Category Archives for "South Europe"

Everything you need to know about shopping in Seville, including where to buy authentic Seville souvenirs

Papas arrugadasWhat is typical Tenerife food? Forget jokes about Full English Breakfasts and fish and chips for a pound, the real cuisine in Tenerife stretches back over centuries.Your Guide to Food in Tenerife ​The Top 10 Foods to Try in Tenerife​ GofioBarraquitoRopa VIejaPuchero Roast Chestnuts  Almogrote Papas Arrugadas Tenerife Honey Tenerife Wine Mojo   The food in Tenerife blends together influences […]

There’s no doubt about it: Seville is one of Spain’s most exciting cities, a place with intoxicating heat, history, architecture and food. From cosy hotspots in the centre of town to fortress-like luxury in the hills. Here are the best places to stay in Seville after years spent living there (and reviewing hotels for a living.)

Known for its sunny package holidays, the subtropical island of Tenerife hides its unusual things to do in plain sight. Unusual Things to do in Tenerife With two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and food, landscape and culture aplenty, Tenerife offers so much more than simply lying on the beach. And hardly […]

Venice has a tempestuous love affair with the world. Millions of adoring fans visit La Serenissima each year, lured by the sirens of the Adriatic. Perhaps I’ve spent too much time squashed on the London Underground, but…

Sargadelos and the Authentic Side of Spain They say to really get to know a place, you need to know its ceramics. Well, alright, perhaps they don’t say that, whoever or whomever “they” may be. But in my experience, local food and handicrafts shine a spotlight on a place’s culture in less time than it […]

The Tivoli Lisbon (or to give it its proper name, the Tivoli Avenida Liberdade Lisboa) sweeps you off your feet into stylish five star luxury with an authentic heart of gold. I’ve yet to see somewhere that so effortlessly combined top end glamour with an unreserved affection for young

Costa Navarino Resorts in Greece Five Star Luxury with a TwistCosta Navarino ticks all the usual boxes when it comes to luxury resorts in Greece: nice beach, clean pools, swish bar. But it surprised me like no other with its range of cultural events: olive oil tasting, philosophy walks and a dedicated exhibition centre

  Looking for inspiration for wonderful and unusual things to do in Greece but tired of lists churned out by people who’ve never been there? Look no further! Here is a collection of beautiful, cultural things to do in Greece, peppered with a bit of soul and a lot of golden olive oil with liberal […]

Ah, pretty city Porto, you beautiful place, you. All glowing in from dawn til dusk in a tumbly, jumbly terracotta haze and reflected Harry Potter glory. With your giant gondolas from the port trade, your azulejo tiles and your steep streets to a thousands scenic viewpoints, you wear your prettiness with a bit of grit. […]

Finding Lisbon Restaurants Where Locals Eat Breathless, sweaty and most definitely ready for food, I pushed open the glass door and stumbled inside. “Are you still serving?” I asked, the words more direct than I’d have liked. A man walked towards me, in black against the bright white walls, clear-varnished wood and chic-hipster vibe I’d […]

These days, everyone is talking about things to do in Portugal and why you should go there now. From UNESCO World Heritage Sites, gastronomy, history, architecture, great beaches and whimsical creations and pastries, millennial Portugal most definitely is the new black. But before you skip on down to the list of things to do in […]

It all started with the police check last night.

Torchlight zig-zagged across the car and we huddled in the backseat.

“You are English,” said the policeman. “And yet you say you want…

Deep beneath the scorched sun of the Peloponnese, the Eumelia luxury eco-farm comes from a couple jaded by politics who, quite literally, decided they wanted to get back down to earth. The earth in question is red and dry and crunches underfoot. Rippling boardwalks surf across the dust to connect the five cabins to the […]

If words like authentic and off the beaten track delight you, then you’ll love the rustic luxury of Villa Vager in the Peloponnese, Greece. This Villa Vager Review forms part of a series on The Big Greek Road Hop: Driving the Peloponnese. Find more about exploring this beautiful part of Greece over here.  Villa Vager […]

Pedro Martina’s sun-worn face lights up as he grabs my shoulder and points into the distance.
“Three of them are under the water now,” he says. It’s certainly not the first time Pedro has hunted whales…

The Big Greek Road Hop: A Peloponnese Map and A 10 Day Itinerary for a Driving Holiday in Greece Forget island-hopping through Greece: if it’s culture, natural beauty, beaches and a sense of discovery you’re after, it’s time to hire a car and hit the road through the Peloponnese. If it was good enough for […]

If cities were fairy tales, then Athens, for me, is the Ugly Duckling. For all its legendary ancient world charm, the first time I visited, she left me cold. But over the years, I have fallen in love with her newer side, as well as her philosophical stars. But it wasn’t until I stayed at […]

Here’s your guide to what to do in Seville. I lived in Seville for years and fell in love with its fiery passion and cool, quiet courtyards. From traditional flamenco to wasabi-tinged tapas, let me show you what to do in Seville. What to do in Seville: Your Complete Guide Seville puts the spice into […]

As you’d expect from a UNESCO World Heritage City, Toledo Spain has plenty of things to do. It’s only an hour or so from Madrid so attracts plenty of day trippers. But there’s a better way to see the city and explore its unique sights: stay there. Here’s how to make it happen and what […]

  The Tablas de Daimiel: A Surprising Discovery in Spain’s La Mancha Spain, Spain, you’re all the same. Full of sunshine, sand and sky-high white complexes that spill lobsters into places so crowded with plastic, it’s hard to see the beach. Or, well, you’re not, really. Nope, not even a teensy little bit. Seven years […]

  Road Trip Galicia, Spain: The Salty Northern Sea Coast Of course, every coast is salty. But northwest Spain’s Galician coastline seems the saltiest of all: its landscape licked into shape by the churning, whirling waves, its cuisine at one with the sea and its architecture, history and general attitude shaped by the way that […]

Back in the time when men wore tights and puffy-ruffled adornments around their neck, the world of literature exploded. In England, Shakespeare’s plays strutted across the Globe. In Spain, Miguel Cervantes published the world’s first novel. That should probably read as arguably published the world’s first novel, since when it comes to world firsts, people […]

The Original Pursuit of Happiness We’re often told that our search for happiness is a modern, millennial affair. That we’ve lost touch with what makes life meaningful, ablaze in a flutter and clutter of status updates, selfies and self-centred notions of me me me all the time. Selfies aside, this idea, of course is nonsense. […]

A NEW LOOK AT SAN SEBASTIAN, SPAIN’S BASQUE COUNTRY San Sebastian Hipster Things To Do One of the greatest thrills that travel through Europe offers up has to be the mix of cutting edge new with achingly rustic old. Cobbled streets, peeling paintwork and flavours and fashion that stretch back through millennia connect us to […]

Cork. It’s one of those words I love. Short, sweet and to the point, stirring up memories of emerald isles, springy toughness between finger and thumb and wine-flowing evenings with friends. But it’s never been a word that’s settled for long inside my mind. Flitting in and flying away like a whispery breeze on a […]

Sun, sea, sand, plus a dazzling display of unusual things to do. That’s Spain for you: ski slopes, Picasso, and Barcelona’s ceramic lizard mixed in with paella, flamenco and convivial, tasty tapas. Every country is misunderstood to one degree or another. But I still remember my surprise on arrival at how vast and culturally rich the country […]

Pin Now, Read Later The Balenciaga Museum, Spain It’s a blustery Sunday morning on the day we sweep around the coast. Tawny rocks lead to wet sands where the waves and spray have carved arrow-headed tiger stripes across the beach. A lone man walks a dog and the waves carry chevron markings in heavy grey […]

Tapas in San SebastianSpeak to many about San Sebastian and one of the first things that comes up is the food. Great, creative, mouth-watering food. There’s tapas on the table tops, they tell you, tapas on the bars, Tapas in the restaurants, and tapas in the stars. (Well, something along those lines. It is the kind of food to […]

Attica, Greece Athens is an unusual city. With its eye-watering place in world history, the olive-soaked Mediterranean air breezing through and the Acropolis shining on a hilltop, Athens should be an easy city to fall in love with. Yet alongside the romance, Athens is a fully functional modern European city, complete with skyscrapers, traffic jams, urban grit […]