The Tapas Note.

[Brietta]

At the Ocean Club that week one group left their children unsupervised in their apartments while they went out for dinner. In order to make it possible to check on their children they wanted to dine at the Tapas every evening. The rule was that the Tapas bookings were done daily, but to save themselves the bother they persuaded or insisted on being allowed a block booking for the week. By doing that they attracted the attention of both staff and other guests.

I think it's perfectly feasible that the situation was discussed. I can imagine staff asking each other where people had gone.were going. I can imagine guests telling others they couldn't get into the Tapas and the reason why  group of nine managed to get in every night being discussed.

The group were noticeable because what they were doing at the Ocean Club was out of the ordinary and impacting on other's choices.

Then there should have been no problem in tracking and enquiring of the few guests who dined as entitled at the tapas and at the millennium as part of their holiday deal what they knew of the arrangement and how they knew it.

There should have been no problem in tracking and enquiring of all members of staff what they knew of the arrangement and how they knew of it.

Is there any record of the Policia Judiciaria following through on that intelligence?  Surely not yet another omission?

[Innominate]

Then there should have been no problem in tracking and enquiring of the few guests who dined as entitled at the tapas and at the millennium as part of their holiday deal what they knew of the arrangement and how they knew it.

There should have been no problem in tracking and enquiring of all members of staff what they knew of the arrangement and how they knew of it.

Is there any record of the Policia Judiciaria following through on that intelligence?  Surely not yet another omission?

It was possible for guests to know the Tapas has been block booked:

Jeremy and Bridget had visited the Tapas bar on several occasions during which they noticed the group had reserved a table for every night of their holiday. This appeared to be contrary to the set down procedure of not booking a table any further than three days ahead. The group appeared boisterous but good natured with Gerry being the central figure. His gregarious character making him appear to be the central figure in the group and almost holding court. However they did notice that David Payne was equally gregarious and almost playing along with, if not up to, Gerry.

http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/JEREMY_BRIGET.htm

I'm not convinced there was a note about the reason for the block booking, because JW only found out about that by talking to GMcC and the waiters did not appear to be fully aware of why the group were leaving the table.

[sadie]

BUMPED

Was the note written in English or Portuguese?

This is an important question IMO.

Anyone know the answer?

[John]

BUMPED

This is an important question IMO.

Anyone know the answer?

I'm not 100% certain but the note I previously recall seeing was in English.  If Kate was able to read this note then that would appear to confirm it.

[Alice Purjorick]

All the Watchers in the files were watching by day, which would have told them precisely nothing about the McCanns' nocturnal activities. It was a holiday resort; there was a school at the end of one street & a supermarket at the end of another, adjacent to 5A. 
 As someone who had cause to spend 10 minutes hanging around on a street corner in the middle of a housing estate today, near the school, I can't begin to describe how conspicuous I felt. Two men parked in a car almost beside me actually drove off - maybe they were casing the joint behind me.

More likely to be waiting to buy drugs off the kids.

PdL in "that" week must have been like the Piccadilly Line extension to Thiefrow Heathrow when it first opened. For the first few weeks there were more thieves than regular passengers on it.
In this case "watchers, watchers everywhere nor anyone to think".

[G-Unit]

Then there should have been no problem in tracking and enquiring of the few guests who dined as entitled at the tapas and at the millennium as part of their holiday deal what they knew of the arrangement and how they knew it.

There should have been no problem in tracking and enquiring of all members of staff what they knew of the arrangement and how they knew of it.

Is there any record of the Policia Judiciaria following through on that intelligence?  Surely not yet another omission?

Without the distractions of the media circus, the Ambassadorial and Consular interest, the UK police helpers, and the myriad of reported sightings they might just have had the time to pick up on these things.

[G-Unit]

I'm not 100% certain but the note I previously recall seeing was in English.  If Kate was able to read this note then that would appear to confirm it.

You've actually seen it, John? No-one else can find it.

[Alice Purjorick]

There is no argument that a block booking of the tapas was made.
There is no argument that a note of it was made.

The issue would appear to be who had access to that information.

As has been discussed by members, logically the note was written in Portuguese.  If so, that would rule out a casual observation from another guest who wasn't a Portuguese speaker.

So who knew about the dining arrangement ... and to whom might that information have been imparted?  Access to keys and associated burglaries are a recurrent theme in Madeleine's case ... as the attempts at playing down any connection illustrate (was it in his documentary that Amaral stood at the front door of apartment five while someone demonstrated being unable to slip the lock with a credit card?).
I've always wondered why he did that.

It is probably as simple as "for the obvious bleedin' reason". One needs not some deadfully esoteric ology to work that one out. Unless of course one is obsessed by conspiracy theories that involve most of the transient population of Luz together with a good seasoning of the resident population too.

[John]

I have merged two threads since they look at the same topic. It's worth reading over the first three pages as this identifies the receptionist who wrote the note.  I thought it was written in English but doubt that now.  The note was never included with the files DVD.

 http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/LUISA_COUTINHO.htm

[slartibartfast]

I have merged two threads since they look at the same topic. It's worth reading over the first three pages as this identifies the receptionist who wrote the note.  I thought it was written in English but doubt that now.  The note was never included with the files DVD.

 http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/LUISA_COUTINHO.htm

Doesn't mention any notes?

[John]

Doesn't mention any notes?

It doesn't need to, she was the tapas receptionist and made the bookings.  She confirmed enough in her statement to work out that she wrote the elusive note on the booking diary.


She remembers that on Sunday 29th April one of the elements of the group arrived with the child Madeleine McCann, she does not know his name and can only say that he was male and tall and thin and that he approached her to request a booking for the whole group, for the whole week and always at 20.30.

When questioned, she confirms that the man was not the father of the girl but one of the members of the group whom was often seen in his company.

The man justified his request by saying that the group had many small children whom they would leave alone when they went to dine. She said that at intervals some two parents would go to the apartments to see if everything was OK.

[barrier]

It doesn't need to, she was the tapas receptionist and made the bookings.  She confirmed enough in her statement to work out that she wrote the elusive note on the booking diary.

Which goes back to what Sadie asked,English or Portuguese?

[slartibartfast]

It doesn't need to, she was the tapas receptionist and made the bookings.  She confirmed enough in her statement to work out that she wrote the elusive note on the booking diary.


She remembers that on Sunday 29th April one of the elements of the group arrived with the child Madeleine McCann, she does not know his name and can only say that he was male and tall and thin and that he approached her to request a booking for the whole group, for the whole week and always at 20.30.

When questioned, she confirms that the man was not the father of the girl but one of the members of the group whom was often seen in his company.

The man justified his request by saying that the group had many small children whom they would leave alone when they went to dine. She said that at intervals some two parents would go to the apartments to see if everything was OK.

I can accept a booking note for the week but there is nothing about writing the reason in the reservation book.

[Brietta]

I'm not 100% certain but the note I previously recall seeing was in English.  If Kate was able to read this note then that would appear to confirm it.

Not necessarily, John, it would have been translated along with everything else had it been in Portuguese.

[misty]

See my reply #123 with links. Everything bar the names of the diners was written in Portuguese on the sheets in the files.