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Indagare member Liza Nugent recently returned from Spain and Morocco Here she writes of her impressions and discoveries.

In Barcelona I discovered a very charming passageway, Passetge de la Concepcio, bordering the MurMuri Hotel with several very good and charming restaurants. Some favorites included the traditional Catalan food at Petit Comite (Passatge de la Concepcio, 13), the three restaurants in Pass dl Conc, 5 including El Japones, which serves Japanese tapas, Traga Luz, and Ostras. Across the street is the brasserie and raw bar, Boca Grande and Boca Chica (Pass dl Conc 14), a cocktail lounge and wine bar. Also, Comerç 24 was incredible.

I loved staying at the fabulous Santa Mauro in Madrid and discovered a really great restaurant called Ten Con Ten (Calle de Ayala, 6; 34 915 759254), which was recommended by a Spanish friend and just a five-minute walk from the hotel. The food was really great and it was packed with a very attractive crowd.

In Morocco, highlights included dinner at La Pause outside of Marrakech (about a 40-minute drive), where we were the only ones there. It is a very cool spot and I definitely recommend it. We also loved the hot air balloon ride with Ciel d’Afrique. What set this ride apart from past balloon experiences is that after landing we were taken to a woman’s home in the village and given the most delicious Moroccan breakfast, including mint tea, bread and honey. The charming French owner realized years ago that the traditional champagne toast in a Muslim country might not be the best plan, so he connected with farmers in the area to create a unique experience in conjunction with the balloon ride. Finally, when we were in the Atlas Mountains staying at Kasbah Bab Ourika, we went Canyoning, which was quite an experience! We hiked through a riverbed canyon then rappelled down the sides of several rocks, landing in pools of water.