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This is a fantastic hotel on the outskirts of Lorca. Hard to find (particularly at 1am!) but well worth it. Breakfast is fantastic, the rooms (only about 40 of them) are lovely and there are two swimming pools set in beautiful gardens. The best thing is hardly any English people seem to stay there! Ask for a room at the rear, overlooking the pool and gardens. Oh, air conditioning too and all for about £70 a night (early July, breakfast extra - about 6 euros).
www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g609034-d252753-Reviews-NH_Amaltea_Hotel-Lorca.html
www.activehotels.com/hotel/brochure/en/90749?trkref=TRP&first=true
Aura Ibiza is a sociable spot in the middle of the countryside that has become in a must for those who want to have a fine dinner and a cool night out all in the same place.
It's a bar/lounge/restaurant that has become popular within Ibiza's in crowd. It has an excellent atmosphere, affordable gourmet tapas (starting at 8€) and great cocktails!
The music is excellent and every week there is a party going on.
Aura is in The Carretera de San Joan Km. 13.5
Check the website and the map here: www.auraibiza.com
It’s recommend to book in advance: 971 32 53 56
A great tapas restaurant in the very heart of old Cordoba, in the Jewish district. It was so good we went twice while we visited this amazing city. The kids loved tasting all those different dishes and the people were so friendly.
Calle Romero 1, Córdoba
If you are visiting Córdoba with children take a ride in a horse drawn cart, the kids will love it and you will get to see this wonderful Andalucian city in peace and comfort. if you are nice to the driver he will even let the kids ride in front and lead the horse - with a little help!
The hotel Laura in Madrid is a great place for families in the very centre of this wonderful city. Modern and comfortable design, friendly staff and affordable. It's just a B&B so you have to explore the city for food. Go to the Latina district for tapas and avoid the Plaza Mayor for overpriced and badly cooked food.
Don't join the long line of people waiting to get in the Prado. If you are with your kids go to the Reina Sofia instead and see some marvellous contemporary and modern art paintings like Picasso's 'Guernica'.
After, go to the café/restaurant for some great food and of course a bottle of wine from the Ribera Del Duero region, superb.
Teatriz restaurant in Madrid is a fantastic restaurant designed by Philippe Starck, converted from an old theatre. I had lunch there on Christmas Day with my family to celebrate my wife's birthday and it was one of the best meals I have ever eaten.
Calle Hermosilla 15, Tel.91-577-53-79
Reservation recommended.
Very useful guide to food and wine in Mallorca.
Find more than 250 of the best restaurants, wine estates, gourmet shops and general info about gastronomy!
Using fresh, locally-grown ingredients to re-create rustic Andalucian cuisine with a contemporary touch, Al Lago has to be one of the best eating houses in the Sierra de Grazalema area of western Andalucia. If you are in the area give it a try, you won't be disappointed.
www.al-lago.es
Calle Felix Rodriguez de la Fuente, 11
Zahara de la Sierra, 11688 (Cádiz), Spain
phone: + 34 956 123 032
mobile: + 34 662 052 553
A holiday cycling company for both professional and leisure cycling and biking holidays in Andalucia. They specialise in organising road cycling holidays, mountain bike holidays, leisure cycling holidays , triathlon and winter training camps, family cycling holidays, a white village tour and winter cycling holidays. They provide guided cycling vacations and self-led tours. I highly recommend this company if you want to discover the stunning Sierra de Grazalema in western Andalucia by bike.
www.andaluciancyclingexperience.com
Address: Calle Ronda 25, Montecorto, Malaga Province, 29430, Spain
Telephone: 0034 952 18 40 42
A very friendly organic restaurant (no sit in; stand-up and take-away only) with a fabulous selection of dishes inspired by the local food culture. You select two choices for a small 'boat' (small, biodegradable pine dishes) and four for a large - and the sweet mint tea is unlimited. They speak (at least) English, French and Spanish, and are a new venture from the folks who run El Piano in York, UK. My wife and I loved it.
www.el-piano.com/ES-MENU-eng.html
They are located a few minutes' walk from the city centre (nothing in Granada is very far...)
It's a bus pass valid for 10 rides on the city buses and costs 6.20€ (June 2008). Worthwhile if you are there for more than a couple of days, as individual trips cost 93 centimos. Each (person's) journey is validated on a machine upon boarding and you are permitted to share it with your friends/families.
Not so easy! At newsagents that display the sign "hay bonobus aqui". And definitely at the café in the Terminal Bus Comes near Plaza de España.
Been here so many times and never get bored of it. There is a maze of narrow streets - during the day you can shop at little independent outlets, eat tapas, enjoy a beer in a little square or just wander. At night, add more bars and all sorts of weird places - last time I visited I found an ice-cream and chocolate waffle shop at 2am in the morning after a night at a great little club. For the full effect it's best to book your hotel in the Gothic Quarter. I used this site for a list of hotels.
As a former student of the local university, I had been many times to the cathedral but being up on the roof showed me a lot of things I didn't know about the cathedral.
They will take you to the cathedral stone roofs (don't wear high heels!), where you get great views of the old city.
www.santiagoturismo.com/
€10 for 30-45 minutes, everyday 10am to 2 pm, 4pm-8pm. Booking recommended (especially in summer), entry via Pazo de Xelmirez, Praza do Obraodiro.
Just returned from a week's trip with my teenage daughter where we had an excellent mix of quiet beaches and trendy beach bars.
Stayed in Carla Sant Vicens which is a quiet family resort in the north of the island, but having a hire car meant it was easy to visit all parts of the island. Es Torrent beach in south near Port Roig (we went to it as it was recommended as a reader's tip) is very small, very beautiful and very exclusive (ie expensive restaurant on the beach and expensive beach loungers to hire). Also strongly recommended is Cala de Serra - but if you want to visit this one go early in the day as it's very small and gets very busy.
Excellent food is available from the beach shack. We would go in mid-afternoon for a late brunch and an afternoon sleep in their deckchairs.
Highlight of our trip was going to Formentera, a stunning island with Caribbean style beaches - white sand and blue water. Ferries go every half hour from Ibiza port. It's expensive - 40 euros each, but well worth it. Just go early to make a day of it. We hired a moped to get around the island so don't forget your driving licence! We had lunch in Flipper and Chiller beach bar - very trendy. The afternoon was spent at yet another stunning beach, Playa Trocadors at the northern tip of the island. If you can organise it, spend a night on the island and watch the sun go down at the Big Sur bar near the beach as the last ferry back is 9pm.
Back on Ibiza island, if you are feeling flush, have an evening meal in Santa Getrudis - lots of very nice restaurants. The harbour area of Ibiza town is also great fun with lots of bars and buzzy night life - we spotted Kate Moss, much to my daughter's excitement. Only place to avoid is San Antonio - a real dump! One place we didn't get round to going to was Playa den Bossa which has all-day discos on the beach - I'm sure my daughter would have liked it more than me though.
We used the Rough Guide to Ibiza plus the readers' tips.
Best place in Coruña for tapas. If you go to Coruña, you can't miss it. Cheap, 1€-1 tapa, 1€-1 beer
By the way, there is no seating, just take the tapas and the beer and have them outside.
Calle de la Galera 7
I booked a holiday apartment in the centre of Barcelona, just off Las Ramblas with this company. They picked us up at the airport and took us straight to our beautiful apartment, which was a great base for exploring Barcelona and really made our holiday.
Our family had a lovely time at their luxury apartment near the beach in Barcelona.
Above water, Tenerife’s shoreline is less than pretty in places, but beneath the sea there’s some fantastic views on offer. And, thanks to a small marine conservation project put in motion by diving operators Ocean Dreams Factory, even novice divers or those on beginners’ courses can get a share of the action.
At just eight to ten metres’ depth, we swam with the resident turtles and hovered over rays, cuttlefish and octopus, in sheltered bay El Puertito, where the team has been working to restore the ecosystem. Close to the south’s plush resorts, but a million miles away in every other sense, this is a really special experience, thanks to the firm’s enthusiastic boss and his team.
www.oceandreamsfactory.com
Puerto Colon, southern Tenerife. Tel. 922 716 116
Birgitta from Sweden has a really cute house in central Soller, where she rents out simple but very tasteful rooms. I was recommended by a friend (it's not an official B&B, they just rent out to friends). Beds are brand new, linen freshly white and the view is quite breathtaking. And there's wireless internet. AND she's the cutest lady you can imagine.
It's on the main shopping street in Soller, c/ Luna 119. Write a nice email to Birgitta at mamasoller@hotmail.com and I'm sure you'll be welcome.
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