Marbella with Him & Her

'Lark in the Park' in Marbella

Welcome to episode 66 of 'Marbella with Him & Her', your weekly Marbella lifestyle podcast talking about the beautiful resort we chose to live in Spain. This week is a packed episode full of the many things we have taken part in and enjoyed since last week's podcast. 'He' is PJ Lopez (@pjlopez1marbella), a digital marketing expert in Marbella and 'Her' is Hannah Murray (@radiohannah), a radio presenter on Talk Radio Europe, and a TV presenter on Good Morning Spain.
This week we talk about a lovely gathering of friends at the Hogan Stand (@thehoganstand) instigated by JP, who decided he just want to get his friends toegther for some food, fun and laughter.
Hannah had her epic beach day with a friend on Sunday, which involved a little bit of Sangria and some great food at one of their favourite summer beach venues in San Pedro, Guayaba (@guayababeach).
Meanwhile PJ went down with a case of shingles and has been on medication for the week. Having spent a few weeks changing eating habits, cutting back on drinking and doing more exercise, he ended up getting shingles! It meant he didn't go to the office or the quiz in case anyone hadn't had chickenpox before.
Hannah also chats about the lovely Irish goodies that the students currently doing some work experience at the radio station brought over from Dublin.
This week's TV fliming for Good Morning Spain (@goodmorningspaintv) involved Nikki as she had come over to Marbella for a few days and was staying with Hannah and PJ. They went for breakfast before filming at a great little cafe called Gunayadin.
Later in the week while PJ was still confined to home, Hannah went to Malaga port to meet up with some of Sheila's family who had stopped at the port on their cruise. They had lunch and champagne at a tapas bar in the port called Toro, A Taste of Spain.
Notable interviews Hannah did this week on her radio show on TRE (@talk_radio_europe) included Kate Muir about her book 'How To Have A Midlife Crisis' and Anthea Stevens who suffers from Cerebral palsy who has written a book called 'What's Done Can't be Undone'.
The weekend was very much about the International Theatre Studio's (@internationaltheatrestudio) Lark in the Park. On Sunday, while PJ headed to the park to set up the sound and lights, Hannah took some special time with her dad for father's day by taking him for breakfast to Hustle n Flow in San Pedro (@hustlenfloweatery).
Later it was what all the rehearsals has all been about. The play for Lark in the Park in Benahavis this year was written by Sheila Mellor, Sandra Mole and Kate Jackson, called The Val Hala Fashion Show. It was a funny tongue in cheek fashion show set in Marbella hosted by presenter one (an Amanda Holden type character) played by Hannah and presenter 2 (a camp and very bitchy man called Graham) played by PJ. After many difficult rehearsals, it all came together on the night with great feedback from the audience.
The Del Sol Singers choir also performed some songs which had the audience singing and dancing along to, and the evening was topped off by Karen Danzig singing some great tunes and getting everyone up on their feet dancing.

Singing in La Sala, & Friends in Madrid

Welcome to Marbella with Him & Her, your weekly Marbella podcast that talks about our lives in Marbella and other things going on throughout the week. Hannah is a radio presenter on Talk Radio Europe as well as a TV contributor on Good Morning Spain. She also runs a weekly quiz at The Hogan Stand Irish Pub in San Pedro. PJ is a digital marketing specialist working with many top real estate agents and developers on the coast. They are both keen amateur actors belonging to the International Theatre Studio where PJ is also the vice president.
Their Marbella podcast covers the many things they get up to during the week as well as interesting information and chats about articles in the Sur in English, restaurants, beach clubs and trips they have embarked upon.
This week we start with the choir that Hannah belongs to called ‘The Del Sol Singers’ and their first gig of the season at La Sala in Puerto Banus (@lasalabanus). It was a charity event in aid of a very worthy cause, The Sienna Elizabeth Rose Legacy, which supports families that have had babies born 'asleep'. Needless to say, there was not a dry eye in the house (both the audience and the choir).
On Friday, Hannah and PJ hit the road at 8.30 am for a major road trip to Madrid to go to the 'Friends Experience', which is essentially a full re-creation of the entire set from Joey and Chandler's flat to Central Perk. It was an incredible experience so check out the podcast for all the details.
They stayed about 2 hours south of Madrid in a place called Ciudad Real, where the famous Manchego cheese originates. Hear their thoughts on the city and the food!
PJ has been whipping up some more interesting salads and hear about his Guinness milkshake.
Sur in English articles this week include a chat about a fungus that is affecting vineyards across Malaga and beyond. They also chat about Spain having some of the best pizza restaurants outside of Italy. Hannah was also very excited to see that Mijas is getting some tuktuks to replace the cruel use of donkeys to trandsport tourists. In fact, she is even considering volunteering to drive it. Talking of tuktuks Hannah was also thrilled to see that last weeks episode of Race Across The World ended the leg in Goa and in the Grand Hyatt Hotel where she and Nikki stayed for a couple of days after their Indian adventure.
As always you can follow Hannah Murray on Instagram @radiohannah and PJ Lopez @pjlopez1marbella.

Marbella bugs and Hannah does DIY

Welcome to the latest episode of Marbella with Him & Her, your weekly lifestyle podcast from Marbella brought to you by Hannah Murray (@radiohannah) and PJ Lopez (@pjlopez1marbella), two expats who moved to Marbella in 2003 and live in the beautiful town of San Pedro de Alcantara.
This week there has been a bit of illness doing the rounds in the area which resulted in lots of cancelled plans. Hannah only made it to one exercise class and didn't meet her father for their weekly brunch as he is now recovering from a nasty bug.
Earlier in the week Hannah put her DIY skills to the test when she found there was a leaking pipe under the sink. She also went Karcher mad, hosing down the bedroom terrace, the back terrace and the front garden.
Hannah was also thrilled to have interviewed Simon Tolken who is the grandson of JRR Tolken (author of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings). She really enjoyed chatting to him and it will be included in her TRE Book Show very soon.
She also chatted to Michael Obiora, who was a child actor in Grange Hill who also had a great role as the receptionist in Hotel Babylon.
On Friday PJ and Hannah both joined the Friday Frolics group for dinner at Bombay Grill Indian restaurant where they both chose healthier options for a change and refrained from going out afterwards. This is part of PJ making some small lifestyle adjustments after having a random blood pressure test after a recent golf tournament and finding it was higher than it should be. Find out what adjustments have been made and what it has done to his blood pressure within a week.
Sur in English articles this week they talk about are the speeding up of the building of the first Costco in Malaga and details of the Bar FM in Granada that was featured in the list of the best informal restaurants on the continent for a 4th year in a row.

Grapevine Marbella, Homemade tasting menu & football news

Welcome to the latest episode of Marbella with Him and Her, the weekly lifestyle podcast for Marbella and the Costa del Sol. Remember to keep updated with news and information about Marbella follow Hannah at @radiohannah or PJ at @pjlopez1marbella and please make sure you follow the podcast to be first to recieve the latest episode.
This week was an intense week of exercise for Hannah with 4 trips to classes during the week (Pilates, Body Combat, Spinning and another session of Pilates).
During the week Hannah was invited to give a talk by the popular women's networking group Grapevine, at Oak Grill in Puerto Banus (part of the La Sala Group). Hannah gave a humorous insight into her recent journey from the east coast of India to the west coast with The Sisterhood in the Rickshaw Rally.
One of Hannah's interviews this week was with the author Jeffrey Deaver who wrote the best selling novel The Bone Collector, made into a film starring Denzel Washington.
Hannah and PJ were also thrilled to catch up with Sandra and Graham at the Quiz. Sandra is a keen listener to the Podcast and they found out that her partner Graham is from the same area as PJ and that they both attended many Crystal Palace matches around a similar time.
PJ is still flying high after the FA Cup win by Crystal Palace and mentions the incredible kindness of the family of Janet, a fellow ITS member and part of PJ's quiz team who sent over an FA Cup semi-final football program. Hannah also tells another Crystal Palace coincidence this time involving author Emma Cowell.
At the weekend Hannah and PJ hosted a dinner party for friends Aoife and Meadhbh. They created an Asian inspired 8 course tasting menu with food from Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia.
This weeks Sur in English articles have a football theme as they speak about Marbella FC avoiding relegation on the last day of the season. They also speak about the atrocious behaviour of the English fans of Spurs and Manchester United causing damage in Bilbao. They also discuss the transfer of Dean Huijsen from AFC Bournemouth to Real Madrid and the fact that he went to the Marbella football academy having grown up in Marbella.

Marbella, Estepona and Fuengirola

Welcome to episode 62 of the Marbella lifestyle podcast 'Marbella with Him and Her', presented by PJ Lopez and Hannah Murray (@pjlopez1marbella and @radiohannah).
It has been a busy week after PJ's performances in 'An Inspector Calls', the final one of which was straight after recording last weeks Podcast. They give a run down on the show, the audience reactions, and PJ's character Eric.
Hannah was back to her fitness classes with Pilates on Monday, dragging her friend Aoife along to what was one of the hardest classes yet. Then during the week Hannah also did her body combat and spinning classes.
Monday night was the wrap party for the production which was held at an Italian / Mexican restaurant called Ciao in Benavista. PJ discusses his thoughts on dual cuisine restaurants and fusion food in general.
Hannah speaks about some of her interviews during the week, with one of the highlights being the re-arranged one with Alfie Watts, last year's winner of the hit TV show Race Across the World. They speak about his adventures since winning the show, his amazing travel tips and challenges, and who they are rooting for in the current series. She also interviewed Emma Cowell about her new book, who is the sister in law of X Factor's Simon Cowell. Another interview she mentions is the one with one of the members of The Sisterhood, Kazi Quinten who has written a book called Humanity 2.0 which is about the use of AI and where it is heading.
Later in the week Hannah and PJ joined friends at Chef by Divot for a lottery winners’ dinner where they had their favourite chateaubriand to share.
At the weekend Hannah was off to Fuengirola with Amy to watch her daughter in a musical where she played the lead Dolores in Sister Act, via Dunnes Stores where they both came back with a few bags of goodies. Meanwhile PJ was at the Hogan Stand watching Crystal Palace FC make history by beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final. Then on Sunday PJ played in a small golf tournament at Marbella Club Resort where he very unexpectedly was the runner up is his handicap category winning a couple of very nice bottles of wine.
Sur in English articles this week include the continued frenzy for the Dubai pistachio chocolate and where you can get it in Spain. They also talk about the new library under construction in San Pedro de Alcantara, the housing price rises in Malaga and the current status of the Concepcion reservoir in Marbella.

Marbella Beach picnics, lunches & charity walks

Welcome to the latest episode of Marbella with Him & Her, your Marbella podcast about Marbella and the surrounding areas.
Last Sunday just after they recorded the podcast, Hannah and PJ went to the annual beach picnic in San Pedro with friends. PJ made his Asian Coleslaw (recipe included in the podcast), as well as a slow cooked Moroccan chicken couscous. Hannah is no longer the Queen of Boules but her father Bernie won for a second year in a row and also won the TEXT talk bingo! The girls in attendance re-created the dance scene from the TV series the Perfect Couple thanks to Debbie's choreography.
Hannah was back at Pilates on Monday and wore some special Pilates socks that her friend Aoife has bought back from Ireland that one of her friends makes. Later that day Hannah interviewed PJ and Sheila about the play an Inspector Calls and generally about the theatre and learning lines.
Later in the week Hannah was back at her favourite hair salon Hair by Maher (@salonmaher) where she was pampered like a princess!
On her way back Hannah went up to King Ramen (@kingramensanpedro) to bring back some Ramen noodles for lunch. The verdict is on the podcast.
At the weekend Hannah was up at 5.30 am on Saturday to do the Darkness into Light walk (@darknessintolight_worldwide) to raise awareness for mental health and suicide. Meanwhile PJ popped along to La Colonia in San Pedro to see what the new bakerery is all about. Listen to the podcast for detail of La Barra Marbella (@labarra_marbella), a new modern bakery opening on 13 May.
Hannah also went to Los Espigones chiringuito in Marbella for lunch and then back home via La Sala by the Sea (@lasalabythesea), Mistral beach and Alabardero Beach (@alabarderobeachmarbella).
This weeks Sur in English articles include the special sewing classes being run by Primark in La Cañada in Marbella. They also talk about the Ronda challenge that is expecting 9,000 runners and cyclists to take part in the 101km circuit that brings together the Ronda Legion and the community.
 
Follow them on Instagram at @radiohannah and @pjlopez1marbella 

Marbella storms and nationwide powercut!

Welcome to episode 60 of Marbella with Him & Her, your number one Marbella lifestyle podcast!
The week started with Hannah's trip to Bootcamp Pilates (@bootcamp_pilates_estepona) in Estepona where she has now committed to 6 weeks of reformer Pilates (updates to follow).
It was a hectic week from that moment onwards. Their beautiful cat Poppy had not eaten or drunk any water for a few days so they arranged for a vet appointment Monday afternoon. Meanwhile the Iberian Peninsula and France was hit by a major power outage which also took down the mobile networks. It meant no tests were possible for poor Poppy and Hannah and PJ were not able to contact each other. After a few hours Hannah arrived home and they both took Poppy to the vet. Listen to the podcast for the full update on Poppy and how she is.
As a result of the power outage Hannah was not able to do all interviews she had arranged, one of which was with last year's Race Across The World winner Alfie (@_alfiewatts_) That is now re-arranged but she still did some other great interviews. She spoke to Tasha Ghouri (@tashaghouri) from Love Island and runner up in last years Strictly Come Dancing, she also interviewed a world famous sword swallower, and Alison Arngrim who played Nellie in Little House on the Prairie.
Hannah's father Bernie directed a comedy poetry reading evening for a theatre group called THESPA which was a huge success.
This week has seen once again some biblical weather with torrential rain and thunderstorms.
Hannah and PJ were happy to have Mandy and Orlando stay with them who had flown over from Miami to go to the feria in Rota. They took some time out from their busy schedule to go to Hannah's quiz at the Hogan Stand before heading back to Rota. You will recall that Mandy Urena co-hosted the podcast with PJ when Hannah was in India.
Hannah went to a lovely get-together at La Sala in Puerto Banus arranged by Sal Williams. It was to remember her late husband Mel and to get people together that had not seen each other for a while, as well as giving some thoughts to those that are no longer with us.
Sur in English articles this week include the fact that Malaga with become an epicentre for gastronomy in November for an event by Michelin Guides. They also discuss the town in Jaen where you can buy a property for as little at €15,000.
There are also many other fun things they discussed so please listen and don't forget you can follow Hannah at @radiohannah and PJ at @pjlopez1marbella

Marbella Beach day, Dubai Chocolate & White Sangria

Welcome to Marbella with Him & Her, and the latest episode of the Marbella lifestyle podcast where Hannah Murray and PJ Lopez chat about their antics from the past week, as well as lots of great information about Marbella and the local area. You can follow them both on Instagram @radiohannah and @pjlopez1marbella
This week Hannah talks about a brunch place she tried out with her father in San Pedro de Alcantara called Amber Chou (@by_amber_chou). They tucked into one of their breakfast deals for €11.50. Listen and find out what was included in this deal and what great value it was!
Hannah was interviewed on another podcast by Wayne Kelly (@mrkelly2u) called The Write Place, which was as a result of her book show interview with Wayne about a book he head written.
PJ is continuing with rehearsals for An Inspector Calls which is now three times a week. While he is doing this Hannah has been going to gym classes.
Later in the week Hannah went out to lunch with friends to Kala Kalua where she introduced them to fried aubergines and white sangria. At the weekend Hannah and PJ decided to have a beach day in Elviria where their planned breakfast on the beach did not turn out as expected.
There were two quizzes this week, the usual Thursday quiz at the Hogan Stand (@thehoganstand) and the monthly one on Saturday at Urban Chai (@urbanchaicafe). PJ was not at the Saturday quiz as he was in the Hogan Stand watching Crystal Palace make it through to the FA Cup Final. There is also a shout out and congratulations to Liverpool for securing the Premier League title and to Wrexham Town getting a record breaking promotion to the Championship.
A couple of highlights from Hannah's interviews at TRE last week included Paul and Gemma Carr who run the charity Collective Calling (@collective_calling) and the amazing work they do both here on the Costa del Sol and in Tanzania. She also interviewed Doug Lawrence who wrote the book Grief: The Silent Pandemic, and Hannah impressed herself that she did it without crying! 
They also talk about their taste test of the viral Dubai Pistachio chocolate bar they posted on their social media accounts which received a lot of feedback. How was it? Hear their verdict.
Sur in English articles this week include the number of new business start-ups in Malaga in March, the only Fjord in Spain which is in Cordoba, and the "shocking" story of a bar in Asturias selling shots for 50 cents.
 

Marbella sickness, Easter celebrations, and more rain!

Welcome to episode 58 of Marbella with Him & Her, the weekly Marbella lifestyle podcast presented by PJ Lopez and Hannah Murray (@radiohannah and @pjlopez1marbella) If you haven't already, please hit 'Follow' wherever you listen to your podcasts, as it helps us with ratings! :) 
Many of our plans for this week were cancelled at the last minute due to various illnesses that are going around the community, but as always, we made the best of these changes and made different plans. PJ is still recovering from his cold, which has left him with a bit of a cough (for which we apologise as it does feature a few times in this week's episode).
Hannah mentions her dear mum who passed away three years ago this week. We still cannot believe three years have already flown by since it happened. Hannah got together with her Dad for brunch at @dailysbrunch on the anniversary on Thursday.
The Hogan Stand quiz this week was the busiest ever, with 18 teams taking part. It was a great atmosphere and as always an enjoyable quiz.
Hannah's Men's Talk on TRE (@talk_radio_europe) featured an Englishman, a Irishman and a Scotsman, the start of so many jokes! She also interviewed The Backpacking Housewife and learned that her husband passed away very recently. During the interview they spoke about the many magnificent journeys they had made and the everlasting memories she will now have. Hannah also mentions the fact that Mary Harboe (@mary_harboe) has returned to TRE and her studio interview with the Apprentice star Claude Littner.
Hannah was due to go to lunch with Charlotte on Friday but this was one of the cancellations, so PJ joined her instead and they headed out to San Pedro town centre where they stopped for tapas at a lovely bar called Baratie (@baratie.bar.cafe). Listen to find out the incredible price they paid for all the food they enjoyed.
At the weekend Hannah joined a group of girls at the Hard Rock Hotel in Marbella (@hrhmarbella) for breakfast and a spa circuit for Sue's birthday celebration week. Afterward Hannah was off to rehearsal for a poetry evening that her dad Bernie is directing at Thespa, a drama group in Fuengirola.
Saturday evening they joined a huge group of people for dinner at the lovely restaurant Marabierta (@marabierta.restaurante) in San Pedro before heading to the Hogan Stand to enjoy live music by Jackie.
The Sur in English articles this week include one about the amazing charity fund raising that Alan Boardman and his wife are doing and their upcoming trek along a section of the Camino de Santiago. We also discuss the new smart toilets being installed along the Paseo Maritimo in Marbella.

Marbella Ladies Lunch at La Sala & Spring Flowers

Welcome to episode 57 of the Marbella lifestyle podcast Marbella with Him & Her presented by PJ Lopez and Hannah Murray.
This week, apart from PJ feeling sorry for himself due to a cold he picked up, we have a chat about the recent social media trend of making yourself into an action doll figure complete with packaging via chatGPT. PJ's first attempt did not quite go to plan, while Hannah's was sensational!
Hannah went to La Sala with her friend Nikki for the ladies bottomless brunch (that does not mean they were bottomless), it meant free flowing Cava or for small surcharge, Champagne. Find out which one they opted for in the podcast. (@lasalabanus)
The International Theatre Studio 'Lark in the Park' event will be on Sunday 14th June, so this week were auditions for the production which will be a very funny tongue in cheek fashion show. We both got a role in the production, and will be playing the compares (@internationaltheatrestudio)
It was a friends birthday at the weekend so a large group of us headed to the Bombay Grill in San Pedro and enjoyed a fun evening with some great food (@bombaygrill_sanpedro). Sadly later that night and all day Sunday PJ was struck down with a cold so he had to cancel going on a fun day out with friends. Hannah went though and came home with a car full of plants, having enjoyed a lunch at a South African restaurant called La Boma (@_theboma_).
We also had a discussion about the Celebrity Big Brother decision to remove Mickey Rourke from the house for abusive language and behaviour.
Sur in English articles this week included the Robbie Williams concert in Malaga Port from the TUI Mein Schiff Relax cruise liner. We also discuss the most expensive house for sale in Sierra Blanca in Marbella.
Don't forget as always you can keep up to date with both Hannah and PJ through our Instagram accounts @radiohannah and @pjlopez1marbella