Reviews
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Hotels | March 2010
Pula
VALSABBION
It's worth splashing out on this kind of luxury: plush rooms, sea views, the Adriatic at your feet and spa treatments aplenty. Go off-season and the discounts are positively recession-friendly. Find it in the Verudela area, 5km from Pula town centre.
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Restaurants | March 2010
Pula
GINA
Head here for homemade Istrian cuisine served up in a gorgeous old stone house. Make sure you try the manestra, a thick veg and bean soup, or the fresh pasta adorned with vegetables from the back garden. The desserts, which stick to local ingredients such as figs, pine nuts and lavender essence, are mind blowing.
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Bars | March 2010
Sicily
THE CRYPT
This atmospheric wine cellar beneath the Church of the Knight of the Order of Saint Giovanni is part of the five-star Eremo della Giubiliana hotel. Choose from over 400 wines amid the vaulted ceilings and walls hewn from the rock.
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Bars | March 2010
Milan
IL GATTOPARDO CAFE
The rich and famous flock to this stylish, theatrical club inside the 19th-century Church of Saint Joseph
Address: 47 VIA PIERO DELLE FRANCESCA. | Tel: +39 02 3453 7699
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Bars | March 2010
Nottingham
PITCHER & PIANO
Yes it's a chain bar, but this distinctive branch of Pitcher & Piano is the UK's most famous drinking hole inside a church. It's popular for parties, with a lovely altar area overlooking the dance floor. Stand-out drinks include Rekorderlig strawberry-and-lime cider.
Address: THE UNITARIAN CHURCH, HIGH PAVEMENT. | Tel: +44 (0)115 958 6081
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Bars | March 2010
Dublin
THE CHURCH
On the ground floor of the former St Mary's Church is this funky bar, surrounded by galleries and stained glass windows. Arthur Guinness, founder of Guinness brewery, was married here in the 18th century, and today it's ideal for post-shopping pints.
Address: JUNCTION OF MARY STREET AND JERVIS STREET. | Tel: +353 (0)1 828 0102
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Bars | March 2010
London
BABALOU
This intimate cocktail bar in the crypt of the converted St Matthew's retains many original features, and has beautiful North African lamps. Head here for the regular club nights and drinks like QC Stone (whisky, lemon, maraschino liqueur, quince jelly and orange juice).
Address: ST MATTHEW’S CHURCH, BRIXTON HILL. | Tel: +44 (0)20 7738 3366
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Restaurants | March 2010
Brussels
PLANETE CHOCOLAT
If you really want to make your Easter special, then jet over to Planète Chocolat, where pralines, truffles, bouquets of chocolate flowers and eggs are waiting for you. Although the techniques used are traditional, many of the flavours, such as kumquat, are new. You can also attend chocolate-making demonstrations and praline-making workshops available in English, French, German and Dutch.