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February 8, 2013

Manilva Town Hall to pay for repair of collapsed road by Duquesa Golf Club

Filed under: Duquesa Information,Lifestyle,News — Lucy @ 8:10 pm

I went to a meeting at Manilva Town Hall today to find out what was happening with regards to repairing the road which has collapsed at the bottom of the hill by the Spa at La Duquesa Golf and Countryclub.

Firstly I was amazed at what goes on behind the scenes in Manilva.  From the outside Manilva appears to be a sleepy white village with not much going on during the day.  But once you enter the multi storey car park behind the police station you realise there is a hive of activity going on behind the scenes as the car park was packed full of cars and smartly dressed professionals were coming and going.  It took me back to the days when I used to work in England.

Sunny Manilva one Autumn Morning

Present at the meeting were Diego Urieta – Councillor for Town Planning and Foreign Residents,  Mario Jimenez – Councillor for Infrastructure and Building Works,  Valentina Radu – Co-ordinator for Town Planning and Foreign Residents,  Dean Sheldon – Co-ordinator for Urbanizations, Communities and Commerce and some presidents of the communities affected by damaged road.

Manilva Town Hall Meeting

They advised us that they had been working hard to find a solution to getting the road mended.  The difficulty is that the road that collapsed is adjacent to a river which is the responsibility of the regional governments environments department.  And as the road actually collapsed a few days after that department had carried out comprehensive cleaning of the river, it is likely that this department is liable for the cost of the repair.

Manilva Town Hall have tried to get them to pay for the repair works and although the regional government havent refused to pay ,they have said that Manilva would have to wait for the money.  Manilva Town Hall realise that this repair work is very urgent and so have decided to reallocate some funds from elsewhere to pay for it and then will reclaim it back.

Ironically as access to the river is needed to make the repair works, Manilva Town Hall are awaiting written permission from the regional government environment department before they can proceed.   If they didn’t they could be subject to a fine which could be more than the cost of the works!

The good news is that this written permission is all they are waiting for  which they hope to receive next week.  Once received, the works will commence and hopefully be completed within a month.

The other good news for residents of property that are situated around La Duquesa Golf Course is that Manilva Town Hall have agreed to put up a street sign “Calle Cornisa del Sol” to help people who live here give directions to those who dont!

Are there any issues in the Manilva area that you are concerned about and would like answers to?  Please either leave your comments below or email me at lucy@barringtonhomes.eu

February 4, 2013

Sunny weather forecast for Manilva in February

Filed under: Lifestyle,Weather in Spain — Lucy @ 7:46 pm

The weather continues to be glorious in Manilva and the forecast is great for the rest of the month.

Accuweather forecast for Manilva in February

If you are considering moving to Spain or buying a holiday home, now is a great time to visit Manilva to look at properties and get a taste for what the weather can be like at this time of year.

I love it when the weather is good at this time of year because it is lovely to feel the warm sun on your face but not too hot to deter you from taking part in more vigorous exercise such as football or basketball.

Football in Manilva, Spain in February

Manilva Football Pitch

Basketball court by Chiringuito Andres y Maria at El Castillo de La Duquesa

Basketball court by the Chiringuito beach bar Andres y Maria at El Castillo de La Duquesa, Costa del Sol, Spain

What is your favorite type of weather and time of year?

January 29, 2013

Fantastic weather in Manilva in the last week in January 2013

Filed under: Lifestyle,Weather in Spain — Lucy @ 2:51 pm

Sunny weather in Manilva in January

The weather forecast for Manilva is great for the last few days of January with temperatures reaching the early 70 degrees Fahrenheit or 21 -23 degrees celsius.

Its the perfect weather for outdoor activities such as playing golf, tennis, horse riding or for just taking a walk. And wonderful weather for going out to lunch at Puerto de La Duquesa, Sabinillas or Castillo de La Duquesa.

The forecast is good for the first week in February too so if you have a few days holiday spare and need to feel the sun on your face, now is a great time (as always) to visit Manilva.

Pantomime in Gibraltar

Filed under: Lifestyle,Local Events & Culture — Lucy @ 1:59 pm

One of the many good things about living in Manilva is that if you do feel a little homesick for British shops or traditions, Gibraltar is only 30 mins drive away.

Main Street is not dissimilar to a British High Street with Marks and Spencers, British Homes Stores, Monsoon, Next, Dorothy Perkins, Wallis, Peacocks, Top Shop etc. having a presence. Morrisons is the main supermarket there which almost had a monopoly but I have just heard that Eroski have opened just over the border, Gibraltar side, and are going to stock many Waitrose products.

One tradition that I thought my kids would miss out on living in Spain was the great British Panto. However a few years ago a friend asked me if I wanted to go to the pantomime in Gibraltar and we had such good time that we have been going ever since.

Calamity Jane Pantomime in Gibraltar

This year the pantomime is Calamity Jane and there are 4 performances left:
Thursday 31st at 7.30, Friday 1st at 7.30 and Saturday at 2.30 and 7.30pm

If you are interested and would like tickets, the box office at Ince’s Hall will be open from 6 – 7.30 weekdays and before performances and 1 – 2pm Saturday.

Telephone: 20065410 (the above Box office opening times only)

January 17, 2013

Learning Spanish

One of my new year resolutions is to improve my Spanish.

It is not essential to know Spanish if you live in Manilva.  And I know several people who have lived here for many years who know little more than hola, buenas dias and adios.  However if you do make the effort it will be worth it as it will enrich your life in so many ways and make living in Spain easier.

5 Great Benefits of Learning Spanish

1.    You make new friends – those learning with you and Spanish speaking friends once you have learnt the basics.

2.    It helps you understand special offers and official letters you receive if you rent or own a property here which can save you money, worry and stress later on if you had ignored them.

3.    Whether holidaying, living here permanently or part-time, it makes day to day life easier and more enjoyable as you can communicate better when shopping or dealing with utility companies such as Telefonica and you can join in in more of the wonderful activities that are available here in Manilva.

4.    It gives you the confidence to explore Spain and discover the fantastic places off the main tourist routes.  We have had our best holidays venturing further afield within Andalucia and have discovered some amazing places.

5.    It opens up a whole new world to discover – the Spanish speaking world – which not only includes Spain but many of the South American countries such as Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Cuba,Peru, Panama, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina etc.

Learn Spanish in Manilva

Manilva Town Hall (Ayuntamiento de Manilva) actively encourages their non spanish speaking residents to learn Spanish.

They do this by providing a very reasonably priced Spanish course twice a week for residents and non-residents and by organizing “inter cambio” coffee mornings.

Manilva Town Hall Foreigners Department offers a “Spanish for foreign residents” program which currently costs just  €70  for  1 hour lesson twice a week for 12 weeks (24 hours of lessons equivalent to about €3 per lesson!).  This is a great course and is available at three levels, beginners, intermediate and advanced depending on your level.  If you are interested in this course call 952 89 35 48.

The “inter cambio” coffee mornings are where foreign residents can meet local Spanish residents in a supervised environment and practice the Spanish that they have learnt.  It is also good for the Spanish locals interested in learning another language and it fosters great  inter cultural relations and is a great opportunity to make new friends.

This Friday 18th January the “inter cambio” coffee morning is being held at Kinsales in Puerto de La Duquesa from 10.30am.

If you don’t currently live in Manilva but are interested in learning Spanish, I will be posting some lessons over the next few weeks to get you started.

Please email me at lucy@barringtonhomes.eu or leave a comment at the end of this blog if there are any scenarios or expressions that you would like to know how to say in Spanish.

January 8, 2013

Beat the January Blues and see the Three Kings in Manilva

Beating the January Blues


The first week in January is a great time to visit Manilva.  The blue skies and sunshine will boost your spirits and you can recharge your batteries after the madness of Christmas and New Year.

It’s normally perfect weather for outdoor activities such as golf, tennis, cycling and horse-riding and it is the time when The Three Kings visit Manilva.

We arrived back from spending Christmas in England on Thursday night and spent Friday washing our clothes and unpacking while the kids played outside with their friends.  This left the weekend free to do the things we enjoy.

On Saturday morning we went to La Duquesa Golf Club where the girls played tennis while the boys played golf.

Playing tennis at La Duquesa Golf Club

Tennis lessons at La Duquesa Golf Club, Manilva, Spain

Learning to play golf at La Duquesa Golf Club

Boys learning to play Golf at La Duquesa Golf Club, Manilva, Spain

Then after lunch we went horse and bike riding in the beautiful Manilva countryside.

It was great to be back out in the sunshine and seeing blue skies again.

Horse riding in Manilva

We got home in time to get ready and go out again for  6 o clock to see The Three Kings.

The Three Kings aka Los Reyes Magos


In Spain the Christmas festivities are not over until the 3 Kings have paid their visit and delivered their presents.

One of the three kings at El Castillo de la Duquesa, Spain

Epiphany is celebrated on the 6th January and is the day that the 3 Wise men or Kings (Los Reyes Magos) from a far off country (now believed to be from Andalucia!) arrived at Bethlehem and gave baby Jesus their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrhh.

For many Spanish children this is the day they have been waiting for to receive their presents as they don’t celebrate Christmas Day quite like we do in the United Kingdom.

My children are lucky as they get presents from Father Christmas and Los Reyes!

In Manilva the festivities begin on January 4th when the 3 Kings visit the churches in Manilva to collect the childrens’ letters.

The celebrations continue on the 5th January with the traditional Three Kings Cavalcade or procession ( Los Reyes Magos Cabalgata).

The Three Kings at El Castillo de la Duquesa

The procession usually starts at 18:00 at El Castillo de La Duquesa and the Kings take a tour round this pretty little fishing village throwing 100s of the 2000 kilograms of sweets out to the children.  The kids (and adults) love it, all excitedly scrabbling to collect as many sweets as they can.

Los reyes magos El Castillo de la Duquesa

The Three Kings Cavalcade in El Castillo de La Duquesa, Manilva, Spain

Three Kings procession at El Castillo de La Duquesa

A band playing at the Three kings procession in El Castillo de la Duquesa

Spongebob Square Pants and friends at The Three Kings Parade at La Duquesa Castle

Spongebob Squarepants and friends at the Three Kings Procession

At about 19:00 the procession winds its way round the streets of Sabinillas and then at about 20:00 it arrives in the white village of Manilva where the atmosphere is full of excitement.

Three Kings procession in Manilva with Spongebob Squarepants and friends

This year we found a tapas bar to sit at and enjoyed some bacon and pork montaditos and a few drinks while we waited.

Our table was on the pavement so when the procession went past we were so close that the sweets were like plastic bullets bombarding us.

Being bombarded with sweets at Three Kings Parade Manilva

The sweets went everywhere – even in our drinks,  and the kids and adults were grabbing the sweets from all directions.  It was a fun, mad and crazy evening enjoyed by us all and an event on the calendar which has become part of our family tradition too.

Sweet collecting at Three Kings Procession Manilva

If you are thinking about visiting Manilva there are 11 other dates during the year that Manilva celebrates with a fiesta (party) and are well worth experiencing:

Important Fiesta Dates in Manilva, Spain

  1. Los Reyes or Three Kings (4-6 January)
  2. Carnavales or Carnival (February)
  3. Semana Santa or Easter  (March/April)
  4. Romeria or Pilgrimage to the Roman Baths (27th June)
  5. El noche de San Juan (23 June)
  6. Nuestra Sra del Carmen The Fishermans Patron (16 July)
  7. Santa Ana  (26 July)
  8. Fiest Luna Llena or Full Moon Party (3rd August)
  9. Feria Grand or Big fair (2nd week August)
  10. Dia del Turista or Day of the Tourist (15 August)
  11. Verbena de San Luis – Patron Saint of Sabinillas (25 August)
  12. La Vendimia or Wine Harvest (1st September)

I have been to and will be going to most of these and will blog about them in the coming months.

If you have enjoyed reading this and would like to be notified when I blog again, please either follow me on Pinterest by clicking on the below button:
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Leave a comment below or email me at lucy@barringtonhomes.eu

Bye for now

Lucy 🙂

December 31, 2012

New Year, New Dreams and New Resolutions

Filed under: Lifestyle — Tags: — Lucy @ 7:01 pm

Are you the type of person who has big dreams that are difficult to achieve or a bucket list of smaller dreams which you can work towards throughout your life?

I fall into the latter and have achieved 4 of my personal dreams this year.

Many people in the UK dream of living in Spain and after spending the last two weeks in England I can understand why.  It has rained nearly everyday, the skies are grey and dreary, it gets dark early and the roads and shopping centres are overcrowded.

A beach in England in December

I am sitting in my childhood bedroom looking out at the grey sky and craving for the blue sky therapy that I get when I look out of my bedroom window in my home in Spain.  It is true what they say it really does make you feel happier.

A beach in Manilva in December

Don’t get me wrong,  I have loved being back in England for Christmas with my family and friends, and there is no where else I would rather spend Christmas.  But there is no where in the world that I would rather live than Manilva.  It is a place where dreams come true.

So if you are one of those people who dream of living in Spain, take that first step and come and visit Manilva for a holiday and discover whether it is a place where your dreams can come true too.

December 1, 2012

Amazing weather in La Duquesa, Manilva on the first day of winter

Filed under: Lifestyle,Weather in Spain — Lucy @ 9:29 pm

Today is officially the first day of winter and what a beautiful day it has been.

I was up early to get my husband’s car through the ITV (Spains version of the MOT) at 8.25 in Estepona and on the journey back home enjoyed the stunning views that the early morning sun was lighting up.

Luckily I had taken my camera with me so I took advantage of having some kid free time and went on a photo and video taking spree.

La Duquesa and Estepona Mountain

Puerto de La Duquesa, Manilva, Costa del Sol, Spain

Everywhere I went there were stunning views to take photos of and to prove it really is winter I took one of the snow capped mountains that I could see from La Paloma, Manilva.

Snow capped mountains seen from Manilva, Costa del Sol, Southern Spain

I had such a lovely day and it truly made me feel very fortunate and happy to live in such a special place as Manilva.  I have decided to share with you some more pictures over the next few weeks and have set myself a challenge to write 100 reasons why I love living in the municipality of Manilva, Spain.

November 29, 2012

Manilva’s Foreigners Department trip to San Lucar de Barrameda a great success

The trip to San Lucar de Barrameda was such as success that another one is planned for next spring and 30 people have already put their names down for it.

A total of 52 people enjoyed this trip on the 17th November 2012, during which they visited the winery Museum Barbadillo, toured the city with a guide and also had some free time for lunch and shopping. In the afternoon they visited the factory of Christmas sweets La Rondeña, where people bought their polvorones etc.

Anyone interested in registering for the next trip in the Spring can call the Foreigners department on 952893548 or pop into their office at El Castillo de la Duquesa.

Arts and Craft Market in the Park at Villa Matilde, Manilva, 1st December 2012

This Saturday 1st December there will be an Arts and Crafts Market, organised by the Councillor of Education and Culture, Eva Galindo.  It will take place in the Park of  Villa Matilde (near Supersol on the road up to Manilva Pueblo).

Art and craft market Manilva

Art and Craft market in Manilva

40 artists will be participating in this initiative displaying painting, sculpture, crafts, workshops and art in general.

This art and crafts market will begin at 10: 00 and will run until 18: 00 h.   During the day you will be able to see artworks of all kinds performed with different artistic techniques. The artists will develop some of their works in situ for the enjoyment of all lovers of art.

Manilva’s Culture department aims for this market to set a precedent for future markets which will be held one Saturday every month at Villa Matilde.   Eligible artists of our municipality interested in displaying their works of art can contact the delegation of culture on 952 893 092.

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