Where to stay, when to go, what it costs
The longer pieces: neighbourhood by neighbourhood guides, the case for going in the wrong month, and how the scoring works.
The paradores of Andalucia, and how to pick the ones worth the detour
Spain runs ninety-odd hotels in castles, monasteries and Renaissance palaces, at an average of about £112 a night. Five in Andalucia worth going out of your way for, including a UNESCO palace at €104 and a convent inside the Alhambra walls.
The best beach clubs in Marbella, and which day each one is for
Five clubs on the same stretch of coast doing entirely different things: La Cabane, Nikki Beach, Puente Romano, Bono Beach, and La Plage Casanis, which Off-White has taken over for the season.
The best rooftop bars in Madrid, and the hour to arrive
Madrid is broad, flat and low, which makes it the right shape for this. Eight rooftops compared on the view, the crowd and the bill, plus the two booking traps that catch people out.
Where to eat well in Malaga, and the one to book first
Six restaurants worth planning an evening around: Kaleja, La Cosmo, Jose Carlos Garcia, Palodu, Mi Nina Lola and Dynamit. Two of them are the same chef in different registers, one is a glass box in the middle of the port, and one is Norwegian.
Where to stay on the Mallorca coast, from the Tramuntana to the calas
Mountains on one coast, calas on another, families on a third and the yachts on a fourth. Palma, Portals Nous, Andratx, Deia, Soller, Pollenca, Alcudia and Santanyi compared on what each is actually for.
Where to stay in Mexico City, barrio by barrio
Roma, Condesa, Juarez, Polanco, the Centro and Coyoacan: what each one is actually like, who it suits, what it costs, and the two things about staying here that most guides leave out.
Roma and Condesa: the best cocktail bars in Mexico City
Eleven of North America’s fifty best bars are in Mexico and most of the good ones sit in two adjoining neighbourhoods: one built for Porfirian money, the other on an Art Deco racetrack. Where to drink, what to order, and the altitude problem nobody mentions.
The best time to visit Andalucia, month by month
Seville in August is a punishment and Seville in February costs eighty euros a night. What each month is actually like, what it costs, the dates that move every year, and why Malaga in December is worth a trip on its own.
eSIMs abroad, and the detail that decides which one to buy
Roaming in Mexico costs about six pounds a day from a UK network. An eSIM for the whole trip costs about ten. What they are, how the providers actually differ, the tethering detail that decides it if you work, and where they fall short.
Seville or Granada, if you only have time for one
The most common question about a first trip to Andalucia, and the answer is not the one people expect. Weather, eating, hills and what each city is actually for.
Things to do in London, ranked by whether they survive the queue
Thirty million visitors a year concentrated onto about eight attractions. What is worth it, what is worth it only under conditions, and what to do instead.
Where to stay in London, by the evening you want to walk out into
There is no centre of London, which is why "central" is a phrase used mostly by people selling rooms. Eight districts, what each is for, and the one question to ask at booking.
Three hotels for the Edinburgh Fringe, and what August does to the rates
Three thousand shows, a quarter of a million people, and the most brutal seasonal rate swing in Britain. Where to sleep in August, and when to book it.
Madrid in three days, built around where you sleep
Most itineraries are a list of museums arranged by opening hours, which is how people end up crossing the city four times a day. Three districts, three days, and the sightseeing fitted around the eating.
The best beaches in Cadiz, and the one to drive to
Two hundred kilometres of Atlantic that the package holiday never reached, because of the wind. Six beaches on the Costa de la Luz, and what each one is actually for.
Where to stay in Paris, arrondissement by arrondissement
The numbers spiral outwards like a snail shell, which is why the 6th and the 16th sound equally central and are forty minutes apart. What each one is actually for.
The Edinburgh Fringe, explained by someone who has queued in the rain
Three thousand shows, no curation whatsoever, and about a third of them bad. How the largest arts festival on earth actually works, and how to find the good two thirds.
Costa de la Luz or Costa del Sol, and what the wind decides
Ninety minutes apart and not the same holiday at all. One is the most developed coast in Spain, the other is protected dune and pine, and the difference is a wind that blows for four days at a time.
The five best spa hotels in Madrid, and which spa earns it
Madrid spent the last decade digging spas out from under its grand hotels. Five that earn the rate, what each one costs, and which to book for what.
Where to stay in Seville, by the street you want to wake up on
Santa Cruz is beautiful and full. Alameda is where people actually eat. Triana is ten minutes further and a third cheaper. Five districts, and what each one costs you.
Five things to see in Málaga, and the order to see them in
Most people pass through Málaga on the way to somewhere worse. The city has quietly become the most interesting stop on this coast, and two days is enough to prove it.
The Alhambra deserves the fuss, and the booking system deserves the complaints
The most visited monument in Spain is also the one most people get wrong. What it actually is, why it survived, and the one mistake that ruins the day.