CHICA DE MAZARRÓN

      Today whilst working I was starkly reminded why I started this blog, what I hoped to achieve from it and felt the pang of frustration, anger and (if I´m totally honest) tears that I bet every worker or employer has felt at some stage during this Covid19 pandemic.   For the majority of people living and working here in Spain the pressures of Covid have hit home in many ways. For both the self employed and contracted staff the fears of not being able to work, pay their bills and put food on the table during lockdown has since be replaced with the fear of going to work and getting sick, the exhausting responsibility of not only keeping themselves but also their customers safe and the mind boggling, brain numbing responsibility of keeping up with, and adapting, to the ever changing rules and regulations.  Businesses and their owners are having to operate with reduced staffing numbers and in many cases the guilt of past employees not being able to put food...

  Paella - pronounced Pah.eh.yah not Pah.ehl.lah  Paella is a Spanish rice dish originally from Valencia, is one of the best-known dishes in Spanish cuisine and takes it's name from the wide, shallow pan it is traditionally cooked in over an open fire.  Obviously short grain rice is an essential ingredient for this dish and preferably Spanish bomba, with the native variety to Murcia being known as Arroz de Calasparra.  There are five main types of Paella: Paella Valanciana - cooked using chicken, pork & rabbit Paella Mixta - cooked using meat & seafood Paella de Marisco - cooked using seafood and no meat, when 5 types of seafood are used it is often known as Paelle Marinera Paella Vegetariana - cooked without meat or seafood and contains vegetables such as artichoke, lima beans and peppers Paella Negra - cooked using squid ink, which gives it it's distinct black colour and flavour Although the natives love rabbit many commercial restaurants tend to opt for me...

Menú del Día, or menu of the day in English, is traditionally a large, economic meal eaten at lunch time and consists of multiple courses.  Most places traditionally serve their Menú del Día between around 2 & 4 but this can vary depending on the restaurant you visit. The menu generally changes daily, depending on what local produce is available and what's in season. Typically this has been considered a poor man or woman's meal, due to it's economic value but actually because of the fresh local produce  used, these menus are often of good quality and nutritional balance.  Most usually they are around three of four courses and often include a small beer or wine and bread with Alioli, a traditional Spanish garlic sauce or dip. We are extremely lucky here in Mazarron to have such a vast array of places offering Menú del Dia and at good quality.  Walking around the marina and along the paseo, in El Puerto de Mazarrón, after work the other evening I spotte...

Having done a beginners course in Spanish in the UK and lived her for a year my Spanish is nowhere near what it should be.  Although I pick up new bits and pieces through work and spending time in the port during the working week, I am not so good at keeping up with my online lessons. I thought it might be useful for me, and anyone reading to recap from the very beginning my learnings and post a weekly blog of useful phrases to revise each week... So here we go for week 1.... greetings Hola - Hello Buenos dias - Good morning Buenas tardes Buenas noches - Good evening/good night ¿cómo está? - How are you? (formal) ¿Cómo estás? - How are you? (informal) ¿Cómo están? - How are you? (plural) ¿Qué tal? - How's it going? ¿Qué pasa? - What's happening/what's up? ¿Qué hubo? - What happened?      Bienvenidos - Welcome Mi casa es su casa - My house is your house ¿De dónde eres? - where are you from ¿Como te llamas? - What's your name? Un Saludo Chica de Mazarrón

So we all know a million and one places to go out for tapas. Whether you are looking for the bustling street cafes in one of the town squares, tapas with a view at one of the water front bars or a family run little business in one of backstreets there are plenty to choose from...  However, this little place I am going to write about has got to be one of the best kept secrets on the Costa Calida!!! Think enchanted garden, think of literally being welcomed into somebody's home, think beautiful flowers, traditional home-made tapas, cold wine and the most friendly little Spanish chap you could ever wish to come across and you can imagine a small amount of what this little place has to offer. Situated in Bolnuevo with it's homely feel, friendly service, insanely good food and twittering of tiny birds it's easy to lose hours of the day relaxing here and enjoying a nice glass of vino.     With plenty of spread out comfortable chairs and tables, this really is...

  Leading on from part 1 of the blog.... Next stop was Playa de San Gines and a little walk to watch the fishermen along the rocks. With bars and restaurants all the way along, a couple of chringuitos on the beach and a campsite just up the road this is a very popular little beach - even at 7pm in the evening, during the second week of September it was buzzing! My last stop of the day was Deskaro by Bongora for a coffee. Whilst it was a fabulous coffee, and they had lactose free milk, I was a little disappointed to have dinner plans for the evening as the restaurant itself and the menu looks absolutely stunning. This place is currently top of my places to eat and blog about list! To summarise my short but delightful visit to La Azohíá I would say it is definitely somewhere I will be returning many times. With the diversity of activities, the vast array of bars and restaurants and stunning surroundings you could stay for a week or visit multiple times and never get bored. The be...

So, I've been dying to try out the steak night at The Blackbull, Camposol B and recently I finally got round to it... Steak is probably one of the most hit and miss meats here in Spain and often I avoid ordering it in restaurants for fear of disappointment. Booking in for steak night at the Blackbull however, was one of the best decisions ever! A group of us booked in, ordered almost the entire menu between us and had a fabulous evening! For starters we ordered paté and garlic mushrooms. All was nicely presented, tasty and the fact extra warm toast was bought to the table for the paté (without having to ask) was just one example of their great customer service.  At 3€ per starter the value was incredible. When it came to ordering our main courses, for a moment we feared we'd hit a snag.  As the words 'we've run out of fillets' rang out, a number of faces around the table dropped but our waitress picked up on the disappointment immediately. Sh...

Last weekend I decided to venture just outside of Mazarrón, to visit an incredibly beautiful stretch of coast line that is easily accessible and only a fifteen minute drive from the Burger King roundabout in El Puerto de Mazarrón.  La Azohía is situated just a few minutes further along the coast from Isla Plana and holds a vast array of appeal to all. Whether you love diving, eating out, sipping a cocktail on the beach in a chiringuito, sailing a boat, kayaking, snorkelling, swimming, jet-skiing, relaxing on the beach with a book, hiking or photography there really is something for everybody.  Positioned in the region of Cartagena, Murica, La Azhoía stretches along the Gulf of Mazarrón and is a beautiful fishing town surrounded by the Sierre de la Muela, Cabo Ti ñ oso & Roldán. The mountain range which runs along the coast of Cartagena, down as far as the bay of Mazarrón and inland runs just into the regions of Mazarrón and Fuente Álamo and is classed as a pro...

    So to set the scene, it's a lazy Sunday morning and we have friends over from the UK.  We fancy a picky tapas lunch, a cool beer and a good old chatter in the sunshine, surrounded by beautiful scenery..... Where do we go? Well The New Los Balcones ended up being the perfect choice! Situated just off the RM3 between Totana and Mazarron, this venue has easy access but is tucked beautifully out of the way and surrounded by the most stunning panoramic views of the mountains.  On arrival there was plenty of parking, a beautiful terrace with a balance of sunshine and shade and several outdoor boulodromes for a game of pétanque . There is a large inside dining space and bar but visiting on a hot day we made the most of the beautiful L shaped terrace overlooking the pool, which was open for use, and the mountains.  One side of the terrace is covered with sails, providing enough shade on a hot sunny day or tables in the sunshine, if you wish.  The other side is ...

    In case you´re unaware, today marks the beginning of the winter bus service here in our region. After such a turbulent year for all businesses and services, I thought the link to the new bus schedules might be helpful.  Please remember is is possible to get out and about safely, enjoy our local surroundings and support our local businesses.  Please use this link provided by Mazarron Hoy to see all updated timetables - http://www.mazarronhoy.com/horario-autobuses.asp     Un Saludo Chica de Mazaaron xx  

      For the majority of teachers, parents and children, tonight is the first school night in around 6 months and as they prepare for their first day back in the classroom their anticipation and anxiety is growing more than usual. With the majority of schools ready to accept children back to the classroom, a lot of planning, restructuring and measure have had to be introduced to make this happen. With the anticipation running as high with the teachers as the parents, a major blow was dealt to them all yesterday as Lorca, Totana and Lorqui were added to the list (along with Jamilla & Archivell in Caravaca de la Cruz) as schools who will be unable to open and will continue with home studies through online learning resources.  As the others set to open, restrictive measures and regulations have been implemented and emergency plans put into place, should a contagion within or connected to a school be suspected.  As children return, some of the measures and guid...

  So, those that follow my Instagram will have seen me post a photo a couple of weeks ago of a full English and here is the blog to go with it. After a very heavy night drinking (the Saturday before last) I woke up with my face stuck the pillow, make up still on, mouth like the bottom of a budgies cage, a head full of elephants tap dancing, not to mention an appetite making me want to gnaw my own arm off.  Once I'd peeled myself out of bed there was only one thing for it.... a full English and one that I didn't have to cook or wash up afterward! Situated on Camposol, Sector A is Ana's Café. A small family run business, Ana's offers a wide range of meals and drinks but most importantly the perfect 'hungover Sunday' breakfast. 2 bits of bacon, 2 sausages, 2 eggs, 2 hash browns, 2 toast, tomatoes, beans and black pudding all washed down with a giant glass of chilled fresh orange juice and I felt almost human again - and all for 5.50 € Un Saludo Chica de...

One of the absolute key reasons for me moving to Spain was the feeling of community, the fantastic foods available and the general social life being so heavily influenced by good local food & drink and the awesome local businesses providing it.  I was lucky that when I first moved here I already had friends in the area who would provide me tips and recommendations of local bars and restaurants but there has been one constant, outstanding resource that has taken me to places I'd never of found and given me the opportunity to try new, outstanding, quality delights. Let me introduce to you to the Facebook group and social media gateway to everything foodie in Mazarrón and our surrounding areas.... Celebrating food and drink in Puerto de Mazarron and surrounding area 💪💪 This facebook group has always been a great resource for independent reviews on great places to eat and drink, where to find certain ingredients or bargains to cook with, recipe sharing and lots, lots more.  ...

With Gota Fría season upon us anyone living in Spain, or ever experienced a Gota Fría, does not need reminding of the devastation they can cause or the images that emerge once the rain stops - For those who have never experienced it here is some information that might be useful. Last autumn was my first experience and when the warnings were published and the locals began to talk about it I have to admit I was guilty of thinking ´what are they all moaning about, try living through a wet spell in the UK'. But how wrong could I be! In September last year I had friends over from the UK, the weather alerts came and I was just gutted my friends and I wouldn´t be able to spend the day on the beach.... little did I know what three days of torrential storms would bring and that we would be thanking our lucky stars at how lightly we got off here in Mazarrón. For those who don´t know much about the Gota Frías, or Danas as they are also known here in Spain, they are caused predominantly by the...

Since moving to Spain and cancelling my UK mobile contract I have been using Lobster.  Whilst living in Camposol, The Port and out exploring all over the place I have never had major signal or coverage problems and have found Lobster to be a great provider. Offering a super range of options and financial packages there really is something to suit everyone and the flexibility of being able to pause your contract, keep your number and not pay whilst in the UK is fantastic for anyone spending time living in both countries.  With Free unlimited calls and texts between Spain and the UK, as well as many other countries Lobster offers a great value way of keeping in touch with your loved ones back home, friends in Spain and local services and business you might need to contact whilst here in Spain.  Another bonus is that you can opt for bills, their website and customer services in English, so no fear of miscommunication or problems that can't be resolved...

  Well I have to say I don't really know where to start with this blog, after such a wonderful all round experience I have so much to share on this restaurant and even with a slightly 'too much wine' head on this morning I really want to get this written and out there.  This is my second experience of eating here and on both occasions we have had friends over from the UK and wanted to take them somewhere with the wow factor for special birthdays and wow is the optimal word when talking about this venue - from food, location and views to atmosphere and service wow covers it all.  Situated in the old port of Mazarron, Leonardo Sul Mare is a beautiful Italian restaurant with the most spectacular views of the med by day, a sensational sunset in the evening and the terrace is beautifully laid out, with the smell of a traditional outdoor pizza oven and a wonderfully diverse clientele providing a friendly Spanish/Italian vibe I've not come across anywhere else. ...