Seaside Gazette » beach

Windsurf La Herradura

David Darby — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:17:15 +0000

Stopping off at Windsurf La Herradura and pretending I’m still all sporty and fit is always a treat, and on a recent visit I was lucky enough to have a nice long chat with Louis Schraven, who has run the business since 1979. He’s probably seen more changes in the area than possibly even the ageing Ed!

Both the Ed and myself still dream of owning a kayak or two one of these days, and hopefully we’ll do just that before we get too bloody old to paddle.

As for Louis… well he has been teaching people to sail, windsurf and kayak in the perfect waters of La Herradura bay for as long as just about anyone can remember, and the bay does lend itself perfectly for the pursuit of waterborne sports.
Luis speaks perfect English and Spanish, says that he wishes more local people would become involved in their activities, “We are open all year, but it’s after Easter that things really get going.”

If you want to gain a new skill during your holiday, or even if you live here, you can get courses in sailing, windsurfing or kayaking, all at extremely reasonable rates, and with the highest levels of tuition.

When you arrive in La Herradura, go down to the beach, turn right, go past the school and the supermarket, and the shop is on the right with the school opposite on the beach.
Windsurf La herradura, Paseo Maritimo 34, La Herradura, tel. 958 640 143 info@windsurflaherradura.com

Beach Eaten… Again

Editor — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:18:20 +0000

The winter & spring gales have wrought havock, yet again, on Motril’s beaches east of the river; i.e., Playa Granada.

Last November the Government spent 430,000 euros lorrying in sand – something the river itself used to do for free before it was dammed up above Vélez Benaudalla (Rules).

One look at the beach at the end of May would have taken in a scene of desolation – there was not beach, just a 1-metre shelf at the waterline. However, it is the beach that is popularly known as the ‘German Beach,’ (La Playa de los Alemanes), right in front of Hotel Robinson, that bore the brunt of the sea’s hunger.

The manager of the hotel, Holger Reinshagen, laments that although their brouchers speaks of ‘a virgin beach’ in front of the building, there doesn’t actually appear to be any beach at all. The trouble is, the hotel would be quite happy to get a tractor out to sort it out themselves, at their own expense, but they are not allowed to touch it – as it is Costa’s jealous responsibility.

So, 71,000 cubic metres of sand literally disappeared into the sea, virtually only two weeks after the beach regeneration work concluded. *Sigh!*

San Juan Summary

Editor — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:14:24 +0000

The was more than thousands of kilos of rubbish left on Motril’s beaches on during San Juan; the Guardia Civil busted a young lad with 700 kilos of hashish in the boot of his car! Oh and another 300 small bags of cocaine was also confiscated.
The usual fines for burning the wooden walkways were also handed out, along with arrests for fighting and even carrying firearms. You know, San Juan is just not what it used to be, is it…

Road Cleared!

David Darby — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:28:53 +0000

It took two months to sort out, but at last traffic started to move between Punta de la Mona and La Herradura along the beach road. Shortly after 11am one morning the barriers were removed and traffic, once again, started to flow on this important local route connecting the Punta to the main village.
Since the collapse, caused by the heavy rains, on March 8th, hundreds of tons of rock and earth have been shifted. The work was carried out by Excaval who were commissioned to ‘urgently’ clear the road by the Town Hall just a week after the event and given a budget of 88,000 euros, which is then to be recovered from the owners of the land Promontory Ariete SL.
The work did manage to clear enough debris and make the area safe enough to open a walkway to connect the two areas during Easter, but it took much longer to get the traffic moving.
The collapse at La Caleta was not the only damage caused by the rain, as reported by the Gazette, the rain also caused a landslide on the Urbanisación El Gallo level, damage that has still not been remedied, despite the Town Hall budget of 55,000 euros being thrown at it. Although, it has to be said, that this damage has not resulted in the road being closed… but I must confess to a little feeling of unease as I drive over that section of road!
Back to La Caleta and the opening of the road, which has come as a huge relief, not just for the residents of the Punta, but also for the residents in Marina del Este and the visitors staying at Best Alcázar, as they have all been using either the N-340 or the narrow, near miss territory of Camino Real and Los Berengaria..

Vicente Barbero

David Darby — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:24:51 +0000

Vicente Barbero is 81-years old, and is the founder of Chamboa Vicente, a beach bar that could tell a few local tales for sure!
The awning outside says that the Chamboa opened in 1965, although Vicente was in fact open before that, but he would just turn up each summer with his reeds and grass and build the bar, dismantling it at the end of the season.
It was the first of its kind in the area, and has definitely stood the test of time, but Vicente is still quite laid back about it all, taking his afternoon nap every day, so he was taken by surprise to receive an award from the Tourism Council of Almuñécar.
It must be said that this pioneer of tourism had a very short business plan… when asked he simply said, “You had to eat.”

Boat Mystery

David Darby — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 08:54:54 +0000

photo credit: Juan Manuel de Haro

Last year there was a rather amusing story here in the Gazette about a car, with the handbrake left off, rolling down the beach and into the sea, somehow missing everyone on the beach.
Well, if you are taking a few rays this year, it looks like you should be looking for danger from the other direction. This is, of course, news that a boat, with nobody on board, crashed onto the rocks at the Punta-de-la-Mona end of the bay.
On a pleasant Sunday afternoon, locals were amazed to see the boat, called, Captain Akab, steering directly for the rocks, with no deviation in direction or reduction in speed. As it turned out, there was no crew, only a T-shirt tied to the steering wheel to maintain a steady course.
The Guardia immediately launched an investigation into what had happened and commenced a search, in case anyone had fallen overboard.
Well, part of the mystery was solved when an Almuñécar man, named only as MBDH, 30, came forward to say he was on the boat prior to it running aground, although, so far, he has done little to enlighten the police on the reason for the grounding.
The Guardia will no doubt want to speak to him about the search for anyone from the boat, which only discovered 13 bales of hashish weighing in at around 400 kilos floating around in the waters between Maro and Cerro Gordo. Also, during the search they found a British man, from Málaga, in an inflatable boat adrift due to a lack of fuel. As it turned out, the boat had a double bottom, but nothing was found in the void, although subsequent searches by drugs dogs did indicate that illegal substances had allegedly been stored there previously.
The boat, meanwhile, was removed from the rocks by crane and taken to a ‘lock up’ after being thoroughly examined by the Guardia Civil. However, it appears that it wasn’t only the Guardia that were interested in the boat with the 200hp engine, because during Monday night, the compound was broken into, and all the alarms disabled on the ‘lock-up.’
The next morning, the Guardia found nothing missing, but that some parts of the boat had been interfered with, which led the Guardia to further believe that this vessel is somehow involved in illegal drug transportation. The Guardia Civil continue to investigate.

Blue Zone Postponed

Dave Nichols — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 20:04:07 +0000

Here’s some good news; the proposed Blue-Zone parking restrictions by the beach have been postponed. Our Mayor, Jesus Avelino Menéndez, insists this measure has nothing at all do with protests from the association of business owners on and around La Playa. Oh, no. Of course not. But I personally think we all owe the business group a vote of thanks for their protest anyway.

Breaking News! Parking!

Dave Nichols — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:19:52 +0000

Breaking news! The latest stroke of brilliance from the Town Hall is as follows: in future, all tourists will be charged for parking along the beach area. Now, ‘Tourists’ are to be defined, apparently, as non-residents of Salobreña. How this is going to be applied in practice is yet to be announced.
The municipal police are going to have field days. Oh Boy! If Tourism plays a major role in our economy (which I think it does), then levying what amounts to an additional tax seems to be the very best in short-term thinking. I would suggest that those owning beachfront businesses might just have something to say about this measure.
But, at least our Mayor is consistent. So far this year, he has levied new taxes on: A) those with second homes, and now, B) on tourists and visitors. Call me cynical, but is he just trying to raise money from people who have no local vote?

Beached?

Héloïse Nolan — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:52:47 +0000

Beaches … what beaches? As the Easter holidays approach, the Town Hall has suddenly realised that they are going to get a whole bunch of tourists into the area but the beaches in the area, especially in Playa Granada/golf course, aren’t there any more! Ho hum … what to do? Blame it on the weather is a good one to start with and the intense rains we have been having for the past three months are the excuse this time round.
If you have been monitoring the news here over the past few years you will know that the state of the beaches are always discussed and nothing is ever done about them apart from plonking some new sand down occasionally. If you want tourists then you have to have decent beaches … doh … this ain’t rocket science after all.
You can go and sell an area to the world at every tourist show on the planet but without decent beaches, you are going to get nowhere. It is not just about cleaning the beaches, the water has to be clean too and this sure isn’t the case in this area when every year the environmental groups get going and rate the beaches which all get pretty appalling ratings. Beaches need sea defences in the event of bad weather; you only have to look at other beach areas around Spain to see how they defend their beaches from the weather.
Yes, the Easter period is a springboard for the summer but by mid-March it is a little late in the year to start discussing possible solutions and as possible solutions have been discussed for years but not one decision made or implemented, this is all get pretty damned boring.

Chiringuito La Bahía

David Darby — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:50:27 +0000

(MO) Situated across from the picturesque El Peñon (the rocky point which divides the two beaches in Salobreña), you will find Chringuito La Bahia. Here you can feast on a spectacular menu while enjoying the breathtaking view of the sea and beaches. La Bahia has an amazing assortment of fresh fish to choose from daily – look for the day catch displayed, chilling on ice, in the quaint little boat inside the restaurant.
The owner, Pepe Almendros, has run this restaurant since it opened in 1988. The length of its very existence speaks volumes about its impeccable food and attentive, friendly staff. The special preparation of their fish and meat is what makes this restaurant stand out from the rest. Especially popular is their succulent roasted meat, or ribs if you prefer, served with a special sauce. Also popular is their wide assortment of salads (8 classes of salad!). Soon you will also be able to enjoy the sight of sardines being roasted on a spit in the boat parked outside the chiringuito.
A unique feature of La Bahia is the conical shaped roof and the crystal glass doors, which create a very illuminated setting. These features keep the place warm in the winter (along with the wood-burning oven) – and cool in the summer, when the doors are opened to allow a nice light breeze to flow through. The restaurant is spacious but cozy and with indoor and outdoor seating, there is room for up to 250 people. However, in the high season it is recommended to reserve a table. They are open every day now until October between the hours of 10:00 and 22:30. They have ample private parking reserved for their guests. English is spoken. Located at Playa del Peñon, Salobreña Tel. 958 828 395