youve got to see it to beleive it at flamingo grill

YOUVE GOT TO SEE IT TO BELEIVE IT AT FLAMINGO GRILL PLUS

If all beach bars have started to feel strangely familiar, whether you’re in Canggu, Cartagena or Comporta, blame it on Scorpios. Pauline EggeĪddress: Republic Bloemendaal, Zeeweg 94 BLM 1, 2051EC, Overveen, North Holland Website: Families in matching organic-linen dungarees head here to eat banana-pancake breakfasts, while couples with dachshunds come for spelt-risotto suppers.

YOUVE GOT TO SEE IT TO BELEIVE IT AT FLAMINGO GRILL PLUS

Designer Anne Claus, who also had a hand in the owners’ Amsterdam hotel Morgan & Mees and restaurant Van’t Spit, has warmed the space with sandy, tonal walls and fabrics, plus striking Fredericia chairs and lights by PSLab. With 16ft windows, it has unbeatable views across the North Sea – even if you have to stay inside because of blustery autumnal weather. Republiek Bloemendaal has been here for years as a summer-season beach club, but more recently reopened as a permanent pavilion after an impressive renovation. Somewhere for locals and in-the-know Haarlem weekenders. While the main town, four miles away, may be one of the most affluent in the Netherlands – thatched-roof villas children cycling to hockey practice Volvos with golf clubs in the boot – this shoreline is low-key: a stretch of sand, a few places to eat, that’s it. Rather like Comporta, Bloemendaal aan Zee is one of those curious European hotspots that is not a hotspot at all. Abigail LoweĪddress: Casa Jondal, 11019, 07839, Illes Balears, Spain Website: casajondal.es When Serena Cook, the island’s number-one fixer, announces somewhere as her absolute new favourite spot, you know it’s going to be good. So there are no thumping beats, just gentle chatter and waves hitting the shore. Tables are waited by staff in light-wash denim straight out of a Nineties pop video, except without the soundtrack because there wasn’t time to get a music licence before opening. The menu, devised by El Bullí alumnus and Estimar founder Rafa Zafra, spins local ingredients in two or three ways: lobster sautéed or grilled, marinated or raw oysters and a whole deep-fried scorpion fish from which to make your own tacos. The Dutch and Spanish owners have reimagined the traditional finca into something understated and elegant, slinging cotton sails from the twisted branches of sabina trees and dialling the food up to 11.

But sandwiched between the Champagne-popping at Blue Marlin and the family buzz of Tropicana, Casa Jondal has been a runaway hit. An unusual hush echoed around the ochre cliffs of the south-west coast. Ibiza was quiet in 2020 – what a summer to open a restaurant.

Youve got to see it to beleive it at flamingo grill