Tour Organizer: Gary Fullerton @ 604-530-8634

Date: March, 2010.  Exact days not known yet; depends on schedule from tour provider, the last date for this deal in 2009 is March 2, so it will be the better part of March.

Where: The Costa del Sol, the south coast of Spain.  Stay at a Long Term Stay property from Star Travel, the same travel wholesaler that we dealt with for Portugal in 2003.  As then, BCAA in Langley, Dana Bustin,  will be the local travel agent.

Property: For 2009, the Sunset Beach Club in Benalmadena, about 20 minutes from the airport in Malaga, is the most cost effective, and offers: an exterior room, breakfast included, 2 outdoor pools, fitness centre, 5 restaurants/bars, laundry facilities, nightly entertainment, supermarket/bakery and more.  Rooms are fully equipped for self catering with A/C, TV, daily housekeeping etc.

Price: For 2009, air return, transfers, room as above for a minimum 21 days, is $2,339 Canadian per person.  Taxes and fees are extra.  To get the deal, the stay has to be 3 weeks; if you want a shorter stay, it could end being the same price.

Concept: A holiday in Spain with rugby on the weekends.  You do not need to be bombarded with rugby things if you do not want to.  Rent a car and go exploring; we will have “buggers on the beach” some days to keep our hand in.  Games will be arranged on the weekends; there could even be some Vets festivals going on.

Rugby: I have contacted 3 groups already: in Marbella, a town just down the beach from Benalmadena, who have a Vets side; in Gibralter, who have a club, but no Vets currently; and in Peurto Santa Maria near Cadiz, who definitely have a Vets side.  There is also a Vets side in Malaga, so getting fixtures will be no problem, we can also go up to Seville and reunite with the University of Seville Old Boys.  Note: do not think in terms of being over 40 years old; Vets in Europe are players who do not play club rugby anymore, so their sides are younger than ours.  In France in 2007, we did quite well with our older, under strength side, as the Europeans tend to be exciteable and undisciplined.  So, this trip is open to all rugby players, however we need to have a solid core of approximately 10 younger, fitter, faster, players, supported by the rest of us grizzled veterans.

Timing: I want to have an expression of interest from a minimum of 20 players in total by June 30th, 2009, earlier preferred, before proceeding further.  If we have the numbers, then a pub night meeting will be organized, and I will get the tour operators to come and give us more details.

Travelers: Early interest comes from Quinn Ollenberger, Doug Speranza, Sam Rockson, Wilf Myren, and myself (only because Shirley wants to go to Spain).  It has been bounced around the club, and some cannot take the time to go, and others have suggested a shorter tour, however, this is where the aforementioned want to go, so we will give it until June 30th to develop.