Excuse the Grauniad-like punning headline! I couldn’t resist it!
Tuesday was the Christmas Party for members and guests of El Club de Prensa de la Costa del Sol. This year the organising committee chose the same restaurant as last year with exactly the same menu!
But, so what, it’s only once a year. Traditionally, in England when we ate our Christmas dinner at home, it was also the same venue and the same menu, roast turkey!
English roast turkey with all the trimmings [Photo: BBC]
The Costa Press Club Christmas “Do” 2024
I’d enjoyed this bash in 2023, so was delighted to be able to go again this year. My wife Rita was my guest last year, but this year she couldn’t make it. Bloody cat!* (I’ll explain later!)
We were asked to make our menu choices in advance which I did. At that point I hadn’t twigged that it was the same restaurant, “El Olivo”, as 12 months previously!
CPC members pose outside "El Olivo" [Photo: Karl Smallman]
When I did eventually realise, I saw that I had made exactly the same choices this year as last! But, as I said in my introduction, “So what!”
The CPC committee had negotiated a special rate with the nearby Gran Hotel Costa del Sol **** - just 62€ per room including breakfast.
The hotel is right by the beach and has great views looking West.
[Photo: Paul Whitelock]
I went to the hotel bar at around 7.00 pm for a pre-dinner drink. Several CPC members were already there: Liz Parry, Georgina Oliver, Andrew Forbes, Joan Fallon and Neil Hesketh. We had a drink and then headed off to “El Olivo”, two streets away along the coast.
A glass of cava was included in the price of the meal, 32 euros. I think I had four glasses! Then we sat down ready to eat. My co-diners were Neil, Georgina, Andrew, David Tweed, Gary Edwards, Nicole King and Josephine Quintero.
A half bottle of wine each was also included.
My choices were:
Spicy duck roll served with guacamole and mango chutney
Traditional Christmas turkey with all the trimmings
Apple strudel with vanilla ice cream
Roast turkey [Photo courtesy of Good Food]
Then it was the Christmas Quiz followed by Secret Santa.
[Image courtesy of GooglePlay] L to R: Neil Hesketh, president; Jennie Rhodes and Joan Fallon, winners; LouiseCook-Edwards, organiser [Photo: Karl Smallman]
I teamed up with Georgina for the quiz – we scored 5 out of 16 - I think we came last!
My Secret Santa gift was a rather nice umbrella, which, according to the forecast for Wednesday, I shall need!
Everybody seemed to agree that the quality of the gifts was higher than in 2023.
Georgina was delighted with her gift. She won her own back! A bottle of Pimms No.1.
Then the evening was all over so we wandered back to the hotel for a nightcap where we polished off Andrew’s Secret Santa gift – a bottle of gin!
[Image courtesy of Freepik]
The morning after
Woke at 6.00 am in need of a pee. I made a cup of tea and started writing up last night.
The weather was overcast, but no rain as yet!
Views from my hotel room balcony [Photos: Paul Whitelock]
Then around
8.00 am I went for a coffee prior to breakfast with the few remaining CPC members.
It’s now 10.30 am. No sign of any rain!
I think I’ll pack, check out and head for The Miramar Shopping Centre in Fuengirola before heading back to Ronda.
I picked up a few more British products from The Food Co. there, ran a few more errands at Leroy Merlin, Jysk and Aldi before heading east towards the airport at Malaga.
A fry-up [Photo courtesy of Full Suitcase]
Diversion
It was by now pleasantly warm, around 20C, so I decided to go and see the sea at one of my favourite spots, Guadalmar, near the airport.
It was very quiet with only a handful of diners at the chiringuito. And not a soul on the beach, which had still not been tidied up after the Dana flooding a month ago.
[All photos by Paul Whitelock]
Then it was time to head back home via the gasolinera in Casarabonela. Today Gasolina 95 was 20 cents a litre cheaper than the cheapest petrol in Ronda!
Footnote:
*We were recen
tly adopted by a kitten that found its way from the rubbish dump 500 metres from our home where it had apparently been dumped. Paulinchen is still very young so we didn’t want to leave her nor put her in a cattery, so that’s why I went alone!
Paulinchen [Photo by Paul Whitelock]
© Pablo de Ronda
Links:
Costa Press Club members gather for Christmas food and fun | Sur in English
CPC in Cala de Mijas - Christmas Party - 2023
British stuff here in Spain? Who needs it?
Acknowledgements:
Costa Press Club
Gran Hotel Costa del Sol
Liz Parry OBE
Restaurante "El Olivo"
SUR in English
Photos:
Facebook
Full Suitcase
GooglePlay
Karl Smallman
Paul Whitelock
Wikipedia
Tags:
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