3 of “Our” Players Make the Malaga Provincial Team!

Peña los compadres

León, Sergio Esteban y John

Since last year, we’ve been keenly following the progress of the young group of budding footballers who make up the “Peña Los Compadres” team in Marbella. Why? The easy answer to that is because we sponsor the teams training kit (see photo).

Things in the local league haven’t gone as well as they could have, with a mid-table 7th position. We are; however, pleased to report that three of the team’s star players have been selected to represent Malaga province in the upcoming Andalucian Championship for provincial teams which will be held in La Herradura, Granada on the 5th, 6th and 7th of May.

León, Sergio Esteban and John have had to undergo gruelling trials – nine to be exact – before making the final team. All that hard work has now paid off and the youngsters are looking forward to, what will undoubtedly, be a very entertaining and competitive tournament.

The Málaga team are in a tough group playing against Sevilla, Granada and Cordoba – Sevilla won the tournament last year and Granada have the home advantage. The second group is made up of Cadiz, Jaen Almería and Huelva, with Cadiz probably the favourites to go through to the finals – But the guys in the Málaga team are confident that they can give them a run for their money! We certainly wish them all the best for the tournament.

Sergio Esteban (Centre of the photo) has actually done some training this season with Sevilla FC and even made their team for an earlier tournament in Mallorca. John (on the right) has also been training with Colchester United and played for them in a couple of matches at the University of Essex. Some future stars in the making?

 

Semana Santa (Holy Week): An Experience Not to be Missed!

Semana Santa en MalagaThis weekend sees the official start of Semana Santa (Holy Week); Towns and cities all over the country – especially in Andalucia – celebrate this Easter week with a profound devotion and passion. If you’ve never attended one of the amazing processions, I highly recommend you make an effort to experience it – at least once – you won’t regret it!

What Exactly Happens in Holy Week?

Good question. We won’t go into the intricate details and history of these religious festivities here; what I will tell you is that it’s a time where Christians show extreme devotion to their faith.

The highlight of Semana Santa is the processions. In Andalucia, most towns and cities will have a series of processions which take place throughout the week; starting on Palm Sunday and continuing until Resurrection Sunday.

If you really want to experience the traditional Semana Santa, we recommend you visit Málaga: thousands of locals and tourists line the streets to watch the different “cofradías” (brotherhoods) parade their impressive “Tronos” (Thrones) through the city. Some of these impressive structures weigh up to 5000 kilos and need 200+ men to carry them! Routes can last up to eight hours with each man carrying an equivalent of 25 or 30 kilos on their shoulders during this time: that’s devotion! (more…)

3100 Portuguese Students Enjoy End of Term Trip to Benalmadena

If you are walking around Benalmadena this week – especially 24 Hour square or Puerto Marina – you might be forgiven for thinking you are in another country: Portugal to be exact!

Over 3000 portuguese students have chosen Benalmadena for their end-of-term trip; great news for the town as it means the occupation of more than 1500 hotel rooms in 14 different hotels, one of which is Sunset Beach Club!

We’ve only got a small group of 45 students staying with us, and to be honest, we don’t even see them as they are out all day taking part in the fantastic organised activities during the day, and experiencing some Benalmadena night life until early hours of the morning!

The trip has been organised by a Portuguese tour operator (Slide-in Travel) and during the whole week that they are here, there are tons of fun activities for the youngsters – all are aged between 17 and 22 – for example: paintball, games on the beach, go-karting, trips to Tivoli World, Selwo and Isla Mágica in Seville, and a Sunset Boat Party, to name but a few!

Here’s  a great video of last year’s trip to Benalmádena: looks like they had fun!

Our Entertainment Team Travel to London on Reconnaissance Mission: Want to Know Why?

We Will Rock You Show at Sunset Beach Club

Rocio, Raul and Patri....We Will Rock You!

A couple of weeks ago, Rocio, Raul and Patri, from our entertainment team, made the most of a weekend trip to London. Apart from taking in many of the more traditional tourist attractions, the team had an alterior motive for their trip: They had booked tickets to see two of London’s top musicals.

It is not uncommon for visitors to the capital city to want to watch one of the many amazing shows on offer; however, Rocio and the team were very keen to see “We Will Rock You” and “The Lion King”.

Why? Because those are going to be the tribute shows they will be preparing for this summer’s entertainment programme at Sunset Beach Club!

The Lion King SHow at Sunset Beach Club

The Lion King.....

Guests visiting the hotel this summer season will be able to enjoy both of these shows (dates are yet to be confirmed) which will be performed weekly at the Moonlight Theatre.

The team is busy rehearsing for the shows and preparing all the costumes and wardrobe; I’ll try and sneak in to one of their rehearsals to give you a quick preview of what to expect……stay tuned for more information!

 

The Oasis Restaurant Menu Gets a “Makeover”

New Menu at the Oasis RestaurantEaster is just around the corner and with it, the start of our busy high season. Just before things get “mad” in the hotel kitchens, our Head Chef and his team have been busy making a few changes to our á la carte menu.

The new additions to the menu offer something for all tastes; there are some more traditional dishes and there are some really innovative creations, perfect for those guests who enjoy trying something new!

Without further-a-do, here’s a brief summary of the new dishes you’ll be able to try next time you visit Sunset Beach Club:

Starters

We’ve got 4 new starters on the menu…how does this sound? Strawberry Gazpacho with marinated fresh cheese a twist of the popular Andalucian cold soup flavoured with strawberries. Or maybe you’d prefer the Deep Fried Fishcakes with herbs, served with mixed leaves and a herb vinaigrette?

Chef’s Specials

All the old favourites remain on the menu; however, we have a new special which sounds fantastic… Roasted duck breast with passion fruit, served with a thyme sauce, daily potato dish and seasonal vegetables.

Fish Dishes

We’ve got two new fish dishes for you to try:

  • Grilled salmon supreme with sautéed shallots, served with a vermouth sauce
  • Pan fried hake loins with a red pepper vinaigrette

Chef’s Home Made Desserts

Once again,Chef Paul proves that he really is the “master” of desserts with these two fantastic additions:

  • Strawberry Pavlova (Meringue nest filled with chantilly cream, topped with fresh strawberries)
  • Chef’s floating Island (Poached meringue over a blue curacao sauce & sand biscuit)

Finally, we’ve made significant changes to the kids menu. The little ones can now enjoy healthier dishes made with fresh local products, for example:

  • Grandma’s Meatballs – Delicious home made beef meatballs in a tomato sauce with rice
  • Captain’s Catch – Crispy homemade fish fingers with pea puree

So there you have it; some of the delicious new dishes available on our new á la carte menu. Have you tried our new dishes? What did you think?

 

Introducing “Luna Beach”: Our New Beach Club Experience!

Luna Beach at Sunset Beach Club

An artist's impression of "Luna Beach"

Many of our regular guests will be familiar with the Pierino’s, located just a few minutes walk from the hotel. This popular beach restaurant belongs to the hotel but for the past couple of years has been successfully managed by an outside contractor.

Well, this year, it’s all change as we once again take over the day to day management of this idyllic beach side location and launch a new and improved facility for all our guests. Although the beach restaurant has been very popular amongst guests and local clientele, this year we will be looking to take it to another level entirely…

The venue has been renamed and will now be known as the “Luna Beach”. It’s not just a new name; plans are in place for an ambitious make over which will transform it into being one of the trendiest and most popular operations of its kind in Benalmadena.

Work commenced a couple of weeks ago and the new decking and terrace have now been completed (see photos). We are now waiting for the amazing sail style awnings; an exquisite designer look which will provide cool shade during those hot summer months. The artists impression above will give you an idea of what “Luna Beach” will look like when its finished…impressive isn’t it?

There will be ample space for tables and chairs where guests can enjoy food from the delicious new menu which our Head Chef is just adding the finishing touches too (I’ll be sure to post about that soon!).

Luna Beach Club

New decking at "Luna Beach"

One of the new decking areas will incorporate an amazing lounge and chill out area with comfortable seating – I’m thinking a cool Mojito whilst listening to some great tunes from one of the resident DJ’s – Yes, we’ll have several resident DJ’s who’ll be playing a wide selection of music; the state of the art lighting and sound systems will also contribute to the overall enhanced guest experience.

We’ve got lots of great ideas for Luna Beach….can’t reveal them all just yet; however, here’s a little taster of what you can expect:

  • Weekly “Sun downer” party for hotel guests (from 7pm to 11pm) with DJ’s and live music. You’ll be able to enjoy snacks from the bbq, sangria, wine and we’ll even have the activities team to look after the kids on the beach.
  • Possibility to reserve sun beds on the beach
  • Live music at the weekend
  • Regular DJ spots

Stay tuned for more updates. I’ll be posting photos of work-in-progress as we lead up to the great opening in May!