Lloret de Mar Indoor Market

Lloret's indoor market is to undergo a much needed make over - the first time that anything has been done to the interior since it opened back in the 1970s. With the plans to improve lighting and possibly increase the floor space (once the nearby police station moves to its new location) its hoped that it will attract more local customers and also tourists. At present there are 63 stores but not all are open for business, most of the stalls are selling meat, fish and fresh fruit and vegetables.

Lloret de Mar Events

Lloret - Fenals Beach Clean-up!

On Fenals beach this Sunday 2nd Oct there will be a group of divers who are volunteering at an attempt to clean up the sea bed close to the coast. This is a yearly organised event along the Costa Brava as some of the things which are thrown into the sea are very toxic and harmful to the sea life and fauna - for example car batteries are often found.
Names of all those taking part will be entered on a list and no one will be allowed to dive alone for safety reasons.

Excursions from Lloret de Mar

While your on holiday on the Costa Brava and you want a day out with a difference I recommend you book a trip to Rupit & Besalu with the Laietana excursion company.

After picking you up close to your hotel you will be driven through the Catalan countryside to Rupit where you will have free time to marvel at its original suspension bridge, one of the few surviving examples of its kind, walk through the ancient streets and browse around the shops where you can buy typical goods of the region.

From Rupit the coach will travel to the Sanctuary El Far from where you have one of the finest views of the Catalan region, after which you will be taken to the restaurant for a 3 course lunch with wine, sangria and coffee with brandy!......all included in the price of about €47.

After lunch and passing through Olot the coach will take you to Besalu where there will be free time to explore the cobbled streets of the village and admire its romanic bridge.
At the end of the tour you can sit back and relax on the coach while you are driven back to your resort and original pick up point. I advise you wear flat comfortable shoes for this day out as some of the streets in the villages are quite steep. For other days trips available from Lloret and surrounding resorts click here > LAIETANA EXCURSIONS

Tobacco Allowance from Spain

Stricter guidelines regarding the amount of cigarettes/tobacco you are allowed to take back to the UK are due to come into force as from 1st October. The new limit for cigs will drop to 800 per person instead of 3,200, tobacco allowance will be 1kg instead of 3kg.
Read the full document here > HM Revenue & Customs

As before it all depends on whether what you have in your case is for your own use ...or not!

Lloret de Mar News

  

A fire crew were called to the Surf Mar Hotel in Fenals yesterday afternoon where a fire broke out in one of the hotel rooms. The room was not occupied at the time so no one was injured during the incident, and damage was restricted to the rooms furnishings.

 

Catalan Day in Lloret de Mar

11th September is the national day of Catalonia, so there were all kinds of activities taking place in town today. Here's just a few photos of today's events near the Town Hall. All along the paseo were stalls selling local food produce, and local arts and craft items.

Land of the Giants!

The temperature today was 28ºc which I'm sure must have made it hard work for the Catalan ladies who sat there most of the day demonstrating their lace making skills.

Homemade pastries

Hand decorated glass and ceramics

Catalan meats

Lace making

Death in Barcelona after being hit by a falling sofa.

A 48 year old man died in Barcelona today, Friday, after being hit by a falling sofa last Wednesday. He was hit by the sofa, which had been hurled from a balcony during a private move.
It happened in Calle de Sant Pau in the Ravel area of the city, and the sofa had been thrown down by a friend of the victim from the second floor balcony above. It seems the friend below was trying to warn the friend above that there were people walking in the street when the piece of furniture hit the victim on the head.

He was taken to hospital in a serious condition, but died there on Friday.

It appears that after the two men established that the sofa did not fit down the stairs, so they decided to throw it off the balcony.

Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_31887.shtml#ixzz1XUYY4Vqr

Lloret de Mar - Just a bit of news!

An anonymous investor is seeking permission to build a new luxury disco / nightspot on the edge of Lloret . If planning is granted its reported that this new nightspot will cover an area of 5,000 m2, employ about 2,000 people and cost €11 million and could be open as early as next summer!

*************************************************************

The town council of Lloret are at last trying to do something about the sale of those annoying megaphones which we have had to listen to for the last 2-3yrs. They cant actually ban the sale of them but its hoped they can persuade the Indian / souvenir shops to rethink the items they are selling in their shops. Other items they hope to curb the sale of are the lasers, beach towels and T shirts etc with slogans of heavy drinking, sex and bad language!

Lloret de Mar Shopping

This Sunday 4th September is the day that all the shops will be bringing the last of their sale goods out onto the street stalls to make way for their new winter stock. Stalls will be found around some of the main shopping streets as well as around the church square and in front of the town hall. You can come and join in the hunt for the best bargains from 10am onwards.

One downside to this very popular and successful day for the stores is that the town council has this year doubled the cost they charge store owners for allowing them to sell on the street. Surely there should be no charge to the store owners, after all they are going through a very difficult period with their businesses and should not have to pay for the privilege of doing a little bit extra trade!
One of the regular stall holders Kevin of Busco Books will not be paying what he considers to be an 'excessive charge' but he will still be open for trade on the day at his original 'English Bookshop' behind the church. The shop will be open from 10.30am - 8pm.

Lloret de Mar - Fenals Fiesta

Dancing in the street!

Here we have photos of this evenings activities in Fenals for the week end long fiesta and also a video of the fireworks display. Part of the road along the seafront was blocked off to allow the restaurants to set out more tables on the pavement and road for the expected customers for their celebration meals. People were dancing along to the band as they played their typical Catalan music. Earlier today the favorite dish of the Catalan people 'butiffaras' were served for all those who wanted to join the queue in the square in Fenals centre.

Bouncy castle for the kids

More activities will taking place tomorrow so if your any where near Fenals come and join in the party atmosphere.

Diners out in the road!

Lloret de Mar Events

There are a couple of events taking place this week end in Lloret de Mar and Fenals. The annual  Fenals fiesta starts today Friday 26th Aug and with concerts, dancing, games for the kids and fireworks display etc taking place all over the weekend.

In Lloret at the Evenia Olympic Palace on Saturday there is a concert which pays tribute to Abba with a cast of 18 taking part. This is promising to be a very colourful and lively event as there will be a change of clothes for each song. Admission charge is €25, there will be two performances, the first at 8pm and the second at 10.30pm

Lloret de Mar Hotels

Hoteliers in Lloret de Mar have recently agreed to better manage the bookings of their hotels, this will mean that some tour operators who deal solely with the groups of students etc they bring to Lloret will no longer 'find room at the inn' ! The town council wants to bring to an end the bad publicity that Lloret has had since the troubles over the 11th August period.

Statistics for the month of July for Lloret are down a little compared to the the same month last year, with a little over 160,000 visitors staying on average 4-5 days. The most likely reasons for this being  Ryanair reducing their routes at Girona airport and also the 'poor' weather during much of July.

Lloret Clon Festival - Gansos Rosas

The Clon Festival is over for another year, and last nights band the Gansos Rosas (Guns n' Rose's tribute band) gave a great performance just as all the others who have played this year! 

They danced,  ran, sang  and bounced about all over the stage for a solid 2hrs. We heard a fantastic selection of the best Guns n' Rose's tracks, such as Live & Let Die, Sweet Child o' Mine, Knockin' on Heavens Door and the finale was Paradise City!

I have uploaded videos to YouTube and  there are more than 100 photos from the Clon Festival Web page........CLICK HERE .......to see them all.

(You can still see photos and videos from all this years 'Clon Festival' bands on the same page)

Lloret de Mar Watersports

Slyder

During these very hot August days the Fenals Watersports centre seem to be very busy with people taking trips riding across the waves on the Ski Bus, FlyFish and Slyder. With the para sailing you can soar 50 mts high and take in the fantastic views of the coast. On all trips life jackets are provided and safety is always paramount. 

Special rates are available for groups and multitrips.

To see lots more photos and prices  click here > FENALS WATERSPORTS

Parasailing

Lloret de Mar News

Approximately 1,500 people joined in the march by Lloret's residents yesterday evening to demonstrate against the recent trouble in town. This was their way of saying just how sick and tired they are of the type of visitors the town seems to be attracting during August. The protestors are asking that the current regulations  be reviewed and better enforced to bring an end to the mindless and drunken behaviour by a minority of the younger August tourist's who seem intent on causing as much noise, damage and unrest as possible during their stay!

Lloret de Mar News

A nice day in Lloret!

A peaceful protest by the residents of Lloret de Mar is to take place tomorrow (Mon 12th Aug) to show their disapproval of the way the town has been shown by the media during the recent disturbances. This will be a silent protest by residents who will make their way from the athletics ground to Av Just Marles the area of the disturbances. All residents are welcome to join this silent and peaceful show of unity which they hope will show just how much they are against the way the town is now portrayed in other parts of the world. Lloret is so often given this bad image by some of the younger groups of visitors who think that the way to enjoy themselves is by causing as much noise, disturbance and damage possible to the town whilst here! Its now time for the town of Lloret de Mar to say enough is enough, and will only welcome those who can conduct themselves in a law abiding way.

WE all know what Lloret has to offer, its time that the right image was put out there to attract the right people, ie  - Holiday makers who will come to Lloret with the intention of enjoying themselves in the many bars, clubs, restaurants, cafes, gardens, parks and fabulous beaches!

Lloret de Mar in August

Here we have a selection of photos taken yesterday 11th Aug showing the beach of Lloret. It shows just a typical holiday resort with people just lazing about about enjoying their holiday in the sun. 

 Just recently there has been some unrest in the town at night, as far as I'm aware caused by a minority of the younger generation who had been turned away from Colossus Disco after they had bought tickets but then turned away after the DJ had refused to play after the air conditioning and broke down.

 

So with this it seems they then thought it gave them the right to start causing havoc out on the streets not only for one night but for just about every night since. This week end there will be more police out and about to curb any trouble makers who just come into town at week end simply to cause trouble!

 

One thing I am pleased about is that this time its not the British who are getting the blame as they usually do!

 

Below you can see a video of the disturbances as it was reported on TV.

Lloret de Mar Events

For all fans of Madonna there is a show called 'Madonna, I Love You' taking place at the Evenia Olympic Palace in Lloret de Mar on Saturday 13th August. The show will include dancers and orchestra and gives a view into the singers  life and achievements. This is a big first for Lloret as the show is not normally shown outside the big cities such as Barcelona and London. There will be 2  performances during the evening with the first showing at 8pm and a later one at 10.30pm.
Tel 972 374489 to book....Ticket are on sale at the hotel or Suris Travel and cost €20 each.

The Exploding Boys in Lloret

The Cure tribute band 'The Exploding Boys' were in action in Lloret de Mar last night (Fri 5th Aug) for the 3rd event of this years Clon Festival. Not sure what to expect from this band we took our place in front of the stage at 10pm. They then 'exploded' on to the stage at 10.20pm, where they entertained and amused everyone in the crowd until well after the midnight deadline, true professionals!

Those of you who are in the UK may not get a chance to see the Exploding Boys as they are from Madrid, but if you do ever get a chance to catch them live then it really is a must...one of the best we have had for the Clon Festival, we would definatley go to see them again!

I have lots more photos and videos from last night  HERE and the 'Boys' have their own MySpace page with lots of live videos and photos.

Thanks to them for a great night, and the Facebook friend request....its a privilege!

Lloret de Mar Clon Festival 2011

There will be another great night of music in Lloret tonight, this time it's the Exploding Boys tribute - The Cure. They will be on stage next to the beach from 10.15pm until about midnight. Visit their My Space page to see more info about the band - photos, great videos and lots more!

Also you can find the boys on Facebook!

Fireworks in Lloret July 2011

This week there have been various events taking place in and around Lloret, the fireworks display is the finale to The Santa Cristina festival which should have taken place on the evening of Tuesday 26th. Owing to the terrible weather conditions it was cancelled and rescheduled  to take place last night, this time the event went ahead with no problems!
We made our way to Lloret beach in order to get a good view ready for the display starting at 10.30pm...(even though in one official Lloret site the time was given as 11.30pm!)
The fireworks are now set to various pieces of music and done in about 5-6 different sections, which to me either adds to it or can distract from the display.....my personal opinion for last night? It was good but I have seen (much) better in previous years!
Were you there - what did you think?

Ryanair in Girona

After so much recent talk about the low cost airline Ryanair threatening to pull out of Girona airport in November, it seems that they now have some sort of timetable in place for the winter season.  The Spanish newspaper El Pais has reported on this subject in more detail, click here to read the article >>  EL PAIS

Lloret de Mar Clon Festival 2011 - Abba

Dancing on the beach!

What another great night of entertainment in Lloret de Mar last night 22nd July with the Abba tribute "Abba Revival"  The crowds started gathering much earlier than usual so by the time the band came on stage at 10.15pm there was hardly a good view point to be found. Even the beach was full, and resembled a dance hall as the crowd sang and danced along to many of Abba's greatest hits. This was by far the largest gathering of spectators for any of the Clon Festival bands so far!

To see more photos and videos from 'Abba Revival' - CLICK HERE

Leaving the Festival

Lloret de Mar Clon Festival 2011

The next Clon Festival event is to take place this Friday 22nd down by the beach in Lloret. It is the turn of Abba Rivival tribute band who will be on stage at 10.15pm. This is the second time here in Lloret for this band, they were a massive sucess when we last saw them back in August 2006 when they had everyone singing and dancing to everyones favourite hits by Abba!