Summer 2004  

Buenos Dias!

Welcome to our latest informative and entertaining newsletter, in which we focus on:

	New properties
	Special offers
	No frills flight news
	Special Book Reviews
	New Bars & Restaurants including Unique Translator Service
	Investment Opportunities

This summer we see a major new addition to our available properties – Casa Fresno in Pinos del Valle.

Well equipped & superbly restored, this house provides accommodation for up to eight people and has its own private pool (below), patio & large roof terrace with fantastic views over the valley.

However this house is fully booked until mid-September, where after availability for one week can start from as little as £385. It’s worth mentioning at this point that the weather is still pretty warm at this time of year! 

We are also booking any of our properties for next year at current rates!

In addition the Las Ramblas apartment between Murcia and Alicante (right), owned by our friend and near relative Paul Bailey, is getting rave reviews. We know this because we recently sent a researcher there for two weeks and he came back raving... But seriously, it is an excellent base for beach, golf and culture being less than an hour from Murcia and Elche, and well served by Murcia airport from Leeds/Bradford and several other regional UK airports.

For specific property details and more photographs consult www.valle-de-lecrin.com as usual.

We have some late availability for August at sensible prices and on some selected houses for Autumn, we are offering a third off list prices for the early bookers!

You could have a large house with a private pool for as little as £350/week

Ring 01535 271184 or 07836 613970 for details. 

We have several houses of this type on our web pages at www.valle-de-lecrin.com

It was great to see Easyjet and Ryanair posting reduced profits and profit warnings as competition in the skies hots up.

New airlines spring up most months - one in Northern Ireland, Jetgreen, lasted just two days!  Shame if you booked a return. I would imagine the English tax payer will bail that one out, just for a change!

Out side peak times flights are cheaper than ever, however they really get their own back in the school holidays unless you book REALLY early.

Some of the best months in Spain are seriously off peak – May, June, September and October are all reasonable on flights & properties.

Airlines such as Jet2, Flybe, BmiBaby & numerous others have really made shopping around for good deals a lot easier, as well as now flying from most regional airports.  

On a recent trip though we found good old British Airways cheaper from Heathrow than any of the others.  So if you can’t book early do try to shop around as much as you can. 

Two Middle Aged Ladies in Andalucia by Penelope Chetwode
An amusing read as John Betjamin’s wife borrows a horse from the Duke of Wellington and proceeds to travel through Andalucia in 1960. Whereupon she meets with many of the impoverished people of the area and manages to make a complete b----y nuisance of herself. A good laugh if nothing else. Would probably be lynched today with any luck.

Tales of the Alhambra by Washington Irving
Fanciful collection of writings written in 1832, when Irving was the diplomatic attaché in Spain. He spent a great deal of time at the magnificent Alhambra in Granada. What a great job he must have had.

Driving over Lemons by Chris Stewart
Contrived drivel, written by the sometime Orgiva resident. Good recipe though for Patatas a los pobres (poor man’s potatoes) in the book, so not a complete dead loss...

Parrot in the Peppertree by Chris Stewart
Yet more rubbish from the Genesis founder. Complete  b****cks. His next money spinner will probably be called ‘Cockroach in the Paella’ or similar, however it couldn’t be worse than this if he tried.

Andalus by Jason Webster
Here Jason sets off with the intrepid Pepe to follow in the steps of an Austrian nobleman.  Their encounters give a modern twist on this journey to find the forgotten soul of Spain’s Arab legacy. A dramatic & compelling read.

Happy reading!

Bar Nuevo
Bar of the season is once again Bar Nuevo in Lecrin, in terms of welcome, tapas, serving pints, telly provision, anti-English fun during the world cup, anti-English fun during Euro 2004 and pub games. Fabi & Armando are a credit to their profession. Open dawn ‘til dawn, what a bonus. I must remember to ask Armando how Spain finished up as I was away on business and missed the match...

Los Lentos- Niguelas
Mixed reports here, but good for a drink. They need to sharpen up on service. Pleasant building.

Castillo - Lanjaron
Restaurant of the season last year, it overlooks the old Alcazaba that is lit up at night. Recommended dish – lamb shank with cinnamon. This is not a form of Andalucian rhyming slang!

Nuevo Valle – Melegis
Really good tapas in fact you don’t need to order anything else. When the overhead vines are full of grapes you can sometimes see field mice scurrying about.  A nice rustic feature that would see you in court at home!

Los Narranjos – Melagis
Superb service & good food particularly when eaten outside at lunchtime with an excess of wine or beer. Recommended dish – Gambas a la plancha.

Rio Durcal – El Molino
Another pleasant spot in the middle of a cool wood near the Rio Durcal, good food & plenty of distractions for the kids.

Bar Jovi – Restabal
Avoid Bar Syphon, Bar Jovi is around the corner from Bar Syphon and has the excellent Jose as the owner. It is very much a family affair with fantastic Tapas & Raciones including the mysterious ‘Rib to the Ember’ (spare ribs). Good selection of pub games and soft porn on the walls, a home from home...

Bar Venicia – Pinos del Valle
Pushed Bar Nuevo very close for Bar of the Season, the change of ownership having a great effect on an already superb bar, the early 1am closing being the only downside.

Mine host Fabian is a great chap with a flare for personal service. He recently served 100 beers to a small party from Yorkshire who spent eight hours on the bar terrace. Beat that!!!

And finally in this section, ever eager to provide visitors with that extra bit of local knowledge, which can make the difference between a good meal and three days on a 'no solids' diet, we present the...

Handy Translator  

Raciones  - Larger than Tapas although smaller than a normal meal

Longaniza – Long Chorizo (right), known as the John Holmes option by some of our more coarser visitors...

Morcilla – Black pudding, again quite phallic so plenty of gag potential and reminiscences about holidays in the Caribbean, friends at Uni etc.

Pulpo – Octopus, usually served cold with potatoes & paprika. Keeps you regular as clockwork.

Pinchito’s – Curried Kebabs – Different to the Bradford version but when in Rome …

Bochoronies – Whitebait/Anchovies can be fried or in vinegar and are not at all salty like thy can be over here.    

Crochettas – Hake goujons for want of a better description. Safe as houses.

Calamares – Usually squid in breadcrumbs or ‘Plancha’ grilled & much better.

Bacalao - Cod, usually fried or in a sauce.

Carne con Salsa – Meat in a rich sauce.

Tubo -  Local standard measure for beer better known as a "Half of cooking, please Brian!"

Cania – Eyebath measure of ale, totally pointless although quite popular with the locals.

Cerveza Mas Grande, Jarra, Medio Litro – Proper measures of beer...

Click here to see a popular array of properties and land that is currently available in the Valley of Lecrin/Bermajales areas.

Alternatively, contact us using any of the methods below for more details of properties to rent, build or buy.

Hasta Luego 

Marco de la Puebla

PS - we will be in touch again in the Spring of 2005.

www.valle-de-lecrin.com

+44 (01) 535 271184  or  07836 613970