Hot spots
Here's a totally subjective list of my personal favourite spots in places I visited through the years.
- Venice (over many years)
- Restaurants: La Fornace Murano (Murano): great fish soup, terrace with a view over Venice (and if you get a seat on the far end also looking straight into the glassblowing atelier of Diego Vio). Osteria All Bifora for classic Venetian tapas-like food, overlooking the bustle of Campo Santa Margharita. Go for ice cream at Gelateria il Doge. Ca’ d’Oro Alla Vedova, on Ramo Ca’ d’Oro off Strada Nova. Vini da Gigio, Calle Stua Cannaregio. Bars: El Refolo, nice small bar with a terrace on Via Garibaldi (a nice part of town to visit). Terminal 2.0, on Campio de S. Basegio, on the other side of town. Caconero, on Fondamenta Barbarigo, for coffee.
- Portugal, 2022
- Praio do Amado (off Carrapateria in the south west of Portugal) is a great beach, with Sitio do Forno as a very nice restaurant a short walk away overlooking it. On the way to it from the north, you’ll pass Bordeira, a beautiful small village. North of Lisbon, we liked the beaches of Baleal best. Taberna do Ganhao is great (and busy: but you can already order drinks and drink them on the benches overlooking the beach while waiting to be seated.) We stayed in Cascais to visit Lisbon: this beach town has a cheap, direct, train connection to Lisbon. And after your visit, you can relax on the beach or cool down in the sea.
- Algarve, Portugal, 2019
- 8 Tapas, Rue Rebeio da Silva 8, Faro. Best Pasteis de Nata we had came from Crisbolo, Praça do Poder Local 8, Lagos.
- Sulawesi, 2018
- We loved our stay at Seabreaze Resort. Nice indonesian food. Basic but good accomodation, with stunning views if you book sea-view. Great diving location. The quaint villag of Donggala was great to visit again, and so was our stay at Prince John Dive Resort there. But this was before the tsunami struck the Palu Bay area, and we haven't been back since.
- Curaçao, 2016
- The Toko Willibroder in Williwood, and Playa Daaibooi.
- New York, 2014
- Beers at Top Hops, 94 Orchard Street. Great (and cheap) enchiladas and similar fare at Cafe Habana, 17 Prince Street.
- St. Petersburg, Russia, 2013
- For eating go to Teplo at Bolshaya Morskaya ul. 45, or Zoom cafe at Gorokhovaya ul., 22. For drinks, bar/cafe "Producti" (sic!) on Fontanka 17 is nice. The "Red Triangle" rubber show factory at Obvodnogo Kanala 143 is a gigantic wasteland with studios, shops, bars, etc.
- Moscow, 2013
- Kvartira 44 (Kb. 44) at Bolshaya Nikitskaya ul. 22/2 is not only a very cosy bar, but also a great place to eat.
- Chicago 2011
- Around Damen square is a nice out-of-town area. Great coffee and sandwiches at Cipollina on N. Damen Avenue, opposite Damen metro station. Downtown, Elephant & Castle is a decent pub on Wabash and Lake.
- Beijing 2010
- We liked our stay in the Red Lantern House. For art, skip m798 and go to Caochangdi instead. And Mao Livehouse is a nice music venue (that reminded me of Vera.. it's a bit smaller though). Nanluogu Xiang is nice street with shops, bars and good restaurants (the 2nd north of the Pass By bar we liked a lot).
- Shanghai 2010
- Quintet B&B is a great and romantic place to stay, in the French Concession. Pho Real (166 Fu Min Road) serve delicious Vietnamese food in a hip setting. And the location of the Barbarossa lounge, right in the Peoples Park, is superb. For art, go to the Red Town near the metro line 3 Hongqiao Station.
- Australia 2010
- Cha Cha Char, Eagle St. Pier, Brisbane for good meat. Tibetan Kitchen, Brunswick Str, Brisbane, friendly and cosy (and BYO). We liked the rainforest and reef around Cape Tribulation. And Darwin has a great Indian restaurant: Hanuman.
- Dubai Airport 2010
- Pinkberry's frozen yogurts.
- St. Malo, 2009
- Expensive, but worth it (and you'll be the youngest patron in the crowd ;-): Restaurant de La Duchesse Anne, Place Guy la Chambre 5.
- Argentina, 2009
- The waterfall at Olean west of La Falda (thanks Flavio). Great take-away/delivery empanadas two blocks west of La Refugio in San Juan. In Buenos Aires, Palermo is the best barrio to stay in (for example at La Otra Orilla with many good restaurants and bars. And take tango lessons in Buenos Aires! Everybody does, even absolute beginners, and there is really no dress code, not even for shoes.…
- Krete, Greece, 2008
- Forget the north of Krete: go south. To the romantic village of Lendas, for instance. East and west of that place beaches with free camping. In Lendas itself, Zacharias will be your host at Taverna "El Greco".
- Istanbul, Turkey, 2008
- Great food at Krependeki Imroz, Nevizade Sokak No.: 16 Balıkpazarı, Beyoğlu. A romantic (really!) terrace behind the petrol station on Kennedy Cad. with a view on the sea of Marmare in Sultanahmet. Or visit the tea gardens north of Topkapi with a view on the Bosporus. For seefood visit Capari, at Cap Ariz Sk (the road that leads from the fishmarket at Kennedy Cad. into Kumkapi) in Kumkapi. Check out the concerts at Babylon (mind you: the beer is expensive there...). Good restaurants around the corner there too.
- Berlin, Germany, 2007
- I loved my stay in Friedrichshain. Good Tai food at Papaya, Krossener Strasse 11. Events, music and stuff: forget the Kulturbrauerei... go to RAW, Revaler Strasse 99.
- Johannesburg, South Africa, 2007
- To escape the city I went to Horseback Africa, as adviced by Meta. Relaxed, unpretentious, safariing by horse. Great occasion to meet stewardesses in the wild, as well ;-) They even do pick ups and returns to/from major hotels in Jo'burg and the airport.
- Zürich, Switserland, 2007
- Die Rote Fabrik; a kind of "Oude RKZ" in Groningen. Tibits (Seefeldstrasse 2): trendy bar/self-service restaurant.
- Tokyo, Japan, 2006
- Asimul (in Hatsune-kouji), a super small, super cosy asian food cafe with friendly host and friendly japanese guests!
- Kyoto, Japan, 2006
- Great vegetarian food at Tosai (Sakaimachi higashi-iru, Takoyakushi-dori, Nakagyo-ku)
- Göteborg, Sweden, 2006
- Pizza's (au feux de bois) at Le Petit Cyranno (Victoriagatan 24), coffee at Nöller (Haga Nygata 30) - in general the Haga area is nice - and stay at Eklanda B&B (eklandabb at hotmail.com): Eva, thanks for being such a good host!
- Ajaccio, Corsica, 2005
- Boca Loca (Rue de la Porta) serve great cocktails. U Papacionu (Rue St. Charles) is a nice place to eat pizza... and to discover liquer de myrthe.
- Amsterdam, Netherlands, many years ;-)
- The best things are for free! Take the ferry departing from Central station across the IJ to the NDSM shipyards (and back), for great views. Thai food at Sjaalman (Prinsengracht 178, opposite Westerkerk). More stylish: Hemelse Modder (Oude Waal). More views: have lunch on the top floor of Post CS, off Central Station.
- Athens, Greece, 2005
- Restaurant Prosopa (Konstantinoupoleos 84) with its terrace along the railtrack (Thanks vre! ;-). In general, the Gazi area (at the end of Ermou road) is a nice area to eat and go out.
- Barcelona, Spain, 2005
- Drinks at Ámbar, a copy of "de Kult", at the end of Rambla del Raval (Thanks David!). Eat at the cool Lupino (Pl de Gardunya, across the main food market) or the terraces of C. dels Àngels.
- Pythagorio, Samos, 2005
- There's a good restaurant at the southernmost tip of the port, called the vessel (in greek).
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