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wine and see the world<br />
stroll by at Penelope.<br />
Great for watching<br />
glorious sunsets over<br />
the Old Quarter.<br />
LIVE MUSIC Blues<br />
(Levante Beach,<br />
Benidorm) Located<br />
at the south end of<br />
Levante Beach, this<br />
venue features cool<br />
blues with horns<br />
wailing well into the<br />
night. After-hours jam<br />
sessions bring out the<br />
best of the local jazz<br />
talent. Don’t forget<br />
your clarinet.<br />
LATE & LIVELY<br />
Zodiac (Calle Gerona,<br />
Benidorm) A club-café<br />
with acts including<br />
comedians, artists,<br />
impressionists and<br />
even hypnotists.<br />
Open until 5am<br />
with good music and<br />
plenty of laughs.<br />
THIS MONTH<br />
SHOP Visit Altea’s<br />
beachside market,<br />
which takes place<br />
every Tuesday. One<br />
of the largest on the<br />
Costa Blanca, the<br />
market sells everything<br />
from fruit and<br />
vegetables to home<br />
furnishings, clothing<br />
and leatherwork.<br />
SEE The Costa Blanca<br />
celebrates Las Fallas<br />
from 16–19 March,<br />
which is traditionally<br />
when huge bonfi res<br />
were lit to celebrate<br />
the end of winter<br />
darkness. Now the<br />
festivities see huge,<br />
humorous effi gies<br />
of politicians and<br />
celebrities burned<br />
in the streets amid<br />
singing and dancing.<br />
The best and biggest<br />
Fallas is in Valencia,<br />
but all towns celebrate<br />
with huge fi rework<br />
displays. This is an<br />
event not to be missed.<br />
GO Spend a lazy<br />
day chilling out on<br />
the sands of beautiful<br />
La Cala bay in<br />
Finestrat. There’s<br />
good, sheltered<br />
swimming, and<br />
plenty of restaurants<br />
and bars for a relaxed<br />
alfresco meal in<br />
the springtime sun.<br />
ESCAPE Take a<br />
Jeep safari into the<br />
hinterland of the Costa<br />
Blanca. You’ll drive<br />
in a professionally<br />
led convoy to visit<br />
ancient villages<br />
lost in time, and<br />
lunch on traditional<br />
country fare.<br />
NO WAY!<br />
Don Quixote,<br />
considered to be the<br />
fi rst modern novel, was<br />
written by the Spaniard<br />
Miguel de Cervantes.<br />
Danny Collins<br />
PUEBLO<br />
ACANTILADO<br />
★ ★ ★ ★ ★<br />
Suspended on a<br />
spectacular cliff , and<br />
with the best views of<br />
the coast, this resort<br />
recreates the fl avour of<br />
typical Costa Blanca.<br />
From €75, book at<br />
hotels.easyJet.com.<br />
Almería<br />
Spain<br />
DIALLING CODE +34<br />
CURRENCY €<br />
FLY FROM<br />
London (LGW)<br />
FROM THE<br />
AIRPORT<br />
TAXI<br />
Pre-book your taxi<br />
at easyJet.com.<br />
A local taxi costs €13.<br />
Route 20 goes<br />
to the centre.<br />
Tickets: €1.<br />
Visit the Europcar<br />
desk for special<br />
easyJet rates.<br />
BON APPETIT<br />
UP TO €30 Arrecife<br />
(Calle Cala Higuera,<br />
San José, tel: 950<br />
380 425) Arrecife<br />
has a varied menu,<br />
which includes<br />
budget-priced<br />
combination dishes<br />
such as chicken<br />
breast with chips,<br />
salad and fried egg.<br />
There are also some<br />
great Mediterranean<br />
specials, such as<br />
rabbit in garlic,<br />
paella and fresh fi sh.<br />
EXCLUSIVE Hotel<br />
Catedral (8 Plaza de<br />
la Catedral, tel: 950<br />
278 178) Set in the<br />
heart of the Old Town,<br />
this stylish hotel is<br />
the place to come for<br />
high-end meals in<br />
a formal setting.<br />
Booking is advisable.<br />
AFTER DARK<br />
LOW KEY<br />
El Emigrante (55 Calle<br />
Correos, San José, tel:<br />
950 380 114) A quiet<br />
bar with restaurant<br />
attached in the very<br />
chilled-out village of<br />
San José. Chew on<br />
the free tapa which<br />
comes with each<br />
beer and listen to<br />
the local tittle tattle.<br />
LATE & LIVELY<br />
Guarapo (3 Plaza<br />
Antonio González<br />
Egea) A bar in the party<br />
zone at the heart of<br />
the Old Town, near the<br />
cathedral. The DJ spins<br />
dance and disco hits<br />
until the early hours.<br />
THIS MONTH<br />
SHOP The central food<br />
market off Calle Aguilar<br />
de Campo is bustling.<br />
It’s a great place to<br />
stroll to to see a bit of<br />
real Spain, as well as<br />
pick up a few bargains.<br />
SEE The line-up for the<br />
11th Musicas del Alma<br />
festival in San Javier<br />
includes Steve Lukather,<br />
guitarist, singer and<br />
songwriter for Toto, on<br />
12 March. Tickets for<br />
all concerts at Parque<br />
Almansa cost €10 and<br />
are available from the<br />
town hall box offi ce<br />
(jazz.sanjavier.es).<br />
NO WAY!<br />
The highest mountain<br />
on the Iberian<br />
peninsula, Mulhacén<br />
(3,478m), and the<br />
third-highest peak,<br />
Veleta (3,394m), both<br />
lie in the Sierra Nevada<br />
mountain range to<br />
the west of Almería.<br />
David Jones<br />
DESTINATION GUIDES | 109<br />
Amsterdam<br />
Netherlands<br />
DIALLING CODE +31<br />
CURRENCY €<br />
FLY FROM<br />
Barcelona, Basel-<br />
Mulhouse, Belfast (BFS),<br />
Berlin, Bristol, Edinburgh,<br />
Geneva, Liverpool,<br />
London (LGW, LTN, STN),<br />
Madrid, Manchester,<br />
Milan (MXP), Prague,<br />
Rome (FCO), Split<br />
FROM THE<br />
AIRPORT<br />
TAXI Pre-book your taxi<br />
at easyJet.com.<br />
A local taxi costs €40.<br />
Visit the Europcar<br />
desk for special<br />
easyJet rates.<br />
There are seven<br />
trains an hour to<br />
Centraal station.<br />
Tickets: €3.80 single.<br />
BON APPETIT<br />
UP TO €15<br />
Maoz Vegetarian<br />
(1 Muntplein, tel: 020<br />
420 7435) There<br />
are branches of this<br />
self-service falafel salad<br />
bar all over Europe and<br />
the US, including Times<br />
Square in New York,<br />
but this is where the<br />
franchise started in 1991.<br />
The tasty pitta bread<br />
pockets are wholesome,<br />
fi lling and cheap as chips<br />
(which, by the way, are<br />
also available).<br />
UP TO €30 Barça (30<br />
Marie Heinekenplein,<br />
tel: 020 470 4144)<br />
Situated in the trendy<br />
de Pijp neighbourhood,<br />
this uncharacteristically<br />
large tapas bar and<br />
restaurant can brighten<br />
the darkest of drizzly<br />
days, with its wide<br />
selection of hearty<br />
Iberian classics and its<br />
well-priced wine list.<br />
EXCLUSIVE<br />
Lion Noir (28<br />
Reguliersdwarsstraat,<br />
tel: 020 627 6603)<br />
This glamorous new<br />
restaurant has taken<br />
discretion to the point<br />
of anonymity; the lack<br />
of signage and all-black<br />
storefront give it the air<br />
of a private members’<br />
club. Inside you’ll fi nd<br />
quirky art, good-looking<br />
staff and a sublime<br />
menu that incorporates<br />
a lot of meat. The<br />
oysters are fresh<br />
and fabulous, so order<br />
at least a few.<br />
AFTER DARK<br />
LOW KEY<br />
Café Schiller<br />
(24A Rembrandtplein,<br />
tel: 020 624 9846)<br />
Situated on Rembrandt<br />
Square (check out the<br />
statue in the middle),<br />
this handsome building<br />
is a relatively quiet<br />
place to stop off for a<br />
drink before a night at<br />
the gorgeous art-deco<br />
Tuschinski cinema<br />
nearby. Service is as<br />
bright and breezy<br />
as the café itself.<br />
LIVE MUSIC<br />
Heineken Music Hall<br />
(590 Arena Boulevard,<br />
tel: 0900 687 4242) If<br />
you’re lucky, you might<br />
get tickets to The Black<br />
Keys (18 March)
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