http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18723 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18723 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18503
Hip-hop, dub, techno and d'n'b all sound good in this underground spot where the drinks are reasonable, people smile while they dance and the pretentious need not apply.

No chrome, no flashy lightshows, no rolling dice, no sparklers in Champagne bottles, great music. A breath of fresh air (despite all the tobacco smoke).]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18503 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18476
If there isn't one in your hotel room, you can buy it at foreign press news stands for just €2 or simply download it for free.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18476 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18377 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18377 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18109
Decent music nights, recent ones were Dubstep and a celebration of the Rio Carnival with drummers and cheep Brazilian beer. Usually packed at the weekend, always a laugh.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18109 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18025 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18025 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17902 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17902 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17893 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17893 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17802 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17802 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17480
It would be great - if it were true!

Last year's was a shambles. The authorities didn't (wouldn't) release guides until the night itself (and then didn't explain how to get them) and most Parisians had no idea what was open, or where.

We joined the crowds milling outside the Louvre (closed), tried the Musee d'Orsay (closed) and settled for a Bateau Mouche - which turned out to provide the long awaited guidebook once you'd bought your ticket.

The boat trip itself was pleasant, during which we could read the guide - to discover few places indeed were open at all, and the promised 'all night opening' of the Metro only applied to certain lines in certain directions.

The only bar we could find open and not crammed with similarly baffled tourists was Australian (not very Parisian). When we finally gave up, we joined the thousands of others equally trying to desperately get a taxi home in the sub-zero temperatures, and ended up huddled in a Metro entrance (closed) for warmth until the hordes had thinned enough for us to try and get back.

It can't be blamed on our being tourists - as we have French friends who live in Paris and who we'd joined to spend the 'event' with!

Hopefully this year's will be better, but I'd definitely check every detail out in advance, just in case!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17480 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17368
First, you raise your body temperature by a few valuable degrees in the normal, heated Below Zero bar downstairs, which serves creative fresh fruity cocktails such as a scrummy apple and blackberry crumble concoction.

Everyone is allocated a 40 minute time slot so when your time comes they give you space-age silver cloaks, thick gloves and snow boots and you go into the Ice Bar. Inside it's minus five degrees and everything inside is made from clear crystal ice from Sweden – the walls, the bar, the tables and the chunky glasses, which you slurp simple but super-strong vodka cocktails from. Drinking doesn't get more refreshing than this.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17368 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17348
If you fancy a day of drinking, the Augustiner Braustubl (mentioned previously) is a definite must and a good place to start. Great beer at an affordable price with plenty of food vendors to cap it all off.

The alternative is a pub/restaurant called Raschhofers; you can, depending on the time, turn up and order a barrel of beer which is then placed under your table and costs around 85 euros. In a group of four, this can last for 4-5 hours. Highly recommended. The Stiegl Keller is another that is recommended.

For a night out, the Rudolfskai area is the place to go. Vibrant and loud, it's popular with Austrian youngsters. There is plenty of bars to keep you occupied. Bar Flip is the one we enjoyed the most.

Nightclubs, just ask about and follow the crowd!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17348 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17345
Some of the best are the elegant garden at the Nacional and the rooftop bars of the Moorish-style Sevilla (the setting for Our Man in Havana) and Ambos Mundos (where Hemingway wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls). The two more famous Hemingway haunts (Floridita and La Bodeguita) are just tourist traps these days.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17345 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17338 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17338 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17332
The hotel itself is like something from an old James Bond film with its lift to the private beach below built into the rock face.

The cocktails served in Vapor's bar are something quite special. The terrace is split in two with Vapor on one side and the other side being home to one of the best restaurants in Dubrovnik. The terrace has a wonderful view out over the Adriatic where you can sip your cocktail while watching a whole variety of craft from tall Pirates of The Caribbean ships to little island-hopping taxis moving in and out of Dubrovnik harbour framed by a glorious sunset.

The Adriatic's most friendly barman made us the perfect Vodka Martinis and told us tales of having to fight in the Balkan war and then finding work on a cruise ship where he learned the art of perfect mixing. My boyfriend and I spent a magical evening sipping amazing cocktails and watching the moonlight dance over the Adriatic. Bliss!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17332 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17319 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17319 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16980 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16980 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16952
Nowadays, its a place that offers so many attractions you wouldn't believe. During the day, it operates as a cultural centrr with awesome classes for tourists. There you can learn, as a total beginner, with few classes, the samba dance and the capoeira.

If you think you will never get the way to manage such beautiful movements, you are mistaken!

At nights the place also works as a nightclub, with Brazilian sounds mainly. At Sundays, they offer samba with feijoada, the national and lovely dish included. A must!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16952 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16873
The huge café area plays host to multiple activities from quiet union meetings to cinema and concerts. Most of the latter are free. The French and Flemish press are available.

Sit down at any of the tables and you can be left alone or join in on the conversations. Nearly everyone talks English. The bar is good and very cheap and the food is wholesome. Homemade soup and bread for 2.60 euros which is great and pasta for about 8. Mostly fair trade and not bad for veggies.

For the stay over there my favourite in an ex-convent called Geertje Henckens on Zwartezusterstraat in the centre of town. There are only two bedrooms so book. A breakfast to die for and the second day it gets better.

If it is full try Faja Lobi in Tarbotstraat, a little further from the centre but with a lovely garden and (if possible) an even better welcome from the gay couple that run the place. Both are about 60 euros for a couple.

Then take a wander. Everything is within 30mins walk but take one of the river tours if you haven't done any research. The Cathedral is a must.

For light refreshment I recommend The Pink Flamingo in Onderstraat as possibly the most kitsch bar in the world. I go at least twice a year with my wife to Ghent and we are never disappointed.

The thing about the chip shop is true - it is the best.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16873 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16638 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16638