From The Sunday Times Travel Magazine

1 Sa Copinya, Es Trenc beach, Mallorca

Calamari the size of Beyoncé’s bangles are just one reason to walk the hot sand to Sa Copinya, a rustic wooden shack right on Es Trenc beach. Unbuyable views (curve after curve of crunchy, white sand) and the laid-back atmosphere (barefoot waitresses) are two more.

Follow signs to the beach, on the southeast side of the island, and park your car when the road stops. Turn right when you hit the sand – or just sniff for the smell of fresh sardines. Mains from £4 (no phone).

The Sunday Times Travel Magazine - December

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The author of a new book on Spanish food reveals exclusively his favourite tastes of Iberia

• Spain's perfect paella

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• El Bulli for us

• Taking a pig to slaughter in Spain

BACKGROUND

• The best barbecue in Spain

• El Bulli for us

• Taking a pig to slaughter in Spain

The best tapas in Barcelona

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• The best tapas in Spain

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2 Can Majó, Barcelona

The old fishing quarter of Barceloneta doesn’t want for paella restaurants, but for old-school service and reliably tasty cooking, bag a seat within the dinky sky-blue picket fence of Can Majó’s terrace overlooking the beach. Best dishes are the fideuà – a Catalan take on paella using chopped vermicelli instead of rice, and a sticky suquet – seafood stew with monkfish, hake, mussels and potatoes. Mains from £10 (Calle de Almirall Aixada 23; 00 34 93 221 5455).

3 Hurricane Hotel, Tarifa, Costa de la Luz

This hotel might be a bit too far from the action to spend your whole holiday there (try La Sacaristia in town, instead), but a meal here is a must. Candlelit tables are scattered around a mosaic pool beneath hibiscus flowers and gangly palm trees – you could almost be in Marrakech. And the food has an exotic twist, too: foie gras with tomato and mango chutney; steak with chimichurri sauce; and garlic pork chops. Mains from £8 (00 34 956 684919, www.hotelhurricane.com).

4 El Bulli, Roses, Girona

Ferran Adrià’s alchemy in the kitchen and his 36-course tasting menu need no introduction, but be prepared to wait. A year’s-worth of requests from those wanting to try edible clingfilm, ‘virtual’ ham and spun-sugar paper dotted with tiny flowers are entered into a reservation lottery every autumn; thousands are disappointed. If you’re really determined to eat here, call every morning and you might just get lucky with a cancellation. Tasting menu £182 (Cala Montjoi, Roses; 00 34 972 150457, www.elbulli.com).

5 Juan y Andrea, Formentera (off Ibiza)

Rock up either side of lunch to get a table at this sand-under-foot restaurant on Platja Illetas – Formentera’s most exclusive beach. Spangly yachts bob about offshore, their owners dining at Juan y Andrea on fist-sized scallops, crab and bottle after bottle of bubbly. Lunching with P Diddy may not be everyone’s idea of fun, but if it’s yours, go in your best cossie and think thin. Mains from £11 (Platja Illetas; 00 34 630 930913, www.juanyandrea.com).

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