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The coastal hamlet of Cirali, approximately 80kms south west of Antalya on the Lycian Way, is a pure delight. This low key resort in the Beydagalari National Park, is a popular holiday spot with Turkish families and the odd western European who like us arrived by happy fluke. The excellent 3km beach is where the loggerhead and green sea turtles come to lay their eggs and the crystal clear water makes for superb swimming. At the northern end of the beach you can explore the ruins of the ancient Lycian city of Olympus, where visitors to the beach ramble over the ruins of an amphitheatre, aqueducts and byzantine tombs. You can opt for quirky tree house accommodation in the Olympus valley, or a more peaceful option is to stay in Cirali itself at one of the small pensions.
www.bluewhite-otel.com/hotel.html
Cirali-Kemer, 07980 Antalya
+90 (242) 825 70 06
Google map: bit.ly/pdI1NU
Adrasan sits in a cove 10km off the main road and just 90Km south of Antalya. At the north end of the beach Hotel Paradise perches on a riverside flowing down to the beach. The water is not deep and tables and seating areas are scattered in the riverbed, connected by walkways. After a day enjoying the numerous family or adventure activities on offer along the promenade it makes for a very cool, calming ambience. Good food too, albeit infused with the strong local garlic.
For hardier hikers the clearly waymarked Lycian Way leads north over a rocky outcrop to the ancient site of Olympos. This ancient sprawling city must have been an archaeologist’s delight. Wonderfully decrepit, the ruins are open to clamber over, around and through. Keep to the south side of the riverbed in Olympos to avoid 99% of other tourists and find yourself alone amongst a 20-tier amphitheatre and Roman baths complex.
Walk through the village stopping at a tree house café for glasses of freshly squeezed orange and lemon then it is a gentle 4km along the beach and walk up to Chimera. This sacred and historic site has a number of eternal flames bursting through the rock with no vegetation to feed the flames.
Keep your eyes peeled too and you might see one of the protected caretta caretta loggerhead turtles.
It is a small hotel but with ensuite rooms, air con, swimming pool etc. Situated in beautiful natural surroundings on the coast near Lycian - site of Olympus. Owners Jon and Sue Graham offer fantastic value holidays and organise activities for all the family or just relax by the pool. Jon and Sue are exceptional hosts making everyone feel like visiting friends rather than paying guests.
www.jonnyturk.com
Deniz Mah, Cavuskoy Beld, Kumluca, Antalya
+90 242 883 1462
A long stretch of often unoccupied sand stretched out just ten paces across the road from the Family Kingdom hotel at Lumley beach just outside Freetown. Admitedly it's busier at weekends when its full of locals coming to enjoy themselves or play football (including Sierra Leone's world beating amputee team). The children will enjoy sharing the resort hotel's playground and pool sometimes with children on a school trip from the city. Parents will wonder at the almost surreal statues of, among others, King Kong. Breakfast is outside and always accompanied by small and not so small deer and pretty regularly by monkeys (who can sneak into your rooms too). Bored? Almost anybody will organise a sea trip for you to another wonderful beach or try the evocative slave islands nearby such as banana island with its community organised chalets and fish in banana leaves for tea. And in the evening, Alex's bar across the road invariably has a fire eater emerging from the Man o' War bay as you eat and you can return to the hotel to watch the sun go down from the terrace of the moonview bar. Do avoid the rainy season and don't expect cash points.
Lumley beach and the hotel are accessible by boat from the airport that ties up at Alex's bar or cross on the helicopter for the (more expensive) excitement.
P.O.Box 94, Freetown, Sierra Leone
+232 22 236133
Google map: bit.ly/nGg9S3
This boutique hotel near San Luis is an oasis, a calm and elegant place where time stands still for you to relax and be pampered. The décor is soft and stylish, the gardens fragrant and peaceful. The main pool has a delightful small bar for a lunchtime snack and later, when lit by candles it is a cool place to watch the night sky and enjoy the scent from the garden. Dining at Biniarroca is a gastronomic delight. The Matre De and his team will ensure that your evening is an experience to remember. The food is a delightful mix of French and Mediterranean prepared to the highest standards of perfection and taste. A destination for couples and the single traveler who enjoy peace, quiet and fine dining.
biniarroca.com
Cami Vell 57, Sant Lluis, Menorca 07710
+34 971 150059
Google map: bit.ly/mAjbO6
You won’t have to pass an exam to get a room at Hôtel des Grandes Ecoles, just make sure to book in advance. This hotel, ensconced in an impasse with a garden, right in the heart of the Latin quarter, opposite where Hemingway lived in the Twenties, has affordable and lovely hotel rooms, some with Toile de Jouy wallpaper which will no doubt colour your dreams. Room from 118€. It is not cheap but worth the investment!
www.hotel-grandes-ecoles.com
75, rue du Cardinal Lemoine, Paris 5th
+33 (0)1 43 26 79 23
Google map: bit.ly/jyFjFw
It's a Victorian era hotel, built by Thomas Cook in 1886, and has not been overly modernised. It was used by passengers of the flying boat era, though I don't know if they stopped overnight or just for lunch. Now it is just 'old school': extensive gardens, grand piano in the bar, peace and quiet. Best position on the Corniche. Timeless.
If you don't mind that Tony Blair had a suite there, its worth a couple of nights.
Corniche el Nile Street, Luxor
+20952380425
Hotel website shortened: bit.ly/dRizgG
Google map: bit.ly/k0kxZA
A favourite holiday destination for folk from Barcelona and Madrid wanting to escape stifling city heat, Vejer de la Frontera is a stunning hilltop Moorish town 9km from the empty golden beaches of the Costa de la Luz on the Altlantic coast. Wander round the ancient cobbled streets in complete safety, eat delicious tapas in one of the many street cafes. Sit on the terrace of the hippy chic Hotel la Case del Califa with a glass of chilled local sherry and watch Morocco twinkling away in the distance. In August the Festival is wonderfully colourful; there’s music on every street corner, and even the hardest of hearts will melt at the sight of the kids dancing their socks off in the flamenco competitions - which are taken very seriously! There’s minimal tourism, the climate is cool and the townspeople are very friendly.
www.lacasadelcalifa.com/
Plaza de España, 16, Vejer de la Frontera (Cádiz), 11150, España
+34 956 447 730
Google map: bit.ly/joJjqU
Recommended for pure romance and delight for bright cold winter days, (though beautiful in summer too). Give yourself two days. Drive through the winding Alpujarras mountains to reach El Ventorro, a rural hotel and restaurant, a couple of kilometres outside Alhama de Granada. Here, you can feast on incredible local food, from mushrooms collected in the forest, to local cheese and serrano ham, washed down with surprisingly delicious locally produced wine (well marketed in smart bottles- take one home with you) by a roaring fire in winter. At night you can stay in a beautifully lit cave room, with a four poster bed-the best sleep of your life! And the next day, you can choose whether to luxuriate in the atmospheric, heavenly (and spotless) Arabic baths built in the next door caves, or walk through the sandstone river valley and canyon to the historic town of Alhama de Granada, replete with Nazari ruins, a castle, historic squares, fountains and everything that Andalucia has to offer. If you can fit in the baths and the walk, you may be tempted to stay a second night in one of those beautiful caves and start the whole cycle again! And this whole delicious assault on the senses (cave bedroom, dinner, breakfast arabic baths) will only set you back about 70 euros. Stunning.
www.elventorro.net/
Carretera de Jatar, KM 2, 18120 Alhama de Granada
+34958 350 438
Google map: bit.ly/k4yFj4
It's a luxury hotel like many others in the area but it's perched on a cliff face and has its own James Bond-style private beach at the bottom of the cliff.
www.hotel-bellevue.hr
Pera Čingrije 7, Dubrovnik, Croatia
+385(0)20 430 826
Google map: bit.ly/mOxMaC
There are a few spots on the Spanish coast that remain undeveloped and the Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Nijar just east of Almeria is one of them. An area of cliffs, arid hills, spectacular beaches and picturesque fishing villages, although not undiscovered this area has a wildness and a sense of space for those seeking a more elemental seaside holiday. Stay in San Jose if you want a small taste of nightlife, otherwise stay at Los Escullos, either at the hotel or the campsite and during the day take a walk to the centre of the extinct volcano and spend the evening lying on the warm rocks by the sea watching the stars.
Campsite: www.losescullossanjose.com/
Los Escullos, 04118 Almeria, Spain
+34 950 389 811
Google map: bit.ly/jFdyTB
Hotel: www.hotelescullos.es/401.html
Los Escullos, 04118 Los Escullos Nijar Almeria, Spain
Google map: bit.ly/iIp4Kp
+34 950 38 97 33
In Las Alpujarras is a traditional group of homesteads and farm buildings which have been beautifully transformed into an hotel/apartment complex, enjoying fantastic views of the Sierra Nevada National Park. We (wife, son and I ) stayed there in 2009 and enjoyed this peaceful, idyllic location including it's inexpensive fine menu and wines. It has it's own vineyard, stables, hermitage and swimming pool to enjoy. Heaven!
www.alqueriamorayma.com/
Carretera A348, Km, 50, 18440 Cádiar, Spain
+34958 34 32 21
Google map: bit.ly/j6hHlu
The most friendly and comfortable hotel you could wish for, with great views, top class food and a wonderful pool. Feel like part of the family. Walk ancient and historical mule trails with expert guides, learn how to paint, or simply sit and enjoy the luxury. A bit of magic in rural Andalucía.
www.hotelfinca.com
Canillas de Albaida, Malaga 29755
+34 95 203 0444
These two traditional Spanish houses are 2,200ft up in the gorgeous Andalucian mountains and offer rare peace and quiet for writers. You wake every morning to blue skies and stunning views across almond trees and olive groves. The ancient village of Comares is within walking distance and is the highest pueblos blancos in the area. It has the remains of a Moorish fort, great restaurants and incredible views down to the sea. Every year on the penultimate Saturday of July, there is a festival of the local 'Verdiales' music, where the men huddle together to play guitars and violins, while the women in costume dance around them. This hidden gem is far more authentic than the tourist-filled Ronda or Granada.
www.writersretreat.co.uk
+44 (0) 7827 447 034
Google map: bit.ly/mb2MZ8
The Garni Hotel Konak is situated on the edge of the old town with easy access by taxi (10 Bosnian Marks from the bus station). It is very clean and modern with extremely helpful, friendly and pleasant staff. A few metres away on the opposite side of the road is Sartours, an excellent, highly informative (they are very passionate about their city) and inexpensive family run tour guide agency. We had an excellent 20th century tour in their own car.
www.hotel-konak.com
Mula Mustafe Bašeskije 54, 71 000 Sarajevo
+387(0)33476900
Google map: bit.ly/lb8l6K
Castel san Vincenzo is an Italian municipality of 566 inhabitants of the province of Isernia in Molise. In its territory you find the famous abbey of Saint Vincenzo to the Volturno. The village is situated to the western stratums of the Walloon mount. The earth of Saint Castel Vincenzo is rich of lives, olive trees, walnuts and gelsi.
The original abbey of San Vincenzo was destroyed in 881AD and rebuilt. This is the abbey we can still see today. The two areas of Castellone al Volturno and Castel San Vincenzo al Volturno were combined in 1928 and in 1990 became an important part of the National Park of Abruzzo and Molise.
The local food is delicious. Expect dishes like Zucchine secche with dried plums (dried courgettes, a Christmas dish), Dardaglione (polenta with vegetables), Torcinelli Christmas (pancakes), Farrozzi (risotto made with pig's blood and thymus) and jiciuotti (dried corn and baked in a clay pot).
San Vincenzo is located near the airport either in Rome or Pescara.
You can easily get there by car, coach and train.
Accomodation:
One beautiful hotel in San Vincenzo is Tenuta la Bandita.
www.labandita.com/
+39(0)2 91483034
Via Campagna nord 30, 57020 Sassetta
Google map: bit.ly/lrqIiR
The Saline Royale (Royal Saltworks) is a historical building at Arc-et-Senans in the department of Doubs, eastern France. The architect was Claude-Nicolas Ledoux (1736–1806), a prominent Parisian architect of the time. The work is an important example of an early Enlightenment project in which the architect based his design on a philosophy that favored arranging buildings according to a rational geometry and a hierarchical relation between the parts of the project.
After visiting the Royal Saltworks, you
can stay at the Château de Germigney which is a wonderful place with a one star gastronomic restaurant.
www.salineroyale.com
25610 Arc-et-Senans
+33 (0)3 81 54 45 00
Google map: bit.ly/mRfT5X
www.chateaudegermigney.com
Rue Edgar Faure, 39600 Port-Lesney, France
+33 (0)3 84 73 85 85
Google map: bit.ly/mE03y0
This is an amazing beach hotel only about 30 minutes drive from the centre of Athens. It overlooks a calm bay with views up to the Temple of Poseidon (a short walk away). The service, food and rooms are superb.
www.capesounio.com/
Sounio Road GR-195 00, Sounio, Attica
+30 22920 69700
We stayed at the Hotel Les Tetes in Colmar in February and can highly recommend it, particularly for its central location in the middle of the medieval old town, its historic building status (it's a tourist attraction in its own right) and the attached gourmet restaurant. The broccoli soup was unforgettable!
Here's a list of other recommended places to visit in Colmar:
Little Venice: the network of canals in the old town
Quai de la Poissonnerie: a lovely medieval street
Unterlinden Museum: featuring the famous Isenheim altar piece
The Dominican Church: with the painting Madonna of the Rose Arbor
The Bartholdi Museum: dedicated to the designer of the Statue of Liberty
Toy museum: specialising in animated toys
www.ila-chateau.com/tetes/
19 Rue des Têtes, 68000 Colmar, Alsace, France
Google map: bit.ly/iVOUgH
I visited Mexico as a self-funded school trip when I was 15. This was one of the hotels in which we stayed. It was phenomenal. Everything from the rooms to the fine dining and swimming pool were beyond excellent. The hotel itself is a converted jail with its fascinating tunnel network still intact and open to visitors. Amazing memories from this trip.
www.haciendavistahermosa.com.mx/
+52(0)1 800 090 9040
Km. 7 Carretera, Alpuyeca, Tequesquitengo, San José Vista Hermosa, Puente de Ixtla
Google map: bit.ly/mABxKN
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