LivingBristol.co.uk

Easyjet runs a regular service from Bristol to Alicante in southern Spain. This charming coastal town takes a mere two hours to reach.

The flight times are ideal for a weekend break. A plane leaves at around 7pm Friday night and there are return trips available early and late Sunday.

It isn’t the cheapest discount flight. The lowest advertised price is 39.99 each way (80 in total) although if you have little flexibility in dates you’ll probably end up paying between 120-250 for return depending on how early you book.

Alicante itself is a charming little town with a beach, marina and castle perched on the hill. The town itself would occupy a full weekend. There is a great little area packed full of bars in the centre which only really starts after midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. In fact some of the bars don’t open till after 12.

The night life is very Spanish with a few Erasmus students but no hordes of British holiday makers.

If you do want to join the throngs of Brits then the infamous Benidorm resort is 45 minutes away from Alicante. A bus from the central station costs 4 euros, they are also available from the airport, a taxi costs around 75 euros.

Coffee shops are dominated by the chains sporting the same decor and menu. Bristol boasts plenty of Starbucks and Costa Coffees but the flourishing of a smaller unique cafes in the Stokes Croft area is a welcome change.

Kukus Coffee Shop 

Kukus on Jamaica Street looks on to the famous Banksy Graffiti on Gloucester Road. It has very airy feel with big windows facing the road and a light colour scheme. Freshly baked basked of bread are placed at strategic points either for enjoyment inside or to be bought takeaway.

 They have a daily changing menu of specials which usually includes a vergetarian and non-vegetarian option. When I went this week it was toad in the hole and pasta bake. The toad in the hole came with a large varied side salad. They also have a nice range of soup. Service is always friendly and the place is generally busy without being too crowded.  You’ll often see people tapping away on laptops using the free wireless.

Kuvuku Coffee Shop

Cafe Kuvuku is just up the way from Kuku’s on  Cheltenham Road. It is a small cafe with an african theme. They have a couple of nice big leather sofas and a selection of books to browse from.  Notably they have some nice large picture books with African themes.

 The menu is pretty standard with a range of fair trade coffees, paninis and salads. One thing that really strikes the eye is collection of Stokes Croft postcards on display on the counter.

Cafe Kino

Kino is a vegan cafe perched on a slight hill off Cheltenham Road. The slightly hidden location is worth checking out if only for the super friendly, slightly DIY feel of the place.

Upstairs there is a small seating area with enough space to perch with a coffee and watch the world go by through the large windows. Downstairs there is plenty of seating with tables although it can feel a little cramped. The games and books lining the walls, and the general cheery feel, more than make up for this though.

View Larger Map

Cities like Amsterdam and Copenhagen are famous for their cycles. Everywhere cyclists fly by on black bikes.

The UK department of transport has recently launched a bid to encourage cycling and Bristol has beaten off competition from other major cities to become the first “cycling city”. A grant of 11.4 million pounds will be used to provide free bikes to poorer communities, excellent locker and storage facilities in the city centre and dedicated cycle paths linking the suburbs and the city centre.

Would like to earn extra money in Bristol by renting out your property? Film Bristol is a local Bristol website with holds a registration database of properties in Bristol. You can register there and prospective film makers can approach you about hiring out your property.

Any type of property that could be used on TV or in a film is required. So that could be a stately home, a 3-bed semi or a scruffy student place. If you are willing to put with a few smelly cameramen traipising round this could be a fun and interestig way to earn some extra money.

Volunteering is a great way to do something positive for the world, gain experience and hopefully have some fun. So where can you volunteer in Bristol?

The BristolVolunteers website is the first place to look. It contain a comprehensive list of places to volunteer, grouped by sector, and includes a useful urgent vacancies list. Do-it is also a great nationwide site and if you narrow the search to Bristol there are lots of volunteer opportunities that aren’t even listed on the birtsolvolunteers.org.uk site.

The Cold Weather Group is an organisation providing help and shelter to rough sleepers in Bristol. They need volunteers to help out and have some interesting testimonials from volunteers on their site.

Nationwide Organisations

If you are a good listener maybe you would be interested in becoming a Samaritan. Information sessions are held the first evening of every month in central Bristol on St Nicholas Street.

Arts Organisations

The Cube cinema is a local independent cinema. It is not for profit and entirely volunteer run. It exists as a community social space hwoing films, events and music that would not be shown elsewhere. They do a volunteer induction once a month.

Grapevine social are running a wine tasting/speed dating event this Friday the 18th of April in Central Bristol at Po Na Na’s nightclub.

The age range is going to be 26-38, although this is leeway either side of that. If you are a 40 year woman with a taste for younger men then you should be ok. The night kicks off at 7:30 and includes free entry to the club later that evening.

For booking details follow this link.