We receive several emails everyday from tourists who are interested in traveling to this area of Spain, in particular the Costa Blanca and have many questions regarding travel, accomodations, places to go, things to do, tips for traveling with children etc.. We are happy to announce that we are preparing our very own Playa San Juan travel guide that we will offer free to those who are interested.

In the mean time I found a great website that already has great travel guides of the Costa Blanca area. Alicante-Spain offers you these free travel guides as well as a newsletter by simply entering your name and email.. It’s as simple as that, I just signed up and downloaded the travel guide which is full of very usefull information. We at Playa San Juan want to congratulate Hubert and his staff for an outstanding job , it is websites like his that makes us proud to be part of the Costa Blanca community.

The 2008 Olympics held in china are over and we must say that the opening and closing ceremonies were spectacular. We saw many great feats such as Michael Phelps 8 gold medals and world records and Usain Bolt’s 9.69 world record time in the100 metres. Are these guys are human?, And we can’t forget Spain’s silver medal win in basketball making the Americans sweat a little. From here at La Playa San Juan we want to  congratulate to all of them and thank them for the pride they have given our country.

There were also those moments we would like to forget such as the kick that the Cuban Angel Mato the athlete which was involved in the discipline of Taekwondo, and was disqualified and banned from international competition for the rest of his life for kicking the referee when he didn’t like the call that was made..I’m glad that incidents like this are very few..

photo: Google

The other day I was in a store and like always I pick up all the interesting advertising I find lying around to see if it is usefull information I could share with all of you, and I picked up a card that read “Do you seriosly like ironing?”, and I said to myself, No, no I don’t and so I continued to read on to see what this was all about.

It seems yoteplancho (I will iron for you) is a brand new small company that offers FREE pick up and drop off in your home or office of anyting you need ironed and return it withing 48 hours. They pick up and deliver on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. There is a minimun of 5 items, anything from shirts, pants, dresses, sheets..antyhing you need ironed. They are not a laundry service of dry cleaner, they simply iron.

They work all through the Alicante, Playa San Juan, Campello, San Vicente , San Juan and surroundings. For more information you can visit our directory.

Are you ready for your kids to go back to school? Our kids are getting ready, the summer has been a lot of fun but with 2 weeks to go they are already getting anxious to see their school friends and start their routine. Most schools is Spain starts on September 8th with some exceptions. That give parents a couple more weeks to get everything ready.

Books need to be bought, in Carrefour the books will be in the stores August 28th so those of you who have ordered them could pick up and those others like myself could actually hunt them down and buy them. Here in Playa San Juan parents of 1st and 2nd graders will get a check from the government for help with the purchases of books. You can also buy books at any stationary store, El Corte Ingles and in some cases from the own school.

Back to school clothing is another thing parents must take care of. Places such as commercial centers like Gran Via, Plaza Mar, Careffour, decathelon, are good places to start and well as all the small stores in the Fontana comercial center and torre Golf, and surroundings.

photo flickr by novis scotia

When some of my girlfriends want to get together and get a beer, one of the first place we think of to meet is “The Place’, although it has been a form of confusion on occasion with my American friends when we say , where do we meet and I say “The Place” and they say “What place?” and I say “THE place”…But in reality everyone knows where the place is.. and that place is The Place Irish

Located in avenida Condomina this very cool happening spot offers all kinds of beers and cocktails with peanuts of course, an outside terrace and an indoor bar with local bands playing in the weekends. It’s the perfect place to just sit down and hang.. I love this place, The Place.

For address and phone number information please visit our directory.

photo flickr by sharcardinal

There has been a City Hall project that has been on hold for about two years now to monitor schools through TV cameras. The project was vetoed by the central government who found several deficiencies in it. Now reborn again with the idea to consult parents and ask their approval as this was one of the reasons it was  not approved. The councilor in charge of this project, Andrew D. Llorens, will make every effort to get it approved.The initial proposal also included surveillance of parks although it seems approval for this part to be more difficult. The Valencian government delegation informs it will take action against the central government so it seems there will be more possibilities that our schools are monitored better..

As far as we are concerned here in Playa San Juan , we believe it’s a good idea to have a visual watch of what happens inside schools and many we know many countries have already implemented this system and it’s very successfully. We hope this new law is passed so that our children are safe and sound.

source 20 Minutos-Manuel Dopazo.

photo Flickr-Ivone Warneke

A few weeks ago we shared a delicious and refreshing Mojito cocktail recipie that has been a favorite among young and old alike. Today we want to talk about its brother drink the Daiquiri. Where did it come from? Well, both were created in Cuba in the last century and both have shared anecdotes of very famous characters who favored them. It is not clear who invented it, some say that it was two American engineers, that exhausted from the heat while taking a break from their work in the Daiquirí mines (eastern Cuba) mixed lime juice, rum and added crushed ice and then named the drink in honor of the place of origin. Others say it was in “Floridita Bar” in Havana where it was created and indeed it was here where they served the best Daiquiris in Cuba. Whatever its history the truth is that has transpired over the years to the delight of those who have tried it.

An enthusiastic supporter of this drink was the Nobel price winner Ernest Hemingway, who said “My mojitos in the Bodeguita and my Daiquirís in the Floridita” and those who knew him say his enthusiasm for these drikds was such that they could tell by the dozens he had consumed by mid afternoon. We have no doubt these drinks inspired him and were able to help him offer us his magnificent literature.

The recipe is very simple: in a blender pour two parts of white Bacardi Rum, add one part lime juice, one tablespoon of white sugar (filled) and crushed ice, blend until it becomes “Frappe” (as if Snow). Serve in a special cocktail glass. Some people place mint leaves (Yerba Buena), a slice of lemon or any other fruit on the edge of the cup (only as adornment). Mix proportions to your liking, but not the ingredients, the flavor should be predominant Rum and Lemon. A delicious drink for a relaxing Playa San Juan afternoon.

photo:Flickr-FernandoeRegina

Our blog was founded with the aim to inform, discuss and disseminate positive things in La Playa San Juan, but sometimes there are events that happen around the world that we can’t ignore. Such is the case of the tragic plane crash of Spanair’s flight JKK5022 where more than 150 passengers and crew members died. We want to send our deepest condolences to their families and a thank the agencies cooperating in helping the survivors who have gone above and beyond the line of duty.

And speaking of solidarity we want to highlight a fact that happened in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  According to the 20 Minutos newspaper a dog who had just had puppies found an abandoned baby and took him along with her pups, giving him warmth and care until its owner found it and handed the baby over to police. An immense solidarity in part of this animal whose maternal instinct to become the “adoptive mother” and  take care of the baby as it were her own shows us there is still hope and love in the world.

photo Flickr- wiccan

In a previous post, we talked about the new brand of ice cream, by the Antiu Xixona Helados brand and commented on this company’s initiative to develop their products as natural as possible.

Today they remind us that they are continuing with their policy of healthy diets, and offering consumers a wide variety of ice creams made with 100% all natural fats and a high percentage of fruit that is well known to contain large amounts of vitamins, fiber and antioxidants which are key elements for a healthy heart since it helps fight low density cholesterol (bad cholesterol). All this and great taste, now we don’t have to feel guilty about our favorite summer treat.

Our kids can’t live without their DS, they take it wherever they go..We are even hooked! So, when it’s time to buy a new game its off to Game Stop, where they kindly help us with all our needs. One of the great things about this store, aside from their wide variety of games and great service is the option to purchase used games. You can also trade in old games and try something new.

They not only offer the games but the actual players that go with it, such as Wii, XBox, PS3, PSP, well you get the picture, all your kids (and you) need for your entertainment purpases. What was life before all this tecnology? Not sure, but I know my kids would go crazy without their games, so thank you Game Stop in Playa San Juan!!!

For address and phone number information please visit our directory.