In Between The Tapas And Tantrums

Golf Tour Operators On The Costa del Sol

2008-09-06T17:53:00.003+02:00

This weeks spotlight on local businesses here in Mijas Costa is focused on Direct Golf Holidays.

A well established family run business that epitomizes the phrase: “Big enough to cope, Small enough to care”

Husband and wife team Martin and Diane have through their hard work and years of experience become one of the leading Golf Tour Operators in Southern Europe.

Negotiating some of the best deals with some of the best golf courses in the most popular golf destinations means that they can and offer a full service for all golfing fanatics at unbeatable prices without compromising on quality and service.

They also offer excellent rates on: Hotels, Car Hire and Airport Transfers.

Diane says, “Our priority is always aimed towards customer satisfaction and our staff our always on hand to help tailor every package to suit all your personal needs”

Direct Golf Holidays are experienced at coordinating corporate golf events providing private coach transfers, superior hotels, golf tournaments, presentations, Banquet/Gala dinners, promotional materials photography etc...

For more information visit their comprehensive website at:

http://www.directgolfholidays.com/

Don’t forget if you run a local business here and would like to be featured, send me an email to:

tapasandtantrums@gmail.com

See you next week.

Good Family Bars In Fuengirola

2008-08-18T02:14:00.003+02:00

This weeks spotlight on local businesses is focused on a fantastic new family bar situated on the outskirts of Fuengirola on the old road to Coin.

Peña La Cresta is a family run bar with a fantastic atmosphere and ample car parking tucked away just off the main road on the other side of the dry river bed opposite the turning into Mijas Golf and the Matchroom Country Club.

Jesus and Malika with their two daughters and son in-law Sophia, Ursila and Fran are always there to offer a warm welcome and have already built up a very good reputation for their excellent service and varied menu all reasonably priced.

You can choose from the normal traditional Spanish Tapas through to full course meals and birthdays or special events are catered for with ease.

Regular live entertainment on a Saturday with legends such as Mama Paula and Grainne performing unplugged on the open air terrace have brought people flocking in from as far a field as Cerros del Aguila, La Cala and even Calahonda.

So keep an eye on what is becoming a very popular watering hole for locals and holiday makers alike.

All musical or special events are advertised well in advance in the most popular English publications on the coast or just listen to the word of mouth in the other local bars and you’re sure to find out what’s going on.

Maybe I’ll even see you there for a beer one week?

If you have a business on the coast and you would like me to spotlight you on this site drop me a line to: tapasandtantrums@gmail.com

And don’t forget that my first Sales Training Book, “The Five Simple but Essential Steps to Getting the Sale” is available to download right now for the introductory price of only €9.99 at: http://www.simplesalestraining.com/

See you all next week.

Web Designers on the Costa del Sol

2008-07-12T15:03:00.002+02:00

I’m starting a new series to spotlight local businesses here in Mijas Costa so if you own a small business here and would like to be featured on this Blog, send me your details and website if you have one and I’ll do a small write up like the one below and add you to the directory.

I’m pleased to start the series off with a spotlight on my good friend and local Web Designer, Mark Borrow.

After travelling around for a while, Mark finally decided to settle here in Fuengirola and rapidly established himself as a very professional and reliable Web Designer.

His talent doesn’t just stop at Web Design, he is also an expert at Search Engine Optimization, and has helped and advised many local businesses including my own with their internet marketing projects.

His company “Digi Right Productions” offers a full service including:

• Professional Web Design
• Web Hosting and Domains
• SEO and Marketing
• Logos and Corporate Image
• Stationary and Business Cards
• Business and Personal Sites
• Online Shops, Auctions etc
• Computer Repairs, Configuration and networks

To find out more about Marks services visit him at: www.digi-right-productions.es

To see a first class example of his recent work, visit my Sales Training Books Site at: www.simplesalestraining.com

Don’t forget if you run a local business here and would like to be featured, send me an email.

See you next week.

Travel Tips – Fuengirola

2008-06-23T14:58:00.004+02:00

Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol always has been and still remains one of the more popular holiday destinations for the British tourists.

A lot of time and money has been invested in bringing the town up to E.U. standards and the promenade and beaches are now very clean and even the old “wheelie bins” have now been replaced by discreetly placed metal tubes that lead to even more discreet underground waste collection units.

Apart from the obvious cleaning up, Fuengirola has so much to offer to the discerning British holiday maker from all levels.

The more popular attractions include:

The Mijas Parque Aquatica (Water Park)

The Sohail Castle

And the famous Fuengirola Zoo, rated as one of the best in Europe

A walk along the sea front will find you spoilt for choice for good restaurants, bars and nightclubs to appeal to all ages and for the golf fanatic you will find:

Mijas Golf and Country Club

La Cala Golf and Country Club

Matchroom Golf and Country Club

To name just three all within easy driving distance from Fuengirola.

I will be doing a spot light on Fuengirola in the next week or two with a far more in depth review on the local hotspots and Golf Resorts. See you all then.

Spanish Lorry Drivers Return to Work

2008-06-17T14:42:00.001+02:00

Although an agreement has still not been reached between the Spanish Government and the transport workers, all three Transport Unions decided to return to work today to avoid causing any more disruption the national economy.

They have still not ruled out the possibility of further strikes if an agreement isn’t forthcoming in the near future.

Their basic requirements are, better working hours, a lift on some of the restrictions to compensate for the over inflated fuel prices and a guarantee that there will be no more raising of the fuel prices for the next six months.

It will still be a few more days before everything returns to normal and this morning long queues of Lorries could be seen patiently waiting to cross the border and enter Gibraltar and restock the supermarket shelves.

From Sunday evening, the petrol tankers where back on the roads and some of the major supermarkets like Mercadona and SuperSol where sending deliveries out with a police escort to try and beat the picket lines.

As Shell Tanker drivers in England start their second lot of strikes, it looks like everything is returning to normal here in Southern Spain.

For the F1 fans, Fernando Alonso suggested yesterday that he may not complete his second year’s contract with Renault and there where rumours that he might be looking for a move to join his good friend Kubico in BMW for next year?

What do you think?

Transport Strike In Spain Brings Country To A Near Standstill

2008-06-10T12:21:00.002+02:00

The general Transport strike which started at midnight on Sunday night staged by Transport workers all across Spain has brought the country to near standstill in only two days.

Petrol Stations are closing down one after the other and it seems like there is no diesel anywhere in southern Spain and only a few stations have Unleaded Petrol as panic buying uses up all the reserves in what the Spanish are calling, “Cola por su caso.” Meaning “Queuing just in case”

The Major Supermarkets are also being hit as no deliveries are arriving and again the Public are panic buying essentials like bread, milk and water and the shelves are looking bare and empty.

The strike is being staged mainly by the self employed transport workers in protest over the ever increasing fuel prices.

A meeting yesterday between the government and union leaders that lasted until the early hours of the morning, failed to reach an agreement and talks are being resumed today with the hope of finding a quick solution to the crisis as lorry driver’s start blocking the frontier between France and Spain.

Access to major cities like Madrid and Barcelona are already blocked by the pickets making entry or exit nigh on impossible and I noticed a distinct lake of traffic on the A7 Toll road on my way to Gibraltar today.

What I did notice today were queues in the petrol stations on the A7 Toll road that weren’t there yesterday meaning people are now even venturing onto the toll road and paying the fees in their desperate search for fuel.

Gibraltar is completely dry as far as diesel is concerned and only a couple of pumps with unleaded fuel are operational with the few petrol stations that are still opened being manned by Gibraltar Police to control the queues and stop any fuel rage or disputes breaking out over who was first at the pump!

Keep dropping by for regular updates on this and any other breaking news regarding the Transport workers general strike in Spain.

Buying Flights Online Can Be Confusing, Misleading Or a Complete Rip Off!

2008-05-20T15:56:00.001+02:00

The European Commissioner for Consumer protection, Meglena Kuneva stated on Thursday that one in three consumers booking their flights over the internet are being confused, misled, or totally ripped off.

Both Airlines and Independent Travel firms that sell airline tickets online are said to be using “misleading advertising,” “unfair Practises,” “abusive clauses” and “non-existent discounts.”

The European Commission has analysed some 386 websites all over the EU and Norway, (Eleven in Spain) and found 137 to be in breach of the European rules governing clear pricing, advertising and contracts.

“Since then half of the misleading information has been corrected, but there is still a long way to go” explained Meglena Kuneva.

The companies under investigation by the European Commission have been warned that the situation must be completely resolved buy this time next year.

“Act or we will act” they have been told.

58% of the sites investigated showed misleading price indications, 49% were found to have irregular clauses in ticket sales conditions and 15% were problems with the advertising.

The final price to pay when actually booking the flight tickets is generally higher due to a series of added charges that can vary from so-called airport charges to handling fees, booking fees or priority booking, luggage, fuel etc. that are related to credit card payments.

Spanish airlines Iberia and Spanair have corrected the irregularities found on their websites by Spain’s National Consumers Institute (INC) last September, and Vueling has introduced substantial improvements but still needs to modify some aspects, explains the news agency Efe.

So be warned. When booking your airline tickets to visit family here in Spain or visa versa. What seems to be an unbeatable flight deal could turn out to be no cheaper than booking through your local travel agent and in a lot of cases can actually work out more expensive?

Has any body had first hand experience in this and who was the company involved?

Sony-Ericsson K810i Cyber Shot Review

2008-05-12T14:17:00.010+02:00

Well, after years and years of being a devoted Nokia fan. In fact I think I have only ever used Nokia phones in the past. I have finally been converted to Sony-Ericsson. Or to be more precise the Sony-Ericsson Cyber Shot range of mobile phones.

Any drooling father of twins will agree with me that you just can’t have enough photos as they pass from babies into toddlers.

So many magical moments happen on a daily basis that you just have to have a camera on hand constantly to capture every detail of their development in the early years.

I have a very good 7.1 mega pixel Canon Power Shot digital camera that I brought just before the girls were born for this very purpose but immediately found that although the Camera is excellent and I cannot fault it in its operation, quality of pictures or idiot proof usability, It’s a little bit to large to carry around in your pocket every where you go and so it really only gets proper use on holidays or birthdays.

I also didn’t want to be carrying a phone and a digital camera around everywhere from a purely practical point of view. My pockets are normally full of dummies and small toys anyway!

To this end I have been waiting for Nokia to bring out a Camera Phone that emphasises the digital camera side of things rather than being full up with all the other applications that Nokia are so good at.

My argument was and still is that I always have my mobile phone on me at all times and so to have a good quality digital camera built into my phone would solve all my problems. In fact what I really wanted was a digital camera in my pocket that I could also answer the phone on if it rang!

I have finally found this in the Sony-Ericsson K810i Cyber Shot.

What an excellent camera phone this is. Sony-Ericsson have really got it right with the Cyber Shot range and all the emphasis is on the quality of photos and camera that you would expect from the Sony Cyber Shot name.

The K810i comes with 3.2 mega pixels, Auto Focus and the famous Sony BestPic application as well as the normal various scenes that you find on all the best digital cameras.

You don’t need to download any PC Suites or other applications that always end up slowing down your computer.

To download your photos to your computer you just plug into the USB port and Windows recognises it as a digital camera and downloads your photos as normal.

The photo quality is excellent for only a 3.2 mega pixel camera although I have not tried to blow the pictures up to A4 size yet.

Overall I cannot fault this Camera phone as yet and will do a full review in much more detail when I have had a chance to really put it through its paces.

I have to say at the moment if I ever change phones again it will be to upgrade to one of the newer Sony-Ericsson Cyber Shot ranges with the 5 mega pixel cameras like the K850i or the soon to be released C902 or splash proof C702.

I’m afraid after all these years of devoted use. Nokia have lost me to Sony-Ericsson.

Full Sony-Ericsson K810i Cyber Shot Review with sample photos coming soon…...

Potty Training In Stereo! - The Latest Breakthrough

2008-05-09T13:18:00.007+02:00

Hi to all the other parents of Twins and Multiples,

I wrote an article last month entitled “Potty Training In Stereo!” and as promised here is the latest updates as to our successes and failures.

For the first couple of weeks we seemed to be struggling and it was fairly frustrating when you would have a full day with both of them dry and then the following day we seemed to take a step backwards and went through every pair of pants we had.

Remember twins come in two’s so you go through twice as many clothes and have twice the amount of “accidents” as you would normally have with potty training one toddler in a day so it seems like you constantly have a child on the potty or are clearing up an accident and changing clothes again.

I am a firm believer in educating children using positive appraisal rather than negative disapproval.

That means emphasising, praising and really showing your children how pleased you are in a positive manner when they get things right, rather than scolding and emphasising how annoyed you are in negative manner when they get things wrong.

Although it might not always seem like it, children naturally enjoy pleasing their parents and are far more likely to respond more rapidly to praise than disapproval.

I also believe that when it comes to getting children out of nappies that it’s not something that can be forced and it should just take its natural course.

Your toddler will naturally start to feel uncomfortable wearing nappies especially when they are wet or soiled and will also feel out of place having their nappy changed in the nursery in front of all their friends.

They will also notice when their playmates aren’t using nappies anymore and want to be the same.

We had our major breakthrough on Monday morning when on dropping the girls off at nursery, they immediately removed their own nappies and have refused to wear them in the daytime ever since!

They still wear nappies at night times as at only 28 months old they still haven’t started to wake up to go to the toilet or are able to go all night without a pee yet but apart from the odd accident when they don’t get to the potty in time, fingers crossed, they seem to be completely out of nappies in the daytimes now.

My advice to anyone starting to potty train twins.

Be patient, persevere and at all costs don’t ever be tempted to revert back to the odd nappy for your own convenience as it will only have a negative effect and put you all back to square one.

I will try to compile a list of “tips on potty training” next week and would welcome any tips you would like to add to the comments below.

See you all then.

Hotel Suites Albayzin Del Mar Almueñcar

2008-05-05T12:16:00.001+02:00

As I mentioned last week we managed to grab a quick four day break last weekend to celebrate my birthday and also enjoy a much needed long weekend with the twins.

This time we had booked into the Hotel Suites Albayzin Del Mar in Almuñecar and first impressions were very good. It is easy to find and only a short walking distance to the beach.

We had a three bedroom two bathroom suite which was big enough to live in and would comfortably have accommodated eight adults using the double sofa bed as well, so you can imagine the room we had with just two adults and two toddlers.

Service was very good and the central pool area is really the focal point of the whole complex.

Although the food was good in the poolside restaurant, they only offered a small menu all week with a few daily changes that you had to ask for or you could end up eating the same thing each night.

The only negative side I thought to be letting down the whole complex was a severe lack of evening entertainment. Considering it was May bank holiday weekend there was no entertainment on site at all and the American Bar and Caribbean Bar didn’t even bother opening which is okay if you’re a couple and want to go down to the beach front each night for your entertainment, but not when you’ve got two toddlers that you don’t want to be pushing back up hill in their double buggy at midnight after a couple of drinks!

Has any one else stayed there and what's your opinion?

Buying A Custom Domain Name

2008-04-28T15:00:00.002+02:00

Those of you who are regular readers of this Blog will have noticed my move last week from the blogspot.com domain to my personal tapasandtantrums.com custom domain.

I have been blogging for just over a year now so I’m still very new at it and have read countless arguments for and against buying your own custom domain including the main ones:

“Custom domains are a priority if you want to make money blogging.”

“Nobody takes your blog seriously if you’re still using a blogspot domain.”

So after over 12 months of deliberation and resisting going “professional” in the eyes of all the other “Professional Bloggers” I have finally succumbed to buying my own custom domain but for very different reasons than what I read other people have for not using a Blogger Blogspot free domain.

My first and major reason for the change was because I started this blog for my twin daughters as a sort of chronicle of there lives and as I jokingly put it, so that I can show them exactly what they’ve put me through later on in life when they will hopefully take it on themselves and continue with it for their own children. I therefore wanted something I owned that couldn’t be taken by anyone else and tapas and tantrums just sums them both up totally! Hence the name and my photo “In Between the Tapas and Tantrums”.

Secondly, I have been approached in the past to write a couple of short stories about twins for children’s books and so maybe in the very far future when I eventually retire and can dedicate more time to it I have considered turning a lot of my articles into a light hearted children’s book for twins and multiples which would obviously also be called “In Between the Tapas And Tantrums” So owning the dot com web page seemed a good Idea to tie in with promoting the book later on and even more so if more books followed as a result of the first one.

And so for the pricey investment of $10.00 “tapasandtantrums.blogspot.com” has become “tapasandtantrums.com”

For anyone thinking of buying a custom domain name for whatever reason I brought mine through Google and found the process completely painless and very simple.

I just logged into my Blogger account. From the dashboard I clicked settings and under publishing went to the domain page and followed Google’s very straight forward step by step instructions on buying a custom domain name.

Blogger do have their own help page which also explains the process in a step by step easy to follow idiot proof guide for non computer literate people like me.

The other benefit I found from doing the whole thing through Blogger and Google is that it was all configured for me and set up in a matter of minutes with all my old links still working perfectly and automatically redirected to my new URL

So to close, Hats off to Google and thanks for the continued brilliant service. I should find that any loss in readership caused by the change will return over the next couple of weeks so I’m off on Wednesday for a quick 4 day break and I’ll be back next week with another New Resort review.

See you all then….

Unscrupulous Timeshare Companies On The Costa Del Sol Forced To Clean Up Their Acts

2008-04-19T15:38:00.000+02:00

It seems that the Timeshare Companies here on the Costa del Sol are at last having to clean up their aggressive marketing tactics with the enforcement of the “Unfair Commercial Practises Directive”.

The Timeshare Touts that used to hang around the sea front and bus station in Fuengirola waiting for the next unsuspecting holiday maker to stop and accept one of their scratch cards are slowly disappearing as police are starting to enforce the strict marketing laws laid out in the directive.

The Unfair Commercial Practises Directive brought out around the end of last year and finally being enforced throughout Spain and the Canary Islands as of the end of March this year is an attempt to clean up the entire Timeshare Industry in Europe and give it a much more professional image.

Unlike the many half hearted efforts to get the Timeshare Touts off the streets in the past, this time it seems to be working.

Although the Directive is very in depth and far too long for me to cover all the points here in one article, the important part for residents, regular visitors and more importantly the first time visitors to the Costa del Sol are that you will now be able to walk along the sea front without being approached or stopped every two minutes by someone thrusting a scratch card into your hands and trying to get you to go on yet another five hours of hard sell Timeshare presentation.

In a nutshell the Directive bans all forms of what they class as aggressive marketing tactics and makes all forms of scratch card marketing illegal.

This means that the genuine and legal Timeshare Companies will have to find different methods of getting people to look at their Resorts and products and the illegal Timeshare Companies will slowly be forced out of business.

Good news for all of us.

May I close by saying that as a resident on the Costa del Sol for more than 18 years now I am not against Timeshare as a holiday product and actually like the concept. I see the cleaning up and stricter control of Timeshare Marketing Tactics a welcome change to the tourist industry as a whole and can only see it creating a better image of the Timeshare Industry which can only benefit some of the bigger companies here like: Marriotts, MacDonalds, and Club La Costa Resorts to name but a few.

What are your views?

Children Grow Up Far Too Quickly Don’t They?

2008-04-18T15:47:00.002+02:00

It only seems like yesterday I was taking the sides off of the cots and converting them into beds and now we’re thinking about which school to put the girls into.

We have a slight dilemma because they we’re born a month prematurely as with most twins and multiple births and this has effectively put them a year early into the school system.

Our girls were born 1 month premature on the 20th of December 2005 so according to the school year they should move from nursery school to primary school this September. Had they been born on their correct birth date, the 21st of January 2006 one month later they would have only just started this year in nursery and wouldn’t be moving to primary school until September next year.

So for the sake of literally being born 30 days earlier than they should have been, they could be going through their schooling a whole year too early which I feel will make them seem behind their classmates and put them at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to passing exams etc.

In fact if they had just held on 12 days and been on the 1st of January 2006 they would have been in their correct school year.

Here in Spain you can start them into a Spanish Public School at three years old as long as they’re out of nappies and can feed themselves. If you can afford to place them into a private school they will obviously get a lot more personal attention and don’t have to be out of nappies or be able to fully feed themselves.

So the decision was made based on them really being a year to young, to try to get them into a good Spanish Private School where they would at least get more personal attention and therefore we felt have a better chance of catching up with their classmates.

Unfortunately to enrol your children into a good private school in Spain you really have to register them literally from birth so we have luckily been able to keep them in nursery for another year and hope that next year there will be places for both of them in the same school.

So in conclusion if you live in Spain and are thinking about putting your children through Private Schooling make sure you get their names registered for a place as soon as possible as there is in general a two to three year waiting list in most schools or alternatively find a school that takes them from nursery stage right through to leaving age.

We are off on a quick long weekend at the end of this month so I’ll be back with a new Resort Review for you all.

See you next week.

Living In Spain And Working In Gibraltar

2008-04-10T12:40:00.004+02:00

I thought this week I thought it would be beneficial to share with you all some of my personal experiences regarding the employment laws of Expats living in Spain and working in Gibraltar to help anyone else thinking of moving to Spain or Gibraltar and looking for work contracts.

To give you a brief background, I moved to Spain way back in 1991 and worked in various bars and restaurants as a self employed entertainer.

No problems there.

Around 1995 I met my present wife and decided it was time to get a proper job and started working as an employee for a sales and marketing company who I have worked for in various roles and departments ever since.

Around the beginning of this year I was asked to go down to their Gibraltar office to help set up their latest marketing project. It seemed a good opportunity at the time to also go self-employed and sub-contract to the company as an independent consultant which I duly did.

Still no problems as far as the Spanish government and my Spanish accountant and lawyer were concerned.

Unfortunately the problems start in Gibraltar.

Under Gibraltar Employment laws you can not work in Gibraltar unless you are employed under the Gibraltar P.A.Y.E. system, or registered as self-employed in Gibraltar. Either way you must be paying your taxes and contributions into Gibraltar.

That means that as I’m a resident in Spain, registered as self-employed in Spain and paying my taxes and contributions into Spain. I’m allowed to pop in and out of the office in Gibraltar once a week for example, but not to be permanently in the Gibraltar office Monday through to Friday as I would then need to apply to become self employed in Gibraltar as well and pay taxes and contributions in both places!

So my advice to anyone seeking work in Spain or Gibraltar. Do your homework first and make sure you get all the facts by seeking professional advice before you waste your time and money choosing what at first appears to be the simplest solution.

See you all next week.

Potty Training in Stereo!

2008-04-01T23:47:00.004+02:00

Potty training any toddler requires an infinite amount of patience. Potty training Twin girls is beyond anyone’s patience!

Our girls have just turned 27 months and have started the potty training phase.

I’m told by the experts, (Other Mums and Dads who have already been through the potty and toilet training phase,) that girls are generally cleaner than boys and normally quicker to get out of nappies.

Our Twin daughters are no exception to the rule and are already starting to feel uncomfortable in wet nappies and nine times out of ten will now tell you when they need to go to the toilet.

This can bring hilarious results when it just happens to be at exactly the same time as your twin sister and they turn what should be a calm learning curve into a full on fight for the red potty and race from the garden into the house to reach the red potty first pulling their trousers and pull ups down as they're running and inevitably ending up in a heap on the floor on top of each other.

Our mistake was to have purchased the first potty (A light cream coloured one) early on as a toilet training set before we had learned that everything you buy for twins has to be brought in stereo and identical so as not to cause fights.

After searching high and low for another cream coloured potty to match the original one we settled for a cheap red potty which has obviously become the favourite potty and now we can’t find another cheap red one to match that one!

Anyway we are persevering and the highlight of the month was when Laura had managed to do her first pooh in a potty and proudly displayed it to the whole family one by one whilst we all applauded, praising her on her achievement and rejoicing in the knowledge that we had passed the first hurdle when Rebeca swiftly followed suit.

My wife did draw the line however when I rushed to get my digital camera to take a photo of the first pooh in the potty thinking it would be a great photo to keep for when they brought there first boyfriends home!

Sometimes you mums just don't have a sense of humour.

Spain Is Heading For One Of The Driest Springs On Record For Over 60 Years

2008-03-28T23:32:00.005+01:00

A dry spring and long hot summer with restricted water supplies are inevitable if predictions announced by the Environment Minister last week are correct.

Spain is heading for one of the driest springs on record for over 60 years.

At this time of year, the average rainfall is 12.4 litres per square metre but according to ministry figures the average precipitation so far has been just 2.8 litres per square metre.

Most of the major rivers including the Segura in Murcia and Alicante, the Guadalquivir in Andalucía and the Ebro in Catalonia are low on water and national water reserves are only 45.3 % full with water restrictions already in place in Murcia and Catalonia.

According to the European Union, droughts have cost European countries in the region of 100 billion Euros in the last 30 years.

The extremely low water levels experienced five years ago, cost approximately 8.7 billion euros and affected over a third of the land area in the European Union.

So if you’re living on or thinking of visiting the Costa del sol this summer please be diligent with things like leaving taps running unnecessarily and try to use as little water as possible.

Save water, every drop counts.

See you next week.

Are You Blogging For Profit Or Are You Blogging For Fun?

2008-03-25T23:07:00.000+01:00

With Easter or "Semana Santa" as they call it in Spain over, and warm summer evenings ahead, it seems a good time to reflect on an article I had written earlier last year about my own personal experience of Blogging.

I started to Blog back in April last year as a bit of fun and a hobby that I could mess around with once a week while my twin daughters were sleeping and my wife was working her night shift.

I chose the name “In Between the Tapas and Tantrums” for my first Blog because I thought it best summed up how the Blog was born.

Living in the “Campo” on the Costa del Sol with a lovely little family bar just down our lane, allows us the privileged position of being able to enjoy a cold beer and some nice Tapas with the girls at the weekends. The tantrums part comes from the temper tantrums that go hand in hand with bringing up two yaer old twin daughters hence this Blog is written “In between the Tapas and tantrums”

Not a name that was going to get me on the front pages of any search engines was it?

It all started off very light-hearted and I was really enjoying posting the ups and downs of parenthood and even thought what a great thing this will be later on in life for my daughters to be able to read about their lives and the different stages of their growing up. I even started writing articles and submitting them to EzineArticles and was really proud when they were accepted and I could see other people enjoying my ramblings as well.

Then it happened. As I’m sure it happens to loads of other ordinary folk just like me in very much the same way.

I started reading articles about the dreaded SEO! And about how the dot com moguls and all those professional Bloggers had given up their jobs and were making embarrassing amounts of money from their laptops in the comfort of their spare bedrooms and I was hooked!

I studied SEO at every opportunity I had. When I thought that I new enough to start making money from my Blog I set up a new Blog called "Timeshare Sales And Marketing Techniques” After all I’ve been in Timeshare sales and Training practically all my life. Sales Training and Timeshare were high on the search terms it had to be a winner!

I became so obsessed I would turn on my laptop as soon as I woke up before I’d even had a coffee, just to see how many people had visited my site and if anyone had clicked on my adverts or not.

I changed the name of my Blog nearly every two days to try to get a better placing on Google’s search pages to get more traffic. I even put “In between the Tapas and tantrums” on hold while I concentrated on building up my Timeshare sales training site. I did everything that I’d read the professional Bloggers were doing to make money and lost endless hours of sleep trying to come up with the perfect domain name to keep me on the first pages of Google’s search engines, and guess what?

I had become so obsessed and serious about making money from my Blog that I’d stopped enjoying Blogging.

Of course I was starting to get on the first pages of Google’s search engines but I wasn’t making any real money. I think you really need to be established at least 12 to 18 months before you have enough traffic to earn any real money from affiliates and Google’s adsense.

The moral of my lesson is:

If you cease to enjoy what you’re doing. You might as well stop doing it.

I’d started what was supposed to be a light hearted fun Blog, full of ramblings about day to day real life happenings for my daughters to read later on in life and hopefully carry on themselves. And ended up with an obsession about making money.

Luckily I’ve seen my mistake before it devoured me. Don’t let it happen to you. If I do make enough money to pay for the monthly internet connection it’s a bonus. What’s important to me now is that other people get enjoyment from my ramblings, and my two little girls have something worthwhile to read to their children when they become parents!

Keep Blogging Fun!

See you all next week when I'll be giving you an insight into our first experiences of potty training in stereo!

"In Between The Tapas And Tantrums" Is On Hold For Now.......

2008-03-17T21:40:00.002+01:00

Hi All

It is with much regret that I have to put "In Between The Tapas And Tantrums" on hold again.

Unfortunately the time that needs to be dedicated to helping my wife with the raising of our two year old twin daughters and running my Sales and Marketing Consultancy business full time, doesn’t leave me enough hours in the day or week to even sleep let alone keep two sites up to date and topical on a week to week basis.

I know there are arguments for and against having more than one site and although I can see the benefits in keeping the personal and fun family site running as well as the Timeshare Sales And Marketing Techniques site, I don’t see the benefit in spreading my readership over two sites although maybe the professional bloggers out there would disagree from a monetary point of view?

I have therefore after much thought and deliberation decided to concentrate all my energy into my Timeshare Sales and Marketing Techniques site over at:

http://www.simplesalesandmarketing.blogspot.com/

My decision to put this site on hold for now and concentrate on the other site is based purely on demand and traffic stats.

I get more visitors at the "Timeshare Sales And Marketing Techniques" site at the moment and so I’ll be posting all my future Sales Training and Timeshare News, Views and Resort Reviews over there from now on until I can find more time to run the two sites again.

Thank you all for your continued support and I look forward to seeing you at: "Timeshare Sales And Marketing Techniques" for your regular Sales Training and Timeshare news, and Resort updates in the future.

I would be interested in your personal opinions on this decision. Please leave your comments below. Who knows maybe I should be putting the other site on hold and keeping this one up to date?

What do you think?

See you next week but on my other site!

http://www.simplesalesandmarketing.blogspot.com/

The Costa Del Sol - A Golfers Paradise

2008-03-07T14:13:00.012+01:00

Andalucia has become a Mecca for golfers over the past few decades due to its fine weather that makes it possible to play golf the whole year around.

At present, the number of courses is over 85 and it is increasing every year. There are over dozens on the Costa del Sol alone leading to its unofficial nicknamed, the Costa del Golf.

These courses range in complexity from simple 9-hole courses for the beginner to PGA-rated courses like Valderrama in the province of Cadiz.

This concentration of quality golf courses, combined with the sunny and warm winter climate, has made it unrivalled as a winter golf destination for northern Europeans.

Many European players have, in turn, emerged as serious forces at all levels of golf.

When Valderrama was chosen to host the Ryder Cup in 1997, Andalucia received universal recognition as the finest winter golf resort in Europe.

The flood of advance golf reservations that were made well into the 21st century led to a flurry of new golf courses being built.

For a snowbound, frustrated golfer desperate to play in the sunshine, the pull of the Andalucian golf courses is irresistible.

Course owners are re-investing into their courses to improve their quality still further and there are no longer any weak links.

Each course offers its own kind of challenge on perfect fairways and greens.

The general infrastructure from Málaga to Gibraltar has improved beyond recognition and this improvement has now extended around the Mediterranean coast to the Atlantic coast's Costa de la Luz.

The provinces of Cadiz and Huelva offer a number of excellent, quality courses that provide memorable challenges for all levels of golfing enthusiasts.

In the other direction, the provinces of Grenada and Almeria also offer fine courses and services for the golf fanatic. And although the inland provinces of Jaen, Cordoba, and Sevilla are not known as golf destinations, the numbers of courses in these areas are also increasing.

Andalucia is a golfer's paradise and golf tourism is increasing by leaps and bounds.

Come and experience what the region has to offer and remember to book your holiday early!

The Costa del Golf

2008-02-22T15:30:00.003+01:00

The Costa del Sol, often referred to as the Costa del Golf, is a firm favourite with Golf fanatics everywhere. With over 60 quality courses to choose from, the best climate anywhere in Europe, and the added attraction of being only a short haul from most UK airports, it remains top of the list for those seeking golf in the sun.

To wet your appetite, I have chosen a small selection of the more popular courses along the coast

Cabopino Golf Marbella, Opened in 2001 intermingled with umbrella pines and over looking the Cabopino Marina this course has become one of the most desirable in the Marbella area. Not a long course at 5,417 meters but nevertheless a stiff challenge for all golfers

Facilities: Buggies, Electric trolleys, Driving range, Putting-green, Golf lessons, Clubhouse & Restaurant.

Calanova Golf Club, Just minutes from the busy village of La Cala, Calanova’s 72 par course set in natural surroundings offer a course that medium handicap players will find a pleasure yet challenging to play

Facilities: Buggies, Driving range, Putting-green, Restaurant, Golf Academy, Pro-shop & Clubhouse.

Alhaurin Golf & Hotel Resort, Just 15 minutes drive from Fuengirola. A challenging design overlooking Mijas mountains and the sea offering a choice of two courses. An 18 hole par 72 and a 9 hole par 27

Facilities: Hotel, Restaurant, Bar, Buggies, Trolleys, Putting green, Chipping green, Driving range, Terrace.

EL Chaparral Golf Club, Re-opened last year. Feel the warm sea breeze and savour the perfume of the Mediterranean brush and pine whilst you play this spectacular and challenging course.

Facilities: Buggies, Driving range, Clubhouse, Trolleys, Restaurant & Hotel.

Lauro Golf, Occupying an extraordinarily beautiful location on a hillside within the Mijas mountain range it is recognised as one of the best courses along the coast offering 27 holes with superb views over the sea and mountains

Facilities: Buggies, Driving range, Putting green, Golf lessons, Clubhouse & Restaurant.

Santa Maria Golf & Country Club Marbella, Placed amongst the most elite golf clubs on the Costa del Sol the 18 hole course offers players a challenging game in unparalleled surroundings with the 19th century clubhouse epitomising the charm and character of the club.

Facilities: Pro shop, Trolleys, Buggies, Putting green, Tennis, Lawn Bowls, Sauna, 2 Restaurants, Bar, Lounge, Gym, Snooker & Billiards.

La Cala Resort, Located in the golf valley of Mijas, surrounded by rolling hills, is the only resort on the Costa del Sol with three 18-hole courses, La Cala North considered suitable for top players. The South Course, also spectacular., and the newest par 71 course Campo Europa. There is also an executive six-hole par 3.

Facilities: Buggies, Driving range, Putting green, Golf lessons, Clubhouse, Restaurant, Pool, Tennis, Gym, Sauna & Hotel.

Over the forth coming weeks I’m planning on doing a more in depth individual review of some of the more popular golf courses on the Costa del Sol.

Drop by for regular updates.

The Costa Del Sol To Receive £75 Million Boost To Revitalise Tourism

2008-02-20T16:51:00.002+01:00

I was pleased to read the announcement that Spain is to invest around £75 million (100 million euros) in the western Costa del Sol region.

According to Typically Spanish, the country's commerce and tourism minister Joan Clos remarked during a recent visit to Malaga that the funding would go towards revitalising tourism in the area.

Regional councillor Sergio Moreno reportedly added that the funding - which is around £15 million more than had been expected - will be spent on a number of projects over the next four years.

The money is expected to go towards developments in the towns of Torremolinos, Benalmadena, Fuengirola, Mijas, Marbella, Estepona, Casares and Manilva.

In its recent Holiday Trends 2008 report, the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) revealed that around half a million UK citizens own properties in Spain.

ABTA also predicted that Spain will retain its position as the most popular destination for British holidaymakers in the year ahead, with the Balearic Islands set to attract more visitors than any other region of the country.

With the Costa del Sol welcoming more than two million people a year through Malaga Airport, this is a well needed boost to the main income provider for all of us who live on the Andalucian coast and rely heavily on Tourism and Golf.

Maybe its just the time of year but I have noticed a heavy increase in people searching on the internet particularly on Google search for holiday tips, Hotel reviews and Golfing packages so although I’m no way an expert in any of the subjects I thought it would be nice to do a few more Hotel reviews and maybe some golf and spa resorts for all of you who are thinking of visiting this beautiful part of the world some time later this year.

Who knows? If it proves to be popular I’m might even make it a regular feature.

On an ending note the Mijas Costa Race course re-opens it doors this Sunday the 24th and also stages the very popular Mijas cup on Thursday the 28th of February to kick off what promises to be a full seasons calendar of family entertainment for all our horse racing fanatics her on the Costa.

I will be doing a feature on the Mijas Race Course next week.

See you then……..

Teaching Children Two Languages At Once

2008-01-31T16:25:00.000+01:00

I wrote an article a few months ago about multilingual children and the advantages of teaching your children more than one language from the moment they start learning to talk.

So I thought it was time for an update as to how we are doing.

For those of you who didn’t read the original article, I’m English, my wife is German and we live in Spain.

We originally saw that as a golden opportunity for our twin girls to grow up naturally speaking all three languages and so the plan was we would speak only English to them at home, their grandmother only speaks German and school and television would be in Spanish.

However, as my friend likes to put it “We live in a fluid world.” Although we realised that it might take a little longer for them trying to take in three languages at once, it wasn’t until we had received the report back from their nursery that we realised how far behind their conversational skills were compared to their classmates.

We also found at home, speaking to them was a bit like talking to a brick wall which made educating them or reprimanding them nigh on impossible as they would just give a blank look and carry on doing what ever it was you were trying to stop them doing.

We were starting to get concerned that they were maybe behind in other things as well but the nursery assured us that they were up to age on everything else apart from conversational skills.

So about four weeks ago the decision was made to drop English and German for a while and concentrate in bringing their Spanish up to their age level and what a difference we have seen.

Since we have spoken only in Spanish to them they have become different children and now it is a joy to sit and hold a full conversation about what happened in school, what we are going to do at the weekend, etc. and now they will quite happily help with clearing away dishes, picking up the clothes for the washing basket and all the normal things parents talk about with two year olds.

In fact now you can’t stop them talking and the nursery has informed us that they are finding it much easier to mix now that the can converse more easily with they’re teachers and classmates.

We will introduce English and German back into they’re language at a later date but for now we are just enjoying the pure magic of holding a conversation with someone who sees the world through the innocent eyes of a two year old and listening to them as they learn the art of communication.

I would like to turn this site into an open forum for Parents of Twins where we can all share our experiences and offer help to other Parents of Twins looking for answers to specific problems.

Please feel free to leave any comments below, all input is much appreciated.

I would also love to hear about your own personal and funny experiences bringing up your twins,

please forward them to me at: tapasandtantrums@gmail.com quoting "Coping with twins" in the subject line and I'll feature them here over the forth coming weeks.

Twins And The Terrible Two’s

2007-12-28T14:51:00.000+01:00

As we come to the end of another year with 2008 just around the corner, it’s traditional to reflect upon the past year and look forward to the New Year and all that it brings.

The Twins have just celebrated their second birthday and I’m celebrating surviving it!

And so we enter what I’m told is the worst stage of a toddlers development commonly referred to as “the terrible two’s”

This apparently is the stage where your child really starts to develop into a little person with all the complexity that becoming your own little person brings along with it.

As always parenting Twins just means everything comes in stereo!

Being born on the 20th of December kind of blends Birthday’s and Christmas into one long period of party’s and presents and I don’t think they really realised what it was all about.

For the girls it was just a case of lots of new toys and one of the benefits of being a twin is that you do tend to get spoilt a little bit more than normal by Uncles, Aunts and Grandparents, just because there’s two of you.

I don’t know if other parents of twins have experienced that twins do get treated differently by other family members than normal children?

I would be interested on your feed back on that one, please leave your comments below.

As far as their development goes, we have really noticed some remarkable changes in the last couple of months and will be updating you all on the changes in the New Year.

I will be posting an update on how they are coping learning three languages at once in January when I have a little more time.

They have really changed from being babies into proper little people and will communicate quite clearly what they want and what they don’t want.

This brings the added problem of also seeing what they can get away with or can’t get away with and just how far they can push Mum and Dad.

They have also become very competitive and will constantly fight for my attention.

I would appreciate anyone’s advice on how to gently correct this over possessiveness as life can become quite stressful when you have two 2 year olds fighting for a space on your lap when all you really want to do is relax with a coffee and wind down after work?

I’m also thinking of turning this site into an open forum for Parents of Twins where we can all share our experiences and offer help to other Parents of Twins looking for answers to specific problems.

Please feel free to leave any comments below, all input is much appreciated.

I would also love to hear about your own personal and funny experiences bringing up your twins,

please forward them to me at: tapasandtantrums@gmail.com quoting "Bringing up twins" in the subject line.

I'll feature them here over the forth coming weeks.

Wishing you all the best for 2008

See you next year

Hotel Bahia Tropical, Almuñecar

2007-12-12T23:41:00.001+01:00

Last weekend saw us take the twins for a quick but well needed four day break just up the coast in Almuñecar.

I particularly like Almuñecar for short breaks as it is literally only a 1½ hour drive away from Fuengirola where we live, which I feel is just long enough to keep two 23 month olds amused whilst they are trapped into their car seats and the portable DVD players we normally have strapped to the headrests playing “The Big Bear In The Blue House” are in the repair shop because Dad conveniently fused them the day before we left!

When the rest of the new motorway is finished it will easily cut the drive down to an hour and make it even more attractive to us for our long weekend breaks there.

Although we normally try to book into a two bed apartment on a good quality Timeshare Resort, this time we booked a double room in the Hotel Bahia Tropical.

The Hotel Bahia Tropical is rated a four star and I would certainly agree with that rating.

The service from the moment you book in, to the moment you leave is one of the best I have experienced and the staff really make sure every detail is attended to in the shortest possible time and leave you feeling that nothing would be too much trouble.

I would have liked to booked one of the junior suites but they where all booked well in advance which only confirms the hotels popularity.

Even so the double rooms are more than ample for two adults and two children offering, two double beds and a bed settee that could be turned into a third double bed in one simple movement.

All the rooms including the suites face inwards with the good sized balconies overlooking the pool and gardens and I felt the planning and layout of the whole resort was very well thought out and gave the impression it was larger than it actually is.

The buffet style restaurant offers a good selection of dishes every night although you can order from the a la carte menu if you prefer and the nightly entertainment in the English bar even had me up dancing!

I’m not quite sure why they called it the English bar as there was nothing even remotely English about it although it didn’t bother us as we prefer Spanish bars anyway. It just seemed a strange name.

On the downside to be honest I couldn’t really fault anything other than once again not one of the lifts was capable of fitting a double buggy through the doors, but from experience, we have now overcome that problem by using two single buggies that fit anywhere instead of our twin buggy that you had fold up each time, or carry up the stairs with the girls in it! Not a lot of fun when you’re on the fourth floor!

This is an excellent family hotel, right on the beach with a large park, bar/restaurant and children’s play area on the side and within walking distance of the town centre. We will definitely be returning in the new year.

Identical Twins or Fraternal Twins? - So what is the difference?

2007-11-07T21:40:00.000+01:00

One of the nice things about raising a family in Spain is that Spanish people in general are very family orientated. It’s quite common to find grandparents, parents and children all living under the same roof. What’s more they absolutely adore babies, it’s impossible to walk down the street pushing a pram without stopping every two yards while the next person coo’s and dribbles all over your baby.

Now bearing in mind that most Spanish people are dark skinned, dark eyed, and have dark brown hair, if your baby just happens to be pale skinned with bright blue eyes and wavy blond hair it makes it twice as bad. If they just happen to be twins, then it can take two hours just to get past the local park.

Quite often when we go to the shopping centre I’ll send my wife on ahead to do the shopping, while I try to navigate the hoards of people who make a b-line straight for the double buggy, stand right in front of you so you can’t move anywhere and start up a conversation.

The conversation normally goes,

“Oh look there’s two of them.” “Yes twins normally come in two’s.”
“Aren’t they gorgeous, your so lucky, they’re identical aren’t they? How do you tell the difference?”

At this point rather than dispute the fact that they’re not identical they’re fraternal which would normally take up another half hour of explanations, I just say “We named them Rebecca and Laura so we keep Rebecca on the right and Laura on the Left that way we don’t get confused!”

We have never had a problem telling them apart, when they were first born they were quite similar, but then I think all babies look the same when they’re first born. As they have grown, they’ve developed completely different characters and features.

So what is the difference between Identical twins and fraternal twins?

As I understand it, Identical twins are produced when a single fertilized egg by some quirk of nature divides into two embryos that develop within the same sac. They share the same cellular and genetic make up and I believe even their DNA’s are Identical. I have heard of some twins being tattooed so they don’t get mixed up!

Fraternal twins on the other hand are two separate eggs that are fertilized and implant into the womb at the same time. This can be because the mother naturally produces more than one egg when she ovulates, or more often than not these days, two or more fertilized eggs have been implanted in the womb through IVF treatment. They have their own individual cellular and genetic make up, develop in separate sacs and each baby has its own unique DNA. In reality they’re not twins at all, they’re brothers or sisters that instead of being born a couple of years apart like normal, they’re born on the same day. We don’t have a word in English for this so we call them twins. The Spanish call Identical twins Gemelos and Fraternal twins Mellizos so there’s no confusion.

I would love to hear about your own personal and funny experiences bringing up twins, please forward them to me at: tapasandtantrums@gmail.com qouting "Bringing up twins" in the subject line and I'll feature them here over the coming weeks.