MMB Lost its Beach (temporarily)

[jerseyfinn]

Arrived at MMB yesterday. The weather there has been touchy the past few days as clouds, rain & wind are the norm for a spell. Today is cloudy with a few light showers.

I take a walk on the beach this afternoon and am surprised to find much of the beach (temporarily) eaten away by the steady waves. Marbella's beach now looks a bit like Play Andaluza's beach in the sense that there's lot of exposed rocks. At least MMB's hamacas are free and clear of the waters. Not so up the beach where those concessions hamacas and umbrellas are in the wave wash.

Of course this will all correct itself with time as this area tends to be a place where sands deposit ( where as Playa is in an area where their beach is a net loser of sand.

Here's some photo's taken today @4PM local time. Folks who own at MMB or folks who simply like MMB may find these images interesting.

Barry

View from water's edge looking at the MMB beach.​

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View from water towards the MMB surf shop. This is not high tide yet.

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View of beach @200 yards up from MMB. Waves are reaching the dune line here.

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View of that raised chiringuito just the other side of the Don Carlos hotel beach front. Now we know why it was built on that mound.



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Waves have scarped away the sand at the front of the MMB beach. That ledge is over 2 feet high.​

 

[pedro47]

A northeaster can be very damaging to any beach shoreline on the east coast. Your pictures are worth their weigh in gold.

Enjoy your week in MB.

 

[aka Julie]

A northeaster can be very damaging to any beach shoreline on the east coast. Your pictures are worth their weigh in gold.

Enjoy your week in MB.

I believe the pictures are of Marbella beach in Spain, not Myrtle Beach.

 

[GrayFal]

Thanks for the pix's!

 

[jerseyfinn]

The day after

What a difference a day makes.

First off the local weather forecast ( which predicts a so-so mostly cloudy day ) was wrong . The sun pops out late yesterday and this morning is bright and clear. The mood at the resort also brightens up for folks who thought there would be no more sun during their trip ( that is why we come down for 2 weeks figuring that the weather can't stay bad the whole time . . . and if it does I'll double up on the bar routine to forget that part ).

The Med lays down a bit today and the beach erosion stops. Good crowds hit the beach to take in the sun. These are high tide photos which show how life goes on in Costa del Sol. Water is a bit chilly today, but that should change tomorrow.

Beach in front of Marbella resort. Everyone hit the hamacas today.

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Up the beach, the concessions are still on water's edge, but this doesn't hold back the sun bathers. ​

 

[pedro47]

I believe the pictures are of Marbella beach in Spain, not Myrtle Beach.

You are correct, this is not Myrtle Beach, SC.

 

[JimG]

This erosion of the beach happens nearly every year and in the past the MVCI management have had to pay for truck loads of sand to be bought in usually during spring the following year. The costs of this appear on our MF's.

I'm not sure how this will pan out in the future though, as if you read the newsletter you'll find that the local government have withdrawn some of the concession area where MMB used to sell sunbeds, (all beaches in Spain are public).

Doesn't really bother me as I'm not a lover of beaches unless they are of Carribean - Far East standard (i.e. pure white, gently shelving into azure warm water), finding the inconvenience of sand ingressing into parts I'd rather it didn't not worth the experience.

 

[jerseyfinn]

This erosion of the beach happens nearly every year and in the past the MVCI management have had to pay for truck loads of sand to be bought in usually during spring the following year. The costs of this appear on our MF's.

Actually the Spanish version of the EPA increasingly frowns upon tinkering with the beaches as it is in a tussle with the local and regional governments over who is in charge of things environmental. This is behind the ( controversial ) move to remove hundreds of chiringuitos from Spanish beaches. Likewise, I'm not so sure that MMB will continue to have carte blanche to dump sand on the beaches. A good chunk of the local government in Marbella is under indictment for embelzement and all sorts of bad deals on the sly. This could affect the chiringuitos and other local environmental issues as state and local officals argue over appointing new local officials.

I did not know that MMB has been dumping sand on the beach annually. One thing that we have noticed is a substantial area of erosion running from the front of resort proper all the way to the Med at the east edge of the resort beach store. Water is coming from someplace which has cut a 2 to 3 foot ditch about 4 to 6 feet across which exposes the rocks and slag which lay beneath the beach sand ( which at MMB is sort of like a hard concrete-like material ).

The good news is that in just 3 days you can see how the sand returns to the areas of sand depleted by the waves, including the beach in front of MMB. There still remains the ledge in front of the beach which was cut out by the waves. Another thing that we notice is the 30 degree angulation towards the water which runs from the gate at the resort border to the beach. This results in the 3 or 4 rows of hamacas being angled downwards as you sit on them. Not an impossible situation, but very noticable in a couple of the rows.

Barry

 

[JimG]

Hi Barry,

Yes it's true; we've been there a couple of times when bulldozers have been dumping and spreading sand.

The problem then has been that the type of sand that has been purchased has been very fine and "dusty", the slightest wind has sent everyone heading for shelter as it was like being sandblasted.

Luckily for me SWMBO has seen the error of her ways (i.e. laying on the sunbed from dawn to dusk to get THAT! tan) and now prefers it at the quiet pool end (well we are getting older (but not old!)). We now just use the beach for strolling and lunching at one of the bars nearby.

Jim

 

[Zac495]

NICE PICS! I miss it! Enjoy yourself!

 

[jerseyfinn]

. . . Luckily for me SWMBO has seen the error of her ways (i.e. laying on the sunbed from dawn to dusk to get THAT! tan) and now prefers it at the quiet pool end (well we are getting older (but not old!)). We now just use the beach for strolling and lunching at one of the bars nearby.

Yeah, that designated quiet pool is a real oasis. This is one of the nice aspects about MMB. They have created zones for everybody to enjoy. Likewise with the two indoor pools, one of them designated a "quiet" area.

We remain dedicated beach people ( except on a windy day like today which will take us to that quiet pool ). We trundle perhaps 400 yards up the beach and pick out a quiet spot to lay down. In the fall, you can get by without an umbrella for a few hours ( or simply purchase a cheap one ). Then it's back to the villa for a mid afternoon snack before returning to the same beach around 6PM to await the sunset ( which me being the photo guy, I take lots of images which keeps me busy with Photoshop when I get home ).

BTW, a big backloader was on the beach yesterday filling in that trench astride the beach store that I mention in an earlier message. We're on resort for the day. Next heading off to Playa Andaluza to do our second week. I'll lose my "good" sunset beach ( Playa's sunsets are of course nice, but the resort faces a slightly different direction and the sun does not drop as dramatically behind the water and mountains as it does at MMB ). We're just hoping that the sun keeps shining and that all of the rain stays in the UK and beyond (sorry )

Barry