Bowling Abroad

 One cold winters morning in Glasgow, James Renton & 12 fellow bowlers from St Ninians Bowling Club in Nairn, travelled by Easyjet to Malaga Airport. Arriving dead on time they were met by their Tour Manager, Susan Walker of Bowling Abroad, who escorted them by luxury minibus to their chosen hotel, the Hotel Riu Belplaya in Torremolinos set on the long beachfront promenade. After a short journey from the airport they were welcomed by the hotel staff who quickly checked them into their rooms. A quick change & freshen up and the group then took a leisurely stroll along the lovely 2km long promenade to find a restaurant to have lunch! There were loads to choose from and after whiling the afternoon away with a few sangrias it was time for their 4pm welcome meeting in the card room back at the hotel where Susan explained their 2 week itinerary & gave them some local information. That evening they all thoroughly enjoyed the sumptuous dinner in the hotel restaurant and after a nightcap or three in the bar, they all headed for bed knowing they had the next day to explore at leisure! The group sample the hotels’ facilities, the heated indoor pool, had a read or played cards in the card room, or relaxed on their balconies admiring the views!

The next day, they played their first game at Mijas Bowling Club, said to be the friendliest club in the Costa del Sol. Susan Walker, a very talented bowler & rated No.2 in the Ladies Malaga League no less, having won to many cups & trophies to mention, stepped in to help her group, winning the top rink along with Ann Renton and Jim Taylor. A very successful game of bowls, a few drinks & exchanging of email addresses brought the afternoon to a close, looking forward to the next day, a trip to Puerto Banus in Marbella, the millionaire’s playground in the morning, and an afternoon of shopping in La Canada, a shopping complex with every shop imaginable!  They all had fun looking around the vast variety of shops & restaurants filling their bags with bargains before heading back to the minibus to the hotel to unpack their goodies! After another delicious dining experience, another day was over and it was time for breakfast, a quick change into their dazzling whites, and they were off for their eagerly awaited match V Miraflores BC.  Susan was again in the top rink along with Helen Taylor, Gordon McDonald & Captain Peem Stevenson. A few drinks later and it was time to say “adios” to the fine people at Miraflores to make the journey back to the hotel having had a very successful day of bowls & confident they could give the Belplaya BC a good game the next day! And they certainly did! The top rink went to Ann Renton, Sandy Asher & Tour Manager Susan Walker! They repeated their success the following day, again at the Belplaya BC, making it the perfect end to the bowling tour part of their holiday! They had a farewell lunch/presentation at the Rincon Maritimo restaurant where Susan presented the top rink winners with leather scorecard holders & keyrings.

They then had a whole seven days in which to explore the fabulous Costa del Sol making the most of their holiday. They all said they had a fabulous time travelling with Susan & Bowling  Abroad and as they made their way to Malaga Airport a week later they hopefully took some happy memories back to Scotland with them already thinking about their next tour! Hasta Pronto!  See you soon!