Foreign Affairs

I should really collect all my tit-bits about places to stay in, or eat out in, overseas in one place.

Take the Hotel Al Duemila in rustic Puglia. Supervised activities around the pool for the kids. Priceless.

And it's easy to get to Marseille where you can stay at Le Rhul - 269 Corniche Kennedy, 04 91 52 01 77, www.lerhul.fr. They do an excellent Bouillabaisse. Similar at restaurants- Le Miramar 12, Quai du Port, 04 91 91 10 40, www.lemiramar.fr or Chez Fonfon 140 Vallon des Auffes, 04 91 52 14 38, www.chez-fonfon.com . You can also stay also by the sea at "Au Vieux Panier"- 6 rooms each by a different artist. www.auvieuxpanier.com 0033 632 199005.

Oh and when in Marseille, please pop into "La Maison du Pastis"- which stocks 95 varieties of Pastis.- www.lamaisondupastis.com 0033 491 908 677.

Easy to overlook the beaujolais region in France- close to Lyon. Here there's the Sarmentelles celebrations on November 14 in the capital "Beaujeu". Stay at The Auberge de Clochemerle in Vaux-en-Beaujolais (+ 33 4 74 03 20 16, www.aubergedeclochemerle.fr ) Really cheap and it has a Michelin Star. Or there's a wine farm- Domaine de la Tour de la Belle-Mere- in Charentay (+33 4 74 66 82 21, www.dutraive.com - stunningly cheap).

Quite fancy one day travelling by train along the route from Athens to Thessaloniki. Takes 4 and a half hours- but so so scenic.

Or enjoy the Barolo region of Italy. Bra for excellent slow-food. Nieve home to the top Grappa maker Romano Levi, & Alba - home to Ferrero Rocher- look out for the famous ambassador.

If in the Ronda area of Spain- look out for the music "Festival de Cante Grande" in August (www.turismoderonda.es). Why not splash out and stay at the Casa Consistorial- part of a chain which includes historic castles & monasteries called "Paradores de Turismo de Espana".

But there's no need to focus so much on big towns or cities, or popular places. There's a lot of joy to be had "off the beaten track": so perhaps Montreuil (1 hour away from Calais), Bayeux for that famous "embroidery"- yes it really is a big embroidery, and Amboise (near Tours) in the Loire valley- Chateau, river boats (www.milliere-raboton.net), patisserie (www.bigot-amboise.com), and Le 36 restaurant at the Hotel Choiseul (www.le36-amboise.fr). Alternatively wander the cobbled streets of Saint-Emilion(near Bordeaux)- wine tasting as you go.


There you go.