As central as it gets! All of these cherry-picked hotels are just a gentle stroll away from Las Ramblas and the very best that the Catalan capital of cool has to offer.
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Travel, photography, the great outdoors, the slow life - from Wales & beyond - with Ben Holbrook
I set up this blog after moving to Barcelona and falling head over heels in love with Spain.
Follow me and get my insider travel tips on the best things to see and do across Spain and the rest of Europe, as well as my personal recommendations on where to eat, drink and be merry in all the right places!
My father brought me here when I was a wee nipper. He picked me up and plonked me down on a cushion of moss that…
Leave a CommentThe sun kissed island of Majorca has much more to offer than sprawling tourist resorts and crowded beaches. Head off the beaten track and you’ll…
Leave a CommentIf you want to travel around Europe on a (tiny) budget, I’ve got a game-changing travel-hack that you’ll love! I’ve been spending a bit of time…
5 CommentsFull-time travel writer/blogger Ben Holbrook reveals exactly what travel gear and gadgets he has in his backpack.
Leave a CommentAndina is the new sister restaurant of my favourite restaurant in London: Ceviche. However, it seems she still has a way to go before she grows…
Leave a CommentPerched on what feels like the highest point in London (it’s not), Richmond’s Roebuck is a proper boozer that bestows its patrons with lofty views over…
Leave a CommentAfter a dizzying three years of living in this vast and enigmatic city, I’ve finally managed to pin down and share a few of my…
Leave a CommentKew Gardens is a place that seduces your senses with tropical palms and ancient pines. It’s a place that nourishes your mind and soul with lungfuls of richly oxygenated air as you stride through rose gardens and climb through swaying treetops. It’s a modern-day paradise and, quite unbelievably, it’s only ten miles away from central London.
2 CommentsSmall but comfortably intimate; there isn’t room for everyone at Ceviche. And as the lights are turned down and the food fiesta finds its momentum, you…
Leave a CommentI went home to Swansea this week and spent some time with nature… and my mum. I’m still struck by how breathtakingly beautiful it is…
6 CommentsI won’t mince my words here, there’s nothing handsome about East London. In fact, forget everything you think you know about London, East London ain’t…
Leave a CommentThis is my straight-talking guide to the best things to do in Paris. I’ve tailored it specifically for those who are short on time and hungry…
2 CommentsThey say that Paris is modernising and changing, but I discovered that the classic, ancient pleasures of Paris are still alive and well… “Don’t tell…
1 CommentThe warmest welcome in London, and not at all as overpriced as everyone keeps saying…. Yashin sushi restaurant is tucked away on one of the…
Leave a Comment“‘Excuse me, gents, uh, I, uh, hope you don’t mind me askin’, but what’s that there that you’re drinkin’?” Glen held up his chalice as…
1 CommentTop tips on Krakow’s famous milk bars, restaurants, free walking tours and vodka bars, and find out how to save money on your trip to Auschwitz! Go!
38 CommentsLooking for new craft beers to try? Join me on this epic craft beer tasting adventure and discover 15 of the world’s finest brews…(from Beer…
Leave a CommentSylvie, my girlfriend, was living in Madrid when I met her. I was living in Barcelona at the time. Every weekend for a year, I’d…
6 CommentsIn August 2013, Sylvie and I rented a tiny Renault Twingo and zoomed through 1500kms of Provence and the French Riviera. With no fixed agenda…
14 CommentsWith its rustic bouchon restaurants and prized peasant delicacies on every street corner, it doesn’t take long to work out why Lyon is hailed as…
3 CommentsYou don’t go to Singapore to see the sites or discover its history; you go to Singapore to indulge in a heavenly world of flavour.…
Leave a CommentExploring London’s epic attractions would be a lot easier if it wasn’t for the limitless supply of delicious distractions. The zingy jalfrezis and peppery steaks,…
1 CommentTake a stroll along South Bank and discover all the best bits of London, in one place….. There are two Londons. There’s the hipster, grimy,…
Leave a CommentA local tennis club that became an international icon, Wimbledon is all about getting into the community spirit…… Wimbledon is not what you might imagine.…
Leave a CommentPerched proudly on the River Neckar, Heidelberg is a secret world of Rapunzel towers and Quasimodo rooftops, says Ben Holbrook I’m not entirely ashamed to admit…
Leave a CommentMy good friend – and East London local – Matt Lindley, escapes the daily grind and falls in love with Regent’s Canal…. Getting a bike…
1 CommentMummified hands and Jesus’ favourite coffee cup, Ben Holbrook discovers that Valencia is unfathomably ancient… I’ve just spent a beautiful sunny evening wandering the sun-kissed…
Leave a CommentOn first inspection it feels like Valencia, Spain’s third largest city, is a blend; a cocktail of classic Madrileño style with the palm-tree-aromas of Barcelona. I…
Leave a CommentExploring a world of different cultures on the streets of London, it’s easy to forget where you are sometimes…. A chest-pounding Egyptian beat gathered a small…
Leave a CommentWhen I was 8 years old, I met a kid called Edward. We instantly became best friends and began a lifetime of adventure and tomfoolery.…
Leave a CommentGrey-haired hikers rule the Surrey countryside. Their stuffed backpacks and ski-pole walking sticks bulk them up like wealthy Ghostbusters. Where are they going? What do…
Leave a CommentMore manageable than London, and more beautiful than Cambridge, Oxford’s the England we’re all looking for….. A jodhpur-clad girl rode confidently through the traffic on a reconditioned retro racer.…
Leave a CommentCamping on the Gower Peninsula has become a holy grail for many adventurous Brits looking to escape to the rolling waves and hills. Being brought…
26 CommentsUnprepared but unperturbed, Ben Holbrook explores Joshua Tree National Park, where life is lived dangerously or not at all. “Do you think there are mountain lions…
Leave a CommentIn a last-ditch attempt to give his mother-in-law, Ana, a taste of authentic London, Ben Holbrook heads to Columbia Road Flower Market, where the bellowing…
2 CommentsBen Holbrook discovers a peaceful haven away from the London chaos, only to be greeted by another kind of crazy. Living in London, or near London as…
Leave a CommentAs I write this I am sitting in La Latina, Madrid, the capital city of Spain. The warm summer breeze flows gently through the rustic…
Leave a Comment“Take an hour for lunch and be back here ready for the dinner rush,” David told me. Luckily I had my board in the car. I…
Leave a CommentVisiting the Amalfi coast has always been a dream of mine and I had been obsessed with the idea of spending some time there since…
1 CommentI heard about Richmond Park when I was just a kid. Everyone always talked about this amazing giant park in the middle of London –…
Leave a CommentWe flew into San Francisco and I had no idea what time or day it was. We’d been flying for what seemed like a lifetime,…
Leave a CommentI’ve never been one to get over-excited about watching sport. As a kid I’d fall asleep as soon as the footie was turned on and…
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