A sheltered beach with bar/loungers on St Jean Cap Ferrat. Facing in to the mainland, with a lovely view over the bay to Beaulieu-sur-Mer and just a hint of Monaco to your right. A lovely place to soak up the sun all day, while watching the yachts come and go. If you happen to turn up via yacht, just call the bar (phone number writ large across the second storey) and they'll powerboat out to pick you up.

Walk along the signposted coastal promenade from Beaulieu Sur Mer to St Jean Port, or take the 81 from Nice Gare Routiere (1 euro 30). It's about 5 km out the other side of the Port.

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Just the name would be enough for a recommendation, but this cafe/diner also has locals and visitors queueing down the street on weekends. The pulled pork, bacon and ham is clearly a main feature, but there's plenty on the typically diner style menu for non-pork or meat eaters.

1451 Haight St

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Los Angeles is great for vintage/retro clothing, and these two stores, right across the road from each other in Venice Beach, are definitely worth a visit. Aaardvark has plenty of retro T-shirts, shirts and suits, while Gotta Have it has more dresses, vintage knitwear and accessories.

Gotta Have It
1516 Pacific Ave.
Venice, CA 90291
Aaardvark's Vintage Clothing
85 Market St.
Venice, CA 90291

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

A privately-owned, car-free island 21 miles off the coast of Long Beach. A haven for sailors, you can hire bikes and kayaks, gamble in the casino, take one of the guided bus tours of the interior or just sit in one of the cute cafes or on one of the small but pretty beaches. The pace of life here is roughly 50 times slower than that of the mainland - a reviving day trip.

www.catalina.com

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

It's virtually impossible to get onto the beach at Malibu if you don't own a slice of it, but Bob Morris' Beach Cafe is right on the beach at Paradise Cove. The food is also great - lots of surf and turf type dishes - and you can hang out on the beach before and after dining. To get to the beach, you have to drive through what is probably the world's most expensive trailer park.

www.paradisecovemalibu.com/beachcafe
Turn left off PCH North, about 30 mins from Santa Monica.

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

The Inn at Venice Beach is a very easy-going hotel. It's set one block back from the Venice boardwalk, south of St Mark's Place,and is perfectly placed for the Venice Whaler, the canals and Marina Del Ray. Staff are helpful and pleasant, it's well-placed for MTA buses but the key to the charm is the little centre courtyard where breakfast is held.

www.innatvenicebeach.com
327 Washington Blvd.
Venice, CA 90291
(800) 828-0688
(310) 821-2557

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

The Viceroy hotel seems to have been been transplanted from Sunset Strip - it has more in common with the Standard and the Mondrian than its neighbour motels. Contemporary, chic, super-trendy, ignore the office-like exterior and head for the garden to enjoy a drink in one of the tents next to the pool or on one of the oversized white wing-back chairs. Heavenly.

www.viceroysantamonica.com
1819 Ocean Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90401
USA
Tel: 1 310-260-7500

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Las Teresitas is the town beach of the capital, Santa Cruz, and is remniscent of a beach at the other end of the Atlantic. Yellow sand shipped from the Sahara, palm trees and cheap lounger hire make this beach an unexpected joy. Enjoy before the threatened strip resort is built here.

Las Teresitas, 8km north of Santa Cruz

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

As you take a well-earned rest after ascending 1000m, a feeling of warmth seeps into your trousers - which is par for the course when you are sitting on an active volcano. Regular and spectacular eruptions, as well as the sight of all the cruise ships watching these from the water, are the very convincing reason to make the three hour guided climb up here.

Coming down, although slightly disconcerting as you slide down the ashy slopes, is much quicker. The climb is enlivened by the amazing variety of flora and fauna and of course, the views. It's necessary to have a guide, and trips can be booked from Lipari and the other Aolian islands.

Stromboli, Aolian Islands

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

A gorgeous terrace with swimming pool and stunning views and in-house beauty treatments more than compensate for plain rooms, but it's the staff who really make this hotel. A room covered in pre-wedding chaos, including floral trimmings, was completely spruced up by bedtime; a late-night impromptu drinks party on the terrace met with free pizza rather than shushing. Drop by for all you can eat breakfast on the terrace, only 15 euros. NB: insurance costs means no irons in hotels.

www.hotelposeidonpositano.it

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends