SKI-er or Sk-ater. We know how to enjoy ourselves

seven-day-weekend

Well, we have just returned from four days ski-ing on the Costa del Sol.

We have never visited any of these beach resorts before as we thought they were all full of Brit Bars and lager louts.

However, my husband's cousin and her husband had a free holiday in a five-berth apartment in Fuengirola and invited us to go with them, so off we went.

We have had an absolutely terrific time! Yes, it was very British, (as you would expect from a resort on the CDS), but for us living in the sticks in rural Andalucia, it was great to have restaurants and shops on our doorstep and there were no lager louts in sight; also plenty of Spanish people holidaying too. I would not like to go for two weeks, but for a few days it was most enjoyable.

On Monday we went to Gibraltar; another place we had never visited. My well-travelled neighbours from the village said we would hate it and that it was a 'dump'. All I can say is that we thought it was a great place; full of history and good architecture. We were unable to stay there more than a couple of hours, but have vowed to go back soon and stay for a couple of days, so that we can investigate it properly.

And the CDS lived up to its name; sunshine every day, like an August day in the UK.

We also went to Puerto Banus, where all the 'celebs' live (so does my husband's cousin's daughter, who is married to a millionaire ). We did not like this place much, although it screamed 'money', we felt it was soulless and full of 'bling'.

On the whole, a most refreshing break.

Errata

Good to hear you enjoyed it. Nerja is on the CDS and is very popular with Spanish families who like a seaside holiday or a seaside second home.

seven-day-weekend

Errata wrote: »

Good to hear you enjoyed it. Nerja is on the CDS and is very popular with Spanish families who like a seaside holiday or a seaside second home.

Yes, we like Nerja very much and have been there often. It is 'our' side (east) of Malaga, in fact almost in Granada Province and Costa Tropical and personally I do not think it is typical of the CDS.

When I said we had not visited any of the resorts, I meant the ones west of Malaga, from Torremolinos westwards. Up until this trip IKEA at Torremolinos was the furthest west we had been. Now we have been as far west as Gibraltar!

Merrywidow

I wish everyone of my Skiing and Skating buddies a very Happy Christmas and a well travelled 2010.

seven-day-weekend

And to you too MW.

Savvy_Sue

And to all of you. I've just had to break with tradition - usually it's the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on Radio 4 at 3pm while we all prepare the Christmas Veg, but today would have been my parents' 60th wedding anniversary had my dad not died, so instead I took the boys with me to take Mum out for a meal. A few tears, but good tears. I have possibly started a new tradition ...

donny-gal

Christmas Greetings to you all, hope you have a good one, had a nice afternoon/evening when Nephew, Wife & kids came down and had a roast beef dinner with us, not a usual tradition, but very pleasant, she had lost her Mum in February, and thinks tomorrow will not be the best of days, and that is when we usually call. Tomorrow we will go and see my Dad as not made it with the weather, and then go to Dave's neices to see her and hubby and the kids, before coming home for dinner a deux. DS & GF arrive for our Xmas on the 27th this year.

Ski-ing wise we have had a busy year, new caravan now on drive, new tv on now, and F/freezer loaded with Xmas food. Trip back to Spain organised for mid-Jan, having a couple of nights in London, to spend time with DS & GF and booked to go to We Will Rock You on Saturday matinee. Ferry booked to take the caravan to the continent in June, and intend to make full use of it this summer.

Thank you for all your friendship and support over the last year, and hope 2010 is good to all of you.
DG

pollypenny

Hope everyone had a good Christmas and looking forward to a Happy and peaceful 2010.

Florida ski-ing a bit odd - it's 10 degrees below usual and cold.

margaretclare

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

And to all of you. I've just had to break with tradition - usually it's the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on Radio 4 at 3pm while we all prepare the Christmas Veg, but today would have been my parents' 60th wedding anniversary had my dad not died, so instead I took the boys with me to take Mum out for a meal. A few tears, but good tears. I have possibly started a new tradition ...

We went to Stratford and sat listening to that Festival on Radio 4....while we were doing that, the car battery died (it's because the headlights come on automatically). Rescue services were extremely busy and delayed, but we were helped by a nice local man who used his van with DH's jump-leads to get us going again.

Staying at the Royal Court Hotel near Coventry was NOT a great success. Just as we arrived, so did several coach parties. We were handed an itinerary and it was a bit like a 'happy campers' style of Christmas break. Fortunately we weren't limited as to transport, and on Christmas Eve after we got back from Stratford, we went to the 7 pm Carol Service in Coventry Cathedral. What an experience. About 1000 people in that huge modern cathedral, and the singing, the organ, the readings - just magic. Christmas morning we went to a family Communion service at the local church.

That hotel is huge, 210 bedrooms with inadequate lift provision, and as many of the coach travellers are a darned sight older and more disabled than we are, there were a lot of complaints. We ourselves were very glad to get out of it. We paid for 4 dinners but only ate one, the first evening - didn't like the flashing lights, the noise, and the shouty man (DJ) who kept trying to persuade more people to buy bingo tickets. And then immediately dinner was over - 3 courses of fairly unremarkable food - bingo started!! We were out of there.

The best bits were the carol service, church, sightseeing - it's a lovely part of England, ancient Arden! And dinner on Saturday evening at a local pub called the 'Hare and Hounds', Keresley, with DH's daughter, her husband and his son. We couldn't wait to get away from that hotel Sunday morning - will have another think for next Christmas! Being on the 4th floor with lifts constantly breaking down was just one of the grouses that we had.

Errata

I'm afraid I spent Christmas skating backwards and forwards to my stepdad's care home. Now he's back in hospital again, so will be spending my time cursing in the hospital car park as I try to find a parking space grrrrrrrrr.

MC - sorry to hear your hotel wasn't good. I think the difficulty with large hotels that do Christmas packages is that unless they are very, very expensive ones they tend to attract coach package holidays. Very much smaller hotels than the one you stayed in could be a far better experience.