Friday as Chris has already mentioned was our wedding anniversary, and after 16 years not the biggest deal, but still a night to go out and have a drink and a nice meal. We had thought about going to the Chinese buffet as I fancied some crispy duck, but by the time we drove into the marina we had decided that we would go for something a little more special and have one of our friend Juan Carlos´s delicious steaks at Al-rruz.

We actually saw Juan Carlos as we were parking and waved to say ´see you later´but it wasn’t actually to be! As so often happens in Almerimar, you never know who you are going to bump into. Last night it was Richard and Claire who were sharing a Sangria with a very pleasant couple over from England. This was the complimentary sangria by the Cruz de Mayo, and it was fun to join in. We then all wandered back to La Plaza for a couple of drinks, and by the time we had had some more laughs, Claire had told me about her new stock of 4wags handbags and Lee had bought us a drink for our anniversary it was well past eleven.

Chris and I were obviously getting into summer mode and had been telling Julie and Andrew who were over to view PortoFino, that eating late is the norm, certainly for the Spanish people here in Almerimar. However when we finally got to Al-rruz having had some of Heather’s excellent tapas as effectively our starter, we were disappointed to find that the restaurants are not quite with the summer thing yet, understandably as it is still rather quiet. Juan Carlos had already closed the kitchen, having given up on us, and a steak was no longer an option.

We had sent Julie and Andrew to MacGowens as they fancied a curry, but noticed as we walked by that that had already completely closed, so we decided to search them out at the Hongkong Chinese our fall-back recommendation.

What followed was a pleasant end to the evening over crispy duck that I was obviously destined to have, Dim Sum and for me some very good spicy prawns. On a serious note we did talk about the re-occurring story of PortoFino being ‘over-sold’ by UK based estate agents. Like many other prospective buyers Julie and Andrew are now faced with completing on a property that is worth less than they have agreed to pay for it, whilst struggling to get a good mortgage deal as a result of the worldwide credit problems, AND with the current euro pound exchange rate making things even worse. We were speculating whether the developer will eventually be forced to negotiate more reasonably, as it must be tempting to some people to forego their deposits rather than end up with an expensive and maybe not great investment.

However we also talked about how mostly great it was to live here in Almerimar, and Julie and Andrew definitely seemed to be enjoying their few days here.

Overall for me it wasn´t the most romantic anniversary night I have ever spent, but it was a totally unplanned fun evening with some good company, and in my experience they are usually the best ones. I just wish I was a better drinker, as the lovely vodka and tonic (thankyou Lee) has left me feeling VERY sleepy today!

About Almerimar

Almerimar is located in the region of Andalucia, Spain. The nearest airport is 30km away in Almeria. Other airports that are within 3 hours include Malaga, Murcia, Granada, and Alicanti. Other holiday resorts in the region include Mojacar , Aguadulce and Roquetas de Mar

Almerimar is also one of the largest marinas in Spain with over 2,000 births and excellent boatyard facilities.