LE MAG by AMARANTE LVA

You have planned your travel to a dot. You know all the museums, parks, galleries, monuments and markets you shall visit. You have your luxury apartment in Barcelona secured and even your to-take list is prepared. You have read about the best restaurants and cafes in the area and have all the lunches and dinners planned and re-planned. However, what you need to jot down, are some must-tries that you cannot let yourself miss in Barcelona.
When it is hot outside and you walk all day through, you never feel like heavy food or crockpots. You are looking for something fresh, easy, not-too-big and tasty. Tapas suit it best. We will not be talking about cold cuts, just mind that they are must-tries too. Absolutely unavoidable.

Gambas al ajillo
Shrimps with a garlic touch. 





Pulpo a la gallega
Olive-oil drizzled octopus with potatoes.





Croquetas/buñuelos de bacalao
Cod croquettes.





Chipirones a la andaluza
Fried baby squid 




Escalivada
Smoky grilled vegetables


Can be perfectly married with anchovies.

Mykonos, also called the island of the winds, is known for its vibrant nightlife and lily-white architecture. Part of the Cyclades, Mykonos lies between Syros, Tinos, Paros and Naxos. Rising to more than 340 m at its highest point, Mykonos boasts a mountainous landscape with scanty trees. Covered with flowers in spring with only a few, not-partying tourists, Mykonos would be a fantastic destination for those not looking for the summer fuss.
And apart from all that, Mykonos is also a brilliant place for fine dining. Offering a wide range of places from boho chic to traditional taverns, the island has something to satisfy all the tastes. The good thing with Greece, is that with almost where you eat, it is always good. The bad thing is that sometimes you need more time than you planned to try it all.

Nammos

Situated by Psarou beach, this hip & vibrant restaurant is well-known for its fresh fish dishes. Popular among all the Mykonos travellers, a booking of about 6 months in advance is required.

Nammos Restaurant, Mykonos

Nammos Restaurant, Mykonos

Nammos Restaurant, Mykonos

 Scorpios

This layback beach restaurant offers a lounge chic setting for lunch and energetic live music for dinner.  A hymn to the Mediterranean cuisine, the restaurant focuses on the modern Greek healthy dishes.

Scorpios, Mykonos

Scorpios, Mykonos

Scorpios, Mykonos

Matsuhisa by Nobu

Situated in the chic Belvedere Hotel, the renowned Matsuhisa by Nobu is a mecca of the modern Japanese cuisine lovers.

Matsuhisa by Nobu, Mykonos

Matsuhisa by Nobu, Mykonos

Matsuhisa by Nobu, Mykonos

Remezzo

A place for a fine Greek dining, international legendary cocktails and jet-setter parties.

Remezzo, Mykonos

Remezzo, Mykonos

Remezzo, Mykonos

Kiki´s Tavern

Situated on the quiet beach away-from-it-all Agios Sostis, this tavern serves grilled fishes and meats and salads. Not having arrived before opening, you will have to wait to be seated and it is worht waiting.

Kiki´s Tavern, Mykonos

Kiki´s Tavern, Mykonos

Kiki´s Tavern, Mykonos

Inspired with the Myconian food, do not forget about lodging. Check out our luxury villas on Mykonos!

One cannot help trying tapas when spending a holiday in Barcelona. All those savoury patatas bravas,  crunchy calamares a la romana, limpsmacking brochetas de langostinos, delicious pulpos a la gallega and other small local-food dishes do not let you just pass by. There are as many views on what the best tapas bar in Barcelona is as tapas themselves. Here comes our point of view.

Number 1. Bar Mut (Carrer Pau Claris 192, 08037 Barcelona)
For more glamorous and elaborated tapas, come to this place and do not forget to make a reservation as you might stay without a table. Must try: shrimp and yolk carpaccio.

Bar Mut Barcelona

Number 2. Cerveceria Catalana (Carrer Mallorca 236, 08008 Barcelona)
Beloved by the travellers from all over the world and completely full all the time, this tapas bar benefits form a central location and extremely efficient personnel. You might wait for quite some time for a table, but never for a dish. Must try: huevos cabreados.

Cerveceria Catalana Barcelona

Number 3. Paco Meralgo (Carrer Muntaner 181, 08036 Barcelona) Minimalist in design, the place offers a vast menu of creative haute tapas to all the tastes. Do not miss: bombas Paco Meralgo.

Paco Meralgo Barcelona

Number 4. El Quim de la Boquería (Stall 606, Mercat de la Boquería, Las Ramblas 91, 08001 Barcelona). Located right on the famous Boquería market, the place offers an authentic experience with fresh tapas made of the seasonal foods. Must try: revuelto de setas al oporto.

El Quim de la Boqueria Barcelona

Number 5. El Xampanyet. Located in the heart of the Old City (Carrer Montcada 22, 08003 Barcelona) this blue-tiled-walled traditional bar serves the classical tapas and gets full in the snap of a finger for you to have an authentic experience in a loud and packed Spanish bar (in a positive sense).  Must try: anchovies and home-made drink xampanyet.

El Xampanyet Barcelona

For accommodation, we invite you to check our luxury holiday apartments in Barcelona

We want the holidays to be perfect. They just must be perfect. We are waiting for this period all the year and do not want to fail or even jeopardize them. So when planning a trip we want to plan everything to a dot. The time, the things to do, the accommodation, the transport, the food, the guides, the clothes, absolutely everything.
One thing that might look a bit unimportant, but is actually the keystone of the travel is the moment of the year to visit the place in question. It depends on various factors such as the situation of the place, climate, events to be held, the party you are travelling with, public holidays, flights frequency and what kind of holiday you are up to. It is quite clear that going to the mountains in winter and in summer are two absolutely different trips. As well as going to the mountains with your friends in the mid-thirties and with three children under three.
So what is the best time to visit Barcelona?
Let´s start with the climate. If you are coming for a beach holiday and your main desire is to tan and relax, then July and August are your months. Be prepared, Barcelona and its beaches will be quite packed, so if you are looking for some hot weather and seclusion, a luxury apartment with a private pool in Barcelona might be a better solution for you rather than a hotel. The swimming season varies from ano year to another and normally starts in mid-June though you will see some people sunbathing at the beginning of May; it finishes at the end of September.

Barceloneta Beach, Barcelona

Barceloneta Beach, Barcelona

Luxury Pool Penthouse, Barcelona

Though walking around looking at the sightseeing points of the city with the sun beating down, +29 C and quite high level of humidity is not the best solution. If you come primarily to enjoy the works of Gaudi, museums, beautiful parks, try the delicious local food and do some cultural tourism, then the best period would be mid-Apil through June and September, October. Barcelona doesn´t have a lot of rainy days throughout the year, and the infrequent rains normally tend to fall in September, October and November. Find out what to do in Barcelona on a rainy day here.

If you are a big foodie and come for shopping, you shall know that some places remain closed in August for the early leave, so if you want to try it all, avoid August.

Bar Mut, Barcelona

Cerveseria Catalana, Barcelona

If you live in a Northern country, the winter in Barcelona with its +8-9C will seem very mild to you, so coming for Christmas will bring you a lot of nice moments. Just bear in mind that the cold seems colder with high humidity.

If you are planning to come to Barcelona shortly, you must have planned your trip to a dot and know perfectly well by now where to go, what to do, how to avoid pickpockets and get the best event admissions, you must have your flights booked as well as luxury apartment in Barcelona by now, you might even know what to try out of the Catalan cuisine. Or you might be thinking you know? No, we are not going to talk here neither about the famous paella, pa amb tomaquèt, cocas, truita de patata nor calçots that everyone who has ever been to any spot in Catalonia or have read any tourist guide about this beautiful region knows. We will try to show you the dishes you might have missed.

Winter selection

Escudella i carn d´olla. A traditional Catalan soup and stew with meatballs, seasonal vegetables, bones, sausages, meats, garlic, parsley, pasta or sometimes rice. The broth with the pasta or rice is called escudella, while the meats with the vegetables are named carn d´olla and are served after the soup. When served togeter, the dish gets the name of escudella barrejada.

Escudella barrejada

Faves Ofegades. Aka faves sacsades is a traditional pot made of broad beans, sausages, bacon, mint and herbs stewed for a long time. Sometimes garlic, sobrassada, pork ribs, chorizo and onion are used, peas can replace broad beans.

Faves ofegades

Botifarra amb mongetes. Boiled white beans sautéed with a traditional sausage.

Botifarra amb mongetes

Suquet de peix. A traditional fish soup originally made by the fishers with fishes that were the hardest to sell. Nowadays it is cooked with the best fishes and seafood on the market including monkfish and bream.

Suquet de peix

Good travel without good food is not that good a travel at all. Especially when talking about Greece with its mouth-watering rich cuisine that the gourmands and gourmets all over the world never fail to praise. There is a rationale to that, we all know it. Fresh cheeses and yoghurts, high-quality olives and olive oils, Mediterranean and Aegean seas grilled fish and seafood, delicious breads, savoury vegetables... Healthy-lifestylers and trencher-men, vegetarians and meat-lovers, paleo-eaters and wheat-fans, everybody will find something to their taste in the diversified Greek cuisine. Imagine you have had a misfortune to come to Greece just for a couple of days instead of at least one week and have to chose the top dishes not to miss out. Here is a hint.

Number 5. Moussaka
Probably the most well-known Greek dish after the Greek salad. The traditional moussaka is a casserole of layered eggplant, minced meat, tomato sauce, onion, garlic, spices, cheese and bechamel topping.



Number 4. Spanakopita
Filo pies stuffed with chopped spinach, onions, egg, feta and seasoning. You can find them in all the shapes one can imagine.



Number 3. Dolmathakia
Grapes leaves rolls stuffed with rice, pine nuts and herbs, though other fillings are available. Can be served warm or cold.



Number 2. Revithokeftedes
Chickpea fritters with authentic spices.  Pretty much often they are ball-shaped.




Number 1. Souvlaki
Grilled meat skewers that can be served as such or wrapped in some pita bread and served with some garnish and sauce.



And do not forget about another important piece of your travel, your accommodation. Enjoy our collection of luxury villas on Mykonos, Santorini and Andros benefiting form free concierge services.