Vol. 1 Issue 12 www.gibraltarolivepress.com February 17th - March 1st 2016

GIBRALTAR

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FIRe sALeA CULTURAL goldmine of paintings and prints owned by the disgraced Marrache legal firm has been put up for sale by liquidators.A signed print by Salvador Dali (pictured) is among the valuable collection, which includes paintings by some of Gibraltar’s most famous artists.There is also a range of prints and maps dating back to the 18th century, as well as a lithograph of female smug-glers and a ceiling-high plan of mid-1900s Gibraltar.Some residents have argued that the collection should be put on display and not sold.The Gibraltar Heritage Trust told the Olive Press it had requested a visit to the col-lection in order to take an in-formed view.The three Marrache brothers were jailed in 2014 over years of fraud which led to the col-lapse of their firm with debts of more than £34 million.

THOUSANDS of pounds in tax rebates are being held back from Gibraltar work-ers, it has been claimed. A backlog of tax refunds has built up with some people still owed payouts from as long ago as 2008. While the Tax Office insists all money owed will be paid,

Give us our money back! Residents demand Tax Office settles long-standing rebates

eXCLUsIVe By Rob Horgan

WHICH PORT Is MORe yOUR sCene? THe FRIendLy BUzz OF dUqUesA, jUsT MInUTes dOWn THe COAsT (PAGe 18) OR THe FRUITy FLAVOURs OF eXOTIC PORTUGAL, A dAy’s dRIVe BUT WORTH eVeRy MILe (PAGes 6-7)?

FROM PORT TO PORTOManilva, Sabinillas and

Puerto de la DuquesaA Manilva, Sabinillas and Manilva, Sabinillas and Manilva, Sabinillas and

Puerto de la DuquesaPuerto de la DuquesaPuerto de la DuquesaAll about

17

Vol. 10 Issue 233 www.theolivepress.es

JULIUS Caesar came for the smelly

sulphur springs, flamenco legend

Camaron de la Isla for the tranquil-

ity, while tourists today come for

its rich and varied beaches, emblematic

marina and cosmopolitan vibe.

Brand Manilva may not have the instant

recognition of its brasher costa cous-

ins but like its locally-grown wine – now

being given a Michelin star boost by

Basque chef Martin Berasategui – the

town is defi nitely improving with age.

“There is nowhere quite like Manilva,”

explains proud expat councillor Dean

Tyler Shelton, a businessman who has

lived in the town for 18 years.

“We share a fantastic and unique mi-

The perfect catch

The town that enraptured a Roman emperor, a British Prime Minister

and a fl amenco star is not resting on its laurels in its drive to attract

new admirers. Indeed as Joe Duggan discovers, Manilva is...

Turn to Page 18

February 17th - March 1st 2016

cro climate nestled between the Sierra

Bermeja mountains and the Straits of

Gibraltar, there is a great mix of locals

and tourists and there are excellent

views of the north African coastline, in-

cluding Ceuta. “In fact, most of the time you feel that

you could almost reach out and physi-

cally touch three countries and two con-

tinents from anywhere you are stand-

ing.”Manilva’s first port of call is San Luis de

Sabinillas, a tourist resort that keeps

growing and growing in popularity.

‘Sabi’, as it is affectionately known by

locals, has boomed over the past few

decades from its humble beginnings as

a small fishing village with fishermen’s

shacks literally on the beach.

This jumble of buildings huddled along

a narrow strip of the A7 motorway is

home to a thriving expat community.

In fact, the European Union flag flut-

tering at the entrance to the close-knit

town of 6,000 is a fitting symbol of

Sabi’s multinational appeal, with Mo-

roccans, English, German and Spanish

among the easy blend of nationalities

living in harmony here.

Street signs in English underline Sabi-

nillas’ undeniably British feel while in

bars such as Ricky Lee’s sports bar and

END OF THE LINE: Manilva is the last resort on the Costa del Sol while (left) Roman baths and (inset)

fl amenco star Cameron de la Isla and ?????????

fl amenco star Cameron de la Isla and ?????????

PHO

TO B

Y: J

ON

CLA

RK

E

Manuel Jesus Torrejon Perez

Edif. La Duquesa, Portal 1 - Planta 1a, No 6,

29692 Sabinillas, Malaga

20 years experience in Osteopath Manual Therapy

Osteopathy

Massage Therapy

As it’s cold and wet, the Olive Press offers readers two completely different travel ideas: a day trip to Duquesa or a road trip to Porto

residents are fed up of wait-ing for money that is right-fully theirs. The long delay of up to eight years has led a number of Gibraltar employees to con-

tact the Olive Press for our help.One insisted she had ‘no-where left to turn’ and was desperate for the money.Nurse Donna Alecio, 32, is waiting on two rebates dating back to tax years 2008/09 and 2009/10, which total ‘well over’ £1,000. The problem began when the mother-of-two was put on emergency tax when she started at St. Bernard’s Hospital, in 2008.

AngryWhile she is unsure of the exact amount owed (‘be-cause nobody has confirmed it’) the Tax Office insisted it would be repaid two years ago.She was given the same line this month and is growing increasingly angry.“I’ve been told I’m owed money time-and-again but I’ve no idea how much or when I will receive it,” she told the Olive Press. “Then last week, I was told

by someone on the desk that all rebates had been put on hold while staff underwent a training exercise.” She added: “Residents are fined for declaring their earnings late, why is the Tax Office not being held accountable for its late pay-ments?” Another resident - who wishes to remain anony-mous - revealed that he is owed £3,000 in a tax rebate from 2010/11. “I know people who have received tax rebates from that year,” said the father-of-two.“I have no idea why my re-bate has been left on the shelf. “Getting your money back seems like a total lottery in Gibraltar.” A spokesman for the Tax Office told the Olive Press that it was ‘unable to com-ment’ on the situation, as we went to press.

FED UP: Donna Alecio

Brothers in armsFabian Picardo and San Roque mayor plan to cooperate

Page 4

PM Cameron joins searchUK Prime Minister pledges to help find missing Lisa Brown

Page 2

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UK Prime Minister David Cameron has vowed to inves-tigate the case of missing Scot-tish expat Lisa Brown (above).The mother-of-one’s disap-pearance last November was raised at Prime Minister’s Questions by Martin Docherty, Scottish National Party MP for Dunbartonshire West.“I will certainly look into this case, and make sure the Eu-rope Minister meets with him (Docherty) to see everything is done for Lisa’s family as soon as possible,” said Cameron.Docherty revealed that Lisa’s family have visited Spain and Gibraltar seven times so far.Much of the coverage of the case has focused on Lisa’s boyfriend, Liverpudlian busi-nessman Simon Corner.He also disappeared days after Lisa, but later released

Caught in the actVANDALS in Ocean Village have been exposed af-ter CCTV snaps were posted online.The photos, captured by estate agents Bray Proper-ties, show a man in glasses rolling a plant pot and running away.Another woman then comes along and appears to carry the plant off.The first man has apparently apologised for his ac-tions and offered to pay for damage caused, having seen his photo posted online.

damning witnessAN undercover investiga-tion into the movement of suspect funds into the USA has revealed the role played by Overseas Territories in-cluding Gibraltar.Advocacy group Global Witness secretly filmed a New York lawyer suggest-ing the best way to move money covertly would be to ‘use a Cayman Islands enti-ty or a Bermuda trust com-pany to hide your identity, and obtain a bank account in Gibraltar’.However, Global Witness did concede that Gibraltar is one of the few Overseas Territories not making life easy for the criminal and corrupt.The Rock is required by the EU anti-money launder-ing directive to give access to beneficial ownership to anyone who can demon-strate a legitimate interest.

Beware the border scam!EVERYONE has found themselves stuck in the queue to enter Gibraltar at one point.But a new infographic be-ing shared online is warn-ing of a scam to watch out for in the queue.Created by insurance pro-viders AIG, it claims con artists with fake IDs have been known to go from car to car asking for a cash en-try fee to cross the border.Of course, it does not cost anything other than your time to cross the border.One Gibraltar Twitter user commented: “This was rife in the 90s... Unfortunately tourists in the queue are targeted.”

CAMeROn’s PLedGe FOR LIsA

UK Prime Minister declares support for missing mother as boyfriend Simon Corner vanishes again

a statement, allegedly from Thailand, claiming he was ‘innocent’.He apparently landed in Spain three weeks ago to answer police questions, but Algeci-ras police have not confirmed whether this happenned.His legal advisor Jason Cogh-lan, a reformed UK criminal, initially coordinated Corner’s

trip to Spain, taking a photo of him at Malaga airport, but has now cut ties with him.“I convinced him to return to clear his name with the as-sistance of a top lawyer called Luis Brana,” Coghlan told the Olive Press.“He had me meet him at the airport and I took his picture on my iPhone.

“But then he missed his ap-pointment with the Guar-dia Civil we had arranged and subsequently turned his phone off.“As far as I know he is now a missing person,” he added.It comes after Lisa’s brother Craig Douglas told the Olive Press he believed the visit was a ‘hoax’.

3www.gibraltarolivepress.com NEWs February 3rd - February 16th 2016

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CHIEF Minister Fabian Picar-do has revealed politics was actually his third choice ca-reer, after considering being a priest and a pilot.In an emotional speech, he also revealed how his life changed in the pivotal year of 2011.Talking at the GibTalks event, at John Mackintosh Hall,

Important engagement FUTURE brushing brides and golden grooms will be head-ing to The Sunborn Wedding Show this weekend. The event, showcasing the best suppliers and profes-sionals to help make your special day unforgettable, will include a catwalk show, bridal bar, onstage entertain-ment, food tasting and work-shops.Among a host of profession-als on hand for tips and ad-vice will be dress designers, florists, cake-makers, sta-tioners, photographers and many more.

The free, ticketless event runs from 1pm-5pm on Saturday 20 and from 3pm-7pm on Sunday 21 February at the Ocean Village venue.

Miss fashionably lateTHe battle for this year’s Miss Gibraltar crown will be fought by nine of the Rock’s most beautiful wom-en. seven late applicants came in before the deadline of February 12, sparing the blushes of event organis-ers. They include accounts clerk sarah-jayne Adnett, lawyer joseanne Bear, teacher Alexandra enriles, nurse Rosanna Fernandez, yoga-specialist Aicha Benyahya, jeslyn Ferrary and Kayley Mifsud.The two early bird applicants were zumba-enthusi-ast Maxine Field and receptionist Ashleene snape.This year’s event will be held on june 4.

year my life changedChief Minister opens up about pivotal 2011 in inspirational speech

he gave a moving, personal account of how things had changed drastically in the space of just a few months.Wiping away tears, Picardo said: “In that year, I got di-vorced, engaged, moved house, made leader of the GSLP party and Chief Minis-ter of Gibraltar.“20 years after Joseph Garcia and I set up a political party and became total nuisances, the road to Cornwall Place had reached its destination.”He also reminisced about his early career choices, the first being priesthood after being inspired by Sunday church visits at the age of seven.His second dream, becoming a pilot, was quashed when his schoolteacher said that you couldn’t fly planes if you wore glasses.Finally, reminisced Picardo, his teacher came up trumps when he told him he could actually ‘make a living out of arguing’.“From that moment I knew I wanted to be a lawyer, and after that a politician,” he said.He later quipped: “I hate talk-ing about myself, it’s much eas-ier talking about gay marriage.”

OPENING UP: Picardo revealed early career hopesTechnicolour dream- KutsSUMMER in Gibraltar is set to be a scorcher with the announce-ment of dance music DJ Krafty Kuts at the Festival of Colours.Held on July 23 at Europa Point cricket pitch, early bird tickets are now on sale for the Rock’s main alter-native to the Gibraltar Music Festival.Local DJ’s Racs & Lima have been announced alongside legendary Brit Krafty Kuts, with more to come.The festival, which sold over 2,500 tickets last year, sees paint thrown around until the audience resembles a rainbow. Rapper Tinchy Stryder (pic-tured) performed in its maiden event last year.Tickets can be purchased Music Corner, Main Street and Online.

LINE-UP: (From left) Kayley Mifsud, Ashleen Snape, Joseanne Bear, Maxine Field, Sarah Adnett, Rosanna Fernandez, Jeslyn Ferrary, Alexandra Enriles and Aicha Benyahya

By Tom Powell

4 www.gibraltarolivepress.com

NEWs iN BRiEF

NEWsFebruary 3rd - February 16th 2016

Clean upGIBRALTAR has become a member of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, an international organisa-tion working towards re-ducing pollutants.

net gainsINTERNET provider u-mee has upgraded its fibre broadband speeds for all customers in Gibraltar, doubling to 100Mbps for home customers.

Cut backsONLINE gaming giant Bwin Party has made 11 Gibraltar-based employ-ees redundant as part of a global strategic review, following a takeover by Isle of Man company GVC Holdings.

Border hellTHE Gibraltar/Spain bor-der queue returned to the dark days of two and half hours long at periods last Friday afternoon.

stay cleanFABIAN Picardo and Min-ister Sacramento attended a Stay Clean stand at the Piazza last weekend which encouraged people to avoid drugs.

A FREE trade zone could be offered to Gibraltar businesses in a ground-breaking new deal with San Roque Town Hall.The economic zone of 165,000 m2 will be set up in the Gua-darranque area for any Gibral-tar companies to invest in.It comes after an extremely constructive meeting be-tween Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and San Roque May-or Juan Carlos Ruiz Boix.

A GROUP of Gibraltar footballers have been ac-cused of betting against themselves following a blunder by Bet365.The players from Red Imps - a second division reserve side - are being in-vestigated by the Gibral-tar FA after they allegedly placed bets of up to £500 on their second round cup game last week.It is understood that some of the team may have even wagered against themselves win-ning, which is illegal.

SkewedIt comes after the gam-ing firm Bet365 incor-rectly put their rivals - Gibraltar United - as 17-1 underdogs, when in re-ality they were massive favourites.The company had mis-taken them for the Pre-mier division Champi-ons, Lincoln Red Imps, of which they are the re-serve team.This meant the odds for the Rock Cup game were wildly skewed and Bet365 was forced to sus-pend betting the night before the match after a series of big bets began flowing in.A GFA spokesman said: “The Gibraltar FA’s In-tegrity Unit has begun a full investigation”.Gibraltar United went on to win the match 2-1.

Brothers in arms

Successful talks between Gibraltar and San Roque could yield free trade zone and tourist initiatives

By Iona napier

Stressing a new bid for coop-eration the leaders revealed they plan to push forward on numerous areas, including employment, business, tour-ism and education.One concrete move is to base a number of summer courses organised by Cadiz University at the recently inaugurated

Own goal!

University of Gibraltar.New joint tourism pack-ages will encourage visitors to Gibraltar also using San Roque’s golf courses, polo clubs and the historic Roman town of Carteia.“The common theme between Ruiz Boix and me is that we have the same objective: to deal with the problems of the people,” said Picardo.Picardo told the Olive Press last year he believes bet-ter cooperation and special free trade zones like the one planned could create over 40,000 new jobs in the Cam-po de Gibraltar.This week Ruiz Boix added: “We want the tourist scene to be diverse and although this has been attempted in the past, we are determined to make the collaboration work.”He continued: “We are broth-er towns with common space and the most important thing is to be good neighbours on both sides of the fence.”

COnVICTed criminals owe Gibral-tar’s courts over £600,000. The arrears come from fines issued to members of the public in Magistrates Court over the past three years. The figure represents a £54,000 in-crease on the amount owed a year ago. The court’s Chief executive now wants to develop a plan to improve the recovery of fines.“The Chief executive is to meet with developers of the Integrated Crimi-nal justice system in the middle of

june 2015,” said a spokesman for the Principal Auditor.“she also explained that there was nothing that could be done adminis-tratively in respect of the recovery of unpaid fines imposed, as she did not have jurisdiction over timescales set for the payments of such fines nor for any procedures regarding their recovery.” Meanwhile the public also owes the Housing department £6 million in uncollected rents.Rental state, Page 23

COURT deBT CRACKdOWn

PALS: Picardo and Ruiz Boix

Opinion Page 6

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FEATURE

GIBRALTAR Covering Gibraltar

with 10,000 copies

Taxing times

WITH countless people left waiting years for tax rebate payments, the government might want to take a look at recouping the massive debt owed by the public. The fact that the government is owed £6 million in un-paid rentals for government housing is a criminal sta-tistic for such a small population. And yet convicted criminals themselves still owe £600,000 in unpaid court fines. While bringing up the topic of ‘debt’ is unattractive and uncomfortable, if Gibraltar is struggling to meet rebate payments it may be time to call in the debt collectors.

Great matesWHAT a pleasure it was to see Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and San Roque mayor Juan Carlos Ruiz Boix embrace like long-lost brothers when they met last week.Their cooperation and communication is a valuable ex-ample to Spanish-Gibraltarian relationships on a much larger scale.Mutual respect, cooperation and the shared will for their citizens to prosper is surely the only way forward for bordering countries or territories to exist.This is why the new 165,000 m2 trading zone in Gua-darranque will be such an exciting step for all econo-mies concerned.

Foul playIF it happened in the Premiership, there would be up-roar (and rightly so).The footballers who allegedly bet against themselves after spotting a mistake in the odds on their match crossed a serious line.If Gibraltar is to move forward as a footballing nation, this less-than-amateur attitude needs to be eradicated.Of course, we will wait and see what the Gibraltar FA investigation uncovers.But if what has been alleged is true, these players should never walk out on the Victoria Stadium pitch again.

February 3rd - February 16th 2016

A GLASS of chilled Alvarinho sipped overlooking the Douro River was the treasure at the end of an adventure that

spanned some of the wildest, most al-luring scenery of Spain and Portugal.After a morning of sightseeing around the cobbled streets of Unesco-protect-ed Porto, we were certainly ready for an aperitif before lunch.It could have been a glass of the city’s famed port wine, but somehow Alvarinho – from the nearby Vinho Verde region and known as Albarino across the border in Spain – seemed more appropriate at this time of day; its bone-dry, yet honeyed consistency matching the scenery, but not mud-dling the senses.A magical place, steeped in history and not dissimilar to Jerez or Bor-deaux, Porto’s wines may define the city, yet they go nowhere near doing it justice.Porto is indeed a lot more than its rather cloying, over-sweet famous vino. A grand, yet easily manageable metropolis that spans one of Europe’s most famous rivers, it is hilly and his-toric, and civilised and rough-round-the-edges in equal proportions.Its geography beside the swift-moving Douro river, as it approaches the sea, conjures up a mesmerising possibility of walks and scenery that combine both urban chic and seaside vistas.Above all, its people are urbane and hard-working (said to be the true graft-ers of Portugal), and take great pride in offering up the best their city has to offer.The destination had continually come up as I looked for a romantic escape, not too far to drive from the Costa del Sol, but far enough away - and exotic enough - to offer up a sufficient wow

Silver route to PortoWine, olive oil and scenery…Jon Clarke heads on a romantic Spring trip to Porto taking in the best of the western part of Spain en route

factor.Exciting in both name and spirit, Google Maps revealed - somewhat surprisingly - that it was just over six hours by car. I was sold.Not only would this combine the con-cept of a foreign holiday, but it would take in a famous city and offer up some of Spain’s most stunning scen-ery en route.Taking our time and looking for the most interesting drive possible, the majority of the journey followed the celebrated ‘silver route’ that winds its way up from Sevilla through Extremad-ura, Castilla y Leon and finally Galicia.This was the ancient highway that got its name from the wealthy conquista-dores who, having conquered parts of the New World, returned to Sevilla by boat bestowed with impossible wealth.From here, they re-turned to their towns and villages - mostly to the poor northern region of Extremadura - with their bags of sil-ver to build grand and lavish mansions.Nowhere is this more apparent than in Trujil-lo or Caceres, but equally in the more easily-reached Zafra, where we were to spend our first night.We had arrived in Zafra mid-afternoon after a straightforward three hour drive from the Costa del Sol. A magi-cal town of just 16,000 inhabitants it tilts around its fairy-tale castle (now a Parador) and a walled city core that yields up two of the prettiest, Medi-eval squares in Spain. Anything but grand, their romantic colonnades, arches and palm trees were conve-

From here it was an easy three hour drive to Porto, stopping only for a rather bizarre lunch in a strange town not far from the border.Our return journey got better for scenery as we headed up the Douro river, through the breathtaking inland region of Tras-os-Montes in the direction of Braganza. Ostensibly to run a rule over Europe’s first hotel opened by the Six Senses chain (see panel right), it meant visiting the Douro re-gion that produces Portugal’s best wine.A series of excellent roads led us through rolling green hills and finally mountains, as we approached the Spanish border.

Crossing at Ciudad Ro-drigo, we headed south on the wonderfully empty CL-526 through classic Salamanca province coun-tryside with hardly a car on the road. Dipping at random off the main road towards a clutch of villages to the east, we eventually found the per-

fect lunch spot, Bar Reja, in La Encina, which at first gave the sensation that we might have been on the menu.Tumbling through a wooden door we were met by a packed bar full of 30 men and what may have been two women, all of whom stopped talking and stared at us as we attempted to procure a meal.Entirely ignored by the barman and his wife, a sullen old crow, we were eventually told that 3.15 was ‘very late’ for lunch, but they would ‘see’ if anything could be ar-ranged.A full five minutes later, with not a sniff of a cana nor croquette, we were suddenly bundled through a side door into a sizeable meson of a dozen tables and a handful of families merrily eating lunch.Our table was set and on it were two bottles of Estrella Galicia, a massive hunk of bread and within a minute a flurry of dishes be-gan to arrive and by 4pm I had eaten pos-sibly the freshest, most authentic venta lunch in my entire two decades in Spain. Original (free range egg in tuna with melted cheese), heart-warming (a cabbage broth), carnivorous (lamb chops, followed by solo-millo) and sweet (an odd take on flan), we even had the owners sat down with us by the end, telling us stories of local folklore.Sad to leave, we ploughed on down into Ex-tremadura, God’s own country, where you are as likely to see eagles and vultures as people.Ostensibly one big nature reserve and com-prising a larger concentration of protected areas than anywhere else in Spain, it is al-ways a delight to travel around.For the last leg of our trip we had opted for a romantic two-night stop in the hilly Vera

niently lined with craft shops and tapas bars. The best, La Queseria, served up a fantas-tic mix of goats and sheep cheeses, some hot, some cold, with, appropriately, a good mix of Portuguese wines, to get us in the mood.Our hotel also stuck to the script, the historic (and aptly sounding) Casa Palacio Conde de la Corte, went back to the 19th cen-tury and sat on its own lovely square.Full of antique fur-niture and bullfight-ing memorabilia, its pretty garden and stunning wrought iron balconies gave a fla-vour of the days of the conquistadores.

‘Romantic in the extreme, the olive estate was filled with candles and

antiques’

PORTSIDE: The old docks in Porto and historic bridge

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FEW places in Europe have such an exacting sense of place.Nestled in a vineyard and beside acres of

woodland, there is nothing unnatural about the Six Senses Douro Valley Resort.Slowly developing over two centuries, this 19th century chateau sits on a gentle meander of the Douro river, some 90 minutes inland from Porto.Counting on a sizeable vegetable garden, or-chards and even orange groves, it is the sort of place where, throw in a pig and a couple of goats, one could have a stab at the good life and angle for self sufficiency.So it is entirely appropriate that one of the world’s most exclusive hotel chains has recently opened its first European hotel here.Launched in Asia, the Six Senses chain, that now stretches from Oman to Vietnam, is known for its approach to sustainability and is a keen supporter of organic agriculture and initiatives, such as the Slow Food movement.This is quickly apparent with its new resort which puts a big emphasis on its produce, counting on two organic gardens, fabulous herb beds and a big composting facility.Banning all pesticides and big on mulching, its gardeners use aromatic plants, such as calen-dula and lemongrass, to keep the pests at bay.“We aim to be self sufficient one day and local, seasonal produce is a major focus in our res-taurants,” explains manager Nick Yarnell, who previously worked at the Four Seasons in Mar-rakech.The menu certainly reflects this, focussing heav-ily on vegetables and broths, and winter flavours: A leek and persimmon salad with pine nuts and rocket is assembled entirely from the grounds, while truffled mushrooms with free range egg is straight from the nearby hills.The food was perfectly matched by the ambi-ence of the dining room; with its flagstone floors, ancient wooden doors and original selection of family photos and curios.This look spreads throughout the hotel, which unfolds like a sultan’s palace, and includes a breathtaking spa, amazing ‘wine library’ and styl-ish bar area, replete with pool table and a huge

t r u n k full of games for children.But really nothing has been left to the imagina-tion and guests are offered a choice of activities during the day - many free - including ‘tree climb-ing’, yoga and guided walks around the grounds, vineyard and herb garden.My favourite part - with the exception of the stunning views along the river from the bedroom - was a complimentary wine tasting session, in-cluding the hotel’s very own coupage. It couldn’t have better summed up the hotel’s very existence and sense of place.

To sum up; as luxury goes this new resort cre-ates a definite destination in one of Portugal’s poorest regions and its success will hopefully in-spire the chain to open more around the Iberian Peninsula over the next few years.

7www.gibraltarolivepress.com FEATURE February 3rd - February 16th 2016

A real sense of place

Olive Press reviews Europe’s first six senses resort on the douro river

Silver route to Porto

PLOT OF COLOURS: Fisherman’s cottages line the quay

TIMELESS: Yuste monastery

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and bathrooms Visit our showroom and see

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region of inland Casares, in the foothills of the Sierra de Gredos.Vaqueria Cantaelgallo was the perfect spot for a winter break with log-burning stoves in every room and thick woolen throws on the beds. Atmospheric in the extreme, the olive es-tate couldn’t have felt more romantic with seductive lighting, candles in every room and countless antiques and furniture.Renovated slowly, nothing had been left to the imagination by owners, interior de-signer Soledad and Jago, who is part of the important NH hotel group in Madrid.The couple are very much the life and soul of this place and have their own chickens, geese and even a trio of donkeys, who are a big hit with children.You can eat dinner here and, best of all, have a bespoke tasting of the finca’s own varieties of olive oil, which come from an-cient trees, many hundreds of years old.It is a lovely region and the local towns of Jaraiz and Jarandilla de la Vera are worth a poke about, as is the fabulously sited monastery of Yuste, where Holy Roman Emperor, King Charles V, famously spent

the last month of his life.We were sad to have to leave on the long journey south… to be exact five hours, but hey, this was a week of adventure taking in both rural and urban and plenty of good food and wine to boot and the total driving time had been little over 15 hours.

Visit www.vaqueriacantaelgallo.com

www.gibraltarolivepress.com8 www.theolivepress.esCAMPO DE GiBRALTAR

NEWs iN BRiEF

February 3rd - February 16th 2016

POLICE downed tools last week as a row over wages erupted in La Linea. The Police union SPPL is at loggerheads with mayor Juan Franco for not paying officers what ‘they were promised’. In protest, La Linea’s police station was shut down for 24 hours as the police force went on strike. SPLL spokesman Raul Ur-bano accused Franco of not delivering on his pre-election promise to increase overtime pay. The union is demanding bet-ter pay for officers who work evening and weekend shifts. “At the moment, officers who work unsociable hours are paid the same as those who work Monday to Friday, 9 until 3,” Urbano said. “That is just not fair.” He added: “Franco promised

Guitar heroAN outdoor homage to flamenco legend Paco de Lucia is set to get Algeciras’ streets clapping.The Algeciras Dreams of Paco show on February 26 will fea-ture locals playing songs from de Lucia’s lengthy back cata-logue throughout the city centre.The festival, in its second year, is the brainchild of local musi-cians Salvador Andrades and Chico Valdivia.Flamenco aficionados at Plaza Alta will raise their guitars in honour of the singer on the anniversary of his death during the Guitars to the Sky tribute. De Lucia, who died in 2014, has been described as ‘one of his-tory’s greatest guitarists’.

FIsH FIGHTACTIVISTS have lashed out at illegal tuna fishing that they say is threatening Campo de Gibraltar dolphins.Verdemar ecologistas en Accion has condemned fishermen from Huelva and Barbate for intruding into the Bay of Algeciras despite the tuna season ending in july. Herds of bottlenose, common and striped dolphins eat similar food to the tuna which makes them vul-nerable to fishing boats, claims the environmental-ist group.“They are risking physical and mental damage,” said a Verdemar spokesperson.“We don’t understand how authorities can apply laws but ignore environmental legislation.”The group says it is preparing to send a report on the issue to Brussels and strasbourg authorities.

Access deniedDRUG traffickers will soon be blocked from ferrying sup-plies up the Guadarranque river, Spanish government authorities have claimed.A physical barrier is due to be constructed on the 43 km riv-er that flows into the Bay of Algeciras, announced Fran-cisco Martínez, the secretary of state and security.“This is about forming an effective barrier against the drug traffickers, something we have been working on now for months,” said MartinezOnce approval has been given by the Junta and local authorities, work will begin on the barrier with Martinez hopeful it will be finished by the end of the summer.

Getting safe THE city of Algeciras is get-ting safer.Crime has reduced by 8.2% over the course of this year.In Cadiz the number of inci-dents and offences decreased by 3.1% and in Andalucia the overall figure dropped 4.4%.“For another year in a row Algeciras’ crime has fallen, transforming our city into one of the safest in Europe,” said Algeciras mayor Jose Ig-nacio Landaluce.Landaluce put the improve-ment down to better coop-eration between the different police forces.

Cop shop shutoutFight over police wages leads to protests and station closure

pay rises before he was elect-ed. He cannot go back on his word and expect no reaction. “Protests will continue until we have come to an agree-ment.” In January, Urbano prom-ised he would increase police wages when the budget was restructured and ‘funds be-came available’.

PROTEST: Over wages

Almost thereTHE remodeling work on the central entrance to Algeciras port will be completed in May, fol-lowing two years of con-struction.

Land listedTHe strait of Gibral-tar and the villages of Castellar de la Frontera and Bolo-nia have been added to the spanish Min-istry of Culture’s register of cultural landscapes in Anda-lucia.

Rap raceLOS Barrios Town Hall is holding a se-ries of ‘rap battles’, like those seen in the film 8 Mile, for youths on February 21.

Pirate featALGECIRAS police have intercepted a total of 47 ‘pirate taxis’ - unli-censed passenger trans-port services - since 2014.

www.gibraltarolivepress.comwww.theolivepress.esNEWs 9

la cultura

CLUBHOUSE Gibraltar has been chosen as one of the lucky charities to receive unsold food donations from Morrison’s.The supermarket has now launched its UK-wide cam-paign to donate all food which has passed its best-before date but is still edible.The charity runs a work-based programme for indi-viduals with a history of men-tal illness.“This initiative is proving invaluable in preparing our daily meals by considerably cutting down food shop-ping costs while providing a healthy and nutritious variety

GIBRALTAR will transform into the Emerald City for World Book Day on March 3.The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is the theme for the day, with children encouraged to attend the event at the John Mackintosh Hall dressed as their favourite fictional char-acter.There will be a book exchange and fair in the Lower Exhibi-tion room, with local authors signing and selling books in the Gallery.A story-telling session will take place from 4:30 to 5:30 in the theatre with songs and dances performed by the Tears of Joy choir and Tran-sition Dance Academy.World Book Day is an annual event organised by UNESCO, launched in 1995.

Trading classesTHe education ministers for Gibraltar and La Lin-ea have discussed potential cooperation during a visit to the Rock’s university.education Minister Gilbert Licudi took councillor Rosa Lopez on a tour of the Rock’s university and explained the various courses on offer.during the tour, they discussed areas of potential cooperation, including exchange visits.

Talking it outGIBRALTAR’S heritage is set to be examined in a new series of debates.Held by the Gibraltar Heri-tage Trust, they will focus on issues affecting the heritage environment, its manage-ment, preservation and im-provement.The first session, titled ‘Can a sensitive balance between preservation of our Heritage and the drive for urban de-velopment be achieved?’, will be held on March 1.“The ‘heritage’ subject can be a hugely divisive issue but it is also immensely powerful in bringing communities and nations together,” said a Trust spokesman.“We hope to stimulate new thinking on the benefits of our heritage to us all.”The debates are open to the public and free of charge.

Coining it inA SERIES of unique Gibraltar coins to commemorate Queen Eliza-beth’s 90th birthday have been unveiled at the World Money Fair.The coins featuring effigies of the Queen throughout the years were presented at the Berlin show and will be released as part of the monarch’s birthday celebrations this year.Other Gibraltar coins to be released in 2016 are dedicated to the Battle of the Atlantic and the Macaque monkeys. Speaking at the event, Minister Joe Bossano said: “The level of interest and number of contacts that we have made to increase the sales of Gibraltar coins and notes has been very worthwhile and well beyond our expectations.”

Clubbing together

Mental illness charity thanks Morrison’s for ‘invaluable’ food donationsof lunches,” said a Clubhouse spokesman.The donations include tinned and frozen food as well as pre-packed bread items.The other charities to receive food donations have not yet been announced.Morrison’s initiative, as first reported by the Olive Press in October, was introduced following a successful trial in more than 100 stores in the north east England.

Tinmen and lions

ON CAMPUS: Licudi and Lopez

UNVEILING: Bossano (far left) at World Money Fair

10

www.molinodelsanto.com | info@molinodelsanto.com | +34 952 16 71 51ESTACIÓN DE BENAOJÁN, NEAR RONDA, MÁLAGA

SPECIAL PERSON WANTED

ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt

Ronda area’s leading rural hotel, Molino del Santo, needs a very special person for our 2016 season.We are looking for a front-of-house person to lead our restaurant team.

The role is all about making sure everyone who visits Molino has a wonderful experience from beginning to end. Simple as that!

Formal restaurant training would be preferred, bilingual English and Spanish and an ability to motivate a team is essential. You will need to be a little flexible

to work in this environment which has moments of high pressure.

We open from March to October but can adapt the starting date for the right person. Fully legal contract, holidays, uniform and meals on duty of course.

Please write to us explaining why you are the ideal person to join us at Molino del Santo. No phone calls please.

Write to Andy Chapell and Pauline Elkin atinfo@molinodelsanto.com

MOLINO DEL SANTO OPENS FOR ITS 30th SEASON ON 4th MARCH 2016 -

just in time for Mothering Sunday.

Please reserve for any visit to the hotel or restaurant - and kindly note

the hotel is full during the weekend of the 5th March.

www.clinicadentquality.com

T. 951 050 049 / M. 601 376 202recepcion@clinicadentquality.com

Sotogrande, Cádiz C.C. Sotomarket A7. Salida 130

Puerto BanúS Inside Hospital Banús (Humanline)

MarBella Av. Severo Ochoa, 12 Bloque 4, 29600

We would like to know you.

la cultura 11

what’s on

February 17th - March 1st 2016

IT is not often you’ll find Fabian Picardo discussing his personal life while shar-ing the stage with a Polish man declar-ing his love for bikes.

But it was this bizarre blend which made GibTalks, the Rock’s answer to TedTalks, so fantastic.The unlikely star was Tomasz Zakrzewicz, one of four members of the public drawn out of a hat for a ten minute speech, who spoke passionately about the humble bicycle.By the time he finished, he certainly had me wondering why on earth Gibraltar isn’t a Netherlands-style cycle-friendly city with bike lanes navigating the whole Rock.Meanwhile, poet, playwright and all-round cultural wizard Rebecca Faller delved into her fascinated Anglo-Indian family history.John Goncalves shed light on Gibraltar’s entry into basketball’s world governing body, particularly overcoming the Spanish resistance and how its president, a Cata-

Words of wisdomGibraltar’s version of TedTalks was as bizarre as it was inspiring, reports Tom Powell

“Every time you fail you fall down, but when you

pick yourself up again you’re a little bit further forward. I wish I failed more so that I could be better.”

Philip Vazquez, lawyer

“The stage is a place where I can escape and

do anything.”Davina Barbara,

radio presenter/actress

“If it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down.”

Eyleen shiel, journalist

“The most inspiring mo-ment of my life was

when I met Mother Teresa, her humility has stayed with me forever.”

Edward Bates, Opposition Sport and

Culture minister

“Where would we be without dreamers like

Steve Jobs? Dreamers and pragmatists are two sides of the same coin.”

Paul Cosquieri, artist

“I want to change the world so use a bike and take

responsibility for the planet.”Tomasz Zakrzewicz,

bike lover

lan, congratulated him afterwards.A brave Tiffany Button-Reyes spoke about her battle with depression in an eye-open-ing episode.Another highlight was artist Paul Cosqui-eri who spoke about the need for dream-ers in society, while a slideshow of his depictions of the Rock played above him.In all, there were 14 speakers plus four public ‘vox pop’ speakers in a day that surely inspired the packed out John Mackintosh Hall.An intense ten-minute tirade from Chron-

icle journalist Eyleen Shiel about how we are ‘destroying the planet’ stood out, as did young lawyer Philip Vazquez’ ode to the importance of failure.The day ended with a double whammy of childbirth stories. First, Polly Lavarello spoke of her harrowing experience in Ca-diz hospital and how she created the web-site Mum on the Rock.Then, in an uplifting finale, former govern-ment minister Fabian Vinet relived the traumatic yet ultimately successful birth of his son ‘11 weeks too soon’.

STAGE IS SET: For GBC presenter Davina Barbara

INSPIRING: (From left) speakers Philip Vazquez, Polly Lavarello and Tomasz Zakrzewicz

sunborn Wedding show, February 20-21

Prepare for that special day by visiting the Sun-born Hotel where the very best suppliers will be showcasing their wedding day props and accessories. Info: 350 20070500

Paul isola & Friends, February 27

St Michael’s Cave is the venue for this evening of local bands, featur-ing Melon Diesel, Area 52, Adrian Pisarello, Reach, Gib Floyd, Her-itage and DCR. Info: paul@bigmanenter-tainment.net

Totally Awesome 80s, February 27O’Callaghan Eliott

Hotel hosts this fun live show and dance with a two-course din-ner: Info: tel - 350 20070500 or tatiana.c h a w l o w s k a @ o c a l -laghanhotels.com

Young Art Competi-tion, March 2-11A showcase for

Gibraltar’s up-and-coming artistic talent with work on view for free at John Mackin-tosh Hall

12 www.gibraltarolivepress.com

POTTED POINTERSEMERGENCIESPolice 199Medical service 190Fire 190

eURO eXCHAnGe RATes 1 euro is worth1.11 American dollars0.77 British pounds1.54 Canadian dollars7.46 Danish kroner8.68 H Kong dollars9.62 Norwegian kroner1.56 Singapore dollars

AndALUCIA ReseRVOIRLeVeLs

This week: 60.70%Same week last year: 78.09%Same week in 2005: 57.99%

AIRPORTsGibraltar -00350 22073026Granada-Jaen -958 245 200Jerez - 956 150 000Malaga - 952 048 844**For English press 9 Sevilla - 954 449 000

LETTERs

Most read this fortnight on www.theolivepress.es

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

October 2015

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olive pressonline

Most read this fortnight on www.theolivepress.es

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

October 2015

Page views:xxxxxxxxx

Visitors: xxxxxxxx

The Olive Press TOP for news in Spain!

SOCIALMEDIA

OlivePressNewspaper

olivepress

olivepressnews

+TheolivepressEs

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

Gangsters’ paradise: A look at the key figures past and present of the Costa del Crime - 3872 views

Torremolinos to open Anda-lucia’s biggest shopping and leisure centre - 3122 views

Gibraltar schoolgirl reaches semi-final of Spanish TV talent show - 3065 views

Download our app now and begin enjoying the best Spanish news on the go.

BE ‘APPY!

Statistics for: February 2nd - February 15th

Page Views: 268,802

Visitors: 56,437

Bounce Rate: 0.57%

Most read stories

1- Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson flies an

endangered turtle to Spain (10,025)

2- Malaga province set for cold and snowy Valentine’s weekend

(8,658)

3- A closer look at Spain’s biggest earth-quake in over half a

century (6,163)

4- Two bodies with stab wounds found in Este-

pona (4,573)

5- World’s strongest boy helps Down

Syndrome classmate train in Gibraltar

(3,025)

spain and Gibraltar’s best English daily news

website

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.

February 3rd - February 16th 2016

Thanks for helping fightDEAR OP,

Thanks so much for your sup-port in my fight to protect my disabled son’s wellbeing (Keep him safe, issue 11). I just want to be able to erect a fence around my property as he can be a danger to himself and others.

Susan Ignacio,Gibraltar

Open your eyes!I CANNOT believe the Guar-dia Civil fined the lady for not being able to read her num-ber plate, it is clear as day (The law is blind, issue 11).It looks to me as though the Guardia should get their of-ficers’ eyes tested more often. Or preferably, their morals, ethics and honesty.Venture an hour inland and you come across a differ-ent world. Cars are not even road legal, let alone having perfect number plates. Up in the small villages there are essentially no laws for driv-ers. The traffic police in Spain only function on main roads where they are desperate to

Mum’s the wordI WOULD like to thank the Olive Press for publishing Leon de Roeck’s work with my son Caine (Caine-ing it, issue 232). Leon has been a great inspiration to Caine, he takes his time in guiding him and helps him achieve his goals. Caine has Downs Syndrome and it is therefore so encouraging to see his classmate looking out for him and teaching him a new skill. Caine is a very active boy and it is great to see him find a new way of keeping himself fit. Leon deserves all the praise in the world.

Karisse McWilliam,Gibraltar

Big heart WOW! What can I say! Leon de Roeck is a strong boy with a big heart! And as for Caine, he’s an inspiration to us all! He is such a loving 15-year-old boy who has gained the hearts of many! Never change Caine you are one in a million. I am sure you are both inspired by each other. Keep up the good work and the special friendship.

Heidi Jefferies, Gibraltar

GyM BUddIesfulfill their quota, otherwise they get their own salary cut…

Harriet Ford, Alhaurin el Grande

Fuel for thoughtI WANT the Olive Press and its readers to re-open the debate on the UK’s de-cision to stop the winter fuel allowance to expats. The European Union has made it abundantly clear to David Cameron that he cannot stop the payment of child benefit to families whose children do not live in the UK. Further, while researching this issue over the past 18 months, I came across a relevant European Court of Justice case. In the Opinion of Advocate sum-mary, referring to Legal Context section 2a, it stated that a member state could not alter, reduce or rescind payment of non-contributo-ry cash benefits, simply be-cause the claimant lived in a different EU country. This is exactly what the British government has done, stat-ing that their decision is based on the fact we live in a ‘hot country’!The law is a bit of a minefield for one person and would most probably carry more weight as a ‘class action’ and I think this is where the Olive Press (always seek-ing to right wrongs!) and its readers can help!

Gina Watson, Malaga

Somatics comes to Gibraltar!

Do you suffer from back, neck, shoulder or hip pain?

Do you suffer with painful sciatica?Are you stuck at a desk all day?Do you have trouble sleeping?

Would you like to improve your posture?Would you like to improve your game

of golf & other sports?

If you answered YES, come and try something different!

Somatic movements are very relaxing and easy to do; they are also very effective at

releasing pain and tension in the body. In class you will learn skills to help you take care of

yourself for years to come!

Classes will start 11th January, visit www.somaticsgibraltar.com or

call Sarah 00 34 678 968 954 for more details.

*Special first time offer!*5 classes for the price of 4 (£40!)

Vol. 1 Issue 11 www.gibraltarolivepress.com February 3rd - February 16th 2016

GIBRALTAR

olive pressThe only investigative local newspaper

FREE

theBREXIT AND EARTHQUAKES - WHAT’S THE BIGGEST WORRY? - PAGE 6-7

Tel: +350 200 75188

Fax: +350 200 72653

Gibraltar’s Best

Stocked Cookshop!

Offering an extensive range of

quality cookware & accessories

46, Irish Town, P.O. Box 136, Gibraltar

Gib 1-0 Spain

GIBRALTAR is celebrat-

ing a thumping victory

after Spain was forced

to overturn a ban on the

Rock’s hockey clubs.It comes after the Ol-

ive Press confronted the

Spanish government over

why Spanish teams had

apparently been told to

play no friendly games

with any Gibraltar teams.

The retreat by the Spanish

government’s Consejo Su-

perior De Deportes (CSD)

came after further pres-

sure from the Gibraltarian

authorities.The Gibraltar Hockey As-

sociation (GHA) was in-

formed of the u-turn late

on Friday night by the

Royal Federation of Span-

ish Hockey (RFEH).“It’s fantastic news,” GHA

president Carl Rammage told

the Olive Press.“Everyone is very happy

and looking forward to

playing again. I have spo-

ken to representatives

from Spanish clubs over

the weekend and we are all

looking forward to getting

on with it.“I am surprised at how

quickly this has been re-

solved.”The European Hockey

Federation (EHF) was also

happy that the issue was

dealt with so swiftly.Its director general Angus

A DESPERATE mother is

campaigning to have a fence

erected around her property

to protect her profoundly dis-

abled son. Susan Ignacio fears 18-year-

old Liam is a danger to him-

self and others. Suffering from autism, epi-

lepsy and Parkinson's, Liam

also has severe behavioural

difficulties which his mother

claims could lead to him

‘hurting someone’.And after having eight opera-

KEEP HIM SAFE Mother launches petition to keep disabled son fenced in to stop him ‘hurting someone’

EXCLUSIVE By Rob Horgan

tions on her leg, Susan’s own

physical disability means she

can no longer stop Liam from

wandering out of their home.

She has applied to the govern-

ment to construct a gate and

fence for the past five years

but the housing department

has rejected her application

each time. “Liam tends to go out of the

house on his own and I can

no longer stop him,” Susan,

45, told the Olive Press. “On

a good day he is fine, inquisi-

tive and just wants to talk to

neighbours. “However, on a bad day he is

a danger to himself and could

end up hurting someone.”

She added: “I am no longer

physically able to stop him

when he wants to leave, I have

to call my husband home from

work to deal with Liam.”Susan and her husband Er-

nest, 57, have been applying

to the housing department for

a fence to be installed since

they moved into the Mid Har-

bours Estate five years ago.

Declined every year, letters

from the housing department

(seen by the Olive Press) state

that the work would ‘change

the aesthetics of the building’.

In addition it adds that the

‘encroachment of common

areas’ could lead to problems

with drainage. The Ignacios however contin-

ue to fight the decision on the

grounds that neighbours have

similar gates to what they are

asking for. Their most recent applica-

By Joe Duggan

Family fights back

tion was declined last month,

leaving them with ‘no choice’

but to take matters into their

own hands. Yesterday, they launched

a change.org petition ad-

dressed to the government.

“I do not care if the fence

looks ugly,” she told the Olive

Press. “I just want to make

sure my son is safe.”On the day the petition was

launched nearly 1000 signa-

tures were collected. A spokesman for the govern-

ment promised last night that

it would look into the case.

EXCLUSIVE: “It’s a hoax...

we don’t believe Simon

Corner has been to Spain”

DEMAND: (From left) brother Martin, sister Helen, mum Catherine

and brother Craig want truth about Lisa (second from right and inset)

No need for a lifeboat... new school in safe hands!Olive Press meets new Prior Park head

Page 15

Continues Page 4

Opinion Page 6

Page 2

DANGER: Mum Susan and dad Ernest feel son Liam is a threat while (below) the estate

Manuel Jesus Torrejon Perez Edif. La Duquesa, Portal 1 - Planta 1a, No 6,

29692 Sabinillas, Malaga

20 years experience in Osteopath Manual Therapy

Osteopathy Massage Therapy

Manilva, Sabinillas and Puerto de la DuquesaAll about

13

Vol. 1 Issue 12 www.gibraltarolivepress.com

JULIUS Caesar came for the smelly sulphur springs, flamenco legend Camaron de la Isla for the tranquil-ity, while tourists today come for

its rich and varied beaches, emblematic marina and cosmopolitan vibe.Brand Manilva may not have the instant recognition of its brasher costa cous-ins but like its locally-grown wine – now being given a Michelin star boost by Basque chef Martin Berasategui – the town is definitely improving with age. “There is nowhere quite like Manilva,” explains proud expat councillor Dean Tyler Shelton, a businessman who has lived in the town for 18 years.“We share a fantastic and unique mi-

The perfect catch

The town that enraptured a Roman emperor, a British Prime Minister and a flamenco star is not resting on its laurels in its drive to attract new admirers. Indeed as Joe Duggan discovers, Manilva is...

Turn to Page 18

February 17th - March 1st 2016

cro climate nestled between the Sierra Bermeja mountains and the Straits of Gibraltar, there is a great mix of locals and tourists and there are excellent views of the north African coastline, in-cluding Ceuta. “In fact, most of the time you feel that you could almost reach out and physi-cally touch three countries and two con-tinents from anywhere you are stand-ing.”Manilva’s first port of call is San Luis de Sabinillas, a tourist resort that keeps growing and growing in popularity.‘Sabi’, as it is affectionately known by locals, has boomed over the past few decades from its humble beginnings as

a small fishing village with fishermen’s shacks literally on the beach.This jumble of buildings huddled along a narrow strip of the A7 motorway is home to a thriving expat community. In fact, the European Union flag flut-tering at the entrance to the close-knit town of 6,000 is a fitting symbol of Sabi’s multinational appeal, with Mo-roccans, English, German and Spanish among the easy blend of nationalities living in harmony here. Street signs in English underline Sabi-nillas’ undeniably British feel while in bars such as Ricky Lee’s sports bar and

END OF THE LINE: Manilva is the last resort on the Costa del Sol while (left) Roman baths and (inset) flamenco star Cameron de la Isla and Prime Minister Ted Heath

PHO

TO: J

ON

CLA

RK

E

PRIMROSER E A L E S TAT E

tel: (+34) 661 193 789 info@primrose-realestate.com www.primrose-realestate.com

Primrose Real Estate - run by Lynn Van Wilderode based in Manilva

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14Manilva, Sabinillas and Puerto de la DuquesaAll about

O’Callaghans, expats gather to while away the evenings. But Sabinillas’ healthy for-eign contingent is far from the stereotyped insular-ity of some expat communi-ties which hermetically seal themselves off from their Spanish neighbours. Organ-isations like the Duquesa So-ciety of Saint George, whose charity shops are based in Sabi, have helped foster strong ties between foreign and Spanish residents. The Boxing Day swim, held to raise money for an operation to save a Manilva teenager’s hand, is another example of their community spirit and heroic altruism.Brit Karen Langridge has lived in Sabi for nearly eight years. For four of them she has run La Boutique on Ave-nida de Espana. “It’s such a diverse town, a real hidden gem on the Costa Del Sol. Everyone supports everyone, if anyone has an opening of a new business, for example,” said Karen.“The beach is stunning and you have a nice blend of the old and the up-and-coming. I have seen Sabinillas change a lot over the years. It’s now becomming more cosmopoli-tan and elegant.”Sabi’s scintillating events calendar has also been help-ing to raise its public profile. The Sunday flea market has quickly gained a reputation as one of the best on the Costa del Sol.Every August, thousands of

From Page 17 FORTREss OF FUN

revellers descend for Manil-va’s Full Moon Party. Inspired by the legendary beach par-ties of Thailand’s Koh Pha Ngan island, this family-ori-ented event features Chinese lanterns soaring skyward over the sea.Those same Mediterranean waters have sustained Sabi-nillas over decades. Fishing

is still part of the village’s lifeblood, and the vast monu-ment on the promenade hon-ours those local men who have risked their lives at sea. A mosaic (see right) on Avenida Manilva also pays colourful tribute to this vital industry. Meanwhile, sun worshippers and bathers can enjoy the

Blue Flag beach - one of the coast’s best - which fans out invitingly.Strolling past the restaurants that line the promenade’s wide expanse, you eventually arrive at bustling Puerto de la Duquesa, where the ves-sels are primarily geared to-wards leisure. Ranks of sleek yachts bob

in the harbour, enclosed on three sides by dazzling white buildings. Famed for its nightlife, Puer-to de la Duquesa is also home to well-known bars like Hemingway’s and Leisure Lounge, which has one of the biggest screens to watch sports on the Costa del Sol. Restaurants paying court to a cornucopia of cuisines offer everything from a traditional British carvery to Asian fare and Spanish staples. The best, including Parapiros and Il Capitano, have been plying their trade for over three de-cades.Continue on and after five minutes you arrive at the impressive Castillo de la Duquesa. This hardy fortress has faced the Mediterranean since 1767, when King Carlos III ordered Francisco Paulino to strengthen the coast’s defences. Once home to the king’s cavalry, it now houses a museum. Visitors can am-ble freely around its well-pre-served rooms and ramparts.In Roman times, Duquesa was famed for its produc-tion of garum, a foul-smelling sauce made from anchovies that was hugely popular and exported back to Italy by the tonne (British chemo-chef Heston Blumenthal recently tried his hand at this Manilva

RAMPARTS: Castillo de la Duquesa

THE Olive Press is proud to call Manilva its home.Relocating to the well lo-cated Costa del Sol town two years ago, we have been treated well by the locals and seen business grow as a result.Based in a spacious self-contained office over-looking the busy N-340 motorway, we are just 25 minutes from Marbella and 25 minutes from Gi-braltar.“it is a fantastic loca-tion, strategically for our growth and due to its friendly, down to earth locals,” explained pub-lisher Jon Clarke The of-ficial launch last month was attended by the may-or and Driving Over Lem-ons writer Chris stewart.

MANiLVA - HOME OF THE OLIVE PRESS

PALS: Chief Reporter Tom Powell wuth writer Chris Stewart

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EB manilva supplement 2016:Layout 1 10/02/2016 09:44 Page 1

speciality).Plentiful traces of the area’s Roman roots are also still to be found. Excavation work in 1989 un-covered a bath house site near Plaza de los Banos Romano, and a Roman necropolis lies just north of Castillo de la Duquesa.However one of the most im-pressive Roman sites in Spain lies away from the coast in the hills below Ma-nilva village, on the border of Casares. The Roman Sul-phur Baths of Hedionda tempt-ed no greater personage than Julius Caesar to take a restorative dip and is the reason town got its name Casares.Today, visitors can still wade into the same waters as Rome’s most revered emperor. The sulphur springs gushing from the valley’s limestone outcrop have strong medicinal properties. And although the underground baths aren’t the

most fragrant experience, the cloudy blue pools and arched brickwork offer a fascinating step back in time. In summer, families frolic in the waters or under the shade of eucalyptus trees. For a primal DIY mud pack, simply grab yourself a handful of clay from the sur-rounding walls and smear it all over!And let’s not forget Manilva vil-

lage itself, a sleepy little idyll p e r c h e d high above the hustle and bustle of the cos-ta below. Its white-w a s h e d b u i l d i n g s are framed

with a neat mustard-yellow trim and capped with terracot-ta tiles, a picture-perfect An-dalucian image in a town that remains truly Spanish.Behind this unpretentious fa-cade, Manilva has another less immediately obvious claim to fame: a small wine and grape industry.

The surrounding vineyards har-vest the Moscatel grapes to produce s a young wine called mosto. They also sell the grapes around the country.The NILVA white table wine (see Page 24) is another lo-cal speciality (beer lovers, fret not: local brewery Gran De Se-lect makes some of the finest ales on the Costa Del Sol). In September, the town’s sought-after juicy Malaga raisins are plucked and set out to dry. The Plaza de la Vendimia (Wine Harvest Square) boasts a lovingly-recreated mosaic depicting grape-pickers at work (all except one character, portrayed enjoying a sneaky smoke, adding a humorous touch of realism). On the first weekend in Sep-tember, the square becomes the focal point for the town’s annual harvest festival. Held since the 1960s, Manilva buzzes into life as visitors pour in to celebrate the area’s most famous export.The opening of the Manilva Wine Centre in 2010 further

cemented the town’s links with viticulture. Manilva has a strong sense of its own history. Old photographs offering snapshots of times gone are proudly displayed outside the town hall and in Plaza de la Vendimia, while a sign reminds visitors of the civic motto. ‘Manilva: Very noble and very loyal’. It honours the town’s resis-tance during the Napoleonic wars, when Manilva was one of the few villages not occu-pied by the emperor’s ma-rauding troops.Gazing out from the Pedreta mirador towards the rolling green hills embracing the neighbouring white pueblo of Casares, you can see why Manilva’s town folk were so protective of this strategic vantage point with its incred-ible coastal views.Meandering back through town, St Anne’s church stands like a sentinel to the town’s past, present and future. Wor-shippers have been flocking through its doors since 1776. Next door is the final stop for many of the locals who have spent their whole lives here - the traditional Spanish cem-etery whose row upon row of whitewashed niches bloom with fresh flowers left by car-ing relatives. Even in death, the Spanish in-stinct to remain close to one another endures.Today expats have been wel-comed into the mix and this easy blend of nationalities is a huge part of Manilva’s appeal. Anyone seeking an authentic taste of Andalucia’s laidback charm will find Manilva has it in spades.

During the Napoleonic wars, Manilva was one of few villages

not occupied by marauding troops

CAPTION: Caption here

DOCKED: Puerto de la Duquesa

Market leaderIT is said to be the best flea market on the coast.And hours can certainly disappear while perusing all the weird and wonderful oddities at the bustling Sabinillas

February 17th - March 1st 2016

Sunday marketThe New Fairground on the Rio Manilva road is the latest home for the famous rastro, a colour-ful combination of flea market stalls and fresh produce.The market is always ex-tremely busy with visi-tors coming from afar to bag a bargain. The recent appearance of bullfight-er Javier Conde and his wife, flamenco star Es-trella Morente, has only strengthened its reputa-tion.

Good old St. GeorgeTHE Duquesa society of st George has long been a cornerstone of Sabinillas’ expat community - and now it has expanded.Renowned for its charitable exploits, some of the society’s recent good deeds include providing 500 Christmas gift bags to underprivileged local children,donating €2,217 to La Linea charity Hogar Betania and raising €10,000 for an operation to save an 18-year-old rock climber’s hand.Now as the charity continues to grow, it has opened a new larger shop at Plaza de las Naranjas.Selling mainly second-hand furnishings, decorative items, books, dvds, cds and pictures.its committee of Dean shelton, Gary Beaumont, Daniela Caballero and Judith Beaumont helps orga-nise events throughout the year, including a Sunday market.Both shops welcome donations of second-hand goods and volunteers.

TRADITION: Manilva’s wine and fishing industies in murals

WHEELEY GOOD: Sabi Sunday market

16 Manilva, Sabinillas and Puerto de la DuquesaAll about

IF you are lucky enough to dine at the swish Basque Restaurante Mar-tin Berasategui – the world’s best restaurant according to TripAdvisor

– order a bottle of Nilva from Manilva.Produced from moscatel grapes grown on a tiny vineyard overlooking the sea, the dry, fruity white made a big im-pression on the eight-Michelin-starred chef, Berasategui, who personally se-lected it for his wine list last year.And he’s not the only big name to back Nilva: the wine is now also avail-able at three-Michelin starred Arzak in San Sebastian and endorsed by TV chef David de Jorge of Telecinco show ‘Robin Food’.This success would be remarkable by any standards but the fact that Nilva is the realisation of one Albacete man’s dream makes it all the more astonishing.When I ask Argimiro Martinez Moreno how many people he employs to make the wine, his answer is simple: one, himself!Not long ago the only local wine came in a plastic bottle with no label. Now Argimiro is leading a battle to re-vive and promote the town’s winemak-ing which, after all, has been going on since Roman times. His wine, says Argimiro, is ‘the only wine made on the Costa del Sol and the first to be sold in restaurants and official shops’. Several restaurants and bars along the coast stock the delicious wine, but there should be far more.“I don’t know why more local estab-

Just one man stands in the way of developers to protect Maniva’s historic wine tradition, writes Iona Napier

lishments don’t serve up local pro-duce, particularly as Brits and Scandi-navians love dry, fruity wine and have given great feedback.”The Manilva vineyards are now, officially, at the heart of a massive project to boost lo-cal tourism. Argimiro also runs the new wine museum and ‘wine in-terpretation centre’ at the entrance to Manilva, a treasure trove of exhib-its, with au-diovisual room showing edu-cational films, a chance to see wine being made, and local art exhibi-tions which change monthly. Entrance is just €3 (and free

Humble origins

FROM GROUND TO GLASS: Picturesque Penoneillo grapevine in Manilva

TOP BUYER: Argimiro with Berasategui

17

for Manilva residents). There are extra options for every budget, including a guided tour with wine-tasting and ap-petisers for groups, starting at €13, and a new tour of the museum, bo-dega and vineyard followed by a local speciality of lamb chop grilled on vine branches (‘buenisimo’ according to Argimiro) from €30 per head. The impressive museum which boasts an underground bodega and lab, huge auditorium, bar and terrace, was built by the town hall in 2008 and used for two years as a wine school (Argimiro was originally a teacher) for 24 lucky students until the Junta ran out of funds.But, either way, Ar-gimiro is convinced that the town can cash in on the es-timated six million people coming to Spain for wine tour-ism each year. “I believe we can at-tract a new cultured crowd to Manilva,

aside from the traditional beach tourism,” he estimates.More than just a tourist attrac-tion, the museum’s purpose is to inform locals as well as tourists about the area’s long-standing winemaking tradition. And also the need to protect it.Maps and guides some 500 years old show that Manilva was covered in vines way back from Roman times. But since

then nearly three quarters have vanished, most of them in the last

two decades due to development.“Ultimately owners made a lot more

money selling their land to developers than from making wine,” he explains. “Perhaps 30 to 40 times that amount.”Some of the most productive vine-

yards, such as around Dona Julia golf course in Casares, have long gone due to the construction boom.One of Spain’s most infamous devel-opers Rafael Gomez Sanchez, aka Sandokan, allegedly bought up around half of the land around Manilva village and it was only the property crash that stopped him digging up the lot.“I am passionate about protecting the vines,” says Argimiro, who is now lobbying the authorities to protect the vineyards and help to give them new life.An agricultural engineer by trade, he moved his family to Estepona in 2009 and rented the vineyard ‘del Penon-

cillo’, the bodega and museum from the town hall.“It certainly hasn’t been easy,” admits Ar-gimiro, who, currently bottles between 2,500 and 5,000 bottles a year depending on the harvest. “It definitely isn’t profit-

able yet, the world of wine is very slow, but I believe it will be.”He continues: “It is also perhaps ironic that I have to pay so much to use the museum and land while I am doing so much for tourism. “I guess I must be a little bit mad to pursue this, but if that’s what it takes to succeed then I’m happy to go with that. I really believe in this project.”It’s hard not to admire this man for up-rooting his life in Albacete to bring his wife, Inma, and kids Argimiro, 20, and Carlos, 15, with him on his wine crusade.He was raised by a father who made wine as a hobby, so the passion for winemaking is almost genetic.And his agricultural engineering de-gree, which he got in Cordoba, led to designing vineyards and other projects.

Now his key goal is to get more inter-national chefs, like Martin Berasategui, to visit the winery and stock his wines.He had first met Berasategui in San Sebastian, last year, after sending him some samples to try.“He has completely backed our proj-ect, sponsored some vines and is planning to visit in the future to con-tinue supporting our vision,” he said.If you don’t have the budget to sam-ple Nilva along with a three-course dinner at Restaurante Martin Ber-asategui, you can buy a bottle from the museum in Manilva where it sells from €5. You never know, the local restaurants nearby might let you open it with lunch.

For more info visit www.nilva.es

February 17th - March 1st 2016

Humble originsArgimiro is now

lobbying to the authorities to protect the

vineyards

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FROM GROUND TO GLASS: Picturesque Penoneillo grapevine in Manilva

Manilva, Sabinillas and Puerto de la DuquesaAll about

18

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IF the idea of travelling around the world in 80 res-taurants floats your boat, bustling La Duquesa Port

is the perfect spot to drop anchor.A walk around this white-washed marina takes scarcely longer than five minutes but just count the blackboards promoting cuisine from all over the globe: China, India, Japan, and Singapore, and a plethora of European ports of call too!In the maze of alleys behind the port you will also find the excellent Hemingways, its bustling Irish next-door-neigh-bour Kinsales, as well as Tim’s fish and chips, Italian pizzerias and authentic Span-ish eateries, packed together more tightly than wheels in the car-park.It could be argued that La Duquesa lacks Spanish iden-tity, with more English voices than yachts and more burg-ers than tapas.But step out either side of the port, where Spanish chirin-guitos (and boatfuls of grilling sardines in summer) fringe

Port of AdventureLa Duquesa is a culinary voyage of discovery, writes Tom Powell

expansive soft sand beaches and you’ll be left in no doubt which country you’re in.This social meeting point sings through its restaurants, cafes and bars, the people who work in them and the vis-itors who sit in the sunshine enjoying them.This elegant enclave of tur-rets and towers, pretty plazas and steps leading to different levels juts out from the main-land, encircling its attrac-tions like an oyster encloses

a pearl. Quirky and eclectic, it’s like a younger sister to Puerto Ba-nus – less glam perhaps, but less snooty too; more affable and, importantly, very much

more affordable.This sociable spirit is en-hanced by the people who work here, who hail from all over the world and are woven into the ethnically diverse fabric of La Duquesa.It makes sense that one of the men heavily involved in the port’s growth is Moroc-can Zac Hauswirth. In 2014 he opened his fourth res-taurant here - Casablanca, specialising in food from his homeland.He also runs the Ocean Café, where bartender Christian LLosa, who has lived in Spain since 2006, raves about his ‘workplace’. “It’s friendly, trendy and always busy, rain or shine.Because of the people the port is alive and rapidly growing.”While Christian admits the average age of customers is over 30, that changes during busy weekend ‘happy hours’ which are popular with young and old alike.And of course, it’s hip to 21st century requirements, with wifi freely available in all the cafes and every possible ame-nity a short distance away.

PORT OF COOL: Duquesa

‘WHEN I do a ten-hour day it feels like a half day these days,” explains rushed-off-her-feet Katie Rawlins, of

Breaking Spain.Whether it’s explaining medical documents, translating in court cases or sorting out a driv-ing licence, she does the lot...and the phone starts ringing before 9am and often doesn’t stop till 10pm.“Chasing up ITVs, sorting out NIEs, enrolling kids at school, sorting out a problem with the electricity bill, getting on the padron, those are just some of the things I do,” she explains.The all-round problem-solving magic lady/fixer/agony aunt has been helping expats in the Manilva area (and a long way beyond) for the last decade.

Married to a financier, based in Gibraltar, the 37-year-old Briton moved to the town 12 years ago, following in the footsteps of her mum.Describing herself as an ‘anarchist gestor’, she spends her time running around helping her 200 odd clients that often give her just hours to get a job done.As well as working for Premiership footballers and millionaire businessmen, Rawlins - whose grandmother is Spanish from Valencia - most-ly helps the common man on the street.“I only charge 25 euros to sort out a utility bill and I think I am very good value for what I manage to achieve,” she adds.

Visit www.breakingspain.com or call 616686732

The AnArchisT gesTor

AFTER following in his parents footsteps to Duquesa Port a couple of years ago, profes-

sional chef Matthew Heath needed a business to run.Not just content to cook for mum Beverly in her cafe, Coffee Lounge, and help dad, Stewart, in neighbouring bar, Leisure Lounge, he decided to use his skills as a golfer to get on.Playing off ‘plus one’, he decided to set up a business helping tourists have the ‘best pos-sible’ golf holiday on the Costa del Sol.Organising everything from club hire to trans-port and from accommodation to green fees, it meant he could spend as much time as possible involved in the sport he began playing at the age of 11.“I was playing three or four days a week on arriv-ing in Spain and was hoping to become a pro, but the language barrier stopped me sadly,” explains Matthew, from Romford, in Essex.“Luckily with the new job I get to spend a lot of time on courses and using my knowledge of the

coast to make my clients as happy as possible.”When he is not organising trips with company Duquesagolfandleisure.com, he still helps out cooking at Coffee Lounge, which has a great range of fresh, healthy tapas and dishes, chang-ing by the day.He is also busy helping his dad organise the an-nual Duquesa darts tournament, which takes place over four days in the summer.A keen Spurs fan, his dad’s bar Leisure Lounge has been showing most live football games and boxing matches on its huge 155 inch screen for the last eight years.

www.duquesagolfandleisure.com or call 687471810

Anything but lounging

Manilva, Sabinillas and Puerto de la DuquesaAll about

IT has taken a number of years to sniff out the true din-ing secrets of Manilva.Starting in emblematic

Duquesa Port, you need to get away from the waterfront and head up into the warren of squares to find the best places to eat.Here you will find two of the longest-serving Italians on the entire Costa del Sol, El Capi-tano and Parapiro.El Capitano has been here since 1983, when there were only three restaurants in the entire port.Run by talented Pino, from Basilicata, it is charm personi-fied with sumptuous deep red decor, talented paintings and, even a ceiling not a million miles away from the Sistine chapel.There are over 200 dishes and more than 30 pizzas alone to keep punters satisfied.Pick of the bunch was easily an amazing panzerotti with spin-ach, cheese, mushroom and cream, while pasta stuffed with pear, ham and balsamic vin-egar was also impressive.Nearby at Parapiros, which opened just two years later in 1985, you are also spoilt for choice with quality Italian food.Usually packed at weekends, this ‘institution’ has a more traditional menu, also with a range of pastas and pizzas.I particularly liked the veal chop, stuffed with ham and parmesano, while a beef car-paccio starter was delicious loaded with fresh mushrooms and celery.Also in the port, make sure to

Manilva munchies

There is a host of good places to eat in Manilva if you have the knowledge, writes Dining secrets of Andalucia editor Jon Clarke

visit the well established The Bistro, a steakhouse which serves the best steaks in Ma-nilva, unsurprising given that its ‘sister’ business is the Eng-lish Butcher next door.Sitting in a great spot, there is a good kids menu and the Panko breaded prawns and the duck parcels, with shredded duck in filo pastry, come highly rated.A true dining secret is Floria, which has been dubbed a cross between a ‘Spaghetti Western and the Flintstones’, but to me feels more like Robinson Cru-soe’s shack.Out on its own with the deep blue sea crashing onto the nearby shore, this spot is run by amiable Dutch-South Afri-can Peter and his missus Kar-en, from Antwerp.The menu is simple and all about good fresh fish and bar-becued meats, while the pil pil prawns are some of the best on the coast.Nearby on the main road look out for Mar-lows, probably the finest fish and chip shop on the entire coast.Well estab-lished, having first opened in Gibraltar in the 1960s, punters drive for often over an hour - from Ronda, for example - to sample the amaz-ing cod and chips.A true institution, owner Steve Marlow, has run restaurants around the world and is a clas-sically trained chef, with a good knowledge of the business,

great range of seafood in a charming spot.Having worked as a chef near-by for 27 years, Juan is a talent-ed chap and his three Ps, the prawn pil pil, pulpo and paella come highly rated.Up in central Sabinillas, the beach is lined with restau-rants, but one of the best is

Miel, run by friendly Dutch boss Kaat. An institu-tion with high standards for b r e a k f a s t , lunch and din-ner. With excellent

coffee and a great snacks and tapas menu, it is hardly surpris-ing it is usually full.Another fine place to eat is Marengo, which has a dis-tinctly different feel to its near-by rivals. Run by Isabel, from Madrid, it has a great range of tapas, pin-chos and racions to share.Just inland on the main square be sure to look out Lo de An-dres, run by Andres, of course, who grew up working in his dad’s tapas bars in Ronda.A friendly chap, the mixed tapas plate is fabulous, while the ribs and other fresh dishes are popular with expats.On Friday night, this is the place for live entertainment and now a Spotify set up, where you choose your own songs.Nearby hunt out Cruz Blanca, a typical Madrid-style bar/res-taurant, which serves up ice cold beers and some excellent fresh seafood.There are specials by the day and always some good value tapas at the bar.Owner Juan is a local busi-

nessman, who takes a real pride in the place running like clockwork and being the sort of place that he would like to eat. He has recently opened an ice cream parlour next door and is soon to open, yet another, res-taurant alongside this Spring.Another institution and a fabu-lous surprise walking in is El Molino, which is beautifully built in a basement, just off the main N-340 highway.Deceptively big, it has been lov-ingly created with old wooden decor in the style of a windmill, hence the name. Best of all, it has a great mix of tapas and raciones, in par-ticular the bacalao and the foie with jamon.Another emblematic place is Café Nenit, where Jose and his team serve breakfasts and pastries from early morning, tapas for lunch and bar snacks into the evening. In the heart of the town mean-while, look out for O Cal-laghan’s pub if that is more your bag.A great range of beers and snacks, you would be advised to look out for Karaoke and quiz nights each week.While not open till July it would be impossible to write about food in Manilva without men-tioning the amazing Roman Oasis, just inland on the road to the Roman baths, of course.Over three decades old, it was here that legendary UK chef Keith Floyd came to spend some of the last few weeks of his life.A massive fan of the eclectic, original spot, he and owner Paul were close buddies and this is obvious by the amount of photos of Floyd on the walls.

having learnt every-thing from his father before him.Across the road, down by the sea look out for the area known as ‘el Castillo’, where you will find the ancient 18th fortress.This is a real hive of decent restau-rants, many having plied their trade for decades, and well known along the coast.One recently opened spot though is Fre-iduria Anka Juanito, where Juan and wife Noelia, serve up a

WHERE TO EAT Speciality in tapasHomemade dishes

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MEAT FEAST: At Bistro in Duquesa

PIZZA PERFECT: Young diner at Parapiros

SWEET TEAM: At Miel

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FOR decades it was the stop off for artists, politicians and celebri-ties.So, it was something of a tragedy when Venta Madrona was

knocked down due to the construction of an underpass through Sabi-nillas a decades ago.One of the main stop-offs for travellers between Gibraltar and Malaga for centuries, the historic restaurant was always full and served up an excellent range of dishes.“We had an amazing range of visitors, including Frank Sinatra, Ted Heath and former Prime Minister Adolfo Suarez,” recalls the son of the former owner.Now running his own wine and lottery shop nearby, Jose Antonio Madro-na recalls the frequent visits from famous flamenco stars Valerin and

Venta that drew the crowds

Cameron, Spain’s most fa-mous flamenco star.“He was often here as he was a friend of my uncle. He stayed the night and frequently sang. I remem-ber even dancing for him as a child.”The venta, which was built in 1929, also counted on the founder of Andalucian nationalism Blas Infante as a regular. “He had plenty of meetings here in the run up to the civil war,” added Jose, who studied history at Malaga University, before study-ing viticulture.The family now run the wine and lottery shop next to the roundabout, which at least prides it-self on being a busy hub of the community - like Venta Madrona before it.

21www.gibraltarolivepress.com

NEWs iN BRiEF

21Top DollarFebruary 17th - March 1st 2016

Banks bashedFEARS over a new financial crisis have rocked global markets as spanish stocks were routed on ‘Black Monday’.The IBeX 35 dropped 4.4% on February 8, its steepest fall since August.Spain’s banking sector has now lost over a fifth of its share value worth €40 billion over the past year.shares in Grupo santander were down to €3.56, less than half what they were worth in september 2014 when the price stood at €7.90.

A NEW gaming firm from Malta has arrived in Gibral-tar.Yggdrasil has applied for a remote gaming licence and expects it to be completed soon.The firm, which obtained a

A new era upon usTHE Gibraltar Financial Services Commission has entered a new era with Dr Jonathan Spencer as chairman.His predecessor John Tattersall stepped down after serv-ing a total of six years as a board member, the last two as chairman.Dr Spencer (below) has been a member of the GFSC since 2011 and has extensive experience in regulation.He said: “We shall continue to seek to ensure that Gibral-

Wifi on the wardHOsPITAL patients will soon be able to surf the net from the comfort of their bed via a new free WiFi network.The Gibraltar Health Authority has complet-ed its ‘GHA Free net-work’ for st Bernard’s Hospital. “We are now at a stage where we can switch it on,” said director of In-formation Management and Technology, Heath Watson.“There will be a pa-tients’ WiFi network and a GHA clinical net-work.”

GAMe OnMaltese gaming firm joins the coveted Gibraltar crop

UK licence last December, plans to employ staff on the Rock and is now actively re-

cruiting.CEO Fredrik Elmqvist said: “We were over the moon to be invited to apply for a Gi-braltar licence.“It’s an exclusive jurisdic-tion, with a number of the major operators based there, and we believe it will be a fantastic new hunting ground for us.”The site, which also has of-fices in Poland, offers a wide range of popular casino games.Last year it won iGaming Software Supplier of the Year at the 2016 Interna-tional Gaming Awards.

tar retains its reputation as a clean, well-regulated and profitable place to do busi-ness in the financial services sector.“We face an exciting period ahead with the introduc-tion and implementation of major new legislation which will improve the work of the Commission and give the industry a more solid and certain basis on which to operate.”

London callingGIBRALTAR was repre-sented by Minister for Gaming Albert Isola at the ICE Totally Gaming Conference in London, alongside Gambling Commissioner Phil Brear and some firms.

Big splashCeO and Captain of the Port, Commodore Bob sanguinetti, has been elected to the board of the Interna-tional Bunker Indus-try Association.

Training drillA TRAINING exercise was carried out at the air terminal to practise services response to a fire on an aircraft.

swiss chatA GIBRALTAR Day lunch was held in Zurich by Minister Albert Isola for Swiss and Gibraltar-ian professionals, high-lighting factors behind new areas of growth on the Rock.

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FABIAN Picardo was spotted showing off his limbo skills as he ducked under the red tape to gain entry to the most exciting launch of the year.The First Minister was the guest of honour in-vited to cut the tape at the party for high-end jewellery store Cadenza, on Main Street.

The store showcases a fabulous range of re-nowned designers such as Oscar de la Renta, Versace and Vivienne Westwood alongside more emerging brands.

And none other than the Olive Press’ head of sales Chris Birkett (left) became one of the first customers during the opening bash, snapping up a gift for his wife.

At the event, owner Neil Samtani revealed his plan to bring the glamour of London, New York and Paris to Gibraltar.Money raised on the night went to the Alzheimer’s foundation, and the food was supplied by Saffron res-taurant.

jewel in the crown

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22

LYING on his back a 93-year-old Canadian expat is wheeled into a

seven foot glass chamber and the door is locked be-hind him. With a smile stretched across his face, the retired expat settles in to watch Gangster Squad on the TV above his human-sized goldfish bowl. Now on his sixth hy-perbaric chamber treatment session in a series of ten, he tells me he already feel ‘totally re-en-ergised’. “At first I wasn’t sure,” he says. “I didn’t notice too much after the first two sessions but now I can’t get enough of it.”His Danish wife is equally excited about the proce-dure and jumps

Chamber of secrets

Championed by athletes the world over, Rob Horgan takes a trip to Estepona’s Centro Medico Hiperbarico to find out more about hyperbaric chamber therapy

into the chamber following her husband’s session. Medico is home to the only stand alone hyperbaric chamber in Andalucia, giving patients more privacy and comfort compared to larger (shared) chambers. The treatment involves pro-viding 100% oxygen to a per-

son inside the chamber. Through this therapy, oxygen enters directly into the lymph, bone, plasma and central nervous system in

order to stimulate damaged tis-sue to recover quicker. You simply sit there, choose a film of your choice (or lis-ten to music), sit back and let the oxygen do the rest.Used to treat e v e r y t h i n g from stress

and fatigue to diabetes and autism, hyperbaric chamber therapy is growing in popu-larity. In fact at the Centro Medico, eight to ten patients visit every day. Opened in July 2014, boss Alejandra Licintuna (pic-tured) now has a team of four

professionals dedicated to promoting the therapy. Working alongside Dr Rafael Sanchez, who is also the of-ficial doctor to Malaga’s fire-fighters, the centre treats patients from five years old to those in their nineties. Sportsmen have enhanced the therapy’s reputation, with the likes of Spanish tennis player Rafa Nadal and Mo-toGP legend Valentino Rossi championing the treatment following serious injuries. And the Centro Medico has also nursed some of Spain’s professional athletes back to

ACCORDING to the Spanish right-wing PP party, 40,000 Andalucian families relocate to Madrid every year looking for a more favourable inheritance tax

(IHT) treatment. The socialist-run Revenue and Public Admin-istration Council has disputed this and state that records show that in 2015, no more than 81 Andalucian families moved ‘abroad’ within Spain, and only 17 to Madrid.If we consider that the above data is offered by bitterly opposed political parties, the truth – first victim of the debate - must lie somewhere in between the quoted figures. But there is no denying that IHT in An-dalucia, compared to other regions in Spain i.e. Madrid, is seriously onerous.For example, a 40-year old person registered in Andalucia (or any EU-EEA resident inheriting in this re-gion) that receives by way of inheritance €200,000, will pay €28,250 to the Tax Of-fice, whereas a Madrid-based

inheritor will only have to part with €285.In addition, defective law drafting means that a person receiving estate under the €175,000 allowance (97% of cases in 2015) from his/her parents will be exempt from IHT but if that same person receives a further €25,000 (as in the first case), he/she will be slapped with a €28,000 tax bill!This ‘tax bracket creep’ is one of the great challenges faced by Maria Jesus Montero - Revenue Counsellor of the Junta - for 2016.

Conservatives, led by the PP, are all for eliminating IHT altogether between

parents and children, irrespective of the size of the estate, on the remain-ing 3% tax returns.Dealing with that relatively small 3% gap will avoid the proliferation of illegal tax evasion schemes using foreign companies or equity release

mortgages, uncertain avoid-ance loopholes or outright re-jection of inheritances, such as when the taxes to be paid are higher than the equity on those properties.

I DON’T BEQUEATH IT!Do 40,000 Andalucian families really move to Madrid each

year for inheritance tax reasons?

full fitness. International handball player Juanjo Fernandez attended the centre when he had prob-lems with his shoulder, as did marathon runner Javier Diaz Carretero. For stress and general well being, the doctor usually rec-ommends a course of 10 sit-tings. However for more com-plicated rehabilitation pro-grammes up to 40 appoint-ments may be necessary.

For more information visit www.centrohiperbarico.com or call 952 80 67 96.

February 17th - March 1st 2016

STATE OF THE ART: Hyperbaric chamber

the Olive Press june 25th - july 9th 2015Property 23

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ALL PROPERTY MATTERSBY CAMPBELL FERGUSON

February 17th - March 1st 2016

THE Costas of Spain are favoured by na-ture. No hurricanes, blizzards, monsoons or

volcanoes. Yes, an occasional downpour or a whirlwind, but otherwise charmed. BUT, did the earth move for you last month? Yup, we do have the occasional earthquake. But earthquakes occur all over the world and yes even in the UK.There are two measures of the strength of earthquakes. The Richter and Mercalli Scales, which mea-sure earthquakes according to oscillations or ground effects, while the effect largely de-pends upon the depth.So what can we do about it? Building properly is the best safety measure. Spain’s principal regulation is Royal Decree 997/2002. As can be seen from the map below, various areas of Spain can be graded according to their risk and so the regulations differ in these areas.That's why all the modern houses here are built with a reinforced concrete structure that is designed to absorb some of the movement caused by earthquakes. Older houses, where the upper floors and roof are supported by load-bearing walls, are more at risk as these walls haven't been de-signed for earthquakes. It’s why you should ensure that your prop-erty is covered by decennial insurance, as is the law, and even if the 10-year pe-riod is over that it was covered when it was built. As the insurance companies will be guaran-teeing the property for 10 years, they make sure that it is built according to the regula-tions.

Disturbingly, architects inform us that many additions and modifications to properties, which should also be covered by such insur-ance, are not and don't comply with the ap-propriate regulations.The main danger with earthquakes appears to be that things fall off the buildings rather than the buildings collapsing completely. So if there is some serious shaking going on, make sure you get well clear of the buildings if you are running out of them. Inside, there are two theories. One is to 'drop, cover and hold on’, which urges people to take cover beneath something like a heavy table to avoid falling objects. The other is the 'triangle of life', where it's better to lie beside a solid object so that if roofs and walls collapse you're protected in the triangle created.What are the chances of there being a really big earthquake in Spain? Over the centuries there have been some as evidenced by cracking in some of the major buildings in the older town centres. Various sources indicate that there is a se-rious earthquake of over six on the Richter scale every 200 years (so we have already had that one!). Others indicate every 70 years with the same source indicating that the last one occurred in 1884. There is an interesting website that gives a daily record of quakes (http://earthquaket-rack.com) and of course it's also on Google Earth.However, there is much more likelihood of being injured by a trolley in Mercadona, and certainly while driving there and back, than by an earthquake. Perhaps we should all follow James Bond's advice, "shaken, not stirred"!

Shaken, not stirred!Building properly is the best safety measure against earthquakes

A MIDDLE-eastern property conglomerate is eyeing up a move to Spain. Saudi-based Cayan estate agent is teaming up with Spanish construction firm Sarena to develop in Mar-bella. A spokesman for the com-pany said it was dedicated to ‘penetrating the European market’ this year.The agent - which has offices in the UAE and Saudi Arabia - developed the Cayan Tower in Dubai, the world’s tallest twisted building. Details of the Marbella proj-ect are being kept a secret for now, but a spokesman for Sarena said it will be ‘spec-tacular’. “Cayan are well known for developing some of the most creative buildings in the world,” he said. “Their proj-ects are exemplary and we are pleased to be partnering with a group of such calibre and reputation.

eastern promise

A WAR has broken out be-tween the Government and the Opposition over uncol-lected rent payments worth millions of pounds.The GSD claims the current arrears total – over £6 mil-lion – is ‘unacceptable’ as it has almost doubled since March 2011 when they were last in power.It comes after the Princi-pal Auditor lambasted the weak recovery of rent ar-rears, highlighting the fact one tenant alone owes over £19,000.

no berths for debtorsBeRTHs at the new Mid-Harbour small Boats Marina will not be allo-cated to anyone who has outstanding debt with the government.It comes after the Prin-cipal Auditor slammed a ‘weak recovery rate’ of rent arrears from the Housing department, which now stand at £6 million.The berths will be allo-cated by the Captain of the Port and priority will be given to those who previously had vessels at Western Beach.“In an important inno-vation, the rules provide that berths may not be allocated to individuals who are in arrears with the Gibraltar Govern-ment or Government Agency, Authority or company in relation to any debt,” said a govern-ment spokesman.“Any applicant who would otherwise be enti-tled to a berth is required to clear the debt before being allocated a berth.”

RenTAL sTATePolitical battle over £6 million in uncollected rent arrears

“It cannot be fair, sustain-able or in the long term in-

terests of this community to irresponsibly allow arrears to continue without taking proactive steps to recover these as soon as possible,” said a GSD statement.However, Fabian Picardo’s government has slammed the GSD’s comments as a ‘shocking attempt to wash their hands of a problem that they created’.Housing Minister Saman-tha Sacramento argued the problem started when the GSD dissolved the Central Arrears Unit while in gov-ernment, during which time

arrears grew by an alleged ‘600%’.“Most government tenants pay on time. In some in-stances the arrears are re-lated to people who cannot pay for social reasons and who fail to claim allowanc-es,” said Sacramento.“Careful work is being done to break the debt down in order to understand what cannot be recovered and what can.“Those who pay don’t de-serve to see others allowed to get away without paying.”

WAR: Picardo and Sacramento against Feetham’s GSD

elderly housing boostGOVeRnMenT housing for Gibraltar’s oldest residents is expected to get a boost in May with the completion of flats at Seamaster Lodge.The fittings, showers and balconies have been designed for people with reduced mobility and there is also a common room for tenants to con-gregate in.Occupational therapists and social workers were consulted in the design of the flats, located in Mons Calpe Mews.

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your new property and give you personal guidance. Many lines are in stock and if not can be ordered and delivered very

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To contact Tancrede for all your mortgaging needs call: 666 709 743 or for insur-ance queries call: 951 203 540

Email: tdp@thefinanacebureau.comThe Finance Bureau Centro Commercial Guadalmina, 2nOffice No. 7 Guadalmina,

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BUYING property overseas can seem like a daunting prospect… but it needn’t be.Whether you are looking to make the move

to Spain, or you are an expat looking to branch out across Europe, the Finance Bureau can help buyers make their dream move come true.Searching for a home abroad is an exciting pros-pect but it is just one piece of the puzzle. The larger - more complex - part of that puzzle is fi-nancing a move.While a small number opt for cash transactions - if lucky enough to be able to - most buyers will need to take out a mortgage.And the most important thing to remember - in the words of Michael Jackson - is ‘you are not alone’. Gaining financial advice is the most im-portant thing to do before taking the property plunge abroad.Despite a recovering Eurozone, most banks in your home country still won’t finance a move overseas. Although some international firms do offer products in more popular countries. (For example HSBC will lend on property in France, Malta, Greece and Dubai while Span-ish lender Santander offers mortgages in Por-tugal.)However, in most cases you’ll have to arrange a loan with a bank based in the country in which you’re looking to move to - which can obviously

have its obstacles if you don’t speak the lan-guage or aren’t familiar with the country’s pro-cesses.But that is where the Finance Bureau can help Brits looking to move to Spain.With established links to all the major Spanish lenders the Finance Bureau acts as a go-be-tween for the client and the bank - but it is im-portant to remember that the broker is not con-nected to the bank and works to find the buyer the best deal available.When buying abroad it is imperative to know how much you have to play with when scouring the foreign property market. This will be dictated by various factors including the amount of deposit available as well as the level, any type, of income of the applicant.It is therefore important to remember that banks in most countries will not take property rental in-come into account when offset against the loan repayment.When looking for a property, mortgage amounts are only measured against your personal income and outgoings must be between 30 to 35% of your income in order to qualify.But the best - and easiest - way to make sure your dream move abroad comes through with no hiccups is to talk to a broker… that is what we are here for after all.

Leap of faithMoving to a foreign land can seem a far-fetched dream. Tancrede de Pola explains how a broker can make that dream come true

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YOU are met by a table load-ed up with delicious Man-chego cheese and a leg of

Jabugo’s finest jamon Iberico.It is straight away obvious that Grille 53 is serious about its food... and the vis-tas and decor (all wooden floors and tables, great banquette seats and hip lighting) certainly add to the mix.Sitting by the harbour in Ocean Village, this re-cently-opened res-taurant cleverly maxi-mises on light and really makes the diners feel they are in for something special.It is run by a close-knit team including Maitre D Carlos, who worked for many years in Mal-lorca, manager Lawrence, and chef Pako Francisco Martinez, who has done his time in Mar-seille and Rome, after study-ing at catering schools in San Roque and Almunecar.Their enthusiasm is all too ap-parent, as they churn out a great mix of dishes that show attitude both in their selection of ingredi-ents and presentation.The most memorable for looks must be the scallops wrapped in smoked pancetta on a bed of sweet potato, in a rich Pedro Ximenez sauce.The stuffed pork medallions with goats cheese and caviar and purple cress was an exquisite main course, while the ‘ox tower’ with potato puree, spinach and ricotta pastry was also extremely generous in size and price.But this is perhaps one of the main draws at Grille 53; not only do you have an original menu but it is astoundingly good value, with starters mostly coming in at under £10 and mains not cost-ing an arm and a leg.Best of all, there is a great choice of fish on the menu - I counted eight - and even a ‘kobe’ burger in a brioche bun. A kids section of five dishes was a welcome addition.The wine list is varied with a good range of champagnes and whites, such as the Mom-messin Sauvignon Blanc, which at £12 was a steal.

(+350) 200 61999info@grille53.comThe Tower, Marina BayMon-Sun 12pm–4pm / 7pm-12am

Grille-tasticJon Clarke tries out the recently-opened restaurant Grille 53 in Ocean Village

CRACK SQUAD: Some of the team, including Carlos (left) and Pako (right)

FOODIE HEAVEN: Cheese, ham and dishes

30november 12th - 25th 2015 30October 28th - november 11th 201530november 12th - 25th 201530 www.gibraltarolivepress.com30 www.gibraltarolivepress.comC lassifiedsGIBRALTAR

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February 17th - March 1st 2016

THE threat caused by stray balls from Victoria Stadium landing on the airport run-way has led to football match-es being halted.Eight balls have landed on the runway since July 2015, according to the Ministry of Defence.Matches will now be stopped during take-off and landing, although a plan to instal roof netting is currently being worked on.“The Airfield Station Com-mander, the Director of Civil Aviation and Victoria sta-

Bardon’s big breakA GIBRALTAR international footballer has been handed an opportunity to make it England.Anthony Bardon, 23, is cur-rently on trial with National League side Lincoln City.The central midfielder played in the Rock’s Euro 2012 cam-paign and for champions Lin-coln Red Imps in the Gibral-tar Premier League.

THE Middle East and North Africa (MENA) golf tour has landed in Andalucia for the first time.The MENA Qualifying School for pros and amateurs took place at Sotogrande’s Almenara Golf Club from February 13-16.And now La Reserva Golf Course will be hosting another tournament in the circuit, the Sotogrande Masters, from April 3-6.The tour, founded by the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Founda-tion, was launched in 2011 and this is the first year it will be played outside the Middle East and Africa.Mohamed Juma Buamaim, chairman of the MENA Golf Tour, said: “This year we have a very strong schedule, which is almost double in size in comparison to last year when we had 11 events.“The rise in number of events is an apt reflection of the healthy growth of the tour over years.”For more information and to register visit: www.mena-golftour.com

LINES are now open to vote for your Gibral-tar sports

Logo searchA COMPETITION has been launched to find a logo for the Island Games 2019 which is taking place in Gibraltar.Graphic artists of all ages and abilities are invited to submit up to two original designs electronically or in hard copy.The Island Games is an inter-national multi-sports event involving 24 different islands or groups of islands.Logos should be simple, suit-able for printing and contain the works ‘Gibraltar 2019 Is-land Games XVIII’.The winner will receive £250 and two VIP invitations to the opening ceremonyFor more information contact admin@gibraltar2019.com

Long-ball gameRefs forced to halt Victoria Stadium games during aeroplane take-off and landing

dium officials agreed that the ongoing issue of balls land-ing on the runway was a very serious safety issue,” a MOD spokesman said.“This is a temporary measure until roof netting can be in-stalled.”It comes amid a political dispute in which the govern-ment was forced to clarify that it is upgrading the sta-dium to meet Champions League and Europa League standards.However, the stadium will not be promoted to the cat-

egory 3 level required for in-ternational matches.Instead, the GFA is apparent-ly working with architects on designs for the new location at Lathbury barracks.

eastern promise

yOUR sAy

DANGER: Balls bouncing on the airport runway

GAME ON: At La Reserva in Sotogrande

person and team of the year.The GBC Sports Awards are divided into four categories: Junior Individ-ual, Junior Team, Senior Individual and Senior Team.World-record breaking teenage weightlifter Leon de Roeck is among the nominees for the junior award.Tennis world number 300 Amanda Carreras (pictured) is up against the scorer of Gibraltar’s first goal in a UEFA match, Lee Casciaro, for the senior award.A panel’s vote will count for 50% of the final result, with the other half coming from the public vote.For a full list of nominees, v i s i t www.gibraltarolivepress. com

olive pressFREE

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GIBRALTAR

February 17th - March 1st 2016

IF you’ve spotted an imperial Rus-sian frigate in Gibraltar’s port then fear not, we have not succumbed to an 18th century siege.The 35-metre long ship is actually a modern replica of Shtandart, which was built in 1703 as part of Peter the

Great’s plan to gain access to the Baltic Sea.

She was the flagship of the Impe-rial Russian Navy and helped the Tsar defeat Swedish forc-es at the Battle of Poltava in

Tsar ship enterprise

THE government has pledged to make Gibraltar a greener place. Becoming the latest member of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) Gibraltar has vowed to reduce the number of short-lived pol-lutants released into the at-mosphere, such as carbon and Hydrofluorocar-bons.Based in Paris, the CCAC is an increasingly important player in re-ducing carbon emissions throughout the world.Minister for the Environ-ment and Climate Change, Dr John Cortes, said Gibral-tar would become an ‘active member’ of the group.

Play onFANS of the theatre will be rubbing their hands to-gether after the Ministry of Culture unveiled this year’s Drama Festival lineup. Taking place over five days, everything from Harold Pinter’s classic plays to locally-written scripts will be acted out on the stage at Ince’s Hall next month.Starting on March 15, a to-tal of 14 plays will be per-formed by the Rock’s top theatre groups as well as touring companies from the UK. The curtain draws on March 19 with a gala night, which will see one of the plays crowned as the festival’s best. Each performance cost £5, with a season ticket at £30.For more information call 20067236 or email info@culture.gi

MoonwalkersBALLROOM dancers tested out their moonwalks, as one of the Rock’s oldest dance clubs celebrated its 45th an-niversary.The Catholic Community Centre Sequence Dance Club marked the big day with a number of performances, including a tribute to Jacko, by fusing hits from Michael Jackson with ballroom danc-ing. Undefeated Ballroom and Latin American dancers Stef-fen Zoglauer and Sandra Kop-erski also performed to mark the big date.

Monkeying aroundTHE year of the red fire monkey was rung in, in style. For the first-ever time, lions walked Main Street to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Two colourful lions wowed the crowds while three men played traditional Chinese music.And it looks as though the Chinese New Year parade will be-come an annual event, with the government announcing plans to strengthen its cultural and commercial links with China.

saving the world Imperial Russian frigate arrives in Gibraltar

eXCLUsIVe By Tom Powell

1709, a turning point for Russia in the Great Northern War.Shtandart was brought back to life in St Petersburg in 1999 by a small group of sailing enthusiasts who constructed an exact replica.Since then the ship has sailed around 55,000 nautical miles, calling into more than 50 ports including Green-wich, for the Royal Greenwich Tall Ships Festival in London.

SPECIAL GUESTS: Zoglauer and Koperski

IN THE DOCK: Shtandart replica

Police powerTHE Royal Gibraltar Po-lice has been awarded the Investors in People Gold Accreditation for people management.

not very PCA SPANISH police of-ficer found himself in trouble on Valen-tine’s Day when he appeared to legiti-mise sexual harass-ment by tweeting that ‘stealing a kiss’ was not a crime.