Rob and the team at Dreamers really looked after us and the Buffet was superb.

We had Simply Mo and Celtic-Con-Fusion singing all night and a few guest singers also jumped onto the stage from time to time.

Thanks to all who were involved and everyone who came to join in, you all made a good night great!

The property market is, so they say, now starting to improve and if you are looking to buy or sell you might want to take a look at what Janet and her team at Tenerife Property Links can offer you.

Do you enjoy a game of Golf?  Well, we have had Sir Old Golfer’s site on here for a while and can now compliment it with Going Golfing.  This site includes golfing holidays and discounted course fees throughout the Canary Islands too!

Looking for a new website, maybe some assistance with Search Engine Optimisation or internet marketing  services then why not check out Gandy Draper in Lanzarote?  They may even be able to hire you a 3G Dongle whilst you are on holiday in Playa Blanca, now that’s got to be worth a look, hasn’t it?

Do you have a site that you would like us to promote on The Beach?  Have you received an excellent service from a business and want to share that experience?  Send us a note with some details and we will see if we can include it for you.

For those people that live in or visit Arona in Tenerife they already know that Arona is ‘Magic’, but for the weekend of 11^th to 13^th June 2010 everyone will know because they can visit the 4^th annual Festival of Magic.

There will be some terrific entertainers performing at various venues throughout the area including Cabo Blanco, Las Galletas and Los Cristianos.  You will be able to watch some of the best magicians and jugglers around and we are sure you will have a great time.

Hope to see you there, don’t forget to take your camera and send us a couple of photos in so we can share them with the folks that are not able to get there themselves!

I don’t know too much about the organisation yet, but it seems to have been developed from/by Petsworld Dog Hotel where the owner, Marisa Traen and her team have been looking after abandoned animals in addition to running the boarding kennels that she opened early in 2001.

Since then, it would appear that together they have cared for over 200 abandoned and rescued dogs and now La Esperanza Del Sur has become a non-profit registered charity here in Tenerife.

Most of the rescue dogs they have, but not all, are Podencos (Hunting) dogs.  If you have a look at the section “Our Dogs” on their website you can read about the dogs, how and where they were found.

Please visit their website for La Esperanza Del Sur to learn more about what they have been doing and how you can help them to continue with this fantastic work.

When we set plans in place to move here back in 2002, one of the many questions we were asked was, ‘are you not worried about living so close to that volcano?’ – we have had a few chuckles about that during the last week or so!

There have been a lot of people affected by this disruption, not only the people that have been stranded here, but the people that have been unable to return to the Island after a visit to the UK or elsewhere; businesses have had to take action to survive the reduction in numbers of people arriving on the island and the lack of money for the people that have been stuck here and of course the entertainers who have been cancelled as there was no one in the Bars!

I understand that whilst one or two have decided to close their doors (albeit temporarily) that others have reduced prices or added special offers to help those ‘unfortunate enough‘ to have had their visits extended, well done to those people.

There must have been a lot of funny stories that you have heard during the last few days, or stories that have made you think, ‘wow, I wouldn’t have expected that!‘  Why not let us know what you found interesting by leaving a comment here?  Maybe we can follow up on a couple of the stories to see how they ended up?

Good luck to those people that are now returning to their ‘normal’ lives, lets hope the delays are not too bad and the tempers do not get too frayed.

He has played at the venue many time before, Dreamers Bar in Los Cristianos, but in December last year the bar changed their entertainment and introduced a live Irish band instead of the usual two cabarets each night that they used to have.

The band consists of two people, the keyboard player, Derek Murtagh and the guitarist, Mark Monaghan and I have to say what a fabulous act they are!  You can’t stop tapping your feet while they are on stage.

On a Thursday night they have a guest saxophone player with them and now, on a Saturday night they have a guest singer, Simply Mo.  I need to find out a bit more about this band as I would like to give you all more information, but in the meantime why don’t you head down to Dreamers Bar one night (they are on stage EVERY night!) to listen for yourself.

They are called Celtic-Con-Fusion and perform all styles of music during the course of the evening, not just Irish Music – well worth a visit.

Well our plan was flawed, you see we also decided to call in and see John Sharples and Barry Pugh, better known to most of us as Bitter and Twisted in their bar, The Majestic before we made our way to the starting line.

As we often do when we visit Puerto de La Cruz, we drove around the streets a couple of times until we found what we were looking for, but we managed to find a parking space (after Lesley and Cathy asked the Parking Angel for help) and then walked down the steps into The Majestic.

Impressed is not the word, the place is amazing, with such a lovely atmosphere immediately apparent as you walk across to the bar, we felt really welcome from the moment we arrived.

The interior design is marvellous, with the specially commissioned paintings that we had read about adorning the walls and some fantastic effects for the stage area, that became apparent during a couple of the sketches.

Drinks were ordered and introductions made (Alan and Lesley had not met them before) and we found a free table (not an easy task, the place was heaving!).  It was then that we heard there would be two shows that night by Bitter and Twisted PLUS another act in between – what a dilemma!

Do we stay for a drink and then go on our way, do we go have a quick look at the High Heels Marathon and then come back or do we stay and enjoy the shows?  If we left, we may not have got back in, and even if we did it was doubtful that we would have had a seat.

We decided to stay, miss the race, and sit back to enjoy an evening at The Majestic – we believe that this was the right decision.  What a fantastic evening, our jaws were aching by the end of the evening with all of the laughing.  What a scream, we will definitely be back and highly recommend a visit for anyone that hasn’t already been.

You can find The Majestic at Calle Cologan No.12, Puerto de la Cruz, Spain I believe that the bar is open on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 8pm until late.

By the way, for those that may be unsure and think that The Majestic is a ‘Gay Bar’ …… WRONG!  The Majestic is a place for anyone who wants to be entertained … free of charge, with spectacular shows.  The drinks are not overpriced and there is no door entry fee.

Have you already been? Let us know what you liked best about your visit and why not send us a couple of photos that we can show?

How long have you lived in Tenerife?

It will be 7 years in August this year (2010).

Where do you call home, here or where you were born and why?

No doubt about that, it is Tenerife, definitely because most of my family lives in Tenerife.

Now that you live on a Holiday Island, what is your favourite Holiday destination?

I don’t know really, I’ve never really thought about it.  I suppose it could be Glasgow, because that’s the only place I’ve been since being here.  I do love the Scottish countryside.

Describe your best memory since living in Tenerife?

Oooooohhh! Now you’re asking, lol, I guess it’s going to be when I met my other half, Claire a couple of years ago.  Soppy I know, but it’s probably true.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time (keep it clean)?

Chilling out and doing the bare minimum (I’m lazy like that, lol).

Which is your favourite Tourist Attraction?

The Drago Tree, I just love the town that it’s in.  There is a beautiful church just next to it which has a huge solid gold alter.

Where would you say was the best place to eat and/or drink in Tenerife?

To eat would probably be a little restaurant in Los Abrigos called La Scarpetta.  It is right on the harbour and the seafood they serve is the nicest I’ve ever had.  It is of course all fresh the same day.

To drink well there are so many great bars that I couldn’t single one out.

What has been your biggest challenge since you arrived on the Island?

I would say getting myself established as a cabaret act.  It’s so hard trying to get you’re face known and it took me a long time, I still struggle a little bit, but I think I’m getting there!

Is there something that you would really like to achieve within the next 5 years?

Yeah, I’d love to secure a recording contract.  That would make all the struggling worthwhile.

Tell us something that that few people will know about you?

I have two pet Iguanas, Marcello and Pedro.  You might meet Pedro as he sometimes comes out for a drink with me to The Penny Farthing in Los Cristianos!

Well, from what I understand you could be entitled to some money back from the tax man!

You might have already read that the European court has ruled that Spain’s taxation policy towards foreign property owners was unjust, but like a lot of things over here trying to work out what you need to do can be a nightmare.  You see, although the ruling was made, there was no procedure set in place for reclaiming the tax, this was left to Spain to sort out, and they have not made the process simple.

This is where Alfonso Padilla Peña and his team at Tax Reclaim Spain can help you.  They are providing a transparent service on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis which means that they can pursue your Spanish tax reclaim without any financial risk on your behalf – that has to be of interest to you.

Apparently there are two distinct types of claims (and I am going to quote from the Tax Reclaim Spain website now to make sure I get it right!):

• Those who paid the full 35% Capital Gains Tax or 5% retention and are making their claim within four years of selling their property.  In effect this means only those who sold their property in 2006 and paid Capital Gains Tax.  If you fall into this group then you should make your claim as soon as possible.  If you delay, then this will increase the time taken to pursue your reclaim.

• Those who paid the full 35% Capital Gains Tax  or 5% retention and sold their property between January 1997 and 2006.  This is a longer legal procedure because it falls outside of the four year window set by the Spanish Taxman for the backdating of tax reclaims.

So, I can almost hear you asking, ‘What is the next step?  What do I have to do?’

It seems to be easy, just contact Tax Reclaim Spain now and follow their 5 step guide and you could be on your way to recovering the money that is rightfully yours … well, what are you waiting for?

Start your reclaim now!

Let us know which are your favourites, or if you have some of your own, why not send them in and we will include them in another article on The Beach?