Can Gibraltar rock your Event Boat?
We think so. So why not enjoy the sun, sea and The Sunborn sophistication – the new floating hotel is lovely though will not be fully finished for some months.
The Gibraltar Tourist Board were Fam Trip hosts which our old friend Mercedes Cid organised. So this was a great opportunity to see The Sunborn during its soft launch and find out what else Gibraltar offers MICE.
Floating hotel/conference centres always add that different touch and the ultra-modern high tech Sunborn is going to provide that difference with style.
130 of The Sunborn’s 189 Bedrooms are operational and what is great for MICE – not too many room categories.
The Spa and Gym are due to open in July 2014 and a fine dining restaurant is due to open in the Autumn of next year.
The main ballroom has “state of the art” audio visual systems and seats up to 320 for dinner. This main room is support by 6 further (natural daylight) breakout room.
The Sunborn can also be hired exclusively.
Many thanks to Cristina, Laura & Olivier at The Sunborn for hosting our stay.
Sunday – arrival
Given it was Gatwick, and I dislike risking the M25 early (well it would have been very early) mornings I opted to stay overnight and for cheap and cheerful (Premier Inn). Very conveniently, after the Premier was booked, we were invited to a barbecue in Kent for that Saturday afternoon.
Of course the room was not large but what a pleasant surprise the service at dinner was brilliant.
Coffee and check-in at 05:00 with Nikki was followed by a late morning arrival to sunny Gibraltar where we were met by Gail of the Gibraltar Tourist Board.
With a free afternoon we took a walk round the modern marina before heading back to The Sunborn for a cocktail in the Aqua bar.
Audrey of Gibraltar Tourism & Cristina and Olivier were our dinner host in The Sunborn’s Sky restaurant.
Monday
Post a lovely leisurely breakfast we had a showround of the Sunborn by Cristina and Laura then onto the ROCK TOUR. It’s strange every Brit knows about THE ROCK and I suppose I had perceptions …. Gibraltar has 140 natural caves, we visited St Michaels Cave which is the only one open to the public.
St Michaels Cave is stunning and offers fantastic options for theatre productions, entertainment and gala dinners. Capacity wise the cave can host gala dinners for up to 250 and theatre style seating for up to 500. We then made a brief stop at The Great Siege Tunnels. They were carved out by the Merchant Marines in order to defend Gibraltar during one of the many sieges, this one aptly called the Great Siege of 1779 to 1783.
During the morning we saw many Gibraltar Monkeys. There are 200 Monkeys in Gibraltar. During Winston Churchill’s time the number of monkeys dropped to only 10 so Winston Churchill ordered that monkeys be brought over from Morocco – 64 were brought over.
It is said that if the Monkeys leave Gibraltar so will the British.
Off to Catalan Bay, so called as the majority of people living here are of Italian descent.
We had lunch at the 4* Caleta Palace on the Catalan Terrace with stunning view of the Mediterranean towards the Spanish south coast and Morocco. Following lunch we had a show round of the hotel.
The Caleta is currently undergoing a refurbishment and has 7 meetings rooms, the largest meeting room can take 216 people theatre style.
There are some major developments for this hotel over the next few years. The plans are that by 2017 a 5* hotel will be operational and will incorporate the existing hotel/an extension. The current 4* hotels bedstock will reduce to 66 rooms and the 5* section will have 41 suites.
After lunch we visited the Garrison Library. This is one of Gib’s most imposing buildings – no ordinary library. The library houses in excess of 45,000 books including many rare volumes. The tropical terrace gardens are ideal for cocktails prior to dinner. This is a good choice for smaller events.
Our last stop was Boyd’s Wine Bar and Terrace. This is a good option for a drinks reception and informal dinners/disco. The terraces have a combined seating capacity of 410 people.
Time to chill over another Sunborn cocktail and get ready for dinner at O’Callaghan Elliott Hotel. The hotel has a great location in the heart of the shopping and business district.
As the hotel was fully booked we were unable to see any of the 123 bedrooms, so we were whisked up to the rooftop terrace for a champagne cocktail prior to dinner.
Tuesday
We started with Dolphins, or least a Dolphin boat trip, and ended up seeing Africa & Europe – The Mediterranean and Atlantic plus Morocco, Spain and Portugal. What a vantage point.
After the Dolphins we took a guided tour through the city centre and next stop was The Grand Battery and a ceremonial Gun Salute to celebrate the Duke of Edinburgh’s Birthday.
The Grand Hall can cater for a dinner up to 120 pax and the outside terrace area (shortly to be restored) provides further event space.
Lunch was at Mons Calpe Suites; we took the cable car 412 metres to the top of the Rock of Gibraltar and our welcome reception … a family of monkeys!
Mons Calpe Suite offers spectacular 220° views over the Rock and surrounding area while providing superb facilities for meetings, dinners and weddings both inside and on the terraces. For a seated lunch/dinner the capacity is 65 for a standing buffet/canapes 150. Using the outside terraces around 300 people can be accommodated.
Next stop the beautiful Alameda botanical gardens spanning 15 acres.
The Gardens have an open air theatre and stage which can accommodate up to 430 people. This area is flexible and can be used for weddings, fashion shows and gala dinners for up to 150 people.
Then back to Sunborn to prepare for dinner and pre-dinner drinks with Olivier. Olivier kindly asked us to meet him for a pre-dinner drink in the “coolly glamorous” Sapphire Bar, (why can’t our local be like this) prior to our departure for The Rock Hotel.
Leanne met us at The Rock for a pre-dinner shown around. In keeping with the other main hotels in Gibraltar the Rock is undergoing a major refurbishment while keeping the Colonial style for which it is famous.
We dined in The Khaima a fully fitted and furnished Marquee decorated in Moroccan Style but with the addition of an internal white lining that can become a blank canvas on which you can theme any number of events. It has a maximum capacity of 200 for a dinner.
Where else can you see (and visit) four countries in one trip – Gibraltar, Spain, Portugal and Morocco!! Great options for longer Incentives – why not pair Gib, eg, with Seville, Faro or Tangier.
And another change coming. Gibraltar’s main runway is also currently a major road so aircraft landing stop the traffic! However, a new road will soon be operational, under the runway through a tunnel.
Wednesday
After another leisurely breakfast it was unfortunately time to leave Gibraltar. Hopefully I will be back very soon!
