Robert John Northcott 1945-2025

Foreign residents in the Fuengirola area were saddened to learn of the death of Robert John Northcott, the former owner of the Manila Café, Los Boliches, who died peacefully at his home on Tuesday 5 August after a short illness. He will be fondly remembered for his warmth, humour and generosity, a “larger than life character” who turned the Manila Café into a welcoming hub for the local community.

Born in Newton Abbot, Devon, in 1945, Northcott grew up in Blackpool. He left school at 15 and spent two years working in various hotels in Blackpool in order to save enough money to go backpacking around Europe; his first stop was Spain.

He travelled extensively over the next two decades, but it was in the UK that he met his wife, Mei Lee. At the time, Northcott was a wines and spirits representative for Bulmers, but the couple dreamed of owning their own bar, although in a warmer climate.

The couple decided on Spain and moved to the Costa del Sol in the spring of 1983. They purchased the bar, located on the seafront promenade in Los Boliches, shortly after arriving and ran it together until they retired in 2007. During this period the bar became one of the most popular in the area, especially for the British, seeing as it had a reputation for serving an “excellent English breakfast”.

It was also popular among the many foreign groups and associations on this stretch of the Costa, hosting meetings and rehearsals for groups such as The American Club, The U3A and the Salón Varietés Theatre, among others.

“A bright light has gone from our lives. He will be deeply missed by family, friends and the many whose lives he touched over the years,” Mei Lee told SUR in English.

He is survived by his wife and two children - Drew and Lianne Lee May.