While “The Times” recently described Palma de Mallorca as “the best place to live in the world”, it should be noted that Majorca is not just Palma and that you are likely to come across your “ideal spot” at any location on the island. I imagine that the Germans would agree, too… On this, the largest of the Balearic islands, there are so many hedonistic enticements that they can scarcely be encompassed in a single getaway. That is why many finally decide to “occupy it”. With the island’s gastronomy as a pretext, here are some key venues in Palma and the rest of the island for tasting it, according to one’s appetite and urges. Some might seek a simple snack; others, a full-blown banquet.

Ensaimada. You will get tired of seeing them everywhere, but at Ca’n Joan de S’Aigo they make the best ensaimadas, which are also for takeaways. Plain or filled with custard, cream or apricot. Don’t be put off by the queues or the time-worn appearance of this pastry shop, arguably resembling your grandparents’ living room. If you’d rather try something different, go for the gató or the cuarto, two traditional, homemade Majorcan sponges.

Sobrasada. Still in Palma, you will come across lots of grocery stores that sell sobrasada. The legendary one is Santo Domingo, where you can see it on display in all its shapes and varieties. The sobrasada sold at the Xesc Reina delicatessen, or La Luna, in Sóller, is delicious spread on toast and honey.

Well-Starred Cuisine

Enogastronomy is on a high, riding on the back of names, paradigms and also Michelin stars. The island is now a foodie destination of the first order, thanks to the cuisine and “gastro-activism” of such chefs as Andreu Genestra and Fernando Pérez Arellano. Both use ingredients sourced locally which they show off in style in reasonably priced/quality tasting menus.

Andreu, in the Son Jaumell hotel, and Fernando in the spectacular Castell Son Claret, grow and pamper much of the raw material for their dishes in situ. Andreu also explores new techniques in his recipes, such as smoked spices, while Fernando dishes up signature breakfasts coveted by other hotels on the island.

Casual Cuisine

Stop off at Claxon, preferably with a prior booking, to discover the “composite cuisine” typifying this establishment, with its garden, lunch menu and portions menu. Amid the bustle of Santa Catalina, head for Patrón Lunares, featuring well-known dishes reworked with aplomb and served up in ingenious guises. You can also have a drink at both places.

Eclectic Cuisine

Rialto Living is the place to head for in downtown Palma if you’re looking for a classy, arty, cultured multi-disciplinary space with fine cuisine. A new restaurant will shortly be opened on the first floor, but you can meanwhile take a seat at one of the café tables and order a snack, or try their fusion cuisine.

And, Two Stayover Options in Palma

Sant Francesc. The hallmark of this hotel, housed in a listed building in Palma’s historic centre, is the well-being of their guests. With spacious rooms and common areas, a rooftop swimming pool, a cocktail bar and a substantial collection of contemporary art and photography, no wonder this spanking new hotel is already one of the “Small Luxury Hotels of the World.”

Can Alomar. On the most exclusive stretch of the Born de Palma promenade, this classical-style luxury hotel affords panoramic views of the Cathedral and harbour from its rooftop solarium, as well as from its restaurant terrace, where sipping a drink on high is an elating experience.

Delicious, isn’t it? Why wait to discover these five gastronomic idylls in Majorca? Check out our flights here.

Text by Belén Parra (Gastronomistas)

Photos by Belén Parra y Vera Lair

1. - Seafood, seafood and more seafood

Vigo is a paradise for the senses but, especially, for the taste of gourmet travellers. There is no doubt that the main product here is fish and seafood, which you can find in its diversity at the old fisherman’s quarter of O Berbés or around O Pedra market.

One of the most interesting places  is Fish Street, which offers a unique spectacle when ostreras tirelessly open oysters on the street while preparing the dishes. You can buy oysters directly to them, give them a squeeze of lemon and you eat them accompanied by a good Albariño. There is no such a better pleasure!

But, although oysters are one of the products Vigo is better known for, we cannot forget mussels, modest and versatile. You can try them in many different ways at the mejillonería Tarugo (C/Carral, 9). Affordable portions and rare options are available, like the curry or beer mussels.

In order to eat the best seafood you should go to Bar el Puerto (Rua Arenal, 30). More than 50 years of experience attests to the recognition of this restaurant. When you seat at your table, you will find out there is no menu; the waitress will tell you directly the fish and dish of the day. Other well-recognized seafood restaurants in the area are Follas Novas or Casa Marco but, generally speaking, any option around here is worth going if you are looking for good seafood, at a reasonable price.

Furthermore, Vigo celebrates many food festivals and events during the year and is possible your visit coincides with one of these activities. The most popular is Fiesta del Mejillón (Mussel party) in Vigo, happening in September. In the same month, there is a party dedicated to seafood at the harbor in Vigo and another celebrating the best seafood cuisine at Bouzas quarter.

2. - Appetizers time

Visitar Vigo es una excelente oportunidad para disfrutar de un ritual inevitables como el aperitivo de tapas y cañas a los que los vigueses tienen una férrea devoción, especialmente los sábados y domingos por la mañana: el paseo y el aperitivo de antes de comer.

One of the most famous places to take an appetizer is the Don Gregorio café. The tables are full of icing must (mosto con guinda), which is what everyone orders here.

You can also go for an aperitif to Puerta del Sol or anywhere at Plaza Constitución and its surrounding.

3. - Terraces in Vigo

The people from Vigo are always aware of the weather to go to pleasant terraces when the sun shines. It is always a great pleasure in this city.

One of the nicest terraces are Grettel (Plaza de la Constitución, 10), right in the old historic quarter of the city, where you can enjoy a refreshing drink under the stone porch.

You can also sit at the terrace in Detrás do Marco (C/Londres), a bit hidden by the Principe street, to relax a bit, away from the crowd in she shopping area.

4. -Come up to a Furancho

Furanchos are venues or private homes in which buy excess wine or try on the spot accompanied by a good home cooked meal. Usually, served with tortillas, empanadas, meats, sausages and cheeses in a family atmosphere at a great price.In the area of Vigo ther is over a dozen to choose , in which attention is always exquisite!.

5. - And when night falls…

The best option is to visit one of the modern pubs and terraces in the city. For example, Albatros is a cozy and modern place with a nice view by the estuary. You can find it at the rebuilt seaport.

A place well worth discovering! Check out our flights here.

“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life”, Samuel Johnson once said. To paraphrase the celebrated writer, we can highly recommend delving into some of the outlandish activities that could only take place north-east of the Thames.

A Café that Only Sells Cereals

What can I tell you about the latest major hipster phenomenon in London that you don’t already know?

It looked like they had finally got rid of them. Around a hundred anarchists from the activist group, Class War, who set out to combat inequality, attacked the Cereal Killer Café last September. However, not only has the establishment emerged unscathed from the attack, it continues to draw long queues of patrons at its front door. How long the truce holds remains to be seen, although what on earth could be more innocuous than a Chocapics seller? Problem is, the 5-euro bowls of cereal in this unique café have grown into a symbol of the drama of gentrification besetting London.

However, you are sure to find so many cereal combinations that you’ll be able to eat for months without repeating any of them. They offer no fewer than 100 cereal varieties, 12 types of milk and 20 different toppings!

Here is the statement which Class War put out when calling for action against Cereal Killer Café:

“Our communities are being ripped apart – by Russian oligarchs, Saudi Sheiks, Israeli scumbag property developers, Texan oil-money twats and our own home-grown Eton toffs.

Local authorities are coining it in, in a short-sighted race for cash by regenerating social housing. We don't want luxury flats that no one can afford, we want genuinely affordable housing. We don't want pop-up gin bars or brioche buns – we want community.

Soon this City will be an unrecognizable, bland, yuppie infested wasteland with no room for normal (and not so normal) people like us. London is our home. Working class people are being forced out of our homes but we won't go out without a fight."

Protest video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhUT2YDDa6Q

The Hot Tub Cinema

40 degrees and oodles of champagne! Welcome to the most bizarre cinema in all London… the Hot Tub Cinema!

The intrepid cinema-goers daring enough to plunge into this unforgettable experience can choose from a host of inflatable tubs set out on the rooftop of the former Shoreditch station.

The dress-code, as you can imagine, is a bathing suit. But, if you really want to fit the occasion, the thing is to sport a 90s swimming costume, as only classics are shown in this cinema.

And, here goes the lowdown you were all waiting for… yes, the hot tubs are communal, and can hold up to six people!

A Cat Café

Walking into Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium is like stepping into the Internet. This is London’s first ever cat café, the haunts of twelve friendly feline creatures, all rescued from sanctuaries. The venue is in the popularBrick Laneprecinct and is becoming all the rage, so much so that you are advised to book ahead. Otherwise, you would be hard put to find a free table.

Perfect Your Zumba in the Neighbourhood Church

Think you could tone your gluteal muscles while purifying your spirit? Could there be any better form of redemption than to practise Zumba in a church? For those of you who have lost their faith, for further information, see here.

I bet you are taken aback by these proposals. But, there’s more to come, although we’ll leave that for another post. If you want to see it for yourself, starting packing your bags and check out our flights here.

Text and images by Isa Roldán for ISABELYLUIS Comunicación

When you first stand before the huge structures rising from this unique “Eden”, you would be forgiven for thinking you’ve stepped into a sci-fi movie from the 50s, 60s or 70s. Here, by the judicious use of special effects, the complex conveys the vision of an unusual future, charged with scientific advances. Nowadays those films may raise more than one smile, peopled as they were by the odd alien, or depicting some disaster that had obliterated mankind from the face of the earth. Lee Tamahori, who directed the James Bond movie, Die Another Day,in 2002, must have had a similar impression when he chose to shoot some of the action-packed scenes from this 007 classic on this site. But, what exactly is the Eden Project and what makes it imperative for you to head to Cornwall to see it?

The Eden Project – Nature and Sustainable Development

Located in Cornwall, two kilometres from St Blazey and five kilometres from St Austell, the Eden Project was the brainchild of Tim Smit. It was designed by the architect, Nicholas Grimshaw, and the engineering firm, Anthony Hunt and Associates, inspired by nature and sustainable development. Unveiled in March 2001, this unique, spectacular garden has two leading lights – its Biomes with their futuristic appearance. A biome is defined as the ecological unit into which the biosphere is divided in terms of a number of climatic and geological factors that determine the types of prevailing fauna and flora. Within each Biome is a specific bioclimatic landscape and its corresponding ecosystem.

One area at the site features a Rainforest Biome, with a hot, humid atmosphere, divided into four rainforest environments – Tropical Islands, Southeast Asia, West Africa and Tropical South America. Another area is dedicated to the Mediterranean Biome with its warm, temperate climate and drier atmosphere, showcasing the typical landscapes of the Mediterranean, South Africa and California. There are also gardens outside the Biomes which reflect the temperate regions of planet Earth.

The goal of this grand project is none other than to educate – the site has an educational centre known as The Core– and to make us aware of the biodiversity that characterises our planet. Children visiting this magnificent site will be enthralled, as will most adults who come here, too. You will be stunned by the sheer size of the vegetation and are sure to discover various aspects of nature you never knew about.

Before visiting the Eden Project, we recommend you first check out What’s On, as another added value of this site – where you get the growing impression of being in an amusement park – is the huge number of activities hosted there, directed at audiences of all ages. One of the events, for instance, which has been held annually since 2002, are the Eden Sessions, a series of concerts at which star performances have been given by the likes of Amy Winehouse, Muse, Lily Allen, Oasis, Pulp, Elton John and a long etcetera of great bands and musicians.

Book your flight to Cardiff and venture into this special garden of Eden in southwest England.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Eden Project