Typifying the trend for exquisite micro hotels is Escondrijo in Vejer de la Frontera. With just three rooms, the hotel is a beautifully renovated house in a cobbled lane, its oldest parts dating back to the Moorish era. The rooms are lofty and gorgeous and there are lots of little details such as ancient wooden doors, cloistered walkways, a galleried courtyard, candle lit stairways, woodburners and hammocks, to add to the place's
More than just an airport, Malaga is a fantastic old city with an impressive Cathedral, fantastic covered market, glittering marina, lively bars and so many places to eat fried anchovies you need never try the same one twice. It is also the birthplace of the 20th century's most prominent artist, Pablo Picasso. Recognising that it's most famous son is perhaps more closely associated with Paris and Barcelona than the city
by Eduardo Rodriguez, The Designer Pad Voted the prettiest village in Andalucía, Spain, Frigiliana is a town known for its maze of narrow cobbled streets lined by whitewashed houses, their wrought-iron balconies and planters filled with brilliant red geraniums. Although the structure of this gorgeous home keeps its traditional style, the interior has been completely modernized. Playing with its organic anatomy, the owners achieved a harmonious balance between the historical
by Sandra Vallaure,www.seville-traveller.com A 'hidden gem' of Sevilla is The Palace of the Countess of Lebrija which boasts one of the most complete and astonishing collections of Roman mosaics of the Andalusian region and, I would even dare to say, of Spain. One of the few mansions that can be visited in Seville, this wonderful palace is organized around a main courtyard, with a couple of small patios behind and
Just 14 km from Africa, where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic, is the old fishing town of Tarifa, one of the most southern most points of Andalusia and indeed Spain. It’s a funky, shambolic little town with hipster surf dudes wandering around within ancient castellated city walls and shops selling kite boarding gear situated next to traditional Spanish tapas bars. With its expansive, wind-hammered beaches, Tarifa is the surfing, kite
This week we're bringing you interesting stories from Andalusia in the south west of Spain. Red hot and white painted, ancient and cutting edge, it's an intriguing and stylish corner of Spain sometimes overshot in the holidaymaker's stampede to the beach. We'll be taking a peek inside a gorgeous Spanish interior courtesy of guest writer Eduardo Rodriguez of The Designer Pad, hanging out in surf town Tarifa, eating anchovies in
by Nicki Slater, Imagination Workshop I must begin with an apology for taking such a long break from bringing you vegetable based news from Avocado Sweet. It has been a really busy summer, in my work and personal life as well as on the allotment but I am absolutely delighted to bring good tidings after a shaky start back in May. We ended up having a brilliant harvest with broad
You could be forgiven for thinking these luminous forms have been photoshopped but they are actually giant works of art by Janet Echelman. The hovering net sculptures interact with the wind, sunlight and precipitation and at night are iluuminated in vivid colour. They are like huge floating jelly fish. Janet Echelman was first inspired to make the choreography of the wind visible when watching Indian fishermen pulling in their catches. ‘I
Avocado Sweet is delighted to be giving away this Celia Birtwell book as a competition prize. The book was published by Quadrille this week (3 October 2011) and is worth £30. As you might expect from a textile designer, the hardback book is a piece of beautiful design in itself filled with colourful sketches and designs from throughout her career. The book charts her life, from working with husband and
If the literary internet resembles the school playground – and it does – McSweeney’s is the class wit who’s got all the answers and is ready for cocktails while you’re still learning to tie your shoelaces. Launched by novelist Dave Eggers in 1998 as a literary journal dedicated to rejected work, McSweeneys is now a sort of alternative publishing empire with a loyal subscriber base and a strong independent bookstore