MESÓN EL MOLINO The drive to this Restaurant will take you through Almeria's desert interior, the only official desert in Europe. Upon entering the pretty village of Vélez Blanco, you can first visit the stunning Renaissance castle, which towers over the town. Built in the early 16th century, it is worth visiting both for the castle and the fantastic views overlooking the village and beyond. The castle closes at 2 pm, which is perfect, since lunch begins here at that time.

RESTAURANTE LA TORRETA MAY BE CLOSED We visited this traditional roadside restaurant in the Sax / Elda area of Alicante on the recommendation of our friend, Howard Goldsmith, who has lived there for 12 years. It is run by two very friendly sisters who were our hosts for the day. There is a large indoor seating room and a shaded outdoor terrace area for when the weather is good, which seems to be almost always. On this occasion, we ate inside as the weather was a bit incle

RESTAURANTE S. GIÁO Another trip across the Portuguese border. This time to Moreira de Cónegos, between Braga and Porto, and in the countryside near Guimaraes. Not the easiest place to find, even with a sat nav. When you do, you will see no name on the outside of a building which could be mistaken for a workshop. After walking around the building, we find the unnamed entrance door and walk into the delightful surprise of a stunning traditional Portuguese setting. The large w