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A lovely restaurant situated on the stunning coastal road that runs from Cagliari to Villasimius. Quirky features, like old bikes decorating the garden, a relaxed atmosphere, and a wide choice of mains, starters and desserts - even five or six vegetarian meals, which was a rarity in the region! The owner made us feel very welcomed, often coming over to chat and even offering to make us up some lunch himself when we turned up out of hours (it shut during the late afternoon). Prices were reasonable, about 10 euros for a main, and the quality far surpassed the other restaurants in the area charging similar prices. We liked it here so much we returned three or four times! I would fully recommend an evening or lunch spent here, sat in the garden looking out to the hills opposite, ideally with their pesto gnocci ordered (which is still the best gnocci I've ever had.)
Cafe Van Gogh, Località Baccu Mandara, 09040 Maracalagonis Cagliari, Italy
+39 070 786082
Google map: bit.ly/MRdcwH
This is the real tapas experience and tremendous fun. Great atmosphere and very friendly guys behind the bar and cooking the tapas. Each time you order a beer (a cana of approx 33cl draught Alhambra poured expertly) a shout goes up and a few minutes later a hot tapa plate will appear from the kitchen (the more beers ordered the larger the plate, a shared experience). A new one comes every 10-15 minutes and as long as you order every now and then you seem to get more plates than glasses, though by that stage you don't care. The food is really good - great seafood cooked beautifully and in huge variety, with occasional extras.
We loved the place: it's friendly, efficient and high quality. There's more room at lunchtime and seats outside.
Calle Navas, 28, 18009 Granada, Spain
+34 958 22 70 70
Google map: bit.ly/NXQ4T6
We have just spent a month in Croatia travelling by bus from Istria down the coast to Dubrovnik, taking ferries to Korcula and Mljet on-route. Our stay at Zadar was a gem, full of Croatian character but not full of tourists. Accommodation can be found in private houses in area around the bus station - look for the blue 'apartman' signs, or book in advance using hostelworld.com. In the old town: enjoy the view from bell tower of Anastasia's cathedral, feast on a gelato and walk along the esplanade to the large 'disk of light' solar panel, listen to the sea organ, visit St Donat's church built on a roman site, appreciate the art museum. Eat at Pet Bunara restaurant (close to the city gate).
www.petbunara.hr/indexeng.html
Trg pet Bunara, Stari Zadar, 23000, Zadar, Croatia
+385 23 224 010
Google map: bit.ly/LGdtUa
The last time we were in Brsec we were lost and it was going to take a similar lack of navigation skills to get us back there this time.
So we headed optimistically more or less south-east across the Istrian peninsula hoping for signs for Hrastovlie, Pozane, Buzet, Vranja and make Brsec in time to check into the B&B and head for the only restaurant/bar in the village and chilled pints of the local Favorit beer. They don’t get many English/British visitors and in the absence of us having any Croatian language skills German is the common tongue. “Do you have any vegetarian dishes”? “Yes, we have chicken and fish, where have you come from”? It is now that we learn that Buzet is pronounced Tzb, Pozane, Nzp and Vranja, Jnrv. Just take out all the vowels and pronounce it backwards - you get the picture.
Brsec and this stretch of the coast are truly beautiful. The sky is blue and cloudless and there’s a path leading from our B&B down through wild asparagus and sage scattered woods to a secluded cove where the Adriatic Sea is aqua-marine and crystal clear and that’s where we spend the majority of our weekend. Mostly we have the beach to ourselves but at some point the cove fills with a family of seals, their black heads bobbing in the sea as they dive and play. On closer inspection the seals turn out to be a scuba diving club. One of the islands nearby is the home of a flock of Griffon vultures and squadrons of long-necked jet black swan/goose-like birds zoom across the surface of the water.
We venture as far as Labin for gnocci and gorgonzola sauce and walk along the promenade from Lovran to Opatije for ice cream and pizza and that’s as much effort as we want to make.
B&B: +385 51 290 159
Google map: bit.ly/Mc3msD
The quality of service in this breezy rooftop restaurant is second to none. While every other householder in the village has slung up a bamboo roof on top of their building and declared themselves a restaurateur, the Franco-Indian couple who own "Le Yogi" really know their business: the waiter takes your order quickly, and with no fuss; he brings your (cold) drink immediately; finally, he places in front of you the exact dishes you asked for, at the same time as those of your partner. The food is fresh and the atmosphere is laid back and informal. The decor, although similar to the de rigeur paper-lantern school of interiors beloved by exotic backpacker destinations, is just that little bit more chic and tasteful. With shelves full of books and games, you could easily spend all day here.
The only thing that lets it down is the rather basic squat lavatory with no flush system except a dripping tap.
They also run "La Pizzeria de Mama", on the opposite corner. But you can have your pizza delivered to "Le Yogi" if you can't be arsed to move away from this friendly, chilled place.
19, Othavadai St, Fishermen Colony, Mamallapuram - 603104, Tamil Nadu
+91 9840706340
Google map: bit.ly/KCqfXG
Escape the cruise ship hordes in Korcula Town and the sunworshippers on Orebic beach by heading out to peaceful Stupe Island. This tiny outcrop in the Adriatic Sea (you can walk right round it in 20 minutes) has a small beach, superb snorkelling, rocks to dive off and a family-run shack, or Kornoba, serving freshly-caught grilled fish. The kitchen is built right into the rock and wooden tables overlook the dock beneath a shade of reeds. You can reach the island by water taxi from Korcula or, as we did, towed behind a speedboat on an inflatable banana! Just don't forget to ask to be picked up again after sunset.
Otok Stupe, Korcula Archipelago, Croatia
For table booking call mobile: +385 (0)98 933 76 11
www.korculainfo.com/restaurants/konoba-grill-stupe.html
Google map: bit.ly/MAco1h
This pine covered island is totally undeveloped. The catamaran from Dubrovnik drops you at the tiny town of Polace which has remains of a Roman palace. Here you can hire a bicycle to explore the quiet roads and reach the lake with an islet that is home to a 12th century Benedictine monastery. This is now a restaurant and served by a little boat so that you can treat yourself to a seafood lunch. Swimming in the clear blue lake is a great way to cool down.
www.mljettravel.com
Mljet island is 90 minutes by catamaran from Dubrovnik
Google map: bit.ly/LFjAcV
This small town just outside of Pula is an absolute gem - full of medieval winding streets, beautiful churches and stunning architecture. It also contains the fascinating church of St Blaise (home to six mummified saints), and the best restaurant in the whole of Istria (so we thought anyway!) The restaurant is called Vodnjanka and is definitely worth sourcing out for an authentic Istrian meal in a friendly place, full of locals, and with excellent service.
Vodnjanka: Istarska b.b., 52215, Vodnjan
+385 52 511 435
Google map:
Mljet is an island off the Dubrovnik coast. Stay in Sobra, the village that tourists normally sail past. You'll have a private 'beach' and Nikola runs a first class bar/ restaurant serving Croatian food and Italian pizzas. From Sobra catch a ferry or hire a Dalmation styled Fiat 500 (seriously) and head to the National Park on the other side of Mljet. Once there rent bicycles and explore the beautiful, wild and lush forest. The highlight being the large salt water lake which cocoons a Benedictine Monastery. You can take the hourly boat over to it or swim across yourself.
Konoba RIVA:
Sobra 2, Babino Polje
(+385-20) 74 52 22
++385 (0)20 745-222
The best meal I've ever eaten was at Agriturismo Tuttusoni. Agriturismos are farms that offer meals and/or accommodation and help farmers diversify and keep going.There was course after course, all fresh and beautifully prepared. We went at the end of the season (late September) and were among the only people there.
www.nuraghetuttusoni.it
Loc. Portobello di Gallura, Aglientu (Sassari)
Sardinia
+39 079 656830
Google map: bit.ly/MlXHjE
It's been recommended by many and we've been meaning to go for ages. Thankfully my wife treated me on my first Father's Day. Excellent choice. We had a fantastic Sunday Roast with the best horse raddish I've ever had. Complimented the equally good beef and yorkshire. Owner and staff all really friendly and helpful, especially with our 10-month old!
If you are ever passing or in the area this is a must do, not just for the food, but to sample the decor and ambiance. Real relaxed feel and you certainly go away chilled. Next time we'll be looking to give the outside garden a go as the seating area looks great. Fingers crossed for some good sunny weather.
www.bluebellhenley.co.uk/
93 High Street Henley-in-Arden, West Midlands B95 5AT
+44(0)1564 793049
Google map: bit.ly/MxwGZl
A pretty town, set against a stunning mountain backdrop, it’s easy to fall in love with Split on arrival. The centre is built around the striking remains of the Diocletian’s Palace and contains a warren of stone paved streets filled with interesting shops. Visitors can take a walk round the coast to the beach or join the evening promenade down the palm lined harbour, for a great meal try the local’s favourite, Sperun.
Sperun 3, Split, Croatia
+(385) 21 346 999
Google map: bit.ly/Ng2Bwu
A genuine gem in the middle of Hvar - a ten minute walk from the marina and as such the expensive cruise-passenger-filled restaurants. Enjoy a complimentary starter which seemed to be par for the course (ours was delicious fresh anchovies with lemon and Istrian olive oil dressing) and for your main, the best and most reasonably priced seafood in Hvar if not the whole of Croatia!
Expect the exuberant chef and owner to come personally to your table to make sure you are enjoying your meal, when he's not chatting up his regulars and sitting down to share a glass of wine with them. This is not a sleek, flashy, upmarket restaurant but the fishing net and shell decorated ceiling is quaint and adds to the relaxed yet fun atmosphere. You'll be dining on traditional Dalmatian fare with the locals who definitely know excellent value when they find it. 10/10. Enjoy!
Krizna Iuka 9, Hvar, Hvar Island 21450, Croatia +385 98 361 543
A hidden gem in the north of Spain is the town of Comillas (Cantabria region.) It was one of the first in the country to supply electricity to its inhabitants as a result of the royal visit of the then king Alfonso XII who chose the town as his preferred location for a summer holiday.
It has got everything one could wish for: a superb beach within walking distance of the town centre, a Friday morning market of fresh produce in the main square, trendy night-time bars and some beautiful historical buildings such as the impressive neogothic Sobrellano Palace and "El Capricho" by the world renown architect Gaudi. For the scholarly visitor, the Pontificial University is a necessary stop. It overlooks the town from a spectacular vantage point and has been recently restored to its former glory. It is now open for tours and offers summer language courses and cultural events. The town itself is the perfect location to explore the north of the country and it is only 20 minutes away from Santander airport and ferry port. Pick up information from the tourist information office in the main square. Over the summer the town celebrates several popular festivities, so don't be surprised if you are passing by the harbour and you end up savouring some freshly barbecued sardines on crusty bread with a glass of wine for free. You may also come across the shows, a mobile "churreria" with mouthwatering Spanish delights that visits the town every summer or decide to enjoy fireworks on the beach at midnight.
There are some amazing walks over the hills to nearby villages and hamlets for the entire family to enjoy. If you are itching to get to know this diverse and unique part of the world, take a trip to the medieval town of "Santillana del Mar", drive through breathtaking scenery in the Picos de Europa or visit the caves of "El Soplao" and "Altamira" with some of the earliest prehistoric paintings discovered in Europe. Finally, if you want to try some traditional Spanish food on a budget, go to "La Venta del Tramalon" a roadside restaurant well known by the locals just outside the town in Ruiloba. Comillas is a truly unforgettable location and more importantly, you will be spoiled for choice!
www.comillas.es/english
www.turismocomillas.com
Google map: bit.ly/LBPOGq
La Venta del Tramalon:
Calle Tramalon s/n, 39527 Ruiloba
+34 94 2725050
If you want to make the perfect paella, then you need the perfect rice from Calasparra in the depths of Murcia. The town celebrates its famous crop from the rice thrower fountain that greets you to the annual festival celebrating the rice harvest in early September, which features, among other events, daily bull runs through the town. Add to that walks with stunning views, a much visited sanctuary and friendly townsfolk. The recipe for a perfect break!
www.murciatoday.com/calasparra_39-t.html
www.murciaturistica.es/en/tourism.cities?localidad=calasparra
www.calasparra.org/index.php?idioma=en
Google map: bit.ly/MGXLLW
Victoria Peak is the highest point on Hong Kong Island which means 360 degree views of the island and a breathtaking harbour vista as you look across to Kowloon side. Hong Kong's most popular tourist attraction is a definite must-see, but I have a couple of tips that the guide books don't include.
My first top tip relates to getting up to the Peak. Your guide book will tell you take the Peak Tram, a funicular railway that's been running since 1888 which creaks 396 metres up the side of the hill at a hair-raising gradient. The ride is an experience not to be missed but the queues to catch the tram up the Peak (at the Garden Road Terminus in Central) snake right around the block morning, noon and night. The queues at the top to ride back down again however, are much smaller and anyway, in my opinion, the ride down is even more exciting and roller coaster-esque than the ride up. So, I always save the tram for the way down the hill and just jump in a cab on the way up thereby skipping the maddening queues at the bottom (Hong Kong's cabs are plentiful and cheap - the red and white taxis are for hire when the red circle on the dashboard is lit up and the white taxi sign on the car's roof is alight).
My second tip centres on what to do once you get up there. The majority of visitors flock straight to the Peak Tower, a wok-shaped viewing platform 428 metres above sea level. You undoubtedly get breath-taking views from this lookout point but it sits atop a giant shopping mall packed with tacky souvenir shops and generic chain restaurants. While I see the Peak Tower as a definite must do (it’s a great place to snap a few impressive skyline photos) I’d suggest that you don't confine your Peak experience to this Disneyfied corner but instead combine it with something that not everyone does. Ask your cab driver to drop you off outside the Peak Tower and take a gentle stroll along the Hong Kong Trail, a route which loops for about an hour around the top of the Peak through lush greenery that chirrups with cicadas. Along this trail you'll get beautiful views across the city and wind past some of Hong Kong's most luxurious houses (prices of the real estate up here exceed even those of Monaco's mansions). This is a perfect walk to take during the latter half of the afternoon so that you end up back at the Peak Tower just before sunset. Head to the viewing platform in time to watch the sun sink below the skyscrapers and stay until the city’s kaleidoscopic lights come up. By this point you should have worked up a healthy appetite.
Which brings us to my third tip - where to eat. Scoot straight past the shopping mall chain restaurants and head directly across the road from the Peak Tower to the Peak Lookout, the quaint cottage-like building that twinkles under chains of fairy lights. The restaurant sits on the site of the former resting shelter of the sedan chair carriers whose job it was to ferry the Peak's wealthy residents up and down the hill. Bag a table out on the terrace which overlooks the South side of the island and refuel with jet-fresh seafood, tandoori oven fired meats accompanied by pillows of fluffy naan or a char-grilled steak from the barbeque.
www.thepeak.com.hk/en/1_2_1.asp
128 Peak Road, The Peak, Hong Kong Island.
Google Maps: goo.gl/maps/yziA
The Hong Kong Trail
www.thepeak.com.hk/en/1_3.asp
The Peak Lookout
www.peaklookout.com.hk/
121 Peak Road, The Peak, Hong Kong Island.
(852) 2849 1000
Google Map: goo.gl/maps/TT7Y
* Natalie is our local for Hong Kong. You can read all about her here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/hong-kong-local-natalie-robinson.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/natalierobinson
She also has her own blog at: www.3badmice.com/
The perfect little black dress of restaurants: works for any occasion from brunch to business meeting, always makes you feel great, and the one that you know you can rely on if all else fails.
Since Posto opened in Soho in 2009, it's become a firm favourite. I head to this open-fronted American Italian for after work prosecco with the girls, long lunches, late night suppers and morning-after, hangover busting brunches. The perfect spot for people watching, always bustling and buzzy - even if the food was average, the atmosphere would still keep me coming back. And the food’s anything but average. Creamy, homemade mozzarella (and if you get in very quickly, incredible Burrata – so legendary that it sells out almost instantly every day), crusty ciabatta served with peppery, green olive oil and rock salt, homemade pastas and slabs of mouthwatering pizza. All ingredients are organic, of the highest quality and where possible, sourced locally.
The staff are efficient, charming and always on hand to walk you through the menu and tell you exactly what bucatini is (spaghetti with a hole in the middle apparently...). Perch at the worn, dark wood bar for a couple of drinks and a quick snack (my top picks are the veal meatballs or the arancini) or nab one of the leather booths for a more languid, drawn-out affair.
The best way to eat here is family-style, so grab a menu, get ordering (inevitably over-ordering as your eyes greedily spy dish after dish that you just have to try...) and when it arrives, all dig in, tasting a bit of everything and fighting over the last chunk of mozzarella. Roll out a couple of hours later smiling and very, very full. Repeat as often as possible…
postopubblico.com/
G/F, 28 Elgin Street, Central, Hong Kong Island.
+(852) 2577 7160
Google Map: bit.ly/LT5p2Q
* Natalie is our local for Hong Kong. You can read all about her here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/hong-kong-local-natalie-robinson.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/natalierobinson
She also has her own blog at: www.3badmice.com/
El Rincon del Cani is a wonderful restaurant in the tiny village of El Colmenar - also known as Estacion de Gaucin. The food is fantastic and excellent value, the service is great and the locals extremely friendly. I've never eaten as well, and so cheaply, as I have here. The swordfish and revueltos in particular are incredible and the wine list, concentrating on local wines from Malaga and Cadiz, never fails to disappoint.
El Colmenar can be reached by train from Algeciras, or even better, from Ronda - one of the truly great train journeys in Spain. The train takes about an hour and winds down a river valley with spectacular views on either side.
c/ Ruiz Zorrilla, 2
+34 952153179
Google map: bit.ly/LMVcoO
www.eportbic.com/Destinations/content.cfm?ContentID=52
Consuegra announces itself from a distance with an elegant line of white windmills perched along a hilly skyline, in the otherwise endless plains of La Mancha in the heart of Spain. An excellent base for exploring the historic town with its medieval castle and peaceful square - complete with nesting storks - is La Vida de Antes, its gracious rooms set around a central courtyard. At up-and-coming restaurant Alfar, Antonio the young owner told us about the local saffron industry and recommended local dishes and wines. But it is the photogenic windmills and their association with Don Quixote that are the real attraction.
www.lavidadeantes.com/
www.restaurantealfar.com/
Google map: bit.ly/KfHspR
Up in the hills of cork forests above Girona, Joanet is a sleepy hamlet by day, but at night on the weekends locals come from miles around to eat at the terrific bar and restaurant which serves succulent barbecued steaks and awesome pigs' cheeks. Work up an appetite by following the GR83 national walking path or mountain biking paths which lead through the village to neighbouring Arbucies or Sant Hilari.
www.arbucies.cat/ca/2806
www.toprural.com/Casa-rural-alquiler-%C3%ADntegro/La-Pallissa-de-Joanet_19550_f.html
Google map: bit.ly/Lf7GWZ
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