This is a delightful family-run B&B type hotel. It consists of about 14 small, simple but utterly charming rooms on the edge of the sea, put together round a small courtyard in the style of the old Greek 'village rooms'.
You can swim in the clear sea just below, or you can simply sit on one of the small terraces, drink in hand, and contemplate the view of Aegina across the water. Once there, you may find you have little inclination to move very far! Rosy provides delicious lunches, and in the evening two minutes' stroll will take you to the open-air restaurant, the Alkyone, from where you can continue your contemplation of Aegina and the sea as long as you want.
Do not bother with the Alef. You will find the food bland and the service surly. An excellent trio - The Saints - saved the evening.
If you want Jewish food, try one of the others around the square.
Kazimierz
We went for new year's eve and no surcharge, just the regular first class Mediterranean menu. Relaxed atmosphere and good location behind main square. It is, apparently, the best restaurant in Krakow at the moment. Not expensive.
If you're visiting Paje on the East Coast of Zanzibar you have to visit Mr
Chaamu's restaurant.
An enterprising one-man band, he has set up 3 tables under cover on the beach and offers fantastic seafood dishes with traditional breads.
Bring your own beverages and be sure to book in advance as he sources everything on the day.
Also, ask about his early morning fishing trips. He will take up to 4 people out on his boat to catch the restaurant's fish for the day. He then cooks your catch for you and all of this is done at a fraction of the cost of similar trips at nearby
hotels. An absolute highlight of our holiday!
North of the Paje dive site, 10 min walk along the beach
The south of France is the place of dreams for many, idyllic villages, vineyards, historical sites and access to all the places in south-east France worth visiting - Nimes, Arles, Avignon, Aix', Orange and smaller villages like Gordes, Isle-sur-la-sorgue and of course, Menèrbe.
The best way around the region is by car despite parking restrictions in places like Gordès.
Beaumes-de-Venise is in the region of the Cötes de Rhöne wines and the appellation Cötes de Ventoux wines. It also has it's own appellation, Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise, one of France's best sweet white wines.
Choose a local farmhouse for a stay.
Beaumes de Venise, Vaucluse, Provence, between Carpentras and Vacqueyras.
Take the TGV from Paris to Avignon and then hire a car.
Where to find it -
www.beyond.fr/map/map2p12.html
www.beyond.fr/villages/beaumes.html
Cafe Mersand has apparently been an institution in Tel Aviv for decades (the Walllpaper* chic interior is original and absolutely authentic), but new youthful owners have recently taken over to make this one of the hippest, most relaxed places in central Tel Aviv to have a coffee break while watching the locals come and go.
The friendly young baristas turn out top quality espresso, cappucino and cafe latte, and the small kitchen does tasty sandwiches and cakes. They have laid back music (the Beatles featured when I was there last), artists doing film installations and a good selection of newspapers (Haaretz English language version of course). This place is a must for anyone who appreciates a non-chain, slightly left, cafe.
Corner of Ben-Yehuda & Frishman Streets
Tel: 03-5234318
The world's only regular Slow Food Market. Held at St Nicholas Market on Corn Street on the first Sunday of every month, the market features stalls of fresh, local food of the very highest quality.
Now the largest food market in Bristol, its undoubted highlights include artisan bread from the Thomas Bakery, the lush Chocolate Workshop, top juices from St Nicholas Market stars The Big Banana, the almost legendary Pieminister Pies, Ginger Gallery's sensational brownies, organic meats, locally grown veg and much more.
This is the place to find out what south west food is really all about.
St Nicholas Market, The Exchange, Corn Street, Bristol BS1 1JQ
telephone: 0117 922 4014
email: markets@bristol-city.gov.uk
www.slowfoodbristol.org
We toured the Alsace wine route, the vines bare, of course, after the harvest but the little wine towns of Kaysersburg and Riquewihr were simply ravishing.
For one afternoon we popped over the Rhine to the pretty university city of Freiburg in Baden-Wurtemburg for great shopping and a look at the gorgeous high-Gothic Munster. In the Christmas markets there we sampled hot bratwurst in crusty rolls, currywurst and 'dampfnudel' - a suet pudding with a cherry sauce and custard.
Then we drove north and back over the border for an evening in Strasbourg and dinner in the shadow of its famous cathedral.
The Bacchus Restaurant is well worth a visit; right in the middle of Eguisheim.
12b rue Rempart Nord
68420
Bryce Canyon Lodge is the sole concessionnaire hotel within the wonderful Bryce Canyon National Park, and if you want to be really close to the action, it's the place to stay - their "hotel rooms" at US $136.50 + tax are a little expensive, but very well equipped and comfortable, their restaurant excellent.
Beware, they close for several months during the winter.
It is important to book direct with the hotel - we foolishly booked through an organisation called Hotels-by-City on their "Utah-hotels.org" web site, which claimed to be "the official Utah hotels site". This was completely untrue, and they seriously ripped us off, charging us US $238.99 + tax a night. Be extremely wary!
Great restaurant hidden behind the casino in Puerto Del Carmen. Looks out on to the sea. Swimming pool on the terrace and great big four poster beds to relax on. The restaurant itself has a Turkish theme and serves a wide range of food including Chinese. Lovely for a relaxed romantic evening. Service could have been better though.
Main Strip in Puerto Del Carmen situated behind the casino.
My boyfriend and I wanted to spend a week relaxing in Tuscany, somewhere where we could get away from it all but still have the option to get out and do things if we felt the need. We found a real hidden gem – a gorgeous 18th century family run villa, Hotel Villa Lecchi, which was right in the heart of the Chianti wine tasting region…what more could we ask for?!
The villa is surrounded by medieval walls and offers a pretty pool, garden and terrace. Not to be missed is the food served in Hotel Villa Lecchi’s restaurant. It uses traditional recipes and these have earned it a great reputation with both locals and tourists alike and it really does have a great atmosphere.
For those wanting to venture out, there are plenty of opportunities nearby to sample the local wines and bikes can be hired at the hotel to get out and see the stunning local scenery. For those who fancy exploring a bit further afield, Genoa is only a short drive away and offers an abundance of churches, palaces and interesting museums.
We booked through Keyplaces and stayed in a lovely double room, which had air-con, mini fridge etc and was really reasonably priced.
Travel wasn’t included in the price, but we got cheap flights with Meridiana from London to Florence, which is about an hour’s drive away.
Keyplaces - 0845 688 0833 or www.keyplaces.co.uk
Meridiana - www.meridiana.it
Hotel Villa Lecchi is less than 10 miles from San Gimignano.
One of the best restaurants I've ever eaten in, vegetarian or otherwise. They now also have a few bedrooms upstairs
Walk west about three minutes along Washington St. from the city centre, and it's on your right.
Tel. +353 21 4277939
Lovely rustic restaurant at the top of the hill above Korcula. Good food and wine plus breathtaking views.
Restaurant Grubinjac
Zrnovo
Island of Korcula
Croatia
Tel: 00 385 20 711 410
web: www.korculainfo.com/restaurants/restaurant-grubinjac-zrnovo-korcula.htm
It is a pub, right at the top of the town. It has recently been taken over and is wonderful. The food is some of the best I have ever tasted, beautifully presented and delicious. I bet soon this is a place you will have to book a table for weeks in advance.
Why am I telling you this? Because it desevers it, it really is head and shoulders above any other pub I have eaten in.
Risotto, hot chocolate pudding, the yummiest chips, veg so fresh it's almost rude, on and on I could go. And not silly london prices either, lunch for under a tenner.
Brilliant, it can be done, go there soon. You won't regret it.
Leechwell Street (off Kingsbridge Hill), Totnes, Devon, TQ9 6BY - tel: 01803 863324
A friend who lives in Rome took us to Alceste, a shudderingly expensive seafood restaurant near the Piazza Navona, recently and the meal was a disaster. In fact it's been ages since we were so thoroughly ripped off.
Though the three of us speak Italian and explained that we wanted to split an assorted antipasto, we were served three full antipasti, which were awful, and charged for all three. The sea bass cooked in salt looked like it had been dropped on the kitchen floor and service was snarly. Best meal of our trip: Trattoria Monti, a superb little place with delicious food, a Roman crowd and charming waiters.
Trattoria Monti, Via San Vito, 13/A, (011 39) 06 446 6573
Other read posts directed me to Yang Sing in Manchester, where I had the worst Chinese meal I've ever eaten yesterday.
Food was barely edible, service was slow and unfriendly. If you want great Asian food, go to London, New York, Paris or Hong Kong.
Wonderful food, nice atmosphere.
My wife & I booked up to go between Christmas & New Year - it was almost full, so booking is necessary. When booking, I mentioned we were vegetarian, and was asked "fish or no fish?" which gave me confidence that they knew that real veggies don't eat fish.
That was it as far as menu choice goes. No choice at all - the only menu one is offered is a wine card (from £10.00 up). This was refreshing to us - we hate spending hours deciding what to have, and it's justified by the statement "why bother choosing - we give you everything". The menu changes weekly.
Starters for us was a large portion of baby sweetcorn in tempura batter, small veg likewise, and mushroom & coriander in little wanton wrappers - deep fried. These came with saucers of soy sauce, sweet chilli and a hot chilli, ginger & soy sauce dips - very nice - the latter definitely homemade. I know there were little spicy pork cakes for meat eaters - the table of elderly people next to us complained that one found them too hot, likewise the spicy sauce - which seemed medium to my palette. They also asked if some real Thai music could be put on instead of this English stuff, which amused me, as the English stuff was in fact Thai pop music (and definitely in the background).
Mains. A large plate of sticky white boiled rice is provided, then we had thinly sliced sweetcorn, green beans, garlic, galangal & chilli in a gravy; pak choi in 'oyster' sauce - this was the vegetarian mushroom based version of 'oyster' sauce; and a large heater full of a wonderfully fragrant coconut, mushroom & cauliflower soup heavily laced with lemon grass & galangal. As our plates emptied, we were asked if we needed more rice, or more of any of the dishes - we didn't as we were quite full (but not stuffed).
Afterwards, a choice of lemon or mango sorbet (or a mixture), and coffee.
Set price as at 29/12/06 is £24.50 plus wine.
Staff: front of house are all English, very efficient & friendly - all dishes are explained well. I'm pretty sure that the male owner out front is married to a Thai woman who handles the cooking.
Upstairs is a B&B - Cardynham House, run by the same people, I assume - but I can't comment as I've never stayed there, living just down the valley in Stroud as I do.
We really enjoyed the meal & atmosphere. Good tip left & I will visit again (and I don't often tip).
Tibbiwell Street, Painswick.
Tel: 01452 813452. Coming from the north (Cheltenham) on A46, turn L just before the church, then left again - you'll see the restaurant in front of you - park in the car park just past the church on the A46.
This is a really unusual little restaurant, attached to a health spa (but with its own entrance). The menu is vegetarian with multiple Eastern and European influences and some really unusual but very tasty dishes. Lunch is also good. Mid price. In the summer you can sit outside by a quiet private branch off Birmingham's canal network. Book in advance at peak times as the restaurant isn't huge.
Canal Square, Browning Street, Birmingham, B16 8EH (best approached on foot from Sheepcote Street - there is a driveway to apartments off the west side of the street which leads to a footbridge over the canal, the restaurant is on the right). www.bodyandbeing.co.uk/sibilasnew/index.html +44(0)121 456 7634. About 1/2 mile from Five Ways station.
A casual restaurant with great seating inside, outside or sit on the beach. Specialises in Maine lobster and ribs. Nothing better then to order a whole lobster, a rack of ribs, and a plate of steamers and look out on the ocean. You can bring your own ice chest filled with your favorite beverage. Never had lobster as sweet. Great guys working there.
6 Broadway, Milford, Connecticut, USA 06460
Tel: 1 203 283 1764
www.thelazylobsterrestaurant.com