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The best bar for miles. The food is always fantastically good (try the Blue Burger!!), the view out on to the beach is beautiful whatever the weather and it's such a chilled out place you'll wish you lived there!
East Cliff, Beach Road, Porthtowan. TR4 8AD
The independent cinema and cafe-bar Cameo on Edinburgh's southside is a delightful place with friendly staff and real atmosphere.
I will surely miss having coffee or a bottle of beer before or after a carefully selected movie...
Cameo bar, Tollcross, Edinburgh
A wonderful little neighbourhood with two churches and the same number of bars - of course.
Hidden away on the edge of Macarena, it is a delight and I defy you to find a better or friendlier bar in all of Seville.
There is nothing here but real Sevilla, peaceful at times, happy at all times, and clean!
Macarena, off Calle Castellar.
Tiny bistro with tiny menu and huge beer list.
Does the best carbonnade des Flamandes in Brussels by a country mile.
36 Rue Keyenveld
Best kept pub secret in Edinburgh.
Minutes from the hell of the Grassmarket and refreshingly free of stag parties and tourists.
A fantastic selection of ales, cracking selection of whiskies, gins, rums and vodkas, friendly staff and friendly locals (albeit friendly by Edinburgh standards).
A proper, old fashioned free house.
2 Spittal Street, in between the Grassmarket and Tollcross
From the antique grandeur of the Old Town to the cold classical beauty of the New Town, this is the most beautiful city in Europe.
I am a Canadian who visits every January. The weather is not unpleasant: last year there were days and days of glorious sunshine.
The best place to stay is in the Old Town. This is where all the real-life characters of the city hang out. Sit on a bench in Hunter Square or one close to St Giles and just observe the people. Walk down the High Street from the castle to Holyrood.
A great place to eat is Always Sunday close to the Fringe Office, spend Friday/Saturday night listening to the band at the small Scotsman Lounge on Cockburn.
See you there...
Briar Lea Inn and the adjoining pub The Jolly Drayman are run by a great couple (English wife and American husband) - we stayed next door at the Norseman, so can't comment on the accommodation, but can vouch for the Jolly Drayman's food and friendly atmosphere. The beer's good, too!
150 Mayville Road, Bethel ME 04217 (Route 2)
Tel +1-207-824-4717
A square on top of a hill full of people, cafés, bookshops and a big fountain. Come here to get away from the crowds on the vieux port and see beautiful Marseille.
The atmosphere is relaxed: think Schanzenviertel, Hamburg or Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin in July/August.
Enjoy the view over the Cathedral of Notre Dame de la Garde at the end of 'Cours Ju' with a pression and some olives or browse the markets and boutiques during the day.
It's calm, yet cool, and a different side of Provence for those who want to experience the buzz in France's second city.
Metro: Notre Dame du Mont/Cours Julien.
Map: tinyurl.com/28g88g
A beautifully imposing converted church on Walton Street, this is a student treat which somehow makes you feel as if you are in on a secret.
It's not too done up, has a lovely long zinc bar, and serves strong cocktails and proper pizzas.
Plus there is seating out the front to people watch.
119 Walton St
Oxford, OX2 6AH
01865 311171
It's nearly perfect: stunning building, great food, lovely cocktails, good-looking staff, regularly changing art exhibitions, a garden with deckchairs and cool industrial loos in the basement.
Erratic service, especially when the owner/manager is in, mars it. Plus she wears really strong scent.
But I still end up going back there, and when it is good it is very very good.
Afternoon tea with cocktails in the garden of an old power station is certainly unusual.
Wapping Hydraulic Power Station, Wapping Wall
E1W 3ST
Wapping
020 7680 2080
www.thewappingproject.com
Once you've eaten (alot) you could do worse than stroll back to Canary Wharf through the park opposite and then along the river
The Boundary is a pub with a history,
although today it fronts as a pub with decent food, kid-friendly even for those with ankle biters or rugrats who want a meal out and, of course, it has the obligatory pokies and TAB. Oh, and a decent wine list in the dining room.
The history bit? The Boundary pub gets its name from being on East Boundary Rd which gets its name from being the former east boundary of a large farming estate (back in the 1880s through to the 1920s)
Take the kids (leave them in the playroom) and have a meal or play the pokies.
cnr East Boundary Rd and Centre Rd
East Bentleigh
Vic 3165
ph 9570 7044
free on site parking
It's a great place for lunch, dinner or a late drink and watch the world go by.
Good prices and generous servings: seafood, beef and pasta; also a good wine selection from Chile; and friendly waitresses.
Canoa Quebrada is a popular resort for the weekend. It has a very good carnival in nearby Aracati.
Canoa Quebrada is 160km south of Fortaleza.
A hostel close to the centre of Granada, the Bearded Monkey is friendly and lively without being dominated by hard-partying backpackers.
Arranged around a central courtyard lit with twinkling lights, the (public) bar sells local beers, decent food and its own compilation CDs, as well as running DVD nights from the owner's great selection, for a small donation.
Check the noticeboard for good value Spanish lessons by local teachers (Anjelica is recommended) and trips to the nearby Lago de Apoyo, where the Bearded Monkey has a cabin, the Monkey Hut, with terraces running down to the lake - an excellent swimming spot.
Avenida 14 de Septiembre, opposite the bomberos (fire station).
A terrific little Catalan bar that is practically an institution in the art of frying lightly battered fresh sardines. They are fried to perfection every time, and you can eat the whole thing, spine, head and tail!
Sardines are in season now and at their most delicious, and whats more, a plate of hot fish washed down with a glass of cold white won't cost you any more than 3 euros!
Mercé 28, 08002, Barcelona.
Tel: 933 151 009
Metro: Jaume 1/Barceloneta
Wheelers is a pub that has gone through a bit of a transformation and turned into a top class hotel with good food, good entertainment (especially Thursday and Friday nights) and a view to die for.
Having a lazy lunch in the fancy class restaurant overlooking the valley is a great way to spend a Sunday. The Wheelers is a fave with locals. And did I mention the views too?
Wheelers Hill Hotel
Ferntree Gully Road (cnr Jells Road), Wheelers Hill (about 20 mins from the centre of the city along the freeway) Tel. 9560 8922
car parking on site is free
www.melbournepubs.com/v/794/Wheelers-Hill-Hotel.html
What a breath of fresh air this place is, a really laid back, cool and hassle free bar in the pulsating heart of the Chiang Mai city.
Designed by renowned UK designer 'Simon somebody' (sorry I forgot his surname) The What Bar is super easy to relax and unwind in.
As a play on words, The What takes its name from The Thai word for Temple (Wat) and like a temple to cool, it welcomes travelers and expats in to the warmth of its embrace.
The food is excellent, the atmosphere tolerant and arty, it really is worth stopping in for a meal or one of its famous pool tournaments. I highly recommend checking this place out if you are within 50 km of Chiang Mai.
The What is located on Loy Kroh road, within walking distance of the Night Bazaar and Thapae Gate. Look for the sign which is a play on the symbol used by the UK band The Who.
Well worth a visit.
Take any Tuk Tuk to Loy Kroh road, 'The What' is located near the 7/11.
Great staff makes you feel very welcome. The best selection of drinks I've seen in any hostess bar in Phnom Penh apart from DV8. Now it's the most popular bar on the street.
#25 street 104, Phnom Penh. www.phnomphennightlife.com
The Summit bar at the top of the Radisson SAS Hotel in the centre of Oslo has absolutely stunning views of the city and Oslo fjord, especially if you go there around dusk to watch the sunlight fade and the streetlights and neons come on all over the city.
If you go at the right time you can get a comfy seat right by the window, the best vantage point. Apart from the urinals apparently - they are right up against the glass so you can enjoy the view whilst, you know. Oh, and in the ladies' there is one cubicle with two toilets in it - in case you and a friend need to finish a conversation, especially urgently I suppose?!
Drinks aren't as expensive as I'd feared - it was around 300kr for two (small) bottles of beer and two glasses of red - pricier than the UK but that's to be expected I think.
When we went there was an especially good bar tender - she paid loads of attention to getting drinks just so and gave us some free peanuts!
A great atmosphere, stunning views and perfect company meant the Summit bar was the highlight of my trip to Oslo.
It's near the Royal Palace. The address is Holbergsgate 30, N-0166, Oslo
A pub overlooking Peckham Rye. It's an old-style bar which has been given a bit of a makeover. However, they've got it just right in not changing too much. It's spacious enough with solid wooden tables at dining hight and a fire in winter.
The main bar is now non-smoking but there's a space out back for the chokers and in summer they open a huge beer garden.
Best of all is the food. Great varied menu featuring mezes, Thai/Chinese food, burgers, salads and roasts.
There's also a decent range of wines.
It's not that cheap but it's worth it for a treat or just to get a seat.
Rye Lane, Peckham, South London.
Five Minutes walk up from Peckham Rye Train station.
The writer Schiller is a local celebrity and this restaurant and beer garden commemorates him in an attractive way by serving good quality food and drink at reasonable prices.
The tables outside are crowded from about seven o'clock on, but there seems always to be room, and the atmosphere is welcoming and cheerful.
Schillerplatz, Loschwitz; about 15 mins out of the city centre, on Tram 6 or 12 from Postplatz (Dresden), or bus 85.
www.schillergarten.de
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