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It's a small boat operator in Lisbon with intimate boats carrying up to 7 people and very cheap. Lovely music on board and superb service by the skipper.
We tried a Old Lisbon tour and it was very nice. Then the guy suggested us to have dinner in the Atira-te ao Rio restaurant in the south side of Lisbon near the bridge and we went on the boat and had a great meal and came back on the boat to Alcantara. If you don't take the tour, you should try the restaurant and you can go by boat as well.
www.marlinboattours.com, +351 919275509. Departures from Alcantara Docs and Belem, but better to call first.
A bar in Kowloon to enjoy a drink after work and watch the skyscraper light show on Hong Kong. The bar also owns an old style junk called Aqualuna which takes you through the harbour and is a top place to view the cityscape.
Aqua Spirit at top of 1 Peking Road
www.aqua.com.hk/
Partake of this for €25 at the Villa Leonhardi – a superb Italian restaurant in an old villa just outside the old city; and once a month they do a seasonal tasting menu for €80‚ which is well worth making the journey for.
A great place to see the locals - especially the more senior citizens - enjoy themselves at the weekend exercising, dancing, doing taiqi and doing calligraphy with water-filled brushes on the paving stones near the east entrance.
North 3rd Ring Road neat intersection with Chaoyang Bei Lu
Beautiful hotel located on Sheikh Zayed Road. Stayed here on my first visit a few years back and have been there ever since. You get stunning views over the star wars part of the city from the higher rooms (and the top floors are there executive rooms complete with nice lounge and food all day). The pool is small enough to seem private yet busy enough not to seem like a loner, there are no screaming kids around and the staff seem to go out of their way to help you. They also have those curtains that open and close with a button so you can feel like James Bond.
Sheikh Zayed Road
www.shangrila.com
This restaurant situated on the Chicago River serves great sushi and modern Japanese cuisine. It’s very smart and tends to attract a rather beautiful crowd. You can choose between the red room or the green room, depending on what mood you’re in; or there’s also a wonderful river-front patio.
Country house previously owned by artist John Ruskin. Near to Lake Coniston, so, if it's a nice day, combine with a walk along the lakeshore or even up nearby fell Coniston Old Man.
Cushchine Cottage is a small, family-friendly, beautiful, self-catering rental set within an animal farm park. It's ideal as a base for all of Kaikoura's attractions (about a mile from the town centre) and includes free access to the Farm Park, and you can help out with their early morning feeding.
The cottage has two bedrooms (sleeps up to seven), an equipped kitchen, lounge with wood burner, sofas and TV, free use of a gas barbecue and fabulous views of Mt Fyffe. Towels and bedding are included, and it only costs $100-180 a night (depends on numbers and time of year).
We spent two nights in a more expensive motel, before staying an extra night in the rental cottage. We enjoyed it so much, we chose cottages for the rest of our NZ trip!
Ask them about a lovely walk to a nearby river, less than a mile away, with two huge natural swimming pools - it's a local secret!
12 Kowhai Ford Road (about 1 mile from Kaikoura town centre)
03 319 5033
www.cushchinecottage.co.nz
A superb family-oriented farm park run by a lovely english couple. They've a wide range of farm animals (wallabies, llamas, ponies, lambs, donkeys, rabbits, ducks, horses, peacocks, chickens and chicks, guinea pigs, chinchillas... the list is practically endless!).
The aminals are super-friendly, and come right up to you. They offer free pony cart rides, and you can help bottle feed their younger animals. It's a cute, small, personal kind of place, with magnificent views of snow-topped Mt Fyffe.
We ended up there when our Whale Watch trip was cancelled and, to be honest, our kids are still talking about it, and have long forgotten the whale trip which they didn't appreciate at all (amazing when you consider the whale trip was about ten times the price!). It's not as 'flash' as another park we visited in the UK, but the hands on experience was truly memorable, and became one of the highlights of our NZ holiday. They've also got a small beautiful self-catering rental cottage - we loved the place so much, we stayed an extra night in their cottage and benefited from free access to early morning feeding and free farm park entry. The kids loved it - shame we didn't know about it before we arrived.
12 Kowhai Ford Road (about 1 mile from Kaikoura town centre and railway station)
03 319 5033
www.cushchinecottage.co.nz
A traditional taverna in the old town. No touting, no hard sell, just great food served by father and sons. Enclosed garden terrace with views. Reasonably priced with the best yigantes I have ever tasted!
Taverna Kostas
Pythagora 62
Old Town
Rhodes
Take the ferry from Cais do Sodre for the ten-minute crossing to Cacilhas (€1.25), avoid the street traders at the exit and turn sharp right to walk along the quay. There are wonderful old industrial buildings and eventually, the maritime museum and an elevador or a steep series of steps up to the small town of Almada and the Cristo Rei statue, from where there is a great view back across the Tejo as far as Sintra.
Monkton Wyld Court is an environmental education centre that does family activity holidays, B&B and retreats. It's a beautiful place and ideal for anyone wanting a break with a difference. Guests stay in the Victorian Gothic house which has wonderful original features and overlooks the terraced lawns and Dorset countryside. The gardens are abundant with wildlife, we saw a baby deer just yards from us and at dusk sat in the courtyard sipping wine and watching some rare bats fly in and out of the buildings. B&B is reasonable (£26) and it's great for walks to the coast and sight seeing. The place is very relaxed and family-friendly. Our kids loved playing in the gardens and finding all the tree houses and swings. Food is wholesome organic veggie served fresh from the garden. Couldn't recommend it more highly. Beats stuffy old guest houses!
www.monktonwyldcourt.org
Axminster is nearest staion
01297 560342 to book.
We enjoyed dining at Manolo Caracol (casual, locally owned) and Astrid y Gaston (more formal, originated in Peru).
As for places to see, I recommend the Baha'i temple, walking in Soberania National Park, and visiting Miraflores Locks.
Astrid y Gaston: www.astridygaston.com
Bahai Organization: www.bahai.org
Miraflores locks: www.pancanal.com
Full trip report, with photos at www.travelmusings.net
A relaxed farmstead one hour’s drive from Salta on the outskirts of sleepy town Coronel Moldes. Owned by Carlos and Valeria Lewis. We spent three days riding their horses and enjoying the surrounding views of the Dique Cabra Corral and El Fuerte mountains. The couple keep goats and Valeria has won many slow food awards for her outstanding goat’s cheese – a welcome respite for two vegetarians visiting Argentina…
Accommodation consists of simply furnished bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms overlooking the garden.
Carlos has created the only tobacco museum in Argentina full of artefacts and is passionate about the history of the plant. He was endlessly helpful and nothing seemed to be too much effort to arrange. The family could not have been more hospitable and friendly and when we next visit north-west Argentina we will most definitely be staying here again.
Warmly recommended.
Coronel Moldes, 4400, Argentina
+543874905050
clewis@salnet.com.ar
Google map: tinyurl.com/ly4tpn
A family-run four-star hotel right on the edge of the lake. Large comfortable rooms; wonderful lake views; great food and welcoming and helpful owners.
hotelladarsena.it/darsena_tremezzo/index.html
Fly or take the train to Milan or Como; use the public boat or bus service to reach Tremezzo
This has to be the best veggie cafe in the Lakes.
I had an awesome breakfast, looking over the mountains, in the (very rare!) lakeland sunshine. Great food, good portions, and a cool bike shop upstairs too.
Bell Close, Keswick, Cumbria
www.lakelandpedlar.co.uk
017687 74492
I visited Ireland recently and for a change we went to counties Carlow and Kilkenny, very nice as both are full of history and ruins. Easy access from Dublin (only one-hour drive to Kilkenny), Kilkenny castle is fantastic with lots of nice accommodation. I found a good restaurant especially if you're a beef eater. Enjoy...
www.butlercourt.com (guest house)
www.celticbedandbreakfast.com (B&B Carlow)
www.langtons.ie (restaurant Kilkenny)
It's hard to find high quality accommodation in a stunning location, but Spinneywood has it all. Panoramic coastal views, a beautifully furnished and well-equipped property and an acre of private garden all to ourselves. We had a lovely holiday. I only wish we'd been able to stay for longer.
We took a chance on all aspects of our Peak District 'adventure' tour in May: weather, accommodations, sites and proximities, near constant driving on the 'wrong' side of unfamiliar roads, not knowing any other North Americans who'd travelled there. But our primary purpose - to experience the contrasting landscapes and see-for-miles views was stupendously satisfied! Quite by accident we stumbled upon a listing for Bretton Cottage on the web, and booked it, as it was 'central' to all the areas we wanted to tour and visit. Little did we know that it was an extraordinary establishment, a 15th century listed but renovated farmhouse, in a hamlet of only three buildings, situated on an edge with endless views in three directions.
Creative local cuisine available on an expansive breakfast menu, and the faultless Barrel Inn cuisine 10 yards from the gate for dinner. We had one of two spacious suites with private entrances, ours with twin beds, a sitting area, kitchenette, fully modernised bath, and the softest of sheets and bathrobes. (The other suite is a king bed.) We simply made ourselves at home for more than a week! The cost was very reasonable at 80 quid, the privacy complete, and the gracious and welcoming hosts a joy! (Breakfasts stretched to two-hour affairs as conversation and shared laughter grew day by day.)
We both returned to the US certain that much of the success of the trip was due to the unexpected luck in finding such a fine 'base' for our travels. The proprietors also operate self-catering cottages throughout the district.
Bretton, Eyam, Nr Foolow
Hope Valley, Derbyshire
S32 5QD
Tel: 01433 631076 / 07900 192838
The centre of the city is not large, so it makes this place easy to visit in a day.
You can choose to visit Florence by bike, following the cycle tracks that reach the most famous historic sites.
What to see:
- Piazza della Signoria
- Piazzale Michelangelo
- Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square)
- The Bargello Museum
- Ponte Vecchio: To one side of the bridge there is the majestic bust of the most famous Florentine goldsmith, Benvenuto Cellini.
Scenic views:
- Bike along the romantic Viale dei Colli up to Piazzale Michelangelo to see the wonderful landscape of Florence
- Panoramic view of the Boboli Gardens
Bike rental estimated prices:
1 hour - about 3 Euro
1 day - from a minimum of 14 Euro to a maximum of 27 Euro
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