Fancy a Treat?

Imagine my surprise when I heard the theme tune from 'The Little Mermaid' on my door step. At first I dismissed it as a figment of my imagination but then I realised it was actually the sound of an ice-cream man driving round our development! Fantastic. I'm not sure which route he takes but if I find out I will post the details, but from what I do know, he has a great selection of flavours from strawberry to kiwi and is very friendly and accomodating.

I still can't believe it, an english ice-cream man in spain whatever next...

A Day in the Life of Miss Deane

I arrive home from work at around 4.30am absolutely shattered, after strutting my stuff for an extra hour with some cool guys from Germany.
Finally get to sleep around 5am.

8am off goes my alarm - 30mins to get out of the house.
Jump out of bed, literally head first into the shower, luckily manage to grab some toast for the journey..
Spend the next 3 hours being pampered as a model for my sister's final Beauty Therapy exam. (It's harder than its sounds)

1.30pm - Running late, rush home to get ready for a dance exam.
By the time I eat some dinner ( 1 chicken burger and half a bun) I manage a short rest before hitting the shower AGAIN and getting ready for work!

I seem to spend most of my rushing from A-B with crazy amounts of sleep..
Who ever said that life on the Costa del Sol is more relaxed?

The truth about us Marbella Belles

Firstly, I would like to clear up the fantasy that us Ex-pats have a fantastic life abroad. Despite everyone thinking that we move to Marbella to live glamorous lifestyles with perminantly bronzed skin, I can assure you this isn't the case. We too have the problems and daily stress that exists in the UK, expect the weather makes life a lot more pleasant!

Most of us living in the idylic 'Sunny Spain' are faced with a constant conflict of countries, not to mention the struggle to find work and real friendhips. It can be hard to keep up with the fast pace and a constant change over of faces, not everyone succeeds.

Sometimes I wonder whether I should return to the UK to study, the problem is, the grass will always look greener. Maybe the answer is you don't know until you try, but how do you sacrifice this lifestyle? And it is possible to settle back into your old ways..

She's Back..

After a bit of a quiet period, some computer problems and a few hospital appointments... the English Chica is back and vows to post regularly from now on!

Apologies for the delay...

A Piece of Advice

A friend of mine recently went on a fairly spontaneous adventure, instead of spending another weekend in Puerto Banus, taking a trip to the Cadiz carnival sounded like a fun day out. It all sounded great, even the three hour bus journey. Since the carnival has a reputation for being the liveliest one in Spain - dating back to the 16th century - why not?

It was bound to be very busy so they left at around 8 o clock in the morning, surprisingly the bus journey wasn't actually as fun as anticipated. Nevertheless, it would be well worth the wait.

Just as they thought the display was fantastic, but it was the sleeping arrangements that spoilt
it. Waking up on the beach cold and soaking wet came as a nasty surprise, that is from the little sleep they managed to get.

The day was extremely exhausting and after drinking from early afternoon they were all dead on their feet by night. Setting off on an escapade didn't exactly live up to it's expectations.

If you are planning to venture out of Puerto Banus, make sure you have adequate 'travel arrangements'

I would suggest driving and booking a hotel/hostel as this means no relying on bus timetables!

Go with the flow

Sometimes things don't go exactly as planned. Sometimes, one turns into two which turns into 7.30 the following morning! These nights are always the best, when you plan a night out it never lives up to your expectations.

It's amazing that you can go to the same bar every week and still enjoy yourself, let alone meet new people. It's even more remarkable when you encounter new & interesting people in that same bar, and enjoy a stimulating conversation!

To our surprise, that is exactly what happened. A night of fun, full of worthy discussions and, sheep noises...

To avoid or not to avoid?

After a fairly disappointing Friday night, myself and punk rebel Elli vowed to steer clear of alcohol and the Port. The plan was - as it usually is - to stay in, watch Dancing on Ice, (yes Dancing on Ice) and get out at a decent hour on sunday. As for what we were planning to do, i have no idea!

It's amazing how many of us go out, get drunk and spend most of the next day in bed, it doesn't make sense, we all move to Spain to get away from the cold weather and yet we spend most our time taking our surroundings for granted.

So, with this in mind, we thought we would pass by Puerto Banus after La Canada, just for one. ..

Nochevieja

If you haven't managed to get passed the Port on new years eve - like moi- then you have yet to experience a real Spanish Nochevieja. Coin for example is amazing; although most of you think it's in the middle of nowhere, it's actually only 25 minutes away! I've heard many people say it's the best place to celebrate. Basically there is a huge street party that goes on until around 7 or 8 am and everyone arrives in fancy dress! The variety of costume and effort is unbelievable. I have attached some of the best pictures of the night, taken by PurplePond, members of the Puerto Banus Guide. Register your business for free at www.puertobanusguide.com

New Years Eve

New Years Eve was not surprisingly spent in Terra Blues! Not much to report back just a picture or two of the night..

Rebajas

Forget Christmas, the excitement for me was waiting for the sales! For a woman, nothing can compete with the feeling of running frantically around shops with bags full of bargains…aside from chocolate. Shopping in the sales is even better in Spain since clothes are already a lot cheaper. The only problem is that the Spanish seem to only go shopping during the rebajas, creating queues and crowds that are best targeted by experienced shoppers. One of everyone's favourite shops is 'Bershka', with a queue stretching all the way from the check out to the changing rooms! I discovered the best way to handle this shop:

• Take a shopping partner
  
• On entry, one person must join the queue
  
• The other person does a mad dash around the shop, similar to 'Super Market Sweep'
• Keep an eye on the queue- whilst grabbing as many practical bargains as possible.
• Do not try on your garments

Based on a shopping trip to Bershka in La Cañada

Back to Work!

Monday 8^th Jan

With Christmas, New Year and three Kings out of the way, it’s back to the office today for most; however, I would like to point out that we have been back in the office since Wednesday, working hard on the new Puerto Banus Guide. There will be lot's of new and exciting additions to the site for example 'webcam' with a great view of Antonio Banderas Square and 'What's on' with reviews and pictures of events past,present and future! One of the finest additions has to be the Virtual Tour, devised (and superbly written) by the English chica herself!