Estupendo are offering a very unique opportunity to get a business started in the old town area of Lanzarote’s most popular resort of Puerto del Carmen for a minimum cost.This area is a favourite with the Irish but also Spanish and many other nationalities who visit Lanzarote.

The La Hoya complex has been well established but has recently suffered like most due to the economic crisis. Experiencing less visitors to the island it has been a tough two years but now finally things are starting to improve especially as Spain is now officially out of recession.The complex already boasts some very established bars and businesses including the El Niño surf wear brand, The Matchmaker bar, The Tartan Teddy bar, Brendan Behans bar, The Blarney Stone bar and The Halfpenny Inn to name the most popular.

I first met the Keen family back in 2007 when they were looking to buy a property in Lanzarote for them to use in the summer and residentially let during the rest of the year. Dad is Gary, Mum is Marianne and the boys are Kieran and Rowan. The family settled on a 3 bed house in the heart of Costa Teguise, only moments from the beautiful Playa Las Cucharas which was perfect for windsurfing and chilling out.

We’ve become friends and meet each summer during their holiday to catch up on life over the past year and see how much the kids have grown.

This year Marianne and Rowan came a few weeks ahead of Gary and Kieran, they enjoyed long days over at Famara whilst Rowan got to grips with his new surfboard and revisiting their favourite tapas / Canarian restaurants. I took a day out with Louie our dog to walk down the Risco de Famara near to the Mirador del Río with them, we followed the path which zig zags down the 650m cliff to the stunning beach Playa del Risco below.

After exploring the old salt pans and a swim it was time for the hard climb back up again, Rowan ran up the path ahead of us whilst myself and Marianne and Louie stopped frequently to enjoy the view and catch our breath!

When Gary and Kieran flew in the family decided that they would like to participate in one of the sea swim competitions that were taking place during August, they set their heart on the Playa Grande one which was a distance of 1600m from Playa Grande to Playa Chica in Puerto del Carmen but unfortunately as Rowan is only 14 he wasn’t old enough to swim that race. Not wanting him to be left out the family made the decision to take part in the next one which was the Travesía San Ginés, a distance of 1200m from el Charco de San Ginés to the Gran Hotel in Arrecife.

Both Kieran and Rowan are very good swimmers, they have spent years training early in the morning before school and regularly participate in swim events back in Holland. This was the first sea swim for them but they took the Lanzarote swimming clubs by surprise!

Estupendo were featured on the front cover of the latest edition of the Canary Islands Freedom 4 Sale property magazine. Issue 59 can be downloaded free of charge here: Freedom 4 Sale Magazine.

Many thanks to Lynne Robinson & Paul Sully who thought this villa for sale in Nazaret was such incredible value at €250,000 it really had to be promoted on the front cover of their August to September issue.

Full details for this villa can be found on our property site: Estupendo EST 1898

We received an initial enquiry from Robbie & Jane for a pool bar and restaurant that was unofficially for traspaso in Puerto Del Carmen, this was the couple’s first steps to a looking for a bar in the sunshine.

After nearly six months of living in Lanzarote on what was supposed to be their retirement it was clear to see that they both had itchy feet to do something more with their time. Sitting by a pool enjoying a cold beer is great for a two week holiday but in reality after a lifetime of working its hard to switch totally off forever. With Jane working in local government for 26 years and Robbie being an ex bank manager it was clear to see that this was a dynamic couple who knew what they wanted.

After initial checks regarding the pool bar enquiry we were advised to leave this bar alone, it had been closed due to licencing issues and had outstanding debts. Robbie and Jane moved on and found another bar they thought was suitable, an offer of sale was agreed and a lawyer instructed but again this bar didn’t have all the correct paperwork in place, the couple walked away from the sale to continue their search.

You can see why we always advise our clients to use a reputable lawyer when purchasing a business or property in Lanzarote, its very important that the full paperwork checks are made before contracts are signed and monies exchanged.

Finally we found another bar that suited Robbie & Jane’s requirements, we already knew that it had all the required paperwork in place from the lawyer that had completed the previous sale. The bar was called Delicioso, with visions of a real need for a proper "bar" in this Los Pocillos area it was decided that the bar would take on a new identity and name called simply "Cheers bar". It would appeal to all of the nationalities that Lanzarote attracts all year around as well as offering the locals a good quality bar for relaxing in on their days off.

The completion was done quickly and it was now time for Robbie and Jane to start the hard work. With new signs to be ordered, draught beers to be installed and menus agreed for their basic snack foods to accompany their cold beers the word retirement was now a distant memory! Within two weeks the bar has been turned around and was an immediate success which far exceeded the expectations of Robbie and Jane. Their initial thoughts of a good quality "No fuss" bar were proved to be spot on and with an excellent "friendly service" to all its customers it not hard to see why already the bar has got many satisfied customers.

Robbie says "Give people a good quality service, good quality products and a friendly smile and the rest is down to hard work. Since starting we have had so many repeat customers who once they come in once for a breakfast they return for the remainder of their holiday which has been so rewarding already in such a short time. We both would also like to thank Ian for his continued help and guidance which has helped us to avoid future problems and with his team of asesorias and lawyers it’s vital for anyone thinking of buying a business to use these services.”

We need your help!

Kenneth Gasque who is the race director of Ironman Lanzarote held on the island in May each year has launched a new triathlon event in Lanzarote. On Sunday 5th September there will be the Ocean Lava Lanzarote Triathlon which is an Olympic distance event.

The closing date for entries to the race is the 22nd August 2010, the triathlon is open to both individuals and relay teams so you can take part if you are just a swimmer, runner or cyclist. For more information about the race or to register to participate please see the website Ocean Lava.

As with any sporting event, it wouldn’t be possible without volunteers and that’s where we’d like your help. Are you free on Sunday 5th September? You don’t have to live here, you can just be visiting the island and aged 16 or older. Volunteering is a great way to meet locals and have a fun and its very much appreciated by both the organisers and athletes.

We’ve been helping Kenneth behind the scenes prior to the event and will be there on the day helping where we’re needed.

If you can spare some time please come and join with us, simply enter your name and contact details here Ocean Lava Events Volunteer.

Thank you

Julie & Mike

We have 7 remaining one bedroom properties for sale at this fantastic complex in the Matagorda area of Puerto del Carmen in Lanzarote. Prices start from an amazing €66,000. The complex has a tourist licence so they can be holiday let and there is currently a choice of one bedroom bungalows or one bedroom duplexes which have two terraces.

Please see our full property details EST 3245 for more information.

The properties are for sale with Estupendo’s office in Puerto del Carmen, please contact them via email: ian@grupoestupendo.com or telephone: 928 512 394.

Well if ever there was a Lanzarote charity event to go to this had to be the one! With our home country at war and many lives being lost its time for charity events like this one to raise funds for our much loved troops. Our soldiers are giving their lives for our country whilst all we have to do is simply go along to a free event with none stop live entertainment and drink cold beers!

Every drink, hotdog etc sold during the Help For Heroes Concert was paying their profits to the charity so if ever there was an excuse to drink and be merry this was the one! There were raffles through the day and attractions for the kids including bouncy castles this really was a family day out as well as helping such a fantastic and well deserved course!

The concert started at 3pm with many many people there earlier to get a good seat overlooking the stage area and also the lovely beach area of Los Pocillos in Puerto Del Carmen.There were too many bands participating to mention, the event attracted some of the biggest names on the island including the Naughty Boyz, Soul commitment and of course the islands favourite bunch of local lads The Skatoons. With the music playing and people enjoying the fantastic weather it was very humbling to have present at the event ten soldiers who had actually served in the war.

Once we had helped Dolores and Guss to sell their previous bar "The Rose of Clare" in the Los Pocillos area of Puerto del Carmen it was time for this lively couple to downsize to something more relaxed. After seven years of running a large live music venue they wanted a small and easily manageable bar that could be run by just the two of them.

With a knowledge of both the bar trade and the island it wasn't long before they found a small cafe bar in Matagorda called "Scrummys" that suited their needs, even if they needed to do some changes to the bar. Dolores and Guss wanted a small bar that could be turned into a "Snug" which in Ireland is a really small but cozy bar. The bar had a lovely terrace area overlooking the beach in Matagorda and the inside was just the right size to create the feeling of a snug and create a warm welcoming atmosphere for their customers.

Dolores’s mums name was Peggy and it was soon decided that this bar was ideal for their new venture and it would be renamed "Peggy's Snug" in memory of Dolores's mother.

Since arriving on this lovely island over four years ago, there was always a feeling that Puerto Del Carmen was unfairly given the worst press out of the three major resorts. The main reason being that because it is the largest and most established resort it therefore has the most bars and restaurants which means its the hardest to keep updated. Therefore over the years it had begun to get tired around the edges and investments were needed in many areas.

Well now fast forward to 2010 and Puerto Del Carmen has now had the much needed investment in many areas and is now attracting new bigger shops and investors along with its own newly opened Golf course. The main "Strip" of PDC is now completely renewed with all new sidewalks and road system with all new Street lights. If you are heading into PDC from the airport upon arriving then you can simply drive from One end of the Strip (Matagorda) through the main "Avenida" with its many bars, shop and restaurants. You will pass the new shops including Fund Grunbe, Charlie’s perfumes, Natura as well as the new up market wine bars including Cafe Del Carmen and Woodley’s with more on the way.

From the end of the main Strip you start to enter the Old town area of the resort which starts at the lovely Biosfera shopping centre with its many top brand name shops including Timberland, Levis, Jack Jones, Vodafone, Zara, Hagan Dais and many more including cafes and restaurants. The old town area is famous for its many Irish bars surrounding the newly upgraded harbour area which offers some excellent sea food restaurants and a real Spanish feel with many local people preferring to eat and drink here on their weekends off.