Having spent Christmas and New Year in England this year, I can honestly say that I have never felt colder in my life! Ok ok I know we are talking about England in December and January, but it was enough to freeze hell over.

Perhaps it didn´t help that we decided to take a trip down the river on my friend´s narrow-boat the day after Christmas, and pulling ropes from the icy water which poured into the lock was perhaps not the best idea when the temperature hit -1.  Being a hardy soul, the day after we trooped off to Southwell  Races as the thermometer displayed a chilling -2 degrees.  Southwell is an all-weather horse racing course with a great  atmosphere .  Luckily I am good friends with Mark the bar manager at Southwell Racecourse, and Helen who is the general manager.  The drinks were flowing, and the Christmas cheer was tangible .   Apart from venturing outside every half an hour to place a bet, we seldom left the warmth of the bar.  We crunched our way back home over frosty country lanes– penniless but glowing from the generous glasses of brandy we had been sipping all afternoon.

The next day we slipped and slided along the same pathways on our way to the village restaurant – the Full Moon Inn at Morton, where we sat in front of an open fire and enjoyed the local banter.
So all in all, a great time was had by all.  But boy was I glad to get back to Andalucia.

Now don´t get me wrong, I am English and I love England, but it is easy to look at it with rose-tinted spectacles when you are back there on holiday.  After a long, hard winter going to work under gloomy skies which turn black at 4pm, and having to endure the rain and biting wind for months at a time, anyone would rightly yearn for the warmer climes of the Costa del Sol.  And the prices in England have gone crazy.
A friend of mine who lives in London recently saw a programme about struggling Brits on the Costa del Sol who are desperate to get back to the UK as prices have risen, and they now have to pay up to €1 more for their coffee than they did 2 years ago.  ´Bloody hell´ was his retort, ´they ought to live in London. At least they can drink their coffee in the sunshine and they don´t have to get a second mortgage to pay for it like they would have to in London.´ Slightly exaggerated I agree, and yes I know how wet the weather can be here, and how bad the exchange rate is from sterling to euro at the moment, but I still think the general prices in the UK are crippling.

One memorable day in Nottingham we fancied a quick and inexpensive lunch in town so popped into a pizza bar – quite a well known one but a pizza bar all the same.  We had to wait 40 minutes for a table.  We ordered a Caesar salad and a pepperoni pizza between two of us.  My friend had a lemonade and I ordered a glass of red wine.  The waitress asked me if I would like a ´large´ glass of wine, which is rather like asking the Pope if he is Catholic, and I nodded my approval.  I later discovered the wine cost £4.85p for a glass (€5.35).  The bill came to £30.00 (€33.00) for a pizza, a salad and two drinks. Bearing in mind this was no top class restaurant, more of a casual city diner, and the wine was house plonk, I was shocked.  You could eat a much better lunch in Fuengirola or Mijas-Golf, where I live, for a fraction of the price –especially at Hoyo 19 just down the road where the three course €11 set menu is superb and includes half a bottle of vino.

I never realise how much I miss Spain until I come back from holiday.  However cold we think it is here, you haven´t been back to northern Europe lately.

When my friend picked me up from Malaga Airport the air was mild and the next day it was warm enough to walk the dog on the beach without having to wear 6 layers of clothing, including gloves and scarves.  We wandered down to Cabopino Beach, just 6 km east of Marbella (the dog´s favourite haunt) and enjoyed a coffee at one of the beach restaurants close to the Marina.   We then met friends at Salamanca Restaurant, just off Church Square in Fuengirola and enjoyed an excellent 3 course set meal including wine for €10 per head.  The choice here is incredible, but on this particular occasion we enjoyed home-made minestrone soup, fried squid, a wonderful house salad with tuna and eggs and for main course, grilled swordfish, seafood paella, roast pork, a great fabada asturiana, which is like a bean stew with pork and ham, and a fabulous selection of desserts including rice pudding, home-made flan and a selection of fresh fruits.
The Salamanca is always busy and with good reason.  The staff are friendly (ish), the food is great and it is situated in the middle of Fuengirola, so within easy walking distance of the shops.

I have found that prices here are coming down slightly in bars and restaurants, as the establishment´s owners  are beginning to realise people don´t have the cash they had a few years ago, and competition among bars and restaurants is as keen as ever.  Don´t believe the hype in the UK about one of the biggest pub chains offering a pint for 99p!  Yes, it was an offer than few could refuse, but after my experience in one of these pubs near Nottingham, they can give the beer away free and I still wouldn´t walk through the door.  Cheap they are, but classy they ain´t, and the food leaves a lot to be desired.

Pound for pound, give me Spain anytime.  And for anyone out there feeling downbeat after all this rain, and struggling with finances, weigh up your options before dashing back to the UK – you could find yourself in a much worse position!