Lloret de Mar - 50th Birthdays !!

Thanks to Poppy for the catering !!!

The fire extinguishers were at the ready here !!!

This year a few of the regular vistitors to Lloret have celebrated their 50th birthday. So as usual 'any excuse for party' and because it was a rainy day we all ended up in Gerry's Bar!!

Lloret de Mar - A Summer Place.

Here is a short photo slideshow of the Lloret de Mar coast, no explanation needed....only to say that I think it has to be the most picturesque coast line in Spain!!

Lloret de Mar - All Inclusive !!

The latest trend for many of the large hotels in the resort areas of Spain are now offering all inclusive deals. Meaning that familys who book with these hotels pay just a one off payment for which they can eat and drink as much as they like for the duration of their stay.
Although this works out excellent value for families, it is not doing the Spanish Costa's businesses any good at all!
Most of the bars and resturants here are suffering their worst year of trading so far. They are just not getting the custom they need to make a decent living!
It seems that if the hotels carry on this way the only thing over here will be a lot of cramped hotels and a lot of bars, cafes and resturants having to cease trading. Which wont be a very nice sight for tourists or residents here seeing all the empty shops and bars with their shutters pulled permanently down, because they just cant compete for trade against these large hotels!!
One more thing that we are now hearing, is that the large hotel groups are now even undercutting the excursion operators by running their own trips at approximately half the normal price.
Which is a clever ploy to get the holiday makers out for the day...that way they are not eating and drinking in the hotels making huge savings for the hoteliers.
They just dont seem to realise that eventually they will more than likely put them selves out of business as there will be nothing left in these resorts to see but a lot of empty shops ect.
With nothing to do in town sounds like a very depressing holiday to me!
These all inclusive deals work very well in places like the Caribbean owing to the size of the complexes, but its not ideal for Spain.
So its time these hotels got back to their old ways with a choice of either B&B, Half or Full board,
and let the bars etc get back to their old ways. Its no fun when the traders and bar owners (not forgetting customers) dont know how much longer their 'local' can carry on trading!!

Lloret de Mar - A Day Trip Out

Another nice trip which is worth a visit is either by boat or bus from the bus station is Tossa de Mar. How ever way you decide to go the scenery is just as breathtaking. Unlike the bustling streets of Lloret, you will find Tossa is like stepping back to how we can all imagine what the old Spain was like before all us tourist's invaded years ago!

 

These pictures of the narrow streets are taken within the castle walls from where you will also have views of the rocky coast not able to be seen from the beach.

The castle itself dates back to the end of the 12th century and has protected the 'village' many times. The main invaders being 'pirates' around about the 16th centuary.

Lloret de Mar - Boat trip to San Feliu

Lloret de Mar in the summer can sometimes be a little hectic for some people. If you find this is the case then why not take a nice trip up the coast to the much quieter resort of San Feliu de Guixols. On the way you will see some of the best scenery of the Costa Brava. The boats sail quite often from the sea front. The fare is approx 16 Euros return.

With the paved shopping areas it is much more enjoyable to stroll around and find either something special for your self or presents to take home for your family and friends back home.
There are also plenty of nice reasonably priced places to have a snack or a full menu of the day.
You can find out more from the San Feliu tourist website.

The Clon Festival - Lloret de Mar.

Last Friday after a meal in the International to celebrate John & Karen's birthday we all walked over into Lloret to see the 'Queen' tribute band. They were playing near McDonalds on the sea front. The band came on at 22.45 and played on untill 12.30am. Everyone danced and song along to the music!! The band originates from Argentina, and are one of the best Queen tribute bands around!
The next tribute bands for the festival are Supertramp - 17th August, then the Blues Brothers - 31st August.

A Birthday in Lloret!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JOHN & KAREN, HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY!!

Here on holiday to celebrate their birthdays are our good friends from Leeds, Karen and John.

John will be 50, Karen's?... I'm not telling you!

Their birthdays fall on the same day 3rd August! So today we are planning to have a couple of hours round the pool. Then tonight we're going to the excellent International Resturant on the sea front in Fenals, where John & Steve will probably have the biggest and best steak they sell! and Karen & myself will have the Paella...along with 1 or 2 bottles of wine!!