We returned to Marbella again my friends. And again I was lured by the seductive notes of bergamot, oranges and sunshine, charmed by the beauty of the panoramic mountain views, the dripping pink and white bougainvillea, the deep blue of the Mediterranean that matched the cloudless sky. High up in the Sierra de Ronda’s in magical Andalusia this hot October of 2013 was sublime.
As my readers here know, Marbella and Puerto Banus are favourite places of mine, not I might add in the summer months when it is too crowded and these very pretty places change like a chameleon when the majority of its five million annual visitors arrive during the months of July and August. I dislike crowds at any time, so prefer to visit in October and if lucky to have as we did the most agreeable weather, then it becomes a perfect paradise.
Our luxury modern apartment sitting high above the world or so it seemed to me afforded us a magnificent view from the large terrace as far as our eyes could see, looking forward to the Mediterranean Sea  and down on landscaped gardens of topiary and vivid green lawns across the deep verdant valley of exotic trees and to the side a  mountain range with added injections of huge white and terracotta villas scattered across the hills which could if allowed, take your breath away!
Each day on the large terrace we would enjoy our breakfast of delicious fruits, croissants, cheeses and rich olives, sometimes a gentle omelette and always good strong coffee whilst breathing in this sweet smelling air and admiring this fabulous view.
We would sit out in the warm evening air with only the glow from candles to light us and after a very good dinner either in Marbella or Puerto Banus or sometimes cooked up high in our own special heavenly world and with our delicious wine we would settle to watch the stars and the fast moving satellites well into the night. What could be better than that I ask?
                                                                        Caesar Salad with Avocadoes.
Marbella if literally translated would mean beautiful sea and it is just that. These days, the city is internationally known for its jet-set ambience and superb variety of activities offered to visiting tourists. Perhaps my love for Marbella has arrived from its valuable richness in the Arab culture. It draws me in, is charming, seductive and the town and green parks are supremely attractive. Now fast becoming our favourite place and visited every year is the wonderful seaside Grand Café which is known as Cappuccino.
Situated on the Calle de Jose Melia at the base of the fabulous luxury “Hotel Gran Melia Don Pepe” The enchanting  Cappuccino is set amongst lush green pine and palm trees, this for me is the place to take time to absorbed the ambiance and the aroma that is perfectly Marbella. To sit quietly with friends or in jovial fun to ‘drink-in’ the warmth of the sun, the beautiful surroundings with its mixture of classic beauty and its own vibes of Latin rhythms, soft jazz and bossanova sounds that make this the place of relaxation that it truly is. With its lively selection of cocktails, superb coffees, delicate teas, delicious cakes and pastries and a marvellous selection of outstanding lunches and dinners. It is an outstanding place of relaxation. Where else is the service so fine, so attentive, where else could you sit in comfortable reverie better than this, enjoying your own Marbella.
Then of course no trip to Marbella could be complete without a visit to Puerto Jose Banus, now more commonly known as Puerto Banus. It is situated southwest of Marbella and has since the days of the 1970’s become one of the largest entertainment centres in the Costa del Sol, so very popular with international celebrities, the rich and famous, royalty and just you and I.
Developed around this once tiny fishing village, Puerto Banus now contains expensive shopping malls, restaurants, bars set around the beautiful Marina where the mega wealthy own large seafaring yachts of magnificence  The scene at most times of the day but especially at night, of many exotic cars; Ferrari’s, Lamborghinis and the latest Mercedes are common place, viewed with great interest and driven with much pride and sometimes much arrogance! It is a people watching paradise and if like me you love to do this – it is second to none. It is fun to stroll either in the morning when it takes on a fresh clean feel as the front of the designer shops receive their daily wash and brush-up and the views back to the Sierras are sublime from the Harbour House. Perhaps later in the evening make your selection from the many good restaurants along the boardwalk, to sit and digest this ambience which still holds much charm especially out of season if the weather is as good as we have enjoyed this October then it can’t be bettered.
A short drive away and not to be missed even if you are usually a beach lover is the amazing little town of Casarabonela now commonly known as Casara – it is still part of the municipality of Malaga and is situated 48km from the capital of Malaga so quite nearby to visit when in Marbella. It has a population of approximately 2,500 residents which seems impossible to me but not I suppose when you think of all the tiny alleyways and steps up and down that lead to these tiny homes. The name derives from the Arabicقصر بنيرة – QaSr Bunayra – The Alcazar or Palace of Bonera.
The scenery is picturesque, so take your time on the drive. Suddenly you turn a bend in the road and are treated to a spectacular view of this tiny village with its medieval fortress. This tiny village set like sugar cubes piled high precariously gripping the mountain side is a picture postcard village. Many white villages in Spain are beautiful for sure but the view when sighting Casara is spectacular causing the visitor to simply stare and the wish to walk its tiny lanes. We found it had a rather strange feel- shall we say watchful residents, perhaps something was going-on the day we visited but never-the-less it is well worth a look-see and I would like to return again to study this pretty little village even more.
No holiday to Marbella would be complete without a stroll around old Marbella, I have spoken of my love for this place in a previous post but just to repeat once again that this magical place still delights me so and is simply a must-do.
 With my youngest son Yousef.
We rambled and searched out the quaint little shops of lace, having such fun in one tiny shop when it appeared that the only changing room was the pulling together and fixing with a pin to make a privacy curtain, of just two hanging dresses at the main door!
We rooted out the antique costume jewellery, we wandered the tiny white lanes of tapas bars and street cafes, stopped to view the enticing courtyards beyond the old doors of tiny spotless white houses. No hurry here as we admired the churches and the architecture, no hurry Old Marbella is after all, to be relished.
As usual it was a splendid holiday but do things become more poignant  when your are older? I believe they do. I drink-in the views, absorb the culture of old Marbella, breathe-in the jasmine and sweet eucalyptus  filled air and consume the many memories that for me are sun related; I am alive and very comfortable with the warmth of the sun, a feathery touch on my back, bringing a glow to my heart. Swimming in the twinkly infinity pool made diamonds of joy pour forth. The company was fabulous and our laughter echoed daily across the Sierras.  A perfect holiday…yes.  And it was much more besides.
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Logistics being somewhat different this year for our annual visit to southern Spain we left Wingrave Bucks in the early hours for a fast car run to London’s City Airport, a most exciting start to this super holiday. First time flying from the Docklands Airport for me and I must say our party of happy travellers were very impressed. I loved the early glow of morning views to this interesting and now magical part of our capital city, as sunrise fast approached over this part of London with its very modern skyscrapers and viewing the docklands airport runway, seeming a mere strip in my excited eyes and somewhat short; was the perfect start to our much awaited holiday.
How very efficient is London City Airport and with not a moment kept waiting we proceeded Airside to its very good coffee lounge, a nice aroma of good coffee always embraces and pleases my senses particularly in the early hours. We comfortably boarded the BA city flyer- Embraer190 Jet and flew steeply up and out over a newly waking London, I loved it. Could anything be more exciting?
 
A few facts here for those that like and are reading from other parts of the world.. London City Airport is located on a former Docklands Site in the London Borough of Newham. It has a single 1,500 metre long runway and only multi engine fixed-wing aircraft with special aircraft and aircrew certification to fly 5.5 approaches, are allowed to conduct operations at London City Airport.
My son Jo who always arranges these marvellous trips has everything down to a fine-art. Good car that manages all our luggage, parking is always made easy and everything laid ready for a most enjoyable holiday. The short trip down to this favourite place on leaving Malaga Airport to the Los Arquerous Apartments in Benahavis, AndalucÃa – Nr Marbella, is a pretty drive, glimpsing the coast and the blue sea beyond – tis perfect.Â
 
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This year we had a penthouse apartment with a wonderful roof terrace with plenty of shade and a roof top shower and loads of comfortable seating arrangements which plus our normal wraparound balcony was a real delight. Where almost every evening we sat under twinkling stars late into the night over dinner and drinks. The weather was just amazing this year, with long hot days usually starting with a short early mist which cleared into blistering hot dry days. We spent most of these swimming in the infinity pool, set in the stunning sweet smelling, flowered filled gardens and enjoying the beautiful  view we have come to know and love over the past years.
Our first port of call when arriving is always the Mercadona, a large supermarket a little way from our location but the one we considered to be the absolute best. Marvellous produce in every department and to be honest much better quality than our regular supermarkets here in the UK. We do just one big shop perhaps topping up if needed on fresh fruit and extra water but we usually managed to get it just right after these years of going. The food in Spain is high quality, superb fruit and vegetables, great fish, meat and chicken and it is considerably cheaper than here.
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 Of course no holiday, which is after all a special occasion, is without treats, so we select just everything we fancy, plus lots of special drinks and mixers to make-up Jo’s fabulous cocktails. Favourites are always Mojitos, long and cooling with their abundance of mint, especially nice for hot days. Something new this year and something different on Jo’s repertoire to our cocktail range was the “Carmel Sunset” made with Knebep the delicious Vodka Based Spirit, also the favourite Espresso Martinis which are a real treat at sundown.
We did eat out a couple of times during our stay normally at the clubhouse where the standard is very high, but apart from midday at the wonderful Cappuccino Grand Café, we did not eat out in the evening in Marbella as we were there in the busy month of August so we chose quieter locations that were much preferred in the heat.
We also spent a day in Gibraltar, not visited for me since 1967. Not much had changed, it was nice to see The Rock Hotel still standing!
 An interesting visit and an enjoyable day, going of course to the top, for the marvellous views across the bay and to visit once again the man-made caves but for me Gibraltar has lost much of its charm of earlier years, looking most shabby in parts now, not much seems to have be spent on maintaining the uniqueness it once engaged. Still our party enjoyed a very nice late luncheon in one of the squares close to the moored luxury boats. Luckily arriving at ‘Happy Hour!’
Friends made on holiday are all part of the travelling process and bring extra pleasure and delight to these trips. In the beautiful area where we enjoyed our leisure time were three super families that met up at the same time every year. It was so nice to see these caring families enjoying the time with their children in harmony and much joy. Such daily water fun often when they had returned from a day on the beach -Â which certainly helped the younger ones with their learning of swimming skills, all under the watchful eyes of family and friends. Creating lasting memories of happy times spent in the sun. I hope we meet up with these lovely folk once again…somehow I think we will.
I would like to thank here my dear son who arranges these lovely luxury trips of the highest calibre and for putting-up with four ladies – he is amazing and caters for our every need and truly deserves a medal. Love you Yousef x
You can see some more of our holiday snaps on my flickr page over at https://www.flickr.com/photos/susiehemingway/ should you wish. I am now back in my little village which I love and although always enjoy embracing the warmth of Southern Spain I am content to return…until next time of course…Â
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