When it comes to atmospheric and ‘Christmassy’ European towns, Brittany’s St Malo certainly takes some beating. Its Christmas market dominates the festive presence of the town with about 30 chalet style stalls selling anything from home-grown gastronomy to Christmas presents of all shapes and sizes. Local crafts are demonstrated on the streets, the ambiance augmented
Visiting the Catalan capital of Barcelona is a rewarding experience all year round as this vibrant city is a constant swath of colour and vivacity. At Christmas time, as you can imagine, Barcelona is especially exuberant with lights adorning the streets in a truly spectacular fashion and festivities taking place round every corner. The mayor
If you are going on holiday with your own car to Galicia, Northern Portugal, Andalucia, Catalonia or anywhere in Spain or Portugal for that matter, you may well be taking the ferry to Santander. Some ferry port cities are worth little more than driving away from but some are worth a bit of a mosey
If you are staying in a Vintage Travel Spanish villa where you have all the mod cons when it comes to cooking facilities, why not make the most of such a well-equipped kitchen and enjoy preparing and eating a few delicious hearty meals in? Not only will you save yourself some money but you could
With the fragile economy still pumping through Britain’s veins, ‘tightening our belts’ financially has become, for many, a necessary feature of modern life. This includes when we are on holiday, which if we’re not careful can end up costing a small fortune. This is when endeavouring to visit the less inexpensive local haunts can prove
The Andalucian city of Malaga is the sixth largest city in Spain. Due to its proximity to the southernmost tip of Europe, this cosmopolitan town is blessed with some of the mildest winters in the whole of Europe. Mild winters is however not the only reason to visit Malaga in winter. The capital of the Costa
As you slowly drift downwind with only the occasional burst of the burners to remind you that air must be heated in order to hold you aloft, hot air ballooning is a graceful yet at the same time nail-biting sport. With cloudless skies of azure blue for more than 300 days a year, ballooning over
Those of us who are enlivened by the rapidly ascending darker nights, brisker air and long days indoors, it is safe to say are in a minority. The majority want the vibrant spirit of the summer to live on, to prolong the darker and colder winter months from encroaching. There is one way to extend
It has to be said that when it comes to dishes that cross multi-national boundaries and are revered throughout the world, lamb stew vaunts transnational appeal. While the British are more familiar with Irish stew or even Indian lamb Rogan Josh, the Portuguese’s version of this popular dish is known as the Chanfana. While the ingredients
If you are seeking a romantic trip away, then the island of Ibiza and its heavenly sunsets beckon. From walking hand in hand across the sun-drenching beaches, to watching the sun descend behind the jagged sierras, Ibiza can justifiably be described as being a couple’s paradise. Of course your romantic getaway to the legendary Balearic
