JAGUARS - Restaurant Rebate host's the Big Cats
Written by Eric Arnold Sunday, June 21, the Big Cat's come out to play. Restaurant Rebate was the location this time for yet another terrific day out with the members of The Jaguar Enthusiasts Club in Spain. As is usual in Spain, again we were blessed with a beautiful warm and sunny day, perfect for cruising with the top down. If you have never been to Restaurant Rebate near Pilar De Horadada, believe me it is worth a visit. A little tropical oasis, fabulous food, great service and flamenco dancers in the court yard. A recipe for a perfect day out.
Turn out for the day was good, 60 people and 20 beautiful Jaguars gleaming in the sunshine. Many members made their way to Restaurant La Fortaleza as the first meeting point. We left there in convoy to make our way to Rebate. The route took us through the orange and lemon groves and round the fabulous Pedrera lake with its turquoise water. If you have never visited the lake, it is something you should make an effort to do, it is spectacular.
Arriving at Restaurant Rebate we started off with a "drop of bubbly", a cava reception in the lush gardens under the 'shade' trees, what could be more civilised. A chance to meet old friends and to take the group pictures. As always the food provided by the restaurant was exceptional and very different from that normally offered by Spanish restaurants. I am not going to try and describe each course it would take up too much room to give each one justice. Seven fantastic tapas style starters, then hake, beef or guinea fowl for the main course, sumptuous desserts, wine, beer, water and coffees. A feast fit for royalty for just €25. As we always get looked after really well, this time we presented the Maitre D with a small memorial cup in recognition of our appreciation.
It was a busy day all round, lots of announcements about future events. Our good friend Beryl Juchau was presented with an 'Outstanding Member' award for the numbers of guests she provides which boosts our numbers significantly. Brian Patterson and Molly provided items for a surprise raffle which raised €165 for club funds, a big big thank you to them, it really is appreciated. Then last but not least we had a presentation from Peter and Adrian from Archoil offering there additive products. As if this was not enough, we had a short break half way through lunch to watch the Flamenco Dancers on the garden terrace.
For us, if Rebate does have a negative, parking is not reserved and our beautiful big cats have to mix in with other cars which makes it impossible to make good pictures of the cars in any sort of group. Just take my word for it, the cars that did turn up were stunning. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those that attended the meeting, especially all the new members, and of course a big thank you to Ian and Uschi McMenemy for organising the event, a brilliant job as always.
The next meeting will be on Sunday, August 2 when hopefully we will be returning to Restaurant Las Palmeras but this has to be confirmed. Just looking into the future a little bit, Ian, our Events Director has organised something special for September 6, a trip to a Monastery up in the mountains in Sierra Espuna near Totana with an option of an overnightstay. November is our ' Trip Down South' to Malaga and Lake Vinuella. These and other events are detailed on our website. Last of all, The Big One, in March 2015 was so successful we are going to do it again, just bigger and better. The Big One 2017 will be held at Parador de Leon. Built in the 16th Century it was originally the head quarters for the Military Order of Saint James. It is now Paradors' flag ship 5 star hotel. This event is proving to be very popular already, currently we are expecting over 300 people and 153 beautiful Jaguars. Even though it is nearly two years away, if you want to come to this event, you have to register your interest now.
The Jaguar Enthusiasts Club is the largest of the worlds Jaguar Clubs, apart from joining in the fun at the meetings, members also benefit from a glossy 140 page A4 monthly magazine, Jaguar spares department and a technical advice service second to none. If you live in Spain and own a Jaguar you should be a member of The Jaguar Enthusiasts Club. The JEC in Spain is organised by Eric Arnold, Club President and Ian McMenemy, Events Director. Costa Del Sol region is organised by Philip Wray.
Eric can be contacted by email at jaguarspain@outlook. com or by phone on 609 931 647 or alternatively check out www.jec-spain.com or the JEC main website www.jec.org.uk. Our Events director, Ian McMenemy can be contacted by email at McMenemy@ JEC-events.com. Not forgetting David Shea who looks after our Facebook identity. Contact details and news of future events can be found on our website: www.jec-spain.com