Easter 2012 Trip Report

We have just returned back from 10 days on site over Easter, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to blog an update on what is going on in the resorts and what has changed since our last visit in November 2011.

The overwhelming feeling we always get when we drive up the grand tree lined drive to Condado is how wonderful it is to be back.....followed closely by "I hope everything is OK in the apartment and do we have water !"  - it's a bit daft thinking this now, as everything is fine these days,  now that we are on the legitimate twin gods of  Urbaser and Iberdrola.  I remember the early days when we were on the "builders supplies" and the fear was always it would shut down at any minute !

Our usual route once we are through security, with a cheery wave from the security guard  - (who are ALWAYS in sunglasses.. whatever the weather) is to have a drive around the site and see how busy it is.

We were expecting the site to be busier as it was Easter, but as usual apart from a smattering of cars along the Jardines full time residents, it  looked quiet as usual. up and back along the 16 separate penthouses generated only around 30 cars.  The supermarket on our arrival seemed lacking in supplies, with very little fresh produce of any variety, this was improved over the next few day so maybe we arrived just after the locusts had descended and picked the shelves clean.

Its great to see some activity now in El-Kasar with the re-opening of both the Clover and Restaurant site,  we had dinner in the Bulgarian restaurant and were pleasantly surprised at both the service and standard of food. We arrived and were show to a table among hordes of children , we discretely alerted the charming young waitress to our desire to sit somewhere a little less active and she moved us round the other side where we sat in splendid and quiet isolation. We started off with a couple of Tequila cocktails complete with unexpected sparklers, we sampled these while looking though the lengthy  menu that is split between Bulgarian dishes and also the more traditional offerings of Pizza, there is an option for Paella but only if you have ordered in advance, in our opinion the the food was good, prices reasonable and the service fast and efficient.

After Dinner we ambled next door and into The Clover for a nightcap or two, (its great to have this option available to us now !!)  with the multiple TV screens up there was an adoption to watch 3 or 4 separate UK football games, the bar was a largely male preserve with just a few wives / girlfriends, who had obviously been promised a night out !

I was chatting to one of the guys who own and run the clover and congratulating him on the success in taking over the drinking and entertainment requirements for the entire resort.  We were discussing the future plans and economic options and he was telling me that apparently in Spain its common practice for "table service" to cost 10% more than service at the bar. As such is you are in the Clover over the summer months bear this in mind if you are sitting outside and ordering drinks from the wait staff as it will cost you more than if you get up and wander to the bar yourself !

Mystery Car - any claimants ??

The below car is parked (or possibly abandoned) in one of the designated  Block 16 parking spaces...

This UK registered car is without tax and while it appears to be in a reasonable condition with 4 inflated tyres, it has not moved in a considerable time....

Is this vehicle owned by any Block 16 resident or should we be making plans to have it removed ?

Flight Delays at Corvera - get ready for 2013 ???

I am not overly surprised to read this morning that the planned opening of Corvera Airport for 2012 has been delayed.........its a bit like like waiting for your delayed flight to arrive..dont you think ???

  

With thanks to The Leader  for the article....

It now seems unlikely that Corvera International Airport will see any commercial airline activity until the summer of 2013 at the very earliest. The President of the Murcia Community Snr Valcarcel is reported to have told reporters from the Spanish press that his hopes for an opening in 2012 may have been a little premature. 

According to La Verdad he said that the airport would have to wait until the end of this year before it could even think of starting the transfer of services and staff from San Javier and given the disappointing number of flights and routes that the airport has so far attracted this means that Corvera is unlikely to become operational until the summer of 2013 and even this depends on the satisfactory outcome of negotiations being reached between AENA and the Murcia Regional Government regarding the airport concession.

Realistically Corvera could be ready to open with the limited winter schedules but it is thought that the more likely decision would be to run a few test flights during the winter period with one or two selected airlines before beginning with the summer schedule next Spring.

The authorities would want to have the full range of facilities available to service the need of its passengers so a winter opening  would probably mean operating at a financial loss. With over 500 staff to pay and shops and businesses needing to earn a living it seems unlikely that a half hearted attempt to open would even be considered.  It would appear to be much more likely that the airport will wait until it is able to open fully next Spring.

Valcarcel said that with the quantity of paperwork still to be completed, it was unrealistic to even consider opening this summer and with the Ministry for Development indicating a favourable opinion towards the possibility of round the clock operations there was still a vast list of technical reports and details to be undertaken.

“We want to do things well”, he said “and with all the guarantees so we are not going to do this in a hurry. “
In recent years the Murcia Government has been under immense pressure to do something in the region with regard to the stimulation of the economy and employment and until the announcements of the new International Airport and the Paramount Theme Park the economy in this particular part of the Province was suffering from severe depression.

However the promise of the two new developments went a long way toward soothing the voices of protest. This recent announcement will once again lead to raised voices of criticism if the summer tourism season fails to live up to expectations. It is most certainly not the message that the hotel sector and construction sectors wanted to hear

Following the article in La Verdad, and in order to avoid any further speculation, Antonio Sevilla, the Regional Minister for Public Works, released a statement confirming  that the new Airport would not begin operations until Summer 2013.

He  said that there are still many different departments of central government  to be approached. Progress is still being made, although he admitted that it is not proving to be as rapid as was first hoped, due in part to the change in staff in all the relevant government ministries following the general election last November.

According to information released last week by AENA, seven airlines, Air Nostrum, Bmibaby, EasyJet, Jetair Fly, Jet2.com, Ryanair and Norwegian Air, will operate throughout this summer from the current airport in San Javier.

Paramount Brochure

Hot off the press (and with thanks to Google alerts and Marketwatch)

I haven't seen any of these before so thought it would be an interesting post for a project that will have a massive impact on our locality be it good or bad - where do you stand on this ???

Very posh web presentation by Premursa of the Paramount park details - enjoy !!

Paramount Park 1

Paramount Park 2

Paramount Park 3