Costa del cabaret

Whenever I’m in Marbella I feel like I’m part of a curiously costumed, theatrical extravaganza – a sort of gigantic, all-singing, all-dancing cabaret. Some of the things I’ve noticed about the outrageously OTT city are:

1) You can never be overdressed. I wore this ShopCurious outfit by the pool and no one batted an eyelid.










2) Normal fashion rules don’t apply. It's a chance to don your purple suede loafers...

3) Bling is king. If you’ve got it, flaunt it.

4) Marbella is hen party heaven.




















5) Food is fashionably non-faddy – nobody cares if you have lobster and chips.
















6) The sun is always shining and…

7) The sunsets are mainly magnificent.














8) There’s usually a cocktail waiter within beckoning distance.

9) At night everything sparkles.




















10) The entertainment is great – watch this terrific troupe of Capoeira dancers and musicians at the Ocean Club:

I'd recommend you check out the cabaret next time you’re in the Costa del Sol.

Will you?

Last of the Summer sun?

When I saw the photos of Lenorenevermore’s day at the beach in the sun (with fiddly oysters), I felt compelled to revisit my own snaps from last weekend in Cornwall. Am I a masochist or what?

Obviously, I’d paid extra for a room with a sea view. And here is my prime view from a deluxe room. Of course, this is not just fog… this is Cornish fog.

Us Brits are hardy folk - we'd barely bat an eyelid in a hurricane, but once in a while, too much bad weather can get to us.



Anyway, I calmed myself by watching a local fisherman bring in his catch. He’d come back early due to the unfavourable conditions out at sea, though had still managed to pot four trays full of rather lively looking crabs. When he told me how little he’d be selling them for I nearly keeled over.












I’m probably becoming a bit crabby as I get older, but sometimes the prices at ‘quaint’ hotels and restaurants in the middle of nowhere are so astronomical it makes me very curious… If you’ve ever been to Cornwall, you might have noticed the prices creeping up over the years, in much the same fashion as a Cornish fog. So plateau de fruits de mer at £58 a pop is not uncommon.





Ever since Olga Polizzi took over the Tresanton Hotel in St Mawes, the prices of property and hotel rooms in the Roseland Peninsula have sky-rocketed. Of course, St Mawes has always been known as ‘Belgravia-on-sea’ and considered even posher than Padstein, or any other of the northern Cornish Cameroons.








But the St Mawes effect has spread its tentacles all around the coast, leaving almost no part unaffected by London level prices. Which is kind of odd - considering where Cornwall is in the UK, and the availability of crabs…and the fog.








Thankfully, there are still some havens of sense amidst the smugglers’ stew. Whether it’s moules mariniere, fish and chips, or crab and crusty bread you’re looking for, I’d suggest a visit to the Pandora at Restronguet Creek for hearty seafood fare at good old fashioned prices. And if you’re shopping for bargains, remember to check out the ShopCurious sale too, because next week it’s all change - with new stock and wonderful Winter curiosities for the coming colder months.

Typical that now our Summer holidays are over, the sun’s come out again – albeit with a marked autumnal chill in the air. Never mind, there’s always next year to look forward to.

Are you?