Europe Recommendations and Raves

Excellent vegan restaurant in London, Country Life:
http://www.countrylife-restaurant.co.uk/

1)SUNROCK HOSTEL on Corfu, Greece
On a beautiful beach; one of the longest on corfu, I believe. Homecooked breakfasts and dinners included in the reasonable price. The rooms are quite clean and some have balconies facing the ocean. The entire place has a view of the ocean, really, as it's up a steep hillside (short walk) from the beach. Big deck where dinner is served. Good bar. It's family-run, and the owners keep a really friendly, relaxed atmosphere. I stayed there for a long time, and I can't say enough about it. I can't seem to find their website, but they pick up at the docks, and are around the web and the guides if you look...
2)It's been a few years - sorry to be so vague, but I think this is really worth it. If anyone else knows the place I'm talking about, please fill in the (Gaping) holes. There is a place on the Amalfi Coast, just outside of the town of Amalfi - the next bus stop - the village is called Atrani, I think. Well, there are two english brothers who run a hostel out of an old family home outside of this village. They were picking up at the bus stop in Atrani when I was there. They'll drive you up the road. From there you have to climb steps carved out of the cliff to get to the hostel. It's well worth it. You can either camp in the lemon grove or stay in the house, which has a kitchen and other very acceptable facilities. It's beautiful, and the atmosphere is fun.
I hope somebody can help me out with the name of the guys who run it! In any case, I thought it would be worth it to post about it, as I'm sure it can be found through asking around...

Hi,

I stayed at Hotel Boissiere,53 Rue Jean Jaurès, Levallois Perret 92 300, in Paris and i would say its by far and wide the best place i hav ever stayed at such a price, neat n clean, nice "friendly" french ppl, very descent and safe suburban paris locality, close to the metro (5 mins, walking) and jus 15 mins (by metro) to tour effiel (city center)...and lots of restaurants and shops and bank and stuff around...
for a single person it was 46 US $, but if u r more than one it could come down to under 30 US $... a must stay place in paris....

Airline discount search engines for departure points in Spain:

http://www.rumbo.es

http://www.edreams.es

And if you happen to be stationed in Madrid, there is a really helpful travel agency with student discounts called Funiversal <http://www.funiversal.com/>. They are located in Alonso Martinez (I think there is a Pizza Hut or something like that on the ground floor of their building).

Iciclenymph, is this the place you were talking about? Sure sounds like it!

http://www.hostelscalinatella.com/Vettica%20House.htm

http://www.grimaldi-ferries.com : for ferries from Rome to Toulon (French Riviera) or Rome - Barcelona

http://www.hotelenthusiast.com : for European hotels with city areas tips

http://www.sncf.fr : for French trains

http://www.trenitalia.it : for Italian trains

http://www.rome-accom.com/eng/other/restaurants.shtml : for restaurants in Rome

http://www.estateromana2002.it : calendar of events in Rome (concerts etc...)

enjoy your trip!

My two favourite Europe tips are:

For searching budget airlines go to http://www.whichbudget.com it tells you all the budget airlines that fly out from your departure airport and their destinations.

In Prague, Hostel Boathouse is the best. Its 390 Czech, which is something like 8 quid, and for 120 Czech you get a homemade dinner. The rooms are nice and clean and the ladies that run it couldn't be friendlier. I've stayed there twice, and would never stay anywhere else in Prague!!

Safe travels all.

Couple of my fav. sites for European Travel;

For hotels and good value accommodation deals - Short Break Hotels at Superbreak.com

For cheap flights and budget airlines - Cheapflights.co.uk

I found Superbreak extremely useful in terms of picking up last minute hotel accommodation for weekend trips across Europe but the UK in particular.

Great link for those starting to explore Europe. Everything from hostels, passports, phrases you need to know in different languages....all this on a plain, easy to navigate website.

http://www.bugeurope.com/

Kinlay hostel in Galway, Ireland. Fairly cheap, great atmosphere, great location, friendly (and sometimes cute) staff. All around fantasticness.

From a writer, Eve:

Arriving in Vienna in March can always be a bit tricky - one just hopes the weather holds up (which it did). Interested in the Arts I almost immediately went to the MQ (Museumsquarter) - one of the biggest museum complexes in Europe (it houses the Leopold Collection: Egon Schiele, the MUMOK (Ludwig Museum), Electric Avenue (for music lovers) and a lot of great restaurants.

Since I go to Austria almost every year I always visit my favorite coffeehouse: The Cafe Central right in the city center, where you sit and enjoy your Viennese Melange in the afternoon. There is also a great new supermarket one should not miss: Meinl am Graben. One of the finest supermarkets I have ever seen - don't miss the Wine Bar in the cellar.

From a writer, Mexican Food in Greece: Santorini, Greece:
During the Olympics last summer my wife and I took a short tour of two Greek isles, Santorini and Mykonos. We rented a car to tour around Santorini and the first evening we were looking for a place to have dinner. My wife said that at least here we wouldn't have to have Mexican food. (I enjoy it.) We came over a hill and there in front of us was Senor Zorba's, a fine restaurant, high above the incredibly beautiful, turquoise sea of the caldera. The enchilada was the best I've ever tasted!

quote:

Originally posted by Clay:
Excellent vegan restaurant in London, Country Life:
http://www.countrylife-restaurant.co.uk/

They are actually a chain of restaurants found in several European cities. It's a Seventh Day Adventist project which is quite helpful to vegans abroad because they also have Country Life restaurants in places like Prague which are otherwise not very vegan friendly.
Though I haven't tried them, for help as a vegetarian or vegan in Europe, there are also these guidebooks.

I just found a really great and comprehensive site on the British Monarchy:

http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page5.asp

Includes history, family trees, individual biographies, etc. Great for history buffs or those just wanting to study up before a trip.

From a writer:

Man, let me tell you how much I love Bruxelles. I'm a Texan and I have lived there twice. This city is highly cosmopolitan and still maintains a small town atmosphere. It is a condensed city that is mostly walkable, but it also provides an extensive mass transit system. While it is both the capital of Belgium and the provincial capital of Dutch speaking Flanders, the language of the city is French. This is THE spot where Germanic and Latin cultures meet, so expect direct conversations and passionate kisses. Because of all the different types of nationalities that reside in Bruxelles, it's quite common to find a Belgian Frituries along side Kebab stands, Parisian-style cafes, Italian Eateries, and Mexican restaurants. Keep this in mind, Belgians drink wine in the winters and beer in the summers. As far as nightlife goes, the club scene is rockin' despite the city's quiet demeanor. Bruxelles boasts chic lounge bars like Bar Fuse, salsa clubs and Irish pubs near the Bourse, and hopping Discoteques within the centre. If you're looking for tourist attractions, you can see everything in an afternoon. But if you're looking for a good food, good bars, and friendly people, Bruxelles is a city unto its own.