Abruzzo is a really beautiful part of Italy. I was there in September on a painting holiday quite amusingly called 'Painting for the Petrified', with a company called Frui. I'd recommend it if you're wanting holiday with a difference, but I also recommend Abruzzo for those looking to experience authentic Italy.

www.frui.co.uk
020 7241 5006

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Dim Sum for lunch at Shang Palace is an institution. Having strayed to newer restaurants for a while, I decided to go back to Shang Palace. Why did I ever leave? The room is beautiful, acoustically friendly and the dim sum is amazing. The presentation makes a delicious feast outstanding. Clever little baskets, long white plates with triple compartments with delicacies lovingly arranged - every plate or steamer contains a work of art. Expensive? A little. But for a once in a while treat, you can't beat it. Be sure to get a card for the carpark if you have driven. Parking can be expensive here.

www.shangri-la.com/en/property/singapore/shangrila

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For ‘Easter What You Want’ lovers, the hotel La Rosa dei Venti suggests a Easter route dedicated to the good food and drink, close to the sea of Sicilian spring. In the original land of the wine Nero d’Avola, the route starts from Portopalo di Capo Passero,in the extreme south of the island, and continues in the little seafaring village of Marzamemi, hamlet of Pachino, well-known for its tomatoes. You can also use the occasion to see the traditional ‘Easter Peace’ celebration in the main street of Portopalo or in the Pachino square. The route includes a wine tasting in a renowned local cellar on Saturday afternoon, and the Easter lunch in a restaurant with sea view.

www.hotellarosadeiventi.it

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Stumbled upon this fantastic cafe, close to Newcastle East station after missing my connection. Sublime coffee and a tasty lunch. Sustainable too, the coffee machine is powered by the cafes waste oil.

68 Hunter St
Newcastle New South Wales 2300
(02) 4009 1237
www.sprocketroasters.com.au/

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This neighbourhood wine bar/cafe has so many great things going for it: charming staff, the tiny menu (one soup, one tapas platter, one sandwich), interesting wine menu and cosy, super-relaxed ambiance. A great place to while away an hour or so on a chilly CPH day.

www.falernum.dk/
Værnedamsvej 16
1819 Frederiksberg, Denmark
3322 3089

Google map: tinyurl.com/ykexro7

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Situated off the national road within easy driving distance of Cape Town in Somerset West, is Vergelegen Wine Estate.

Picnic among some of the Cape's oldest camphor and yellowwood trees in the extensive grounds that showcase South Africa's chequered history and Cape Dutch architecture. Experience the sensory beauty of the cultivated rose and herb gardens, the original Van der Stel Winery, the Library, mill, ruins and Slave Lodge as well as authentic Pigeon House.

Breakfast al fresco at The Rose Terrace Bistro, open November to April or sample the fish, meat and vegetarian dishes which are served in the Lady Phillips restaurant together with a selection of premium Vergelegen wines including Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz varieties. Cellar tours are also offered.

Combined with good weather an outing to Vergelegen is well worth its R10 entrance fee. As it is very popular, booking is advised. It is a thoroughly enjoyable experience and well worth a visit especially if heading from Cape Town to Hermanus to enjoy some whale watching.

Web: www.vergelegen.co.za
Phone : +27 21 847 1334
Address: Lourensford Road, Somerset West, South Africa

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It's easy to miss this winery - as soon as you've turned off the R44 heading west, look out for the Forrester sign immediately on your left. Don't expect to see the swanky entrances of the Grandes Dames of the SA wine industry like Vergelegen or Groot Constantia, Ken's driveway looks more like the entrance to a private residence. As you head up to the winery, watch out for Ken's snail police - a flock of rather noisy geese. The emphasis here is not on presentation but on attention to detail in the winemaking process. KF has done more for the humble Chenin Blanc grape than an american soft drinks company has done for brown sugary water. Try the simply stunning 'FMC' (officially Forrester Meinert Chenin, unofficially f****** marvellous chenin) to taste what can be done with the grape that the french use to produce a liquid to clean their tractors with. Equally stunning is the red blend, 'Gypsy', produced from grenache, syrah, and mourvedre grapes. There are lower-priced, everyday-drinking wines too, with most available in the UK from Great Western Wine of Bath. Ken, you're the man!

Ken Forrester Vineyards, Winery Road, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Tel: +27 21 855 2374

www.kenforresterwines.com/

Google map: tinyurl.com/ye7raxq

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A little way out of town but easily accessed on foot from the centre. This is a great little restaurant that we went to in order to celebrate a friend’s birthday. They accommodated a booking for 12 at short notice even though the place was jam packed. Food is good and the atmosphere is excellent. They even brought free tequilas for the whole table because they knew we were celebrating. Great menu of cocktails, even I took a rest from my favoured tipple (beer) to try out the Ernest Hemingway Special.

www.joepenas.com
Buttermelcherstraße 17
80469 München, Germany
089 226463

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If you're island hopping, pick up a bag of this amazing tablet in Barra to keep you going on your road trip of the islands
www.hebrideantoffeecompany.com/

Google map: tinyurl.com/ya4qhl2

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Some of the greatest take away pizzas in Venice are to be found here at MauMa’s. The shop is just to the right, straight across the little bridge to the east of the Campo dei Frari (in front of the Frari Church).

It has no official sign – we only found out its real name after talking to the exceedingly friendly owners, Mauro and Massimo. Their English is limited but it’s possible to get by without having Italian.

It’s a tiny place with a shutter front which, when open, houses an appetizing display of bulging calzone and pizza slices. Calzone are around three Euros and pizzas start from four Euros.
Both are very generous; with a thin, crispy crust and delightfully herby and flavourful tomato sauce.

The place is tiny with no seating so everything is to take away. Buy a soda while Massimo prepares your pizza to order before your eyes; in the light summer months you could just take it across the bridge into the campo to enjoy.

There are no official business hours (whenever the guys feel like opening up!) but it’s usually open every day except Wednesdays.

Undoubtedly some of the best (and cheapest) pizza in Venice. I’ll definitely be going back next time I visit the city, as much to chat to the lovely owners as to sample the mouth-watering fare.

Campo dei Frari, San Polo 30125, Venice

Google map: tinyurl.com/ybmhccm

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I recommend a quick drink and a bit to eat with the kids in the Obama Bar in Barcelona. We were walking around in the rain looking for a nice place to have a drink, and by luck we came across the Obama Bar, just days before he was elected!

Gran via de les Corts Catalanes 603
08007 Barcelona
Tel: 933016524
www.obamabcn.com

Google map: tinyurl.com/y8g8j3a

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A lovely delicatessen, with beautifully painted ceilings and handmade fixtures. Their on site chef makes a selection of daily dishes to eat in the cafe or take away. They also do a great range of gluten free cakes and source lots of local products as well as the best from France.

Arch House, Boyces Avenue, Clifton Village, Bristol, BS8 4AA
www.archhousedeli.com
0117 974 1166

Google map: tinyurl.com/yd792hl

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What an amazing place! If you want to escape to a genuine oasis of peace, with rustic charm, warm hospitality, surrounded by unspoilt nature, this is it.

It’s just one hour from Marrakech yet it felt like a different country. The owner, Bouhcine, organised a taxi to get us there – lovely views along the way – we passed through Asni and then through a lush and mountainous area before arriving in Imarigha, (just two km before Ouirgane) where the guest house is hidden away at the end of a little lane by the mosque.

Our room was actually a cottage, with earth walls on the outside, spacious, with sitting area, en-suite bathroom and a lovely wooden beam ceiling. The double bed was really comfortable, everything worked - loads of hot water for the shower etc.

It’s so peaceful here, the cottages are surrounded by olive trees. You hear the breeze, an occasional donkey braying, and birds. We went for walks in the local area where there are farms and more olive plantations.

The food was delicious (the one potential drawback which turned out not to be - there aren’t any local restaurants, so you have to have lunch and dinner here), but we ate better here than in Marrakech! Thoroughly recommend it.

BP 183, KM 59 Imarigha, Route de Taroudant - 52140 Asni - Maroc
+212 6 66 57 14 77
www.seldailleurs-maroc.com

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Just outside of Winchester - great family pub with loads of parking and garden with trampolines for the kids.

The fish and chips Tuesdays are a really good deal and Sunday lunches are the best.

Jacklyns Lane
Alresford
Nr Winchester
SO24 9LW

www.thecricketersalresford.co.uk
Tel: 01962 732463

Google map: tinyurl.com/ybk37x8

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This island is so friendly! The people are great and then there is the truly unique 'Cook Islands time'- which is whatever ...
From the garlands on arrival, to the ukelele farewell the atmosphere is relaxed, the vegetation lush and the lagoons warm and clear.
So laid back my postcards took five months to get back to the UK.
Is this a record?
Don't miss the singing in the New Life church on a Sunday, the locally caught fish and the Pan-Pacific canoe races in November. Use the island bus or just walk or swim there.
The best things in life are free but the airfares aren't. Stop off when you RTW.

Far away in the South Pacific

Google map: tinyurl.com/ye5kwll

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Good value food court on top of a quite exclusive department store.

34 Le Duan Street, District 1 , Ho Chi Minh City diamondplaza.vn/

Google map: tinyurl.com/y9vwkps

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In the evening the market closes but the action moves outdoors.
Huge foodstalls set up all around the market with stalls selling all manner of things in the adjacent streets.
Great atmosphere but be careful of potential pickpockets!

Cho Ben Thanh

Google map: tinyurl.com/ycufwae

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Woolworths (nothing to do with the firm that went under in the UK) is a fantastic source of food if you are self catering in SA. Some products are identical to M&S foods you'd get at home (at rather more competitive prices). Look on the website for store locations before you go - we visited the Cape Town stores but there are others. There are some interesting variations on a theme to take account of local cuisine as well as the usual favourites (the latter very useful if travelling with kids.)

www.woolworths.co.za

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Lot Cycling Holidays is a wonderful family run getaway in the South of France. We stayed there for 11 nights and had a really fabulous stay. John and Aileen were excellent hosts and the cycling routes that John has carefully selected and planned are second to none and offer a real slice of French life, while catering for the novice and the more experienced cyclist. Quality materials were supplied and John was always just a phone call away if needed! Aileen's meals were simply fantastic and her vegetarian creations were very much appreciated. A great holiday for the cycling (or foodie) enthusiast with amazing cuisine and beautiful accommodation, can't recommend it highly enough ... can't wait to go back!

www.lotcyclingholidays.com

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Sells pies, cakes, homemade soups, sandwiches etc. Always busy, always smells appetising.

82 Rochdale Rd, Royton, Oldham, Lancashire, OL2 6QF
0161 624 9884‎

Google map: tinyurl.com/y9jyv8f

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