Summer holidays: 10 of the best trips for couples
You may only have eyes for each other, but stupendous views and fantastic food and wine will only make things better. Here are our experts' tips for romantic breaks à deux
Keep it simple, Umbria, ItalyTuscany and Umbria have a reputation for being stuffed to the salami-hung rafters with braying, posh types in raspberry chinos, but it's easy to steer clear of the Chianti-quaffing crowds. The solar-powered Locanda della Quercia Calante on the Umbria/Tuscany border is a peaceful, eco-friendly agriturismo. The emphasis is on the simple things in life: good food (home cooked and mainly organic); wellbeing (Iyengar yoga in the onsite studio), and chilling. Even the wine is biodynamic, which must be good for you, surely? Owner Fausto makes much of the fact that the property is built on leylines and the rooms are free of magnetic fields, which he claims makes for a better night's rest. We were sceptical until my insomniac partner slept longer and deeper than he had in years. By day you can mooch around nearby towns – historic Orvieto is 18km away – and spookily quiet medieval villages. Evenings are for wining and dining in the cosy restaurant. We made the mistake on the first day of accepting second helpings of the fantastic meat-free lasagne, only to realise it was just a starter. Perhaps it's not the leylines that ensure a good night's kip.
• Doubles from €60B&B; +39 0763 627199, querciacalante.com
Isabel Choat, Guardian online travel editor
Unless you're the kind of person who precision-plans their leisure time, you probably won't book a holiday in Copenhagen sufficiently far in advance to get a table at Noma, named Best Restaurant in the World for the second year running. But at Relæ (restaurant-relae.dk), former Noma head chef Christian Puglisi cooks in a way that's just as surprising and inventive, and a good deal cheaper. And Geranium (geranium.dk; this year singled out by Michelin as a rising star) is equally brilliant, in more of a polished, big-night-out way. Aamaan's Etablissement (aamanns.dk) was our favourite lunch spot, mainly for its steak tartare and citrus-and-spice marinated salmon. And for mornings after, the great coffee and the brunch menu (plus the cosy sheepskin-covered chairs) at café/deli Gourmandiet (gourmandiet.dk) made our hangovers almost pleasurable.
• Doubles at 71 Nyhavn, a converted, canal-side spice warehouse, cost from £110 (+45 3343 6200, 71nyhavnhotel.com)
Jenny McIvor, food writer
Arrive in daylight and wear sensible shoes, the instructions from Carswell Farm advised. We pulled up after midnight after the long drive to south Devon. The directions from the farmhouse to the impossibly secluded Beach Hut were clear, but scrambling across cliff tops with bags and very unsensible footwear, we had only an inadequate torch and the alarming sound of crashing waves to make sure our romantic holiday didn't start with the wrong sort of splash. Once there we just climbed the little ladder to our bed in the eaves, so the next morning, we were unprepared for the picture-book adorableness of our surroundings. The Beach Hut is fairly basic, but no less lovely for that: there's no electricity, but a woodburner and gas hob – and a wood-burning hot tub outside (everything is eco, including the loo)! And then there's the view – this beach hut gives new meaning to the idea of a private beach. Nestled in a cove, unreachable except by that rocky footpath, this is as hidden-away a hideaway as you could dream of. It isn't cheap, but you could travel the world and not find such a romantic retreat. If the sun shines it is bliss, and if it rains it is bliss too.
• Two nights at the Beach Hut costs £450 (optional organic dinner hamper £45); +44 (0)1752 830020, carswellcottages.com/thebeachhut
Lisa Allardice, editor of Guardian Review
"Why've we stopped?" whined our eldest, then 14. "There's nothing here!" "Here" was a quaint Italian riverside village with a bar with Prosecco on tap, but this was when we realised we'd have to put more effort into holidays with teens. So for a few years it was activities (rafting, canyoning) and cities (they loved Amsterdam). But teenagers grow up, go to university, and suddenly mooching around Europe is possible again. And cheap. Term time in Sicily and not only were hotel rooms almost half the summer price, half-board was sometimes thrown in. We stayed at friendly Pensione Tranchina in Scopello, an hour from Palermo, and ticked off all the things our offspring would have moaned about. No pool, tiny rocky beach, no shops, nothing to do after dinner except sit chatting with the owner over a digestivo. Worst of all, the rugged Zingaro natural park stretches for 7km up the coast, with footpaths for long bracing walks. There were even – horror! – wild flowers. Some things the youngsters would have liked: the fantastic food, and especially our cute black hired Fiat Cinquecento. But that's the sort of iconic vehicle only the child-free can bomb around Italy in. No room in the back for long teenage legs. Shucks, kids.
• Pensione Tranchina (+39 0924 541099, pensionetranchina.com) offers half-board from €55pp per night
Liz Boulter, travel writer
Forget the sun, sand and sex-on-the-beach stereotype; there's another side to Lanzarote. Away from the big resorts, the easternmost of the Canaries is a heady mix of wild volcanic landscapes, surfer-friendly beaches, theatrical modernist architecture and vineyards made up of volcanic stone circles that could have been designed by Andy Goldsworthy. You can reach them all easily enough from the coastal resorts with a hire car, but a much better idea is to base yourself at Caserío de Mozaga, an 18th-century country house in the centre of the island that's been turned into a very stylish boutique B&B with restaurant. Or you could book into a luxury yurt and cosy up under canvas at Finca de Arrieta on the north-east coast.
• Doubles at Caserío de Mozaga cost from €63 (+34 92 852 0060, caseriodemozaga.com). Yurts at Finca de Arrieta cost from £385 a week (lanzaroteretreats.com)
Rhiannon Batten, travel writer
Along a rambling road near Fiscardo in the north of Kefalonia lay our cottage, Villa Trizoni. It had all the ingredients for a romantic break – the bare minimum, but done in style. We had three gorgeous bedrooms at our disposal, an airy open plan living space of white sofas, and an infinity pool surrounded by funky day beds. There was almost nothing to do, but that was fine by us – all we wanted was to loll around in the sunshine and spend time together. Then it poured with rain all week. Instead of languorous afternoons in the pool our memories are of drinking Mythos beer behind a rain-splashed plastic awning, paddling in the drizzle at beautiful Daf Noudi beach, and getting caught in a dramatic storm while half-way across to the neighbouring island of Ithaca in our rented motorboat. There, we were revived at the magical Polyphemus restaurant by an inebriated communist chef who fed us Che Guevara rum and sun-dried octopus for hours, then insisted he drive us back to the harbour. We even made up a silly song about Polyphemus which make us feel like teenagers recalling their first kiss when we sing it now.
• Villa Trizoni has weeks available in May, July and August, from £1,239 a week, with holidaylettings.co.uk. Villa Zouzouni, next door, sleeps two from £885 a week, and has weeks left in August
Gemma Bowes, Guardian Travel editor
We'd seen photos of the Soca Valley, and read reviews about the chic mountain retreat called Nebesa. But nothing prepared us for the staggering Alpine beauty of the region – flower-filled meadows, crystal-clear rivers and lakes – nor the views from Nebesa's chalets; snow-capped mountains to the east, endless valleys to the west, trailing down to the Adriatic. Four glass-fronted chalets are the base from which to soak up these views. From our terrace, we watched a storm come in, then get chased away by glorious sunshine. We hiked up the mountain one day and white-water rafted down the turquoise Soca the next. In the evening we took at taxi to Hisa Franko, Slovenia's answer to The Fat Duck, for a sublime gourmet feast. The X factor at Nebesa isn't the luxuriousness of the hotel – it's actually fairly simple. What makes it so special is the setting and the isolation: it's a perfect place to hole up with a partner.
• Two-night stays from €255 for two including breakfast and use of bikes (i-escape.com/nebesa.php)
Liz Simpson, deputy editor, i-escape
I thought a trip to Biarritz would be ironically glam: pink cocktails and discotheques, that kind of thing. But at some point since the 1980s, it had morphed into a quietly hip surfing mecca. My then-boyfriend suddenly looked interested. We camped under the pines in the main surfie site at Anglet and walked down to the beach every morning. Compensating for the lack of kitsch, the boyfriend even serenaded me with Elvis Presley on the sand. Surf by day, cosmopolitan comforts by night: we ate outside at pretty old clifftop restaurants, drank wine from Gérard Dépardieu's nearby vineyards, and wandered along the pier that juts from the spectacular coastline out through the breakers. A little black dress and a surfboard are all you need in this town where la bonne vie meets Endless Summer.
• Biarritz Camping (+33 5 5923 0012, biarritz-camping.fr) charges from €23 for a pitch in summer. Hotel Alcyon (+33 5 5922 6460, hotel-alcyon-biarritz.com) has doubles from €105 in summer
Sophie Cooke, novelist
We took the Eurostar to Paris and the sleeper train to Hendaye. When we woke, it was a short hop over the border to San Sebastián – or Donostia, as it is known by its Basque inhabitants. We chose from one of scores of affordable pensions in the beguiling parte vieja (old town). We spent lazy days on the city's beautiful beaches, and late nights bar-hopping. The city specialises in pintxos, simple Basque tapas: we wandered from tavern to tavern, greedily sampling as many as we could. For a once-in-lifetime meal, try to get a table at legendary restaurant Arzak (arzak.info), ranked eighth in the world. We relaxed at La Perla (la-perla.net), a beachside spa; visited Eduardo Chillida's wave-lashed sculptures in La Concha Bay; and climbed Mount Urgull for the castle, enormous Jesus Christ statue and panoramic views. We bought a couple of beers just as the basic hilltop bar was closing and sat alone by the fig trees, watching the sun set over the bay.
• For travel details see seat61.com/Spain.htm
Rachel Dixon, travel writer
I'd been obsessed by San Francisco since reading Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City series – the rolling hills, the smell of marijuana, the glamorous casualties of a life lived as though every day was 1969 – but it wasn't until my 27th birthday that I finally visited, a surprise present from my boyfriend, who'd been choking on the secret for months. It was San Francisco I'd had in mind when I chose to move to Brighton for university, where the lovely gayness and scattered vintage shops charmed me, briefly. But it took a week in a budget downtown hotel – queuing for breakfasts at Dottie's True Blue cafe, taking shy photos outside the house Maupin was inspired by – an afternoon in Alcatraz, and various second-hand clothing purchases along Haight Street, for me to convince my boyfriend that this, one day, should be our home. Plans are in motion ...
• Hotel Majestic (+1 415 441 1100, thehotelmajestic.com) has period styling and doubles from $115; at the other end of the aesthetic spectrum Hotel Tomo (+1 415 921 4000, jdvhotels.com/tomo) offers brightly coloured Japanese pop art and doubles from $129
Eva Wiseman, columnist, Observer magazine
Ask Tom – your travel dilemmas
Lonely Planet's Tom Hall has tips on how to see the world by yacht to where to find a small, family-friendly campsite in France
I am looking into working on boats/yachts as a deckhand as a way of seeing the world. Can you or any of the readers recommend any websites/forums. I was looking to take the STCW 95 course as this seems like it may lead to paid employment rather than just volunteering in exchange for travel.
Peepeeheenaz
The idea of working on a yacht as a way to travel is, happily, still possible. As you might imagine it is highly competitive and you need a few breaks to get started and a strong work ethic to keep getting jobs.
Getting started is still, in time-honoured fashion, a case of "dockwalking" – going boat to boat – in resorts such as Cannes, Nice and Monaco, but the best spots, according to Bethany Silcox, writer of the Fun Sized Adventures blog (funsizedadventures.wordpress.com) who has several years of crewing on superyachts under her belt, are Antibes and Palma de Mallorca. These are, she says, "the two Mediterranean superyacht hubs. You will find plenty of crew agents who help you to tweak your CV, perfect your 'yachtie look' and help you to find a position. Both superyacht hubs are equipped with crew houses (hostels for yachties) and plenty of bars for 'networking'." Should you be daunted by the cost of taking a course to get started, consider also Bethany's advice: "Monetary investment in your career is recuperated relatively quickly with competitive salaries and expenses covered by the boat."
The STCW 95 you mention (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping certificate (stcw.org), the qualification that is legally required to work on board a sail or motor yacht over 24 metres in length, and is increasingly being asked for by owners of smaller vessels) may be enough to get you started, but you may also find that your rivals for crewing jobs also have diving, powerboat or waterspouts qualifications that can give them an edge.
You can take the basic STCW 95 seafaring course at centres around Britain. It costs around £800 and takes five days.
Once you get a job, you can expect to work hard and sleep little when guests are on board, but enjoy normal working hours and the perks of working on a very fancy boat and calling at plenty of different, interesting places at quieter times.
That should be enough to get you started. The RYA (rya.org.uk) has plenty of information about training. Have a look also at The Crew Report (thecrewreport.com/superyacht_crew_homepage.asp) and crew agency sites such as Luxury Yacht Group (luxyachts.com/default.aspx). Should you find yourself crewing in Bora Bora of somewhere equally idyllic then be sure to drop me a line and let me know.
I'm planning to go to Namibia in May/June and then on to Victoria Falls and I have a couple of questions. 1.) How safe is the Zimbabwe side of the Falls these days? 2.) Would you recommend Lüderitz in southern Namibia or going somewhere in the Zambia area after the falls? We have a spare two days in our schedule and are not sure where to use them.
Dasaidanglo
The Zimbabwe side of Victoria Falls is safe to visit and tourists are starting to return to what was originally the main visitor area for the natural wonder. If you're going over the next few months you should certainly book ahead, though you will find the Zambian side substantially busier. Visas for Zimbabwe can be obtained at the border (£35/US$55, bring cash) and it is certainly worth seeing the Falls from both sides. This must be one of the world's most astonishing border crossings. I did it by bicycle two years ago and it was the noisiest, most spectacular bridge crossing I have ever made. The Falls should be very full of water at this time of year, at the start of winter after the end of the rainy season.
I spent a few days around Chobe national park in Botswana on my visit, which is close to the Falls and offers a fun border crossing over the Zambezi on a rusty ferry. Lüderitz would be a much longer journey and as super as this part of Namibia is, you'll have seen much of the country already so may wish to pause in somewhere green and pleasant, which this part of Botswana certainly is.
My partner and I are hoping to do a fly-drive in Portugal in September. We're hoping to spend a week or so travelling the Douro area and hope that it will be round about the time of the grape harvest. How advanced is vino-tourism in Portugal? Are we likely to be able to explore and enjoy any of the vineyards – and is there anywhere we can go for more information?
Silverandroid
As you might expect from one of the world's oldest wine regions the answer to your second question is an emphatic yes. You'll find no shortage of vintners offering you a tasting, often with a fine meal to go with it. The back roads which hug the steep contours of the Alto Douro wine country are pretty wonderful too.
Driving up the river from Porto you'll find plenty of quintas (wineries) to pause at along the way. The best place to look is at Rota do Vinho do Porto (rvp.pt), which lists dozens of vineyards which accept visitors. There's more than just fine port and wine here. The hilltop town of Vila Nova de Foz Côa – one end of the superb drive from Pinhão is close to a superb collection of Palaeolithic cave art. Do deviate along the road, too, even unpromising spots like São João da Pesqueira have beautiful historic centres and leave the package tours behind.
Here's a thought: as you explore such a beautiful place and enjoy great wines and excellent food you're also helping the Portuguese economy. It's almost your duty to go. Visit Portugal (visitportugal.com) can help with planning too.
I am going to France camping with my family (two girls, six and three, myself and hubby) for three weeks (looking around Nantes area). We can go any time from July to August. Any recommendations in terms of price?
We would love a simple, "French" campsite in easy reach of the area's beaches but seem to only find huge complexes on Google or very "English" sites.
KassieB
This is a common question – where in France can you find the kind of fun, informal, smaller campsites that have become much more commonplace in the UK over recent years. While France is still the world's best camping destination, with a very canvas-friendly culture, proximity to the UK and friendly atmospheres at sites across the country it can be tricky to find sites that offer a little intimacy. Cool Camping France (Punk Publishing) has just published a second edition and is a good place to start, with 100 campsites on a variety of budgets. The sites ran by Camping Indigo (camping-indigo.com) should also fit the bill for what you're looking for. Of course, camping buffs will be way ahead of me, offering suggestions at Rural Camping in France (rural-camping.com) and the Dutch site Kleine Campings Frankrijk (kleinecampingsinfrankrijk.nl; in English). Readers suggestions are most welcome.
Boating holidaysWorking holidaysNamibiaZimbabweZambiaCampingFranceguardian.co.ukNoma world’s best restaurant – again
Copenhagen eatery retains accolade from Restaurant magazine while chefs from Russia and Peru make list for first time
• Get the full list
Read Jay Rayner's blog on the world's 50 top restaurants
The celebrated Copenhagen restaurant Noma has retained its status as the world's best place to eat, according to the annual list compiled on behalf of Restaurant magazine, a distinction which arguably draws in more diners than Michelin stars.
René Redzepi's influential cooking, with a heavy reliance on seasonal and foraged Scandinavian ingredients, ousted Spain's El Bulli in 2010 from four consecutive years of dominance, a feat which Redzepi said prompted 100,000 overnight booking requests.
El Bulli itself, which has never been out of the top three since the list was created in 2002, is entirely absent this year; this is not because Catalan chef Ferran Adrià's cooking has waned, merely that he has decided to close the restaurant later this year.
Spanish gastronomy remains prominent in the views of the 837 judges worldwide – a mixture of chefs, writers and restaurateurs – with second spot taken by El Celler de Can Roca, the three Michelin-starred Girona restaurant run by three brothers. Behind this was Mugaritz, in the Basque country.
It's a more mixed picture for UK dining. The Spanish pair's ascent helped push Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, from third to fifth on a list it topped in 2005. Last year's lowest-ever tally of just three British restaurants in the top 50 is now four, with London's Ledbury – the highest new entry at no. 34 – joining the Fat Duck, Hibiscus and St John.
The 2011 list is also notable for the geographical spread, with the first sighting in the top 50 of restaurants in Russia – Moscow's Vavravy, famed for its £160-a-head tasting menu – and Peru, where Lima's Astrid Y Gastón serves up haute cuisine incarnations of traditional South American dishes such as "chupe" stews. Perhaps more notable still is a Brazilian eatery, DOM in Sao Paulo, at seven, while Mexico has two restaurants on the list.
"We do have a global reach," said William Drew, editor of Restaurant magazine. "It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. In places like Sao Paolo, Mexico City and Lima, the best restaurants are as good as anywhere in the world."
Nonetheless, some traditional cookery powerhouses predominate, with almost half the list comprising restaurants in France, Italy, Spain and the US. Following last year's Gallic anguish, when only six French outlets made the list, there are now eight, with Parisian super-bistro Le Chateaubriand rising to reach the top 10.
However entertaining the list, many food critics doubt the validity of such arbitrary rankings. "My worry is that I don't see how you can compare such different types of restaurant, doing such different things," said Charles Campion, who writes about food for London's Evening Standard. "If something stimulates debate and interest about food and gastronomy then it's a good thing, but it shouldn't be taken seriously at all. You can't take a great experience and just put a number on it."
The gradual slippage down the list of the Fat Duck did not mean it was becoming a worse restaurant, said the food writer William Sitwell, editor of Waitrose Food Monthly.
"I believe Heston's at the top of his game," he said. "A lot this is simply about novelty. This list isn't about the dining most people do. It's food couture. These are places you save up to go to. These are not the sort of places you go to when you're hungry, it's food as an event, as theatre."
What isn't in doubt is the economic impact getting a high place, as shown by Noma, which went from having regular free tables at lunch to an queue of would-be diners that would fill the restaurant for 15 years. This has brought concern at open lobbying, for example tourist boards flying judges to sample free meals at their city's top dining spots.
"We're not in a position to say to tourist boards that they can't lobby, or tell critics they can't take press trips, but we devolve a level of trust," said Drew. "Judging restaurants is a fundamentally subjective activity but they realise when they are being lobbied and should take this into account."
RestaurantsFood & drinkRestaurantsPeter Walkerguardian.co.ukBuenas noches: hip budget hotels
From hip city boltholes to seaside hideaways and fincas among the olive groves, these 20 stylish hotels costs less than £100 per room per night
CITY
El Cocherón 1919, Aranjuéz, MadridNear the Príncipe and Isla gardens and the Royal Palace, this 18-room hotel in the world heritage-listed city of Aranjuéz, 47km south of Madrid, is calm and relaxed. The overall feel is of grown-up but unshowy chic (the odd zebra-print lampshade aside) with cream, toffee and aubergine colours, and wooden floors and doors. A bar and lounge provide plenty of chill-out space, but grab a seat or cushion in the vast interior courtyard (discreetly overlooked by some of the bedrooms) for the ultimate in summer escapism.
• +34 918 754 350, elcocheron1919.com. Doubles from €78
Pitched somewhere between a designer hostel and a boutique hotel, this Barcelona bolthole plugs an obvious gap in the market, catering to travellers with champagne tastes and beer budgets. Its rooms are simple, modern and smart, with shiny white paintwork set off by glass screens, beech shelving and flatscreen TVs. If you want more space, supersize your booking by opting for an "economy plus" or "business" room rather than a standard double. Though, of course, what you save on sleeping you can spend on tapas; the hotel is in the Gothic quarter, ideal for grazing.
• +34 935 454 000, denit.com. Doubles from €89
Farnals, Valencia
Can't decide between city and coast? You can have your holiday cake and eat it at this Valencia hotel. The closest you'll get to Miami this side of Seville, Hotel de la Playa is a sparkling box of a building, painted the colour of Mr Whippy and set right by the beach. Its dozen neatly stacked rooms are sleek and white, with big windows and balconies looking out over palm trees, sand and surf.
• +34 961 468 464, hoteldelaplaya.com. Doubles from €85 if you stay three nights
This is the latest property to join the welcomebeyond.com fold, a "hand-picked" holiday property portal run by two Berlin hipsters, but you'll have to move quickly if you want to bag some dates at these two flats in Girona's old town. It's a successful marriage between ancient and modern – Alemanys 5's architect owner has taken stone, concrete and wood, and spun them into a thing of wonder, set apart by soft lighting, natural textures and such show-stopping features as an open fire, balcony and minimalist pool. And the dining table is on wheels, so it can be moved from the kitchen to the veranda on sunny evenings.
• +34 649 885 136, alemanys5.com. Alemanys 5 can be rented as a whole (up to 11) or as two flats (from two to six); flat for four from €180 per night or from €360 for the whole house; discounts for smaller parties and long-term rentals
COUNTRY
Caserío de Mozaga, San Bartolomé, LanzaroteWhen independent tourists began exploring another side of the Canaries – one that veered away from the happy-hour hell of the big resorts and out to its wild beaches, black soil vineyards and historic villages – this hotel in the centre of Lanzarote was one of the first places they started checking into, and it's still going strong. Caserío de Mozaga has real wow factor, from its chic candlelit restaurant to bedrooms that blend family heirlooms with contemporary finca style and a general Ibiza-ish vibe.
• +34 928 520 060, caseriodemozaga.com. Doubles from €63
Run by the fifth generation of the Echaurren dynasty, this foodie outpost in wine-producing Rioja was the first restaurant in the region to win a Michelin star, and continues to draw in gastronauts with its recipe of well-priced accommodation and fine food (there are two main restaurants plus a bistro and a tapas-centred gastrobar). Be warned, though, that with people coming here to eat rather than sleep, the bedrooms themselves are not as luxe – or as stylish – as the eating areas.
• +34 941 354 047, echaurren.com. Doubles from €70
This place might breach our £100-a-night limit, but it's worth the extra for such an acutely hip hotel. Set among olive and almond groves outside Teruel, this design-savvy escape is steeped in relaxation and respite. Guests can choose from two rooms in the main building – a Nordic room featuring Alvar Aalto lamps and Danish furniture or a baroque room dressed with velvet armchairs and gilded paintings – or 10 individual "Kubes" that come with black slate baths, private terraces, floor-to-ceiling windows and toiletries made with local herbs. There's also a sleek outdoor pool, a library, a restaurant and a "playground" complete with TV and Wi-Fi, and at night you can DJ your own tunes.
• +34 978 856 755, consolacion.com.es. Doubles from €135
It was love that brought Simon Beckmann and his wife Donna to this off-the-beaten-track corner near Almería. Having passed through on their honeymoon, the couple (they're both artists) decided to return and the result is this seriously stylish guesthouse. Genuine eco credentials are another draw: solar panels, wind turbines, wood from the surrounding almond, pine and poplar trees, and a grey-water recycling system help make the retreat carbon neutral. And while many guests come for the creative courses the couple run – the latest is a food illustration course that combines trips to local markets with artistic instruction – if you want to unwind it's possible to book in just for B&B.
• +34 020 31 372 096, losgazquez.com. Doubles from €85 (minimum two nights)
From the outside, this six-room hotel, in the countryside east of Bilbao is like any other. Inside, though, things are not what they seem; it's a real surprise just how contemporary the interior is. Expect slate floors, Tom Dixon lights, a pared-down aesthetic and an overall monochrome colour scheme interspersed with jelly baby colours.
• +34 650 402 775, aldori.es. Doubles from €70
You might not expect a former foundry to feel cosy, but that's exactly the deal at Hotel Ansotegi in the hills between Bilbao and San Sebastián. The buildings include a manor house, foundry and mill, and they've been renovated and reimagined as a contemporary country escape. With its exposed stone walls, wooden beams, red velvet sofas and wood fires, this is the perfect place to retreat to after a day spent swimming in the local river or exploring ancient monasteries.
• +34 94 616 9100, hotelansotegi.com. Doubles from €100
Opened just last year in a former convent, this hotel boasts stylish (if fittingly low-key) rooms and fairytale 17th-century architecture, but its main claim to fame is its setting, on one of the largest estates in Europe. The surrounding 16,000 hectares are mainly used for producing cork and pork (Iberian mountain pigs), and it is reached via a forest track. Hiking, biking and horse riding are on tap.
• +34 956 693 002, laalmoraimahotel.com. Doubles from €60
Tired of lookalike boutique hotels? There is no chance of pleather and wenge fatigue at this genuinely one‑off
Planning a bank holiday day trip?
Been there readers recommend the best places of historical interest to visit around the UK, from Ilfracombe's hand-carved 19th-century tunnels to Rye's fairytale castle
WINNING TIP: Tunnels Beaches, IlfracombeTunnels dug by Welsh miners in the 1820s lead from the town to rockpools and blue flag beaches. Go when the tide is low, giving you a better chance to see a huge variety of sea life, such as some rare corals. Close by is Watermouth Castle, with a dungeon, theme park, gardens and a maze.
Tunnels Beaches: adults £2.25, children £1.75, 01271 879123, tunnelsbeaches.co.uk; Watermouth Castle: adults £13, children £11, 01271 867474, watermouthcastle.com
Traveller4550
Walking down into the steep-sided valley that houses Robert Owen's Utopian mill town is like walking into Brigadoon. The town has been painstakingly restored to its 19th-century appearance. Don't miss the Annie McLeod Experience, which gives an overview of village life and manages to be both informative and pretty darn creepy. Part museum, part living history attraction and part beauty spot, New Lanark tells a rare uplifting history of industrial Britain.
Adults £8.50, children £6, family of four £24.50; 01555 661345, newlanark.org
TheQs
This is the most evocative ruin in England – an almost complete shell, with shadowed corridors and an exquisite, intact white chamber. This was the prison of the She-Wolf of France, Isabella, confined by her son for conspiring to murder her husband, Edward II. Let your children belt up and down the vast surrounding earthwork, and dart past the grooves where the old portcullis fell.
Adults £4, children £2.50; 01553 631330, castlerising.co.uk
Intheshed
Tucked away in the most unexpected location is the former Archbishops's Palace, now a school. The building dates from the 12th century and on appointed days in the school holidays or in September you can take a tour of the 15th-century Great Hall and Chapel and see Queen Elizabeth I's bedroom. This beautiful building, which is in Old Palace Road, is a relatively unknown treasure, except for those of us fortunate enough to have spent our schooldays there.
020-8680 0467, oldpalaceofjohnwhitgift.org
BuntyB
Set amid sprawling greenery and a flower-splashed moat, Bodiam Castle could be straight out of a fairy tale. The ruins have spiralling steps and picturesque archways that lead between the ramparts. Built in 1385, the castle was both a defence against French invaders and a family home. During the peak season there are costumed actors on hand to provide further insight.
Adults £6.80, children £3.40, near Robertsbridge; 01580 830196, nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-bodiamcastle
Clareharwood
Forming part of the Llangollen canal, the aqueduct spans 307 metres. It is used by canal boats year round, and the workmanship of Thomas Telford and William Jessop's early 19th-century engineering feat can also be enjoyed by pedestrians on the adjacent towpath, towering above the river Dee – traversing this canal is likened to being suspended in mid-air.
The Llangollen Wharf centre runs boat trips across the aqueduct, adults from £12, children from £10; 01978 860702, horsedrawnboats.co.uk
Arros
The Orkneys are one big historic site – a treasure trove spanning the centuries from the stone age to the second world war. Visit magical stone circles, atmospheric tombs, quaint fishing villages and one of the oldest surviving dwellings in Europe. My favourite is Noltland Castle on the small island of Westray. No tickets or stewards – simply knock on the door of the nearby farmhouse for the key. You'll most likely be the king or queen of your castle and have it all to yourself.
01856 872856, visitorkney.com
OurVin
I'm not a great one for the whole "spa experience" thing. And I baulked at the £12 admission. But my fiancée wanted to have a look round and we'd got a discount ticket as part of the city bus tour. I would have gladly handed over double the admission for the enormous privilege of viewing what the curators of this marvellous exhibit have done. We spent an absorbing three hours looking around the fabulously presented ancient Roman baths. Technical wizardry allows you to see the ruins as they really were, projected right on to the remains as they are now; complete with spectral, be-toga'd Romans wandering about the place, taking the waters. Various recorded tour guides are available pitched at brainy, history-fanatical adults, less demanding but keen-to-know adults, and children. Go there now, and don't forget to taste the sulphurous waters on the way out through the Pump House!
Adults £12 (£12.50 July/August), children £7.80, Stall Street, Bath, 01225 477785, romanbaths.co.uk
BrianStoat
This atmospheric graveyard in north London is full of architectural gems, and it paints a fascinating portrait of Victorian times. If you take the tour of the West Cemetery (book in advance), your guide will reveal intriguing stories behind the lives and deaths of the eminent and ordinary Victorians who are buried here. Enchanting paths wind through woodland, amid ivy-clad angels and jumbled headstones, leading to the Lebanon Circle Vaults, where you'll find a 300-year-old Cedar of Lebanon tree. Other highlights are the Egyptian Avenue, the Terrace Catacombs, and the enormous Julius Beer Mausoleum. In the East Cemetery you can wander at will, and here you will find the tomb of the most famous Highgate inhabitant, Karl Marx.
West Cemetery tours: Adults £7, children (8-16 years, no under-eights) £3; East Cemetery: adults £3, children £1. Swain's Lane, 020-8340 1834, highgate-cemetery.org
Troutiemcfish
Even the kids will be awestruck by these atmospheric ruins, still standing after more than 1,400 years of worship, and possibly more. The legendary burial place of Arthur and Guinevere, it's the perfect place to play kings and queens and summon up the mysteries of the past. With plenty of space for picnics in 36 acres of tranquil parkland, this is an oasis of calm for stressed-out parents seeking spiritual sanctuary. Did Joseph of Arimathea, by some accounts the Virgin Mary's uncle, come to the abbey? Did he plant the Holy Thorn Tree, which has a flourishing sapling in the abbey's grounds? Lively costumed guides and intriguing relics help you make up your own mind. Modern marvels include cafe, museum, shop.
Adults, £6, children £4, family of 4 £16, 01458 832267, glastonburyabbey.com
Emilyfromweymouth
It is so easy to imagine this 2,500-year-old hill site as a fort – it's an energetic climb to the top, then the children can storm the gates. It's an easy walk round the perimeter ring among the trees, and you can see for miles around and picture the people inside.
01962 860948, tinyurl.com/693gnqv
Hypnodendron
This is a half-ruined castle with civil war and Jacobite history in an epic coastal setting. Unlike some castles, it isn't a show home.
Adults £5, children £2, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, 01569 762173, dunnottarcastle.co.uk
JonA1966
This moated castle set in luscious north Oxfordshire parkland was the site of civil war sieges and battles, and the setting for the film Shakespeare in Love. Broughton Castle is still occupied by the Saye-Sele family and lowers its drawbridge on selected days from Easter onwards. June and July always promise events, from corricle racing on the moat to Shakespeare productions in the parkland, and this is also the time when the walled garden is in full rose-scented bloom.
Adults £7, children £3, 01295 276070, broughtoncastle.com
Welshlyn
The site of Tre'r Ceiri is a sprawling settlement on the peak of Yr Eifl, with significant stone ramparts, one of the most dramatic and impressive iron age hill forts in Britain. Around 150 iron age huts can be explored. This site is ideal for those who enjoy combining a walk with an interesting goal: there's a not-too-strenuous hill walk along fairly easy terrain, through hills covered with heather and gorse. The summit offers views of Snowdonia to the north, the Irish sea to the west and at your feet a bird's eye view of the beautiful Llyn peninsula.
museumwales.ac.uk/en/2373/
Buddug
Sticks and stones: outdoor art on the Channel Islands
Andy Goldsworthy and Antony Gormley are transforming the open spaces of Alderney and Helm in an
Eye on the tigers in India
Wildlife experts have opened a new eco-lodge in India that offers comfort and calm, as well as a chance to spot big cats
The early morning sun is bright on the long grass, the shadows are shortening and my wife Anne-Sophie, and our 10-month-old son Victor are sitting beside me on a small sandy spur above the placid river Ken. We are at a new eco-lodge, the Sarai at Toria, 400 miles east of Delhi, near the Panna national park and the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. The journey overnight on the train from the capital to the town of Khajuraho (famous for its 11th century temple complex) and the taxi trip through 15 miles of deep rural India, were smooth. We are relieved to be away from the traffic-choked, polluted, often angry city where we live. Breakfast is being served, there are birds in the trees and buffalo in the river. In the background I can hear that classic sound of rural India: the soft repetitive hoot of an irrigation pump in the fields behind us.
The lodge opened last year and is the creation of wildlife photographer Joanna Van Gruisen, originally from Northumberland, and Raghudandan Singh Chundawat, one of India's best-known wildlife biologists.
"We chose the place because of our 10-year association with the area," says Joanna. "It had immediate potential as a lodge site because it is in an under-recognised but tourist-destination-rich beautiful part of the country; besides this there is plenty of potential for research – on wildlife and on climate change – and great need for development and economic stimulation." Profits from the venture are being channelled into local projects.
Six spacious cottages with thatched roofs and open verandas have been built just behind the small spur. Trees, a few paths, a small creek and enthusiastic and conscientious local staff make the nine-acre plot seem larger than it is and homely.
Many of the "eco-lodges" springing up around India are nothing of the sort. In cut-throat competition for foreign tourists, hoteliers soon worked out that a bit of green marketing works wonders. So dozens of establishments claim that, because they are in rural settings, have a lot of local textiles draped over the beds and offer trekking, they are "ecologically responsible".
Joanna and Raghu, however, are very serious about conservation and the environment. Both have devoted much of their lives to the study and preservation of India's wildlife, and they are not the sort to slap a green label on anything that does not deserve it, however much it might help with marketing.
Solar panels are planned for next season, water comes from a well, heating is designed to minimise consumption, biogas is used for cooking and the thick mud walls of the cottages mean there is no need for air-con. The Sarai shuts for the hottest part of the year – April to early autumn, when temperatures climb well above 40C – and reopens on 1 October, two weeks before the Panna Tiger Reserve.
Joanna has sourced the soap from a women's cooperative in neighbouring Bihar state. Only local ingredients are used for the excellent food, mainly variations of the classic north Indian dishes of spiced, boiled vegetables but using, for example, a wild herb that grows only in these parts.
Almost every evening we take a short walk, baby strapped to my chest, through villages near the lodge. This is a dirt-poor part of India, with worse poverty than in much of sub-saharan Africa, but the men and women squatting to cut the chickpea plants offer them to us with a smile. Victor, as ever in India, is quickly surrounded by curious crowds.
If you want to understand what is happening on the ground, nothing beats walking in rural India. We pass a ruined fort, a more prosperous village, with houses of brick, the all-important "tank" or reservoir, then the settlement where the lowest castes live, away from the others, in homes of mud.
On the other side of the river from the lodge is the national park, a long forested ridge that rises in stepped plateaux. Indian national parks are not very visitor-friendly: there are few of the activities you find in their European or US equivalents. The infrastructure just isn't there – and anyway, much of the Panna national park is unreachable or off limits to tourists, to allow the wildlife space to roam without disturbance. Visitors can take jeep or elephant rides into the north-east of the park, starting from the villages of Madla or Hinouta.
Raghu is the author of one of the most detailed investigations of tigers recently published in India and knows the story of the park's big cats better than anyone. His opinion of the local forestry department officials is largely unprintable. Only seven years ago, there were around 40 tigers living in the park, fewer than in the past but a sustainable population. Since then they have all died, many poached, in one of the worst local examples of the continuing failure of India's tiger preservation policies. More recently, a pair of tigers have been reintroduced, one of which we miss by minutes on our first morning in the park.
No matter. The focus on tigers distracts from everything else there is to see. From my perch atop a jeep, protected by a blanket against the chill of early morning, the forest is spectacular in itself. Then there are the long-tailed langur monkeys, deer, antelopes, mongoose and boars. And the birds: shockingly blue rollers, majestic vultures, peregrine falcons and more – all pointed out with enthusiasm by guides armed with binoculars, books and tea in a Thermos.
But the place where the birds are most impressive is not in the park at all. I've never been much of an ornithologist – too distracted by the easy excitement of bigger game – but here I am converted. When my son is sleeping and the surface of the river at dusk is as smooth as the pebbles by its banks, I am paddled between the rocks and the storks, the herons, the pair of giant owls, the cormorants, the snake-necked darters and the kingfishers in their coats of colours that would put a Punjabi pop star to shame.
It is a moment of tranquillity that is rare in the chaotic country that I cover for the Guardian. Even the horns of the country buses rattling through the villages along the bank of the river seem to have fallen silent.
Jason Burke is the Guardian's south Asia correspondent
IndiaAsiaGreen travelConservationEndangered speciesWildlifeJason Burkeguardian.co.ukMy travels: Judith Schalansky on remote islands
The author found the idea of islands impossibly romantic – until she discovered that they can also be hell
Opening an atlas at a random page or spinning the globe and picking out a destination with eyes closed – who hasn't done that? I grew up in East Germany – on the wrong side of the Berlin Wall. Before the wall fell, living here meant most of the world was out of reach. I was desperate to travel when I was a girl, but the only way I could escape was through the pages of my atlas. The first time I did this was after watching a television documentary on the Galapagos Islands. I looked for them in the atlas. Then I tried to find my home – the German Democratic Republic. I realised for the first time how small my country was when compared with the rest of the world. My domain ended at the shores of the Baltic Sea, with seemingly insurmountable barriers separating me from the outside world.
I spent my childhood holidays on the shores of the Baltic with my grandparents, who lived on the island of Usedom. Two bridges chained it to the mainland – and to my romantic, girlish mind, it didn't feel like a proper island. After all, I reasoned, surely an island should be a place that can only be reached by ship? Like the island's lighthouse on a tiny rocky outcrop near the coast. But I couldn't get to it because it was frontier territory for my country and as forbidden as the Berlin Wall. I just had to imagine what it might be like.
Islands, especially those that seem the most remote, are perfect places. After all, most island societies were originally set up by people desperate for a new beginning, for a chance to do everything differently. The idea for my Atlas of Remote Islands grew out of my childhood belief that there must be somewhere in the world that is truly beautiful. Three years ago I stood in front of the huge globe in the Berlin State Library, and wrote down the names of all the tiny little spots of land that looked most forgotten in the vast spread of the seas. I was well aware, of course, that any such arbitrary list could only be a question of perception or position: the inhabitants of Easter Island call their home Te Pito O Te Henua – or "the navel of the world". My work on the Atlas of Remote Islands took me on an adventure, an expedition through dusty tomes, travellers' journals and obscure scientific reports on tiny islands. I drew 50 maps all to the same scale, and I researched and wrote 50 stories.
What I did not expect was that so many of the island stories I would dig up would be so horrendous: shipwrecks, failed expeditions, prison colonies, megalomaniac conquerors, cannibalism, murder and mayhem. Most of these islands are barren, without drinking water. In fact, many islands are unsuitable settings for finding paradise: hell is an island too. Sooner or later, man's will to survive turns him into a beast, and his dream into failure. Men go mad, start rebellions or choose to drown themselves in the sea.
And I realised that all our perceptions of freedom are to do with living on the mainland. If a ship calls only three times a year, there can be no freedom. Freedom means choice. I will never visit any of the 50 islands I wrote about. Mine is a book for the armchair explorer, describing places that exist in reality, but only come to life in the imagination.
A couple of years ago, I finally visited the small lighthouse island I had so longed for as a child. The lighthouse was made of red brick; the vegetation was lush, overgrown and wild. Wherever you stood, you could hear the sounds of the sea. It was a lovely place. But I wouldn't have wanted to stay there any longer than I had to.
Germanyguardian.co.ukHotel review: Small Hotel of the Year
A Cotswold hideaway with plenty of olde worlde charm lives up to its new status as Small Hotel of the Year
It won't just be guests indulging in bubbly at the Bay Tree Hotel today. The 21-bedroom, three-star hotel was named Small Hotel of the Year at the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence 2011 in Birmingham.
Interested members of the press (such as me) are alerted ahead of awards night and sworn to secrecy, so we can swoop in to review before the winners get booked up (as they inevitably will be) from now until Christmas.
Burford is a Cotswold town of almost fairytale appearance. It is a beautiful spring day, daffodils are bobbing in a light breeze, and sunlight bounces off the golden stone of the cottages along Sheep Street. Goodness, reception is busy – the phone rings constantly. I see what the Enjoy England assessor meant in his report – the receptionist is going the extra mile with every inquiry.
The doubles amid the olde worlde charm of the main hotel being fully booked, I've gone instead for a Superior Garden Room in an outbuilding by the car park – what we in hotel reviewing circles like to call "the barracks" (usually while pulling a face). This turns out to be no such thing – if I overlook the teddy bear on the bed (who does like those apart from five-year-olds?), this is a very good room. Fresh, light, with no one to make a noise above it, and French doors to a Juliet balcony.
I love the garden view, modern chintz, big bottles of Molton Brown, the fact I have a lined curtain and a blind at the window which looks out on the driveway (though not a single car disturbs). Less keen on thief-proof hangers, though, and annoyed that Wi-Fi isn't free.
Back to the main building, parts of which are 16th century, to settle in the cosy confines of the library for tea and shortbread. This could almost be a National Trust stately home – not because the sofa is so well-worn, but because I can see two little notices asking me not to do things. "Please refrain from putting wood on the fire", "Please do NOT sit on the bench", they say. Nothing award-winning about decorating a hotel with those.
A pre-dinner drink in the softly lit bar is accompanied by canapés while I choose from the nicely balanced menu. Back through the library to the restaurant, in which a sense of occasion accompanies dinner. Tables are well spaced, and service is friendly and helpful. There is sensitivity in seating the solo diners, too (not under everyone else's gaze, but not hidden away either).
I could eat a vat of the chilled cucumber soup, which tastes like tzatziki and comes with a red chilli kick. Perfectly seared Hereford beef fillet, a dark, oozing rillette and a creamy stack of dauphinoise potatoes follow (just wish the kale had come minus the cream).
My room is in darkness – that's funny, I'm sure the info said turn-down service. The tray charge for room service is a very reasonable £1.50 (so many hotels take the mickey) so I take the plunge and order breakfast in bed. It comes right on time next day. Good job I packed a nightdress, though – when I need to answer the door I can't locate a robe.
It's just lovely in here this morning. Blackbirds sing in the walled garden. I throw open the French windows and sit, nibbling on locally smoked salmon and tiny fresh croissants, looking out at cherry blossom.
sally.shalam@guardian.co.uk
HotelsUnited KingdomShort breaksSally Shalamguardian.co.ukIf you’re inspired by the London marathon…
A new holiday for runners in Kenya's Rift Valley offers top-notch facilities and a schedule that will leave you breathless
Iten is an unlikely runners' paradise. High up in Kenya's Rift Valley, it's a small, chaotic town, typical of the region. The mitumba (secondhand clothes market) spills out by the side of the only tarmac road, as matatus (small buses) drive by day and night, beeping and touting for passengers. Donkeys and cyclists struggle by piled high with crates of chickens or sacks of charcoal, and sheep, goats and cows roam freely.
The surrounding countryside is dotted with round mud huts; in hand-ploughed fields, children in torn clothes stand and stare, and dusty roads crisscross the fertile land in every direction. It is along these roads, usually early in the morning, that you will find the runners. One after the other after the other they shoot by, dressed in Lycra, the latest Nike running shoes and Gore-Tex jackets. It's an incongruous sight, but to an athletics fan, it makes perfect sense. Because from this tiny corner of Kenya hail most of the world's greatest distance runners.
Lacing up your trainers and heading out for a run in Iten is a daunting experience. There don't appear to be any joggers. Every single person is fast. Even the other foreign runners who gather here are all international athletes. Luckily, I'm staying in Iten as part of a group – the only one, it seems – of non-elite runners. There are seven of us, ranging from someone hoping to run a half-marathon in two hours, to someone hoping to run a full marathon in precisely two hours, 24 minutes.
We're in Iten as part of the Kenya Experience, a holiday for runners recently set up by English couple Gavin and Lauren Smith. A budding coach, Gavin knows the town and the Kenyan runners well. He regularly points out the various Olympic champions and world record holders we pass as we're running or walking around.
"That's the steeplechase world record holder," says Gavin, as a group of runners, including Saif Saaeed Shaheen, charge past. "The one with the yellow shoes." There goes the women's world half-marathon record holder, Mary Keitany, on the other side of the road.
Gavin gives us all a personal training plan when we arrive and offers to take us out for runs, or – if we're brave enough – to find Kenyan athletes for us to run with. Although I like to think of myself as a fairly decent runner (my half-marathon time is one hour, 26 minutes), heading out with the Kenyans is a hair-raising experience.
With another member of our group (the two-hour, 24-minute marathon hopeful), I join up for a Kenyan fartlek session – which is basically a long run with fast bits and slow bits. From our base at the High Altitude Training Camp (HATC), owned by former world half-marathon record holder Lornah Kiplagat, it's a 20-minute jog just to the starting point. At the bottom of a long hill, by a bridge over a stream, we find a group of about 200 athletes, milling around and stretching. One man stands up on a mound like a preacher and explains what happens in the session. Spotting us in the crowd, he repeats the instructions in English. I give him the thumbs-up, to much mirth and giggling among the other runners.
The plan is to run gently for one minute and then hard for two minutes. And then to repeat that pattern 17 times. I don't have a watch, but after a minute of jogging, a swarm of beeping watches tells me it's time to go hard. It's uphill, hot and we're running at 2,400m – those are my excuses anyway, because almost instantly I'm drifting backwards, like something heavy falling through water.
People ping by on both sides until I'm watching the main group disappear into the distance. Fortunately, though, I'm not the only straggler, and I manage to keep pace with the backmarkers until the end. The final stretch takes us up a ridiculous hill that has me almost walking.
Afterwards, the Kenyans are smiling and friendly, telling me I did well. All the runners here are welcoming, with no one apparently concerned that I'm like a tortoise to their hares.
When we're not running, we lounge around the upmarket facilities at the HATC. The place is crawling with international athletes, including six top British middle-distance runners. The camp has a lovely swimming pool, although as it's the rainy season, the air temperature is a little too cool to make the water irresistible.
One day we get to visit a typical Kenyan training camp, which is more than a few notches down on the comfort stakes. Here, the athletes sleep in tiny dormitories, and their food is cooked over a wood fire in a kitchen that's a corrugated iron shack. The camp houses about 10 Kenyan athletes and top British marathon runner Tom Payn. He seems to be enjoying life in the camp, despite the basic conditions, although he does say that the one thing he misses is a sit-down toilet.
Gavin and Lauren have arranged a packed schedule of visits and activities for us, some of which work better than others. We visit Iten's famous St Patrick's High School, which has produced dozens of Olympic and world champions and world record holders. Along one wall in the dining room, where beans are being dished out of huge vats for lunch, is the school's wall of fame. Among the star names are the former world 800m record holder and three times world champion Wilson Kipketer, and the 2010 IAAF world athlete of the year, David Rudisha, who still lives and trains on the school campus. Unfortunately, he's away competing in Australia when we visit.
One famous runner we do meet is former world 10,000m champion Moses Tanui, who comes to give us a talk. He spends most of the time telling us why Kenyan runners are not as good as they should be, as torrents of rain batter the tin roof outside, making it hard to hear his soft spoken voice.
By the end of two weeks, we have had a taste of life in Kenya's cradle of champions. It's a mad, bustling place, full of warm, welcoming smiles. Everyone is sad to leave, but thanks to Gavin's training programme and the high altitude, we're all going home fitter than we arrived.
Read Adharanand Finn's running blog at guardian.co.uk
KenyaHealth and fitnessAfricaAthleticsAdharanand Finnguardian.co.uk