, definitely left its mark.

HOW LONG DID YOU LIVE IN SPAIN AND WHAT ARE YOUR FONDEST MEMORIES OF THIS COUNTRY? I lived there when I was a small child up to the age of five and then visited yearly since my dad worked in Gibraltar. It became our second home and I remember everything happening outdoors with long evenings on the beach, all four of us children hanging out with Spanish and Gibraltarian families, having picnic dinners every weekend and then falling into bed sandy and happy.

WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THE WORLD OF JEWELLERY DESIGN? Gems gems gems… their colours and mesmerising sparkle and working with these qualities to

enhance their beauty through design.

I very much loved and still do love experimenting with unusual gems and combining them in my world of so called ‘Colour stories’.

WHERE DO YOU OBTAIN YOUR INSPIRATION? I am very much inspired by fashion and nature. I have a very sensitive eye with respect to how colours blend into each other and what moods they create. Different materials and their feel, too, influence my perception.

The touch and temperature of wood on your skin, for example, which I recently discovered for our collection, is very much nature-driven.

ANY HOBBIES OR PASSIONS APART FROM JEWELLERY DESIGN? I love animals. I have two dogs whom I adore. I love taking rides with my bike in the woods with them.

WHO HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST INSPIRATION IN BUSINESS AND DESIGN? Steve Jobs – both his determined passion and way of keeping things simple but stunning. In all ways.

WHAT ARE THE VALUES YOU HOLD DEAR IN YOUR COMPANY? Authenticity, fun, wearability,

understatement, casual luxury.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO OPEN A BOUTIQUE AT THE MARBELLA CLUB HOTEL? I spent so many summers there. I must have owed it to my mother who loved this place and experienced her worse sunburn in one of those villas… and it was just meant to be. The exact same spirit and values are part of the Marbella Club and my collection.

They both take a very relaxed, natural approach to high class quality.

WHAT TYPE OF WOMAN DO YOU DESIGN FOR? Women of all ages and styles who are individual in their way of thinking and who have a certain nonchalance.

CAN YOU TELL ME A BIT ABOUT YOUR NEWEST COLLECTIONS? Our CAPRI Collection... pure summer colours that take you to the sea: turquoise, orange carnelian and white opals so clean and fresh and strong in their combination, best featured in the iconic Flamenco Bracelet and the new FAIRY Collection… a fairytale, no gems but romantic, delicate and typical using my drop shape leaf symbol. Both collections are very different but obviously incorporate my signature

use of gemstones and the shapes I love so much: acorn-shaped gems and drop-shaped elements of gold.

CAN YOU SUGGEST A PRESENT FOR A BIRTHDAY? AN ANNIVERSARY? AN ENGAGEMENT? Birthdays should be something that allows adding on to; I would suggest an acorn shaped pendant (pendants do not need sizing, they always fit) and they work best in the friend's favourite colour. For an anniversary I would suggest a bracelet – for example, my Signature bracelet with the endless flow of drops symbolising a long meaningful timeline. The signature drops can be interpreted as an infinity symbol when they are added to this bracelet. For an engagement, I’d be happy to design the most perfect solitaire diamond ring as a one-of-a-kind statement.

My personal favorite right now is the INDIA leaves as a present. Any woman would fall in love with those paisley shape carved ornamental elements. g At the Marbella Club Hotel.

Avda. Bulevar Príncipe Alfonso de Hohenlohe s/n, Marbella.

Tel: 952 765 255. www.tamaracomolli.com

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Tailored Birthday Parties for the Most Important Family Members!

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A day to share and enjoy with your family and friends.

Our Kid’s Club is 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.

TAILORED PARTIES We cater for children ages 1 - 14 Dedicated Party Planner Choose your Special Theme Bespoke Cakes & Decor · Tasty Gourmet Options Staffed Catering Service · for grown-ups also!

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To book a celebration please contact Daniela Isler / disler@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 law

HAVE I g n i x a t GOT NEWS FOR YOU? Brexit has brought into sharp focus the discrimination that the Spanish tax system inflicts on non EU individuals with property interests in Spain. WORDS ALISTAIR SPENCE CLARKE

I

f we go back a few years, Spain had no shame in treating all foreigners unfairly when it came to taxation. For example, Spain charged 35 per cent capital gains tax on any foreigner making a profit in selling a property whilst its own residents paid only 15 per cent.

When it was challenged, the Government said that it was fair to charge foreigners such a high tax rate because it was halfway between the top and lowest income tax rates that Spain applied to its own residents.

Spain got away with this behaviour until the EU commission realised what was going on. The EU Commission has a really big boot and said Spain was abusing EU citizens. It took the case to its friends in the European Court of Justice and in October 2009 won the case against Spain.

The Government had to repay a lot of tax and changed the law so that it now charges all foreigners, not just EU/EEA citizens, just 19 per cent for capital gains made on the sale of properties.

At the same time it changed the rules on rental income so that EU/ EEA citizens pay a flat 19 per cent

tax on net rent received, i.e. after deducting relevant property costs.

Spanish residents can also deduct property costs.

However, Spain still taxes rental income for non-EU foreigners on gross income, completely ignoring the costs of owning a property such as community fees, insurance, repairs, utilities, municipal taxes, mortgage interest, etc. In other words, with tax assessed on gross income, you can pay tax even though you have made a loss!

And non-EU foreigners have to pay 24 per cent tax instead of 19 per cent.

So what will happen if you are a Brit and you are about to lose your EU citizen status?

Well, tough, you’ll no longer be part of the elite EU Club so the EU Commission will not protect you. You will pay tax on your rental income at 24 per cent, with no deductions.

Mmm. I wonder, has something been forgotten?

Article 31 of the Spanish constitution says that tax must not be confiscatory, and I would argue that this applies to nationals and foreigners alike. Does charging 24 per cent income tax when a

person makes a loss sound a bit confiscatory?

Also, as it happens, every Spanish double tax treaty contains a “nondiscrimination clause.” The idea is that the treaty guarantees that neither country will discriminate against the nationals of the other.

This is a good idea because each country wants to make cross border business and investment with the other as easy as possible.

Spain has double tax treaties with 102 countries, of which 93 are in full force today.

I haven’t checked them all but, as they are usually based on the OECD model tax treaty, all should contain this magical non-discrimination clause.

An example is the 1990 USA/ Spanish treaty, which says (simplified): “Nationals of the USA shall not be subjected in Spain to any tax which is more burdensome than the tax Spain applies to its own nationals.”

The terminology is simple and even a politician should be capable of understanding that Spain is in breach of its obligations to US nationals because it charges tax on gross and not net rental income.

The problem is that (surprise, surprise) there have been conflicting Spanish court decisions on this matter. One Supreme Court ruled that the non-discrimination clause does not apply in such cases, whereas another Supreme Court ruled that it does apply.

Common sense tells us… erm what am I saying!? Common sense and tax law do not belong together in the same sentence!

The US Department of the Treasury might want to look into this on behalf of its nationals and certainly Boris Johnson, the new Foreign Office minister of the UK Government, should check the way Spain will tax UK nationals, at some point in the Brexit fun and games.

It seems that only intervention at the inter-Governmental level is likely to sort out this unfair treatment of non-EU nationals.

Readers may like to know more about the author and this firm that has practiced in Spain for 31 years.

See http://www.spenceclarke.com/ g Alistair Spence Clarke, FCA Spence Clarke & Co, Chartered Accountants, Marbella www.spenceclarke.com

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revenue models THE PRO z

WORDS ALI PARANDEH

REVENUE

MODEL A

n unsold product, meal, dress or software is worth nothing, no matter how good you might think it is, until someone starts offering to pay something for it. The common cause of death for most companies is a lack of sales and customers. Now that you have learned how to please your customers, wow them, knock their socks off, make a memorable moment for them and anticipate their every move, you need to make sure that whatever it is you are selling is appealing or useful enough for your customers to part with their hard earned cash.

Revenue models in companies are changing constantly, a change that brings about lots of opportunities and along with it the death of many other companies. If you don’t change or show enough flexibility in your revenue model you will also die along the way.

Therefore, it pays to work on this model and it may be that you will take several weeks, months or even years to come up with a working model, which will, of course, only need changing immediately.

In this article I will only focus on revenue models for internet services and software, but by no means do I claim to be an expert,

rather I will share the knowledge I have acquired in this sector.

FREE SERVICE – ADVERTISING MODEL This is the model for most startups and it was a model that worked for many, bringing them millions.

It is still a viable model, although one that is getting harder day by day. In this model you either have content or software that the user is sometimes unwilling to pay for but happy to use; consequently, you very often need lots and lots of users. It is also a very high risk model, because you are banking on the fact that you will reach enough users in the sector that you are targeting to make sense for advertisers to work with you. Of course you can start with Google Adsense but it may be some time until you see profits. If this is your model then you need to make sure that you have enough cash or no need for cash in order to wait the time it takes for you to reach the required critical mass to attract the advertisers. Many entrepreneurs like Zoe and the Fat Jew have done exactly this. Against all odds and all sense and logic, they have prospered to earn hundreds of thousands of euros.

FREEMIUM This is very similar to shareware but not quite the same. If you are old enough to remember the PC software industry, many programmers or developers created programs that they were happy to share for free. If you liked it and decided to use it, they would generally ask for a donation of your choice or a set amount. I would say the Freemium model is very similar.

It banks on the fact that many people will sign up to it because it is free and some become paying customers immediately because they need some of the restricted functionalities. Eventually, many of the free users can be persuaded to upgrade to a level somewhere in between full and free. The freemium revenue model reduces the cost of user acquisition and also opens up the possibility of mixing it with advertising revenue or services. This is usually a winning model that can grow exponentially and generate a fair amount of income in the long run but it is also a model that, like the ‘Free services’, is cash hungry and requires waiting along with some, or as in most cases, substantial investment.

FULL CHARGE WITH TRIAL PERIOD Your product may equally be among those services that the user can simply not do without.

You may or may not have competition but in any case in this model it is often advisable and good practice to offer the client a free trial period. If it does what it promises and delivers, then without any hesitation the client will pay for it. In this model your only concern is really the cost of user acquisition and the cost of production.

My mentor once told me that it will take some hammering before I have figured out the pricing and revenue model. I took it somewhat lightly and paid a dear price for it. It took me 3 years to come up with a working revenue model, one which we have now learnt to tweak and constantly improve. I hope you will take the time to give it more thought, keep it flexible and simple. g Ali Parandeh is Founder of Urbytus™, The Presidents Club™ and Electronbox & PC Doctor. He has written five books in the fields of Internet and Biotechnology and can be contacted at ap@businessdevelopment.es

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z THE PRO vibe

FM Consulting Realty Group Celebrates 26th Anniversary Fausto Martínez and the team at the FM Consulting Realty Group recently celebrated a real feat – their 26th anniversary – with plenty of style and panache. The team welcomed clients, friends and members of the press to a lively cocktail party at Finca La Concepción, a fittingly elegant backdrop to such a special event. i www.fmconsulting.es

“Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better” – Peter Riley

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Art Marbella Brings 47 Renowned Galleries to Marbella The biggest international art fair to hit the Coast, Art Marbella, recently exhibited work from over 47 galleries at the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Marbella. Some of the galleries taking part included Area 72 (Valencia), ArtNueve (Murcia), Filomena Soares (Portugal), Baró Galería (Brazil), etc. iwww.marbellafair.com

“I dream my painting, then I paint my dream” – Vincent Van Gogh

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z THE PRO vibe

Selected Boutique Presents Antonio Banderas Design Selected Boutique, a trendy store recently opened in the heart of Puerto Banús, welcomed Antonio Banderas Design by Selected Homme, the first clothing line designed by the talented Actor, who was present to showcase the new collection.

Selected is currently operating in 27 countries, with 38 company-owned stores and 1,800 franchise stores to its name. i www.selected.com

“Simplicity is the key note of all true elegance” – Coco Chanel

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PUENTE ROMANO BEACH RESORT & SPA

DISFRUTA DE LAS VENTAJAS DE SER SOCIO · MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

Pases temporales de 1, 3 y 6 meses Acceso a la zona de aguas, gimnasio, tratamientos, asesoramiento de salud y bienestar.

Descuentos en el club de tenis, el restaurante Sea Grill y noches de hotel.

Programas de ‘Integrated Wellness’ personalizados

1, 3 and 6-month passes Spa Facilities, Gym, Treatments, Health & Wellness Assessment.

Discounts at the Tennis Club, the Sea Grill Restaurant and room nights.

Personalized Integrated Wellness Programmes

información y precios · information & price lists

reservations-marbella-spa@sixsenses.com

Puente Romano Beach Resort & Spa · Bulevar Príncipe Alfonso von Hohenlohe, s/n · 29602 Marbella · Málaga · Spain · T (+34) 952 820 900 · puenteromano.com

z THE PRO vibe

World Vision Gala at the Puente Romano Beach Resort & Spa Beachfront venue, Sea Grill, at the Puente Romano Beach Resort & Spa, was the perfect backdrop for the World Vision Gala, which saw Marbella’s jetsetters gather together and enjoy a fantastic evening for a good cause. World Vision aims to end global hunger and to help children in need. i www.puenteromano.com

“Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have” – Anonymous

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vibe THE PRO z

1980S COME TO LIFE AT JOYS LIVE There is no doubt that the 1980s are one of the most joyful decades in so far as music and fashion are concerned and all its magic recently came to life once again at Joys Live Bar & Nightclub. Joys will also thrill audiences with a concert by the talented Susan Erwin (Rockabilly Pianist, Singer, Songwriter, Nashville Recording Artist, and Painter), who will perform live every night from September 2 to 11. i www.joyslive.com

“1980s music: because you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone” – Anonymous

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h THE LEISURE travel

SENIOR MASTERS CUP

PUENTE ROMANO, MARBELLA Tennis and glamour come together at the ideal spot, the Puente Romano Tennis Club, from 22nd to 24th September this year as some of the greatest names in tennis history do battle. WORDS MICHEL CRUZ PHOTOGRAPHY SENIOR MASTERS CUP

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T

he clay courts and elegant leafy surroundings of the Puente Romano Tennis Club have hosted the cream of tennis. Indeed, many of the world’s greatest stars have been attracted to its conditions – both on and off the court. Most recently it was Novak Djokovic, who practised at the club and even found time to attend the Seal concert also held here. He is the latest in a rich tradition that has included the great Bjorn Borg, Manolo Santana and John McEnroe, who has been one of the star attractions of the Senior Nations Cup Marbella.

Making its Spanish debut at Puente Romano in 2003, it soon became one of the seasonal highlights on Marbella’s sporting and social calendar, bringing together players such as Henri Leconte, Yannick Noah, Michael Stich and Jim Courier, the last two of whom played out

an epic match in 2004. Marbella has always been a favourite venue of the players, so it hasn’t been too hard to sign big names to the new tournament. When it was announced that a modified version, the Senior Masters Cup, was returning to the Puente Romano in 2016, John McEnroe didn’t need much convincing, commenting from the sidelines of Roland Garros, where he was covering the French Open: “I’m excited to have the opportunity to play in Marbella again. We’ve been to Puente Romano often and during every one of those visits we enjoyed great tennis, good weather, fantastic food and lots of atmosphere, so it’s certainly worth going to play in Marbella.”

INTERNATIONAL TENNIS RETURNS TO MARBELLA The heady days of the Senior Nations Cup Marbella

are therefore going to be relived this summer, when John McEnroe heads a line-up of stars including Yannick Noah, Mats Wilander, Albert Costa, Younes El Aynaoui and Sebastien Grosjean. Former French Open winners Wilander and Noah will bring their flair to the court on the opening day, preceded by Grosjean and El Aynaoui, who will kick off the tournament on the main court at the Puente Romano Tennis Club on Thursday 22nd September.

The winner of the WilanderNoah match will meet wily veteran and former world number one McEnroe – reputed to be the fi ttest player of them all – on the Friday, with Spanish star Albert Costa taking on the winner of the other match. The tournament concludes with the final on Saturday 24th September, but this being a Marbella event there is more than tennis alone on offer. In fact, you might say that the Senior Masters

Cup is a three-day celebration of sport and glamour in the very finest of Marbella and Puente Romano traditions.

The event, which is broadcast on Teledeporte, will be officially opened with a cocktail party that follows the official press conference on Wednesday 22nd.

The tennis commences with the opening matches on the Thursday, and Friday morning the players engage in a Pro Am golf tournament at the Marbella Club Golf Resort before meeting one another in the semi-finals of the Senior Masters Cup. In true style the competition reaches a climax on Saturday, starting with a Pro Am padel tournament that pits the likes of McEnroe against professional padel tennis stars. It should be fascinating to see how tennis legends get on with the sport that so many of us here on the Costa del Sol consider to be our own.

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PROGRAMME OF MATCHES Thursday 22 September QUARTER FINALS 19.00hrs Sebastian Grosjean vs Younes El Aynaoui 21.00hrs Mats Wilander vs Yannick Noah

Friday 23 September Mats Wilander, Yannick Noah and John McEnroe will be in action at the Puente Romano in September

AN AMBIENCE OF STYLE The evening’s tennis will kick off with a doubles exhibition match that serves as a warm-up for the final at nine o’clock, and if we avoid a repetition of the titanic battle between Stich and Courier in 2004, the assembled guests will enjoy a timely gala dinner at the Plaza Romano before a concert by none other than Yannick Noah gets the party going to see the 2016 Senior Masters Cup Marbella out in style.

Organiser Diego Perez and his team have created a three-day programme packed with content in a stylish setting that reflects Marbella at its very best. The Puente Romano, as always, is the ideal home for the Senior Masters Cup, not just because of its amenities and refinement, but also thanks to a true tennis pedigree that stretches back over 30 years and has brought many memorable moments to visitors and residents alike. The Marbella Town Hall and sponsors such as Estrella Damm, Richard Mille, Oliviana, Ecovidrio, Schweppes, El Corte Inglés and Goldcar have played a role in bringing a top international tennis event back to Marbella, and the town is certainly going to enjoy this return in style, with accompanying VIP hospitality to complement the boxes, VIP seats and of course normal tournament seating available to lovers of tennis and glamorous events.

The initiative of sports marketing company Tennium, the Senior Masters Cup Marbella is here to stay. A three-day party with tennis at its core, it is another sign that the feel-good factor is alive and well in Marbella.

SEMI-FINALS 19.00hrs The winner between Younes El Aynaoui and Sebastian Grosjean vs Albert Costa 21.00hrs The winner between Yannick Noah and Mats Wilander vs John McEnroe

Saturday 24th September PRO-AM TOURNAMENT 11.00-13.30hrs Pro-Am games followed by lunch in the Puente Romano Tennis Club Exhibition matches 19.00hrs Doubles teams made up of the players who are not playing in the final 21.00hrs Senior Masters Cup Final 22.30hrs Dinner for players and tournament sponsors in the VIP lounge 23.30hrs Yannick Noah concert in the VIP lounge i Tickets available at El Corte Inglés www.seniormasterscup.com

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restaurant & cocktail bar

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

london · marbella

PLAYER PROFILES John McEnroe

Mats Wilander

One of the most enigmatic players of all time, McEnroe’s rivalries with Borg and Connors are as much engrained within the sport’s memorable moments as his on-court antics.

The enfant terrible of tennis has matured and maintains a very high level of skill and fitness.

What else would you expect of a former world number one player with 77 career titles, including three Wimbledon and four US Open wins? McEnroe is a lead attraction at the Senior Masters Cup not just for his finesse and skill as a tennis player, but also for his personality and humour.

Wilander burst onto the international scene in 1982, when he became the youngest ever grand slam singles champion at 17 years and nine months of age. To that French Open title were later added the US and Australian Open titles, as well as a spell during which he was the world number one. One of a remarkable group of Swedish players that followed in the footsteps of the great Bjorn Borg, Wilander remains a highly popular player today.

Albert Costa Born in Lleida, in the Catalan countryside, Spanish star Albert Costa added the French Open title to his silverware in 2002. A clay specialist, he forms part of a golden generation of Spanish tennis players that continues to this day with the likes of Nadal and Ferrer. As the face and spokesman of the Senior Masters Cup – and indeed the other seeded player alongside John McEnroe – Costa has a very close bond with Marbella and the Puente Romano Tennis Club, even though he now spends much of his time in Uruguay. For him this will be a ‘home’ tournament.

Yannick Noah Another player to have made it to number one, Yannick Noah set France alight when in 1983 he became the first Frenchman in 37 years to win the title at Roland Garros. Another affable player with a fun presence on court and off, Noah often entertains the crowd with his antics. What is less well known is that the former tennis star is also a professional artist in his own right, performing with his band in venues across the continent.

beware as they face this former winner of the Davis Cup, who also made the semi-finals of Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the French Open.

Younes El Aynaoui A national treasure in Morocco, Younes El Aynaoui is a professional player with five career titles to his name. He may not quite have the record of some of the other players in this tournament, but this Moroccan sports icon remains as fit as a track athlete and is no stranger to defeating world number one players – so underestimate him at your peril.

Sebastien Grosjean Ranked fourth in the world in 2002, Sebastien Grosjean is one of many star players France has produced over the past 30 years. He retired as recently as 2010, so his opponents will have to

John McEnroe

Albert Costa

Mats Wilander

Yannick Noah

Younes El Aynaoui

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h THE LEISURE hotel

&

Slimmer, Healthier

Happier

AT THE

MARBELLA CLUB HOTEL WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF THE MARBELLA CLUB HOTEL

T

he Marbella Club Hotel has always had a special air to it; a reputation for being the premier destination for discerning families from all over the world.

The Hotel owners, the Shamoon family, know the essence of what makes being a guest here so unique, having grown up amid the cobblestoned streets, whitewashed villas and ancient trees, many of which provide welcoming shade to generations of families who have never ceased calling the Marbella Club home during the holidays.

Family, exclusivity, discretion… these are the values that have shaped the Hotel and positioned it in a league of its own.

Health buffs will know that the Marbella Club has diversified in terms of its health and wellness offering this year. Julian Cabanillas, Director of the Hotel, sought to bring exciting new health and wellness packages to clients, nevertheless staying true to the essential ethos of the Hotel. “In many detox and weight loss clinics, clients are forced to leave their families behind and to follow generic health regimens that may not fit their personal goals.

At the Marbella Club, we have developed new programmes which are, above all, highly personalised to each client’s needs. Some clients visit the hotel and want to do so with families… others may wish to

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lose a little weight but still desire a glass of wine or a cup of coffee a day. They don’t want to hang around in a bathrobe all day; rather, they prefer to make the most of what Marbella has to offer. They wish to dress elegantly and go out to a fine restaurant, and we make that happen, by ensuring they enjoy delicious, healthy meals while others in their family might order something a little more calorific.”

One of Julian’s most visionary moves was counting on the expertise of Amanda Hamilton, the warm, friendly and highly experienced nutritionist and TV presenter from the UK. Her career has included over eight internationally syndicated TV series and three best-selling books and she is currently Resident Nutritionist on BBC Radio 2’s Steve Wright show, as well as a regular on Sky News.

Amanda has created various nutritional programmes for the Hotel Marbella Club, focusing on either weight loss or detoxification.

She is part of a multi-faceted team which includes personal trainers, an endocrinologist, nutritionist, and psychologists – overeating and other unhealthy behaviours do, after all, often have an emotional element to them. Guests also head for the Wellness Desk, so that staff can help them programme their day,

depending on what (if any) activities they wish to take part in and the restaurants they plan to dine at.

Amanda is at the Hotel for at least one week a month; she offers special retreats which incorporate everything from a personalised nutritional programme to mindfulness, treatments at the spa and energetic workouts.

The different ‘pathways’ include tailored menus featuring functional ingredients to target the desired results. Body Rebalance (comprising the weight loss or Purify programme): “Purify is a fully vegan programme,” says Amanda, “It is the strictest detox-style regime we offer.” Another pathway is Performance (let experienced Personal Trainers boost your fitness and target specific body areas); Beauty (enjoy anti-ageing treatments for the face and body); Emotional Rebalance (incorporating mindfulness activities and emotional healing); and Mediterranean Rebalance (which is all about promoting longevity by turning to the tenets of the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle).

Julian reminds me that all pathways are built upon the following pillars: “Nutrition, physical activity, treatments, connecting with Nature and the Thalasso Spa.” The Thalasso Spa is one of the few of its kind in Spain; real sea water is

sourced for the wet areas and for treatments, thanks to pipes that extend some 400m into the sea.

The Marbella Club may very much have chanced on the secret to long-lasting health and wellness, with its highly effective programmes for the real world.

Imagine sipping on a cool glass of organic wine or tucking into delicious grilled lobster – it really is possible to do this and still lose weight. After all, Amanda notes, “When diets are too strict, people may lose a few kilos but once they go back to their normal lives, they can pack on the weight once again. We aim to really transform they way people approach food.

Eating should always be enjoyable and based on sound tenets like the Mediterranean diet, which has been linked to longevity and a more youthful appearance.”

The Marbella Club Hotel has made it possible to approach weight loss and health from a personalised perspective, catering meals and activities to your needs. In the mood for sport? Then tuck into food for recovery. Working on your skin?

Enjoy a host of collagen-rich foods.

Your whole stay at the Hotel will be personalised from start to finish, so you can work on yourself while enjoying the very best that coastal life has to offer, in the company of friends and family. i www.marbellaclub.com

8/23/16 11:15 AM

® 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

17 YEARS OF PORTRAYING MARBELLA’S BEST

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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h THE LEISURE ibiza

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inding a direct Málaga-Ibiza flight in season is easy. Only as little as 55 minutes after taking off, one can find oneself on the bustling, palm-lined avenue exiting the airport, near Ibiza town.

It’s recommended to hop around the island to try a little bit of every aspect it has to offer, since a taxi ride from one side to another is an affordable 15-20 minutes and there are shuttles and private transport available as well if prearranged. Wherever you stay, dine or party, don’t forget to fit in a visit to the beautiful white Salinas beach to complete your Ibiza experience.

HOTEL OD TALAMANCA The five-star OD Talamanca, tucked away in the Cala Talamanca bay next to Port Esportiu, has also been recently renovated and opened in June of this year. Its retro glamour is instantly recognisable through the sleek architecture, lime-washed walls, large wooden windows,

sunscreens and parquet, combining modern and Mediterranean building traditions, naturally complemented by state-of-the-art technology and many sustainable elements. You could take one of their 100m2 duplex apartment suites with a private roof top terrace and pool, including a complimentary Smart car, or just a double room overlooking the trendy swimming pool area and the boatspotted blue bay. Its serenity is surprising for a modern hotel only a few steps away from the marina, the old town and some of the best night venues and dining options.

The poolside restaurant offers a mix of light summer and traditional dishes from around the world, including the beautifully presented tuna tataki or the adequately spicy red and green Thai curries along with salads and seafood dishes, if that’s what one is in the mood for. i www.od-hotels.com/hotel-odtalamanca-ibiza

STK IBIZA If you have experienced the STK concept that artfully blends the traditional steakhouse and a modern chic lounge into one, then you know that a dynamic and fun, fine dining experience is assured.

STK Ibiza is no exception.

Following success in NYC, Miami, Los Angeles and London, The One Group, creator of the STK brand and Dubai-based Foxhole Holdings, has teamed up to conceive this recent launch on the world famous Balearic island. Situated in the Ibiza Corso Hotel & Spa at Marina Botafoch in Ibiza Town, STK has already become a celebrity hot spot attracting the global jet set including the likes of Eva Longoria, Nicole Scherzinger, Tinie Tempah, Alesha Dixon, Towie’s Kate Wright, Danielle Armstrong Tyson Beckford, Paris Hilton and Isa from Florence and the Machine.

On entry you can expect to be immersed in a dazzling atmosphere which personifies the luxury Ibiza

nightlife. Picture a combination of urban glamour, contemporary interiors mixed with modern artistic elements, a sexy low lit bar, a fun feature wall with vibrant projections, highly trained stuff rushing around, gorgeous people dining in the boxed and open seating areas, while the DJ stops at nothing to elevate the sassy crowd’s mood. Intermittently, a chic performance entertains the diners over the central catwalk stage, progressively more glittering as the night wears on.

The perfect move is to start with one of STK’s cocktails, conceptualised by award-winning mixologists. The Island Beauty (made with vodka, hibiscus syrup, lime juice and freshly brewed black tea) or signature drinks including STK 100 (made with Absolut Elyx, lychee syprup, Chambord, aperol and topped off with edible 24k gold powder) and 7th Sky (a unique fruit and alcoholic concoction containing pisco, fresh pineapple & lemon juice,

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OCEAN BEACH IBIZA

grapefruit bitters and a dollop of fresh avocado) are just a few of the unusually original preparations on the extensive list.

Sipping on a cocktail while browsing the menu is highly recommended and is a perfect appetiser.

Maintaining its reputation for worldclass standards, you can expect to be served the highest quality USDA prime meat, offering juicy tenderness and mouthwatering flavour, and can choose from a selection of nine cuts including sirloin, rib eye, fillet, hanger, t-bone, New York strip and tomahawk, all served with a selection of toppings, sides and sauces.

The sides include fresh local vegetables, the Oh-My-God parmesan truffle chips or their signature lobster mac & cheese.

No fashionable menu is complete without creative mini burgers or, if you prefer lighter bites, choose from the resplendent sea food and raw bar offerings including scallop ceviche, Japanese oyster shoots, Norwegian king crab, clams and mussels or vegetarian options such as Cep & Wild Garlic Risotto with mushroom & tarragon

cream or Pan Roasted Cauliflower with caramelised cauliflower puree, pine nuts and capers.

Rounding off the menu, are an array of sumptuous desserts based on popular classics and local delicacies, such as a Churro Milkshake with Dulce de Leche Ice Cream and Cinnamon Liquor & Churro Bites.

Once wined and dined and in high spirits, enjoy the bar or the beautiful ocean view terrace. Alternatively, the island has endless parties to offer. With a continuous international roster of world-class DJs and nightclubs, the island is always tempting for a carry on. The choice could include the immense temple of electronic dance music Space, clubbing in style at the trendy Pacha, or signing up for the quintessential Ibiza clubbing experience, Amnesia, currently featuring Paris Hilton’s newly found passion to pose as a DJ, making an appearance every Saturday night at her personalised Foam and Diamonds party. The stylish baseball cap decorated with the words ‘I partied with Paris Hilton’ is well worth a VIP visit! i togrp.com/restaurant/stk-ibiza

For a fun and luxurious day option, head to Ocean Beach situated on the west coast of Ibiza, in the bay of San Antonio. Stretching along the waterfront comprising a 600m2 pool area interfused with deluxe sunbeds, a sunset terrace with stunning views and designated VIP sections with personal waiter service, there is something for all budgets for the ultimate beach club experience.

Relax with trendy cocktails to the sounds of summer from the resident DJs, and dine at the al fresco restaurant featuring a wide variety of globally inspired dishes. With a good range of sushi, salads, seafood, Mexican, Italian or mini burger platters, steak, fish or pasta mains and desserts to die for, you will be spoiled for choice and quality at Ocean Beach. After watching the most acclaimed sunset the Med has to offer, the party goes on into the night with illuminated pools, a vibrant ambience and continual entertainment.

An on-site boutique, showcasing an exclusive selection from international and island designers, and a massage corner are also available for those wanting to further spice up their beach club experience.

Ocean Beach Ibiza is also available for a partial or full venue hire for a maximum capacity of 2000 for product launches, client entertaining, private dining or standing receptions. Check out the schedule of their fun themed events or book your sunbeds at i www.oceanbeachibiza.com

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b the gourmet RESTAURANTS REVIEWS NEWS GASTRONOMY CHEFS WINE

159 Origen Asador Argentino 161

Café Flore

162 Food News

164 Kevin Woodford’s Vancouver

166 Chef’s Profile: Benoit of La Famieke 168 Wine Trends

Tempt your taste buds at the sizzling new Argentinean grill in the centre of Marbella, Origen, feel the funky vibe at Guy Sirre’s Café Flore and discover what makes a great chef tick in our interview with Benoit of La Famieke.

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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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Back to the Basics: Fire. Wood. Meat.

O

rigen, ensconced in one of the most trodden streets in the centre of Marbella, may be brand new, but it seems like it has been around for years. The welcoming warmth of the interiors, stunning wood and leather features, open wood fire cleverly designed so that not a whiff of smoke is present, envelops you in an embracing ambience that is instantly echoed by the attention of the lovely staff. Origen, you soon discover, is not a restaurant in which you have to wait to order a top-up or for your different courses to arrive. There are many staff members, which is crucial to good service; each and every one of them is passionate about the produce they serve. I can easily predict that Origen will soon be the ‘in’ place savvy diners head for when prime cuts of succulent meat are on the agenda.

The friendly maître d’, Rodolfo, was delighted to share the secrets of a fine Argentinean dining experience with us, explaining the contents of the delightfully spicy chimichurri sauce, and the source of the beautifully thick, juicy steaks we were privileged enough to sample.

Our meal began with two meatfilled pasties which set our taste buds on frenzy mode. One was stuffed with a spicy minced meat/tomato blend

and the pastry itself was not what you would find at a typical Spanish establishment; light, airy, and crisp are just a few adjectives it conjured up and the filling was utterly moreish. The second was given due merit with its name: Empanada Origen. It was filled with a slow-cooked beef ragout that takes three hours to reduce to a lovely tenderness. The portions, we noted, were hearty and satisfying, making Origen a great choice for those with a good appetite.

Next up was quite a surprise: a small clay pot appeared on our table with the hottest, creamiest, ooziest Provolone cheese you can imagine.

We took turns dipping slices of homemade bread into the concoction, deciding that the starter was, indeed, totally complementary to a meatbased meal.

Then came the biggies: an enticing rib-eye steak, cooked medium rare, just as we had requested, served with a red wine sauce on the side and a rich potato ‘al Roquefort’ accompaniment.

There are flavours you are unlikely to encounter unless you visit this restaurant: an amazing natural sea salt that seemed to melt into the meat, whose tenderness and essence were one-of-a-kind. The dish was served with a small garnishing of chips, which

worked well as we sampled the different sauces and sides available.

The grand finale was more than fitting: a huge chuletón (T-bone steak), hailing from meat paradise, Ávila, and aged for 45 days. Meat lovers will know that the process of ageing sets off a biochemical process which produces a natural tenderness and earthier flavour. The result was, quite simply, heavenly. The meat was at least three fingers thick and incredible in taste and texture. Its fine crispness gave way to a melt-in-the-mouth tenderness that must be experienced.

We enjoyed this meat extravaganza with a beautiful Argentinian Malbec (Catena Zapata), full-bodied, yet elegant enough to enable the meat to play a starring role. Indeed, if wine is your thing, you will be spoiled for choice at Origen, which stocks over 40 wines from the different regions of Argentina, as well as a wide range of Chardonnays: the team is keen on debunking the myth that meat should always be accompanied by red. Whites are especially popular in warmer months, so there is an ample list of Spanish,

g Open daily for dinner from 7pm to 12am. C/ Gregorio Marañón s/n, Edificio Segovia – local 6, Marbella. Tel: 951 352 164.

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French and Argentinean varieties and diners are usually surprised, say the staff, to discover so many Argentinean white wines.

I feel like a philistine saying the words ‘veggies’ and ‘Argentinean’ in the same sentence, but those after a lighter meal should note that there are options for them, too. Our filling T-bone was accompanied by an impressive bowl of the ensalada Ramona (a beautifully seasoned medley of avocados, tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, etc.).

Origen was lively on the evening of our visit, with couples and families each enjoying their own private feast, yet somehow, our table felt like our very own paradise, where we were pampered and cared for, yet given the privacy and space we needed to enjoy great conversation alongside a meal that marked the evening as simply the best.

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restaurants THE GOURMET b

The sibling of the beloved Casanis, Café Flore has similarly become an integral part of what makes Marbella’s Old Town so special. WORDS MICHEL CRUZ PHOTOGRAPHY KEVIN HORN

An Italian garden of plenty

CAFÉ FLORE S

trolling up the Calle Peral in Marbella’s richly ambient historic quarter is always a pleasure, as you pass by white-plastered houses and intimate little squares settled with contented visitors. This is the scene that greets you as you pass the Plaza Puente Ronda and come to the cosy little area dominated by Café Flore. In true style, the interior carries the stylish touch of Guy Sirre, the restaurateur who has such a flair for creating a wonderful dining environment with a gastronomic offering to match.

However, the main focus of Café Flore is the delightful terrace that looks out over the heart of the Old Town and absorbs its fundamental charm as it offers a unique dining experience.

the result is Café Flore, whose menu is inspired by the rich cornucopia lovingly grown in its own ‘huerta’.

The celebrated Italian kitchen builds on beautiful produce in a very similar way, so the two concepts are perfectly matched, providing Guy and Café Flore’s chef Felipe with a broad palette to work with. And it shows in a menu that overflows with creativity in delightful contemporary versions of Italian classics such as Antipasti Misti, which balances delicious cold cuts of meat with a selection of fresh vegetables straight from the organic garden. Washed down with a refreshing Italian Pinot Grigio blush, in this case Ardesia from Venice, it’s a true Mediterranean pleasure.

RICH IN AMBIENCE AND FLAVOUR

AN AUTHENTIC DINING EXPERIENCE

Though it has an Italian-inspired menu, Café Flore is not just ‘another’ Italian restaurant. In fact, this is a very special eatery built around a particularly clear and refreshing philosophy – a private garden. You see, when Guy got his hands on a secluded little vegetable garden in the heart of Marbella, the idea was born to create a restaurant around its fresh, organic produce, and

Vitello Tonnato is another fine delicacy at Café Flore, where Guy has perfected many a classic to celebrate the Italian kitchen in style. Having thus set the tone for the evening, we eagerly looked forward to the main course as we enjoyed the bustling yet laid-back atmosphere of the Old Town. It was at this point that we were introduced to one of Guy’s finds – a Pinot Noir from

Northern Italy called Castelfeder.

Served chilled, it is one of the lightest red wines I have ever tasted, and indeed the perfect match for the dishes that followed. In addition to a compact but very complete menu, Café Flore offers a range of daily specials based on the very latest produce. We chose from the latter Icelandic cod with shallots, grilled pepper, mini cebollettes, rissole potatoes and French beans, and a spaghetti carbonara.

It needs saying that the cod was excellent, one of most perfectly prepared fish I have tasted in some time, while the carbonara was a tour de force. Imagine not a dish of the ubiquitous pasta put before you but a special dining experience in which the spaghetti is flambéed in grappa within a huge scooped out Parmigiano cheese that is wheeled to your tableside.

Served onto your plate by Federico, it is then expertly mixed with crispy Italian bacon, molten Parmigiano and egg.

The result is sheer heaven and, while this procedure is not uncommon in Italy, it is new in Marbella, where it’s gone down a treat with diners who also wish for a sense of occasion and fun. Guy changes the menu with

g Café Flore, Plazuela Puente Ronda, 5, Marbella. Tel: 952 770 535. info@cafeflore.es www.cafeflore.es

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the seasons, but I hope these two delightful dishes remain part of an imaginative offering that also includes little pizzas and tagliatas – making Café Flore the perfect spot for a drink and a snack.

It’s this cosy, laid-back atmosphere underlying a real food-lover’s restaurant that makes Café Flore such a popular choice. Naturally, the location helps greatly, but at the heart of it all is a clear philosophy built around service, fresh, healthy organic produce and a real dining experience.

Having enjoyed the savoury side of Café Flore’s offering, we knew the sweet crescendo would not disappoint – and of course it didn’t.

We chose a gorgeous Panna Cotta topped with caramelised pears and a Financier almond cake with vanilla ice cream and strawberry slices, and also a small sample of the deliciously fresh caramelised aubergines. It’s just the kind of tasty creativity that Guy is famous for, and from his point of view, Café Flore is still very much a project that is evolving, maturing and improving all the time. Given how good it already is, that leaves a lot to look forward to.

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b THE GOURMET news Compiled by Marisa CUTILLAS

Eatin’ Banús Summer Food Festival Takes over Puerto Banús Eatin’ Banús was the fun summer food festival that recently transformed the Puerto Banús dining scene, with a host of food trucks and stands serving everything from Oriental food to amazing gourmet sandwiches. The Festival featured bright lights, rock ‘n roll music and classic cars like the mythical Corvette or the majestic Cadillac. The event was inspired on the fair culture of the 1940s and 1950s in the United States and it was a huge success. Here’s to enjoying the event again next summer!

Three Michelin-Starred Chefs Unite Forces Three top Michelin-starred Chefs will be cooking together at the five-star Kempinski Hotel Bahia Estepona on September 7 and 8. Jaume Puigdengolas from Skina, Diego Gallegos from Sollo and Mauricio Giovanini from Messina will create a sumptuous 12-course tasting menu, with each cooking four courses. The event will showcase the incredible culinary talent on the Costa del Sol and the amazing local produce of the region. Each course will be paired with a wine to complete the gastronomic experience. i www.kempinski.com

Ronqueo del Atún Takes Over the Kempinski

Castillan Lamb Day at La Parrilla Grill

La Parrilla Grill on the Golden Mile is easily one of the top places to enjoy the very best grilled meat and fish and, recently, the restaurant held a special Castillan Lamb Day, featuring succulent suckling lamb prepared by prestigious grill maestro, Marco Antonio, from Restaurante Mannix en Campaspero (Valladolid).

Diners enjoyed an amazing menu which included an aperitif, entrees, a main dish and dessert, for just €55 (VAT included). i www.laparrillagourmet.com

A Ronqueo del Atún’ is a traditional Spanish spectacle, where chefs prepare a whole tuna for cooking, delighting guests with the almost choreographed art of slicing and filleting this majestic fish. Following a highly successful event earlier in the summer, the team at the Kempinski Hotel Bahia in Estepona recently repeated this amazing gastronomic performance at their beachfront restaurant, La Cabaña del Mar. Guests sipped on cava in the hotel gardens and watched the Kempinski’s team of talented chefs prepare the tuna, explaining the different cuts, demonstrating how to cut, slice and fillet the fish, answering questions and making suggestions on how to best enjoy each cut. Following the masterclass, the Chefs skilfully cooked the tuna then served guests an array of tuna dishes, prepared in different ways to highlight the versatility of this wonderful ingredient. i www.kempinski.com

TripAdvisor Awards Certificate of Excellence to Da Bruno Da Bruno has once again achieved TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence, thanks to the votes of thousands of diners. Da Bruno is well known for its excellent homemade pizza and pasta dishes, but it also serves a host of exquisite meat, fish and seafood dishes. The Certificate of Excellence isn’t just about the food, of course; it also seeks to award service, ambience, variety and quality. i www.daburno.com

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© Gary Edwards

b THE GOURMET travel

WORDS KEVIN WOODFORD

VANCOUVER

S

o while Canada might not be known for creating its own cuisine, it is a great example of a place that has compensated for that by adopting a wide variety of cuisines from all over the world and taking ownership of them. The fabulous city of Vancouver epitomises this and is considered by many to be the Gastronomic capital of Canada.

The mix is eclectic, ranging from a plethora of restaurants serving classical and ultra modern French dishes, to the most impressive establishments presenting stunning Asian cuisine. Not surprising really, given that Vancouver is considered to be one of the most ethnically diverse cities in Canada, with over 52 per cent of its residents having a first language other than English.

The city is a metropolis, framed by a breathtaking snow-covered mountain backdrop and, just like Marbella, it’s possible to spend the morning skiing down the piste followed by the afternoon lazing on one of the many beaches that can be found in the city.

Within the heart of Vancouver is Stanley Park, a 400 hectare magnificent National Historic Site

with its impressive tree lined Seawall, miles of beautiful trails to explore and white sandy beaches. The park is also home to Canada’s largest Aquarium, which is well worth a visit.

However if what really appeals to you is a retail therapy session, then this is a city that won’t disappoint.

With designer shops and malls to satisfy the needs of even the most discerning shopper, it’s quite possible to spend every day of your vacation wandering around a different venue.

Meanwhile, for the culture vulture, there are plenty of museums, trendy art galleries and theatres to choose from. Not to mention fantastic coffee houses, my personal pleasure.

As you would expect from any major international city, the choice of hotels is huge and for me the lesser known Wedgewood Hotel, perfectly positioned in the bustling downtown part of the city, is perfect.

This owner-managed elegant hotel offers a really good range of rooms and suites and if budget allows then one of the four Penthouse suites makes for a truly special experience.

In addition, the Wedgewood Spa is possibly one of the best in the area and the hotel restaurant, Bacchus,

I have always thought it’s possible to identify most countries simply by a specific recipe. For example, Spain – paella, Italy – risotto, France – coq au Vin, Hungary – Goulash, America – Ribs and so on. However, when it comes to Canada it’s not so easy. A Canadian relative of mine would claim that it’s Meatloaf, but for me that’s not food but an overweight American with a great voice!

is renowned for serving the finest Haida Gwaii Halibut, which in my opinion is one of the most delicious dishes imaginable. However, while Bacchus is a great restaurant, this is Vancouver and the choice is phenomenal. For a modern approach to authentic Chinese cooking then a visit to Bao Bei will not disappoint.

The cooking draws from Taiwan and the Sichuan province and the Crispy Pork Belly with radish, pickled cucumber and ginger mint crispy potatoes is superb. As a huge fan of Dim Sum at lunchtime, I head to Jade Dynasty in the heart of Chinatown, and for Sushi lovers, then I can highly recommend you try the maki and nigiri rolls served at the Blue Water Cafe.

For a totally different experience, try the gastronomic pièce de résistance, The Observatory, at Grouse Mountain. The restaurant is reached via the Super Skyride, North Americas largest aerial tramway system which takes you to the very top of Grouse Mountain, where the views over the city are quite outstanding. Along with a conventional à la carte menu, the Observatory offers a five-course

tasting menu for under $150 which includes matching wines for each course. The menu is creative and often features such delights as Pacific Albacore Tuna with Dashi and seaweed.

However if the Super Skyride and mountain top dining isn’t fun enough, then in winter months you can go post dinner skating on the outdoor ice rink. Plus, for summer visitors, a grizzly bear hunt could be for you, but for me a sail over to Vancouver island or a cruise up to Alaska is more my style.

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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TASTE Authentic Spanish Cuisine with a Contemporary Edge

EL JARDIN DE LUTZ

CTRA. DE CASARES S/N, 29690 CASARES, MÁLAGA · T. +34 952 93 78 00 WWW.FINCACORTESIN.COM

b THE GOURMET profile

WORDS Marisa cutillas Photography kevin horn and courtesy of la famieke

Benoit of

La Famieke Y

ou would be hard pressed to find a couple in the culinary industry with the singular success of Benoit (Chef of La Famieke) and his wife Maryse. The dynamic duo have opened some of the most iconic establishments in Marbella, including La Tricicleta (a gorgeous two-floored restaurant in a beautiful old house in the Old Town) and Zozoï (also in the Old Town). The intricate iron lamps, cobblestoned streets and whitewashed homes somehow seem fitting for the style of cuisine that Benoit whips up – international, made with top produce and, always, incredibly personal. There is a reason why every restaurant Benoit has manned has become a regular jaunt for true Marbella foodies – and the secret ingredient is passion.

If many chefs have an introverted, quiet air to them, Benoit is quite the opposite. Open, chatty and curious, he states: “You can’t really go wrong with quality produce, can you,” with characteristic Belgian honesty, downplaying his indubitable talent at blending flavours from all over the world.

Benoit was just 14 when he

decided to dedicate his life to cooking. “It was at that point in school when the teachers either recommend that you pursue further study, or a trade. In my school there was a culinary department, so I thought, ‘Why not sign up?’” Soon, the non-fussed teen discovered that he had a talent for cooking and, after honing his craft in Brussels, he headed to Ibiza to work at a restaurant, which just happened to belong to Maryse’s family. The couple fell in love and the rest is history – suffice it to say that Maryse’s wonderful way with people blends beautifully with Benoit’s talent for cuisine.

When I ask Benoit how the couple always manage to build a regular client base so quickly, he answers, “I think it helps to be curious about what is going on around you. In order to keep your regular clients happy, you have to offer something different and keep up-to-date with new developments on the world culinary scene.” This is something the Chef finds easy to do, since he and Maryse are fervent world travellers who have been to many hidden corners of the globe. “Last year we went to Zanzibar,

Ethiopia and Tanzania,” he smiles, and one very much gets the sense that their travels are marked by where their heart takes them.

Seasonality and freshness are very much the qualities that sum up Benoit’s ethos. There are daily specials, depending on the most attractive produce found at the market. French/Belgian techniques are married to Asian herbs and spices (think lemongrass, chilli or cilantro) and fantastic Mediterranean ingredients as well, including staples such as chorizo, top grade meat and Iberian ham. On the evening of my visit, the special is a crispy duck salad, with a sweet/spicy dressing bearing citrus fruits. Another special is the tuna steak served with Provencal-style seasonal vegetables and dressed with basil pesto.

Benoit clearly thinks quickly on his feet, for he has been gifted with an imagination that instantly helps him identify the type of herbs and spices that best complement the fresh produce he has sourced on any given day.

In addition to being uncharacteristically interested in

people, Benoit is also an unabashed lover of life. Far from being an ultra-sacrificial type of Chef who claims to be cooking from dusk to dawn, Benoit works every evening, yet enjoys the most the day has to offer. A keen horse rider and sailor, he believes that the best vantage point from which to view life, is the sea, looking in on the land, the people, and contemplating his place in the vast scheme of things. He also loves driving classic Vespas, which somehow seem so fitting to his fun approach to life. Wherever he goes, we have a suspicion he will be cruising by, never rushing through life, gently negotiating the winding coastal streets that won his heart so many years ago. g C/ de la Cruz 5, Marbella.

Tel: 952 775 412.

Facebook: La Famieke

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b THE GOURMET wine

WINE

TRENDS WORDS PHILIP BOMBER HARRIS

A

recent article on Chardonnay was less factual than I had originally intended, due to a rather large gap (the Atlantic Ocean) between me and a very heavy reference book, whose information I draw on from time to time to augment my own when writing about grape varieties. This meant using a somewhat different approach: one that included a heavyhanded swipe at the self-appointed arbiters of taste or trend, at whose ill-informed hands Chardonnay has (in my view) suffered. This in turn led to a request from to cover wine trends in more detail… …and I thought it was the Italians who coined the phrase: “revenge is a dish best eaten cold”!

What follows is merely a guide, not an explanation as to what makes a trend. The 70s might have been the decade that taste forgot, but it was not completely without merit (particularly from a musical standpoint) and so in keeping with other articles I’ve generated, make up your own minds, as it’s your taste that counts most. However, I can’t deny that my scepticism or ambivalence about trends does not tinge some of the categories listed below.

Z Rosé (Rosado) wines. The current vogue is for such wines to be no brighter than pale onion skin, salmon pink or ‘gris’ to use the French term. My memory of Spanish Rosado was a sheer exuberance of colour, as exhibited in Castillo de Monjardin’s Merlot Rosado: a big

departure from 50 shades of Gris, which is now the proscribed norm.

But does that make them better?

Z Natural wines. Did this start as a trend that morphed into a movement, or is it an annoying rash that just won’t disappear? I read recently that Berlin has just discovered ‘natural wines’ (seven years after London) along with the headline that one could drink without the headache. While it is true that too much sulphur dioxide (a preservative for wine) is not desirable (and much less is used now) and that using as few chemical processes as possible in viticulture and vinification is now widely practiced, does natural equal good?

As a drinker and eater of organic and biodynamic produce, I have no problem with such aims or quality, but ‘natural’ is one step beyond and, thus far, the quality of natural wines is very variable.

Z Orange and cloudy wines: an off-shoot of natural wines. My first taste of the former was a Greco di Tufo (Italian) ‘white’. I deeply respect the variety, but being orange neither enhanced my love for it, nor the taste of the wine. Cloudy wines were often a result of protein haze and judged as faulty, even if the taste was not impaired. Lighter clarification and filtration may also play a part now, but there’s still the nagging feeling that such wines have become the home of “tolerate my faults because I’m natural,” as opposed to “I’m just not made properly.”

Z Low-alcohol wines and beers.

These have always been with us and reflect the need for drinkers to feel good about themselves while imbibing. However, we’ve gone wrong about this in too many ways.

Firstly, enjoying alcohol is not a crime. Secondly, particularly if you have to drive, prioritise: one glass of something good is more pleasurable than half a bottle of badly-made mediocrity. Thirdly, if we’re really so bothered about alcohol, why do we not drink more German wine? They were the masters of the established, (not castrated) low alcohol wines, as demonstrated in the Kabinett and Spätlese styles of old. 8, 9 or 10 per cent was normal.

That last point should emphasise, if not obvious before, that a trend is not necessarily logical: “We can’t drink German wines, they’re too sweet” (but

we still drink Coke), “ We hate Chardonnay” (and love Champagne).

Z Prosecco and Pinot Grigio.

Such words should not be used in a Spanish article but highlight enduring trends. Both Italian and with no pretension to quality, their drinkability has continued to win over decades of drinkers. Back in 2006 I was part of a steering committee in London that looked at Spanish alternatives to the Italian juggernaut: Viura was touted as the equivalent to PG and Cava had of course its own identity, particularly with its Método Tradicional upbringing.

Ten years on, nothing has stopped that juggernaut. e

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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

€40 – €60

LISTINGS PET NEWS WHAT’S ON STARS FAMILY FUN €60 plus

Yanx

origen

Calderón Estébanez 19, Marbella. Tel: 952 774 578

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 daily for lunch and dinner. C/ Gregorio Marañón s/n, Marbella. Tel: 952 900 968

le bistroman

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

gauchos

ROUTE 66

Open daily for lunch and dinner. C.C. Laguna Village. CN 340, km 159, Estepona. Tel: 952 897 744

Open 10am until midnight every day.

Plaza Antonio Banderas 17/29, Puerto Banús.

Tel: 951 136 333

Open daily for lunch and dinner. C/ de la Acera de la Marina 2, Marbella. Tel: 952 900 968

Hacienda patagonica

ruta 40 Open from 9am to 12 midnight daily. C.C. El Zoco, Sitio de Calahonda. Tel: 951 133 737

Open daily for lunch and dinner. El Corte Inglés, Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 909 990

Valderrama Restaurant

belgian

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

Open daily for both lunch and dinner. Ctra. de Ronda (El Madroñal), San Pedro de Alcántara.

Tel: 952 786 688

gluten-free

El Coto

mytilus Open daily for lunch and dinner. Plaza de Los Naranjos, Puerto Sotogrande. Tel: 956 790 212

french

celicioso

Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

At the Puente Romano Hotel on the Golden Mile.

Tel: 952 820 900

greek

Casa mono

Red Pepper

Open Monday to Saturday from 1pm to 11pm. C/

Open daily for both lunch and dinner.

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listings THE GUIDE .

Muelle Ribera, Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 812 148

grills

Asador Criollo Grill Open nightly for dinner. CN340-A7, km. 166, Cancelada, El Saladillo. Tel: 952 784 463

Asador guadalmina Open Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner.

Urb. Guadalmina Alta, C.C. Guadalmina, Local 3, San Pedro de Alcántara. Tel: 952 883 003

cabaña nagüeles 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

El Carnicero 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

Mumtaz

amigos

La pArrilla

Open daily for both lunch and dinner. Casa No.7, P. Banús. Tel: 952 812 090

Open for dinner from Monday to Saturday.

C/ Málaga 3, Benahavis. Tel: 952 855 175

international

Arenal beach bar & restaurant

Open Monday to Thursday from 7pm ‘til late, on 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

aroma

Open Monday to Saturday for lunch 1-4pm and dinner from 8pm-midnight. Ctra de Cádiz, km 178, Marbella. Tel: 952 827 880

MARBELLA CLUB GRILL Open every night for dinner. Marbella Club Hotel. Blvd. Príncipe Alfonso von Hohenlohe, s/n, Marbella. Tel: 952 822 211

Old Town Grill Open Monday to Saturday for dinner and Sunday for lunch. C/ San Lázaro, 3, Pza. Victoria, Marbella.

Tel: 952 867 306

11&11 Restobar

Aidan’s bar & Grill

Open daily from 11am until late. Urb. Playa del Arenal, Avda. Cervantes s/n, El Rosario, Marbella.

Tel: 951 507 426 Open daily for lunch and dinner. C/ Moncayo 23, Fuengirola. Tel: 952 665 502

baboo lounge and restaurant

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Ctra. Cádiz, exit Las Chapas. Tel: 952 831 922

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

VOVEM

Al Rolo

Bahia beach

Open daily for lunch and dinner. C.C. Odeon, Locales 9-10, C/ Las Yedras, Nueva Andalucía.

Tel: 952 003 434

Open from 1pm to 4pm and 7pm to 11pm daily.

At Reserva del Higuerón. Avda. del Higuerón 48, Benalmádena. Tel: 952 661 174

Open daily for lunch and dinner. CN340, km 146.5, Casares. Tel: 951 704 884

Albert & simon

Open every day for lunch and dinner. C/ Jacinto Benavente 5, Marbella. Tel: 952 770 656

Restaurante Rancho

indian

Jaipur palace Open every night except Tuesday for dinner.

CN340, km 194, next to Camping Cabopino, Marbella. Tel: 951 310 004

Jaipur Purple Open daily for dinner. CN 340, km. 166, Estepona.

Tel: 952 888 353

Massala Open daily for dinner. 57, Duquesa de Arcos (Sabinillas seafront). Tel: 952 897 358

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

alberts Open daily for lunch and dinner. Puerto Cabopino.

Tel: 952 836 886

barbq artesanal burgers beach house Open daily for lunch and dinner. Urb. Coto de los Doles, Carril del Relojero, Elviria, Marbella.

Tel: 952 839 458

beckitts

Amanhavis

Open Monday to Sunday for dinner. C/ Camilo José Cela 4, Marbella. Tel: 952 868 898

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

Besaya Beach

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lunch. Urb. Coral Beach s/n, km 176, Marbella.

Tel: 952 777 299

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

Black and white Marbella Open daily for lunch and dinner. Muelle Benabola, under the Torre de Banús, Puerto Banús.

Tel: 952 815 607

bono beach Open daily from 11am to 9pm. Urb. Costabella, Avda. Cervantes s/n, Marbella. Tel: 952 839 236

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 daily for breakfast and lunch until 7pm.

Avda. Ramón Gómez de la Serna 23, Marbella.

Tel: 952 862 149

Cafetería ke Open daily for lunch and dinner. Puerto Deportivo de Sotogrande, s/n. Tel: 956 790 333

Camurí Open daily for lunch and dinner. C.C. Laguna Village,

local 24-25, Estepona. Tel: 951 217 871

El Bolero

Casanis

Open every night for dinner from 8-11pm. The San Roque Club, CN 340, km. 127, Cádiz. Tel: 956 613 030

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

El Campanario

El Restaurante del Casino

Open every day for lunch. Open for dinner on Friday and Saturday. CN 340, km. 168, Estepona. Tel: 952 880 126

Open every day for dinner from 8pm-4am. Hotel Andalucía Plaza s/n, Marbella. Tel: 952 814 000

EL CASTILLO

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

Open every day from 6pm except Sundays.

C/ Ancha, 8, Marbella. Tel: 952 900 450

celima Open every day for lunch and dinner. Hotel Hermitage, Ctra. de Casares, Casares.

Tel: 952 895 639.

cerrado del águila Open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Urb. Cerrado del Águila, Camino del Acevedo, s/n, Mijas Costa. Tel: 951 773 521

c’est la vie

Open Tuesday to Sunday for dinner. C/ El Pilar s/n, Benahavís. Tel: 681 294 442

El Corzo Open daily for dinner. Hotel Los Monteros, Ctra. de Cádiz, km. 187. Tel: 952 771 700

Fabiola

Finca Besaya Open daily for lunch and dinner. Urb. Rio Verde Alto, s/n. Tel: 952 861 382

Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Paseo Las Palmeras, 15, San Pedro de Alcántara.

Tel: 952 783 394

EL GRAN GASTBY

cortijo fain

EL JINETE

Open daily for lunch from 1-4pm, Wednesday to Sunday. Ctra. de Casares, km. 10. Tel: 952 895 120

Open every day for lunch and dinner. Ctra. de Algar, km. 3, Arcos de la Frontera, Cádiz. Tel: 956 704 131

Open daily for dinner except for Friday. Ctra. La Cala Golf, km 45, La Cala de Mijas. Tel: 952 119 170

fonda restaurante el postillón

El lago

del mar

Open Tuesday to Sunday for dinner. Urb. Elviria Hills.

Avda. Las Cumbres s/n, Marbella. Tel: 952 832 371

Open Tuesday to Sunday from 7:30pm to 11pm. Ctra. de Mijas, km. 1, A-387, Alhaurín El Grande.

Tel: 951 254 520

EL MIRADOR

Galeria San Pedro

Open for breakfast every day. At the Kempinski Hotel Bahía Resort. CN 340, km. 159, Estepona.

Tel: 952 809 500

Open from 11am until midnight. Closed Sundays.

Avda Las Palmeras 15, San Pedro Alcántara.

Tel: 952 780 927

El oceano beach hotel Restaurant & Spa

GD Gourmet deli marbella

Open daily for lunch and dinner. At the Hotel Puente Romano. Bulevar Príncipe Alfonso von Hohenlohe, s/n, Marbella. Tel: 952 820 900

Don Leone Open every night for dinner. Puerto Banús, Marbella. Tel: 952 811 716

D-wine Open Monday to Sunday for lunch and dinner. C.C. Azalea, Edif. A, CN340, km 173, Nueva Andalucía.

Tel: 951 339 309

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Muelle de Honor, Puerto Banús. Tel: 951 778 797

Open daily for lunch and dinner. CN 340, km 199, Miraflores Playa, Mijas Costa. Tel: 952 587 550

EL OLIVO

Finca El Forjador

Open 9:30am to 9pm from Monday to Friday and Saturday from 12am to 6pm. Closed Sundays.

Bulevar Príncipe Alfonso von Hohenlohe 7, Marbella. Tel: 952 774 049

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hermosa

Open for dinner Thursday to Monday from 7pm.

Kempinski Hotel Bahía Estepona. CN 340, km. 159, Estepona. Tel: 952 809 500

La Terraza

los bandidos

Open daily for dinner. La Cala Resort, La Cala de Mijas, Mijas. Tel: 952 669 000

Open every night for dinner. Muelle Ribera, Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 815 915

La cabaña del mar

la tienda

Los naranjos restaurant

Open every day for breakfast and lunch, except Monday. Dinner by reservation is possible on Friday and Saturday. Tel: 952 856 171

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

Open nightly for dinner except Mondays. C/ La Tienda 1, Urb. La Virginia, Marbella. Tel: 626 273 882

La Veranda

Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Urb. Los Naranjos de Marbella. Nueva Andalucía.

Tel: 952 816 105

Horizon steakhouse

LA CANTINA DEL GOLF

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Avda. Antonio Machado s/n, Benalmádena. Tel: 952 560 094

Open for breakfast and lunch until 8pm. Closed Sunday. Flamingo Golf Club, Cancelada, Benahavís.

Tel: 951 318 815

Open Tuesday to Saturday for dinner.

Hotel Villa Padierna, Urb: Flamingos s/n, Marbella. Tel: 952 889 150

Open daily for lunch and dinner. C/ Jose Echegaray, San Pedro de Alcántara. Tel: 952 113 618

La Verandah

Magna Café

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

Open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. C/ Calderón de la Barca, s/n. Tel: 952 929 578

Open Tuesday to Sunday for dinner from 7pm.

Closed Monday. Local 1A. Puerto de Cabopino.

Tel: 952 837 483

hills cafe

hotel marbella club buffet Open every day for lunch. Blvd. Príncipe Alfonso von Hohenlohe s/n, Marbella. Tel: 952 822 211

il mare Open every evening for dinner. Playa del Rodeo, Marbella. Tel: 951 319 372

karma Open every day from 10am until late. C/ Las Violetas 7, Conjunto Andalucía Garden Club, Nueva Andalucía. Tel: 952 815 736

Laguna Beach Restaurante C.C. Laguna Village, local R1, Estepona. Tel: 952 800 873

LA biznaga 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 brisa

la FAMIEKE Open Monday to Saturday for dinner from 7pm.

Closed Sunday. Calle Cruz, Plaza Puente Ronda, Marbella. Tel: 952 775 412

LA GRANADA DIVINO

La veranda lobby bar

Macaoo beach

Mare nostrum Open daily for breakfast and dinner. At the Hotel Amàre Marbella. Avda. Severo Ochoa 8, Marbella.

Tel: 800 843 493

Open daily for lunch and dinner except Tuesday.

C/ de las Piedras, Gaucín. Tel: 951 709 075

Open every day for lunch and dinner. At the Kempinski Hotel Bahía Estepona. CN 340, km 159, Estepona. Tel: 952 809 500

La Loggia

LIMA

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

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

la plage de casanis

les cubes

MOJO

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Urb. Zaragoza s/n, Las Chapas (exit km 190.5), Marbella. Tel: 952 900 450

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

La Terraza

Open every night for dinner. Hotel Meliá La Quinta, Urb. La Quinta Golf s/n, Marbella.

Tel: 952 762 000

Open everyday lunch and dinner. Golf Hotel Guadalmina, Marbella. Tel: 952 882 211

los arcos

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

momo marbella Open Monday to Saturday from 6pm to midnight.

C/ Tetuán 7, Marbella. Tel: 952 771 560

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mos eisley

PURO BEACH

Open Tuesday to Sunday from 12pm to 12am.

Closed Mondays. Urb. El Pilar, C/ Ojén, km 166, Marbella. Tel: 951 196 609

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Laguna Village, Playa El Padrón, CN 340, km 159, Estepona.

Tel: 952 800 015

Miraflores Golf Restaurant

Restaurante royal

Open daily for Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Ctra. de Cádiz, km. 199. Urb. Riviera Golf. Tel: 952 931 941

Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. At the Hotel Torrequebrada, Benalmádena Costa.

Tel: 952 441 414

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

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

Orange Beach Club

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 nightly for dinner except Sundays. Urb. Reserva del Higuerón, Málaga. Tel: 951 385 622

Suave Open every day for lunch and dinner. Paseo Maritimo Rey de España 93, Fuengirola.

Tel: 952 866 627

SUite Dinner and afterwards dance to music by resident DJ. Thursday to Saturday. Hotel Puente Romano, Marbella. Tel: 952 820 900

sutton Open nightly for dinner. Urb. Marbellamar 93, Marbella. Tel: 952 770 760

tanino Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. CN 340, km 168, Benamara, Estepona. Tel: 952 883 259

Terra Sana Open Monday to Sunday 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: 951 901 050. C.C. Parque Miramar, Fuengirola. Tel: 952 663 937. Puerto Marina, Benalmádena. Tel: 951 915 069

Open daily from 10am to 8pm.

At the Don Carlos Leisure Resort & Spa. Avda. Zurita, s/n, Marbella. Tel: 952 768 800

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

passion café

smart café

Open for lunch and dinner every day. C.C. La Colonia, San Pedro de Alcántara. Tel: 952 781 583

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

the little geranium

sollo

The meeting room

puente romano beach club Open daily for lunch. Blvd. Príncipe Alfonso von Hohenlohe s/n, Marbella. Tel: 952 820 900

the launderette Open daily 10am to midnight. Avda. Julio Iglesias s/n, Puerto Banús. Tel: 951 319 292 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

Open 9am to 11pm every day except Sundays.

Avda. Ricardo Soriano 1, Local 1 (Edif. Portillo), Marbella. Tel: 952 772 577

The orange tree Open every evening from 6:30 pm-11 pm. Plaza General Chinchilla 1, Plaza de los Naranjos, Marbella. Tel: 952 924 613.

THE PLAYWRIGHT Open daily for lunch and dinner. C/ Manzana, Locales 8-11, Pueblo Los Arcos, Elviria.

Tel: 952 830 868

tikitano Open every day for lunch and dinner. Urb. Guadalmansa, CN340, km 164, Estepona.

Tel: 952 798 449

Trocadero arena Open every day for lunch and dinner. Torre Real Beach, Marbella. Tel: 952 865 579

trocadero beach Open daily for lunch and dinner. Playa de la Carolina, Marbella. Tel: 610 704 144

Trocadero Sotogrande Open daily for lunch and dinner. Paseo del Parque s/n, Sotogrande. Tel: 956 795 012

UNI Open Tuesday to Sunday for dinner. At the Puente Romano Hotel on the Golden Mile. Tel: 952 820 900

Venta garcía Open daily for lunch and dinner every day except Monday. Ctra. de Casares km 7, Casares.

Tel: 952 894 191

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villa padierna club de mar 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 Open every day for lunch and dinner from 7pm onwards. Muelle Benabola, Casa 5A, Puerto Banús.

Tel: 952 813 464

aragona Open every day for dinner. Avda. del Mar 3, Marbella. Tel: 951 134 322

Aretusa Open daily for dinner. Front line P. Banús.

Tel: 952 812 898

Open every evening for dinner. C/ Ortiz de Molinillo 14, Marbella. Tel: 951 712 227

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, casa G-H, local 43, Puerto Banús.

Tel: 952 816 453

Don giovanni Open Friday to Monday for dinner. At Hotel Finca Cortesín. Ctra. de Casares, Casares. Tel: 952 937 800

Frascati Open daily for lunch and dinner. Plaza de Los Naranjos s/n, Sotogrande. Tel: 952 790 392

gold restaurant Open every day from 10am to 12 am. Complejo Benabola 13, Beach Side, Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 929 055

Carpaccio

Il Tartufo

Open every day for lunch and dinner. Frontline Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 813 357

Open from Monday to Saturday for dinner from 6:30pm. C/ Tetuán 9, Marbella.

Tel: 951 087 323

casa tua

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 Open daily from 7pm to 11pm.

At the Don Carlos Leisure Resort & Spa. Avenida Zurita, s/n, Marbella. Tel: 952 768 800

Leonardo da vinci Open every night for dinner. Urb. Doña Lola, Local 21-22, Calahonda, Mijas Costa.

Tel: 952 934 667

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

Metro Open every day for lunch and dinner. Puerto Marina, Benalmádena. Tel: 952 446 460

nunos Open daily for lunch and dinner. At the Caleta Hotel. Catalan Bay, Gibraltar. Tel: +350 200 76501

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 and dinner. C.C. Pinogolf de Don Carlos 34, Elviria.

Tel: 952 850 148

seraFina Open from Monday to Saturday for dinner at the Puente Romano Hotel on the Golden Mile. Tel: 952 771 798

valparaíso Open nightly for dinner. Ctra. Mijas – Fuengirola, km. 14, Fuengirola. Tel: 952 485 996

Villa Tiberio Open Monday to Saturday for dinner. Ctra. de Cádiz, km. 178, Marbella. Tel: 952 771 799

mediterranean

Restaurante bar carmen Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. C.C.

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Laguna Village, CN 340, km 159, Estepona.

Tel: 952 806 739

oriental Asia Food

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Centro Comercial, Pinares de Elviria, Marbella. Tel: 952 850 060

Asian fusion bing Open 12.30pm-4.30pm and 6.30pm to 12am daily.

Fuengirola, Paseo Marítimo, L-42C. Tel: 952 470 218

asiatico zen Open every day for lunch and dinner except Tuesday lunch. C/ Lirios s/n, Nueva Andalucía.

Tel: 952 817 691

BAMBOO Open Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner.

Ctra. Istan km 1, Marbella. Tel: 952 906 674

Dragón de Oro 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

upper level. CN-340, km. 166 (Estepona).

Tel: 952 888 710

Sukho Thai Open for dinner from Monday to Saturday. Centro Comercial Marbellamar. Tel: 952 770 550

sushi des artistes (HIDEYOSHI wagyu) Open every day for lunch and dinner.

CN 340, km 178.5, Marbella. Easy parking.

Tel: 952 857 403

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

Ta-kumi Open daily for lunch and dinner. C/ Gregorio Marañón 4, Marbella. Tel: 952 770 839

golden wok

Teppanyaki samurai

Open every day for lunch and dinner. Urb. Marbellamar, Marbella. Tel: 952 866 840

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Avda. Manolete 20, Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 816 549

Hanuri KOREAN BBQ & BAR

thai gallery

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

At Plaza Village at the Hotel Puente Romano. Blvd.

Príncipe Alfonso von Hohenlohe s/n, Marbella.

Tel: 952 818 392

KABUKI raw

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Avda. Playas del Duque s/n. Edif. Gaviotas IV, Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 813 675

Open Tuesday to Saturday for dinner. At Finca Cortesín Hotel. Ctra. Casares s/n, Casares. Tel: 952 937 800

Kaiden Sushi Open daily for lunch and dinner. Centro Com. Guadalmina Alta, Guadalmina 4, local 2, lower floor, San Pedro de Alcántara. Tel: 952 896 508

Kama Kura

Thai Style

tHapa thai Open every day for lunch and dinner. Urb. Puerto Deportivo 13, Edif. Poniente, Estepona. Tel: 951 318 445

top thai

El Barlovento

Mesón el adobe

Open from 11am-4pm and 7.30-11pm every day except Mondays. Puerto Deportivo de Sotogrande, Cádiz. Tel: 956 790 370

Open daily for lunch and dinner except Tuesdays.

Avda. La Fontanilla, Edif. Balmoral, Bajo 3, Marbella.

Tel. 600 003 144

Restaurante La Marina

mi taberna

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

Open Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner.

CN340, km 178, Marbella. Tel: 952 827 880

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 Open every day for lunch and dinner. Paseo Marítimo Rey de España, Fuengirola. Tel: 952 660 084

palapa Open daily for lunch and dinner. C.C. Laguna Village, CN 340, km 159, Estepona. Tel: 952 808 165

Paellas y Más Open daily from 10:30am to 11pm. C/ Jacinto Benavente 33, Marbella. Tel: 952 822 511

Vila do grove Open Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner. C/ Las Malvas, Edif. On Line, Local 2, Nueva Andalucía.

Tel: 952 813 415

vegetarian loving hut

Open daily from 10.30am to 11.30pm. Avda. Miguel Cano 11, Marbella. Tel: 951 245 889

*cinemas & theatres AUDITORIO MUNICIPAL MIJAS

Santiago

Plaza de la Libertad 2. Mijas. Tel: 952 590 380

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Paseo Marítimo, 5, Marbella. Tel: 952 770 078

AUDITORIO MUNICIPAL TORREMOLINOS

spanish

Plaza de España, Recinto Ferial. Tel: 952 379 521

AUDITORIO PARQUE DE LA CONSTITUCIÓN Marbella. Tel: 952 825 035

Bahía

CENTRO CULTURAL EL INGENIO

Open every evening for dinner. At Hotel Don Carlos. Avda. Zurita s/n, Marbella. Tel: 952 768 800

Garcia Morato, s/n. San Pedro. Tel: 952 786 968

Casa de la era

La Cañada. Marbella. Tel: 902 333 231

Open only for lunch – call for times. Ctra. de Ojén, km 0.5, Marbella. Tel: 952 770 625

cines teatro goya

Casa Fernando

cinesur

Open from Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner. Avda. del Mediterráneo s/n, San Pedro de Alcántara. Tel: 952 853 344

C.C. Miramar, Fuengirola. Tel: 952 198 605

CINESA LA CAÑADA Avda. Julio Iglesias, Puerto Banús. Tel: 951 196 665

MULTICINES ALFIL Avda. Camilo José Cela, s/n. Fuengirola.

Tel: 952 800 056

DGust

Open Tuesday to Saturday from 8-11pm. The San Roque Club, Ctra. de Cádiz, km. 127, San Roque, Cádiz. Tel: 956 613 030

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Centro Plaza, 64, Nueva Andalucía. Tel: 951 319 778. Also at C.C. Laguna Village, Local 11-13, Estepona. Tel: 952 806 661

Open Monday to Sunday for lunch and dinner.

Avda. Duque de Ahumada, Marbella. Tel: 952 863 780

MULTICINES MEDITERRÁNEO

Makitake

Tse yang Dimsum club

Hacienda

Recinto Ferial. Fuengirola. Tel: 952 589 349

Open daily for lunch and dinner. C/ Ribera s/n (above disco Seven), Puerto Banús.

Tel: 952 811 592

Open daily for lunch and dinner except Sundays.

At El Corte Inglés Food Hall, Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 909 990

TEATRO ALAMEDA

meca

wagamama

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

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. 19 Ocean Village promenade, Gibraltar. Tel: +350 200 44182

la cocina

TEATRO CIUDAD DE MARBELLA Plaza Ramón Martínez, Marbella.

Tel: 952 903 159

Namazake

Open daily from 1.30 pm for lunch and dinner. C.C. Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 908 577

Open daily for lunch and dinner except Wednesday. CN 340, km. 151, Arena Beach. Tel: 952 796 320

La máquina

Emancipación 30. Fuengirola. Tel: 952 474 542

Open daily for lunch and dinner except Sunday.

At El Corte Inglés Food Hall, Puerto Banús.

Tel: 952 909 990

VERACRUZ CINES

la moraga bistró

Plaza Mayor. Tel: 902 220 922

Open daily for lunch and dinner. C/ Ramón Areces s/n, in front of El Corte Inglés, Puerto Banús.

Tel: 952 817 448

*gyms & sports clubs

La red

C.C. Alhamar, CN-340 km 197. Tel: 952 934 684

Open daily from 9.30am to 6pm. Playa La Fontanilla, Marbella. Tel: 952 821 450

ATENAS

La Taberna del Alabardero

AZTEC COUNTRY CLUB

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

Urb. Riviera del Sol, Mijas-Costa. Tel: 952 934 477

Open Tuesday to Saturday for dinner. Hotel Puente Romano. Tel: 952 820 900

Ombú Open from 7pm to 11pm, Wednesday to Sunday.

At the Don Carlos Leisure Resort & Spa. Avenida Zurita, s/n, Marbella. Tel: 952 768 800

Osaka 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

Sakura Open every day for lunch and dinner. Avda.

Jardines del Puerto, L.5, Puerto Banús.

Tel: 952 817 536

Sapporo Open daily for lunch and dinner. C.C. Costa del Sol,

Wasabi

scandinavian Aloha restaurant

Open every evening for dinner from 6pm to 11.30pm. Avda. del Prado s/n, Nueva Andalucía.

Tel: 952 811 285

Skandies Open Tuesday to Sunday from 7pm to 11pm. Closed Mondays. Avda. Antonio Belón, 26 (behind the lighthouse), Marbella. Tel: 952 776 323

seafood

cervecería ostrería santiago Open daily for lunch and dinner. Avda. del Marzo, Marbella. Tel: 952 770 078

Mijas. Tel: 952 663 738

PALACIO DE LA PAZ Calle Córdoba 9, Málaga. Tel: 952 213 412

TEATRO CERVANTES Ramos Marín, 199, Málaga. Tel: 952 224 109

TEATRO SALON VARIETES Veracruz. Estepona. Tel: 952 800 056

YELMO CINEPLEX

ALHAMAR GYM

Barquilla 1. Marbella. Tel: 952 776 240

CENTRO DEPORTIVO EL FUERTE Av. El Fuerte s/n. Marbella.

Tel: 952 861 624

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listings THE GUIDE .

CENTRO DE YOGA Y SALUD INTEGRAL Ramón y Cajal 21. Marbella. Tel: 952 773 804

Cerrado del águila Mijas Costa, Málaga. Tel: 951 773 523

CLUB DEl SOL Tennis /paddle classes. Calahonda.

Tel: 952 939 595

Dy Gym marbella Nueva Andalucía. Tel: 952 817 074

Dynamic training centre C.C. Le Village, Marbella. Tel: 952 775 021

FITNESS CENTRE NEW STYLE Amapolas, s/n Nueva Andalucía. Tel: 952 817 916

Fuerte Gym Avda. El Fuerte, Marbella. Tel: 952 861 624

GIMNASIO ESTADIO Trav. Huerta de los Cristales, Marbella. Tel: 952 828 217

HAPPY DIVER’S CLUB Atalaya Park Hotel, Marbella. Tel: 609 571 920

HOTEL PUENTE ROMANO CN340, Km77,5. Marbella. Tel: 952 820 900

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

Bonsai Museum Parque Arroyo de la Represa. Marbella. Tel: 952 862 926

Bull-fighting Museum Plaza de Toros. Estepona.

Museo Cortijo Miraflores Marbella. Tel: 952 902 714

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. THE GUIDE listings

Museo de Bella Artes

Ages 3–18. Elviria. Tel: 952 831 058/9

Arts & Crafts. Village Square, from 8pm

Club de tenis don carlos

C/ San Agustin 8. Málaga. Tel: 952 218 382

Hijas de María Auxiliadora

Benalmádena Costa

Museo del Grabado

Ages 3-12. Marbella. Tel: 952 771 396

(Second hand items) Recinto Ferial, 10am-2pm

Hotel Don Carlos, Avda. Zurita, CN340, km 192.

Marbella. Tel: 952 768 800

Hospital Bazán. Marbella. Tel: 952 825 035

III language schools

Calahonda

Club Internacional de Tennis

Museo de la Villa

Calypso, 9am-2pm

Ctra. Cádiz, km 173. Marbella. Tel: 952 813 341

Estepona

Club Madroñal

Avda. Juan Carlos II, 9am-2:30 pm

Benahavís. Tel: 617 647 223

Urb. Coral Beach. Marbella. Tel: 952 857 923

San Pedro. Tel: 952 778 492 Marbella. Tel: 952 822 191 Nueva Andalucía. Tel: 952 908 558 Estepona. Tel: 952 794 059

Istán

Club Nueva Alcántara

Museum of Málaga Wines

Inlingua Language School

At the entrance to the town, 9am-2pm

San Pedro Alcántara. Tel: 952 788 315

Carrera 39. Ojén. Tel: 952 881 453

All ages. Marbella. Tel: 952 774 942

La Cala

Hofsaess tennis academy

Museum of Miniatures Carromato de Max

the InteRnational SCHOOL of ESTEPONA

Recinto Ferial, 9am-1pm

Monte Elviria (next to German School).

Tel: 952 835 812

El Compas. Mijas. Tel: 952 489 500

Ages 2-12. Estepona. Tel: 952 884 789

Pablo Ruiz Picasso Foundation Plaza de la Merced 15. Málaga. Tel: 952 060 215

Laude San pedro international college

Picasso Museum Málaga

Ages 2–18. San Pedro. Tel: 952 799 900

Palacio de Buenavista, C/ San Agustín 8. Málaga.

Tel: 952 127 611

Mayfair Academy

Plaza de la Libertad 2. Mijas. Tel: 952 590 380

Museo Ralli

Thursday Alhaurín El Grande

Lew Hoads Tennis Club

By the Guardia Civil Offfices, City Centre, 9am-1pm

Ctra. de Mijas, Km 3,5. Mijas. Tel: 952 474 858

Málaga

Manolo Santana Racquets Club

Opposite the Guardia Civil Offices, City Centre.

9am-1pm

Ctra. de Istán, Km 2. Marbella.

Tel: 952 778 580

San Pedro

Marbella hill tennis club

Monseñor Rodrigo Bocanegra

By the sports pavilion, in the Divina Pastora district, 9am-2pm

Avda. El Fuerte, Marbella.

Tel: 659 677 539

*post offices

Ages 3-16. Marbella. Tel: 952 770 077

Torre del Mar

marbella playa tenIs

Performing Arts Academy

Avda. Europa, 9am-1pm

CN340, km 189, Marbella. Tel: 657 619 630

Calahonda

Ages 3-18. Marbella. Tel: 952 906 865

Torremolinos

Miraflores Tennis Club

C.C. El Zoco. Tel: 952 932 175

Peter Pan School

El Calvario, near Town Hall, 9am-1pm

El corte inglés

Vélez Málaga

Urb. Miraflores, Km 199. Calahonda.

Tel: 952 932 006

Puerto Banús. Tel: 952 909 990

Ages 0-3. Bilingual nursery. San Pedro.

Tel: 952 782 051 Benalmádena. Tel: 952 562 103

Fuengirola

Saint George’s School

Tel: 952 467 843

Ages 2-8. San Pedro. Tel: 952 786 606

Estepona

Sotogrande International School

C/ Málaga 82–84. Tel: 952 800 537

Ages 2–18. Sotogrande. Tel: 956 795 902

Fuengirola

Roman Public Baths

Ages 4-18. Atalaya Park, Estepona.

Tel: 952 784 923

Guadalmina Baja. Tel: 952 781 360

Opposite the Guardia Civil Offices, City Centre, 9am-1pm

Puente Romano TEnnis club

Friday Benalmádena

royal tennis club marbella Sport Club Reserva del Higuerón

St. Javier’s International School

In the area between Tivoli World and the Plaza San Pedro, 9am-1pm

Pza. los Chinorros. Tel: 952 474 384

Ages 1-7. Marbella. Tel: 952 823 457

Calahonda

Marbella

Stagecoach Theatre Arts School

Calypso, 9am-2pm

Jac. Benavente, 14. Tel: 952 772 898

Ages 4-16. Tel: 952 900 453

Las Chapas

Nueva Andalucía

Sunny View School

La Víbora, 9am-2pm

C/ Jazmines. Tel: 952 810 887

Ages 2–18. Torremolinos. Tel: 952 383 164

Rincón de la Victoria

San Pedro

Swans international school el capricho

Málaga. Plaza de la Iglesia, 9am-1pm

Pizarro, 41. Tel: 952 780 39

sChools

Ages 3–10. Marbella. Tel: 952 773 248

Saturday Coín

Swans international school Sierra blanca

C/ Urbano Pineda, 9am-1pm

Ages 3-18. Nueva Andalucía.

Tel: 952 814 133

Ages 11–18. Marbella. Tel: 952 902 755

Recinto Ferial, 9am-1pm

TLC Tutorial College

Maro

Angela’s School

Ages 13-18. Calahonda. Tel: 952 933 249

Close to the Nerja Caves, 9am-1pm

Ages 6-14. Marbella. Tel: 952 823 042

wendy kindergarten

Mijas Costa

british school of marbella

Ages 4 months - 5 years. Marbella. Tel: 952 772 910

Las Lagunas, 9am-2pm

*street markets

Nueva Andalucía

Aloha College

Ages 18 months-8. Marbella.

Tel: 952 779 264

Calahonda International College

La Cala

Next to the bullring. Park near CN340 and walk upwards, 9am-1pm

Ages 3-18. Tel: 952 930 080

Monday benahavís

Calpe School

Arts & Crafts. Village Square, from 8pm

Sunday benahavís

Ages 2 1/2–11. San Pedro. Tel: 952 786 029

Marbella

Arts & Crafts. La Ermita Park, from 10pm

Childrens placE Bilingual nursery

Fairground (Avda. de Juan Alameda), 9am-2:30pm

Estepona Fuengirola

Ages 3-18. Ricmar. Tel: 952 839 645

Tuesday Churriana

Colegio Alemán

9am-1pm

Málaga

Ages 3-18. Elviria. Tel: 952 831 417

Fuengirola

Next to Rosaleda football stadium, 9am-2pm

Colegio Las Chapas

Sotogrande

Ages 5–18, girls school. Elviria. Tel: 952 831 616

Recinto Ferial (close to the CN340, on the same side as the bullring), 9am-2:30pm

Colegio San José Guadalmina

Monda

Tel: 952 883 858 Estepona. Tel: 952 800 148

C/ Los Huertos, 8am-2:30pm

Dolphin Nursery

Nerja

*tennis clubs

Ages 6 months-5 years. San Pedro.

Tel: 952 799 563

C/ Chaparil, 9am-1pm

Urb. Riviera del Sol, Mijas-Costa. Tel: 952 934 477

bel air tennis and paddel club

Ecos College

Wednesday Alhaurín de la Torre

Ages 1–18. Elviria. Tel: 952 831 027

Avda. del Limón, 9am-2pm

Club deL Sol

English InteRnational College

benahavís

Tennis/paddle classes. Calahonda. Tel: 952 939 595

Atalaya, Estepona. Tel: 952 928 444

Colegio Alborán

Puerto Deportivo, 9am-1pm Recinto Ferial, 9am-2:30pm

At the Marina, 9am-1pm

Aztec Country Club

Urb. Bel-Air, Estepona. Tel: 952 883 221

Marbella. Tel: 952 820 900 El Rosario, Marbella. Tel: 952 837 651 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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DOGS USE MORE THAN ONE SENSE

TO RECOGNISE HUMAN AND CANINE EMOTIONS In case you were wondering if Puffy really knows when you are feeling down in the dumps, the answer is yes!

Researchers from the University of Lincoln in the UK have found that dogs are able to combine images (of happy and angry people and dogs) with the right sounds (happy or aggressive human and canine sounds). Previous studies had shown that dogs can recognise human expressions (happy vs angry) but this new study shows that they can collate sensory information from more than one source to understand how humans and fellow canines feel… so the next time you are sobbing over your favourite soap opera and Puffy comes over for a pat, do appreciate that she is trying to soothe and love you right.

A PEACEFUL WALK WITH THE

DUAL DOGGIE PET LEASH BY WIGZI If you walk two dogs at once, then you’re probably sick of the leashes tangling up every time one dog crosses over into the other dog’s path. This super clever leash is designed so that neither leash can cross over the other. It is also colour coded so you can easily stop one particularly dog. i Available on www.amazon.com

A HAIR FREE HOME

WITH THE DYSON GROOM TOOL ‘Groom. Suck. Gone.’ Such is the motto of this super cool gadget, which collects hair from your dog’s body and sucks it into a vacuum, without harming your dog in the slightest. The apparatus features different bristle lengths to cater to the size and hair quotient of your dog. It is suitable for long- and medium-haired dogs. i www.littlewoods.com

WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS

pets THE GUIDE .

WHY IS MY DOG STARING AT ME? Do you ever get the heebie jeebies when you are quietly working on your computer and you suddenly notice Fido from across the room, looking at you intently as though he wanted to bore a hole through your forehead?

If you ever wondered why he loves staring at you, the reasons can be manifold. One is if he notices a new odour on you from another animal. Ask yourself if you have been in contact with someone else’s pet during the day.

Some dogs (especially lap dogs) simply stare because they want your attention. They are trying to tell you that they’re bored so get off your chair and take them for a walk! Schedule changes can also throw your dog off the loop; why are you leaving Rex on the sofa when you normally feed him at this time of the day? Pets have finely tuned inner alarm clocks and they try to remind you of what they normally expect at particular times of the day. In the end, you need to analyse your pets’ body language. Are they angry? Are their ears thrown back and are they wagging their tail or bending their behind sideways, asking for love? Or are they huffing and puffing because it’s time to take them out? Only you truly know your dog so try to work out what they are thinking and act accordingly.

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what’s on...

. THE GUIDE what’s on

Events in SEPTEMBER Until September 9 ART – FUENGIROLA

The Grupo Avanzado de Julio Sevillano presents a photography exhibition entitled Haciendo el Quijote, at the Sala del Colectivo de Imagen de Fuengirola.

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.

Also until this date, view Jackson Pollock’s mural, Energy Made Visible, a large-scale painting commissioned by Peggy Guggenheim. www.museopicassomalaga.org

Until September 18 ART – BENALMÁDENA

The Centro de Exposiciones de Benalmádena will be hosting a joint exhibition called Beauty, which delves into the implicit and explicit symbolism and meaning of this subject.

Featuring works by over 30 artists. www.benalmadena.es

exhibition by various artists featuring photographs of Fuengirola over the past 75 years. The town’s infrastructure, people and tastes have changed tremendously over the past few decades, as is evident in this fascinating exhibition. At the Museo de la Ciudad.

Tel: 952 589 356.

AMIGOS DE LA CULTURA – COSTA DEL SOL

Until September 30 HOLISTIC RETREATS – MIJAS COSTA

Integral Psychotherapist Gabriella Kortsch helps you with everything from relationship breakdowns to depression, poor communication with loved ones or financial stress, at her weekly group meetings, which start at 7:30pm.

For information on locations, info@advancedpersonaltherapy.com

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.

ART – MARBELLA

Magpie International Art Gallery presents a joint exhibition by Illustrator, Cosette Bekkers, and Sculptor, Victor Carrasco. www.magpie.international

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

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

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

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

The Fuengirola Town Hall presents EFE 75 Años en Fotos, a photographic

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

Until September 15

Until December 4

Art Wanson Gallery, located at the Marbella Club Hotel, will be hosting an exhibition by French Photographer, Francés Lirone, featuring works that marry photography, painting and sculpture.

The Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Málaga (CAC Málaga) presents Inspired

by True-Life Events, an exhibition featuring 32 painting works by New Yorker, David Salle, who has exhibited his works at some of the most renowned museums in the world, including the Whitney Museum and the Metropolitan opera House. www.cacmalaga.eu

Until September 19 ART – FUENGIROLA

ART – MARBELLA

ART – MÁLAGA

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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

OCEAN CLUB SATURDAYS – PUERTO BANÚS

Catch some rays by the pool and savour a fabulous lunch every Saturday while you enjoy live DJ music and a superb party atmosphere. www.oceanclub.es

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

Thursday September 1 TOURIST DAY – TORREMOLINOS

Enjoy a host of musical and dance performances, special foods and fun activities on the beaches of Torremolinos, all day long.

Thursday September 1 to Sunday September 4 BEFREE MARBELLA LGBT FESTIVAL – Marbella

BEFREE is the biggest LGBT festival in Marbella, aiming to bring more lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual tourism to the Coast. Featuring DJ parties, cultural events and social activities. On Saturday September 3, the BEFREE Pool Party will be taking place at the OH Diana Park Hotel. For a full programme of events, www.befree-group.com

Thursday September 1 to Saturday September 24 ART – BENALMÁDENA

The beautiful Castillo del Bil-Bil will be hosting an exhibition of colourful Andalusian inspired paintings by Miguel Merchán. Featuring 20 oil paintings. www.benalmadena.es

Friday September 2 to Sunday September 4 DOG FAIR – MARBELLA

The third Canine Fair of Marbella (Gipsy Cannis) will be taking place at

the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Marbella, featuring a walk, competitions, stands, canine training, alternative healing and a fundraising dinner on Saturday September 3, to raise funds for dog charity, Sonrisas Perrunas. The gala will feature a live performance by talented Singer, Juan Peña. For further information, www.gipsycannis.com

Saturday September 3 CLOSING PARTY EL PATIO – MARBELLA

El Patio at the Marbella Club Hotel has been a trendy spot throughout the summer, featuring a host of parties and shows, with exciting themes like Studio 54, Miami 1950s and Flower Power. This Saturday will be the closing party so doll up and enjoy drinks and music by DH Duo, Lola & Kique SMX. www.marbellaclub.com

Saturday September 3 to Sunday September 4 MUSIC FESTIVAL – GIBRALTAR

The Rock will be vibrating with the sounds of great music at its most important annual festival. Featuring Stereophonics, NE-YO, Bryan Ferry, Jess Glynne, Zara Larsson, Rosario, Europe and many more talented performers. www.gibraltarmusicfestival.com

Wednesday September 7 to Friday September 30 ART – GIBRALTAR

The Fine Arts Association of Gibraltar presents the National Celebrations Art Exhibition 2016, aimed at helping to promote the cultural activities of National Week and to propagate and celebrate everything to do with Gibraltar. This year, the exhibition has a special theme: Our Identity, which prompts artists to analyse and express their thoughts and feelings regarding what it really means to be a Gibraltarian. At The Balcony, Casemates Square, Gibraltar.

Tel: +350 200 52 126.

Thursday, September 8 RICKY MARTIN – MÁLAGA

Latino crooner and pop sensation, Ricky Martin, will be giving heart and soul at a concert to be held at the Auditorio Municipal Cortijo de Torres-Málaga at 9pm. For tickets, www.elcorteingles.es

Saturday September 10 PABLO LÓPEZ – MÁLAGA

Talented Singer and Composer, Pablo López, will be performing live at the Auditorio de la Luna Mora de Guaro in Málaga at 11pm. For tickets, www.nvivo.es

Saturday September 10 and Sunday September 11 JOHNNY WESTWOOD – FUENGIROLA Enjoy beautiful country singing by Johnny Westwood at the Salón Varietés Theatre. For tickets, www.salonvarietestheatre.com

Friday September 16 and Saturday September 17 HYPERBARIC MEDICAL CONFERENCE – ESTEPONA

The Auditorio Felipe VI will play host to the second Hyperbaric Medicine conference, organised by the Centro Médico Hiperbárico de Estepona HMCE. The conference will highlight the latest news in hyperbaric medicine. For further information, www.centrohiperbarico.com

Saturday September 17 PASIÓN VEGA – MARBELLA

The Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Marbella will be hosting a concert by one of Spain’s most beautiful voices: Pasión Vega, who will be singing hits old and new. For tickets, www.elcorteingles.es

Saturday September 17 and Sunday September 18 BALLET FLAMENCO FUSION – FUENGIROLA

The Salón Varietés Theatre will be hosting an elegant ballet flamenco fusion show. For tickets, www.salonvarietestheatre.com

Sunday September 18 ASCARI TRACK DAY – RONDA

Head for the Ascari circuit to enjoy a special track day and drive your sports car at a hair-raising speed. From 8am to 7pm. www.ascari.net

Thursday September 22 to Saturday September 24 SENIOR MASTERS CUP – MARBELLA

John McEnroe, Yannick Noah, Mats Wilander, Albert Costa, Younes El Aynaoui and Sebastien Grosjean. www.puenteromano.com

Saturday September 24 to Sunday September 25 JERSEY BOYS – FUENGIROLA

The Salón Varietés Theatre in Fuengirola presents The New Jersey Boys, a tribute to the music of Frankie Vallie & The Four Seasons. For tickets, www.salonvarietestheatre.com

Sunday September 25 HALF MARATHON – MARBELLA

The 31st edition of the Marbella Half Marathon will take place once again, over various surfaces, including asphalt, marble and compact soil. The race will start at 9am and end at 11:30am.

Runners must sign up by September 22 and obtain their official entry number at the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Marbella, on September 24 between 10am and 2pm and 4pm and 9pm. www.marbellacongresos.com

Sunday September 25 to Thursday September 29 FAIR – TORREMOLINOS

The Torremolinos Fair will be taking place, featuring drinks and flamenco music and dancing by day, and rides, drink and dance, and fairground games by night. For further information, www.torremolinos.es

Wednesday September 28 to Sunday October 2 FILM FESTIVAL – MARBELLA

The Marbella International Film Festival will be taking place, bringing together artists and films from all over the world.

In addition to catching the very latest critically acclaimed works, take part in the 24-hour challenge, making your own film in just one day! www.marbellafilmfestival.com

Sunday October 2 DIRE STRAITS TRIBUTE ACT – MÁLAGA

Brothers in Band is a talented Dire Straits tribute act, who will be performing live at the Málaga Auditorium Club at 8pm. For tickets, www.nvivo.es

The world’s most lauded senior masters tennis competition, the Senior Masters Cup, will be taking place at the Puente Romano Tennis Club, featuring

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. THE GUIDE stars

Russell Grant’s

Monthly Horoscope September 2016

VIRGO August 24th - September 23rd The Solar Eclipse on the 1st will prompt you to make big changes in your personal life. It’s time to break off a relationship that has been draining you of time, money and energy. You may feel a little lonely as a result, but stay strong.

Becoming more self sufficient will give you the courage to accept new challenges. Pursuing your dream job will be a welcome diversion during the first half of September. You have an opportunity to dramatically improve your financial situation. Don’t let a manipulative person lay guilt trips on you.

It may be best to cut off contact with a toxic person. A Lunar Eclipse on the 16th will signal the final blow to a troubled relationship. Spend the second half of September indulging your sensual side. Get a massage, update your image and splash out on new clothes. It’s important to treat yourself well during this intense time.

Pursuing your dream job will be a welcome diversion during the first half of September. You have an opportunity to dramatically improve your financial situation

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ARIES [21 MAR - 20 APR]

A Solar Eclipse on the 1st will bring a health matter to your attention. You will have to change your daily routine for the sake of your body. Gentle exercise is preferable to strenuous workouts. It’s also important to get plenty of rest. Stop burning the candle at both ends.

Fortunately, your best friend or romantic partner will give you lots of support during the first half of the month. Let your loved one relieve you of demanding chores. The Lunar Eclipse on the 16th will bring an end to a period of obscurity. At long last, you can be more vocal about your true feelings. Spending more time on your personal life is strongly advised during the second half of September.

Be more attentive to your romantic partner. If you’re single, you will meet someone special at a religious or cultural event. Keep your ears open for someone with an attractive accent.

TAURUS [21 APR - 21 MAY]

A Solar Eclipse on the 1st will prompt you to make more time for pleasurable activities. You’re tired of being the responsible one. Go on holiday, enjoy some rest and put chores on the back burner. Others may protest and accuse you of being lazy, but pay no attention. They’ve just become accustomed to you doing all the work. Finding a job that draws on your creative talent is a strong possibility during the first half of the month. If this means taking a pay cut, so be it. It’s more important to be happy than earn lots of money. The Lunar Eclipse on the 16th will prompt you to break away from a restrictive relationship. This will put a crimp in your finances, but you can’t put a price on independence. Fortunately, you will make great strides at work and may quickly earn a series of promotions. Try pooling resources with a friend at the end of September.

GEMINI [22 MAY - 21 JUN]

The Solar Eclipse on the 1st prompts you to make some big changes to your home life. You’re no longer willing to endure a relative’s bad behaviour.

Moving to your own place or asking them to leave will be painful but therapeutic. Your love life will undergo a dramatic improvement during the first half of the month.

Similarly, your creative juices will be flowing freely. Take this opportunity to spend more time on the people and activities you love. A Lunar Eclipse on the 16th will bring the end to a career matter. Although the prospect of finding a new job may be scary, it will also be exhilarating.

Working overseas or enrolling in a college will be a welcome change of pace. Turn to your romantic partner when your courage starts to falter. They’ll be happy to supply the support you need to make a fresh start. You might have to dip into savings in late September.

CANCER [22 JUN - 23 JUL]

The Solar Eclipse on the 1st could force you to assume some unfamiliar responsibilities. The learning curve will be steep, so be patient. Turn a deaf ear to a sour colleague who constantly criticises your performance. They’re probably threatened by your presence. Home life will become much more rewarding during the first half of the month. If you’ve been longing to move, this would be a great time to look for a new place.

You could find a spacious, gracious property that is within your budget. A legal decision could be rendered against you on the 16th, due to a stressful Lunar Eclipse. Try not to let this setback stop you enjoying some quality time with loved ones. Your family will help you recover from this disappointment. You could meet someone special at

the end of September. This is a great time to pursue a business or romantic partnership.

LEO [24 JUL - 23 AUG]

The Solar Eclipse on the 1st urges you to take a second look at your values.

Instead of pursuing wealth and status, you should focus on doing what you love. If that means leaving a toxic job or relationship, so be it. There’s a good chance you will have to take a financial loss to move in a happier, healthier direction.

Studying a subject you love will be a welcome distraction during the first half of September. You might also relocate to a culturally enriching area. On the 16th, there will be a Lunar Eclipse that allows you to break free of a restrictive financial arrangement. Although this will mean less income, this turn of events will allow you to become more self sufficient. Working for a company that is located overseas is a distinct possibility.

Alternatively, you might be able to move to a place that has lots of jobs in your desired industry.

LIBRA [24 SEP - 23 OCT]

A Solar Eclipse on the 1st prompts you to take more time for solitary pursuits.

You’re very impressionable. Being surrounded by persuasive people can undermine your ability to make healthy decisions. Get some distance from people who don’t have your best interests at heart. It will be easier to become assertive as mid-month approaches. The Lunar Eclipse on the 16th brings an end to a draining relationship. Although this situation will be upsetting, it is also an opportunity to heal from some deep pain. Spending time on solitary pursuits can be therapeutic. Take this opportunity to cultivate your considerable creative talent. If you’ve ever wanted to buy your own place, you will be able to as September draws to a close. Take this opportunity to build some long term security for yourself. Fame and acclaim could arrive as a result of an impressive accomplishment. Get ready for your close up. Use this publicity as a springboard to bigger and better assignments.

SCORPIO [24 OCT - 22 NOV]

Attending to your physical needs will become increasingly important at the start of the month. Take this opportunity to enjoy some gourmet meals, spa treatments and soaks in the bathtub. If this means spending less time on a demanding loved one, so be it. Waiting for others to satisfy your desires will be an exercise in futility. Solitary pursuits can be a profound source of pleasure during the first half of the month.

Spend more time reading, writing and communing with nature. A financial shortage warns against taking risks during the second part of September. Be as resourceful as possible. A Lunar Eclipse on the 16th makes you yearn for fun. It may be necessary to cut back your hours at work to recover from burnout. Fortunately, there will be a round of parties at the end of the month. Attend as many of these social functions as possible; mixing with friends will lift your spirits.

SAGITTARIUS [23 NOV - 21 DEC]

A Solar Eclipse on the 1st causes you to embark on a brand new career path. You might become fed up with your current line of work. Alternatively, your desired field could dry up quite quickly. Changing direction will be challenging but rewarding. Your friends will be critical in finding a new position. Spread the word among loved ones. You

should also make good use of social media. Someone could hear of a job that is tailor made for your strengths and weaknesses. The Lunar Eclipse on the 16th will put pressure on your home life. It may be better to move to an area where you can easily pursue your favourite activities.

Your social life will pick up considerably during the second half of September. Attend as many parties as possible.

Making new friends can advance both your personal and professional prospects. You’ll face stiff competition with a moneymaking opportunity at the end of the month.

CAPRICORN [22 DEC - 20 JAN]

The Solar Eclipse on the 1st will prompt you to change your priorities. Instead of focusing on superficial matters like work, status and money, you’ll turn your attention inward. Adopting a spiritual practice is a strong possibility. You might also spend more time reading, writing and communing with nature. If you feel lonely, you’ll get involved with a charitable organisation. Devoting your life to making the world a better place will make you feel stronger, happier and healthier. By mid-month, you may feel compelled to leave a toxic industry or step down from a high pressure position. The Lunar Eclipse on the 16th could put an end to defeatist attitudes. Instead of taking the conservative approach to life, you’ll become more spontaneous and open minded. You’ll make friends from different walks of life and become less judgemental.

As a result, you’ll discover a level of personal power you never knew existed. Develop your leadership ability as September winds down.

AQUARIUS [21 JAN - 19 FEB]

A Solar Eclipse on the 1st will prompt you to let down your defences with a trustworthy partner. In the past, you insisted on retaining your independence. Now you realise selfreliance is overrated. Joining forces with someone who offers unconditional love and support will be empowering. With your amour’s encouragement, you could book an overseas trip you’ve wanted to take for years. Alternatively, you may decide to get an advanced degree. A Lunar Eclipse on the 16th will bring an end to a source of income. Stay calm. It may take time to find a position that is worthy of your talent. Be willing to accept a temporary job as a means to pay the bills. Working for a government agency or bureaucracy may not be stimulating, but it will keep you financially afloat. Don’t let pride get in the way of making economically sound decisions at the end of September.

PISCES [20 FEB - 20 MAR]

The Solar Eclipse on the 1st marks a turning point in a close relationship.

Assuming a more dominant role is critical to the health of this union.

Resist the urge to defer to your amour whenever conflicts arise. Being more assertive will earn your partner’s respect and build your own confidence.

Satisfying your sensual side will become an increasing priority during the first half of September. Treat yourself to good food, beautiful clothes and luxurious cosmetics.

Buy yourself some enticing cologne and enjoy long soaks in the tub and relaxing naps. Continually denying yourself of such simple pleasures can make you angry and resentful. A Lunar Eclipse on the 16th will prompt you to be more outspoken at work. Standing up to a pushy authority figure will cause your stature to rise.

Towards the end of the month, if you are given a choice between taking a flat salary and earning a commission, choose the latter.

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. THE GUIDE family

SEPTEMBER 1, TOURIST DAY

Torremolinos beaches will host folk performances, gastronomy and lots of fun for everyone. Location: Torremolinos

SEPTEMBER 1-4, BEFREE FESTIVAL This is a festival especially for Gays, known for its brunches, pool parties, and great entertainment during night parties, including drag queens and amazing performances. Location: Estepona

SEPTEMBER 3-4, MUSIC FESTIVAL The Music Festival in Gibraltar was nominated in 2015 for ‘Best Overseas Festival’ Award at the UK Music Festival Awards. Location: Gibraltar

MARBELLA

SCHOOLS After an action-packed summer on the Costa del Sol, the start of September means Marbella parents have a new topic on the agenda: Back to School. Here’s everything a local parent needs to know to make sure the family has a strong start to the new academic year.

As the family community in Marbella expands, so do the improvements and growth in the number of schools on the Coast. Get the latest tips and feedback on Marbella schools, nurseries, and university-level study programmes to make sure you’ve made the right choice. This year, Aloha College’s 800 students will enjoy a brand new Arts & Sports Hall.

Aloha College, Tel: (+34) 952 814 133.

to work for many parents. This local resource is a great way to find professional, high-quality and trustworthy care for your family home. From Au Pairs to professional housekeeping services, browse the latest updates on recommended providers for international families on the Costa del Sol. Mary Poppins Services, Tel: (+34) 648 693 509.

MARBELLA TUTORS GUIDE

The new academic year also means you’ll likely need to find the latest backpacks and school clothes for the new year. Browse through local stores catering specifically to back-to-school families. There’s even a supplier that will monogram children’s clothing so nothing goes missing. HFG Labelling Services, Tel: (+34) 658 389 175.

Students oftentimes need a boost to make sure they excel in a particular subject. Here you can find a complete list of recommended local tutors for specific topics, including feedback from parents who have used their services. You’ll find specialists in everything from English to university entrance exams. Tutor Me This, Tel: (+34) 951 508 085.

NANNIES & HOUSEKEEPERS

Back to school also means back

BACK TO SCHOOL SHOPPING

MARBELLA FITNESS

Looking for the perfect Pilates programme or gym? The last year

has brought with it a wide range of new fitness facilities for every age and intensity level. Find out which fitness centre is the right one for you. You can even review comments from others in the community to ensure you make the right choice. Glow Fitness, Tel: (+34) 637 886 788.

MARBELLA PSYCHOLOGY & COUNSELLING

Studies show that individuals learn through a variety of learning styles.

For parents and families that could benefit from advice on how to tackle problems at home or school, you can find a range of recommended specialists for every age and personal issue. Marbella Therapy, Tel: (+34) 608 594 608.

i For details, check out MarbellaFamilyFun.com

SEPTEMBER 4, LAST SUMMER WATER SLIDE

This is an event for charity La Cruz Roja, where donations are welcome: food and products for kids. Bring your blow-up, donate and enjoy a day sliding about.

Location: La Cala

SEPTEMBER 15, SALVADOR DALÍ EXHIBITION

Last day to enjoy the great Spanish artist’s exhibition which shows a mixture of vanguard and tradition throughout his work.

Location: Miraflores

SEPTEMBER 18, ASCARI RACING DAY

Take a trip to the Ascari track near Ronda and spend some time behind the wheel of a tricked out car on the circuit. You can take up to 4 friends with you for a small extra fee. Location: Ronda

SEPTEMBER 25, MARBELLA MARATHON

Run the famous Marbella Marathon this year! Anybody can take part. 3,000 places are available but you must sign up before September 22nd. For further information: http://mediamaratonmarbella.com

SEPTEMBER 25-29, TORREMOLINOS FERIA

The Romeria, or pilgrimage, is a great place to indulge in Spanish culture, eating traditional foods, tapas and paella, featuring Flamenco dancing in the streets as well as homemade sherry and local artisan beer. Location: Torremolinos

SEPTEMBER 28, INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Marbella hosts a prestigious film festival featuring an assortment of exciting previews, gala events and a 24 film challenge competition. Location: Puerto Banus i For details on any of these events, check out the Marbella Community Calendar at events.marbellafamilyfun.com

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SUMM S A L EE R

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BOUTIQUE INFANTIL

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

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BORA BORA BEACH CLUB MARBELLA Paseo Marítimo de San Pedro de Alcántara. Marbella T. 952 789 100 www.boraboramarbella.es

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