We have selected unique individuals from our local Marbella Business community to write articles with us on a regular basis to give further insight into Marbella life

Our My Guide Marbella Columnists are a unique collection of individuals all with a passion for Marbella but with their own views and experiences within their sectors and industries.  Some are business owners, others are regular visitors but they will each be sharing a blog post with us on a regular basis so tune into this section of the website every month for tips and articles about Gastronomy, Luxury Living, Fashion, Wellness, Health and Beauty, Nutrition, Interior Design, Law and Property and much more.


Gastronomy & Luxury Living
John Thomson Group Corporate Director of Food & Beverage at MC Hotels 
John is currently in charge of the MC Hotel Group's Food and Beverage Department which includes 10 hotels as well as the UNI Restaurant in Belgravia London.  He also acts as a consultant for Luxury Hotel Partners working on projects with sister company Small Luxury Hotels and is an instrumental part of the organisation of the Concerts and Tennis Tournaments at the Puente Romano Hotel. Before joining the Marbella Club Hotel Group John worked as the Operations Director for Celebrity Marco Pierre White in iconic restaurants such as Mirrabelle, Criterian, and the 3 Michelin Star Oak Room Banqueting at the Grill Room.  John will often be found at one of the many restaurants overseeing the most sophisticated high society dining affairs and chatting with celebrities but out of work, he likes nothing better than a relaxed afternoon in the Marbella sunshine with his family.


Recipe of the month
Steven Saunders of The Little Geranium, La Cala de Mijas
Chef Steven Saunders was trained at the famous Savoy Hotel in London in the seventies and went on to become Britain’s youngest Chef Patron of The White Hart Great Yeldham in 1981. After several years as Chef Patron Steven bought his first restaurant, The Pink Geranium in 1986. He launched his famous Rolls Royce service and fell into an opportunity with local BBC Radio to appear twice weekly presenting his own food show. In 1989 Steven was awarded the coveted Michelin red M and Star for excellence and his Pink Geranium restaurant was awarded 3 AA Rosettes putting it in the top 20 UK restaurants and Steven appeared as a regular on BBC’s Good Morning TV weekly and then launched the BBC hit TV series Ready Steady Cook. Steven has also written 10 best selling cookery books selling over half a million copies worldwide.
These days Steven can be found at The Little Geranium restaurant in La Cala de Mijas beside his lovely wife Michele!

Wellness & Yoga
Petra Lindros of Yoga Flow by Petra
Petra is a Yoga Alliance certified Hatha and Raja Yoga teacher and has been teaching since 2005. Her trademark is an energizing workout, which combines graceful movements with powerful breathing and a focused gaze. Working with all students abilities, she helps to create a personal yoga program suited to each individual's needs. When Petra isn't found in an incredibly difficult Yoga Pose you will find her travelling with her family.

Nutrition
Claudia Le Feuvre from The "Shape Shifter" from Happy in Body
Formerly known as Claudia Norris, Claudia le Feuvre is an international Nutritional Therapist and Eating Psychology Master Coach with over 10 years experience. Known as ‘The ShapeShifter’, with clinics in Harley Street and Gibraltar as well as offering online consultation and treatment. Claudia’s passion and groundbreaking techniques are helping women transform their relationship with food and body.  She has 10 years clinical practice working with a wide range of health concerns including weight loss, fatigue, digestive issues, food intolerances, hormone imbalance, skin conditions, diabetes and blood sugar imbalance, cholesterol & raised blood pressure, thyroid & adrenal health, immunity & autoimmunity, cancer, inflammation, detoxification.

Hair & Beauty
Natalie Richardson - Director of Bardou Marbella
Owner of the fabulous Bardou Salon in Puerto Banus, former model and local Celebrity having appeared on the well-loved Life on Marbs series. Natalie can be found at the salon most days but if not then she will be somewhere glamorous with her beautiful family enjoying Marbella lifestyle to the full!

Interior design
Sally Blackshaw -Founder and Head Designer at Blackshaw Interiors
Sally’s childhood passion for interior design was cemented when she graduated from the London Institute, one of the UK’s most prestigious design schools. She excelled in the field and developed her unique style whilst working for a number of high profile designers. Eager to flex her creative muscles, in 2008 she set up her own design studio – Blackshaw Interior Design in Marbella. Sally’s constantly evolving style is predicated by her desire to deliver expressive stylish spaces, by working with carefully selected suppliers including Fendi, Trussardi and other prestigious global brands. She puts the consistent growth of the business down to a simple ethos of taking the time to understand the clients, perfect execution of the project and attention to detail. If Sally can't be found with a hard hat on a building site in one of Marbella's most prestigious areas then she can also be found enjoying time with her beautiful son!

Cosmetic Surgery
Dr Kai Kaye - Founder and Medical Director at Ocean Clinic
After attending medical schools in Bonn, Paris V, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Munich (TUM), Dr Kaye received his medical degree from the University of Munich (TUM) in 2001 and subsequently received his University Doctorate Magna cum Laude in 2002 after two years of research in the field of reconstructive plastic surgery at the TUM (Prof E Biemer). 2002 - 2004 he started residency at the Park Klinik Birkenwerder / Berlin (Dr Ueberreiter) with a special focus on breast surgery and autologous fat transfer. Dr Kai opened his prestigious Marbella clinic in 2008 and in 2015 it underwent a huge transformation so that it is now an independent from hospital facilities with its' very own operating theatres, recovery units and bedrooms.  When Dr Kaye isn't in the operating theatre he can be found mountain biking, kite surfing or practising another adrenaline delivering sport! 

Drinks and Mixology
Fraser Dodge - Founder and owner of El Grifo
Fraser is something of a serial entrepreneur, having had start ups in publishing, digital media and other fields of endeavour. It was only when he discovered that his love of a good beer could be translated into a career path, that he really came into his own. A self-taught brewer and craft brewery owner, he then cemented his knowledge of the dark arts of brewing by becoming a beer judge. Having recently moved to back to Spain, he brings his love and knowledge of real beer and spirits to the Costa in the form of El Grifo Craft Bar and this blog.