Chairman's Blog

Chairman's Blog – Edition Ten, March 2023

• So it’s blog numero diez (10) and here we are in March already as we start gearing up for the spring and summer months. Valentine’s day is behind us and Easter, is just around the corner.

• But in between we have our La Quinta ‘Spring Getaway’ starting on 25th March. If you haven’t already booked, get cracking as it will be a great week and is excellent value for money.

• Well, exciting times ahead as we start the season and set about enhancing the profile of our Clubhouse with our new La Solana Manager - Céline. I am sure you will join me in welcoming her on board. She will bring both a new dynamic and a diverse array of new clients to our restaurant and I look forward to great things from her.

• More good news is that throughout the year we will be offering a variety of different entertainment at our Monday night dinners, so there is no excuse not to come more than once if you are visiting us for 2-weeks or more.

• So spread the word and please do visit us for breakfast, lunch or Monday night dinner, enjoy our great food and entertainment and say hello to Céline.

• The region of Murcia continued to have lots of sunny weather in early February but as expected the weather became more unsettled during the month with some quite chilly overnight temperatures. That did not stop us from having good levels of occupancy, particularly in regard to our Swedish guests.

• Why not check out our live cam to see what the weather’s doing at the club anytime? Visit: La Quinta - Live Cam (laquintaclub.com)

• March is a busier month here in Spain and we at LQC are set to enjoy continued good occupancy levels and rentals throughout the month.

• Lastly, one final, final reminder of our 'Spring Getaway', week commencing 23rd March 2023!

• OK then, let’s get on with March’s blog, providing updates & information for the month of February about the people, activities, events & happenings in and around La Quinta, La Manga Club and the Cartagena/Murcia regions. As always this is sent directly to your email inbox, but it is also accessible on our website  www.laquintaclub.com
   

Meet The Staff

This month, it is the turn of May Garcia & Juanjo Moraño to be featured in the Blog. So let me introduce them both and tell you a bit about them.

May Garcia

• May worked as a waitress at the Deck bar in Mar de Cristal, before hearing about and applying for a position at La Quinta back in January 1998.

• She was successful and was initially employed on a part time basis in reception, but a few months later she became full time, sharing duties at the pool bar.

• The following year she was given a full time role in reception, often providing assistance to Laura and to the reservations department.

• Later this year she will move from her job in reception to replace Fina in reservations when she retires.

• May was born in Elche (Alicante province), but moved to Los Nietos with her parents and two elder brothers when she was only three months old. She remained there until 2003, when she moved to Playa Honda, where she currently lives.

• She is married to Eddy (who works for a maintenance subcontractor at the Repsol industrial complex in Escombreras) and has two children: Estela (15) and Jorge (11).

• May’s hobbies and interests include travelling and discovering new places, outdoor activities, roller skating, going to the beach in the summer and spending time with her children.

Juanjo Moraño

• Juanjo is 49-years old and has been employed at La Quinta, in the maintenance department for 14-years.

• He was originally working at La Manga Club, heard we were recruiting, applied for a job and the rest is history.

• He was born in Cartagena but now lives locally in Portman with his wife Isa and their two daughters; Luisa (aged 13) and Gisela (aged 15).

• Juanjo is a talented tradesman and a specialist in carpentry and tiling.

• His hobbies are fishing, listening to music and going to concerts. 

A Recap of February Events

Our La Quinta - Firefighters!

• In January, a number of our LQC staff participated in and became accredited as first responder firefighters, after an intensive full day’s firefighting training with the Bomberos in Cartagena.

• They then put that training to good use when they took part in a joint, mock (but very realistic), fire drill at La Quinta Club with the Bomberos, the ambulance service and the La Manga Club security services.

• The fire drill scenario was very successful so well done to those who undertook the training and took part in the fire drill.

England Veterans Football Tour

• England Veterans Football Club played two games as part of their 2023 Spanish tour.

• The 1st match was against Club Deportivo and was held at La Manga Club on 3rd February with England taking an emphatic 8:3 win.

• Things didn’t quite go England’s way in the 2nd game, held on 5th February at Estadio Cartagonova in Cartagena against a much younger FC Cartagena side as they were soundly beaten 7:1.

• Both matches were strongly contested, and good fun was had by all…and the best thing was many of the players from the England team stayed at La Quinta.

• The obligatory wearing of facemasks on public transport ceased on 8th February 2023 but will continue as a requirement in hospitals, medical centres, dentists, and pharmacies.

LQC had a great advertising presence (as one of its sponsors), at Carnival in Cartagena this February with Laura Sanchez (our general manager), in attendance to present the best costume award. 

The 16th Winta Classic Golf Competition

• After a 2-year hiatus, the 16th Winta Classic golf competition returned. It was very competitive and after many closely fought rounds, the eventual winners were: Louise & Paul Jensen and Kirsten & Sven Ostergaard.

• A well attended presentation dinner was also held in the Clubhouse on the 9th February.

• Well done to all those that took part and congratulations to the winners.

La Manga Club General Community AGM

• This was held on Wednesday 15th February and was attended by some 100 presidents/owners.

• Chris Coates stood down from his position as the current president with Andrew Millard being elected, (unopposed) as the new La Manga Club General Community president.

T20 International Cricket Tour

The Isle of Man and the Spanish national cricket teams played a series of 5 x T20 matches at La Manga Club over the weekend of 24th-26th February (5 matches were played as one was rained off). As with the veterans' football the IOM team, umpires and referees all stayed at La Quinta.

Spain dominated the series by winning 5:0

Well done to both teams.

Upcoming Events and Activities - March 2023

Carnival – Cabo de Palos 4th March 2023

Don’t miss the Cabo de Palos carnival day, which will

be held on Saturday 4th March in the dunes of Cabo de Palos.

Organized by the local ladies association, it will feature, games, dancing competitions with prizes and much more.

• Starting at 10:30 am there are lots of things taking place including; a Craft and second hand market, a laughter therapy workshop, inflatables and face painting, a modern dance exhibition, a home made dessert competition and a 80's-90's band.

• There will also be a bar serving food, beer, spirits, soft drinks etc.

• The day is being organised by Asoc De Vecinos La Ermita Los Belones.

Queen Tribute band – 18th March 2023

• Who doesn’t love the band, Queen?

• This is a great opportunity to see one of the best Queen tribute bands in Spain. This superb event ­- ‘Remember Queen’ will be held on Saturday 18th March at the El Batel Auditorium, Paseo Alfonso XII, in Cartagena.

• Tickets start at €30 from:  Ticket sales | Bacantix

Discovering the Snow Wells of the Sierra Espuña.

• The fascinating snow wells are located high up in the middle of the Sierra Espuña mountains. They were built in the 16th century as a means to preserve food and medicine, to cool drinks and even make ice cream!

• Construction began at the end of the 16th century predominantly to store snow and distribute it as ice to hospitals, cities, and towns throughout the ‘Kingdom of Murcia’.

• Today, you can visit the remains of these unique structures and even go inside a couple of the wells themselves, which have been painstakingly restored. Parking is available at Mirador del Collado Mangueta, which is a short signposted walk (about 15 minutes), to the wells.

Visit the blooms of Cieza.

• Every year during the month of March, the orchards in Cieza come out in bloom an event that attracts nature lovers from all over to this picturesque region of Murcia and marks the arrival of spring.

• Experience the magical sights, vibrant colours, delicate scents, and impressive vistas in the thousands of hectares of fields in the area. Cieza is only just over an hour from La Manga Club.

• On Thursday 2nd March you can join a special guided tour to the orchards and the fabulous town of Cieza, Enjoy a glass of wine and some tapas amongst the pink blossoming trees and get your cameras ready for some amazing photographs, as this only happens once a year. Afterwards there will be plenty of free time for you to explore and enjoy this quintessential Spanish town.

• For more information or to book visit: www.taquillaticketscondado.com/cieza-blossom or call or message Sally on 657 346 445.

 Introducing the holiday town of Los Alcázares.

• Los Alcázares is a town and municipality on the east side of the Mar Menor boasting nearly 5-miles of beaches. With a resident population of around 16,000 rising to over 100,000 during the peak summer holiday season, it is roughly 20 miles from La Manga Club.

• The history of Los Alcázares starts around 210 B.C. with occupation by the Romans, who recognised the beneficial salt properties of the Mar Menor and the protection afforded from invaders provided by the La Manga 'strip'.

• The Romans set up a salt meat & fishing industry and constructed the first thermal baths and spas in the area.

• In the 6th century, the Moors (who then occupied a large part of Spain), chose the area to build their palaces and places of rest due to the existence and therapeutic benefits of the old Roman spas. They also gave the town its name, Al Kazar, which in modern Spanish translates to Los Alcázares.

• Fast forward to 1245 and the Christians led by Fernando III of Castilla, forced the Moors to flee, but it took until 1272 until they were finally driven out.

• In 1898, Los Alcázares gained tourist popularity when it became the chosen summer destination for noble and rich families from Murcia.

• Moving forward to 1915, Spain's first military flying boat base was constructed utilising the sheltered and calm conditions found on the Mar Menor. An additional Aerodrome was also built for training Spanish Air
• Force pilots and were further expanded in the 1920's having an important role during the Spanish Civil War. It continued operationally until the late 1930's. 

• The Museo Aeronautico Municipal - an aviation museum opened in 1998 displaying a comprehensive collection of archive film, photos, models and original artifacts, all dedicated to the history of this nationally significant air base and Spanish flying boat heritage.

• On 14th July 1983, Los Alcázares became an independent municipality with the first mayor, D. Manuel Menarguez Albaladejo, elected on 2nd December 1983. The current Town Hall was built in 2004.

• Today Los Alcázares, is a very popular tourist destination with a vast selection of restaurants, bars, hotels and apartments. It generally boasts some of the best beaches in the region, although in recent years, Los Alcázares lost its blue flag status due to the poor state of the Mar Menor. 

• The town hosts a variety of fiestas throughout the year and offers many local attractions including a Tuesday Market and the Los Narejos promenade, which features many shops, bars and restaurants. It is also infamous for traders illegally setting up night-time stalls, selling all types of trinkets and locally made items.

Members Photographs

• Members have been sending in their holiday photo’s but we would like to see more.

• Please continue to send them to Angel webmaster@laquintaclub.com and he will put them in the gallery for you.

• We look forward to seeing them and sharing your memories.

 With spring just around the corner and summer on the horizon, now is the time to start planning your visit(s) and all the things that you want to do whilst you are here.

We are working hard preparing for your arrival and are looking forward to catching up and making 2023 a really great year.

The racquets club (formally the tennis centre), is becoming more and more popular so don’t forget to make your booking and bring your racket. Why not give Padel tennis a try too, it’s great fun and is now one of the fastest growing sports.

I hope you continue to enjoy my blogs and are still finding them informative. It’s here to help keep everyone up to date with what’s going on at the club and in the surrounding area.

I still check the validity of activities and events at the time of publication but please don't blame me if they are cancelled or rescheduled.

As always don't forget to….

1. Visit our website where we publish lots of useful information in the info+ section (see +Info (laquintaclub.com) use the members' forum where you can swap, exchange, rent or sell weeks and share information, ideas, suggestion or just ask questions. If you haven't signed up yet, please visit: La Quinta at La Manga Club - Official Forum - Index (laquintaclub.com) to register.
2. Visit, like and/or comment on us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn or see our articles via the online newspaper ‘Murcia Today’.

Thanks for your continuing member support for the club, I look forward to seeing you at La Quinta in 2023.

Happy holidays.....Mark.