Lloret de Mar Triathlon

It was an exciting day in Fenals on Sunday with the Triathlon...I'm not sure how many took part but it must have been in the hundreds judging by how many bikes were lined up in the parking area. The day started off on the beach with all participants running into the sea for the 700mts swim after which there was a mad dash to the bikes for 20 km bike ride which wove all around the roads and narrow side streets of Fenals. The last part of the event was the 5km run. There were lots of people lining the streets to watch and cheer on all those who took part....a great atmosphere !

Lloret de Mar - Best Bars

One of the most popular bars in Lloret de Mar is Rabbies and is managed by Linda. Here you can find a real mix of people - including the locals who have lived in Lloret for years, then visitors who come several times a year, and quite often holiday makers who are maybe just discovering Lloret for their first time. No matter who it is they are all made welcome and made to feel as though they have just walked into their local pub at home! 

If you are coming to Lloret for a holiday or a short break this year I can guarantee you will feel at home in this bar. They are a football friendly bar so no matter what team you support if its on TV then you only have to ask Linda and she will put it on for you. There's always a great atmosphere in Rabbies!......see more pics and directions to this great pub here > Lloret Rabbies

Lloret de Mar Events

This weekend you can see the Lloret - Costa Brava Triathlon event most of which seems to be happening on or around Fenals on Sunday 15th May. The events are 700 mtr swim, 20km bike ride and 5km run. Last year was the first time this event took place in Lloret...watch the video below to see just how popular it was!

Buzzby's....As seen on TV !

After I was contacted by the BBC asking for their help looking for people who would like to contribute to their World News programme, I put them in touch with John Teasdale who is to shortly re-open our local bar Buzzbys. John gave them a very good interview about his life in Lloret and the pros and cons of starting a business in Spain. The BBC were back in touch yesterday and I have now had firm confirmation when the programme will be shown. Unfortunately it wont  be shown on UK television.

Lloret De Mar is a short section within the film, which is about Spain as a whole.  But, here are the times the programme, which is called Third Eye, is being broadcast in Spain over the weekend.

 Sat, May 14th

 >06:30

> 19:30

>Sun, May 15th

> 12:30

>19:30

As soon as I can I'll get a recording on here from YouTube - with thanks in advance to Christian!

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In the post below we are still needing people for a competely different project for the BBc which will be shown in the UK. So far quite a few of you have been in touch and the BBC are now in the process of contacting those who they think will be suitable for the programme.

Help Needed from Early Tourist's!

I have once again been contacted by the BBC asking if we can help them to find people who would like to take part in a series of programmes they are making, one of which will be about the birth of the package holiday and will be prented by Melvyn Bragg.

If anyone would like to take part please contact me at jackiereindl@gmail.com and I will pass on your details to the BBC

Here is part of the email I received....

"We will be asking people with memories and stories to come along and watch our historical film footage and share their stories, its adding a modern perspective to the existing footage. This will both be transmitted on BBC 2 and archived with the historical footage to keep an up to date and accurate account of various period.

Our programmes cover a variety of historical themes such as the home front and evacuation in the 40s, seaside holidays in the 50s, teenage life in the 50s, school life in the 1960s, The jubilee in the 70s as well as many other themes.

Any help would be gratefully received, we are really looking for characters who remember the beginning of the package holidays. Who either went on them and have stories to tell, or who may have been employed in any part of the industry - be it as a Rep, Bar or Hotel Worker ( or Owner), Cabin Crew or Airport staff."

Lloret de Mar Views

As far as I know just for the next few days in Lloret not much is happening...no planned events that I know of so its just nice to get out for a stroll and enjoy the good weather which we had today. Although saying that there was quite a bad downpour yesterday, all those who watched the Barcelona v Real Madrid game last night would have seen the heavy rain and lightening in Barcelona. I'm glad to say it wasn't as bad as that here in Lloret. These two photos were taken just today showing the beach as taken from the castle, and then a view of the castle taken from a different angle than normally seen!

Lloret de Mar Royal Wedding Party!

 What a Day!

El Pubs wedding celebration party was a massive success yesterday, Lots of locals, holidaymakers, and even a Spanish TV film crew turned up! Every seat indoors and out on terrace were taken, the pool table was full of food and its all down to Flick & Su....Thanks from everyone!

Lots more photos on their webpage...EL PUB

Lloret de Mar Royal Wedding Party!

If you are in Lloret on Friday 29th come and join in the fun at El Pub in Fenals, where you can watch the Royal Wedding on TV as it happens!

The terrace and bar will be decorated with bunting brought over from the UK especially for the occasion!

Dress code - RED, WHITE & BLUE!

St George's Day in Lloret

What a colourful day it was in Loret de Mar yesterday!

From the front of the Town  Hall to the end of the promenade there were stalls selling books and flower displays of every shape and form!

The weather was glorious, so that brought everyone out for this very important Catalan Saints Day.

HELP!

I have been contacted by an Executive Producer of the BBC who will overseeing a film being made for the BBC news, and they are wanting to interview any ex pats who have settled on the Costa Brava. If you would like to be interviewed about your life on the Costa Brava particularly issues connectcted with economic problems you are facing in Spain at the moment, then please email me ASAP and I will put your name forward, they will be filming in Lloret de Mar next Thursday 28th April.....

jackiereindl@gmail.com


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St George's Day in LLoret

 This Saturday 23rd April is the day of St George, when on the promenade in front of the town hall a book and florists fair will be held. There are said to be 65 stalls taking part selling books of a wide variety of topics along with flower stalls. Its a custom that on this day men should buy their wives or lady friends a rose (or of course a very large bouquet would be acceptable!) and in return the women should give a book. I should think the wives will be buying DIY books for their husbands!
The book and flower fair will begin at 10am, and its hoped that this good weather we are having just now will hold out .... but rain is forecast for this weekend.

Lloret to Barcelona by Bus

I've recently been asked about how to travel from Lloret de Mar to Barcelona city centre by bus,  so here you can find a the latest timetable for anyone wanting to make their own way to see the sights of Barcelona. These times are for travel Mon - Fri. 
Lloret - Barcelona

• 6.35
• 7.35
• 8.00
• 9.05
• 10.05
• 10.30
• 13.45

Barcelona - Lloret

• 8.00
• 9.15
• 10.00
• 12.00
• 13.30
• 15.00
• 17.00
• 18.00
• 18.45
• 19.30
• 20.30

Lloret de Mar Luxury Hotel!

The go ahead has been given to convert the Sant Pere del Bosc monastery into a small luxury hotel. 1.5 € million will be invested to transform the building, which will house 19 high class suites as well as a spa and salt water pool, The monastery stands in a very privileged location surrounded by 220 hectares of forest.

Lloret de Mar Parade

 A Fantastic day out for all the family in Lloret yesterday!

Heres a short film show and a few still shots taken at the parade for Sant Antoni Abad in Lloret yesterday. They all gathered up near the Olympic Hotel then made slowly made their way down to the chuch via Calle Sant Pedro. From the church they headed down to the sea front where they rode 3 times around the paseo. The horses ranged from very young donkeys to large stallions and shire horses, hundreds of people lined the streets as the parade went by.

Lloret Sunday Market & Classic cars

 

 Its been a good day in Lloret today with plenty of activity in town and the weather was great with hardly a cloud in the sky!

The first stop for us today was to head down to the market and classic cars exhibition for some photos for the blog. There were only three cars there today so that was a disappointment, maybe they had all taken off somewhere else for the day with the weather being so good!

Most of the market stalls were selling second hand stuff, much of which any normal person would have thrown out years ago as you can see in the photos below!

Although some stalls were selling some nice things such as hand made jewellery, ornaments for the home and clothing.

After the market the horses and their riders were due in town for the Sant Antoni Abad festival so the next stop was to go to the church where they were all going to gather at 11.30...photos of which you can see here tomorrow.

Lloret de Mar Weather Today

Its been another glorious day in Lloret today, it must have been the warmest day of the year so far. Temperatures were forecast to hit 26º today and 24º tomorrow. There does seems to be quite a lot of enthusiasm with the local bar owners, with most expecting a good year business wise. As you walk around just now there are quite a lot of holidaymakers here with more expected to arrive during the coming week. These photos taken today show the boat cabins up and running so people can take a nice trip on the boats to either Tossa de Mar or Blanes.

Fenals beach today.

Lloret de Mar Events

It looks like its going to be a busy time in Lloret this weekend with the up and coming planned events, and with the good weather forecast it should bring lots of peole into town. Temperatures should be reaching mid to high 20s!
Saturday 9th in front of the Town Hall the local arts and crafts market will be held between the hours of 10am - 9pm.

As this Sunday is the second one of the month then we have the usual market and classic cars exhibition in Placa Pere Torrent (the carousel square) from 10am - 2pm.

Again on Sunday taking place aroud some of the local streets is the Tres Tombs Festival (3 Rounds Festival) so named because this festival is to celebrate Sant Antoni Abad the patron saint of working animals such as horses and other pets. It was said he could cure people and their animals, and to show their gratitude the horse riders would ride 3 times around the town. This event aims to also show how people used to live and work and the tools they used in times gone by. Horse riders and walkers with their pets will start their journey to the church at 10.45, where on arriving will all be blessed. The Tres Tombs parade will then begin at 12 noon.

Lloret de Mar - Costa Brava Rally

It was the last day of the Costa Brava Rally yesterday with the last leg held in Fenals, cars were speeding and screeching around all the narrow streets. 

 There was a great atmosphere as people watching cheered along many of the drivers who must have been relatives or friends of the spectators!

A New Bar in Lloret de Mar - EL PUB

CONGRATULATIONS TO  FLICK & SU ON THE OPENING OF THEIR NEW VENTURE 

Yesterday many of the locals in Lloret de Mar were at  the opening of Lloret's newest bar

EL PUB!

They opened the doors for the first time at 6pm, and not long after there was hardly a spare seat to be found. Their normal opening hours as from today will be 1pm until late. Flick and Su will be serving a great menu of pizzas, jacket spuds, sandwiches, lasagna and also will have various daily specials on their appetising menu! While on holiday in Lloret any visitors are quite welcome to bring their laptop as free WiFi is available to all customers or watch TV programmes you may be missing from home. So come and make yourself at home either inside or outside on the large sunny terrace and have a few drinks, tea and coffee is also served! 

They have a great pool table and Wii is also available.

See more photos on the EL PUB webpage HERE

Lloret de Mar Stag or Hen Party Destination!

At this time of year just before the start of the summer season starts off here in Lloret de Mar is when we see lots of week end visitors. The majority of which seem to be either Hen or Stag party groups. So whatever your reason for a short stay in Lloret you need to make the most of your time here!

So why did you choose Lloret in the first place? You or someone in your group must have heard or read about this place - or maybe they know of someone who has actually experienced the Lloret de Mar nightlife!

For starters the town is the nightlife capital of the Costa Brava, and while we're talking about the Costa Brava its not just a little spot somewhere in Spain. This coastline stretches from the French border to just 60km Northeast of Barcelona, plus Costa Brava translates as 'rugged' or 'wild' coast...so what better place to come for your 'wild' hen or stag party stay?

You will find most clubs and disco's are open at weekends this time of year so no need to worry that Lloret de Mar wont be lively enough! Take a look over at the  Lloret de Mar Stuff Nightlife  page where you can take a close look at some of the best nightspots Lloret has to offer along with fantastic photos and links to the clubs own websites. Pay them a visit online then plan your party weekend, it will be a trip to remember I´m sure!

Lloret de Mar - March Weather

Lloret de Mar was basking in the sun today!

With the photos taken today you can see school kids on a trip to their local beach as well as families just relaxing and making the most of the fantastic weather! At this time of year we have lots of pensioners visiting the resort so its nice for them to be able to get out and about and enjoy a stroll up and down the seafront.

Lloret de Mar Carnival 2011

Lloret de Mar Carnival 2011

As usual the annual Carnival in Lloret de Mar was a fantastic event with hundreds of people lining the streets to watch the lavishly decorated floats pass by. Here are just a few of the photos from last weekends event.

A Birthday in Lloret!

One of the tobacconist shops in Lloret de Mar has had a big birthday celebration this week. 80 years to be exact! This is the one near the church which is run by the Bertran family who opened their business in 1931. With the new non smoking laws enforced in Spain since January the family are not making any predictions of how this will effect their trade, but do say that trade is normally slow at the start of every new year until the tourists turn up!

Girona Airport - Ryanair

Since the dispute between the Catalan government and the lowcost airline Ryanair its been reported that hotel bookings in Lloret de Mar and surrounding areas are well down for the Easter period and beyond. The Catalan Government have asked Ryanair for more time to decide on their available budget for 2011 before signing on the dotted line, but it seems Ryanair have given up on the negotiations.

Filming in Lloret Casino

Filming has now begun in the casino and around Lloret de Mar for the new film 'Los Pelayo'
400 extras were chosen for scenes from those who turned up for auditions back in January. The film is a true story about a family who travelled the world playing the casinos, using their mathematical skills to reap millions from the roulette tables. The crew and cast will be in Lloret for the next 3 weeks staying at local hotels. If all goes to plan the film will be released next year.