Mourning the end of elBulli? Read on… [Photo: Charles Haynes/Flickr]
Missed your chance to dine at recently closed culinary trailblazer elBulli? There, there sugar, your appetite for Adrià can still be satisfied. Get yourself a reservation at Tickets, Albert and Ferran Adrià’s latest venture in Barcelona. While the brothers make it clear that this is no replacement for the legendary former temple to modern gastronomy, the menu does feature a few of elBulli’s greatest hits at a fraction of the price, reason enough to get on that plane.
Say ciao to bella Londra
Calling all belloccios e belloccias!
Fasten your seat belts, LUXE has some molto exciting news for all the Italian-speaking leggy lovelies out there. We’ve teamed up with publishers Guido Tommasi Editore to bring you 20 Italian editions of our super-svelte concertina city guides. From Parigi to Pechino, we’ve got you covered with the best restaurants, shops, bars and spas and none of the faff, all in Italiano.
Counter-active
Oh Federal, you can govern us any time. This all-day, fresh and hip Sydney-style café in Sant Antoni and near the museums of Montjuïc, Barcelona, is just what the java doctor ordered. Inspired by a middle of nowhere town in Oz (and dare we say Bill’s as well), it’s the offspring of Aussie lads Tommy Tang and Nigel Chouri, founders of artisan sweet shop Papabubble. They’ve since cashed in on the candy to bring you something even better, a proper breakfast/brunch/lunch spot, bless.
Bossa vibe, Bossy views at Sunset
Summer’s here, and what better than to kick back on a breezy terrace to while the sultry night away. From a petite Parisian neighbourhood laneway to an oh-so-sexy deck in Istanbul, here are some of our favourite alfresco dinner haunts in Europe. Oh, put those sunnies away, Susan, it’s supper time.
What a viewtiful world we live in
A great hotel bar is a joy to behold, and even better with your poison of choice in hand. It’s a salve for weary travellers and an escape for local denizens, all tinged with the frisson of a chance international encounter. Of course, there are any number of factors which make a hotel bar great, not least of which are the cocktails, but to really make you feel like you’re connected to the city, it’s hard to beat a knockout view and setting. So, sorry Bar Hemingway, we love you, but sometimes a gal’s gotta give a little extra, and these babies really put the oh AND the aah into panorama…
Ooh la la – even better on your own velo [Photo by Grufnik/Flickr]
It’s nearly summer in Europe – Londoners are cracking smiles, Parisians are putting extra ooh into their bonjours, Barcelonans are back on the boardwalk, Berliners are baring their baps und wursts and the fashionable Milanese, well, their sunglasses never came off, but they’ve shed their furs. Each of these fab five also has a simple bike-sharing public transport program that’s affordable, hassle free and as easy as, um, riding a bike. Simply buy a subscription, choose your bike and off you go. When you’re done, just return your pedals to any of the stands conveniently scattered around the city. It’s easy, eco-friendly, butt-firming, hair-ruining fun, with some sightseeing thrown in, so pop on your matador pants and go.
Grab your kaftan, the Hotel Arts Barcelona awaits...
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in a foreign city?
That was the deeply personal and probing question we asked you for our fab November competition and a chance to win 3 gorgeous nights in the glittering seaside grandeur of the Hotel Arts Barcelona – ooh, you lucky lovelies. We’ve ruminated and digested chortled and gasped, and with a big thanks to all of you who wrote in, here’s what we loved…
Follow us on 
