Marc Nixon and Sandy Aitchison moved to Lanzarote six months ago with the help of Estupendo and opened their café bar La Perla Rosa in the prestigious marina Puerto Calero. Although fairly new to Lanzarote they are no strangers to Spain having previously lived in Gran Canaria for ten years and spent time on the mainland too.
The couple moved to Lanzarote for a quieter pace of life after living each day to the full for the past twenty years. Back in Puerto Rico, Gran Canaria Marc & Sandy owned a bar restaurant with evening drag shows and fondly remember those years when tourists used to eat out every evening, before self catering and all inclusive options were introduced.
After leaving Gran Canaria they moved back to Scotland where Sandy hails from and opened a hotel in Fort William, business was good but it was missing something, the boys then moved to a restaurant in Stirling again something was still afoot and it finally dawned on them - it was the difference of living in the UK! Recognising the missing ingredient they jetted off back to the sunshine but this time to the mainland of Spain, where they ran a restaurant until they took a year out and decided the Canary Islands was the place for them, they just had to decide which one! Marc fancied Fuerteventura as they had holidayed there and Sandy preferred Lanzarote (thanks Sandy!).
Marc is the trained chef and there are some truly mouthwatering options on offer with a selection of breakfasts, cakes, pastries, light lunches and tapas. I was very tempted by the English Afternoon Tea including pot of tea, salmon and cucumber sandwiches followed by homemade scones with jam and cream, but then there was such a diverse menu including hot and spicy tapas, fresh salads, delicious quiche, chocolate fudge cake, deep apple pie – the only solution is to keep returning until I’ve worked my way through the entire menu.
All food and drink is served by Sandy and the banter between the two of them and their customers is great. At the moment the café bar is open from 10am to 6pm but with summer time and warmer evenings just around the corner La Perla Rosa will be the perfect place for a sundowner or two. There is a free WiFi service for customers and a selection of indoor and outdoor seating with shade or sunshine available.
Café La Perla Rosa is also a place for networking, both Marc and Sandy know that the only gay bar advertised in Lanzarote is Black & White in Puerto del Carmen, but if you want a warm welcome and a slower pace of life you know where to head to! The guys have also kindly offered their premises for the first Intercambio in April, where Spanish and English locals will meet to exchange conversation and improve their foreign language skills.
Café La Perla Rosa…..¡Al Gusto!
Since taking over the restaurant they have had some fun events such as Halloween when they decorated the bar and handed out bags of sweets and Carnival when a bus load of customers in fancy dress costume travelled over from Tías. There are plans for a Eurovision night and a TV outside for the world cup matches.
Stuart told us that during June they are going to take a week off and the restaurant will be redecorated including the missing green doors. Javier has cleared a plot at the rear of the restaurant and will be growing their own vegetables in the future. 
