This year the “Hondón Christmas Carols in the Square” are to be held on 19^th December.

This is the third anniversary of the event in the Hondon de las Nieves main Plaza and will be a little different this year.

Dutch and Spanish Choirs have been invited join the British Choir and sing their own typical Christmas songs.

Presents for All !!

Father Christmas is going to be with us to give small gift to the local children, and again this year we will be giving mince pies and mulled wine to everyone in the square.

We’re Collecting for Hondon

We will be collecting money towards our target of 1700€, to donate a First Response Kit to the local Police. Our efforts, including a very successful book club have raised 1300€ so far this year and the Friends of Hondon are very grateful to anyone who has given their time to this very worthy cause.

Please come along and enjoy the festive atmosphere, free food and please make a contribution to our community cause…   and of course SING OUT LOUD !!

FINCA ROTEZ at Christmas & New Year 2009

Finca Rotez in Barbarroja, near Hondón de los Frailes has just released their 2009 festive activities….

• Tuesday 1st Dec: Ladies Day & Xmas Fayre and Lunch. All stall spaces fully booked but everyone welcome to come for coffee etc & have a browse.
• Every Monday day & evening in December: Friends & family pre christmas  lunch/dinners.  Perfect for groups who cannot be together xmas day Price €15.00 inc’ wine & table gift, crackers etc
• Thursday 10th Dec: Bingo& social night Xmas party.  Great fun, great prizes.
• Friday 11th Dec’: Entertainment night. No ticket required, you can dine & dance by  booking your table or just come along for a drink at the bar.  Tony M presents a full  evening & he is really good.
• Tuesday 15th Dec: Childrens Xmas party with Santa, presents, tea, fun & games
• Saturday 19th Dec: Carols in the Courtyard. A truly lovely night with  traditional seasonal fayre, carols, dancing after.
• Christmas Eve 24th: Chill out before the big day with free buffet at the bar & music.
• Christmas Day – FULLY BOOKED already !!!
• Boxing Day: Open according to demand
• Sunday 27th Dec’: Normal sunday lunch being served
• New Years Eve: Entertainment & hot/cold buffet €20.00 & transport  available for this & all other times if needed. Some tickets left – book now… We look forward to welcoming you!

TEL: 648078069 | E-mail: info [@] fincarotez.com | www.fincarotez.com

According to a recent report (Oct 2009) by uSWITCH.COM “Spain Is The Best Place to Live In Europe!” – Well actually they said Spain is top with France in the ‘Quality of Life Index’ You can read why on RoundTown News or download the Report from uSwitch.com website.

- uSWITCH.COM / Report

The Hondon Valley has 1000’s of acres of Almond Trees & it’s harvest time already !

The surrounding fields and mountain terraces are bursting with the delicious almond nut. You can still see the traditional method of harvest (i.e. put a big net on the ground and whack the tree with sticks until the almonds fall off). But more recently farmers are hiring a modern tractor attachment that looks like it was a prototype from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (see picture) !!!

Hondon Valley Harvest Time (late August / early Sept')

This does the job in a couple of minutes and is a joy to watch if you’ve never seen one before !! The tractor is driven up to the tree trunk; the attachment ‘clamps’ around the tree whilst simultaneously opening a large concertina style skirt to act as a vessel for collecting the almonds. The attachment then vibrates the tree trunk vigorously to shake the nuts into the skirt. After a few trees the skirt is emptied into a pile for scooping up later into trucks to go back to the farmer’s place for sifting and bagging… and sooner or later turned into salted, sweetened, ground, paste products.  I particularly like the local roasted / salted almonds here which are sometimes served as a Tapa … very more-ish and probably too fattening BUT DELICIOUS !!!

Shaking and Collecting Almonds

AUGUST is HERE !!!   Yes it’s fiesta week in Hondon De Los Frailes (Costa Blanca South). It’s sure to be popular and usually has something for all tastes and ages groups… highlights are the Bands in the Plaza, Firework Fights (yes fights !!!), Water Fight, parades, community activities such as the mass bike ride and much more.

Full Programmes are available from the Frailes Council Offices and local bars or resturants… it’s gonna be busy but most of the evening stuff goes on very late – be warned !!

Here’s a translation of the Frailes Fiesta Programme – not sure how accurate it is (so subject to change) ?

Thursday 27th AUgust

• 6 – 8pm Masks of the World
• 10pm Community Supper (Havana Night) Bring your own Food and Enjoy !!
• 10.30pm Performance by “Costa Blanca Trio”
• 12pm Performane of Ballet of Inma Cortes
• 2am (yes 2am !) Chocolate free for all (by Chocolate Valor)

Friday 28th

• 8pm Music Band of Hondon de Los Frailes
• 8.30pm Offering of flowers to the Virgin
• 12.30am Open Air Dancing to “the King of the Sun”

Saturday 29th

• 10am Music Band through the streets
• 12noon Mass
• 7.30pm Music Bands (Pop, Jazz)
• 8.30pm Grand March through the town with the floats with prizes for the best accompanied by the musical bands
• 12.30am Open air dancing to “Pershing”

Sunday 30th

• 10.30am Grand Pageant with a marching band
• 12 noon Solem Mass for Virgin de Salud sung by Pinoso Choir
• 9pm Procession with the Image of the Patron Virgin  followed by Fireworks
• 12.30pm Open Air Dancing to “Vendetta”

Monday 31st

• 11am – 2pm Entertainment for the children and a tourist train across  Hondon de Los Frailes
• 2pm Giant Paella (buy tickets required from Town Hall)
• 4.30pm – 6pm Water Fight- Get Wet, Wetter, Wettest !! Great Fun !!
• 8pm Mass for the Deceased (I assume this a Church event !)
• 9pm Big Party for The Children
• 12 Midnight Finale !!!  Fireworks Fight (very dangerous – exercise caution)

Well that should keep us going for a while – still cannot believe a small village puts on such a show and effort !! Amazing !!

It’s party time in Hondon Valley. Like so many cities, towns and villages across Spain August is for partying. The Fiestas are usually quite amazing, even small villages set aside funds and resources that help get the community out into the Plazas, singing, dancing and involved in all manner of activities. Including locally…

Religious Festivals / Beauty pageants / Dancing & Live Music / Concerts / Theatre / Raves / Medieval Markets / Fireworks / Bull Runs… and they go on all night if you let them.

Don’t expect to get much work done during August – people have other priorities !!!

ENJOY THE FIESTAS   Ole !!

August Update: Well I have tried the NEW ‘La Buena Vida’ restaurant in Frailes (Hondon) a couple of times and CANNOT fault the decor, prices or food. Service could be improved a little but it’s early days, there’s been a rush of people trying it I gather and the staff are more than willing to help. It truly is amazing decor considering this was a run-down shop 3 months ago with no kitchen or bar. …. it’s got a tree and grape vines carved into the new plaster walls – which a local artisan has crafted !!

There is a good choice of standard Italian dishes and daily Chef’s specials to suite most pockets. So far so good … and the air-con is a god-send at the moment – very hot in Hondon Valley July and August !!! RECOMMENDED ! (The other restaurants around here must be a little worried now)

By the time you read this the BRAND NEW Italian / International restaurant in Hondon de los Frailes should be open for business (barring any late hiccups !). It’s called “La Buena Vida” (The Good Life).

Table Bookings Telephone No. 965 482 098

Well I’ve seen it being built over the last two months and it OOZES QUALITY. You would never know it has been converted from a rather typical dowdy shop in the village centre. Check out the decor / interior design, you cannot fail to be impressed. Originally designed, spacious and well thought through is the overall impression.

Of course we need to sample the cuisine and check out the prices but I’m sure the new local owners have already thought that one through and want to ensure quality and value for money. Good Luck to them !!

Visit the Bodegas Cerdá (Hondón Wine Maker). The family business was founded in 1885 in Hondón de las Nieves, Alicante. From its very beginnings, this family run company have given attentive service to it’s customers and know about fine tasting quality wines. It’s has been their route to success!

The NEW Premises – Worth a Visit !!

Since 2007, Bodegas Cerdá invite you to get to know their NEW superb new facilities that include a Wine Museum, a tasting room and restaurant, a shop for wine and traditional products as well as the production and bottling hall where you can witness the magical world of wine making.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Visit the superb Bodegas Cerda web site (see a video in english or spanish).

As we write Hondon De Las Frailes is gearing up for another new restaurant. Local exPats have spotted a potential ‘gap in the market’ and are now working hard to get local premises in Frailes ready for the summer.

Rumours have been rife on when, where and what kind of restaurant it may be…well it’s in the main pedestrian area near Frailes Church. The premises were previously a ‘gift shop’ that recently closed down so has had to be refurbished and re-designed to make it suitable as a restaurant.

So what type will it be?  Well I am relaible informed that the main cuisine will be Italian … no menu as yet but when I find out more I shall post it here.

Good luck to the new owners… we wish them success.

For such a small village Hondón knows how to party and has put on some truly fantastic fiestas. Some Fiestas are a ‘tour’ that do the rounds of villages in the area BUT MOSTLY Hondon people get truly involved in the Fietsa Spirit. My personal Favourite has been the Hondon Medieval Night / Correfocs … where the whole village is transformed into ‘olde world’ with street entertainers and stalls + a big firework finale. It takes place usually in July or August. It’s worth seeing !

Hondon has many annual festival (big ones over 2 weeks August), some honoring the Virgin of the Snows (religious icon). On August 5 on odd years, Hondón de las Nieves or Aspe organise this festival which has proven to have popular support by the locals of both Aspe and Hondon. People march from all the local village to be entertained with cultural events giving the first fortnight of August a real festivity of color, food, music and dance. We love it !!

You can usually get a program of festivals from the village town hall (Ayuntamiento).

There are also many Cultural Days, which show theater, music, dance, cuisine and sports in late spring or early summer. Hondón de las Nieves also has a Municipal Sports Center which has a public swimming pool, tennis courts, fronton, paddle courts, a soccer field and a restaurant. All this, plus recreation areas, scenic beauty and other holidays, provide visitors a wide range of possibilities for leisure.