Winter Sun | With Love From Mel

October 31, 2023October 31, 2023

Menorca

If you are looking for a place to switch off and do nothing completely (this is not easy for me), then Menorca is for you.

October is an excellent time to visit the Mediterranean, the temperatures are not scorching and it’s still warm enough to enjoy the pool or beach, with the added bonus of not being crazy busy. The pure blue skies will lift and restore your soul.

Arriving in Mahon on a Monday afternoon flight (delayed by a couple of hours – subsidized by a very ungenerous £5 from the airline), I collected my hire car – a snappy little Fiat 500, (for excellent prices use rentalcars.com). So my first challenge was attempting to connect my phone to the car – the Sat Nav location would only recognize saved contacts – I did not pre-save the hotel as a contact – who does?! Then it was complaining of no internet connection – lies lies, all of them lies I tell you. Even the young assistant at the rental car desk was of no help. He did all the things I had tried. Bless him.

Anyway, so driving off, now keep in mind, I cycle in London… so don’t need a car there as London is very well connected. Thus, I haven’t driven a manual car for several years, but I nailed it. However, realised within a few moments that I had to consciously remind myself to drive on the right, drive on the right, drive on the right!

I stayed at the Artiem Capri in Mahon for two nights. There is an open-air car park around the corner which is ridiculously affordable – a maximum of 3€ per day (coins or cards will work – however take the right change!). The hotel would like you to pay 16€ per day. Probably for the same spot mind. Free parking in Mahon is in the white-marked street spots, the blue is paid for at pay points.

The Artiem has a nice rooftop pool and jacuzzi – the latter was filled (literally) by the same two very overweight, bald, middle-aged spread men each time I visited the area. Artiem Capri provides complimentary drinks (both sans and con alcohol) and snacks from 3 p.m. to late.

I found two excellent restaurants, both worth mentioning – Perla Kitchen & Bar and Anna & Pepe [Bon Aire, 12 Mao, Menorca – 971.853681]. Whilst I persevered with my Spanglish, they do speak excellent English. Both dinners came to less than 30€ [sans alcohol].

Definitely get out onto the water for an hour tour or more and visit the Hauser & Wirth art gallery – situated on an island, the ferry ticket includes the entrance fee of 7€.

Moving onto Cala Galdana (Serpentona) for a further five nights, staying at the Atriem Audax hotel, with stunning views over the local beach and natural forest. A spa for massages and treatments and rooftop pools. Two restaurants worthy of a visit are Restaurante Cala Mitjana and Restaurante Trevi.

I hiked over to Cala Macarella one morning, this requires good shoes as the terrain is very rocky. It is not as busy as the local Cala Galdana beach.

I also went for a horse ride with Menorca a Carvall. They are an exceptional horse riding company, who obviously care for their steads. Humorously, they named you by your horse’s name, I had Xaoxao, which I liked. They very kindly line you up on a cliff overlooking a beautiful beach to take photos and send them to you. If you are planning this sort of adventure, make sure you pack covered shoes or at least socks. They do have ankle-high riding boots in case you forget. Of course, they also provide helmets.

Ciutadella

I visited Ciutadella, which is about a 30-minute drive from Cala Galdana and is definitely worth it. Parking is cheap but not abundant, with 1€ per two-hour limit on the meters. As I was collecting my car, there was a parking warden doing the rounds.

One restaurant which was outstanding in Ciutadella was Maramao. Their tapas is both creative and fresh. The “conflex chicken” (I thought it was a misspelt “cornfed”, but actually misspelt “cornflake chicken”) was creative and refreshing guacamole and prawn glass.

The many alleyways in Ciutadella are delightful to explore, with artesian shops to explore and historic buildings to visit, it is well worth a visit.

Close to Ciutadella is a picturesque viewing spot of a naturally made rock formation – Pont d’en Gil. It is a short 15-minute drive from the centre. I recommend taking sensible walking shoes to Menorca as there are beautiful trails to secluded beaches and you will need them to walk to the best viewing spot for Pont d’en Gil.

December 30, 2019January 24, 2020

Christmas in Casablanca

Rather then stay in London for a typically over indulgent damp Christmas or fly to the other side of the World for a hot (and again) over indulgent Christmas, I decided to do something completely different: a Yoga retreat in Casablanca. And it was fabulous!

After some research into what was available around Europe and Morocco, I found a six day retreat at Om Yoga in Casablanca. Flights are not cheap at Christmas time (£550 with Air Maroc). But it was totally worth it – the villa is lovely, the yoga excellent and the staff make every effort to make you feel comfortable. The package (€ 1,390) included a private room, three vegetarian meals per day, a Hammam at the Mosque and unlimited Yoga. Airport transfer was also included – which is very helpful if you are not fluent in Arabic or French.

Om Yoga in Casablanca has three pristine studios – even the room used for aerial yoga and Bikram didn’t smell of the typical sweaty locker rooms that seem to go hand in hand with other Bikram studios that I have scuttled past.

There is a wide variety of yoga classes (Yin, Aerial, Power, Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Hatha, Bikram, Wall (yes there is such a thing)), provided by well trained teachers (Pablo Ruiz and Ahlam Khafi were my personal favourites). Over the holiday period, there was a reduced number of classes but I still managed five and a half hours of yoga in one day. Something to note; many of the classes are instructed in French – with about 10% English when the teacher remembers that not everyone is French speaking. So having some experience in yoga classes (or being fluent in French) is highly recommended.

The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca is totally outstanding – it can hold 25,000 people inside and the craftsmanship is breathtaking. Beneath you can enjoy an authentic Hammam with three rooms of varying heat.

For Christmas day itself, Om Yoga provided a special Christmas meal for us which included a typical Moroccan dish – Pastilla (spiced chicken wrapped in flaky pastry and sweetened with cinnamon and icing sugar).

Casablanca itself is quite polluted, the diesel fumes can be overwhelming, but the beaches are clean and the waves are powerful. Before dawn each morning, hundreds of soccer players practice their skills on the sand – which makes an early morning beach walk a little nerve racking as you have to be on alert for stray soccer balls.

Two restaurants to look for in Casablanca are Le Bistrot and Basmane – coincidently they are right next door to each other. Both had excellent service and food.

I had a couple of days after the retreat to explore… so took a train to Marrakech for one day – definitely not long enough (so I guess I will just have to go back!). Book premier class as the train takes about three hours and the comfort is worthwhile – plus your seat is guaranteed (not so in 2nd class) . Marrakech is a very colourful city and definitely a shopper’s mecca. If you see something you like, stop immediately because the chances of locating that shop again are slim – however don’t show too much interest as haggling is a sport in Morocco.

A nice lady from Vienna in our yoga group had been to Marrakech a couple of times and recommended the Zeitoun Cafe – it has a great view over the market square and the staff are friendly and accommodating. It is an excellent place to get your bearings and prepare yourself for the rattle snake charmers, acrobats, drummers, monkeys and the hustle bustle of the Marrakech souks.

Visit Dar El Bacha – Musee des Confluences in Marrakech (entry is 60 Dirhams) – artefacts include historic caftans, vases from China and relics from Columbia. It hosts a stunning cafe offering coffee from all around the world. The architecture and tile designs are marvellous.

Worthy of a visit is the Yves Saint Laurent garden – a beautiful green sanctuary in the heart of the bustling city centre (entry for International guests is 70 Dirhams). Go early as it does get very busy.

In both Casablanca and Marrakech it’s a good practice to agree a price with a taxi driver before getting into the car (the Petit Taxi drivers in Casablanca are adamant for you to NOT wear a seat belt…. and the way they drive well… I definitely prefer to have some sort of safety assurance when two lanes become three… and then four. For short trips around each city pay no more then 20/40 Dirhams. Take some back up cash in the local currency but note that the duty free shops at the airport only accept Euros or USD. We found that some cards just don’t work at every automatic teller.

March 31, 2019January 26, 2020

Thailand

More then twenty people converged to the beautiful Island Koh Lanta for a friend’s 40th birthday. And such an International group it was – Americans, English, French, Togolese, South Africans, Danish, Dutch, Lithuanians, Polish and the token Australian (there’s always one – moi).

From London it is a long way to travel and I recommend you go for more then one week. But due to work commitments I decided to make a dash in and out. I flew into Krabi and then took a taxi over to the island – this involves putting the taxi onto a boat.

I flew into the Krabi a few days before the group was to converge. So was happy to be with my own company, exploring the Island. Find some cows (literally) on the beach and test the local restaurants.

The second night though…. well that is a story. I went out with my trusty Kindle to hunt down dinner. There was a storm coming in, you could feel it in the air and see it in the sky. Thunderous black clouds appeared, the temperature dropped and the monsoon season was saying hello.

The Island lost all power. Street lights were out. Sudden lightening strobed and loud thunder roared. To get home I thought it best to walk on the road. It was a total blackout so I could barely make out a couple of feet in front in the torrential rain. Thinking this was the safer option as I wouldn’t see debris on the beach. Probably trip over a branch or stone, body or something worse.

I had no umbrella, so was dripping wet within minutes…. it’s warm so I told myself, it’s ok , it’s ok, you’re not cold. Just keep moving. Becoming soaked through to the bones with each step. And due to the rain, I couldn’t use my phone for navigation or light.

There were no street lights along the road and the rain was torrential. Cars were coming closer and closer to the sidewalk. When I heard a large lorry trundling towards me, I stepped off onto what I thought was the sidewalk, but unfortunately found a ditch.

A deep ditch. I scrambled up the side of the road as quick as I could as it smelt awful – even in the teeming rain, consequently razing my leg to shreds and trashing my handbag in the process.

Luckily I was only twenty metres from my hotel. I hobbled back and found antiseptic cream to apply after a warm shower. All the time consoling myself with the thought: I’m pretty sure I’m up to date on my tetanus shots. Um, I hope. The next day after the seasonal monsoon, I noticed as I walked around the town that there were dead frogs in the street. Definitely need to check my tetanus shots are in order.

The beaches are gorgeous when the tide is in – but not so much when out. We were just south of Long Beach – and the majority of the group staying at the Koh Lanta Riviera resort.

Besides the welcoming hospitality, the food is one of the best things in Thailand. Very fresh seafood and (obviously) authentic fresh Thai food. The people are extremely congenial and humble. Things are very cheap there. Beer is ridiculously cheep but the selection of wine limited – either red or white. No genre is offered besides the colour.

Do get yourself a massage (or two, or even three) from the many vendors along the beach side. They can work away every trouble as you watch the sun set over the ocean which is just gorgeous.

There is no flushing toilet paper down the toilet – which is not a thing Westerners are used to. So be prepared for that little pearl. Also the showers are very weak, expect a mere dribble at best.

The birthday gal arranged a fantastic boat for us all – a luxurious cruiser – this was magic. The crew were very hospitable, took us to a couple of bays where we could snorkel, take a canoe to the beach, swim or just simply enjoy the generous lunch.

A party of us went to a cooking class for a day and that was a tonne of fun. I highly recommend doing this – Cooking with Mon – you can find him on Trip Advisor. The whole experience is easily five stars. We cooked 4 dishes and stuffed ourselves silly. All the food prep is ready for you to just walk in, be instructed, cook and eat fresh food. All allergies and preferences are catered for.

January 23, 2019January 29, 2020

Bilbao / San Sebastian

If you like tapas (known as pinxtos in the Basque region) and amazing architecture then this is your dream destination. The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao is totally out of this world. The shapes of light that dance through the building is more then worthy of a visit (and yes, they do have great art to admire).

But oh the display of food! I do remember thinking that I wish I had more stomachs. Greedy I know. But when you visit, you might easily feel the same. How the locals aren’t wider then taller is beyond me.

It is very easy to take a coach to San Sebastian for a day or two. And to earn your pinxtos for the day; climb Mount-urgull and admire the view.

The beach is pristine and well worth a visit, you can stroll along the sidewalk if you’re adverse to sand…