Colina Del Paraiso Benahavis

... and went for a walk along the strip again but the most of the places where closed up now so we had a pint in an irish bar again and then we went looking for food. We decided to stop off in another english place called Rumours and could not believe it when they put on all the soaps. We caught up with emmerdale and eastenders until I could take no more and we went off to get some chinese food. It was horrid and made us both feel a ...

... the ferry over to Algeciras it only took an hour and half and then we where in spain, I felt a huge weight lift as now we can relax a little. In morroco you are always on edge always watching and not trusting people that it makes you a little crazy. So we went and got our bus tickets and we waited in a little bus station cafe and had our first taste of Spanish food. Ian had some paella and I had some meatballs ...

We were so enjoying our time in Costa del Sol, nothing but beaches, pool time, and british families. Costa del Sol is pretty much the Florida of Europe, only the water´s not as warm. And the definition of a 4 star resort is a bit different in Spain than in the US... When we first arrived, they tried to put us in an apartment with 2 twin beds! Finally playing the ¨honeymoon¨ card played off, and we ended up with a spectacular room (see pics for the view). But after 4 days of lying ...

... only seven suites, Hotel Claude is a stylish little sanctuary in the bustling historic center of Marbella!
This is the place you want to go when you are looking for a quiet and romantic break in an authentic Spanish village, but also perfect for any relaxing long stays if you wish to feel at "home"!! Not a place for those "Nikkie Beach" and "Puro Beach" party animals!!!!

Welcome to the house of Claude

... I saw a bullfight my first week here and it really wasn't my cup of tea, but it was interesting to be where all the action takes place. I then proceeded to go exploring on my own, which I actually do quite frequently. I love people but I find I really enjoy some things better when I make my own experience not surrounded by what everyone else wants to do. I started by going down into the Ronda Gorge, which literally looks like a city built on a cliff. It is just ...

... order to get an early start in the morning.

Shae question for daddy: She's riding on his shoulders..."Daddy does everyone have hair in their ears? or just you? It's white hair"

Another one, Daddy is trying to get out of the parking garage in Ronda. It's very steep. He stalled the car 5 times and someone was behind him.. I'm laughing hard and Shae is laughing. She says, "Daddy you're a knucklehead." I really don't know where she gets that...;)

... took us about 30 minutes to get to Grazalema and we fell in love with it as we were driving in. It's set in the hillside but is surrounded by national forest land. I've said it a hundred times about how beautiful the scenery is, but this by far was our favorite. It was breathtaking. The village was so cute set up a bit more for tourists than where we're staying. It has a great square where everyone was meeting. Monday ...

... also visited a bathhouse that I believe is over 500 years old. I think it's really neat how the Muslims appreciated bathing in bathhouses back then. It almost reminds me of the hot springs that we have in Pagosa Springs. We also saw the "Corridor de Toros", which stands where the original ring was first built in all of Spain. Even though I am not a big fan of the idea of bull fights, it was really neat to be there and get an idea of what ...

... should have warned us, we got a little lost in the town and for the second time I regretted the size of our car. Crunch! and I managed to rip a chunk of bumper off on a small post in the road trying to turn around with a six point turn. In retrospect a couple of photos may have been amusing. Our car angle parked across a one way street. Me laying underneath trying to ram the bumper back together and various Spaniards tooting. One even got out of his ...

... from Gibraltar. Here we met Roy and his daft wife from Yorkshire who are selling their dream Spanish retirement home in Jimena after 6 years to persue a whimsical business investment in Conventry where they have placed their last £10.000 into a Garam flour company run by a slightly dodgy Pakistani firm which Roy insists is "the latest business to invest in!". As his wife put it "You know, up in Conventry there's loads of money in onion bahji's".