Olive Press Newspaper - Issue 236

Property olive press

www.theolivepress.es

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- April 12th 2016

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Something of it was created a challenge, Pablo Gil and by architects Jaime Bartolome on a 42-degree slope on the Granada Commissioned coastline. couple from by a young Madrid, every single window of the home, near boasts stunningSalobrena, views of the sea.

The state-of-the-ar t design split over two floors features a ‘dragon-scale’ inspired curved roof, floorto-ceiling windows and an infinity pool.

Its position hillside helpsdug into the stay cool in the inside months and the summer warmer in winter. joyful living, “The project innovative construction combined the return of techniques, craftsmanGranada

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Up IN THE wOrLD!

EVEREST veteran Stephen Venables has West Country swapped his in hilly Gaucin.home for a pad The intrepid who found famemountaineer, peditions throughleading exthe Himalayas, has chosen soaring Andalucian mountains over Somerset countryside.

“It’s a strange though I’ve spent irony that life calling myselfmost of my a mountaineer, yet this is the first time I’ve actually lived in the mountains,” revealed Venables, 61.

Venables and wife Rosie, from Bath, bought a pair of small, adjacent town houses and have knocked them through to create one larger village home.

“We are reliant expat communityon the local because are only just learning how we speak Spanish,” to Venables foundhe said. ing a new route fame forgKangshung Face up Everest’s first Briton to and was the summit without extra oxygen.

He has also explored Antarctica.

Caption

Photo by: Jesus

In the anniversary edition of our Property magazine find out...

March 30th

LIVING ON THE EDGE

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FLAMING: Wicke and (right) during stunt

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in...

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Vol. 10 Issue 236

www.theolivepress.es

March 30th - April 12th 2016

I fell for that stunt!

HE has set himself on fire, jumped off exploding speedboats and thrown himself out of high-rise buildings.

Now Hollywood stuntman Peter Wicke is diving headlong into a bitter Costa courtroom showdown over a dodgy multi-million film deal.

Marbella-based Wicke, who has appeared in over 400 films and TV shows, is suing a Dutch expat after claiming he was scammed in a bogus partnership deal.

The 48-year-old German is gunning for Dutchman Jan Herman Brinkman, who he claims took him for a bone-shaking ride.

In a classic costa shakedown, he insists Brinkman’s company Jene Investments owes him thousands after he entered a promised multi-million euro

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Hollywood stuntman erupts after losing thousands in bogus €5 million Costa film deal deal to invest in his own film company.

However, he claims Brinkman had no intention of stumping up any money for him and was merely after his own.

“I am absolutely raging,” Wicke told the Olive Press. “I answered an advert in a local newspaper (not the Olive Press) offering investment in projects. Next thing I am thousands out of pocket.”

Wicke, who has lived on the Costa del Sol for two years, was hoping to find an investment partner for his com-

...How to live like a rockstar

pany, Movie Television Productions International PW. Planning to produce a couple of films in Andalucia, he was naturally interested when he spotted the offer of ‘safe and secure’ investment with ‘no results, no payment’.

After three meetings at the end of last year, he claims he was offered a €5 million investment deal from Brinkman and his mysterious ‘business partner’ Jan Te Riet, who Wicke never met.

The plan was to set up a joint company, for which he himself was asked to stump up €10,000 for legal and notary fees.

In the end he handed over €2,500 before he smelt a rat and went to police.

“It is a very clever crime system and has probably taken a fair few people,” insisted Wicke last night.

“I have worked in Hollywood for years and nothing like this has ever happened. If I see him in court I’m not sure I will be able to contain myself.

“This deception has been very conscious and calculated.”

When the Olive Press confronted Brinkman about the case, last night, he declined to answer our questions.

THE Junta may be made responsible for repaying tens of millions handed out in bogus training schemes.

A judge in Huelva has filed a motion demanding that any money that cannot be recouped in the €2 billion Edu scandal will have to be paid by the Junta.

In an unprecedented case, he insisted the authorities would be responsible for any company or individual found guilty of taking money fraudulently that is declared bankrupt.

The investigation centres on funds allocated to training programmes for the unemployed, that mostly did not take place.

Under the scheme, millions were stolen in grants for bogus academies, which were set up in disused buildings and merely furnished when officials were sent to inspect.

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New gangland killing ANOTHER Irish gangster has been murdered, allegedly by a man working for Estepona-based Christy Kinahan.

Noel ‘Kingsize’ Duggan, 55, was ambushed and shot dead in a ‘ganglandstyle’ attack while sat in his car outside his home in Ireland.

Duggan was reportedly a key figure in Lanzarotebased Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch’s smuggling ring in the 1990s.

Police are linking the attack to a string of murders between the warring Spain-based gangs run by Hutch and by Kinahan, who is now said to have teamed up with various Russian gangs.

CRIME NEWS

Gotcha!

22

www.theolivepress.es March 30th - April 12th 2016

the Olive Press

www.theo November livepress.

14th

Cameron pledge ’s for Lisa

-es 25th 2016

CRIME NEW

Agent on th e run S

EXCLUSIVE

By Rob Horga n

Search on rogue esta for agent who te has vanishe with up to d a million euro s in deposits

February www 17th

.theo - Marc livep h ress.

1st 2016es

Expat dea ths

A DUTCH egalese manwoman and a Senat a propert were found dead y in Estepon Pedro Urbanis a’s Don The woman ation. stab wounds, 54, had multiple had slashed and the man, 30, led police to veins which have was a victim believe the woman and the man of gender violence Post mortem killed himself. results pending .

AN estate agent leaving dozens has vanished a million euros of expats up to UK Prime Dutch realtor out of pocket.

Cameron has Minister David van der Pluijm Annika Elena is alleged to tigate the case vowed to inves- have taken tish expat Lisa of missing Scot- €750,000 ondeposits of at least The mother Brown. disappearing properties before pearance in -of-one’s disap- The group with the money. of mostly November raised at Dutch was and British buyers Prime Minister’s been forced have now Questions who

by Martin to cherty, Scottish Do- tion after the take legal ac- nearbyis currently renting company in Cuevas Nation Party MP for fice, Dunbartonshi al closedin Almanzora, Almeriof- “So many of de Almanzora.

West. us have re a, savings withou to this scam.” lost our “I will certain They have t warning.

He has lost also ly look into launched a case, and make €9,500, while this Facebook group togethe rope Ministe sure the Eu- scammers’ page ‘Catch these r has lost the €750,000. over him (Doche r meets with der Pluijm,in a bid to locate van “And who has also everything rty) to make sure using the name been keep more and more victims is done for Ana Sanche coming forwar family as soon Lisa’s Victims of her z.

FEUD: Monk d expect it to so we VANISHED: Van as possible,” mobilia agency Insaid Camero and Christ der Pluijm Kinahan ria he continu go up rapidly,” y and (inset Lisa’s boyfrien.

Olive Press Partaloa told the ed. “We are have ) husband launch that ‘at least set to properall vacated the big Tom businessman nd, Liverpudlian official denunc rural six’ Annika a joint action against ty they shortly.” also disappe Simon Corner, filed with policeias have been La Hoya, near were sharing in Ironically, Van The Olive Cantoria. so far. licly suppor der Pluijm pub- A FAILED hit on the Lisa, but laterared days after One British Press has Over ted our ered son of an victim, who discov- dogs, a dozen Presa Canari Estepon ment, allegedreleased a state- not to be named asked band that Ana’s German o Kickbacks campaign K.O. the a violenta gangster has sparked hus- also which they breed, , insisted they Thomas van to stop drug war land, claimin ly from Thai- would ‘not have the practice of backha been remove der Pluijm rest Two AKA g he until men have soin Ireland.

Thoma nders was d from the ing taken betwee cent’ and would proper she is also ‘inno- caught’. bes Dollekes - has The ty. meet police. not been seen agents, declarin n lawyers and ter four gangsters, far died afHowever, “She has couple are since the his former end ruined so understood ‘ethical estate g herself as an policemen, tried to dressed as advisor, reform to have ‘busine many Bothof January. legal lives,” said the assassinate agent’.

Daniel Kinaha ed UK crimihe and 55-year-old, nal Jason Coghla in France and ss interests’ However, when n at the weigh-i young sons the couple’s two the Olive of a boxing title fight n, claims he n missed the group membe Hungary with Press attemp and her parents in Dublin. arriving in appointment after has skipped rs believing she her this weekted to contact Kinahan - son of Estepon Spain three boss Christy the country she failed a gang respond to ago. weeks . to Kinaha phone was emails and her is closely linked to n - who “As far as I THE disgrac switched off. the MGM know he is gym in Marbel missing person now Grande has ed mayor of Alhaur the fight, was la that organised ,” he told a finally stepped in el He Olive Press. years of corrup the forced to escape has been down after through a tion.

It comes after Juan Martin mayor since serving Por Alhaur gency Hotel.window of the ReSeron (right) in as a Craig Dougla Lisa’s brother days were number ed in 2014. a ban from public office finally accepte He was allegedl d ed endhis Corner’s visits said he believed after dence was tabled He y the main a vote get of the shootin was a ‘hoax’. tarfor this week of no-confi- for was banned under the ties, includin g, which led taking bribes Casa by all rival to the death g the PP, PSOE for buildin Troya case and the IU. par- and was caught Harry’ Byrne. of David ‘Happy g contracts builder in returnsoliciting €122,000 A revenge attack from for plannin days later saw g permission.a Eddie Hutch Snr - the brother of Lanzarote-base Gerry ‘the Monk’ d mob boss Hutch - killed in his home by four gunmen .

GANG WA R

And abou

Sky-high smugglers

t time too!

Olive Press tracks down rogue estate agent wanted for a string of crimes in Holland AN AWOL estate agent wanted for stealing a million euros and a hit and run incident has been tracked down to the Netherlands.

Dutch agent Annika Elena van der Pluijm, AKA Ana Sanchez - who also faked her death - has moved to the province of Drenthe, it can be revealed.

Shipping documents obtained by the Olive Press show that she and her husband Thomas van der Pluijm are now hiding out in Schoonebeek.

Papers reveal they moved

WhatsApp gangsters POLICE are investigating a gunfight that was arranged through WhatsApp. Two rival gangs met in a park in Granada with one 19-year-old taken to hospital suffering from a severe bullet wound.

No arrests have yet been made, but Guardia Civil sources revealed this is not the first time a gunfight has been organised through the popular messaging app.

It appears one of the gangs challenged the other to the fight in various messages, stating a time and location. Several guns were fired.

A PAIR of helicopters have been seized from a gang that used them for smuggling drugs from Morocco to Estepona and Algeciras.

Police became suspicious after they spotted the same two helicopters repeatedly making the trip across the Straits.

When they raided the owners’ properties they found a ton and a half of hashish, along with €220,000 in cash.

EXCLUSIVE

By Rob Horgan their 15 Presa Canario dogs to a three-bedroom house in the town after her agency shut up in January.

The 37-year-old has now been arrested by police and could be extradited back to Spain to face charges, claimed sources in the town.

According to four Dutch neighbours, she has also been grilled over a similar property scam in Holland.

One told the Olive Press: “Ana is wanted here for the same sort of scam.

“Police arrested her just months after her return.

“She has been up to this sort of thing her whole life and still can’t see what she has done wrong.”

The Dutch realtor and her German husband disappeared from their home in Almeria in January, fleeing with up to a million euros of deposits taken through her agency Inmobiliaria Partaloa,

Sex doesn’t pay FOUND: Dutch dog duper and (above) our story based in Almanzora.

The victims, mostly Dutch and British expats, have since set up a Facebook page, ‘Catch these Scammers’, to track her down.

They claim police also want to talk to her over a hit-and-run incident which left a British man with ‘life-changing injuries’ last October.

A woman matching her description fled the scene after running over a group of cyclists near Cantoria, in Almeria.

Last month the Olive Press revealed that Van der Pluijm staged her own death in 2014 to escape a string of debts incurred through a dog breeding company Maricopa Presa.

So far ‘at least six’ official denuncias have been filed with police in Spain.

A spokesman for Dutch police refused to confirm or deny she had been arrested, claiming ‘due to privacy laws’ they cannot comment.

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A ‘SEX lure’ gang has been broken up by police after a number of British tourists were duped on the Costa del Sol. A total of eight victims reported a gang of women after they lost a total of €50,000.

The women are believed to have approached their victims at a bar in Puerto Banus, promising them sex before spiking their drinks and leading them to cashpoints or scamming their credit cards.

When two of the women were arrested, one had a hand-held card reader in her bag.

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3 3

Lunch before wicket

NOTHING like a spot of cricket after lunch.

And even better when it is served up by none other than John Lennon.

Previously unseen photographs of the Beatles star in Spain are set to fetch €45,000 at auction.

The set of 200 rare images show Lennon fooling around on the set of 1966 war film How I Won the War, which was filmed in Almeria.

It comes just weeks after the

Olive Press tracked down a series of stolen negatives from Lennon’s wedding day with Yoko Ono in Gibraltar.

Filmed in Cabo de Gata, the World War Two film was, in the end, not very well received by critics.

But judging by the photos that didn’t stop a 26-yearold Lennon from having a good time.

He also happened to write a little known ditty Strawberry Fields Forever while staying here.

Cameron beds down in Lanzarote hotel that has been illegal since 2007

EXCLUSIVE

By Iona Napier

HE should probably know better… or at least his advisors should.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has been staying at an illegal hotel on his latest sojourn to Spain.

The Conservative leader will have hopefully got a knockdown price at a hotel in LanFAULTY TOWERS: zarote that should have been Cameron knocked down years ago.

In his seventh visit to Spain in as many years, he booked his family into the controversial Hotel Gran Castillo, in Playa Blanca, which has infringed numerous laws.

The five-star hotel’s building permit was cancelled by the Canary Islands Supreme Court in 2007 for breaching the 1991 building plan. A judge ruled that the ten-swimming pool ‘monstrosity’ exceeded both capacity and

Was it a knockdown price, Dave? height rules and ‘does not fit in with the landscape’.

However, the hotel which was built

in 2006, has so far avoided demolition, despite flaunting these and various other regulations.

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FAULTY TOWERS: For Dave

Either way, Cameron seemed oblivious as he ate paella on Thursday while alone for 24 hours before his wife Samantha arrived on Friday. It gave him ‘time to think’ as he told a press conference.

Favourite

AFTER spending winter in the dock, Princess Cristina has docked in the Far East on an exotic holiday to Cambodia and Vietnam.

Despite an ongoing multi-million corruption case, disgraced royal Cristina and husband Inaki Urdangarin, have found the money to rent a luxurious five-star hotel with their four children.

They have a month’s leave from the Noos case in which they are accused of embezzling €6 million.

The family spent several days at the luxurious Hotel Vedana Lagoon

HAPPY: Royals

€9

In the stunning set of photos he is shown laughing with cast members including Roy Kinnear as well as indulging in a spot of cricket.

The collection of 35mm negatives went under the hammer on March 22 at Omega Auction House in Cheshire.

spa resort in central Vietnam (above), PLANT: before taking a private tour around the Marbs rest gigof the country and Cambodia.

It was a long-awaited reunion for the family, as they had been ordered to stay in Mallorca for the trial while their four children aged 10 to 16 were at school in Geneva.

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Cameron is fond of this part of the world, having stayed around the corner in San Bartolome, two years ago, when he got stung by a jellyfish.

Indeed, the country has become a firm favourite for the Camerons, who have enjoyed breaks in Granada and Mallorca, while the Olive Press revealed he holidayed twice in Ronda, before he became Prime Minister.

The town hall believes the UK PM’s visit advertising value of more than €1.2 million.

PLANT: Marbs gig

Beam me up Robbie LED Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant is landing in Marbella with his Sensational Space Shifters.

The former wildman is set to headline at this year’s Starlite Festival, alongside Tom Jones and Carlos Santana.

The legendary singer will play the Marbella Auditorium in Nagueles on July 16, while Santana plays on July 24 and Tom Jones on August 1.

In 2014, Plant cancelled his upcoming Spanish tour citing ‘exhaustion’.

PALS: Hook and Fergie

Hook, line and sinker

SARAH Ferguson is the latest in a long line of art lovers to get Hooked.

The Duchess of York and Gibraltar’s very own art legend, Christian Hook, had great success fundraising together in London last week.

The two friends were on hand for a private auction in Mayfair, which raised €44,000 for the charity Children in Crisis. Among the items to be auctioned were Hook’s 2014 portrait of Fergie, which fetched thousands.

4

NEWS

Pricey planks ERE three called

NEWS IN BRIEF

Green felled

giant

SPANISH energy company Abengoa has filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States as it looks for a plan to restructure billions in debts.

Expat exodus AROUND 100 British expats a day are quitting Spain and heading back to Blighty ahead of June’s Brexit vote, new figures show.

Jihadi spot TEACHERS in Spain are to be trained in how to spot signs of radicalised children in the wake of recent ISIS terrorist attacks in Europe.

Zika update THE total number of reported cases of the zika virus in Spain has leapt to 58, with the vast majority of the cases reported in the north of the country.

March 30th - April 12th 2016

A PRIVATE company has forked out €1.6 million to take control of the Caminito del Rey in El Chorro.

The walkway, dubbed the ‘world’s deadliest’, has been leased by Malaga City Council to construction firm Hermanos Campano for four years from April 20.

The company currently runs visits to the Roman theatre in Malaga, one of the city’s top tourist attractions.

Hidden agenda?

EXCLUSIVE

By Joe Duggan

RUSSIAN naval activity in the straits has become ‘a matter of concern’, admitted the Gibraltar government.

It comes after it emerged that leader Vladimir Putin’s vessels are stopping off at least 10 times a year at the Spanish north African enclave of Ceuta, just 68 km from the Rock.

It has led to a stinging rebuke from a group of MEPs over Russia’s use of Ceuta as a regular refuelling base for its submarines, destroyers and frigates since 2011.

Some 11 MEPs complained to the European Commission that it amounted to a breach of the EU’s sanctions against Putin for his annexation of the Crimea.

A spokesman for the government told the Olive Press: “The use of a Spanish port by the Russians when Spain is a

Gibraltar government ‘concerned’ over Vladimir Putin’s unofficial Mediterranean navy base

MURKY WATERS: Putin’s forces docking in Spanish-owned Ceuta NATO ally must be a matter of concern.”

However, he added: “The

defence of Gibraltar is the constitutional responsibility of the United Kingdom and so is any matter related to the presence of Russian submarines in this area.”

Spanish diplomatic sources have claimed the stops are ‘routine maritime activities and never military activity.’

The Russian stop-offs are granted by the Spanish Foreign Ministry on a case by case basis and bring around €1 million a year to Ceuta’s economy.

This behaviour has not been supported in the US, with one Washington-based think tank, The Heritage Founda-

tion, describing Spain’s willingness to allow the Russian military to operate so close to Gibraltar as ‘a potential security problem’.

“This behavior is unbecoming of 21stcentury NATO allies,” it said.

“The topography of Gibraltar makes intelligence gathering a core function.

“Having Russian submarines resupply mere miles away presents a potential intelligence and security problem for the U.S. and its allies.”

Neither the British Ministry of Defence or Foreign Office were able to comment as we went to press.

THREE more Junta bosses are being hauled before a judge over the €855 million ERE scandal.

Judge Alvaro Martin summoned Gaspar Zarrias, Carmen Martinez Aguayo and Antonio Avila to answer questions over their role in the slush-fund fraud.

The move came a week after two former Junta leaders appeared in a Sevilla court over the biggest public money fraud in Spanish history.

Manuel Chaves and Jose Antonio Grinan were grilled over their involvement in the misappropriation of funds, which were intended for retired workers and struggling companies.

Between 2001 and 2008 under Chaves's presidency more than €576 million was diverted into a so-called ‘reptile fund’, which was used for family and friends of Junta bosses.

However, at the hearing he insisted he had never been involved in any illegal decisions while boss of the Junta. Grinan also claimed the same.

United Nations of Marbella THE many different nationalities of Marbella will join together in the resort’s first United Nations of Marbella seminar in April.

Hosted by TV show Marbella Now, the summit takes place on April 5 at Laude International College.

The purpose is to give residents of all nationalities a platform to have their voice heard on various issues ranging from sustainable living to charity and integration with the Spanish community.

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A big splash THE opening phase of the coast’s first wave power installation has been completed.

Israeli firm Eco Wave Power completed the 100kw device on Gibraltar’s Ammunition Jetty earlier this month.

Once completed, the wave power plant will provide the Rock with 15% of its power needs.

Testing on the plant is now underway and the wave installation is expected to be fully operational by the end of April.

The next phase will expand the commercial scale power plant to

A PAIR of generous expats are hoping to feed 40 hungry schoolchildren for a year.

Jojo France and Dorte Isolas are hosting a ‘family funday’ to raise funds, with around €8,000 of the €12,000 target already pledged.

They hope the event, at Kiddibank nursery, in San Roque, on April 22, will help provide a daily packed lunch for children in Estepona who eat just once a day at the local soup kitchen.

5kw.

Health Minister Dr John Cortes told the Olive Press: “It’s a source of clean, renewable energy and it will potentially play a significant role in helping us to meet our EU commitments in this respect.

“It will also serve to put Gibraltar on the map as a leader in the deployment of innovative marine technologies.”

Eco Wave Power has received European Union funding for the scheme, which will help the Rock meet its 2020 renewable energy targets.

Keep us safe!

EXCLUSIVE

By Iona Napier

16-year-old daughter passed through security with a razor, tweezers and various liquids.

Double amputee had to crawl to plane A DOUBLE-amputee had a sour end to his Spanish holiday when he was told he would have to crawl on to the plane.

Matthew Parkes was ‘made to feel like a second-class citizen’ after Ryanair gate staff at Malaga airport told him ‘to drag himself down two ramps, a set of stairs, across tarmac and up the steps of the plane’.

The father-of-three, 38, refused and was then carried the full length of the plane on a stretcher chair in front of all other passengers.

Parkes, from Manchester, who had both legs and part of a hand amputated last year after falling ill with sepsis, is lodging a formal complaint.

5

Feeding the forty

POWER: Eco wave project

Presents

Security concerns at Malaga airport after expat boards plane with razor and ‘massive’ pair of scissors

A CONCERNED mother has slammed Malaga airport for failing to do basic security checks.

Marbella-based Hayley Malli, 38, was shocked when her

March 30th - April 12th 2016

Caption She also carried a ‘massive’ pair of scissors in a pencil case.

“Security didn’t even check her bag,” Malli told the Olive Press, last night.

“She didn’t realise she wasn’t allowed to take them but it is very worrying that so many forbidden items can get through.”

The mother-of-two, who runs a restaurant in Marbella, continued: “I have been flying in and out of that airport for some 36 years and it’s always been the same.

“In the UK they are so much tighter, while here it is often laughable. It concerns me with all the recent terrorist attacks in Belgium and Paris.”

Meanwhile pensioner Barry Gorst revealed that he had formally complained to the airport for ‘a total lack of security’ in the arrival halls.

Harassed

“It took eight minutes for the information desk to find a security guard when I was being harassed by a drunk waiting for a friend on Sunday night,” said the former estate agent.

“Barcelona is teeming with armed police and I am worried that the Costa del Sol will be targeted this summer,” added the expat, who has lived in Spain for 35 years.

The news comes as Spain’s Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz announced airport security will be ramped up following the ISIS terrorist attack in Brussels last week.

However, the national terror alert will not be stepped up from level four - the highest level since the 2006 Madrid bombings which killed 191.

Malaga airport press office told the Olive Press this was ‘a government matter’.

Bull fever

SPAIN would lose €3.6 billion a year in revenue if it bans bullfighting, the National Association of Bullfighting Organizers (ANOET) has claimed.

The figures are based on estimated lost ticket revenue and the 199,000 jobs connected to the controversial tradition.

It is believed Madrid alone would lose €244 million, with some 900,000 people visiting the capital’s iconic Las Ventas bullring last year.

“For the last three years we have been collecting christmas presents for the children who eat at the soup kitchen,” said Jojo, 46, a personal trainer, from Birmingham.

“But I was shocked when I realised these 40 high priority kids don’t eat for the rest of the day. They don’t get a breakfast or lunch.”

She added there were at least 400 other children on the coast who don’t eat until the evening.

The funday will involve 12 challenges, from physical exercises to mental puzzles, with prizes for the highestscoring team.

Face painting, cake stalls, golf experts and a bouncy castle will also be on hand.

Contact the Duquesa Charitable Society of St George at www.dcso-stgeorge.com for more info.

www.theolivepress.es

OPINION Tighten up

SECURITY lapses are often discovered when it’s too late.

Belgium certainly learnt this the hard way this month - as did the world as we watched agog - and the shocking events brought into sharp relief airport security everywhere.

We have been lucky enough to spot some lapses in Malaga airport’s security before any serious or tragic events took place.

It is not the first time, with one of our journalists getting on a flight recently without showing his passport once.

So let’s funnel the resources into the places where they are desperately needed: more security staff in Spain’s biggest airports, and tougher, more stringent security bag checks.

Who would argue for scrimping and saving in the fight against terror?

Johan’s legacy

‘Winning is an important thing,’ said Johan Cruyff. ‘But to have your own style. That is the greatest thing.’ Cruyff had both. And in the pantheon of football giants, the Dutch master was utterly unique.

Cruyff not only conquered all as a player, he went on to become a managerial great. It wasn’t just the four La Liga titles in a row and the 1992 European Cup he brought to the Nou Camp.

It is difficult to overstate Cruyff’s influence and importance to the modern Barcelona team.

In setting up La Masia, the Dutchman embedded his swashbuckling style deep in Barcelona’s DNA. His legacy lives in the Camp Nou team to this day. Renaming the stadium in his honour would be a fitting tribute.

BREXIT- Your vote matters Overseas

Do you qualify?

UK nationals who have been registered to vote in the UK within the last 15 years can vote in UK Parliamentary General Elections, UK-wide referendums, and European Parliamentary elections.

Register You will need to know you National Insurance number and date of birth, and have your passport to hand if you have one.

If you dont have a Nacional Insurance number you can still register, but may have to supply more information to show who you are.

Declare You have to sign an annual declaration once you have registered to renew your registration every year. So if you were registered to vote for the 2015 General Elections you will have to renew your registration with your local Electoral Registration Officer in the UK or register again.

Vote You can choose how you wish to vote. You can vote by post, by proxy (voting by appointing someone you trust to vote on your behalf ), or even in person at your polling station.

www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

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I

T’S a murky form of modernday piracy that has netted millions for its practitioners.

But it’s not treasure that has enticed these 21st century Spanish brigands. It’s fish.

The hunt for the precious omega 3-rich Patagonian toothfish - known as ‘white gold’ - can yield an incredible €73 million in a single season’s haul.

Described by celebrated food critic AA Gill as the ‘most utterly delicious fish’, it is understandably big business, but also highly illegal, akin to hunting the critically endangered rhino or gorilla.

So critical has become its protection that only tiny shoals are left and figures such as Prince Charles have helped to launch campaigns to protect them.

And despite thousands of restaurants around the world refusing to serve it up, industrial scale fishing somehow still continues… and its worse culprits are a Galician gang, that thankfully has been finally snared after a decade of evading justice.

The detention of six members of the Vidal family after an investigation by Interpol and Spanish police was greeted with delight by environmentalists around the world this month.

END OF A brave pursuit by ecologists could finally spell the end of one of Spain’s top fishing gangs, writes Joe Duggan Nuclear SAFER:

T

IME is running out and none of the major political parties have any type of direction as to where they are going.

April 29 seems to be the deadline day for the parties to try to pull together a coalition government that can run Spain for the next four years.

But after more than 90 days since the December 20 elections left a fractured parliament and an ungovernable state, the four major political forces have refused to budge on their positions.

The Socialists will once again try to convince leftist Podemos to join its pact

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- Rad USA DA ing for ioactive con attempt NGERO systems have been add tam ing to smu - from the pona will US rivers in Est olive emergencyed, and a central press plane coll ination ggle 196 efinally be toothfish. support unit up. ision in 6 was 1 cleaned killer E-Coli bac up.

3 2 set vessels hav His ficiently not tackled detected teria was 3 Aiming to River blacklisted e been of pro and after dec sufHornacinoin the Arroyo del as well as of sh mentally be more ‘environ am test but s, s, John Ker ades e the ship Unforese Town Halfriendly’, Estepo - played in by a stream often a typhoid s have nally agreed ry fina en been l to h chil has e find May. a l t dren, last eliminate renamed tion ‘as soo pled a soluand refla n as possibl waste wat ged to The tow hazard. h “Nuclear Oct bea gged obe che e’ in er power plan in n hal r 2015. from oth s and rive countries solidly prep ts are rs.

It comes er probe l faced yet an- D e s p i t e such But the ared to face as into a dan foreseen even Equatorial has now US governmen river, revealed after the Olive Pre gerous a subseGuinea, Mau ts at thei unt confirmed that two ss had when levels of met sign bases," que r nt neg dethe ritait bee otia won rivers hane Guardia town n det nia and Pan te ’t from Spain’s said a statement ama ish governuntil the Spanmental threwere an environin royo Judio, ected in the Ar- Civil investigati to evad body Foro nuclear industry in men on, both - An EU e ers are yet El Padro.

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28th THE - June have winds 10th of change 2015 dozenstruly blown TOWIE parties of anti-corruption in as Wright star Elliot made gains launches a no-holds-barred Spain.in town substantial halls column Voters across before on Page made are ready 3 clear our foodwe grill him traditionalto ditch they pages. on The Wright system TV presenter Spain’s See Pages Podemosas newtwo-party Nick 54-55 Stuff on Knowles OLIVE PRESS nos performed and stunning parties and Ciudadagional wife Jessica 27th May and on Sunday. the lid lift localwell at reelections All over escape on their Arty tapas governingthe grande to Sotospecial is the country on Page lute in a newof the day PP the 3 it willmajorities,lost absocolumn from former at least,have to meaning Michelin-starred to form one pact with, TV chef other ernments.legitimate Steven Saunders. party Estepona Some See Page govdangerof the big 49 up a Town la’s includemayors deadly Angeles Hall in children Malaga’s Marbelriver fails Munoz Torre.

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which be paid and the USA by both Spain .

Doggedly

Fishing baron Antonio Vidal ‘Tono’ Pego and his father Antonio Vidal ‘Tucho el Coyo’ Suárez have been doggedly pursued across the seven seas

by Sea Shepherd, a brave, little known marine wildlife conservation group.

Indeed, it was largely thanks to the bravery of one of its sailors, Captain Siddharth Chakravarty that these two pirates were finally brought to justice.

A 110-day chase of the Vidal supership Thunder by Chakravarty, last year, became the longest in maritime history.

“For years, the Vidal crime syndicate have destroyed the vulnerable toothfish populations in the shadowlands of Antarctica, using the blurriness in international law to hide their involvement,” Chakravarty told the Olive Press from the South China Sea, this week.

“This is now thankfully coming to an end.”

The Spanish high court has said the family form a ‘criminal organisation’ and they have hit the Vidals with €17.84m in fines.

This sad tragic story has its roots in the insatiable Spanish desire for fish.

In 2013, Spaniards devoured more than 26kg of fish, behind only Portugal in Europe and close to Japanese levels of consumption.

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LUCRATIVE: Chilean sea bass and (inset left) Captain Chakravarty And their enormous appetite Galicians were forced to emifor fish shows no signs of stop- grate) turned the coastal area ping, with this month plans be- into one of the main portals for ing unveiled for a controversial Europe’s drug trade.

65-hectare site near Zamora Antonio Vidal Suárez was born which would house the ‘biggest in 1952 with the region’s cold farmed salmon factory in the Atlantic brine flowing through world’. his veins. Raised in Riviera, Meanwhile, Galicia accounts Spain’s most important inland for 50% of Spain’s fishing in- fishing port, he learned his dustry, with overnight lorries trade from his father, a local transporting shipowner. fish hundreds of When his miles from Vigo father died, Vidal Suarez was to Mercamadrid, Antonio set the world’s sec- born with Galicia’s up his own ond largest fish comcold Atlantic brine trawler market. pany. His son As Spanish Antonio, Tono, flowing in his stocks have dea highly-intellipleted, its fisherveins gent man with men have been a business deforced further gree and fluout to sea. ent in English, But Galicia’s misty docks also became his trusted right-hand have a long association with man in their company Ribeiro nautical skulduggery. During Vidal Armadores. the 1980s the local criminal The company operated local fraternity, capitalising on the trawlers and although things area’s links to South America went swimmingly to start with (forged when poverty-struck things got tougher for Galicia’s

Stalemate

Political uncertainty continues in Madrid with major parties at loggerheads with the centre right Ciudadanos party.

But Podemos wants too much power in any future government, which the Socialists are not willing to yield.

At the same time, Podemos don't want Ciudadanos to be included in the pact.

So then what? The ruling Popular Party, the government which is in a transitional stage, is still opting for the great pact between Ciudada-

nos and PSOE. The problem is that neither party wants Mariano Rajoy to continue as prime minister in which he insists.

There have even been calls within the PP that he must step aside. We are all back to square one.

The political parties don't seem to be too concerned that the gruelling process will have to continue, even after the next elections, if there is

fishermen after Spain joined the European Union in 1986, when already depleted fish stocks were finally protected by the imposition of fishing quotas.

This was bad news for the Vidals.

Realising the family business needed to expand or die, they teamed up with Antonio Perez, a fellow Riviera fisherman who had worked in the lucrative toothfish industry off the coast of Argentina.

“If you go back to the 80s and 90s off the Falklands, Spain has always had a hand in the toothfish industry,” Captain Chakravarty told the Olive Press from his boat, currently in the South China Seas, chasing a band of illegal shark fisherman.

“When the Spanish fishing business started to collapse it seemed like a really good business to go into. The Vidals had the money to stay one step ahead.”

With toothfish in plentiful supply in French waters in the

RIO

ALEGRI

A

A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in southern Spain - 200,000 copies distributed monthly (130,000 digitally) with an estimated readership, including the website, of more than 500,000 people a month.

August 6th - August 2015 www.theolivepress.es 66 March19th 30th - April 12th 2016

FEATURE

MA

6

MADRIDS MATTER no real winner.

The 2016 budgets have been passed so we seemed covered for the rest of the year.

Not really a fine way of looking at things.

But politicians want to play politics, it is part of their blood.

They must broker that tiny compromise before they can satisfactorily say they hammered out deal.

p

www.theolivepress.es

FEATURE

August 6th - -August 19th2016 2015 www.theolivepress.es March 30th April 12th

THE LINE

77 7

9

Southern Ocean, Vidal went into partnership with a French company to exploit them.

However the lucrative business eventually soured at the hands of the authorities, which is when the Vidals opted to go out on their own, completely illegally.

“I am not a pirate,” said Suarez when confronted about his actions by a journalist a few years ago. “Legal fishermen can say whatever they like and accuse whomever they want. Why? Because they don’t want anyone else to catch those fish. Who is the pirate here? Me or them?”

To conservationists, however, their form of fishing was a blight on the ocean, with toothfish more susceptible to intensive fishing as they take longer to mature.

“The Vidals’ vessels used prohibited gill nets,” continued Chakravarty. “They stay at the bottom of the sea for a day and a half. This goes on for months and months until the sea is wiped dry. This has caused damage that will never be repaired.”

Originally popular in Russia and Ukraine only, by the 1990s toothfish become fashionable

in the USA and Asia. ened to rip the New York’s Four Seasons hotel Viarsa to pieces put it on the menu, with one but Perez was not fish alone fetching up to €885. about to surrender By now, the delicacy was clev- his €900,000 cargo erly rebranded as Chilean sea of toothfish without a bass. chase.

But as its popularity grew, over- Despite 75-mph winds and fishing made toothfish an en- narrowly avoiding some 70 icedangered species. bergs, Perez led his 41-strong Not that this mattered to the crew on a kamikaze journey.

Vidals, who didn’t accept the “I’ve never seen anything like illegality of their actions. Their it,” said Stephen Duffy, the refusal to bow to maritime law Australian Customs officer reached an aswho was leadtonishing head ing the patrol. in 2003.

“The blue co“The blue colour Between August lour streaking 7 and 28 one streaking through through the of Vidal’s boats, icebergs was the Viarsa, was the icebergs was something to pursued 4,000 behold, I never something to miles across the imagined we’d Southern Ocean see so many.” behold”

by Australian paFinally, the Vitrol boat Southarsa was corern Supporter. It nered in the was one of the longest chases South Atlantic Ocean as ships in maritime history. from Britain and South Africa With Perez at the Viarsa’s joined the pursuit. helm, the ship veered straight But to the anger of all three into a monstrous storm and countries, Perez and his crew had to change course for Ant- walked free from charges of arctica. Huge waves threat- illegal fishing in an Australian

䈀爀攀愀欀昀愀猀琀㨀 䔀瘀攀爀礀搀愀礀Ⰰ 㠀㨀㌀ 琀漀 ㄀㈀㨀㌀ 簀 䰀甀渀挀栀㨀 䔀瘀攀爀礀搀愀礀Ⰰ ㄀㈀㨀㌀ 琀漀 ㄀㠀㨀 䐀椀渀渀攀爀㨀 䴀漀渀搀愀礀 琀漀 匀愀琀甀爀搀愀礀Ⰰ ㄀㤀㨀 琀漀 ㈀㈀㨀㌀ 䈀攀愀挀栀 䰀漀甀渀最攀⼀䐀爀椀渀欀猀㨀 䔀瘀攀爀礀搀愀礀Ⰰ 㠀㨀㌀ 琀漀 ㄀㨀 ꀀ 吀攀氀㨀 ⬀㌀㐀 㤀㔀㈀ 㠀㌀㤀 㐀㔀㠀 簀 䔀氀瘀椀爀椀愀Ⰰ 䴀愀爀戀攀氀氀愀 簀 椀渀昀漀䀀琀栀攀戀攀愀挀栀栀漀甀猀攀洀愀爀戀攀氀氀愀⸀挀漀洀 眀眀眀⸀琀栀攀戀攀愀挀栀栀漀甀猀攀洀愀爀戀攀氀氀愀⸀挀漀洀 簀 䈀攀愀挀栀 䠀漀甀猀攀 䴀愀爀戀攀氀氀愀

SCUTTLED: Vidal vessels with (left circle) Tono and (above right) Antonio court due to a lack of evidence.

Back in Riviera, the Vidals celebrated their release with a firework display and, no doubt, lots of fine Albarino wine.

However, the family were soon in trouble again.

In May 2004, Tono Vidal attempted to import 53 tonnes of toothfish into Miami. Using fake documents and working through a Uruguayan-based company, Fadilur, Tono hoped to sell the fish on the American market.

But when the false documents were uncovered by US agents, Interpol issued an arrest warrant. Desperate, Tono reached out to the FBI to strike a deal.

The Spaniard avoided 20 years in prison by agreeing to inform on other tooth fishermen.

Pleading guilty, he received a €357,000 fine and four years’ probation, the first Spanish pirate convicted in the USA. International pressure began

to grow on the Vidal clan.

Greenpeace lobbied Zapatero’s then socialist government to move against the family’s operations.

But nothing was done and in 2011, Greenpeace produced a leaflet called Tono, which accused the government of protecting him.

“Spain not only hasn’t acted against him, despite receiving international pressure, it has supported him,” said a spokesperson.

“They have even interceded on his behalf and given grants worth millions.”

Incredibly, the government had even gone the other way, actually supporting the Galician gangsters.

Greenpeace estimated that Vidal Armadores had received €16 million in grants from the government and the Galician Junta. Commentators estimated backhanders. But the net was closing on the Vidal crew.

In 2015, Spanish police and

Interpol launched Operation Sparrow to snare the family. Spain’s agriculture ministry also levied €15 million fines against three of Vidal’s boats.

In February 2016, one of these, the Kunlun, attempted to offload its illegal haul of toothfish in Senegal while sailing under a false name. Its crew was arrested.

Altogether, three of Vidal’s ships have been successfully pursued by Sea Shepherd.

The culmination of the operation was the arrest this month of Tono and Tucho el Coyo, plus brothers and sisters Angel, Belen and her husband Joaquín Manuel Pérez.

“We haven’t seen the details of the charges yet, but these are now criminal proceedings and could lead to jail sentences, not just fines,” says Elvira Jiménez, the head of Greenpeace Spain’s oceans campaign.

Spain’s most notorious pirate family could finally have been sunk.

GREEN NEWS

8

Green party

March 30th - April 12th 2016 www.theolivepress.es

Little Mo’s a solar-powered goer

ENVIRONMENTAL charity Arboretum is gearing up for its annual spring fair.

Taking place in Marbella on April 3, visitors can enjoy artisan foods, organic arts and crafts workshops and a guided tour of Arboretum’s premises.

Entrance is free but guests are asked to bring a book to donate for sale to raise funds.

For more information visit www.arboretummarbella.org

TWO Spanish brothers have designed a revolutionary new solar-powered vehicle.

Gonzalo and Alfredo Chomon’s Evovelo ‘Mo’ (left) has been described as the first fully-enclosed, solar-powered urban transport.

She looks like a detached motorcycle sidecar but she’s no slowMo. Once charged, the Malaga brothers’ 85kg invention can travel at up to 50 km/hour, powered by a solar-charged battery.

The two-seater vehicle produces zero carbon emissions if driven for 10-25km per day.

Strawberry fields not forever Major food retailers fight against depleting wetland in Doñana National Park INTERNATIONAL supermarkets are demanding urgent action to stop Spain’s strawberry growers sucking key wetlands dry.

Companies including Sainsbury’s, M&S and Coca-Cola are campaigning over unsustainable water usage in Huelva and Sevilla.

The consortium of supermarkets and food companies claims current strawberry growing

practices will lead to ‘severe environmental damage’ in the Doñana National Park.

The group is now demanding the introduction of a land plan set out by the Junta in 2014 but yet to be implemented.

The plan includes the eradication of 1,500 hectares of unauthorised strawberry cultivation.

“We strongly support the land use plan issued by the government of Andalucia and urge all parties involved to cooperate on its urgently needed implementation,” a group spokesman said.

“We believe that continued pressure will ultimately lead to severe environmental degradation of the ecosystem and in particular the Doñana National Park, as well as to a reduction in the long-term availability of strawberries from the region.”

Environmental campaigners claim there are as many as 2,000 illegal boreholes, and that water used by strawberry NEIGH-SAYERS: Police farmers has reduced the wetlands by 50%. attacks.

Fines of up to €10,000 can be The European Commission dished out for first-time of- is currently investigating the fenders, while repeat offend- claims. ers can face a total ban on Spain’s strawberry industry generates around €400m a keeping horses. year in export revenue.

Hobble, hobble, toil and trouble

tefl celta malaga abril impresión.pdf 1 21/03/2016 12:22:00

GUARDIA Civil officers are clamping down on the mistreatment of horses.

New laws to protect equines in Andalucia were introduced last year but have largely been ignored.

However the Guardia’s environmental arm, Seprona, is to enforce the law more stringently.

As of April last year it has been illegal to hobble a horse, which involves tying its front legs together, allegedly to improve patience.

Animal psychologists suggest the practise can trigger mental problems and panic

HOMEBOUND: Dean

Walk on wild side AFTER three years of globetrotting, Spaniard Nacho Dean has returned home.

Malagueno Dean quit his job as a lifeguard and totted up 33,000 kilometres. He took in four continents and 31 countries, and becomes the first Spaniard to walk around the world.

He found adventure – he was chased by men with machetes in Mexico, mugged at knife point in Peru, and arrested in Iran for taking a selfie – but Dean says his journey was about spreading awareness of climate change.

And he documented the effects of climate change as he went.

“It was always a dream that I had, to walk around the world,” he says.

“I needed to launch an environmental message for the care of nature and planet earth, and the most savage way to demonstrate my commitment was to walk.”

He adds: “There were some scary moments along the way but the most enriching part of my journey was the people I met.”

Health kick MAJOR health food chain Holland & Barrett has launched its fourth store in Spain.

With stores already in Sevilla, Marbella and Fuengirola, Holland & Barrett has now launched in Granada.

The retailer has a total of 1,000 stores worldwide.

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9 AXARQUIA

Dog fight

NEWS IN BRIEF

Neighbourhood watch COMPETA Town Hall has introduced an app for residents to report any damage or vandalism spotted in the town.

Travel nightmare as pet owners ordered to renew passports as they board ferry home EXCLUSIVE

By Iona Napier TWO angry pet-owners have slammed Brittany Ferries after their dogs were barred from sailing to the UK. Dog owners Tricia Watson, 51, and Mandy Willmott, 46, are furious that pet passports used to travel to Spain were declared invalid at Bilbao for their return trips.

Nerja homeowner Watson and former expat Wilmott found themselves in the same predicament when port check-in staff sent them to a local vet to ‘sort the problem’.

They each incurred over €140 of expenses before they could sail and believe suspicious business is afoot between port staff and local vets.

“My dog Pedro travelled to the UK six months ago

Stop build

TRAVELLERS (from left): Mandy, Tricia’s dog and Pedro through a rigorously checked, DEFRA-approved courier with no problems,” Willmott told the Olive Press.

“So why was there a problem this time?”

The Isle of Wight resident, who got her pet from the Axarquia Animal Rescue continued: “First the port staff said I needed some sort of stamp, next the

Park and ride

A CAR park that cost Nerja Town Hall €3 million has been shut less than a year after opening.

Continual flooding in the Burriana underground car park forced town hall officials to shut it, just days before the start of the Semana Santa processions.

Mayor Cristina Fernandez confirmed that the location of the car park left it ‘vulnerable’ because of the ‘instability of the hillside’ above the building and the amount of groundwater that it collects. “We are hoping the closure will just be temporary,” Fernandez said.

Subject to availability. Terms & Conditions apply.

9

March 30th - April 12th 2016

vet’s telling me I needed a totally new passport - they were simply inventing problems.”

“It cost me €142 when it normally costs under €20. It was complete robbery.”

Meanwhile Watson had to take a taxi to the vet to solve a ‘microchipping problem’ which cost her €180 in total and was later declared ‘unnecessary’ by her UK vet.

“I feel I have been treated very badly” she said.

Despite the women complaining to Brittany Ferries on the same day, customer services rejected each complaint saying it was an ‘isolated incident’.

A spokesman for Brittany Ferries said ‘there is no conspiracy here, both pet passports were genuine fails and the checks are much tougher getting into the UK than leaving it’.

g n i h t y r e Ev , e n o y bu get one e c i r p f hal FUENGIROLA

MORE than 5,400 residents in VelezMalaga and Rincon de la Victoria have signed a petition to halt the construction of 1,500 homes as part of the Juvigolf complex in Chilches.

Weeded out A MAJOR drug laboratory has been uncovered in VelezMalaga, with a total of 198 marijuana plants recovered and three people arrested.

Police pad TORRE del Mar’s police force will receive improved facilities after the Junta pledged to spend €4.7 million on renovating the building.

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ntequera, Granada, Lucena, Osuna, April 8-10 BRITISH group The Charterhouse Jazz Band, aged 13-18, specialise in music from the Glenn Miller era.

All concerts are free.

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urriana beach, April 8 SOPRANO Alba Chantar, mezzosoprano Ruth Garcia and pianist Daniel Diez recite arias from Dido and Eneas, the Magic Flute and Faustus at Playa del Sol restaurant. Info: 952 52 00 09

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elez Malaga, April 23 SPRING party at Castillo de la Fortaleza with acts like Los Electroduendes and Break the Senses.

Info:www.qevento.es/velezmalaga/nexo-fiesta-de-laprimavera-velez-mlaga/. alaga, until June 12 CAMEROON artist Pascale Marthine Tayou’s exhibition Miracle at CAC Malaga uses a colourful combination of recycled materials. Info: 00 34 952 12 00 55

March 30th - April 12th 2016

Almodovar’s ‘dry’ run

what’s on

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10

BACK IN ACTION: Pedro

HE’S Spain’s king of quirky cinema, but Pedro Almodovar’s new film is a less outlandish affair than normal.

The director’s Julieta makes its premiere in Spain on April 8 before taking its UK bow on August 26.

The tale of a 55-year-old teacher whose daughter has abandoned her is Almodo-

var’s first offering since 2013’s I’m So Excited.

“It’s a film about women who are imperfect but sympathetic, like you, like all of us,” said the Oscar-winning director.

“I have tried to be less rhetorical because I decided that was the way to tell this story.

“It’s not a melodrama, it’s a dry drama.”

Mezquita is for all

CORDOBA’S iconic Mezquita does not belong to anyone and can never be acquired, a town hall report has concluded.

The report claims that the mosque-cathedral is protected under law as being a ‘monument beyond the scope of human commerce’.

The report is the latest twist in a decade-long legal tussle involving the Church, local government and a public protest group.

The town hall’s general secretary Valeriano La Vela Pérez is now urging annulment of the Church's ownership.

Latest twist in Mezquita saga sees Church slammed by town hall report

HOLY ROW: Church blasted

‘A site of outstanding universal value cannot be owned by an individual or an institution,’ the report states.

‘The Mezquita is a monument beyond the scope of human commerce and, by law, cannot be bought’.

Registered by the Bishop of Cordoba for just €30 in 2006, the purchase received the backing of the Heritage Office despite claims that it was illegal.

However, the Church claimed it was acting within mortgage

Spine chiller

DRAMA lovers were treated to a spooky romp through the absurd last month, courtesy of Marbella’s oldest theatre group.

The International Theatre Studio excelled themselves with their latest play, Ghost Writer.

Written by David Tristan, the drama focused on the supernatural, with a typewriter featured as an unlikely cast member.

Bolly good ceremony

Ojeando Music Festival unveils the first bands Tuning in in its summer line-up

Freaks and Monkeys

with Gary Beaumont

Sevilla gears up for Monkey Week Festival

A

SPOOKY: Ghost Writer

NYONE with any kind of interest in original and independent music making will be aware of the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.

Held annually for the past 30 years, SXSW is a launch pad for new bands, filmmakers and multimedia artists.

But you don't have to go all the way to the States to experience a potent wellspring of creativity. Thanks to a couple of Spanish youngsters inspired by the action in Austin, Andalucia has its very own new music showcase in the shape of Monkey Week.

For the past seven years, Monkey Week has taken over the town of El Puerto de Santa Maria, just a few kilometres outside of Cadiz. Due to its success, the festival has finally outgrown the town’s available venues and this October’s indie music gathering will be held in Andalucia’s capital, Sevilla.

Thankfully, this is not the end of El Puerto’s association with the festival, as each year there is an interim Monkey Week – a two-day warm-up event in the form of Freek Fest.

Taking place over the last weekend in April, Freek Fest is one of the first big festival dates on the Andalucia calendar.

It features an eclectic lineup of local, national and international indie acts. Headliners, alt-country pioneers The Long Ryders and top UK soul act The James Hunter Six, top a very interesting bill which includes Beautiful Senoritas, Ramona the Band, Miraflores and Sweethearts From America among the performing bands.

Freek Fest takes place at the Hotel Puerto Sherry, with two stages, a barbecue and even a creche for the kids!

What better way to kick start this year’s festival season?

Tickets are available online from www.ticketea.com priced at €22 per day and €35 euros for the weekend.

You can find more information about the local music scene on www.andaluciamusic.com, or tune into Castle Radio 89.2 FM each Wednesday from 10pm, repeated on Sundays at 6pm.

law passed by Franco in 1946 which has allowed it to register thousands of properties in its name.

Since then, 4,500 churches, temples and cathedrals have been registered by the Catholic Church.

BOLLYWOOD’S biggest award ceremony is heading to Spain.

Dubbed the ‘Oscars of Bollywood’, the 17th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards will be held in Madrid.

The three-day extravaganza will begin on June 23.

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POTTED POINTERS EMERGENCIES Police 112 Medical service 112 Fire 112 RATES 1 euro is worth 1.12 American dollars 0.79 British pounds 1.48 Canadian dollars 7.46 Danish kroner 8.68 H Kong dollars 9.43 Norwegian kroner 1.53 Singapore dollars ANDALUCIA RESERVOIR LEVELS This week: 62.32% Same week last year: 50.71% Same week in 2005: 64.60% AIRPORTS Gibraltar 00350 22073026 Granada-Jaen 958 245 200 Jerez - 956 150 000 Malaga - 952 048 844* *For English press 9 Sevilla - 954 449 000

Have your say!

DEAR OP, AS a permanent resident in Spain, I believe it is important for all British citizens also living in Spain to vote in the EU Referendum. The consequences of the UK leaving the EU could be very damaging for those receiving pensions and Spanish healthcare. However it is also important to understand the voting system. As an expat you are allowed to vote in UK elections for 15 years after leaving the UK. You can register as an overseas voter at the Electoral Office of the last UK address where you were registered to vote. However being registered as an overseas voter is only the first step, you still have to apply to the electoral office for a postal vote, or to appoint a proxy, this does not happen automatically. If you want to vote in the June referendum then now is the time to start the process.

Ian Hanson, Madrid

Barking mad DAVID Carter please do NOT put that doggie back in the window, just love him and admit that you were sold a pup (Put that doggie back in the window, issue 235).

NEVER buy a puppy from a pet shop; ALWAYS buy from a registered breeder. Always see the puppy with its mother and if possible see the father as well. Pedigree

LETTERS

Each print issue of the Olive Press can be read in its entirety on www.theolivepress.es And our site is updated Aprildaily 12thwith 2016 the latest news, making it one of Spain’s most visited news websites.

March 30thwww.theolivepress.es -

12

Positives and negatives Snapper support

GET BACK… to where the once belongey d!

NEWS

ROCKER: Lydon

ROTTEN RETURNS

AS a fellow photographer I have followed the Olive Press’ coverage of the missing John Lennon negatives with a great professional interest (Get back... to where they once belonged! Issue 235).

Every photographer under the sun will have had his copyright stolen at one point or another. This type of property theft is worryingly ignored in the main.

I hope a case of this magnitude will help all struggling photographers stake a claim to what they rightfully own.

the Olive Press November March 16th - March 11th - 25th 2015 29th 2016

3 3

HE’S the man who brought punk rock to the world.

And now John SINGLE: Fergie ing the road Lydon is takPublic Image to Spain with Limited.

EXCLUSIVE The Sex Pistols

By Joe Duggan ing dates in singer is playSan Sebastian, Valencia, Santander, and Ma- THE Olive Press has tracked drid during May. down the stolen Lydon earned worldwide no- from John Lennon negatives toriety as Johnny and Yoko FERGIE has Rotten, the Ono’s Gibraltar flame-haired been ditched by frontman of the Masquerading wedding. seminal British as a mystery ish lover. her Spanbuyer, before forming punk band originalwe discovered that the The Duchess PiL in 1978. photos of York sold by a Beatles were being Sarah Ferguson, from his Far East biographer is ‘distraught’ 56, home. folThe writer, who lowing a we are not naming for with exotic break-up legal reasons, put our undercover Irish toyboySpanishIssuing instructions reporter in touch Fernandez, Manuel fee for the negativesthat the with an alleged Thailand-based DISCOVERED: would The pair 47. be €7,000, he ‘middleman’ Missing had been before emailing put us in touch negatives belonging Nutter (pictured together for with the mysterious showing some proof sheets his right) with over a seller. year, holidaying Lennon and to book John of the neverbefore-seen Ono in wedding nega- Day At A Time. Lennon: One said ‘these Fernandez’ tives (see right).

Remarkable were As we revealed Asturias last native from my New in fact stolen The incredible last York apart- Our reporter was June, shots, valued ter - who had beenissue, Nut- ment around as well as

by Beatles experts hired by everything 1976 along with 90% of the agreedtold to send skiing in the Alps. at over the Beatles’ record label price after £100,000, went else from two contact Apple for sheets showing Now sources 1975 when Britishmissing in Rockthe commission on the Acting on a tip-off my flat’. that the the original negatives to the Duchess close pher David Nutter photogra- them - has been trying to get negatives were being were back for four ped- sent as proof of ownership. dled online, is a regular - who to Anthony Fawcettlent them However, decades. our undercover Despite Nutter reporter to use in being when to Sotograndevisitor Press contacted the Olive 62-year-oldapproached the missioned by Apple comvery summer execuFawcett, he Beatles biogra- tive Peter Brown, SPAIN-BOUND revealed pher in the Far : Vaccines the seller ‘Manuel’s finished claimed Nutter East. was working it and she’s for HIS company been very Sparrow Photos. tearful.’

He also said Nutter was ‘dead’ and never owned the copyright anyway.

BRITISH rock After a week of group The Vaccines are exchanges, two set to play their remarkable never-before-seen first ever gig in THEY are Granada. contact sheets The London-based from the wed- UK export the biggest ding of were Girl Powband come to Andalucia emailed over. er for a decade.

But when the on Saturday March writer suspect- Now Little AN extraordinary ed our undercover Mix their third 19 as they tour reporter heading to Spain are photos of iconic collection of album English was working Graffiti. for a for Yoko Ono double-heade Mexican artist Frida Kahlo he launched into r of gigs.

The band are a vile tirade The X Factor for the first is to go on display against Lennon’s Barcelona on also playing in time in Malaga. winThe wonderful March 17 before fore threatening widow be- ners, who got two heading to Madrid Brit set of 55 intimate unseen ending contact. to sue and Award nominations the following night. last month, rapher Leo images by photogNutter, who will be The Vaccines Matiz are on at La Termica have described display fully called had unsuccess- ting into Barcelona jetEnglish Graffiti gallery until in police over June 24 on 29. the theft, is furious as ‘genre-deand May fining’ and released with the on June 25, on Madrid They capture writer and wants single, Handsome, the first his nega- two dates of a the last the 1940s with her early life in tives back. long 51bum on January off the allover, fellow date world ist Diego Rivera.

Speaking from 19 last year. arttour. home, last night,his New York The Black Magic “This is criminal.Nutter said: makers will be hitproThey are moting their my stolen property... third end of bum, Get Weird, alstory.” fol-

Olive Press tracks down stolen John and Yoko wedding pics

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Chris Parkinson, Malaga

Total outrage JOHN and Yoko’s wedding must be one of the most iconic moments of pop culture. The fact that this crook is trying to make a buck or two from flogging them is opportunist, selfish and above all else illegal. I hope the coverage will kick the authorities into action and get this guy banged up.

Steve Finn, London, UK

 Costa del Sol on weather alert

with dropping temperatures and more rain - 4616 views

 VIDEO: Floods hit Costa del Sol

as heavy rain continues - 4604 views

Updated daily The Olive  Gangsters’ Pressparadise: onlineA look at the key figures past and present of www.theolivepress.es the Costa del Crime - 3872 views

WEBSITE

The website  Torremolinos to open is Anda-

puppies born in Spain have to be registered with the Spanish Kennel Club and have a microchip along with the registration (LOE number). In Malaga there is the Sociedad Canina de la Costa Del Sol who you can ask for breeders of your chosen breed. If there is anyone who would be willing to get up an online petition to stop the sale of puppies in pet shops I will be the first to sign.

Dot Wisdom, Alhaurin de la Torre

SO David Carter complains about buying a dog and it not being a pure bred Labrador.

Your article mentions the puppy being just a month old, so not even weaned. I'm sure animal loving readers like myself will feel anger at David's callousness and his support of puppy farming. Love the dog and move on David; taking it to the UK for further tests is a fool’s errand. A dog is for life not for profit.

Stephen Amore, Manilva

Crazy law I WOULD like to see the Olive Press put the Junta on the spot about the new property law - the crazy idea of all holiday lets now needing to have air conditioning is beggars belief (Licence to kill, issue 234). At a time when emissions are rising in Spain faster than most countries in Europe, this is a ridiculous policy. The air pollution on the Costa del Sol is already very high in summer. If every

house and apartment has air con, this will only get worse.

Besides, innumerable properties on the coast get a sea breeze and air con just isn’t necessary.

David Coughlan, Marbella

Frida exhibition I CANNOT wait to visit the Frida Kahlo exhibition in Malaga (Frida unseen, issue 235). I recently watched the film about her life - called Frida - and was truly inspired by her. What an honour to have this exhibition come to Malaga and to be able to see these photos which have never been seen before. I have read a lot about Frida Kahlo and her story is amazing. I am also hoping to go to the showing of her work at the Pompidou museum in Malaga. Super excited!

Joanna Cook, Malaga

Each of the conveniently accessible lucia’sprint biggestissue shopping and leisure Olive Press candesktop be read in centre - 3122 views from your its entiretyto onyour laptop, computer www.theolivepress.es  Gibraltar schoolgirl reaches semi tablets and smartphones -final of Spanish TVupdated talentday show And our site is throughout the 3065 views daily with the latest news, wherever you are. making it one of Spain’s most visited news SOCIALMEDIA www.theolivepress.es websites.

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October 2015

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In ruins I WAS disappointed to read about the demolitions and heavy construction in Estepona (Demolition day, issue 235). How on earth can this be approved? Those buildings are lost forever with no respect for history - the Capitalist way. Of course builders are motivated by profit from loans for development, but they were beautiful buildings in a historical area. But, sadly, money talks.

Jim Briggs, Manilva Letters should be emailed to letters@ theolivepress.es. The writer’s name and address should be provided. Opinions are not necessarily those of the Editor.

5- Baron Rothschild indicted in France over Download app (2,766) now and fraudour case begin enjoying the best Spanish news on the go.

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ll about

Gibraltar

the Olive Press November 11th - 25th 2015 Sponsored by:

1313

In association with the Gibraltar Chamber of Commerce

Vol. 10 Issue 236 www.theolivepress.es

Flying high

March 30th - April 12th 2016

With the world’s third highest GDP per capita, Gibraltar’s rock solid economy puts others in the shade, writes Tom Powell

Picture by Jon Clarke

GLOBAL HUB: Gibraltar is going from strength to strength while (below) a soldier stands guard

G

IBRALTAR has well tion, will boast 15,158m2 and truly shaken of super-premium office off its image as a space over seven storeys.

1960s-style Britain This spectacular buildin the Sun to take its place ing, located between the as Europe’s shiny new hub airport and Ocean Village, for global e-commerce and is set to become the geofinance. graphic and economic Gone is the grey military look centre of Gibraltar’s busiof old, replaced by smart ness community. glass and chrome office Meanwhile, big retail firms skyscrapers, while even its such as Marks and Spenfamous Barbary macaques cer, BHS and the Early have been given their marchLearning Centre continue ing orders out of town and to thrive, while new chain back to nature at the top of stores, such as Pandora, the Rock, where they belong.

Swarovski and Cadenza, Its strong financial services GIBRALTAR boasts the third highest GDP per Capita in the world, open every few months. and internet gaming sectors beaten only by Luxembourg and Qatar, As well as the arrival of in particular are beacons of The Rock is higher than the likes of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab leading international firms, hope for the future of the Emirates and all of Scandinavia. including Ernst & Young, British Territory as it rides GDP per Capita is a nation’s Gross Domestic Product divided by its Grant Thornton and PwC, choppier political waters population, and one of the clearest signs of a country’s economic recent years have also stirred up by Britain’s im- stature. seen a swathe of young pending EU referendum.

Gibraltar’s GDP has almost doubled in the last five years, from £1,082 home-grown entrepreThey are among the boom million to £1,802 million. neurs setting up their own industries continuing to businesses. open up new employment Take Alex Capurro, foundGibraltarians the third highest in few years. opportunities for locals and ex- the world.

The variety of businesses has er of Easy Payment Gateway. pats, not to mention hundreds The small economy is booming diversified hugely over the last Launched a year ago, EPG offers of skilled Spanish workers, who and, as Chief Minister Fabian two decades, with legal, accoun- a ‘very simple one-stop solution also commute in every day.

Picardo has stated on various tancy, insurance, telecommuni- for making internet payments’, Such is the growth of the econo- occasions, with cooperation from cations and betting firms all now he says. my over the last few years - up to the nearby Campo de Gibraltar, jostling for position.

Users have access to over 200 10% per annum - that the GDP tens of thousands more jobs A new World Trade Center GibralTurn to Page 14 per capita (£50,941) makes the could be created over the next tar, which is now nearing comple-

Up, up and away

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Gibraltar

March 30th - April 12th 2016

Wide appeal terms of economic savvy, so does its people.

Gibraltar University, inaugurated last worldwide payment solutions, banks September at Europa Point, is a shining and credit card processes at the lowest example. price in the industry.

Degree courses are available in AcToday the business employs 20 staff, counting and finance, Banking and fihaving raised £2 million pounds in innance and Business and management. vestment and received three buy-out It’s clear what the priorities are at this offers from leading companies in the early stage. financial payments industry.

Of course, a huge chunk of Gibraltar’s Elsewhere, go-getters like Justin Baueconomy (over 25%) is still tourismtista, the creator of Mama Lotties cookbased. book, and the team behind new food deAnd with border delays shorter and less livery app, Hungry Monkey, are further frequent than they were a couple of proof of Gibraltarian entrepreneurship. years ago, tourists are finding it increasThe territory’s population may only ingly easier to pop over from Spain for hover around 30,000, but it has always the day or even a long weekend. punched above its weight thanks to its In addition, the Rock is a major cruise citizens’ passionate sense of identity. destination.

And as the Rock grows and evolves in The numbers of ships making Gibraltar a port of call this year is set to leap by 11%, with more than 232 stops scheduled (see page 18).

And passengers are not short on places to splash the cash once they arrive. Ocean Village ‘a place that is not like anywith its bars and restaurants, where else’. lively Casemates Square and While there she meets a Fibustling Main Street are favounancial Times-reading German An extremely positive end rite haunts for VAT-free cruise businessman at the Rock ho- to the third of the trilogy of souvenirs. tel and spends time with her books The Girl Who Kicked Meanwhile, the selfies every secretly gay lawyer Jeremy the Hornet’s Nest, the book visitor shares on social media Stuart MacMillan, who is ad- paints a strong and vivid picfrom emblematic locations like ministering her huge multi- ture of the place.

St Michael’s Cave, the Great million euro fortune from his And, as there are already plans Siege Tunnels and the Moorsmall back street office. to turn the remaining two books ish Castle are all free publicity, She even manages to feed the into films then the Rock can be ensuring Gibraltar a permanent Barbary apes and go on an all-day expecting some high profile and prominent place on the bender starting at Harry’s Bar. visitors at some point soon. global tourism map.

From Page 13

BUZZING: Main Street ?

U KNOW DID YO

I

T has become a hit film starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara (right) and has even been nominated for five Academy Awards.

So it bodes well for Gibraltar that the so-called ‘Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’ chooses the Rock as her ideal escape at the end of the massive selling Millenium trilogy by Stieg Larsson.

In the final part of the trilogy Lisbeth Salander jumps on an early morning flight to Malaga before taking a taxi straight to the enclave,

Dragon Tattoo girl chose Gib

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© Abacus Financial Services Limited Licensed by the FSC no.702481

www.abacus.gi

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Gibraltar

March 30th - April 12th 2016

The growth of jobs in all sectors should be an inspiration for the rest of Europe, writes Edward Macquisten (pictured), Chief Executive of the Gibraltar Chamber of Commerce

Bucking the economic trend A safe

IN LINE: Spanish workers queue to exchange pounds for euros (right)

G

IBRALTAR has continued to buck the economic trend for Europe with GDP growth at around 8% for 2015 and virtually full employment.

In the last 30 years the Rock’s economy has undergone a huge transformation from one dominated and reliant upon the Garrison and related public sector activities to an economy which is driven by the private sector.

The main economic pillars are financial services, tourism and the port and shipping services. Another important sector is online gaming.

All of these sectors are served by a well-developed professional services community which provides advice and expertise on everything from law, trust, tax and accounting.

Expertise

Gibraltar’s workforce has increased from 16,874 in 2005 to 24,422 in 2015, a rise of 50% in ten years.

Although small in absolute terms, it is a pretty impressive achievement when set against Europe’s rather dismal record of job creation in the last 10 years.

As Gibraltar’s economy has become more diversified and international it has created jobs in new sectors like e-commerce, online gaming and e-payments.

The people needed to do these jobs have been brought from outside, predominantly from other parts of Europe, but some have come from further afield such as the US

and South East Asia.

Many of the people who work in Gibraltar live across the border in Spain. Around 12,000 people cross the frontier each day to get to work on the Rock.

The daily rush hour to cross the frontier which can be seen each morning has just as much bustle as any big city.

The salaries earned in Gibraltar are spent in Spain and this in turn has helped to alleviate some of the hardship which Spain’s prolonged recession has generated.

At the macro-level Gibraltar’s government has generated regular budget surpluses in the last 10 years and significant improvements have also been made to the local infrastructure including a new hospital, a state of the art air terminal and the completion of a number of government housing projects.

But Gibraltar is not resting on its laurels.

It continues to attract outside investment and create new job openings. The low corporate tax rate makes it one of the most attractive jurisdictions in Europe.

It enjoys full EU membership as a UK Overseas Territory, but it is outside the EU Customs Union so there is no sales tax (VAT).

In addition there are no wealth taxes, inheritance tax or capital gains taxes in Gibraltar.

Being an Overseas Territory gives Gibraltar additional security: the UK’s Foreign & Commonwealth Office is responsible for Gibraltar’s Foreign Affairs and The Governor

bet!

is in control of the local Royal Gibraltar Police.

In most other aspects though, Gibraltar is largely autonomous and self sufficient.

It passes its own laws with its own parliament and raises its own taxes and spends its own money.

Business There is no subsidy paid to Gibraltar by UK taxpayers and Gibraltar’s Government has signed Tax Information Exchange Agreements with more than 30 other jurisdictions, many of which are in the G20.

Air links to Gibraltar from the UK are good from either London, Manchester, Bristol or Birmingham. Setting up a business in Gibraltar is different to the UK but is still relatively straightforward.

Anyone who is thinking about investing in Gibraltar or setting up a business here should make the local chamber one of their first ports of call.

Being a small town it is quick and easy to get around but having a door opened or simply just knowing the right person to talk to can help you get up and running more quickly.

We would be delighted to help you.

www.gibraltarchamberofcommerce.com

W?

NO

DID

K YOU

Cave’s Rock of Gibraltar

HOPEFULLY a few Gibraltarians will know the words to veteran rock star Nick Cave’s 2003 hit Rock of Gibraltar – but for those who don’t, below is a reminder.

The song from the artist’s Nocturama album uses the metaphor of Gib’s political situation to describe a love affair that is ‘betrayed like the Rock of Gibraltar’.

Let me say this to you I’ll be steadfast and true And my love will never falter The sea would crash about us The waves would lash about us I’ll be your Rock of Gibraltar Sometimes it’s hard And we’re both caught off guard But there’s nothing I would ever alter The wind could howl round our ears For the next thousand years I’d still be your Rock of Gibraltar The best thing I done Was to make you the one Who I’d walk with down to the altar

You’d stand by me And together we’d be That great, steady Rock of Gibraltar Under the big yellow moon On our honeymoon I took you on a trip to Malta And all through the night You held me so tight Your great, steady Rock of Gibraltar Could the powers that be Ever foresee That things could so utterly alter?

All the plans that we laid Could soon be betrayed Betrayed like the Rock of Gibraltar

GIBRALTAR’S bet on the online gaming industry has more than paid off.

The Rock is home to the head offices of William Hill, Bet365, Ladbrokes and 888, with around 3,000 people currently employed in the industry.

This, of course, has brought a great economic boost not just to Gibraltar but also neighbouring La Linea and the Campo de Gibraltar where many of the workers live.

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Gibraltar originally became the unofficial capital of online gambling thanks to its generous tax environment, but taxes have now been forcibly imposed, and the firms are showing no immediate signs of flight.

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the Olive Press November 14th - 25th 2016

ll about

Gibraltar

A true melting pot

www.theolivepress.es March 30th - April 12th 2016

Gibraltar can teach us all how multiculturalism can truly work, writes Olive Press publisher Jon Clarke

I

WALK: Family outing to top of the Rock

GOT my first real sense of the best of Gibraltar during a night at the cinema six years ago.

It was the night of the Oscars and I was appropriately watching The King’s Speech and in the King's Bastion leisure centre, no less.

The place was rammed to the rafters with local families and groups of friends, most of whom seemed to know each other. And there was a real frisson of excitement, the British film being rightly up for various gongs across the pond.

But as I sat back to enjoy the trailers I noticed for the first time something very special about this small enclave.

There was a palpable sense of togetherness and pride among the rows of ordinary Gibraltarians who

came from every persuasion and faith.

In front of me was a row UNITED: Gibraltar’s religious groups bond well of Jewish friends, while below them was an Asian to change and the warmth personable and approachfamily and across the steps of its people, which appeals able... someone to share a bit of banter with, to have a Muslim man and his girl- to me. friend. And they all knew People give you the time a chat about the footie or each other and swapped of day and are always pre- who’s on the bill at Benicaspared to stop for a chat. sim this year. banter and pleasantries.

It was a real eye-opener, They are interested (and But above all, it is the fabric even for a Londoner, like interesting) and are rarely of the place that I so admire.

Once away from Casemates me. For in this true melting and Main Street, there are so pot of beliefs, there was one A real sense of its many hidden corners, a surabiding trait; they were all prising amount of well-preutterly proud to be British. own identity, its served buildings, a treasure It should be a lesson to us place in the world chest of history and even all, for while I have never some terrific nature walks. been a fan of nationalism, it and its drive to be On a hike to the top of the certainly beats racial segreRock, via Jew’s Gate and gation and hatred... and is different St Michael’s Cave with sadly extremely rare these my mother and kids, I was days. amazed not just at the inIt took me a while, but I have without an opinion on this credible views and scenreally got to like Gibraltar. ery… but how well protected There is something about or that. the efficiency of its busi- Even their leader, a high- and organised it is. nesses, the ability to adapt flying Oxbridge lawyer is With excellent signposting,

superb picnic spots and a soon-to-be daredevil rope bridge and glass viewing platform, it’s worth a day out on its own.

There was even the odd bit of wildlife and who can ever grow tired of watching the macaques in full swing?

But it was back in town at one of the typical Gibraltar boozers - over fish and chips and a pint of John Smith’s (the Jam’s English Rose appropriately playing in the background) - that I realised what made this small enclave great.

It has a real sense of its own identity, its place in the world and its drive to be different.

Viva Gibraltar… Long live Llanitos!

A

ll about

Gibraltar

17 March 30th - April 12th 2016

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the Olive Press November 14th - 25th 2016

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Gibraltar

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Cruise control T

HE sight of tourists disembarking from cruise liners is set to become even more frequent on the Rock.

In fact, the numbers of cruise ships stopping at Gibraltar this year is set to leap by 11% with more than 232 stops scheduled.

It is estimated these vessels will bring around 350,000 passengers to Gibraltar this year.

It’s full steam ahead as cruise liner stops are set to swell by 11% this year, discovers Joe Duggan

232 cruise ships to dock this year

Quietest months: (% of yearly stops) January (0.42%) February (0.42%) December (2.94%)

Busiest months: April (15.97%) October (15.97%) September (14.29%) May (12.61%) November (10.08%)

Luxurious

And with a record 18 cruise ships making their maiden voyages to the Rock, Gibraltar is moving full steam ahead in the shipping world.

Among the new ships stopping off is the Seven Seas Explorer, claimed to be ‘the most luxurious ship to sail the seven seas’.

Other new boats docking SHIP AHOY: Gibraltar cruise numbers leap and (inset) Seven Seas Explorer include Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas, Carnival Vista These ports represent 20% of the As Minister For Tourism, Samantha of Carnival Cruise Lines and Holland world’s cruise traffic with member- Sacramento, explains: “The record America’s Koningsdam. ship of the group helping to pro- number of inaugural cruise calls April is set to be the busiest month in mote Gibraltar as a cruise destina- consolidates the robust trend experithe calendar, with at least 38 ships tion. enced in 2015 when we had an exarriving.

The Rock’s facilities, outstanding at- tremely busy summer and 27 more Gibraltar’s membership of the associ- tractions and location at the mouth of cruise ships arriving in the ports of ation MedCruise links it to 100 other the Mediterranean makes it the ideal Gibraltar compared to 2014. ports in 22 Mediterranean countries. port of call.

“This bustling activity underlines the

FACT FILE

Nationalities:

effective work carried out by the Gibraltar Tourist Board and the GPA in marketing and promoting the port of Gibraltar.

“It is also a vote of confidence by the global cruise industry both in our tourist product, and in our capacity to handle some of the largest ships in the world.”

British (46.64%) American (28.57%) Italian (7.14%) German (6.72%) Spanish (2.52%) French (1.62%)

Cruise visitors:

2014 - 359,293 visitors 2015 - 342,942 visitors 2016 - 350,000 + visitors

Offer valid until 17th April 2016. Offer excludes sale items.

Women Men Children

Main Street Gibraltar

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the Olive Press November 14th - 25th 2016

ll about

Bulgaria sees sense

BULGARIA has definitively removed Gibraltar from its list of tax havens.

It follows months of intensive lobbying by the financial services minister, Albert Isola, and a meeting with the Bulgarian Ambassador to the UK in London.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Finance has now removed Gibraltar from its list of countries with preferential tax regimes.

“I am delighted with this result following our recent successes with Canada, Estonia, Italy, Latvia and Poland,” said Isola.

“We will continue to press the remaining very small number of EU Member States to delist Gibraltar as soon as possible.

Great for 888 ONLINE gambling giants 888 has announced its profits are up 20% from this time last year.

The news boosted the Gibraltar-based company’s shares by 2.2% to £185.75.

The company’s customer base and revenue both expanded in 2016.

The good start to 2016 comes despite a £10.34 million charge for the failed takeover of Bwin.party which hit 2015 year-end profits.

www.theolivepress.es

Gibraltar

March 30th - April 12th 2016

We put clients first

W

HEN Arturo Maria Capurro set up his insurance company in 1876, he little realised he was laying the foundations for one of Gibraltar’s most enduring businesses.

Over the past 140 years, Capurro Insurance & Investments has grown from strength to strength, and is now Gibraltar’s oldest insurance company.

The intermediary insurance firm specialises in everything from commercial insurance and professional indemnity to motor and marine insurance.

And 140 years on, MD Patrick Sheppard-Capurro (Arturo’s great grandson) underlines the company’s core value which remains the same.

“Doing the right thing,” says Patrick. “Eating it for breakfast. It’s probably the reason Capurro’s still going today and probably the reason we are

Gibraltar’s oldest insurance firm Capurro is still being run by the founder’s great grandson, discovers Joe Duggan

ALL STAR LINE-UP: The Capurro team with Patrick (centre) thinking ahead to the next hundred years.

“It is the client we are always

looking after. We stand shoulder to shoulder with our clients.

If the insurer does not want to

pay the claim we will fight our client’s corner.”

The exceptional all-round

Like father like great grandson PATRICK Sheppard-Capurro (left) joined the family firm Capurro Insurance & Investments in 2000.

The born-and-bred Gibraltarian was schooled in the UK before studying business and marketing at university. But, in the end, the lure of the Rock eventually proved too much.

“I tried my hand at a career in the

UK, then realised the lifestyle here has too much to offer,” says Patrick.

“Gibraltar’s a great place to live and a good place for doing business. A friendly place,” he says.

Initially he decided not to work for the family business and got a job with the Bland Group, gaining valuable business experience.

"But after a few years I ended up being swayed and joined the family firm,” he concludes, some 16 years on.

A keen yachtsman, Patrick has also worked at Sheppard's, a marine company, where he combined business with pleasure - his love of the sea!

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knowledge of Capurro’s team of 20 is underpinned by their individual expertise in niche sectors of the market.

Operating in Gibraltar, Spain, the UK, Portugal and Malta, the business has grown hugely since the 1980s when just two staff catered for the Rock’s population.

Patrick, who joined the family firm in 2000, underlines the importance of taking care of the client.

“I always stress to the staff, we have to make ourselves different in some way,” he says.

“People could go straight to the insurer, so why go through a broker at all?

“But what happens when you have a claim? Guiding someone through that process isn’t easy at all. That’s probably the more difficult part of the business. And that’s where we come in.”

It is very much a family-run business, with three out of four directors sharing the Capurro surname.

And with thousands of Gibraltarians choosing that name for their own insurance, the company is set to remain a pillar of the Rock’s economy for the foreseeable future.

Visit capurroinsurance.com or call (+350) 200 40850

Property www.theolivepress.es

the Olive Press November 11th - 25th 2015

21

olive press

www.theolivepress.es

Live like a rockstar

Page 23

Happy first Birthday

www.smartcurrencyexchange.com La Cala del Sol, Local No. 17, Cala de Mijas, 29649, Malaga tel: +34 951 401 921

March 30th - April 12th 2016

LIVING ON THE EDGE

Iconic Spanish architects complete stylish cliffside pad on the Andalucia coast

GOING UNDERGROUND: Innovative hillside pad

Page 24

IT brings a whole new meaning to the concept of living life on the edge.

Perched above the Med, Casa del Acantilado (The Cliff House) is the latest project from weird and wacky Madrid architects GilBartolome.

Page 30

What’s Hugh doing in Mallorca?

Page 40

Photo by: Jesus Granada

Best of the botched jobs

Stunning

Something of a challenge, it was created by Pablo Gil and Jaime Bartolome on a 42-degree slope on the Granada coastline.

Commissioned by a young couple from Madrid, every window of the home, near Salobrena, boasts stunning views of the sea.

The state-of-the-art design split over two floors features a ‘dragon-scale’ curved roof, floor-toceiling windows and an infinity pool.

Its position dug into the hillside helps the inside stay cool in the summer months and warmer in winter.

“The project combined

joyful living, innovative construction techniques, the return of craftsman-

ship and the cave as an environmental strategy,” said Bartolome.

Up in the world!

EVEREST veteran Stephen Venables has swapped his West Country home for a pad in hilly Gaucin.

The intrepid mountaineer, who found fame leading expeditions through the Himalayas, has chosen soaring Andalucian mountains over Somerset countryside.

“It’s a strange irony that though I’ve spent most of my life calling myself a mountaineer, this is the first time I’ve actually lived in the mountains,” revealed Venables, 61.

Venables and wife Rosie, from Bath, bought a pair of small, adjacent town houses and have knocked them through to create one larger village home.

“We are reliant on the local expat community because we are only just learning how to speak Spanish,” he said.

Venables found fame forging a new route up Everest’s Kangshung Face and was the first Briton to reach the summit without extra oxygen. He has also explored Antarctica.

IN THE HILLS: Venables (above) and Gaucin

Property specialist for both buyer and a seller As featured on Rightmove Overseas and Propertyguides.com La Cala del Sol, Local No. 17, Cala de Mijas, 29649, Malaga

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Hunting for a house this Easter?

Winkworth Spain + 34 952880941

| info@winkworth.es

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Easter is a great time for change and all things new, and whether you’re looking to buy or sell, we’re here to help.

As Winkworth agents we love what we do and pride ourselves on having a unique perspective on the process of matching people with homes.

Property

Expansion plans THE population of Benahavis is set to increase by up to a third if its new town plan (PGOU) is approved by the Junta.

Up to 1,063 houses will be added to an additional 3,800 homes, which already have permission from the existing 1983 town plan.

The majority of properties are to be built in the surrounding urbanisations, including Montemayor and La Quinta, while an extra 200 homes are to be added to the village.

The population is expected to swell from its current unofficial size of 20,000 residents to around 30,000 residents.

“There will be less density, but more volume and the main objective is to keep the quality. This is not about quantity,” said local agent Scott Marshall, of Propertiespain.com.

“It is an exciting and ambitious new plan, but at this stage it is just a plan,” added the Benahavis property specialist.

www.theolivepress.es

March 30th - April 12th 2016

23

It’s going for a song Rick Parfitt’s Alhaurin pad is up for grabs and it caters for Whatever you Want

IF you’ve ever dreamed of sitting in Rick Parfitt’s chair, the time is right now.

The Status Quo rocker’s Spanish mansion is up

EXCLUSIVE

By Iona Napier for sale - and for less than half the original asking price.

They’re off-ski RUSSIAN purchases in Spain are on the decline.

The Spanish Property Registry reveals buyers fell by 42% between 2014 and 2015.

Just 1,767 properties were sold to Russians in 2015, down from 3,106 in 2014.

According to agency Engel & Völkers ‘there is no lack of interest, but Russian buyers have become sellers’.

They are being replaced by Americans, Swiss and buyers from the Middle East.

However, Brits remain the biggest buyers from abroad and represent a staggering 21% of all property sales.

The six-bedroom pile set in a leafy two-and-a-half hectare plot in Alhaurin El Grande has been priced to sell fast, slashed from €2 million two years ago to €995,000 now.

Which proves you’re Never Too Late for Whatever You Want.

Rick, 67, his third wife Lyndsay Parfitt and their seven-year-old twins use the property as a weekend retreat when they are not at their luxu-

ry Marbella villa.

The impressive Alhaurin estate with stunning views boasts a home cinema room, huge swimming pool, tennis court, separate guest house and ‘space for stables’.

The house is on the market with the Parfitts’ very own estate agency, Status Homes, which the couple launched late last year in San Pedro.

Last June, the Olive Press exposed a dodgy kitchenware scam

ROCKER’S PAD: In Alhaurin and (inset) Parfitt

in Nueva Andalucia which left the Parfitts €2,930 out of pocket.

Would Churchill turn in his grave?

WINSTON Churchill’s Second World War HQ is to be given a makeover by a leading Spanish construction company.

The keys to the Old War Office in Whitehall, a stone’s throw from the Houses of Parliament and Downing Street, have been handed over to Spain-based firm OHL alongside the Hinduja Group.

The seven-storey, 1,100-room building where Churchill often spent the night will be converted into a five-star hotel.

OHL has purchased the lease - for an undisclosed fee - from the British Ministry of Defence on a 250-year arrangement, in partnership with the Hinduja Group.

Looking for a simpler life?

MAKEOVER: For Churchill’s old room and (left) the ex-PM

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the Olive Press November 14th - 25th 2016

24

Property

www.theolivepress.es

March 30th - April 12th 2016

Year to remember

Olive Press’ Property magazine celebrates its first birthday

PAGE 2

Property www.theolivepress.es

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July 23rd - August 5th 2015

the Olive Press June 11th - June 24th 2015

Buying or selling property in Spain?

1919

Let us help you reach your destination.

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Email: enquiries@mylawyerinspain.com Telephone: (+34) 951 203 094 from the UK 0845 508 2395 www.mylawyerinspain.com Offices: Marbella, Torrox, Murcia, Almería, Alicante & Valencia.

EDITION No. 2

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the Olive Press May 13th - May 27th 2015

come true ORIGINAL: This stylish villa, designed by renowned architect Angel Taborda and complete with waterfall pool and mature garden, could be yours for just €4.7 million through Andalucia Development

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Marbella’s leading agent Chris Clover on how he started out on the Costa del Sol in 1970 HOMESELLERS REPORT

PAGE 9

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PAGE 7 Contact our Marbella Office: Avda De Manolete, Centro Plaza Local 12-13, Nueva Andalucia, 29660, Marbella, Malaga

Tel: +34 951 203 986 costadelsol@hifx.co.uk

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October 1st - October 14th 2015

PAGE 13

PAGE XIX

Room with a view

WONDERWALLS: This mini oasis in Benahavis with a distinct Moroccan vibe, panoramic views of Africa and four bedrooms is priced at €2.2 million with Winkworth

BREATH-TAKING: Views over Spain, Gibraltar and Africa from this extraordinary villa perched high in exclusive La Zagaleta PRICELESS VIEW: This beautiful hillside property, with a stunning and stylish pool, is on sale through www.lazagaleta.com

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Tel: +34 951 203 986 costadelsol@hifx.co.uk

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Why a host of famous chefs, celebrities and supermarket tycoons are buying in Gaucin

Boom boom boy Mr Boom of Benahavis Scott Marshall reveals his master property plan with 20-something websites

PAGE 14

HOMESELLERS REPORT

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Buying or selling property in Spain?

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Paradise by the pool...

PAGE 7 Contact our Marbella Office:

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Avda De Manolete, Centro Plaza Local 12-13, Nueva Andalucia, 29660, Marbella, Malaga

HiFX Europe Limited Sucursal en España is a branch of HiFX Europe Limited. HiFX Europe Limited is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Payment Services Regulations 2009, registration 462444, for the provision of payment services.

Tel: +34 951 203 986 costadelsol@hifx.co.uk

Don’t let the banks cash in! www.hifx.co.uk

UE cake, candles and Champagne: the Olive Press’ Property magazine is celebrating its first birthday.

Since launching in March last year, we have built up to a regular 24-page bi-monthly pullout, supported by the cream of the coast’s best agents, architects and developers.

Over six bumper issues, we have broken countless exclusive stories and given readers the inside track on the property market, its growth and its many complex issues.

From the sale of Robert Kilroy Silk’s €12m Casares pad, to former Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar’s ‘illegal’ wall in Marbella, and from Salma Hayek’s campaign to protect La Almoraima estate, to the best green properties in Spain, we have covered the lot.

Meanwhile our Kick Out the Kickbacks campaign saw one of Marbella’s biggest law firms taken to court and continues to expose the practice of lawyers giving estate agents ‘backhanders’.

www.theolivepress.es

Tel: +34 951 203 986 costadelsol@hifx.co.uk Don’t let the banks cash in!

www.hifx.co.uk

www.theolivepress.es

Malaga company floats A LUXURY property company has become the first in Malaga to float on the stock exchange.

Obsido, a Spanish-Norwegian company, debuted on the Mercado Alternativo Bursátil (MAB) this month at a price of €19.40 per share.

The company currently manages two hotel resorts in Estepona and Marbella.

Issue No. 6

17

November 26th - December 9th

EXCLUSIVE: Meet the estate agent on an unheard-of selling streak

EXCLUSIVE: Peter Hain buys stunning Estepona villa

SPANISH housebuilder Taylor Wimpey Espana has doubled its annual sales this year.

The subsidiary of the British company has already sold out five developments, with British sales up 37%.

Meanwhile, German buyers have leapt by an astonishing 160%, fuelled mainly by sales in Mallorca.

Marc Pritchard, sales and marketing director, said: “It’s been a really good summer this year.

“It’s been at least five years since I’ve experienced such an intense level of enthusiasm for Spanish property.”

New Costa del Sol developments popular with British golfers this year include La Floresta Sur near Marbella and Miraval in Mijas.

the Olive Press November 11th - 25th 2015

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LA ZAGALETA BEAUTY: Sold by Panorama

PAGE 21

SOLD OUT

Page 19

ON THE UP: Stunning Spanish properties, such as luxury villa (above) sold by Panorama, are being snapped up in the post-crisis boom

PUERTO BANUS PRIZE: Sold by Panorama

Who bagged top prize at the World Travel Awards?

PAGE 35 NATURAL BEAUTY: Alcornocales Natural Park, while (left) Hayek and (below) Almoraima estate

Controversial Almoraima sale comes off the market after campaign by Olive Press and visit from Hollywood actress Salma Hayek

GOLDEN MILE PAD: Sold by Terra Meridiana

What have former PM Aznar and footballer Bentley got in common?

PAGE 24

FULL STORY PAGE 21

ESTEPONA ESCAPE: Sold by Terra Meridiana

Property sales are back on track with multi-million euro purchases, renewed confidence and fresh hope for the future

Let the good times roll...

THE property sector is set to bounce back at an even faster pace over the coming years.

And many in the industry feel this change is across the board, from studio apartments and small holiday homes right up to the luxury sector.

If 2015 was the year of the ‘comeback’, 2016 and 2017 will see prices continue to rise with the rental market also gaining ground, according to a leading property expert.

Prices are predicted to increase around 6.2% next year alone, claims Servihabitat CEO Julian Cabanillas.

This rise is almost three times this year’s increase, which is currently predicted to sit at between 2.3% and 2.6% overall.

The real estate giant, part owned by La Caixa bank, also predicted that purchases next year could grow by 25%.

This positivity is shared by property expert Terra Meridiana’s Adam Neale.

“The crisis brought many tough years for the property market with the crunch really hitting in 2011,” he told the Olive Press.

“The market has picked up since then across all budgets and now we can really see the good times picking up again.”

A new chapter to breathe life into this iconic Marbella ruin

Page 22

What has Brigitte Bardot got to do with Spanish property?

Page 24

Buying or selling property in Spain?

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HiFX Europe Limited Sucursal en España is a branch of HiFX Europe Limited. HiFX Europe Limited is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Payment Services Regulations 2009, registration 462444, for the provision of payment services.

SIX OF THE BEST: OP Property magazines over the last 12 months

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Safe at last!

PAGE 8

Hidden hotspot

How you can buy a millionaire’s home with a down payment of €800,000 and a mortgage with the owners

Property

19

the Olive Press October 1st - October 14th

RE/MAX Top CEO Miguel Bilbao on the huge growth of foreign buyers even flocking to Malaga City

Lucky numbers

So stunning. Pages X - XI

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Expat buying boom

PAGE 6

45 years as an agent

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Buying or selling property in Spain?

24 - Page Special

PAGE III EXCLUSIVE: British politician Robert Kilroy Silk puts his costly Costa estate up for sale

The secret Spanish homes of a dozen leading celebrities

Property

LD

Property expert Mark Stucklin on how the market is suddenly gathering speed with help from the British market

Fit for a star

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e 20 - Pag Special

Steaming ahead

LD

Don’t let the banks cash in!

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March 19th - April 1st 2015

POTTED www.hifx.co.uk POINTERS

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Buying or selling property in Spain?

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Property

Contact our Marbella Office: Avda De Manolete, Centro Plaza Local 12-13, Nueva Andalucia, 29660, Marbella, Malaga

Tel: +34 951 203 986 costadelsol@hifx.co.uk

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Buying or selling property in Spain?

17

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And our Olive Press Mega-fusion Property Observatory, launched in January, now I brings together a think ‘‘ tank of property experts two or three times a year. “ The sun is coming out, the tourists are back and the property market is going from strength to strength. It should be a bumper year ahead for everyone in the property industry!

Thanks to all the key movers and shakers, including Taylor Wimpey, Winkworth, PropertieSpain Property Overseas Group and Andalucia Development, who have supported us from the beginning.

We are gearing up for an exciting year – we hope there will be plenty more of you joining in our success story! www.theolivepress.es

Mark Stucklin on the year Spain left the crisis behind

PAGE 18

Eco triumph for Valdevaqueros beach in Tarifa

PAGE 19

Olive Press Property Observatory launches

PAGE 20

A run down of Spain’s top ecofriendly pads

PAGE 24

January 20th - February 6th 2016

Don’t let the banks cash in!

PERFECT MATCH: Zagaleta (top) meets Valderrama (below)

Spain’s property comeback continues as €240m mega-fusion sees Zagaleta buy the Valderrama group, writes Iona Napier

T is set to become one of the most exclusive golf development projects in Europe.

The purchase of emblematic Valderrama golf course by Marbella development company Zagaleta is the fusing of two prestigious Spanish giants.

A new mega-project, taking in 200 hectares of rolling virgin hillside near the famous golf course, is the perfect sign that the Spanish property market is truly flourishing again.

Zagaleta, just outside Marbella, is Spain’s most luxurious residential development, counting Hugh Grant and the mayor of Moscow among its residents, while Sotogrande-based Valderrama hosted the 1997 Ryder Cup as well as the now defunct Volvo Masters.

Developers Zagaleta Limited, based in London, have purchased the Valderrama group, including the golf course, as well as the new land in neighbouring Castellar municipality.

In an exciting deal, said to be worth €40 million, Zagaleta has become the new landlord of Valderrama Golf Club, until at least 2050.

Alongside the deal, Zagaleta is to invest a further €200 million creating a new complex - dubbed Valderamma 2 - with a second championship course, hotel and around 100 high-end properties.

Local agent Ben Bateman, of Holmes Sotogrande described the deal as ‘a very interesting fusion of two famous brands.’

The agent, who has known about the sale for some time and even shown potential clients around the course, added: “The quality of Zagaleta is integral here, and given the new ownership of Sotogrande

www.hifx.co.uk

A very interesting fusion of two famous brands.

Ben Bateman, Holmes Sotogrande

It is surely win win for the coast.

Adam Neale, Terra Meridiana

“

EXPERIENCED ENGLISH SOLICITORS & SPANISH ABOGADOS

“

24

itself, it’s very exciting news for the whole area.”

Fellow agent Adam Neale of Terra Meridiana added: “It is surely win win for the coast.

“You are going to get a whole new network of high-end clients looking there.”

Security is set to be a major factor in the

development, while quality of construction will also be paramount.

At Zagaleta, in Benahavis, near Marbella, homes currently start from around €3 million.

An incredibly secretive place, once owned by arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, its owners are said to have included Rod Stewart

and even President Putin of Russia.

The project will unfold over the next decade, and La Zagaleta group has expressed its willingness to collaborate with the Real Club Valderrama, to preserve the privacy and exclusivity that the brand has built up over many years to become a European landmark.

Buying or selling property in Spain?

Enjoy bank beating exchange rates.

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HiFX Europe Limited Sucursal en España is a branch of HiFX Europe Limited. HiFX Europe Limited is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Payment Services Regulations 2009, registration 462444, for the provision of payment services.

HOUSE CLEARANCES.....CALL NOW!!!

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Property

26 26the Olive Press November 14th - 25th 2016

www.theolivepress.es March 30th - April 12th 2016

www.theolivepress.es

Positive, but not naive

O

NE of Spain’s top economists, professor Jordi Gual of the Caixa Bank group, is optimistic about the year ahead despite the fragile global economy.

Speaking at a dinner for real estate professionals organised by Amat Immobiliaris he talked about the oil price crash, slowdown in China, and low interest rates – and the implications for Spain as it emerges from recession after a painful Spanish firms are just as productive as those internal devaluation and restructuring, in other EU countries like Germany when and now faces a continuing political cricomparing mid-sized and big companies. sis in Madrid.

Spain’s productivity problem stems from its After reading so many gloomy headlarge number of small companies compared lines of late, it was reassuring to listen to a more balanced view from someone with access to all the data. Prof Gual made it clear he is cautiously optimistic for Spain, describing his position as ‘positive but not naive’, including on the domestic political front.

Without denying the human cost, he explained how Spain has become much more competitive, although the job is not yet over.

As a totally open economy, foreign investment has been flooding in to take advantage of Spain’s opportunities, including real estate.

Of course, he stressed, if foreign investors take fright, they can leave as quickly as they arrived.

ON THE UP: House prices keep going up again He also explained how

The year started well for sales and at least one top economist is cautiously optimistic, writes property pundit Mark Stucklin

to economies like Germany and the UK. Why so many small companies? Because the administrative environment in Spain discourages companies from growing above a certain size.

PRIMROSE R E A L E S TAT E

GOOD START TO THE YEAR Official statistics for January show the Spanish property market kicked off the year with a blast, as sales surged and house prices increased.

There were 27,568 homes sold in January, according to the General Council of Notaries, an increase of 27% on last year (see chart above).

However, the chart also shows that January 2015 was 11% down on 2014, so this January’s big increase might have more to do with weak sales last year than strong sales this year. The hotspots are Barcelona, Madrid and the most popular towns on the Mediterranean coast like Marbella, as well as the Balearics and Canary Islands.

HOUSE PRICES Meanwhile, average house prices (in terms of €/sqm) rose 2% in January on a year before, having climbed from an annualised decline of 6% in January 2015 (and - 8% a year ago in March 2015).

There were 11,884 new mortgages signed in January, an increase of 30% over the same time last year.

Although house prices have crawled back into positive territory (based on the price of property sold), they lack the momentum to rise fast anytime soon. And house prices are still 31% below their 2007 peak.

In the context of the SPI House Price Index Tracker (see chart, left), which includes the seven most watched house price indices in Spain, the latest data from the notaries reinforces the picture of Spanish house prices stabilising in mildly-positive territory, after years of big declines.

CONCLUSION Sales up 27%, mortgage lending up 30%, house prices up 2%: It looks like January was a great start to the year for the Spanish property market.

Mark Stucklin runs www.spanishpropertyinsight.com

“Wij spreken Uw taal” - Nederlands, Spaans, Engels “We speak your language” - Dutch, Spanish, English “Hablamos tu idioma” - Holandés, Español, Inglés Primrose Real Estate - run by Lynn Van Wilderode based in Manilva (Málaga), operating on the Costa del Sol, covering Marbella to Gibraltar.

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This private villa has been renovated and has an open fire and air con.The house is surrounded by a private plot of 600m2 which consists of gardens, a large swimming pool, a front patio and a covered garage for 1 car.

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A South West orientation enables you to enjoy the sun all day. Located at the end of a quiet street, only 1km from the Marina of Duquesa.

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the Olive Press November 11th - 25th 2015

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VILLA LA QUINTA 4 Beds • 5 Bath • 550 Built m2 • 143 Terrace m2 • REF 176-01246P Brand new stunning contemporary villa offering breath-taking views towards the sea and tranquil surroundings. The property has been built to perfection with high qualities throughout. As you enter the house you have a good size living/dining area that leads out to the covered terrace and pool area. The garage holds 2-3 cars as well as having space for a store room.

Centro Comercial Plaza 63, 29660 Nueva Andalucia, Marbella Tel +34 952 816 250 • info@andadev.com • www.andadev.com

28

the Olive Press November 14th - 25th 2016

www.theolivepress.es

Property

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the Olive Press November 11th -12th 25th2016 2015 www.theolivepress.es March 30th - April

In cyberspace… buyer beware!

I

T seems extraordinary that in 2016 there are still a large number of individuals operating as estate agencies who are totally unregistered in Spain.

What do I mean by ‘unregistered’?

Well, aside from failing to provide proper invoices to their clients for services, they don’t have public liability insurance, which means that anything verbally stated or promised as part of a purchase or sale will have no recourse on them, except in a civil court.

On top of this, they don’t have registered addresses and are often not properly checking whether the properties they sell are completely legal and allowed to be traded.

There is little protection for anyone buying and selling through big property portals… and it is unfair on legal, registered agents, believes Graham Govier of Inland Andalucia

In short, they are not adhering to any aspect of the European Trade Description Act… and all the strict regulations that us legal agents have to abide by are generally ignored.

This doesn’t happen in the UK, Germany or Denmark… so why does it happen in Spain?

A lot of the blame has to sit with the large number of property portals that exist out in cyberspace.

Websites such as Kyero, Think Spain, A and Place in the Sun, etc, which do not check the accreditation of anyone offering properties for sale.

And why would they? That would drastically restrict their revenue, of course.

It is even apparently too much for many of them to simply have a disclaimer tucked away in the small print as part of their ‘terms of use’ section.

This is all completely unacceptable in

2016. Where is the protection for the public?

I believe it is going to take new European legislation to resolve this. Meanwhile it has to be BUYER BEWARE. We always advise our clients to use their credit card when reserving a property.

This method provides the additional protection of the credit card company.

If ‘Sorry…we don’t take credit cards’ is the reaction of your agent, ask yourself why?

That is the true indication if you are really dealing with a registered agency that has bank accreditation.

Property prices are still low and there are some great bargains out there… but do not risk your savings without investigating who you are dealing with.

If it all goes wrong you will live to regret it!

Contact Graham Govier at Inland Andalucia on graham@inlandandalucia.com

29 29

A dream view IT may be in need of a little TLC but this cortijo between Alcala la Real and Castillo de Locubin could become a dream finca overlooking stunning Andalucian countryside.

On the market for just €49,000 you would be hard pushed to find a cortijo project in such a stunning location going as cheap.

With a large well, 4,500m2 of land and planning permission already in place to rebuild, it would make a dream spot for a cycling retreat or a hikers getaway.

Contact Inland Andalucia for more information.

Property

30 30 the Olive Press November 14th - 25th 2016

www.theolivepress.es

March 30th - April 12th 2016

www.theolivepress.es

What would the Romans say ...about Spain’s long list of botched makeovers and reckless restorations?

Rob Horgan and Iona Napier tour the country’s monumental disasters

W

HEN archaeologists uncovered incredible Roman ruins in Ecija, the town hall turned it

into a car park. When UNESCO threatened to take away Sevilla’s World Heritage status, the city ploughed

ahead with plans for a 40-storey skyscraper anyway.

And now, in Cadiz, Spain’s latest res-

Towering insult FOR 13 centuries a bell tower overlooked the ancient city of Sevilla.

It was the tallest building in Andalucia’s capital and the standout jewel on the city’s skyline.

Then in 2010, a 178-metre tower was erected by Spanish bank Cajasol and the quaint La Giralda bell tower was thrust into its shadows.

It was regarded as such an eyesore and an insult to the city’s architecture, UNESCO threatened to remove Sevilla from its list of World Heritage Sites.

In the end, the city retained its status but remains on the ‘threatened list’ and has been warned off ruining its historic skyline.

WHEN the final stone is set in place, Gaudi’s famous Sagrada Familia will be the world’s tallest church, soaring 170 metres above Barcelona.

It will also be one of the strangest looking and possibly the most controversial places of worship ever built.

Confounding architects, critics and historians alike, the church was described by George Orwell as ‘one of the most hideous buildings in the world’ and he admitted he hoped it would be destroyed during the Spanish Civil War. Although Gaudi began the work, the building’s numerous subsequent architects have each added their own stamp.

Some critics say they have strayed too far from the original vision of the great Spanish architect.

Started in 1882 the project is scheduled - although unlikely to be finished in 2026.

Mocked Such a cowboy cockup it is, that it has received international media coverage lambasting the poor workmanship and the images went viral on social media, as people mocked the less-thanlovingly restored Moorish castle.

But the botched job on the Castillo is sadly nothing new.

In place of historic landmarks, giant eyesores have been popping up across the country since the turn of the century.

Here are some of the worst (or best, depending on your taste).

Monkey business ONE of Spain’s biggest restoration disasters has polemically become a tourist draw.

When an elderly woman tried to repair a religious fresco in a Zaragoza church in 2012, scandal and derision reverberated through the country and its media outlets.

But now Cecilia Gimenez, 82, has the last laugh, as a visitor centre has opened to document RED-FACED: Gimenez her botched drawing of Christ.

toration disaster is unfolding.

Historians and locals are outraged over ‘repairs’ to El Castillo de Matrera, after the 9th century castle was ‘extended’ by builders.

In place of ancient stone work, concrete blocks were slotted in to ‘preserve’ the monument.

A National Monument since 1949, a local historian described the work as a ‘heritage massacre’.

Unholy hotchpotch

Her efforts to preserve Behold the Man (Ecce Homo) were cruelly but somewhat accurately renamed Behold the Monkey (Ecce Mono).

The patched-up 100-year-old sketch has drawn some 100,000 visitors to Borja and even inspired an opera, Behold the Man. Borja Mayor Francisco Arilla hopes more good can come, with an average of 30,000 visitors per year predicted.

Car crash dig ARCHEOLOGISTS could barely hide their excitement. Historians revelled in the unearthing of a new hidden gem. And then … the bulldozers moved in, flattening nearly 2,000 years of history.

Beneath the main square of Ecija, in Sevilla, a treasure trove of Roman history languishes beneath a new car park.

Where a Roman bath house, gymnasium and temple had once stood, Seat Ibizas, Leons and Toledos are now parked up.

While archaeologists around the world slammed the work, the town hall claimed that had it not dug up the main square to build the car park in 1998, the remains would never have been found.

www.theolivepress.es

the Olive Press November 11th - 25th 2015

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The Olive Press – 342 x 256mm

30th March Property Magazine

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HOMESELLERS REPORT

In the know From the big smoke to the rolling hills, Property Overseas Group owner Richard Woodland is an inland wizard

I

T was never a question of "I lived in Marbella for a few IF Richard Woodland would years but I was attracted to escape the London rat race, the inland lifestyle so I bought it was WHEN. some land and built my own The Property Overseas Group finca in Coin." owner, who was raised in sub- The softly-spoken agent conurban south London, pursued tinued: "The finca I was buildhis dream to move to Spain ing was initially intended as a almost 15 years ago. weekend retreat but it wasn't The half-Spanish IT man- long before I had moved in ager traded his job in the big permanently and then started smoke to work for Country- building a new project in Monwide, the UK's da." largest estate By this point agency at the Richard had My Spanish time, which left Countrywas establishwide and set is perfect for ing a Marbella up his own negotiating base. agency, Prop"My mother is erty Overseas bureaucratic from Madrid Group, which red tape so I had always now operates holidayed in from its inland Spain, mostly office in Coin, on the coast, opposite La and I was interested in prop- Trocha commercial centre. erty so the job at Countrywide Due to the length of time he was the perfect timing and has lived in the area, he has the perfect fit," the 50-year- built up the best contacts for old father-of-three told the local architects, lawyers, garOlive Press. deners and builders and can

KNOWLEDGABLE: Richard Woodland provide the complete service to clients.

As importantly, he is completely bilingual – perfect for negotiating bureaucratic red tape and changeable Spanish laws.

"I realised I can be really helpful to buyers," he explains, adding that most of his clients are looking for property with beautiful views and a private plot of land.

He believes in the current climate this can be achieved easily inland for around â‚Ź250,000.

"You can certainly get much more for your money inland," insists Richard, who lives with his partner and son in Coin.

He has two daughters in the UK. Such a big fan of the region, he now has several properties of his own that he rents out - including one in Estepona, which can be rented cheaply while house hunting and you can be refunded the rental if you buy.

While he knows the property market on the coast, he is a particular specialist in the Guadalhorce valley, including the towns of Coin, Monda, Guaro, Tolox and Alhaurin el Grande.

Call Richard on 952 814 780 email info@propertyoverseasgroup.com or visit www.propertyoverseasgroup.com

www.theolivepress.es Property

www.theolivepress.es

the OliveMarch Press30th November 25th 2015 - April11th 12th- 2016

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36

Marbella Real Estate Photos

the Olive Press November 14th - 25th 2016

NEW on the Costa Del Sol Prices from EUR 90 + IVA Get those all important viewings with good pictures

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www.theolivepress.es

Property

www.theolivepress.es March 30th - April 12th 2016

Brexit, house prices and why not to worry www.smartcurrencyexchange.com

W

HATEVER the results of the vote on June 23, our research shows us that Spain will always appeal to British buyers.

Even if Brexit comes to pass, Brits will still want their place in the sun or the countryside, a better way of life and a warmer climate.

We do not expect there to be any change in the ability of Brits to purchase abroad – after all, the most popular locations in Spain do rely on the significant stream of income from British buyers and expats to boost their economy.

From a currency perspective, here at Smart Currency Exchange we have seen how sterling strengthened against the euro throughout 2015 following worries over Greece and the weakness of the Eurozone economy.

Forecasts were for continued euro weakness, but the markets were caught by surprise when the European Central La Cala del Sol, Local No. 17, Cala de Mijas, 29649, Malaga tel: +34 951 401 921

Britons will always want a place in the sun but also keep an eye on exchange rates, writes Smart Currency Exchange expert Mark Rickard Bank’s actions following the the vote.

December 2015 meeting It is important to rememdidn’t meet expectations, ber, however, that although the sterling-euro exchange and the euro strengthened.

Sterling’s weakness has since rate soared in the summer of been exacerbated by talk of 2015, the rates available now the potential of Brexit; and are still considerably better than those setting a available up date for the until as recently referendum There is no as 2014, in the has focused guarantee the wake of the fieveryone’s nancial crisis. minds on rate will shoot Of course this what this up following the volatility may could mean. well affect what The pound referendum properties you will more can afford for than likely your money in continue to struggle in the face of un- sterling, taking any property certain markets, speculation beyond your budget. about the outcomes of the This is where we recomreferendum and in response mend utilising our services and property buyer soluto other economic data.

Be aware that sterling could tions, such as the opportunistill fall further in the run up ty to secure the price of your to the referendum and after property in pounds at the

current rate to protect you from any future fluctuations before you make your final payment.

After all, if you choose to leave the property price in the hands of the exchange rates and wait for rates to improve, you may be waiting for some time.

If the outcome of the referendum IS a Brexit, the sterling-euro rate could potentially fall further. And even if we decide to remain in the EU, there is likely to be some uncertainty in exchange rates until everything settles down, so there is no guarantee the rate will shoot up immediately following the referendum.

Email Mark@smartcurrencyexchange.com or visit the Mijas La Cala office behind SuperSol.

NEW LOCATION FOR LA PERLA PROPERTY MANAGEMENT Jane Clay has opened the doors to her plush new office in Sabinillas and couldn’t be happier!!!

With it’s central location it’s now even easier to pop in and have a chat to resolve all your doubts on your property in Spain.

La Perla Living in Bahia passed on to be La Perla Property Management in 2010 and Jane has over 29 years experience of managing property on the coast. In DLP San Pedro in 1987 then in Sotogrande in Paniagua and followed by La Paloma de Manilva where all the infraestructure was renewed and all the villas built, moving on in 2003 to La Perla de la Bahia where she now manages 140 of the properties onsite.

The services are dedicated to taking the ‘hassle factor’ out of being a homeowner in Spain, making your life as easy as you want it to be and increasing the enjoyment of your property. They are always making improvements to be able to offer an even higher quality of service. They offer an array of services for your convenience and they can be specifically tailored to your situation or needs.

Services include: Cleaning packages A, B & C Annual Air-conditioning Contracts Insurance Brokers Gardening & Plants Welcome Package Personal Secretary Weekly Check Maintenance Service They can manage the Sale or rental of your property for long or short lets.

If you bought your property as an investment or as a second home, they can arrange rentals for the periods where the house is not being used with the advantage that they always have a person on site to help the rental clients and to make sure that your house is always being looked after.

Jane Clay – La Perla Property Management jane.clay@laperladelabahia.com janelclay@hotmail.com Tel : + 34 952 890 930 Fax: + 34 952 897 377 Mobile + 34 620 368 288 Conjunto San Luis, Portal 3 Local 4 (next to Banco Popular), Calle Isaac Peral, San Luis de Sabinillas, Manilva, 29692 Malaga

www.laperladelabahia.com

Jane and her team can’t wait to welcome you to their new office and help you in all your needs

www.theolivepress.es Property

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the OliveMarch Press30th November 25th 2015 - April11th 12th- 2016

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www.theolivepress.es

the Olive Press November 14th - 25th 2016

How many New Year Resolutions have you broken so far?

- By Quentin Sellar / International Financial Adviser

We are almost at the end of the first quarter of 2016 and as the last weekend will include Easter most of us will break the “I won’t eat chocolate in 2016” resolution by Easter Sunday - if we have lasted that long!

That was a slightly flippant opening, but there is a common resolution that my colleagues and I hear most days: “I said at the start of the year that we MUST get my finances sorted out and do something about…”

That ‘something’ could be a frozen pension in the UK or having too much cash in a current account that is earning them absolutely nothing and even in these days of low inflation, eroding their spending ability. It could be having investments that were started when you were living in the UK and made fantastic sense as a UK resident, but give you absolutely no benefit at all now that you are living in Spain. Think ISA’s or Premium Bonds.

It could even be an inheritance that you know you should do something with, but with all this uncertainty caused by Brexit, interest rates rising in the USA or concern over the volatility of the financial markets the money is still sitting in a deposit account gaining no interest whatsoever.

Or it could be that you know you should have done something about your Residency, completing your Modelo 720 submission.

Let’s take this step by step and look at the main areas where we find people are not planning properly or are delinquent, and therefore leaving themselves open to a severe fine or potentially penalising their beneficiaries.

I’ve focussed on a few of the most important issues and the key ones are: • Spanish or UK resident • Declaration of Offshore Assets (Modelo 720) • Spanish Inheritance Tax

Before I start on those, on 29 October 2014, 51 jurisdictions signed the first ever multilateral competent authority agreement to automatically exchange information. Known as the “Automatic Exchange of Information or Common Reporting Standards”.

was 1:1.28 and on 31st December 2015 it had climbed to 1:1.36. So even if the value of the asset in GBP had not increased, the euro value had increased quite significantly.

These countries have agreed to collect data on income earned in their territory by non-resident individuals and automatically transmit this data to the authorities where the individual resides, so that it can be taxed in the individual’s country of residence. This process started with the EU Savings Directive in 2005, where details of savings accounts held in other countries were automatically sent to the tax offices. In January 2016 this level of information was extended to all income from any source.

You need to be aware that the system in Spain is completely different to that of the UK. I’m not going to go into all the differences or explain how it is calculated in this article because it is very complicated, but the most significant differences are:

Fiscal Residency - this is a matter of fact and not a matter of choice.

Spain will class you as being a Fiscal Resident, and therefore due to pay your taxes in Spain if: • You spend more than 183 days a year in Spain • Your dependent spouse and children live here • Your centre of economic interest is in Spain The taxes that are due to be paid in Spain: • Income tax on worldwide income • Savings and Dividend taxes • Capital Gains Tax And as a fiscal resident you are also now need to declare all assets held outside of Spain.

Declaration of Overseas Assets - Modelo 720 Since 2014, you have been obligated to declare assets held in other countries if you have more than €50,000 in either:

Inheritance Tax

• There are no free transfers between spouses • The beneficiary must pay the tax before they can inherit the asset • There are different rates applied depending on your relationship to the deceased, i.e.

Unmarried couples pay twice as much as those who are married or who have registered as “Pareja de Hecho” Step children will pay twice as much as natural children There are allowances, again depending on your relationship to the deceased but these are nowhere near the level of the UK, so most people will have a tax liability to pay.

Can we help?

Of course we can. When we meet a client for the first time we have a relaxed conversation to establish their current situation, discuss their future plans and finally what they want to happen to their estate when that time comes.

We then develop a solution that will meet those needs in the most tax effective way possible.

I’ve only touched on the most common problems people encounter so if you want more information contact me on + 34 952 816 443 or email info@blacktowerfm.com

• Property • Bank Accounts • Investments The deadline for this submission is 31st March and if you have not already done so, please complete it now. The fines for a late submission are a lot less severe than no submission at all and being caught. From January 2016 the asset will be declared to the Spanish authorities anyway. Once you have made the declaration, you do not need to submit again unless your holdings in any of the three asset classes has increased by more than €20,000, or made any disposals.

However, do not be caught out by the exchange rate trap. On 31st December 2013, the £:€ rate was 1:1.20 but on 31st December 2014 it

Blacktower Financial Management Ltd is authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority and is registered with both the DGS and CNMV. Blacktower Financial Management (Int) Ltd is licensed in Gibraltar by the Financial Services Commission (FSC) Licence No: 00805B and registered with the DGS in Spain.

Looking for peace of mind?

• Expert wealth management • Effective tax planning • Tailored investments • International Pension Transfers • Private Banking • Discretionary Fund Management Contact the Marbella or Gibraltar Office: O T +34 952 816 443 | +350 200 42353 E info@blacktowerfm.com Blacktower Financial Management (International) Limited is licensed by the Gibraltar FSC Licence 00805B and registered with the DGS in Spain. Blacktower Financial Management Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK.

www.blacktowerfm.com

Property

www.theolivepress.es

March 30th - April 12th 2016

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the Olive Press November 11th - 25th 2015

Walk the planks MORE French riviera-style seafront boardwalks are to be laid in a push to connect the entire Costa del Sol. French developer Les Rivages is investing €500,000 on a new section on the outskirts

of Estepona where it is spending €12 million building 18 luxury properties.

The boardwalk is part of the Senda Litoral project to link 180km of coast stretching from Nerja to Manilva.

Taking care of business Andalucia Development is keeping busy in the golf valley and in Nueva Andalucia

U

LF and the team at Anda- back in 1981, it has been perlucia Development are up fectly poised to be part of the to their eyes in business immense growth of Marbella at this time of year. and the surrounding areas.

With the Costa del Sol seeing The multilingual team is a an explosion of growth over ‘one­-stop-­shop’ for your needs recent decades and can take and the recovery care of all the of the crisis well and The multilingual details underway, it’s esbureaucratic sential to speak that are team is a ‘one­ hoops to people who involved when know their stuff -stop-­shop’ buying or sellto keep savvy. ing a house. for all your The small but Nurturing very well­estabsolid relationneeds lished Scandinaships with clivian team at Anents, lawyers, dalucia Developbuilding and ment in Marbella has a wealth property management compaof experience in the Spanish nies and many more over the and international real estate years, their connections make markets. the whole process of buying or Since the company was set up selling a house as smooth as

by Kjell Hessedahl, Ulf’s father, possible.

VERY BUSY: Ulf Their goal: to make their customers feel as comfortable as possible throughout what can be a stressful process.

They also secure all of the practical after­sale aspects so you don’t have to worry about a thing.

With an approachable, welcoming workforce for whom nothing is too much trouble, the team at Andalucia Development would love to see you.

You can find them in Centro Plaza, Local 63, Nueva Andalucia, Marbella. Call them on 952 816 250 or email info@andadev. com

Cocomo

www.castlesestateagency.com Calle Isaac Peral 4, Sabinillas 29692 · Manilva, Malaga · España · Office: (0034) 951 714 626 / 952 891 221

235,000€

695,000€

Ref. 1555

225,000€

Ref. 1506

Ref. 1536

3 Bedroom Apartment

4 Bedroom Villa

3 Bedroom Townhouse

Type: Duplex Apartment / Area: Casares Costa Bedrooms: 3 / Bathrooms: 3 / Area Built: 120m² / Terrace: 60m²

Type: Villa / Area: Casares Costa / Bedrooms: 4 Bathrooms: 4 / Area Built: 245m² / Plot Size: 2058m²

Type: Townhouse / Area: Duquesa / Bedrooms:3 Bathrooms:3 / Area Built:107m² / Terrace: 98m²

Fabulous ground floor duplex apartment located on a front line beach urbanisation at Casares, with good access to main coast road and villages of Sabinillas, Estepona and the nearby golf and marina complex at La Duquesa. Beautiful landscaped gardens and swimming pool areas with direct access to beach.

A stunning 4-bedroom luxury villa located in an elevated position on the Casares Costa between Estepona and Sabinillas. A short drive to local shops, restaurants, supermarkets and 2 minute walking distance to the blue flag beaches. Close proximity to the prestigious Finca Cortesin Golf course and Dona Julia. This villa was designed in a classic Andalucian style by the renowned local architect Aubrey David and has spectacular elevated sea views.

120,000€

Beautifully presented 3 bedroom townhouse located on a small, tranquil urbanisation overlooking La Duquesa Golf and enjoying panoramic views of the course and to the sea. The picturesque port of La Duquesa and traditional fishing village of Sabinillas is a short walk away. The townhouse is in excellent condition having been recently been renovated to a high standard. The house has a small garden to the front and a private parking space. A fine property in a lovely location, in fantastic condition and tastefully furnished.

Ideal for holidays or as a permanent residence and viewing is recommended

390,000€

Ref. 1532

170,000€

Ref. 1386

Ref. 1352

2 Bedroom Apartment

3 Bedroom Apartment

2 Bedroom Apartment

Type:Apartment / Area:Duquesa / Bedrooms:2 / Bathrooms:2 Area Built:88m² / Terrace: 30m²

Type: Duplex Apartment / Area: Casares Costa / Bedrooms:3 Bathrooms:3 / Area Built:170m² / Terrace: 35m²

Type: Penthouse Apartment / Area: Duquesa / Bedrooms:2 Bathrooms:2 / Area Built:75m² / Terrace: 61m²

Fantastic opportunity, for 2 bedroom apartment situated in the luxury complex of Duquesa Village. Landscaped gardens, multiple community swimming pools, 24hr security, good road access to the blue flag beaches nearby, and the picturesque marina of Puerto de la Duquesa. Bright and spacious lounge and dining area with access onto the main sunny terrace. A fabulous apartment at an unbeatable price. Excellent permanent or holiday home with rental potential. Viewing highly recommended.

Magnificent frontline beach top floor duplex apartment located on the prestigious complex of La Perla de la Bahia, Casares. A luxurious urbanization in a Moorish design with substantial tropical gardens, fountains and pools.

Built to a high quality the property affords lovely views of the beach and sea. The complex is completely private, with good security, video door entry and alarm system. Direct access to a blue flag beach via gardens which also include a fabulous choice of swimming pools - one of which is heated.

A superb top floor apartment with a huge roof terrace enjoying panoramic sea views, ideally situated close to the marina and golf of La Duquesa. Good access to the beach and nearby shops and restaurants the property is bright and spacious, beautifully presented and includes an underground parking space and storeroom. The apartment is located on a secure gated complex with lovely swimming pool and garden areas and a padel tennis court.

40

the Olive Press November 14th - 25th 2016

RECIO & MADRONA Gestoría

40

Property

www.theolivepress.es

www.theolivepress.es

March 30th - April 12th 2016

Administrative Advisors with 20 years experience in both Spain and the UK Tax advisors and accounting services Business start-up

PRICEY PAD: La Fortaleza while (above) Hugh Laurie and (below) Lord Lupton

Vehicle transfers, Spanish car registration and driving license renewals Assisting at the notary

EXPAT SERVICES Application for NIE and residency Translation services and help with phone calls to Spanish companies Bank accounts & mortgages

tel: 952 892 097 – info@costamanilva.com Av. Manilva 1 – Edificio Avenida, 1F – Sabinillas – 29692 Manilva

The Lord’s lair THE priciest pad in Spain is owned by a British lord.

Tory donor Lord James Lupton purchased lavish clifftop estate La Fortaleza, in Mallorca, for an estimated €40 million in 2011 from another Brit, John Ogden.

However, it is a snip compared to the estate’s €125 million price tag at the peak of the boom in 2008, when Ogden put it on the market Now multimillionaire Lupton, a former executive at Barings bank, has allowed the BBC to film the new se-

BBC films drama at Spain’s most expensive property, which belongs to aristocratic Brit ries of The Night Manager, there for an undisclosed sum last month.

The drama sees Hugh Laurie and Tom Hiddleston strut around the seven-villa, two-pool estate perched high above Pollenca bay in a thriller about arms dealer Richard Roper.

A one-week stay at the

sumptuous estate was auctioned for a cool €265,000 at a Conservative party fundraiser last year.

La Fortaleza was built as a fort in 1628 to defend the peninsula from the Saracens.

While it cannot be rented publically, it may soon be open to the public several days a month.

Finca Tintorera

Direct owners!Two great business opportunities, 40 Directfrom fromthe owners!

Two great business opportunities at a 40 hectare farm on the Rio Hct. farm on our the “Rio Genal” Genal (River Genal) old mill to renovate. to 800 meters River ItVery consists of aruin, veryplus old buildings mill, plus outbuildings renovate.

800 metres of riverwater frontage, and three on wells flat river Front, three prevorations flatonriver land!land!

Great for It is great for growing organic vegetables, woodland, olives, ECO-vegetables horses, sheep andgrowing, even cork.plus woodlands higher location.

Cork, olives, horses, etc.

It would be a perfect sheeps, project for a hotel, training centre/school or Tourist Hotel, Schools, Training centers, walking, riding. stables.

There are two villages just 15 minutes and for a 45-minute Two Villages 15 min, coast 45 min. Plansaway, available Centers. drive from the coast.

Townhall apr.

And, the town hall has already approved a training centre.

750.000 €

Farm Rio Genal

Ideal hotel or restaurant development.

Idealfor fora Hotel / Restaurant / Camping Van’s, etc.

Farm Rio Genal includes an old farmhouse that can be renovated 38 Hct., 5 min main road, 15 with plans available from the townmin hall. autovia Sotogrande Estepona beach!

At 38 hectares and just five minutes from the main road, you can be in Sotogrande motorway in just 15 minutes - then to Lots of water, via plustheriver, electricity.

Old farmhouse Estepona beach and Malaga are not much further! renovate. available withand Townhall apr.

There is lotsPlans of water plus a river electricity.

Come and haveworking a look around!

Experienced team, honest pricing, available.

Must be viewed!

800.000 € 1 0 atom10 a nam d 7and - 9 pevenings m Call 952 11 74 51 · Mob 616 73 66 00 · 8 8 -am 7 to 9 o’clock

www.theolivepress.es the OliveMarch Press30th November 25th 2015 www.theolivepress.es - April11th 12th- 2016 Property A unique opportunity to acquire this established freehold restaurant & bar,

41 25 41

situated in the renowned beachside community of Benamara.

Cocomo Next to The Senator Banus Spa Hotel Marbella

What the papers say...

“The Cocomo building provides a stylish ambience and a sleek, modern approach for today’s discerning clientele to enjoy a light snack, a signature cocktail or a full evening meal. Cocomo delivers for its diverse mix of local residents and global visitors alike.”

This is an excellent opportunity to acquire the freehold site of this well established venue in readiness for an immediate return on investment.

Due to a change in personal circumstances of its owner, an established hotelier, for whom the site was developed as a lifestyle retirement business, it is now reluctantly being offered for sale with vacant possession.

Located in the picturesque community of Benamara dos Hermanos, beachside, only minutes from fashionable Puerto Banus and adjacent to the distinguished five star Senator Banus Spa Hotel, it has gained an enviable Plot: Terrace: Build total: Bar: Basement: Apartment:

500 metres 240 metres 330 metres 150 metres 100 metres 96 metres

reputation from its discerning clientele.

Operating profitably from its first opening, it provides its occupier privileged profits and an excellent eclectic customer mix, with continued growth potential either as owner operator or with significant investment potential, providing a yield of circa 7.5%.

The site extends to over 500 sq metres and is constructed over 3 floors. All works during its extensive half million euro reform were fully authorised and approved by the local authority and overseen by Baldrich – Tobal Arquitectos.

Accommodation & Luxury Apartment There is an external access from the street to a self-contained staff unit which has its own bathroom, A/C and provides for overnight accommodation.

First Floor – The Apartment – Reformed in 2016, two double bedrooms, master bathroom, guest cloak room, lounge/dining room with new kitchen and utility area. The apartment is accessed by its own independent external staircase.

The establishment is marketed freehold and priced to sell, interested parties should make contact with the owner directly by email cocomomarbella@hotmail.co.uk

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Property

www.theolivepress.es

March 30th - April 12th 2016

The price you pay

The Property Insider

by Ad am Neale

In the final part of this series on Costa del Sol property development, I review the fees and taxes a vendor has to pay before starting work, during the build, and at the time of sale

T

HERE are two possible outcomes once you have developed a new property: keep it as your permanent residence, holiday home, or to rent out or sell it.

Either way, you will be liable for a variety of levies, although these vary significantly, depending on the property and municipality.

In addition to fees for professionals like architects and builders, you’ll have to hand over some significant sums to your local town hall for licences; to the Land and Property Registries and to notaries for registration fees; and, should you sell, pay ‘plusvalía municipal’ (local tax on the increase in the value of the land), also to your local council, and capital gains tax to the Spanish Tax Agency (‘Agencia Tributaria’, better known as ‘Hacienda’).

To ensure we crossed all the ‘i’s and dotted all the ‘t’s, we asked Adolfo Martos Gross, a partner at the Costa del Sol firm, GAM Abogados, for more information.

Let’s take a new-build villa in Marbella as an example, where, using round numbers, the plot costs €500,000 and construction €1,000,000.

Before laying the first brick, you need to apply for a building permit at your local town hall. Assuming the project meets relevant regulations, in Marbella the licence fee is

4% of projected build costs - in this case €20,000-28,000.

These are based on amounts approved by the Architects Association of Malaga and are generally 30-50% lower than the real construction cost.

But every town hall sets its own tax rates, so the percentage can vary.

Once the property is completed, you have to apply for a ‘licence of initial occupation’, again at the town hall before you can connect to utilities and legally move in.

In Marbella, this is levied at 0.308% of the build costs, Adolfo says, and normally based on the same projections provided for the building permit.

As a result, set aside another €1,5002,000, also variable.

Thereafter, you need to visit a notary to draw up the deeds of the new property you’ll be required to pay 1.5% of the real build cost in stamp duty.

That, Adolfo notes, adds up to €15,000, plus another €2,000 for the Land Registry and notary’s fees.

Up to this point, the costs are the same whether you decide to keep the property or sell it - around €37,500-47,000.

If you opt to sell a new villa you will be liable to pay ‘plusvalía municipal’.

If the period of ownership is under five

years, the rate in Marbella is 2.5% and the catastral value is usually less than half market value.

So, for our €1.5 m villa it would come to €15,750.

If you profit from the sale, you will also be liable for capital gains tax, levied at different rates depending on your status (resident or non-resident, individual or company).

Given Hacienda’s zealousness, Adolfo suggests you consult a specialist about declaring gains.

Typically, all other costs – such as Land and Property Registries, and the notary – are paid by the buyer.

But if the property is mortgaged, the seller is liable for the costs of cancelling an existing mortgage, if the buyer does not take it over.

BUT, mortgage cancellations are tax exempt and recommends developers negotiate with banks to pay no cancellation fee or, in the worst case, no more than 0.5%.

If there was a €300,000 mortgage pending, cancellation costs shouldn’t exceed €500 for the Land Registry and €800 for the notary’s fee.

Finally, as the developer of a new-build property in Spain, you also have to take out a 10-year structural damage insurance policy, which should cost in the region of €4,000 for our million-euro villa.

Terra Meridiana. 77 Calle Caridad, 29680 Estepona. Tel: +34 951 318480.

Office Mob: +34 678 452109 Email: info@terrameridiana.com. http://www.terrameridiana.com

essentialmagazine

IF you bought to let a Spanish property to offset bills and mortgage fees and you don’t have an extra spare centimo to spend on it, think again.

Andalucía has just confirmed its residential property rental licensing scheme, bringing it into line with the majority of other tourist areas throughout Spain.

And safe to say, whether you get a license or whether you don’t, it will cost you.

As far back as 2011, Barcelona started controlling the rentals of private residential property.

This has gradually spread to all the Costas, with the active backing of the hotel industry which saw private apartment and villa lets as an increasing threat to their occupancy rates.

According to a recent study

by HostelTur, private lettings in 2015 accounted for approximately 25% of total short-term rentals in Spain, or more than 7.4 million tourists - an increase of 17% on 2014.

From a health and safety angle, the regulation of sometimes shockingly bad accommodation is a good thing.

Provision of fire, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors is good.

But some of the new require-

16 years 1999-2015

®

w w w. e s s e n t i a l m a g a z i n e . c o m

Relative values

Why do bank valuations differ from the buying price?

11+

years experience in

W

ITH the Bank of Spain's proposed the value. modification to Circular4/2004, For example, ALL PROPERTY MATTERS SURVEYORS & VALUERS Spanish registered banks may say a bank RICS BYBUILDING CAMPBELL FERGUSON now be required, at least once a has taken ten year, to assess the accuracy of all property p r o p e r t i e s For peace of mind follow valuations and reappraise if there is a signifi- within a development and five of these have cant depreciation. been extended.these property buying rules This is long overdue and will give many banks If the extensions were not registered (assuma clearer – and possibly scarier – picture of ing all licences and permissions have been Findfrom Your Property their current investment standings. granted) the valuations the tasador The mortgage process in Spain requires a will all be the same, even though half of the valuation from a Spanish tasador, who is in- properties are worth considerably more. structed by the bank.

In comparison, as RICS Registered Valuers However, because tasador valuations are are internationally regulated without a naregulated by the Bank of Spain tional interest, theirInstruct guideInstruct this opens the door for ecolines mean valuations are Building Surveyor Lawyer nomic ‘tinkering’, resulting in based on ‘what is seen’ on the valuations not being the site and measured accordThe property true market value. ingly. was valued Presently, the Survey Spain Another client recently wantNetwork of RICS Chartered ed to Buy purchase a detached with Knowledge for the bank Surveyors undertake periodic villa with & pool and their bank Confidence below the valuations for various Europearranged a tasador valuaan banks who require updated tion. asking price Market Valuations of their curIn this case, the property was rent mortgaged stock. valued for below +34 952 923 520the bank Connect with us!

This is a trend we are seeing the asking price, although we admin@surveyspain.com more frequently as banks turn to RICS valu- had valued above asking price. surveyspain.com ers to get true market valuations after being When the two valuations were compared it was disappointed with the ‘accuracy’ of tasador found that the pool, being 10 years old with all reports when the property is eventually sold. licences and permissions, had not been regisTasadores are bound to value properties for tered within the escritura. Therefore it was not mortgage purposes based only on the infor- included in the tasador valuation even though mation contained within the escritura as a the bank’s valuer had physically inspected it. result of the authorities wanting to combat People are unaware that their property may tax avoidance. However, this often provides a have been valued on a different basis and false impression as extensions or pool addi- that recent legislation has effectively meant tions are often only formally registered with- that RICS valuations cannot be used by banks in the escritura when the property changes wanting to register the mortgage of a property hands. in Spain.

Also, the banks often require the valuation Tasador valuations are not necessarily to be after deduction of taxes and essential wrong, they may just be based on a different expenses, which can be as much as 10% of set of rules not related to true market value.

Contact Campbell and the team on +34 952 923 520 or email info@surveyspain.com

Property

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The widest choice of self catering holiday rentals in and around Nerja Over 180 villas and apartments A massive choice, over 300,000 bednights available in 2016 95.5% of holidaymakers said they would recommend us 89% said our properties represented real value for money 91% thought our pre arrival information was very clear 89% said our staff were very helpful For more information contact our rentals team

We never forget you have a choice Holiday Rentals: www.teamstarholidayrentals.com Nerja, Calle Carabeo 77 tel: (+34) 95 252 7300 – fax: (+34) 95 296 6116

Part of the

team group Source of information: Survey Monkey 2015

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Property

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ll about

Gibraltar

45 March 30th - April 12th 2016

Top for tastebuds I

T may only be small, but Gibraltar boasts just about everything a stomach could be craving.

Whether it’s a no nonsense Domino’s pizza fresh to your home or a sumptuous threecourse meal in upmarket Queensway Quay, the Rock can deliver.

And it’s not slowing down this summer, with the immensely popular Japanese chain Wagamama opening

Gibraltar offers everything from Domino’s to fine-dining when it comes to food up in Ocean Village, providing extra competition for some already firm favourites.

It’s true, Ocean Village is a delightful food court, mixing some excellent local favourites such as Grille 53 and Bianca’s with the recently opened La Sala, aboard the Sunborn.

Of course, if it’s people watching you’re after between courses then there’s nowhere better than Casemates Square.

RELAXED: Tables in sunny Casemates Square and (right) interior of popular pub Lord Nelson’s

For fine dining, Cafe Solo is number one, while for topnotch pub grub look no further than Lord Nelson.

Elsewhere, whether heading up Main Street, ducking into Irish Town or pulling in at Queensway Quay, there is plenty to get tastebuds tingling.

Everything from the tastiest curry houses to fine Italians, fresh fish restaurants to heartwarming pubs is within easy reach.

One Gibraltar institution which prides itself on its coffee is Sacarello’s, in Irish Town, which has been serving up a decent brew for nearly two centuries.

A true Gibraltar haunt for morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea or supper, this charming old spot also counts on one of the best private art collections on the Rock and a newly installed wine cellar.

Stars

For a more formal fine dining experience you should head to charming Queensway Quay, a millionaires playground, where houses start at the £4.2 million mark.

Here, you will find the excellent Waterfront restaurant, which sits in pole position by the water and serves up some great light bites as well as more substantial meals.

Also look out for next door Landings restaurant, which has counted John Prescott, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and a variety of Coronation Street stars as guests.

When did you last taste your favourite Dominos Pizza?

NOW available in Gibraltar.

MEDIUM

7

PIZZA £ TO EAT IN

OR TAKE AWAY

LANDPORT TUNNEL CASEMATES SQUARE

200 61888

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Gibraltar

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Top British brands share Main Street with historic local emporiums

Shop around the Rock!

G

IBRALTAR’S stock as a first-rate shop-til-you-drop destination for expats is rising like its famous national dish – calentita, a type of Yorkshire pudding – and you can get that too.

What was once a mecca for Brits seeking home comforts at Morrisons has developed into an altogether more sophisticated retail therapy experience.

And with border queues becoming a thing of the past, the tills are ringing and the Rock is back in business.

BUSTLING: Main Street is also attractive architecturally

In convivial Casemates Square, chilled cafes set up inside the battlement walls spill out onto an expansive, sunlit plaza while bustling Main Street boasts shops to rival any traditional British high street, with Mediterranean sunshine thrown in.

Here you will find big name brands such as Marks & Spencer, BHS and The Early Learning Centre, as well as Next, Pandora, Boux Avenue, Holland and Barrett, Dorothy Perkins and F&F. There is even an Apple store down a side street, not to mention various toy shops, antiques and homeware emporiums.

But they are interspersed with locally-owned and family-run emporiums selling everything from dutyfree perfumes and cameras to cuddly toy monkeys.

Clone town it is not.

Meanwhile, the downtown area has undergone a spectacular regeneration,

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Easy to clean easel, double-sided chalk board and white board

complete with floral hanging baskets and smart black and gold signposts.

Of course, a fully-stocked Morrisons still has some specific treats the Costa del Sol cannot keep up with, while Eroski has recently started offering an extended range of Waitrose products.

The obvious draw for shoppers is Gibraltar’s VAT-free status and we’re not just talking about tobacco and alcohol. You can also save 21% on luxury items like perfume and designer sunglasses. And with zero import duty on electronic goods, computer software, DVDs and CDs and reduced duty for watches, jewellery, clothing and mobile phones, there are bargains to be had.

Plus, as the currency is British Sterling – unique to Gibraltar, although notes from the UK are also accepted – UK bank cards can be used without incurring exchange rate losses.

Meanwhile, although Spanish as well as English are spoken, opening times aren’t at the mercy of

Includes paper roll and 4 paints

the siesta in the same way as Spain’s.

Most shops open on Sundays, especially when there is a cruise ship in town - an increasingly frequent occurrence, with 232 calls due this year.

Many Main Street shops are run by the direct descendants of the families who founded Gibraltar as a trading destination during the 1800s, thanks to its strategic location.

Jewellry dynasty the Budhrani family, opened their first shop, Essardas on Main Street, in 1918 and now have seven branches in town.

In contrast, the ICC Centre - where you will find the excellent Aimee Jay shop - offers undercover mall shopping, spread over two floors, with multi-storey parking on top.

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THE NATURAL

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Fairytale cave And other fun activities on the Rock

I

T’S like something out of a fairytale.

Purples, greens and blues interchange in the cavernous depths of St Michael’s Cave, with stalactites like the pipes of an organ and stalagmites so tall they touch the ceiling.

This fascinating cave, located in the Upper Rock Nature Reserve near Jew’s Gate, feels a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of the town centre.

The largest of the chambers, named the Cathedral Cave, currently serves as an auditorium and has seen the likes of Patti Boulaye and Paul Isola performing in recent years.

But visitors to the cave alone number an estimated 1 million a year, with tourists flocking in from Spain and cruise ships.

Tickets include entrance to the Great Siege Tunnels and Moorish Castle, for a highly reasonable £10 .

Tours can also be arranged in the lower part of the caves, with a guide taking

St Michael’s Cave is a weird and wonderful place not to be missed groups of up to ten on a three-hour expedition.

Safety helmets are provid-

Med steps THOSE looking to stretch their legs will find no better path than the Med Steps, a fantastically varied old route which twists and turns up the Rock starting from Jew’s Gate. It takes in tunnels, hundreds of old stone steps and magical views across the Straits of Gibraltar to Morocco.

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ed and comfortable nonslip shoes are highly recommended.

Europa Point THE windswept southern tip of Gibraltar is the polar opposite of the busy town centre.

Think quaint lighthouse, cottages, abandoned cricket pitch and wide open spaces, with a small cafe and play park next to the bus stop. New last year, this is also now the location of Gibraltar’s university.

March 30th - April 12th 2016

Moorish Castle THE medieval fortification known as Moorish Castle looms over Casemates Square like an ancient watchman, and is particularly attractive when lit up at night. A trip around the Tower of Homage and Gate House make for a fascinating trip back in time.

STUNNING: St Michael’s Cave

Alameda Gardens AT the heart of Gibraltar is the oasis that is Alameda Gardens, also known as the Botanical Gardens. They ooze tranquility and are immaculately maintained, providing a wonderful shaded spot to stroll.

Catalan Bay THE quaint fishing village of Catalan Bay is the antithesis of modern, buzzing Ocean Village. Located on the eastern side of the Rock, it consists of a motley collection of coloured homes bookended by the classy Caleta Hotel. It is the perfect place to escape the humdrum and unwind with a quiet drink overlooking a charming beach.

Unless it’s summer, when the place is positively packed!

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The Rock is flying high while still offering surprisingly good value for money, according to a new report by Savills

T

Shining the spotlight

HE Rock’s buoyant economy and limited housing stock have been the driving force behind Gibraltar’s property market.

According to the report Spotlight: Gibraltar Residential Market, commissioned by Savills, the prime apartment prices in Gibraltar rose by 15% between 2013 and 2015.

Prices now stand at about 30% above their 2009 peak.

It could not be more different to the trials and tribulations that have burdened the property market in Spain since 2007.

“It turns out that the Gibraltar residential market is good value for money and 12 times cheaper than Monaco,” explains Sammy Cruz-Armstrong, Director of Savills Gibraltar.

The Spotlight survey praised Gibraltar’s diverse, low-taxation economy with the property market offering ‘value when compared to rival jurisdictions’. ALL SMILES: For Savills director Armstrong and Picardo “Gibraltar has its own unique characteristics, The report explains that entirely new market tiers history, culture, and has developed on its own have opened up, attracting the globally wealthy. path,” the report states.

The hybrid nature of Gibraltar as a conurbation, “A modern, compliant, British jurisdiction, Gibral- destination and recreation location diversifies tar offers community and safety that makes it an risk while maximising the market for property. appealing place in which to live.”

Cruz-Armstrong is quick to praise the ‘sharp, The Rock’s location makes it attractive for both precise research document’ that will assist in business and leisure by giving it the characteris- putting Gibraltar on the map and is distributed tics of both a city and a resort. throughout 700 global offices of Savills.

“When the crisis struck, there were a lot of devel- “It is a great instrument for selling Gibraltar and opments under construction, and building con- compares us very favourably to other similar type tinued until 2010,” says Cruz-Armstrong. jurisdictions,” she says.

“Then there was no construction for about four Gibraltar topped a list of 14 worldwide territories, years. Building resumed at the end of 2014 and, so rated cheapest in terms of house prices ahead far, more than 800 units have been sold off plan, of territories including the Bahamas and the Caybut many won’t be completed until 2017-2018.” man Islands.

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December 10th - 22nd 2015

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Set for jets Spanish island braces itself for influx of private jets A-LISTER celebrities swooping into Ibiza in their private planes are no longer the only ones.

Longstanding visitors Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell (pictured) and Paris Hilton will be in good company as airport execs claim they will handle up to 120 private jets per day this summer.

53 53

And to cater for the celebrity jet-setting demand, AENA has recently announced the private jet runway will be expanded to 80,000 square metres.

It will accommodate 58 planes, including 34 jets whereas there is currently only room for 25 jets of 18 metre wingspan.

The demand is real for Ibiza’s main airport, Eivissa, which experiences anything from 80 to 120 planes coming and going each day during July and August, with the highest number at weekends.

And with Spain’s most expensive property La Fortaleza (worth €40

YOUR LEGAL PROBLEMS ADDRESSED BY ANTONIO FLORES

The tax nobody pays

A

The curious case of Tax on Rental Contracts in Andalucia

FORTNIGHT ago I was attending a radio station’s legal clinic when a listener, who happened to be Myra Azzopardi from the Citizens Advice Bureau Spain, mentioned a widely unknown tax that nobody ever pays: transfer tax on rental property.

While only a minority of lawyers asked will admit to knowing it, or even having heard of it, the majority of the population is oblivious to its existence.

Older people do recall that once upon a time, landlords would buy tenancy template contracts from any tobacconist (below), where the applicable transfer tax was inserted.

This has gone out of fashion in a big way and nobody bothers.

In Madrid, the regional tax office has started a massive campaign to remind tenants of their obligation to pay this tax, following technical upgrades to their IT systems that enables them to cross-reference data.

The revenue received in 2015 was still minute: around €600,000 for the year.

In Andalucia, I am yet to find a tenant who has ever paid even if, by comparison to other forms

million) featuring in UK series The Night Watchman, the visitors will continue to flock in.

A one-way ticket from London to Ibiza on a private jet can fetch as much as €25,500 while an economy ticket with British airways costs around €65.

Tourist trail

Property AGONY ANT Property

of revenue, the tax is negligible.

For instance, a five-year contract where the tenant pays €850 month will attract €204 for the full contract duration, and a further €40-80 for every year it gets extended.

The law also states that owners can be made responsible for payment of this tax if the tenant fails to do so.

Article Nine of the applicable law confirms this: “In tenancy agreements, owners will be held liable if he/she have collected the first rental without demanding proof of payment of tax.”

Bizarrely, the law gives the tenant 30 days to submit the tax declaration from exchanging contracts, which we do know always coincides with the first rental payment.

With such conflicting rules, no wonder no one can be bothered.

Email Antonio at aflores@lawbird.es

5353

TOURISM accounted for 16.2% of all Spanish jobs in 2015, a new study has shown.

In total, 937,500 jobs in Spain were directly linked to tourism last year, 5.2% of the overall number, according to The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

When jobs that are indirectly linked to the tourism industry, such as hotel suppliers or airport catering, are included the figure reaches 2.9 million.

The WTTC predicts the overall number will rise by 2.4% in 2016 to 2,970,500 jobs.

BIG BOOST: Tourism

Overseas funds rocket in 2015 FOREIGN investment in Spain grew by 11% in 2015, a new study shows.

Overseas companies sunk more than €21.7 billion into the country’s economy, up from €19.5 billion in 2014, according to government figures.

Luxembourg (16.5%, €3.58 billion) and Holland (12.8%, €2.77 billion) provided the most foreign investment.

Construction (€4.7 billion), industrial manufacturing (€3.38 billion) and estate agents (€2.99 billion) were the sectors which experienced the highest investment.

FINISH

15

APRIL

ES

NEWS IN BRIEF Inland investment THE Junta is to boost tourism in inland Andalucia by investing €231 million in 700 towns and villages with a population under 100,000.

House music THE biggest nightclub group in Spain, Pacha, is set to open 25 hotels and 50 restaurants in Europe, South America and Asia over the next nine years.

Amazing!

AMAZON is opening its new European HQ in Madrid and will employ a team of 50 Amazon software engineers to improve customers’ shopping experiences.

Bright eyed SPECSAVERS Opticas in Marbella is celebrating its 10th anniversary in April and May with special offers, events and its Spectacle Wearer of the Year Competition.

Hour power MORE than two million Spaniards want to work more hours.

The 2.2 million workers make up 12.2% of Spain’s overall number of employees.

The figure is down from 13.6% in 2014.

Murcia (19%) is the region with the highest percentage of workers hoping for more hours.

In Andalucia the figure is 12.7%.

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Kiwi capers

March 30th - April 12th 2016

The land way down under is another world

W

HATEVER I expected on my trip to New Zealand, it wasn’t a human Kiwi (my partner Dave) getting lost in the kiwi house at Auckland Zoo. It was pitch dark, which the nocturnal kiwi likes, but as we revolved through the glass doors I went to the left and, due to a reactolight specs malfunction, Dave spun off to the right.

He was still going round in circles 10 minutes later.

The funny part was (although Dave didn’t see it that way) at first he thought he was looking at a keeper tending kiwis in their enclosure, and watched for a while.

It was only when he noticed that the keeper’s looks and movements bore an uncanny resemblance to his own that

the light dawned.

He had been staring at his own reflection! Well, he is from the South Island.

Eventually, through the Stygian gloom, we did spot something rustling in the undergrowth that might have been a kiwi.

But the Tasmanian Devils next door were far better value with their pink pointy ears and Dracula fangs.

More elusive than kiwis or sunshine during our early summer visit to Aotearoa - Land of the Long White Cloud in Maori was anywhere to indulge in my one Spanish vice: morning coffee and brandy.

Ask for alcohol in any café and they look at you as if you’d just ordered crystal meth.

We were based in Waiuku which boasts New Zealand’s oldest pub.

With its clapboard front and hitching rail, it looked like Ian McShane’s place in Deadwood and I’d love to have burst through the saloon doors like Calamity Jane but it didn’t open until high HOBBIT-LAND: Just a front noon.

FLYING HIGH: But will Belinda emigrate?

Nor do supermarkets in New which) literally ‘lighting up’ in a dress made of fairy light bulbs.

Zealand sell spirits.

You have to go to a liquor store There’s lots to love about New and even I didn’t have the bot- Zealand, although there’s a tle to ask where I’d find one of reason it’s so green… And those at nine o’clock on a Mon- neither Frodo nor Bilbo Baggins were at home on our visit day morning.

Cigarettes are kept under lock to Middle-earth. You can’t go and key in a cabinet and sold beyond the door of the Hobbit furtively, as if Prohibition was holes, they’re just a ‘front’. in force – at prohibitive prices. But where in the world could One packet costs the same as you take off in a Cessna without filing a flight plan, land in five in Gibraltar.

Smokers will soon join kiwis on a farmer’s field free of charge the endangered list as lighting and grab lunch and a few Moa up anywhere within Auckland beers at a green lipped mussel city limits is to be outlawed farm in the middle of nowhere?

- even on infamous Karanga- Only in New Zealand where, hape Road, where everything outside the main towns, there’s just one human to one square else is permitted.

‘K’ Road’, as the locals call it, is km or large herd of sheep. the red light and LGBT district But will I be emigrating? As I sit where a rainbow crowd strut in my patio enjoying the winter and a morning coffee and their flamboyant stuff.

And I mean flamboyant. We brandy - I think you know the saw one LGBT-er (not sure answer to that one.

All man Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Neo-Neanderthal

T

HE past two decades have seen the rise and fall of the metrosexual.

Journalist Mark Simpson first coined the term back in 1994 and identified male model, perennial paparazzi prey, sarong lover and occasional England footballer David Beckham, as the typical metrosexual.

“So what modern-day woman doesn’t appreciate a man who works out, can prepare rack of lamb, doesn’t mind shopping with you on a Saturday afternoon while the match is on, exhibits fashion sense and trims his nose hairs?

I want a metrosexual! “ I hear you shriek.

But you’d be behind the times.

The world has moved on from the metrosexual’s heady heyday of the mid nineties and I’d like to be the first to introduce you to the backlash. Ladies, meet the neo-Neanderthal.

Forget your morning exfoliating, cleansing and moisturising regime.

My grandfather used an old-fashioned cut throat razor.

He certainly didn’t need a four-bladed bit of technological tosh in luminous green with an inbuilt MP3 player and Sat Nav system.

After his expert shave, he would slap on an oldfashioned aftershave that probably defies the modern moratorium on chemical weapons.

When his eyes had stopped streaming, he would apply Brylcream to his hair and this certainly made him attractive to the ladies.

I’m second generation living proof.

As for other aspects of male grooming, stay well clear of waxing.

Only Premiership footballers and cyclists have themselves waxed (and the cyclists are too out-of-it on performance-enhancing drugs to feel anything anyway).

Neo-Neanderthal takes the less is more approach to fashion.

He needs one suit (for weddings, funerals, interviews and court appearances) three pairs of shoes (black, brown and trainers for the weekend) five shirts (for the working week,

white or blue) and his weekend outfit.

During my long and distinguished journalistic career I have had the opportunity to attend dozens of launches, openings, exhibitions and conferences and normally grade them on the type of freebie handed out.

More than anything else, however, clothing is always warmly welcomed, and I’ve collected baseball caps, T-shirts and rugby shirts by the sack-load, causing someone to ask me if I was sponsored by a pub chain.

Food and drink play an important part in both the metrosexual and the neo-Neanderthal’s life. But while the metrosexual is more concerned with creating the perfect cocktail and slicing his own sushi in the comfort of his designer apartment, the Neo-Neanderthal views food and drink as a social activity with others, preferably during a sporting event.

As every good host will tell you, the most important aspect to hosting a dinner party is the guests, and the Neo-Neanderthal does this by getting the boys around for a few beers and takeaway pizza while watching the match.

Due to this, the most important items of furniture in the living room - apart from a really, really BIG television, are a sofa that can seat four and a coffee table that can bear the weight of four pairs of trainers, 20 or so beers and a selection of Italian/Indian takeaway containers.

There is only one style of music for the NeoNeanderthal - LOUD. It’s not all macho music stuff, however, and the Neo-Neanderthal is quite content to watch any DVD featuring Beyonce, Rihanna and Shakira.

So ladies, look out for your nearest neo-Neanderthal.

And don’t be afraid that he won’t appreciate you. Because, as James Brown (no relation, by the way) once sang: “This is a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World But it wouldn’t be nothing, nothing Without a woman or a girl.”

X

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monthly youth and education sectionthe Olive Press November 11th - 25th 2015

57

treme

Br-education exit?

Studying in Spain at the mercy of a Brexit

BREXIT could make it difficult for British students to come and study in Spain and abroad, education experts have revealed.

British undergraduates could

have problems benefiting from Erasmus, which has facilitated 200,000 students of EU member states to study abroad since its creation in 1987.

According to Helen Drake, Europe expert and chair of the UACES (University Association of Contemporary European Studies), ‘British universities could experi-

Independent thinking A LEADING academic is citing the education system as a key argument for Catalan independence.

Antonio Cabrales, professor of eco-

Into the frying pan A GROUP of British teenagers have been flown out to Andalucia in a free trip of a lifetime.

Nine students from Bath College will spend six weeks in Sevilla working as tour guides and learning Spanish with all-expensespaid by Erasmus plus.

The lucky globetrotters, aged around 18, went

nomics at UCL, left the same post at Carlos III University of Madrid because of ‘Spain’s stagnant university system’.

“Catalonia has managed to rise above some of the bureaucratic challenges that have plagued Spain’s universities but institutions in the region are still choking under the straitjacket of organisational laws,” said Barcelona Pompeu Fabra University economics professor Mas-Colell.

He cited the example that all professors in Spanish LUCKY: Students universities must be civil servants, while others comthrough a tough selection plained of poor salaries and process and will be in the red tape preventing internaAndalucian capital until tional recruitment. mid-April.

Parenting ABC

x

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BENEFICIAL: Erasmus ence an unprecedented fall in overseas student recruitment, with many incoming Erasmus students not turning up and outgoing students having their places withdrawn’.

Universities UK revealed there is ‘great uncertainty and an exit would obviously lead to lengthy negotiations’.

The body has also commented on the ‘overwhelmingly positive’ impact of the EU on higher education.

“We’re stronger IN because being in the EU makes it easier for universities to attract some of the world’s most talented people to come to the UK and contribute to the UK’s cultural and academic life,” said Lucy Shackleton policy manager for the EU membership campaign.

But Erasmus+, the umbrella body which manages funding and training, refused to speculate on the debate.

Bespoke Training Available in Gibraltar

+

Teachers tips wi

th Stephen C oventry

Former Gibraltar headteacher Stephen Coventry discusses the fundamentals of parenting

I

THINK it is fair to say that every parent wants to be the best parent they can possibly be.

The trouble is, it’s not that easy.

There are no formal qualifications required or training provided to new mums or dads.

Few parents have the time to read lots of books on the subject of parenting and rely on friends and family for help and advice.

Some people simply use the ‘role model’ provided by their parents to bring up their own child/children.

Sadly that is not always the best approach.

For example my parents thought children should be ‘seen and not heard’.

They thought all learning happened in school and their job was to feed me and keep me safe. How things have changed.

Today children are growing up in a complex, fast changing world.

The internet is still in its infancy and the rate of technological change is staggering.

Most of the jobs children in nursery school today will do when they become adults have not been invented yet. Change is the new norm!

However some things remain the same.

Over the next few weeks I shall be talking about the BASICS. That is, belonging, aspirations, safety, identity, challenge and success.

In my view the most precious thing you can give your child is your time. And it all begins with the basics! Everyone needs to belong.

Children need to feel valued and loved, both at home and at school.

This requires parents to make time to be with

your child and listen to them.

But there is more to this than just showing you care.

You should establish family routines, e.g eating meals together, reading with your child and bedtime routines. Find time to discuss events of the day.

Your child will know how you expect them to behave. This will help them to feel a sense of security and belonging.

Children with a strong sense of belonging are more likely to make friends with those children who also have clear guidance from their families.

They will be more trusting in making friendships and less likely to be shy.

Children at any age need to know they can talk to their parents and their parents will listen to them. Absolutely vital for those of you with teenage children.

Tips for developing a sense of belonging · Show your child what you want them to do, rather than criticising them · Show your child unconditional love · Remind your child that they are loved for who they are and not what they do · Be positive and praise them when deserved Being a good parent is not easy. However it is, arguably, the most important job in the world and the most rewarding. Good luck!

Contact Stephen Coventry on excel.tutor@hotmail.com

BC Training Ltd can help you and your team achieve great things Our courses include: First Aid Life Saving Sales & Marketing Leadership & Management Computer Skills Soft Skill Training including: Time Management, Presentation Skills and many more

For more information on the courses available contact us on info@bctraining.com

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CARING: Taxi drivers

Cabbies’ cancer campaign A GROUP of female taxi drivers are launching a campaign to fight cancer.

The kind-hearted cabbies are selling bracelets to raise money for the charity Cris Cancer, which funds investigations into a cure for the disease.

The 90 drivers, 20 based in Malaga, have raised more than €50,000 in the past three years.

The secretary of the Federation of Autonomous Taxi Drivers, Eva Torres, revealed that for the first two years the cabbies sold calendars, but switched to bracelets as they can be sold all year round.

“We made them ourselves between fares, or when we were at home watching the television,” she said.

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www.theolivepress.es

March 30th - April 12th 2016

Baby snatcher nicked Woman arrested after failed child-nabbing spree A WOMAN has been arrested after trying to steal five babies from two different hospitals.

Disguised as a nurse, the 21-year-old Spaniard was arrested at a Valencian hospital after she was stopped by the father of a newborn she had attempted to snatch.

Earlier in the day she had tried to take two other babies

from a medical centre in Cartagena, some 170 miles away.

Police then discovered that she had carried out three more failed kidnappings at Valencia’s La Fe hospital before being stopped.

The father who stopped her – a doctor – became suspicious after the ‘nurse’ claimed she needed to conduct a second

AT RISK?: Newborn baby heel prick test on the baby, just hours after birth.

After being rumbled she fled into the toilets and attempted to hide her nurse’s uniform.

Specialist officers are now trying to establish if she acted

More teeth to cap dentists

REGULATORY bodies are demanding greater control of Spain’s dental clinics.

The largest 19 dental chains have more than 1,000 centres in Spain, according to the General Council of Dental Colleges in Spain.

And following the closure of the Funnydent chain, the board is insist-

ing more needs to be done to license these surgeries.

“We have seen adverts from dental chains at petrol stations that offer ‘free fillings’ or orthodontists offering free fillings for children with the purchase of textbooks.

“All this is not regulated by the law,” said council president Castro Reino.

alone or with the help of accomplices.

“The incident occurred on Sunday evening when a woman dressed in a white gown entered a hospital room in Valencia saying she needed to perform tests on the child,” a police spokesman said.

“She took the child from a relative’s arms but its father became suspicious and started to ask her about the supposed test, receiving incoherent answers in return.

“He snatched his child from her arms and the woman fled the room.”

Security at both hospitals has been increased following the scare.

EXPERT: Doctors

In the genes A HEART defect that affects only males has been discovered by Spanish doctors.

The genetic disease has had a particular impact on families in Tenerife.

A study of 52 families by doctors from four Spanish hospitals identified the mutation, which causes dilated cardiomyopathy.

The report showed that 13 of the families come from the same small region of northwestern Tenerife and are descended from the same person first identified as suffering the mutation.

"For years we have seen that Tenerife has a high number of cases of this disease, 80% concentrated in the northwest of the island in the mountains of Teno, but we did not know why,” said Tenerife cardiologist José Javier Grillo.

No smoke without fear

EXPOSURE to passive smoking increases the risk of children developing respiratory problems by up to 29%, a new study shows.

The investigation examined 27,993 mothers and their children from 15 European countries, including Spain.

One of the report’s authors, Manolis Kogevinas, said that previous studies ‘had studied the effects on the foetus of a smoking mother, but not the result of passive smoking during pregnancy, nor with such a range of people and in so many countries’.

Unborn babies whose mothers are exposed to smoke up until their delivery stand a 29% chance of developing breathing difficulties within two years, the study shows.

Life story As Specsavers Opticas celebrates its 10th anniversary in Spain this month, Fuengirola Store Director Amrik Sappal looks back on the history of this global group What is Specsavers Opticas?

IT is the Spanish branch of the world’s largest privately-owned optical group which has revolutionised the eyecare industry. Founded 31 years ago in the UK, Specsavers is now an international retailer with more than 1,600 stores across 10 countries, and is the third largest optical group in the world. Specsavers Opticas benefits from economies of scale by being part of this optical group, bringing lowcost, high-quality optics to the market.

When did Specsavers come to Spain?

The first Specsavers Opticas opened in Javea on the Costa Blanca in April 2006 to provide customers with quality, professional eyecare at low prices. Their qualified optometrists use the latest technology to provide a comprehensive eye examination, including digital retinal

photography to capture images of the back of the eye. Digital Precision Eyecare technology is also used to calculate important measurements needed to fit your lenses.

How are you celebrating this 10 year milestone?

Specsavers Opticas in Marbella and Fuengirola will be offering free eye tests, special offers such as glasses for just €10, and a chance to enter the popular Spectacle Wearer of the Year competition throughout April and May. How can we take part?

To join in the celebrations and enter the competition, pop into your nearest store, either on Ricardo Soriano in Marbella or on Avenida Ramon y Cajal in Fuengirola. Alternatively visit the website www.specsavers.es or SpecsaversOpticas on Facebook.

FOOD, DRINK

www.theolivepress.es 59

the Olive Press November 11th - 25th 2015

& TRAVEL

with DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com

Damning reviews:

The only English newspaper in Spain with a dedicated food,March 2nd - March 15th 2016 drink & travel section every issue

Top celebrity chefs blasted for butchering classic Spanish dishes

On Gordon Ramsay: In best Kitchen Nightmares style, Ramsay strikes his perfect “I-know-whatI’m-doing” pose. Then he launches into making a “paella” with (what else?) chorizo, chicken, shrimp, squid and clams. He then jazzes it up with a generous squirt of sherry, as well as a few chili peppers – because it’s never too late to confuse Spain with Mexico.

On Jamie Oliver: Jamie Oliver has made Spanglish food something of a personal trademark. He enthusiastically adds chorizo to pretty much everything, and his odd “Made in Spain” combinations make for a good laugh for any Spaniard watching his program.

On John Torode: Then, when the rice is done, he shakes it up passionately one more time, because he knows that a good paella needs to be mushy and that the rice grains should be crushed so that it is an unappetizing eyesore.

BLASTED: (From left) Ramsay, Oliver and Torode

Cut to pieces!

A SPANISH food critic has pulled no punches in a brutal assessment of some of the world’s top chefs.

In a hilariously damning review, Ana Vega has slammed Brits Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver and Marco Pierre White as well as having a dig at many internationallyacclaimed chefs.

Dismissing Ramsay’s 14 Michelin-starred past, Vega labels his take on paella as ‘something that does not even deserve to fall into the category of rice with stuff in it’.

The host of Kitchen Nightmares is then lambasted for confusing Mexican ingredi-

ents and Spanish cuisine.

Next up, pukka-chef Oliver receives a pasting from the El Pais critic for his ‘Spanglish paella’ and his ‘sad hue-coloured’ gazpacho.

Meanwhile, Pierre White is damned for saying the ‘best paella in Spain is from the north’.

And Australian celebrity-chef John Torode is mocked for ‘cooking to the sound of Spanish guitar chords, while attempting to find his inner Spaniard’.

Making up Vega’s hit list are David Chang for his noddle-based Fideuá and Sanjeev Kapoor for his psychedelic tortilla.

We kut the mustard...

TRUE BRIT: Chef

Revolution chip butty CELEBRITY chef Omar Allibhoy has fallen in love with a British classic on his quest to bring a taste Spain to the UK. Founder of the Tapas Revolution group Omar Allibhoy has admitted ‘falling in love’ with chip butties since he opened his first restaurant in London in 2011.

The former elBulli chef also owned up to partaking in fish and chip Fridays and being partial to a Sunday roast dinner.

His latest Tapas Revolution bar opened in Sheffield this month.

Sunday Lunch Only €13.50 for 2 courses

Tangoed!

THE country’s orange industry is feeling the squeeze.

Spain’s biggest fruit and veg group has warned that the country’s orange trade faces ‘permanent and irreparable’ damage.

Anecoop highlighted producers plight in its annual report, with prices down 2% on the previous year - representing five years of decline within the citrus industry.

To combat the price fears, the group has set up a committee to ‘prevent abusive practices’.

KOKOMO

Restaurant, Garden & Grill Reservations recommended

685 218 054

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FOOD, DRINK & TRAVEL with DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com

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The great

SPRINGTIME PICK

It’s time to soak up the spring vibes on a dining terrace near your, writes Dining Secrets of Andalucia editor Jon Clarke

S Full steam ahead - to El Muelle, in Arriate THE charming converted railway storeroom that is El Muelle is well worth a journey to Arriate alone, as many people do all the way from Estepona and Marbella for a night out.

Run by a talented Dutchman Frank Rottgering, it has truly come of age since opening in 2012, offering a superb mix of local and international dishes.

All home cooked by a team led by the gifted Isa from nearby Alcala del Valle, there are not many places in Andalucia where you eat blinis with foie and a gazpacho made out of cherries. And best of all on warm days and evenings you sit out with incredible views towards the soaring distant Grazalema mountains… and if you’re lucky the odd local train might steam past.

AL FRESCO LIFE: WIne and olives at Al Lago

SPRING is finally here and dining tables are emigrating outdoors to take advantage of the balmy March weather.

Restaurateurs who have battled their way through the winter - or closed up - are finally back with smiles on their

faces.

Easter marks the start of the tourist season officially. It is when tens of thousands of tourists swap rainy northern Europe for sunny Andalucia, T-shirts and shorts at the ready.

Be it the British, the Germans, or the Scandinavians, they are all yearning for some springtime sun, reminiscent of August back home… and, above all, the perfect outdoor table.

As tables in town squares get harder to come by and the beach chiringuitos finally start to open again, it is clear that the al fresco dining season is underway.

With a tapa in one hand and a chilled drink in the other, you may well ask yourself if there is any place in the world you’d rather be right now.

“Lets face it where else in Europe can you be sitting outdoors in glorious sunshine at this time of year?” asks restaurateur Mona Crites, of charming outdoor dining spot Al Lago, in Zahara de la Sierra, near Ronda.

“The spring flowers and blossom is out, the views, the colours, it feels like you are alive again after a long, hard winter.”

Dining outside is certainly one of life’s simple pleasures in this part of the world.

It helps to titillate the taste buds and loosens the tongue.

And in Spain, eating in the aire libre promises some of the best people-watching in all of Europe.

With extended Spanish families all gathered around the communal table - grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and their immaculately turned-out little ones - you really do see life on a plate!

Whether you head inland to the Guadalhorce Valley or the Serrania de Ronda’s numerous rural restaurants - including Molino del Santo or el Muelle de Arriate - there are so many fabulous dining terrace options.

Come and enjoy historic Cape Trafalgar with us

Fresh, vibrant, healthy home cooking from the mediterranean Corredera 55, Vejer de la Frontera, Cádiz Reservations: 956 451 848 CalifaVejer.com

Moroccan and middle eastern fine dining

Avda. Trafalgar 102, Los Caños de Meca, Costa de la Luz tel: 956 437 255 CalifaVejer.com

Plaza de España 16, Vejer de la Frontera, Cádiz Reservations: 956 451 706 CalifaVejer.com

FOOD, DRINK & TRAVEL www.theolivepress.es with DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com

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outdoors!

In the Axarquia look no further than Frigiliana’s amazing El Jardin restaurant, or Las Orquideas, near Lake Vinuela.

Then you might prefer to wriggle your toes in the sand at a relaxed beach café on the Costa de la Luz, or on the Costa del Sol, where stand out spots include The Beach House in Elviria.

And don’t forget the cities such as Sevilla and Cordoba, or Malaga, which has been dubbed

‘the new Barcelona’ (you read it first in the Olive Press).

Even if you’re dining ‘in’ (meaning at home), shift the dining table onto your patio or balcony and light those candles in celebration of the new season.

Just don’t blame us when your green-with-envy Instagram friends decide to book a table chez vous and descend for the whole of the summer!

Here Dining Secrets of Andalucia, the region’s top website for restaurants, picks out a favourite place to visit for outdoor dining in Vejer and a top pick for an outdoor table, near Ronda.

Through the month of April we will be doing a special focus on outdoor dining each issue, picking out its highlights and some top tips.

Visit www.diningsecretsofandalucia.com for more information of the best places to eat in Andalucia.

If you would like to advertise your fantastic outdoor spot, contact jon@theolivepress.es or call 691831399.

the Olive Press November 11th - 25th 2015

SOME SOME QUESTIONS: ANSWERS:

61

Have you ever done it?

If you haven’t done it already, it’s probably time you did.

Is it as good as they say?

Most people say it is even better than they expected.

Is it difficult the first time?

Ask for instructions – most people discover the secret quite easily.

Does size matter?

There are advantages to being neither tiny or huge

Do men and women both enjoy it?

Most definitely when it’s done by experts.

Should I do it more than once?

Most people do.

Do I need to train?

Training is one way to get there.

SPECIAL FOCUS ON: VEJER DE LA FRONTERA

Let in the light!

You will find a great experience waiting for you at Hotel and Restaurant Molino del Santo in Benaoján near Ronda.

I

F there is one place to guarantee fine dining it is the Costa de la Luz, meaning Coast of Light, just a short drive to the West.

An abundance of organic homegrown produce added to the coast’s fabulous tuna and retinto beef, has created the perfect storm for foodies.

Add in a bunch of dynamic international restaurant owners who’ve added their own dash of creativity and hey presto!

Its culinary epicentre is most definitely Vejer de la Frontera, which has developed - like a slow cooked cocido - into a true hive of dining delights.

One of the best established restaurants is award-winning El Jardin del Califa, reached through the labyrinthine corridors of the 16th century Califa hotel.

Its exquisite palm courtyard is enclosed by ancient walls and is lit with Moroccan lamps after dark radiating a 1001 Nights buzz.

If you aren’t hypnotised by the scent of frangipani, jasmine and incense, wait until you try the menu, a heavenly harem of authentic flavours from north Africa and the Middle East: delights such as babaganoush, shish taouk, pastela filled with chicken, almonds and cinnamon and tempting tagines.

If you haven’t “done” it yet, you really should this spring. It’s highly rated by The Times, Trip Advisor, Michelin, Lonely Planet amongst many others.

It’s tucked in the mountains near Ronda but easy to find.

It’s large enough to be efficient and flexible, small enough to offer personal service. Satisfaction levels are very high and 70% of hotel residents and restaurant visitors have been before.

Molino del Santo is just over an hour from San Roque by train and makes a great day out – or come to stay. There are 18 comfortable rooms and an awardwinning restaurant. Special rates available if you mention “The Olive Press” - and a welcome present if you tell us it’s your first time.

Another equally fabulous spot is Corredera 55, which has a fantastic outdoor dining terrace overlooking a landscape of rolling hills, Quixotic windmills and spectacular sunsets.

The menu is a fusion of world flavours with bouillabaisse soup or the carrillada (pigs cheeks) braised for five hours in vino de Jerez and served with cinnamon-scented cauliflower puree.

“We count ourselves so lucky to have found such a delicious lunch.

We have already booked rooms to return with friends next month.”

DINING IN STYLE: In the sunshine at Corredera 55

SOMEWHERE TO STAY: A wonderful spot to stay, right on the coast in nearby Canos de Meca, 10 minutes from Vejer, is Madreselva.

Sitting on a fantastic beach with its own pool and atmospheric courtyard, this small boutique hotel takes some beating.

Comfortable rooms each with their own quiet

back patios, are complimented with a cool reception where you take your breakfast.

Best of all, you are just a short walk to two of Andalucia’s most emblematic beaches and the famous Trafalgar Lighthouse.

Visit www.califavejer.com for more information.

“The welcome was extraordinary… it felt like coming home.” ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt

More information of any kind e-mail

info@molinodelsanto.com

www.molinodelsanto.com | info@molinodelsanto.com | 952 16 71 51 ESTACIÓN DE BENAOJÁN, NEAR RONDA, MÁLAGA

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62 62 the Olive Press November 14th - 25th 2016

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Footballer stabbed

sport Nou Camp’s Cruyff turn?

A SPANISH footballer was badly injured after being stabbed by opposition players.

Playing for Alhaurin de la Torre's B team, Samuel Galan. was rushed to hospital after being stabbed in the chest by players from El Palo's B team.

Undergoing emergency surgery at Malaga's Carlos Haya hospital, 24-year-old ‘Samu’ is said to be in a 'stable but serious condition'.

The young footballer was set upon by a group of 10 fans and players after he had an on-field scuffle with a member of El Palo's side.

Staff managed to get ‘Samu’ into the changing room where he collapsed from his injuries.

The two players handed themselves into police in the days following the attack.

BARCELONA’S Nou Camp could be renamed in honour of Johan Cruyff, who died from cancer last week.

The extraordinary gesture is being discussed by the club’s directors following a ‘thundering cry’ from the La Liga champions’ fans.

A survey of the Blaugrana faithful showed 65% in favour of renaming the stadium in honour of the Dutch legend, who graced the Catalan giants as a player and a manager.

His son Jordi, who also played for Barca, met with the club’s vice president Jordi Cardoner on Sunday to discuss possible forms of tribute.

Renaming the stadium came well above other suggested honours, such as a statue or

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the Olive Press November 11th - 25th 2015

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March 30th - April 12th 2016

IN ACTION: Samu

Barca fans vote to rename stadium in honour of Dutch legend retiring the No14 jersey.

In 1974, Cruyff helped Barcelona to their first La Liga title in 14 years during his first season at the club.

He also captured Catalan hearts when he named his son Jordi after Catalunya's patron saint, which was forbidden under Franco's dictatorship.

He returned to manage the club in 1988 winning four La Liga titles, with his crowning achievement the 1992 European Cup victory at Wembley, the first time Barcelona had claimed Europe's top prize.

MUM TAKES ON REFEREE AN irate mother has landed her son’s football club in trouble after she took on the referee.

Manchester 62 football club is under investiga-

EXCLUSIVE tion after the female fan confronted officials during a youth game against Lynx.

Nairo’s Montjuic magic NAIRO Quintana has won the Volta a Catalunya after a gruelling final stage on Barcelona’s Montjuic.

The Colombian ace fended off attacks from Spanish riders Alberto Contador and Joaquim Rodriguez during eight circuits of the punchy 6km route to seal overall victory.

Last year’s Vuelta a Espana winner Fabio Aru attempted to seize control of the race from the Movistar rider, but his 30-second breakaway was pulled back in, as was an attack by Chris Froome.

Katusha’s Alexey Tsatevich took the stage win with Quintana’s final margin of victory seven seconds.

The woman allegedly jumped the wall between spectators and the pitch to take on the referee after the match official awarded a free-kick against her son.

Grass roots officer at Lynx, Raymond Gomez, confirmed the incident took place in an under-15 match.

“A woman had to be restrained after she jumped on to the pitch and approached the referee,” Gomez told the Olive Press.

“The coach reported the incident to me and now it is up to the FA to deal with it if they see fit.”

The woman is believed to be the mother of one of Manchester 62’s young stars.

Gibraltar FA is assessing the situation. Manchester 62 is yet to respond to Olive Press questions.

LEGEND: Cruyff remembered fondly in Barcelona

VICTORIOUS: Angel Gallardo

Andalucia again for Open THE Spanish Open is heading back to Andalucia for the 11th time in April.

Real Club Valderrama and the Sergio García Foundation are joining forces for the prestigious tournament, which was last held in the region in Sevilla in 2012.

Angel Gallardo was the first Spaniard to win in Andalucia when he was victorious at Marbella’s RCG Las Brisas in 1970.

Alvaro Quiros won the 2010 Open, which was also held at Real Club de Golf de Sevilla.

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the Olive Press November 14th - 25th 2016

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Covering Andalucia in 2016 with over 200,000 paperswww.theolivepress.es (130,000 digital) and around 500,000 visits to the website each month… The Olive Press just keeps growing!

olive press F

Telephone: 951 273 575

March 30th - April 12th 2016

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Cake and cash

FINAL WORDS

THE richest man in Spain Amancio Ortega has celebrated turning 80 by moving up one place on Forbes rich list to be the second wealthiest person alive.

Sad Spain SPAIN came in at a dismal 37th in the 2016 World Happiness Report, behind Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and 14 places behind the UK.

Dunce Dad A MAN has been arrested after he left his daughter, 7, sleeping in his car while he went to a Malaga bar. The girl left the car in search of her father at 4.30am.

A MAN who has played Jesus in Semana Santa parades for 30 years has been banned from the ritual because he is gay, he insists.

Ramon Fossati (right) from Valencia has been barred from participating until 2019 because he ‘exposed a naked shoulder’ and ‘waved his arms ostentatiously’ last year.

The ‘deeply religious’ man was also fined €300 after last year’s parade ‘for no reason’ but the amount was reduced to €60 after he appealed, insisting he was simply waving

UEFA faces matchfixing questions over ‘strange incidents’ in Gibraltar friendly

FOUND: Mijas skeleton

...Not playing ball

to the crowd.

“Maybe it was punishment for being gay,” he suggested.

CADIZ Mayor Jose Maria Gonzalez juggled mayoral duty with personal penitence during the Semana Santa processions.

But the Podemos politician, known as ‘Kichi’, refused to lead the procession, opting merely to take part insisting he wanted Easter ‘as normal as possible’.

During an outing with his Santa Maria brotherhood, he accompanied his mother and partner Teresa Rodríguez, who is the leader of Podemos in Andalucia.

Watch the Olive Press’ Behind the Scenes footage of Semana Santa on www.theolivepress.es

Foul play?

UEFA has been alerted to allegations of match-fixing in Gibraltar’s 0-0 friendly draw with Lichtenstein.

Websites and social media users have questioned how Welsh referee Ryan Stewart disallowed two Lichtenstein goals,

EXCLUSIVE

By Tom Powell including one seemingly legitimate free-kick.

Numerous Twitter comments have been posted about the match, questioning the result.

One user, Alexis Zorba, pointed out that an unusually high £421,000 had been placed on the game with gaming site Betfair alone.

In contrast, only around £250,000 was placed on Monday evening’s match between Wales and Ukraine.

Websites including whoateallthepies.com and dreamteamfc.com have highlighted the ‘strange’ incidents, including a seemingly nonexistent ‘obstruction’ that led to the second disallowed goal from a free kick.

A number of fans have now raised questions with UEFA over the match that was the smallest UEFA game ever played in terms of the populations of two nations.

A UEFA spokesman told the Olive Press: “We do not give details on investigations unless a disciplinary case has been opened or a decision has officially been taken.”

A spokesman for the Gibraltar FA did not reply to questions as we went to press.

Body in the basement A RETIRED pub landlord had the ‘shock of his life’ after discovering a human skeleton in his new holiday home.

Welshman Terry Nash, 70, called in police when he discovered the remains in the cellar of the three-bed property he has recently purchased in Mijas.

Bones

The skeleton was discovered by builders during restoration work and the bones have now been removed to determine their age.

“One of the workmen knocked on my door while I was making lunch and told me they had found a body in my cellar,” said Nash.

“I was pretty horrified as you can imagine, especially because I knew the previous owners had dug out the basement to turn it into a utility room around ten years ago and the woman’s husband died around six years ago.”

He added: “It was only when I saw the skeleton that I realised it was much older.”

Open from the 11th March Looking forward to another year of giving enjoyment to our guests

Fight like a Jedi

BUDDING Luke Skywalkers can now learn how to brandish a lightsaber.

Spain has opened its first ever ‘lightsaber school’ as it pursues this futuristic sport born in Italy a decade ago and now boasting players in eight countries including the UK. The Force has found its way to LudoSport Madrid where Star Wars lovers have only one choice: whether they want to be on the dark side or not.

Calle Virgen Milagrosa 10 29713 Los Romanes - La Viñuela Provincia Malaga t: +34 951 509 071 www.las-orquideas.com/en