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My favourite bar is Plastik in uptown San Antonio - it's a really cool place to have a drink and chat to friends.
Situated within the port area of Ibiza town, Mao Rooms was opened in 2001 and is brought to you by London's Chinawhite.
The cocktails and food are all lovely and are best enjoyed while lazing about on the day-beds covered in silky fabrics and cushions.
D'Emili Pou 6, Ibiza Old Town;
tel: 971 194 331;
www.chinawhite.com/nonmembers/ibiza.html
A cafe at the junction in a one-horse town is an entertaining place to see other adventurers stop and decide whether to turn right or left. Half the vehicles return to take the alternative whilst the other half simply go back from whence they came. The more chilled out have refreshment first.
Santa Innes (also called Saint Agnes) is accessible by car.
I know ... why go to an Irish bar when on holiday in the South of France? But, to be honest, there are not too many Irish people about, and not much Irish music either! A good mixture of music, from chart music to 1980s French rock, its a great place to spend your Saturday night/Sunday morning.
Vieux Port - 17, Quai de Rive Neuve;
Metro: Vieux Port
Norrmalm isn't the most interesting or pretty area, but it's the main shopping district and good department stores such as NK, PUB and Åhlens are here, and so is the Central Station. There's a nice bar/brasserie at the top end of the main shopping street, Drottninggatan, called Grill.
Designtorget is a great design shop at the bottom of Sergels Torg, which is a big square near the central station. Kulturhuset – called 'the living room in the city' - is here, with interesting exhibitions/plays, nice café/restaurant with great views, and a good shop downstairs.
Another good cafe is Vetekatten, which is on Kungsgatan. Hötorget has a good outdoor market selling lots of nice things including handicraft. Kungsgatan is a long long street with lots of shops, and leads down to Stureplan which is a major meeting place. Kungsträdgården has many cafes and restaurants, and leads up to the Opera, the Royal Castle and the Parliament.
A few good bars/restaurants:
KGB Bar and Restaurant on Malmskillnadsgatan – nice friendly bar with classic Soviet theme.
Halv Trappa plus Gård on Lästmakargatan – good food, good tunes, good cocktails.
Operakällaren/Bakfickan in Karl XII’s Torg near Kungsträdgården – food in the main restaurant is very expensive, but Bakfickan is good value with excellent food.
Sophies Bar on Biblioteksgatan – usually a good nightspot for some good cocktails, but sometimes full of people with way too much money, which tends to affect the atmosphere.
Fasching on Kungsgatan is a great night out - it's a jazz club that's been around for ages, and has a great soul night on Saturdays if you're up for some dancin'.
If you're after Asian food, a good bet is to check Luntmakargatan, which runs parallel to Sveavägen, which is like a mini-Chinatown. There are a couple of good Korean and Japanese restaurants there.
In summer, this is the perfect spot for grabbing a drink and watching people go by. I always go here when the weather is nice and stay for hours.
T Medborgarplatsen
A very swanky bar which boasts a fantastic view over Stockholm. It is quite pricey and gets very busy in the evening, but go there for an afternoon drink and you can enjoy the magnificent view pretty much alone.
T Slussen
Tranan serves old-fashioned, home-made meatballs with lingonberry jam and pickled cucumbers, at a very reasonable price. If they're not on the menu, just ask for them. After dinner you can go downstairs to the bar and enjoy cool music while rubbing shoulders with trendy media-types.
Karlbergsvägen 14, T Odenplan
0046 8 527 281 00
www.tranan.se
Behind the bars and cafes that front Barcelona's marina in the redeveloped old port, the five and six storey blocks, once home to seamen and dockers in the nineteenth century, now house a mix of workers, students and a few self-catering tourists, like us.
Vaguely uneasy on our first evening in the dark narrow streets, we heard the jazz from "el fil Ferr" and went for a beer in the lively bar. Run by an energetic young trio, it offers light meals - meat if you want it, but try the deliciously varied vegetarian plate.
The wall posters speak of leftish politics; the clientele seemed to be doing the same, but exchanged smiles and a few friendly words in English in return for our attempts at Catalan. No other Brits in sight.
Two minutes from Barceloneta beach; closed Mondays; el fil Ferr, carrer Sant Carles 29, Barceloneta; Tel 93 221 98 36
Cheap and cheerful, if not exactly charming. Great location and nice rooms, this hostel stands out simply by being such in a city dominated by pricey hotels. The staff are friendly, but Oki-Doki perhaps takes its unique status for granted, often requiring guests to change rooms. But it really is just 10 minutes’ walk from the Old Town, less to the Palace of Culture and Science, and its in-house bar is good craic till the wee hours.
Plac Dabrowskiego 3, Corner of Marszalkowska and Swietokrzyska;
Getting there: Taxi from the airport costs about 30 Z/;
tel: 48 22 826 5112;
okidoki@okidoki.pl;
www.okidoki.pl
Tucked away in a back street near the Fondamente Nove is the best pasticceria in Venice, and one of the most mouth-watering window displays I've ever seen. Chestnuts dipped in chocolate, 'budini' (little rice and egg custard cakes), castagnaccio (chestnut cake), all kinds of chocolate sweets, and at reasonable prices. The owner, Roberto Puppa, tries to create the most authentic, traditional Venetian recipes - ask for advice and recipes. And you can get a cup of coffee, too.
Follow Rio tera SS Apostoli, heading towards the Gesuiti church
Hearty food, live music, lots of friends to be made.
Fondamenta della Misericordia, Cannaregio
A nightclub in the impressive Wynn Las Vegas hotel, Tryst comes with its own 94-foot waterfall and private oasis. Oh, and head there on a Thursday night if it's "beautiful people" you're looking for.
Beautifully preserved 1960s summer pavilion incorporating a cafe and bar. Cool and shady in the summer heat, lively garden in the evening.
Opposite the Rathausplatz, just inside the Ringstrasse
These are two Irish pubs which offer everything expats could possibly want and have an important place in the English-speaking community here in Vienna. Obviously there are plenty of local options available but if you're feeling thirsty for Guinness, want to catch up on some sport other than skiing, or simply spend a few hours in "gemütlich" surroundings, then these pubs are two of the best options.
Flanagans, Schwarzenburgerstr. 1st district;
Charlie P's, Währingerstr. 9th district
This year's swinging bar in the Kolonaki area of Athens is called (Perfect) TEN, by the same people who brought us Sol y Mar in Myconos (or so I am told). Uplifting music, very friendly service despite the fact that you can't move in the place. Cool fun but avoid it on Saturdays if you can.
Ploutarchou Street, Kolonaki
An institution, the cafe was the centre of Radio Free Europe in communist times and the decor has stayed that way. Nontheless, busy, popular and worth visiting for its friendly and quick service. Vodka selection extensive, food looked a bit pre-fall of wall.
ul Nowgorodza 56
www.radiocafe.pl/
A good place for refreshment after the museum and film. Modern, music a bit loud, handsome Polish barmen will correct your pronunciation.
Rynek Starego Miastra
It’s a bit rustic and the menu is only in Polish but you can't go wrong because the charming waitresses are just dying to use their English and will help you decide what fillings you would like in your dumplings,- meat-potato, mushroom, cabbage.
Served with a kind of smoked bacon and mustard sort of relish, delicious washed down with a litre of Polish beer, not the import beer as it's too gassy and will fill you up and you won't manage the Piroggi.
After that you need a schnapps, preferably a vodka. Two doors
away there's a very cool bar called Matafora (al Jerozolimskie 30).
We thought we might be too old to get served there, but were given the same friendly and prompt service as the mostly young cool
clientele. Good minimalistic decor, effective drinks.
Piroggeria al Jerozilimskie 28
The view from the Panorama Bar on the top floor will give you a fine impression of just how modern and booming Warsaw is. The breakfast buffet left no wish unfulfilled, they even had Heinz baked beans in between four sorts of smoked salmon.
The best reason for staying there is that you can't miss it, good for getting back home again after a night out on the vodka. It is lit up too.
al Jerozolimskie 65/69;
www.marriott.com.pl
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