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A wonderful ristorante and wine bar in a 15th century building, complete with vaulted ceilings, in the Centro Storico of Sarnano, near to the Sibillini Mountains National Park in Italy's Le Marche region. They offer you a choice of seven house wines at giveaway prices (we settled on an aged Rosso Piceno) and have a choice of set menu, at an amazing €13, or a la carte. The food is all sourced locally and consists of antipastis of selected meats and cheeses, roasted stuffed vegetables, pasta made with local truffles, wild mushrooms and vegetables, wonderful grilled meats and sweets.
Via Mazzini in the Centro Storico at Sarnano, Marche, Italy
If you are visiting le Marche and fancy a real adrenaline rush and the most incredible views of the region, then head up to the Scoula di Volo (flying school) above Sarnano. They teach hangliding and parascending and launch from a wonderful meadow at about 1500metres. You can fly tandem with an instructor for €60. One of our crowd experienced a flight over a golden eagle exploiting the same thermal below them and didn't even have to pay extra! For stylish accommodation in the area try www.villasanraffaello.com
www.limanhouse.it
Near San Liberato Monastery 5km from Sarnano, Macerata, Marche
Not exactly in Barcelona, but nevertheless a fantastic day trip, the monastery of Montserrat is absolutely magnificent.
First and foremost: the landscape. You can see it coming from a mile off; weird bulbous rock formations bulging out.
On the way up, there's a fantastic Romanesque chapel with amazing frescoes, and the whole area is riddled with hermits' caves.
The church itself is vast, 1000m above sea-level, and (oddly) reassuringly hideous in scale and detail.
Still, it's a mighty impressive spectacle and the surrounding countryside is simply breathtaking.
90 minutes from Barcelona (near Lleida)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montserrat_(mountain)
The Aiguille du Midi is what every tourist comes to Chamonix for. It's the highest cable car in the world and the €38 return ticket is worth every cent. In just eight minutes you're whisked from Chamonix town centre to Plan d'Aiguille where you change cable cars and in another eight minutes you're taken up to the Aiguille du Midi station where you're rewarded with stupendous views of Mont Blanc and Italy.
Fortunately, I chose the right time to go (7.30am) as the light shone on Mont Blanc in just the right way and there were only six tourists on the highest terrace which looks over Mont Blanc, be warned though the cable car does get cramped with all of the skiers with their skis and poles taking up every inch
Note to parents - children under two are not allowed on the cable car.
Aiguille du Midi cable departs from Place de l'Aiguille du Midi cable car station - just a 30 minute walk from Chamonix train station (but bizarrely there are no signs showing you the way from Chamonix train station).
Pieria mountains are roughly in the middle of the Greek mainland and just beside Mount Olympus - the well known mount of gods from mythology. They are beautiful and green.
A hotel which has a great view of Mount Olympus is the Semeli Resort. It's small but cosy and is beside the forests. Great walking opportunities, birdwatching, mountain biking, skiing - when there's snow.
In 20 minutes' drive you can visit Dion, Vergina in one-hour drive, Thessaloniki with a vast collection of Byzantine churches and ruins, museums and the beach is 20 minutes' drive. I love this area - beautiful mountains, small villages with simple but genuine life. It is worth visiting.
This is a great little hotel in a superb location for both (snow-sure) skiing in winter and outdoor activities the rest of the year. Amazing views in all directions. Good home-cooked food and very reasonable prices. They've got a lovely big garden and sunny terrace where you can relax/read/gaze at the stunning mountains across the valley. It's easy to reach from Salzburg, Linz or Graz airports.
We've been there in winter and also on walking holidays in summer and can't decide which we liked better. The village (Bad Mitterndorf) is really unspoilt by tourism - no package tours go there and the atmosphere is really Austrian. It's on the edge of the Austrian Lake District - great for swimming in the hot summers! We just keep on going back for more. Oh, and they've got mountain bikes that guests can use free of charge, too.
www.austria-skiing.com
www.austria-walking.com
Tel : +43 (0) 3623 2638
email : pensionbinder@aon.at
Treks and walks are possible for residents and visitors alike. Certainly the coast offers beauty beyond description but the forests and mountains, together with the villages and settlements contained within their folds, provide an experience that, unchanged by tourism, contrasts sharply with the local resorts.
Doi Inthanon is a couple of hours away from Chiang Mai. It's a great way to cool off on a hot day - and it is renowned for its amazing views and wildlife. The best time to visit is November to January.
www.earthoria.com/doi-inthanon-the-highest-mountain-in-thailand.html
Great to look at from low level and even better to get up close and personal with - although not so much at this time of year!
If you're flying to New York, head to Pennsylvania, widely acknowledged as the diner capital of the US. You can do day hikes in the mountains, see some pleasant if not beautiful cities (Philly and Pittsburgh) and eat classic diner food (scrapple, cheesesteaks, mounds of pancakes). Not too far to drive, and also home of the birth of the American interstate. Also much cheaper than staying anywhere near New York.
Near Chuncheon is the small town of Gangchon. I would recommend staying here as the accommodation is cheap and comfortable - just don't take the first offer you find! You can rent scooters or quad bikes and go charging about the hills and mountains.
Near Gangchon, there is a pretty mountain. At the top, try the dakjjim (a spicy chicken dish). You might have to wait a few minutes whilst they catch, kill and prepare the chicken!
This region is famous for the wonderful Korean dish Dakkalbi (a spicy chicken stew with vegetables and rice cakes) if you haven't tried it anywhere else, give it a go here.
You can get to Gangchon by bus from Chuncheon - take a bus from the bus station
Mount Tiede is Spain's only active volcano. It has views from the top of the other six Canary Islands - but requires visa/permit from Santa Cruz.
National Parque
Hotel comprising separate chalets huddled on a hill with spectacular mountain views. Run by Sita and her husband with real affection and friendliness. They can organise treks (the hotel has been used by Everest teams) and will ply you with good local food and ensure you get up in time to catch the mind-blowing sunrises.
The Fort Resort - Nagarkot (City Office)
P O Box 3004, Lazimpat, KTM
Tel: 977 1 4432 960 / 4432 964 fax: 977 1 4432 958
e-mail: fort@mos.com.np
Tamatert guesthouse is about a 15 minute walk from the centre of Imlil. From the roof and the balcony of the guesthouse you have great views of the valley and Atlas mountains (www.petraroest.nl/images/index0.jpg - made me drool.
The guesthouse has double rooms, rooms with multiple beds, big living room, toilets, showers and medical facilities. Dinner and breakfast are included for the guests.
The guesthouse is run by three brothers (Mohamed, Jamal and Rachid Imerhane). They also helped people plan their treks in the mountains.
If you would like further information you can contact Jamal Imerhane by phone: 00212-7115-7636 or by email: jamaltrek@yahoo.fr.
We walked through the Sibillini foothills from Sarnano to San Liberato Monastery near to the hang gliding school and Gabella Nuova, the views up to the mountains and down across the rolling hills to the sea were stunning. San Liberato was a follower and friend of Saint Francis of Assisi and this was one of a number of monasteries built throughout Le Marche by their followers the Frati Fioretti di Jesi.
The monks are renovating all of the monasteries (don't know where they found the capital!) and trying to make them self-sufficient, opening ristorante, bars, hotels, and hosting wedding and functions. The monastery is open daily for visitors and adjacent to this there's a bar, which is stocked with a great selection of wines and a menu of quality Belgian beers no less, the ristorante menu is really seasonal and quite different from anything else available locally. At the moment in November and December there's a robust menu based around game, chesnuts, truffles and wild mushrooms - you can go a-la-carte or take a tour de force plate of everything (€35 inc wine, coffee and grappa). It's open most lunchtimes and Saturday and Sunday evenings phone in advance on 0733 694103 or 071 977128. There's also a website with more information on the monasteries and potential itinararies. www.terradeifioretti.it
There are many comfortable hotels locally or you can rent stylish apartments just outside Sarnano at www.villasanraffaello.com
Flights to the area - Ancona and Pescara 1.5 hrs, Perugia & Rimini 2hrs, Rome & Bologna 2h45mins
San Liberato Monastery, Gabella Nuova, San Ginesio, Macerata, Le Marche
Dar Tassa is a simply wonderful place in the Atlas Mountains near Marrakech.
A lovely place amongst beautiful surroundings, let alone the delicious food and drink!
With highly friendly, knowledgeable and English speaking hosts aiding the organisation of our trek, our trip was definitely one to remember.
We visited on reading about this wonderful place in the RyanAir magazine where Dar Tassa was voted in their Top 10 most Eco-Friendly places to visit that won't harm the planet, or your pocket.
With great value for money we will be returning to Dar Tassa for sure.
We had a wonderful stay at Dar Tassa and enjoyed every second of it. What a beautiful place and what nice and kind people.
Mohammed guided us through the mountains. He spoke English very well and was very kind and told us everything we would like to know
The food was a highlight: they made us some of the best veggie tagines we've had in Morocco and only wish we'd had longer to savour the peace and tranquility of the place.
It may be only the second highest mountain in England but it has the best views! Fantastic walk from Glenridding or Patterdale via Striding Edge.
Hacienda Los Gorriones are two 'cortijos' (typical Andalusian cottages) tucked away in olive-dotted mountains in the Sierra Norte (about 1.5 hours north from either Sevilla or Cordoba).
The cottages are located in an area of dramatic landscapes, and within an area renowned throughout Spain for its Iberian cured and fresh meats. The owners of the cottages also run a ham drying facility, and for a very reasonable price you can enjoy excellent Iberian fare in the barbecue.
The cottages make an excellent detour for people visiting Sevilla and Cordoba, and are ideal for people wanting to go walking in the hills. There are very few tourists, but the cottages are often booked by locals for the weekend.
They are both family and pet friendly.
A four star hotel at a lake with unpretentious, yet perfect service and wonderful food (on par with better London restaurants), surrounded with tale-like scenery of Austrian Alps. Full of activities for kids and adults alike: great and constant child care, lots of sports lessons (tennis, sailing, surfing, horse-riding). Lots of pampering - massage, sauna, etc. All of this for a three-star price. Hard to believe there is actually still a place where you pay a bill and feel you should be paying more. Home from home...
Easily accessible from Klagenfurt or Ljubljana airport (people from the hotel will pick you up at the Klagenfurt airport and transfer you in 45 minutes for £20).
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