July brings two major events at different ends of the musical spectrum. On 20 July Simply Red perform outdoors at Golf Costa Adeje as part of their farewell tour. The course has already staged concerts from Rod Stewart and Elton John in previous years and proved to be a superb setting.

Then on 23 July the Moscow Ballet bring Swan Lake to Playa de las Americas. That takes place at the Magma Arts and Congress building next to the main bus station. The modern centre, normally used for conferences and corporate gatherings is adding more cultural events to its programme and will bring some of the top orchestras down south from the capital.

Talking of Santa Cruz, it may be early to think of christmas but bookings are now being taken for the festive seasons big musical offering at the auditorium on the sea front. This year it is the Spanish production of Chicago, one of the biggest modern musicals around.

Here are a couple of useful websites if you want to keep up with forthcoming music and cultural happenings. www.tenerifemagazine.com and the governments English site www.whatsontenerife.eu  Enjoy the shows.

To read or download your copy – Please go to the Owners Log–In section

Just a quick note to say how much Lesley and I enjoyed our time at Las Rosas, it was good to see familiar faces and the welcome we got from you all at reception was wonderful.

Las Rosas looked great and the improvements have made a fantastic difference to the inside of the villas.

PS. Thank Steve for awarding me the massage it certainly eased the shoulder, which has been giving me problems after I broke my elbow in December.

My villa at Las Rosas is owned jointly with my wife and on 16th October last we visited the Consular General´s office at 20m Draycott Place, London SW3 2RZ, just a few minutes walk from Sloane Square Tube Station, where we met a Consular Officer – a lady, who was very courteous and helpful.

YOU MUST APPEAR IN PERSON AND TAKE WITH YOU:-

A) Form EX-14 IN DUPLICATE – two for each owner, this form may be downloaded from the Spanish Consulate´s website www.conspalon.org or alternatively obtained from WimPen´s Admin Office in Tenerife, and since this form is printed in Spanish and MUST be completed in Spanish online, PDF or on a typewriter, NOT HANDWRITTEN, I decided to contact WimPen whose Admin staff were very helpful and in addition to copies of the Spanish Form will also send you an English version as a guide, which will undoubtedly help facilitate your completion of the form.
Complete the Spanish form in front of the Spanish Consular Officer, who will then stamp the form and hand one copy of the form back to each owner. The retained copy will be forwarded to Madrid and in 1 – 3 months time the NIE Number will be forwarded to WimPen in Tenerife for personal collection in due course.

B) YOUR VALID PASSPORT and a photocopy of the page in your passport containing your personal details, but make sure you also copy the blank page opposite your personal details which will also be stamped and retained by the Consular Officer.

I am pleased to say that this service was provided completely free of charge. No passport size photographs were required, I did take my Escritura with me.

We arrived at the office at 10.50am and left at 11.00am – an excellent and efficient service, and we will collect the NIE certificates from WimPen when we next visit Las Rosas in August.

As indicated, the procedure is very simple and if any Las Rosas owner(s) would like to discuss the matter my email address is nallen772@btinternet.com

Nevilla Allen – Villa 50 – Weeks 35 & 36.

With so much uncertainty in the aviation industry it’s probably best to let the customers give their verdict on travel trends. The latest figures from skyscanner, one of the most popular internet search sites show Tenerife still flying high as the third most popular search after Malaga and Alicante.

Winter is traditionally a strong time for the Canary Islands but as summer races in people are again going with the tried and trusted. Tenerife can offer a great variety of resorts and Wimpen has something to offer in all the best places.

Los Gigantes on the west coast has the ever popular El Marques and Las Rosas, a slightly more sedate area it has a proven record as a real sun trap. Moving down the rugged west coast Sueño Azul in Callao Salvaje can offer the best of all options, a quiet location but perfectly placed for nights out in the late night party resorts of the south.

And the south still has the reputation for good old fashioned fun for all ages and tastes. That’s where you will find Los Claveles in Los Cristianos where the charming old port meets the biggest and best of beaches. It’s no wonder Tenerife is such a firm favourite, and with Wimpen taking care of the smooth running of their resorts, it’s always a reliable holiday.

“After travelling for 3 days – arrived home exhausted! Met some terrific helpful people on the journey, Saw a lot of Spanish & French countryside.
Thanks to everyone in the office, particularly those that helped with the “bodywork repair” to our hire car with a sink plunger!!
See you next year.”
Mr & Mrs Cox – Owner Las Rosas

“Josi at WimPen Sueno Azul was marvelous, she tried and succeeded in helping everyone. I thought the price charged for the additional week was fair, no attempt was made on your part to profit from the situation – took all the stress away for me and my grandchildren. Thankyou”
Mr & Mrs Barrett – Owner El Marques

“Thank you for all you help at a difficult time. This experience has not put us off our visits to Las Rosas we will be back” – Many thanks to all the staff
Mr & Mrs Howe – Owner Las Rosas

“We cannot express our gratitude enough as to how helpful & kind everyone was in such difficult circumstances. I would recommend Las Brisas to everyone as at no point was anyone trying to make a “fast buck”, like many others around the world.”
Sara Denton – Las Brisas

We are pleased to hear that many of you have now reached home safely.

Below are details of two web sites that you may wish to visit offering information on claims and entitlement

http://www.abta.com/consumer-services/protecting_your_travel_arrangements

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/bargains-and-rip-offs/travel/article.html?in_article_id=503227&in_page_id=1093

It’s time to speak out against fraudulent timeshare operators that cast a shadow over a proven and popular holiday industry. That was the clear message from the Resort Development Organisation at their 29 March 2010 meeting in Brussels.

Wimpen applauds their promise of action for unhappy consumers who bring forward their complaints. The RDO is the trade body for timeshare and fractional ownership and they have consistently fought to expose and punish the bad eggs in the industry.

One of the key areas they are currently targeting are complaints from unhappy consumers invited to a presentation to discuss ways to dispose of their timeshare or to join a civil action. In some cases these presentations are used to sign people up to a holiday club with a deposit taken and no cooling off period allowed.

Richard McIntosh, the RDO’s chairman said “Members of the public should always check with RDO if they are approached by a company they are unsure of and should walk away if they are asked to sign a contact which does not give them the right to withdraw.”

The RDO has been busy building cases against unscrupulous companies and has used an enforcement programme, headed by a former Spanish Police Inspector, to come down hard on these companies in Spain and the UK.

Wimpen are proud of their hard earned reputation and glad to see that the RDO are working hard to ensure that people aren’t driven away from the chance to enjoy great holidays on terms that suit them.

The ACP-EU pulls together key countries from Africa, the Caribbean, Pacific and the European Union to discuss ways to work together to solve common problems. This year 400 delegates including a sprinkling of British members of the European Parliament are attending at the distinctive stone building between the Las Americas bus station and Siam Park.

Tenerife is a natural choice as it is central to all the nations involved and has  a wide selection of 4 and 5 star hotels within easy reach of the airport. On the agenda this year are climate change, trade and the global recession. Tenerife is already playing a big role in helping African countries by building the NAPWACI communication hub to provide West Africa with quicker and cheaper internet links with Europe. This hub should be finished and ready for use in 2011.

In the meantime the delegates at Magma can do their important work and hopefully have some free time to sample the many delights that Tenerife has to offer to the World.

Please don’t hate us if we tell you it was 30 degrees in Tenerife today. That was a little above the norm due to a calima, a weather front blown in from Africa, but it is warming up nicely. How about winning a weeks holiday at El Marques in Los Gigantes to check out the weather, the pool, and the friendly welcome for yourself?

It is difficult to keep track of everything that goes on across this fascinating island, but thanks to a team of long term resident writers, www.tenerifemagazine.com covers most aspects of culture, sport, living, events and places. As they are an instant online magazine they are constantly updating and reporting back to let you know what is happening. In much the same way you can check out the full range of Wimpen resorts at their main website, all this at the touch of a computer button.

Back to that enticing competition, all you have to do is join the Tenerife Magazine Facebook page and wait for the draw on 2 April, it’s that easy. The prize is a week in a one bedroom self catering apartment at El Marques. You have a year to take the holiday, subject to availability, and there is no cash alternative.

One lucky winner will soon be enjoying the beauty of Los Gigantes and the comfort of El Marques. We will put extra ice cubes on hold for your refreshing drink and keep that pool perfect ready for your arrival. Good luck.