It’s not everyday you get to stay in luxury villas in Spain, let alone a castle. Unless you’re Mariano Sanz. He owns this one — the Castell de Sant Mori in Spain.

Inhabited at one point by Juana Enríquez, Queen consort of Aragon, and much later by a Finnish reality TV show (MTV’s Linnan tähdet, or Castle Kings was filmed here), Castell de Sant Mori was also Mariano’s home. But raising two active kids in a four-story, 15-bedroom Gothic-Renaissance castle proved to be a little much. So after one too many “Honey, where are the kids?” Mariano et al. packed it up and bought a more sensible house down the street. 

Now he rents it out. The castle is one of many luxury villas in Spain for rent through CharmingVillas.net, and I was lucky enough to stay there for a couple of nights as part of a recent blogger trip to the Costa Brava region of Spain.

Located in the medieval town of L’Empordà (about halfway between Girona and Figures), the castle features a mix of antique and modern furniture (every bedroom has a TV), but it still retains that period feel. Sadly, there was no moat, but that didn’t stop me from looking for murder holes, and mumbling, “Off with their heads!” at no one in particular.

The labyrinth of rooms is connected by a couple of circular staircases, and an elevator has been added in recent years to shepherd the weary to the upper chambers.

There’s also an elevated sun-deck and pool, but since it was March when we were there, neither got much use.

Still, the view was stunning.

Mariano as a young boy (kidding)

The owner of Castell de Sant Mori — Mariano Sanz — bringing out the good stuff for the bloggers.

I’d love to come back at some point (the stunning Costa Brava beaches are only 20 minutes away, but until then, I’ll just have to be satisfied with marking “Stay in a Castle” off my bucket list.

Note: I received a complimentary stay at Castell de Sant Mori and a few other luxury villas in Spain as part of a blogger trip organized by CharmingVillas.net – the opinions (and apparent “castle fever”) are all my own.

The post Photo Friday: Castell de Sant Mori, Spain appeared first on Man On The Lam | Travel Blog.

One of the more infamous episodes involving Salvador Dali concerns the colossal falling out with his father. Years after Mrs. Dali had passed, a young Salvador scribbled “Parfois je crache par plaisir sur le portrait de ma mère” (sometimes I spit with pleasure on the portrait of my mother) on an early painting. The incensed elder Dali threw him out of the house. Salvador later returned, handed him a sperm-filled condom with the parting words, “This is all I owe you.”

Yep. That was Dali. He was colourful, he was argumentative, but probably most of all, he liked to shock. This was, after all, the same man who, with his wife Gala, showed up at a masquerade ball in New York dressed as the Lindbergh baby and kidnapper.

That’s why I was a little surprised at Salvador Dali’s home in Cadaques, Spain. Now the Salvador Dali House Museum, the house (or rather houses – Dali purchased 7 fisherman’s homes and had them renovated into one) is at times at odds with his personality. You’ll see what I mean in a moment.Visitors are greeted at the entrance with a stuffed polar bear – a half-macabre, half-garish sentry sporting ornate necklaces, and carrying a net-shaded lamp. Rounding out the taxidermy (at least in this room), is a stuffed owl – eyes fixed on the entry way. A lip-shaped sofa lies to the right. Three swans that Dali kept as pets keep watch over the library. Dali apparently loved them so much that at one point (when they were living of course) he had them fitted with helmets affixed with candles so he could watch them glide by in the bay at night. I think that might be considered “swan abuse” these days.The house is a series of winding staircases and cubbyholes, each containing bizarre and odd trinkets and furnishings.Dali’s studio…Dali’s wife Gala (and her breasts) figure prominently in the home.Dali had this mirror installed so he and Gala could lie in bed and watch the sunrise.The decidedly unshocking bathroom.Dali’s famous “Oval Room.”And of course, the eggs.Bizarre art installations are scatted throughout the gardens.The lip-shaped sofas (there are several throughout the house) are said to be inspired by Mae West.And the pool resembling a misshapen penis.

Quirky? Yes. Shocking? At times I suppose. (Who else would have photographs of his wife, bare-breasted, in the hallway for company to see?) Dali’s house, while definitely a must-see in Cadaques, is not as odd as I would have anticipated.

I was expecting a more surreal landscape from the ultimate surrealist. More melting clocks. More eggs. More penises. But I suppose even the most shocking personalities like Dali need some “unshocking” space to reflect and create. Then again, maybe I’m just numb from all the weird shit I see.

What are your thoughts on the Salvador Dali House Museum?

Note: I was a guest of CharmingVillas.net during my stay in Cadaques, Spain. All opinions (as always) are my own.

The post The House That Dali Built appeared first on Man On The Lam | Travel Blog.

I learned a lot about the Costa Brava region during my time in Spain. Little facts like Salvador Dali used to live there, there’s a restaurant where every dish incorporates edible flowers, and “Costa Bravans” sure do like their anchovies. Smithsonian Magazine even dubs part of this area The Anchovy Coast.

I also learned that the area of Costa Brava called Empuriabrava (they like their “bravas” too) is one of the top skydiving destinations in the world (brava means wild in case you’re wondering.)

Empuriabrava is blessed with ideal weather conditions for those inclined to jump out of planes. The Spanish national skydiving team even makes their home here. So it made sense that Richard — our host from CharmingVillas.net – took our team of bloggers for a spin in a wind tunnel to try indoor skydiving for ourselves.

Windoor Real Fly is the spot where both professional and aspiring skydivers perfect their craft. It’s also the type of place that caters to people like me — those who want the sensation of skydiving, but without all that fuss of planes and parachutes and paperwork.

Our instructor, Alfredo Fernandez, led us upstairs to the classroom to teach us about safety, hand signals — because you can’t hear anything but wind in a wind tunnel — and correct form (see Exhibit “A” above.)  After suiting up in the kit room, we headed down to the wind tunnel chamber to wait our turn.

To get started, you basically just stand at the door and fall forward. The wind (and Alfredo) take it from there.

Jeff from FestivalXPlorer got it down pat.

The folks in the control room keep a close eye on what’s happening, so there was never any worry about safety. Besides, if something did go wrong, there was never the threat of the sensational splat real skydiving would ensure. Chalk one up for the wind tunnel.

Richard from Charming Villas got his skydive on too…

And April from Absolute Travel Addict was a pro from the get-go.

Much like I learned a lot about Costa Brava during this trip, I learned a thing or two about myself as well. Chief among them, I’m not the graceful swan I had hoped. I’d secretly aspired to be “The Baryshnikov of the Sky.” Turns out I’m more Barnum & Bailey material instead. Take a look for yourself…

It was nice to sulk about it at the Windoor Real Fly snack bar afterwards though.

Note: I was a guest of CharmingVillas.net and received a complimentary Windoor Real Fly experience. They did not ask me to write about how much fun the wind tunnel actually was.

The post Tunnel Vision: The Indoor Skydiving Experience appeared first on Man On The Lam | Travel Blog.

I’ve admitted in the past I’m not much of a foodie – eating for me leans more towards necessity than indulgence (says the guy who ate a rat.) So during a recent blogger trip to Spain with Charming Villas Catalonia, when we were told we’d be going to visit a restaurant where every dish had a “floral component,” I was a bit nonplussed.

And a little confused. We’d be eating flowers?

I reckoned it was one of those new age-y places where vegans sat around in Birkenstocks, hand-holding, Man-bashing (capital M, not lowercase — there is a difference) and sipping seaweed extract while lamenting the plight of the panda. You know the type of place. I pictured something like this…(go to the 20 second mark of the video to see what I mean.)

The World of Edible Flowers

Thankfully, I couldn’t have been more wrong. I may even have to reconsider my position on all this foodie business after all. La Calendula in Girona was much better than I ever imagined.

Calendula means “Marigold” and every item on the menu does indeed feature flowers in some form or another. Some of the flower additions act as garnish, but most are meant to enhance the flavour. Some even ARE the flavour, like the delicious “Gala di Flors” — a homemade flower-infused beer.  But to be clear, the flowers are the theme here, not the main dish. I did not see one person being served a potted plant, nor anyone ordering carnations served on a bed of baby’s breath. (Although how cool would that be?)

Chef Iolanda Bustos does serve dishes made with edible flowers though, and herbs that she herself forages from the local forest.

We had the set lunch menu, where in addition to an appetizer and a drink,  you get to choose from 3 starters, 3 mains, and 3 desserts. The appetizer was marigold tempura.

I went with the artichoke and Prawns ravioli with pesto flowers for the starter…

The ragged large Catalan pork sausage with wild mushrooms and truffle for the main…

And blackberries compote with white chocolate mousse and lemon herb for dessert. (Just look at that FOAM!)

So the verdict? While I thought that the flowers would overwhelm my (uncomplicated) taste buds, each dish had but a mere hint of floweriness (is that even a word?) to it. Everything was delicious. I did pick the petals out of the dessert though. No need to dress up a mousse in my books.

A meal like this costs 13 Euros, and considering a set meal at a local truck stop in Girona will set you back 10 Euros, the experience, atmosphere, and the quality of the food you’re getting are a stellar value to be sure.

To sum it up, I’ll leave you with these words – 

“…the thing is perhaps is to eat flowers, and not to be afraid.” – e.e.cummings

Note: I was a guest of Charming Villas Catalonia and received a complimentary meal at La Calendula. The opinions (and uncomplicated taste buds) are all my own.

The post Stop and…Eat the Roses? appeared first on Man On The Lam | Travel Blog.

Evil Me instantly thinks, “This is it? A scraggly pile of sticks rising up out of the sand?” 

Good Me thinks,  “But it’s a 400-year old tree, in the middle of the Bahrain desert, with no known source of water. That’s kinda cool. Isn’t it? Kinda?”

Evil Me thinks, “Even the graffiti on its saggy branches isn’t interesting. I’ve seen stronger trunks on dead elephants — a strong wind and this thing’ll keel over.  And there’s not even a bloody sign along the road to tell you where the turnoff is. This is just sad.”

Good Me thinks, “The only sad thing is reprehensible defacement of such a lovely symbol of Bahrain — phoenix rising from the ashes/where there’s a will there’s a way — you know, that sort of thing. And I think the lack of a roadside signs makes it more mysterious, like you’re in on a secret or something.”

Evil Me thinks, “Well it’s no secret how that security guard must feel — stuck here all day in his plastic lawn chair watching wide-eyed fools like us make the pilgrimage to this battered old thing. Tree of Life? More like ‘Clinging to Life.’”

Good Me thinks, “Finally they are protecting a national treasure from further damage. First the fence, now the security guard — it’s good they are taking steps to safeguard it for future generations.”

Evil Me curses himself for driving the impossibly dull and confusing roads from Manama to see the thing.

Good Me congratulates himself for navigating the sometimes tricky but overall pleasant drive to the site. “We got to see oilfields, and refineries, and pipelines, and a piece of Bahrain few get to see, what more do you want Evil Me?”

The Tree of Life is Getting a Facelift

According to the Gulf Daily News, there are plans to spruce up the area surrounding the Tree of Life in an attempt to lure more visitors. The project “will feature a spectacular amphitheatre…a viewing area, kiosks and tourist attractions.” 

Work on the amphitheatre has already started.

Evil Me and Good Me can agree on one thing — we’re both glad we got to see the Tree of Life before it became a sideshow, instead of the main (albeit somewhat disappointing) event.

What’s your take on the Tree of Life in Bahrain — would you have a “Good Me” or “Evil Me” reaction?

The post The Good Me/Evil Me Take on The Tree of Life in Bahrain appeared first on Man On The Lam | Travel Blog.

For a mere 2 Bahraini dinars (about 5 bucks) anyone with access to a car and an ounce of curiosity can make their way to what’s dubbed Passport Island, the man-made no-man’s land that acts as border control for truckers, sheiks, day-trippers, and looky-loos like me.

The big draw here at the halfway point of the 25km causeway is the observation deck at the tower restaurant. There’s an exact replica of the tower on the Saudi side too — presumably so Saudi men can get a gander at Bahraini women riding bikes, driving cars, and other activities only fit for infidels. 

Regarding the ban of Saudi women driving cars, I found this handy list of reasons outlining exactly why the ban is in place, compliments of Wikipedia:

1. Driving a car involves uncovering the face. (one would hope)
2. Driving a car may lead women to go out of the house more often. (or they could just drive around the house)
3. Driving a car may lead women to have interaction with non-mahram males, for example at traffic accidents. (a “non-mahram” is any male who isn’t a close relative)
4. Women driving cars may lead to overcrowding the streets and many young men may be deprived of the opportunity to drive. (oh the humanity, we wouldn’t want to deprive anyone now would we?)
5. Driving would be the first step in an erosion of traditional values, such as gender segregation. (yes because where there are women drivers, the gays can’t be far behind)

But I digress.

Saudi madness notwithstanding, I still wanted to get a peek at it. And the smiley chap above was more than happy to take my 200 fils (about 50 cents) to help me do it.

This is what you for your 50 cents — a hazy view through windows in desperate need of Windex.

If you squint, you can actually see the outline of buildings on the other side. And if the breeze works in your favour, you’ll also catch the slightest scent of oil money and human rights violations wafting across the Gulf. 

Turns out the better view was back towards Bahrain.

It’s probably the better place to be anyway. Let’s make that DEFINITELY the better place to be.

I tooled around Bahrain in a rental car from CarRentals.co.uk who obviously offer car rentals outside of the UK as well. 

The post From Bahrain to Saudi Arabia on the King Fahd Causeway appeared first on Man On The Lam | Travel Blog.

Janabiya Royal Camel Farm Bahrain

They’re ornery and malodorous, gangly and awkward. Sometimes called “The Ship of the Desert” but more appropriately “A Horse Designed by a Committee,” the legendary dromedary (that’s a one-hump camel for us lay folk) can be found in droves at the Janabiya Royal Camel Farm in Bahrain.

Home to 600+ camels, this Bahrain attraction on the outskirts of Manama is more of working farm than a tourist trap. Okay, working is a bit strong — it’s a hobby farm started by the uncle of the King, Sheikh Mohammed. But I’m right about the “not a tourist trap bit” — the hour we were there we were outnumbered by the camel farmers. And of course, by the camels.

Being a hobby camel farm, the camels aren’t raised for racing, or for their meat. They just sort of exist. In a palace. Either in a corral or tied at the legs.

True to its hobby farm roots, there is no gift shop, no guided tour, and no signage explaining what the place is all about. Unless of course you count the “Stop! Private Property!” one at the main gate, and the one you see below to let you know it’s a good thing you didn’t obey that first sign.

The camels are seperated into groups — males on one side, females and their calves on another, and the wounded or elderly whiling out their days in shaded corrals. 

Although sometimes hilarious to look at (see Exhibit “A” below), I couldn’t help but feel bad for the camels tied at the feet, spending their days eating and pissing in a three-foot radius.

 This guy didn’t seem to mind though.

Travel Tips:

• The Janabiya Royal Camel Farm Bahrain is open to the public every day, all day.
• It’s free of charge.
• A worker from the Royal Camel Farm Bahrain will approach you after you’ve wandered around for a bit — he just wants to let you know to not get too close to the camels, but will offer you the chance to sit on one in exchange for a tip.
• There are no signs, so from Manama, drive towards Saudi Arabia (you’ll see the signs). Take a right at the Janabiya Highway (sometimes spelled Janabiyah, at least by Google Maps anyway.) The Royal Camel Farm Bahrain will be on your left.
• If you think you’re driving onto someone’s private property, you’re probably in the right place.

The post Camel Gazing at the Royal Camel Farm Bahrain appeared first on Man On The Lam | Travel Blog.

What’ll they think of next? Air-conditioned beaches?

Ummm, actually…yes.

The much-ballyhooed (and oft-delayed) Palazzo Versace scheduled to open later this year will be the first hotel in the world with an air-conditioned beach. A series of coolant-filled pipes snaking below the sand will keep it’s heat-averse guests pleasantly refrigerated. A contingent of giant A/C machines blowing on command will compliment the nouveau flooring.

That’s a heckuva lot more grand than mere air-conditioned bus stops, and in keeping with Dubai’s one-upmanship of itself, a whole lot more crazy too.

The post Dubai: Land of Air-Conditioned Bus Stops appeared first on Man On The Lam | Travel Blog.

The “city” label doesn’t suit Dubai too much. Nope, that just won’t do. “City” is too…average, too plain-Jane for this over-the-top metropolis. Instead, the largest (and loudest) city-state in the United Arab Emirates prefers to go by multiple monikers, so it has cities within the city.

Bear with me.

There’s the IT  center, called Dubai Internet City. The family-oriented shopping/eating/what-to-do-with-the-kids-on-the-weekend hub of Dubai Festival City (home to that “McDonald’s of Furniture,” IKEA.) There’s also a Dubai Media City and even an Old City, except it’s called Old Town, and it’s a very pricey and modern residential area. Even the old comes with a price here.

In reality, they’re just neighbourhoods. But neighbourhoods just sounds too folksy for Dubai, so a parade of Cities it is.

I was glad to have a chap by the name of Sunil sort it all out during a private tour of Dubai through the good folks at LocalGuiding.com

Our first stop after picking us up from the Mövenpick Bur Dubai was Emirates Towers, and although the Jumeirah Emirates Towers is the 5th tallest hotel in the world, it seems puny in this neighbourhood, errr…city – 5 of the top 10 ten tallest residential buildings in the world are nearby at the Dubai Marina.

After a photo-op we headed to the Mall of the Emirates, home to people like this kid – waltzing through the mall with his ski bag……because the Mall of the Emirates is the home to Ski Dubai – the first (and from what I can gather, the only) indoor ski resort in the Middle East.Considering Dubai’s penchant for titles, I was a bit surprised to hear that Ski Dubai is not the largest indoor ski resort– that honour goes to SnowWorld in Landgraaf, the Netherlands, although there are plans afoot to outdo that one when Skipark360° in Sweden gets their act together (which begs the question, “Why does Sweden need an indoor ski resort – don’t they have enough snow?”)

In any case, it was interesting to peek through the Plexiglas to get a glimpse of the lengths people will go to for a half-pipe or half-turn or half-plié or whatever it is that people who ski do.Next up was another photo-op at Atlantis, the mammoth hotel/waterpark located on The Palms man-made islands. The thing about The Palms is that it doesn’t look like you’re on a pile of reclaimed sand dredged from the Persian Gulf when you’re actually on it, it just looks like you’re in a residential neighbourhood (sorry “CITY”) with a big fat waterpark at the end of the block. It’s much more impressive from the air.

The Burj Al Arab was the next stop on our Dubai private tour. I had been inside once before — back in 2006 I went with a friend for High Tea. I capitalize that out of fanciness, because it was pretty fancy (it IS the world’s only seven-star hotel) and because the tea was also 80 bucks per person, so I think it deserves the uppercase treatment for that alone. The tour took us near the entrance (you have to be a guest or have a reservation for High Tea or one of the hifalutin restaurants to get in) and I was just fine with that.Like the Burj Al Arab, the nearby Souk Madinat Jumeirah is pretty fancy too.But like much of Dubai, it’s the type of place that has no soul. It’s more like a mall, with all that A/C and those spotless toilets and that smug boutique-y “look at me, I’m designed to look old, but I’m really quite new” air.There were plenty of trinkets though. That’s something I suppose. And did I mention it had A/C?The real soul of Dubai (if it has one) is in its real souks – the Gold Souk and the Spice Souk in Deira. We took a water taxi to get there.And saw views like this……and folks like this.And spices like these……and incense burners like these.And of course “Natural Viagra”……and fashions for the whole family.And plenty of gold.

This is still Dubai after all.

After the parade of biggest/tallest/showiest that has come to define Dubai, it was nice to see at least a glimmer of its past, and its soul. Even if was wrapped in 24 karats.

Note: My Dubai private tour was compliments of LocalGuiding.com, but the opinions expressed are all mine.

The post Does Dubai Have a Soul? appeared first on Man On The Lam | Travel Blog.

In my past life, I stayed in a lot of hotels. And I mean a LOT. I did the math once, and figured I’ve spent about a year of my life in hotels (and that was just within a three-year period), so I figure I know a good hotel from a stinker.

Recently I had the opportunity to stay at the Mövenpick Hotel Bur Dubai‎ in the Oud Metha district of Dubai, and I can honestly say – it’s no stinker.

I could tell you that the Mövenpick Bur Dubai‎ is conveniently located (only 10 minutes drive to all the major sites), has great rooms (oh that bed!) and a lovely rooftop pool, but honestly, what hotel in Dubai doesn’t? Okay so maybe not all of them have a rooftop pool (bonus points for you Mövenpick.) But what I think gives the Mövenpick an edge is its staff.

I wrote about shopping at IKEA in Dubai in a previous post, but what I didn’t write about was how much room all those boxes took up in the car. Thankfully the staff at the Mövenpick were nice enough to store our purchases in the checked luggage section until we were ready to leave. Much better than having a RÖNNSKÄR digging into the back of our heads while we drove around seeing the sites.They even had fresh flowers waiting for our arrival.We also had access to the Executive Lounge where the lovely Rina took great care of us. Although breakfast at the Cafe Lounge restaurant downstairs was included, we ate mostly in the lounge, especially after Rina let us know that we could have breakfast food sent up from the lobby restaurant if we ordered in advance. (We were having bacon withdrawal after being in Oman for so long, so this was especially good news.)The free snacks and drinks from 5 to 7pm certainly helped to keep us coming back to the lounge as well.

The Mövenpick Bur Dubai‎ is a five-star hotel, and it lives up to it with five-star service. One thing it also came with that you normally don’t find at these sorts of hotels – free internet. It’s nice not to be nickel and dimed for a change.

If you want to learn more about the hotel, take a look at their fancy schmancy Mövenpick eBrochure.

Note: I was a guest of the Mövenpick Bur Dubai‎, but the opinions are all my own. Believe me, I would’ve skewered them if it stunk.

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