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Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
I stayed in a floating yacht hotel in Europe – we had champagne breakfasts on a budget and even spotted celebs
Gibraltar's biggest attraction in every sense is the looming mound of limestone that dominates everything here FLOAT YOUR BOAT I stayed in a floating yacht hotel in Europe – we had champagne breakfasts on a budget and even spotted celebs Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DAVID WALLIAMS was sitting at the next table offering to massage a newlywed couple. First morning aboard the Sunborn floating hotel in Gibraltar and the professional extrovert was in full character, engaging with star-struck holidaymakers as only he can, with a twinkle in his eye. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Gibraltar has for so long been pigeonholed as a stopover for day trippers - but why not stay for longer? Credit: Shutterstock 6 David Walliams as in full character, engaging with star-struck holidaymakers as only he can, with a twinkle in his eye Credit: Instagram 6 Get to the top of the Rock via the scenic cable car Credit: Getty We arrived too late the night before to catch the Little Britain comic's one-man show at a sports centre but apparently it went down a storm. He has already asked to return for November's literary festival, and it's no surprise. Gibraltar has for so long been pigeonholed as a stopover for day trippers. Passengers on the 250-odd cruise ships that briefly moor under the Rock's majestic presence dash around to see a few sights but mainly aim to take advantage of the VAT-free shopping. It's a trend the local tourist board is working hard to reverse. They want travellers to take more time fully taking in the surprisingly large number of things to do on a tiny sun-kissed slab of Britain at the mouth of the Med. And when beer is just £3.75 a pint, why not stay longer to enjoy? Secret bunker Gibraltar's gripping history has a deep association with our Armed Forces. The Royal Engineers were founded here in the 18th century and practically built the place. The honeycomb of tunnels dug by clever sappers during World War Two offers a fascinating insight into the work of our determined Armed Forces and the strategic importance of Gibraltar during the conflict. In one cavern hangs a full-size replica of a legendary Spitfire fighter plane. There is also the spine-chilling story of the Stay Behind Cave — the once secret bunker carved into the heart of the mountain, complete with provisions for a year and a bicycle generator. An elite group of patriotic volunteers agreed to be sealed off from the outside world for a year and spy on the Axis powers, should Gibraltar get overrun — the ultimate one-way ticket in the line of duty. From the exotic Moorish times, through the centuries of the British Empire and beyond, there are tours to take and a bloody back story to hear in the name of entertainment. Strait of Gibraltar Tunnel: A New Bridge Between Continents My wife and I stayed four nights on the permanently moored Sunborn yacht hotel, anchored flush against the dockside of Gibraltar's Ocean Village. It's a 5H joint, and the food and service reflects that. Yet even in high season, a spacious double room with a large window can be yours for £185 a night, including champagne breakfast. Step ashore and you can be seated in one of many lively bars with giant outdoor screens beaming major sports from back home. If that's not for you, just 50 yards away is Little Bay Restaurant — a vibrant Indian fusion eaterie where bubbly manager Kelly welcomes you with warm cockney charm, before delicately blended curries combined with zingy cocktails top off an early summer evening. Gibraltar's biggest attraction in every sense is the looming mound of limestone that dominates everything here. Get to the top via the scenic cable car and peer down from the stomach-churning Skywalk 1,400 feet above the sparkling sea — opened by Luke Skywalker, aka Mark Hamill, himself. Take in the view across the Straits, a 15-mile- wide blue chasm separating Europe from North Africa — which David Walliams heroically swam in aid of Sport Relief in 2008. The Northern Defences are also worth a visit. This cavernous labyrinth of tunnels has been added to over time, since the eighth century. Our guide, Karl Viagas, is steadfastly uncovering more historical treasures underground that will be spectacular when fully open. 6 You can peer down from the stomach-churning Skywalk 1,400 feet above the sparkling sea — opened by Luke Skywalker, aka Mark Hamill, himself Credit: InfoGibraltar 6 Soldiers in traditional uniform Credit: Supplied 6 The view of Gibraltar from the top of the Rock Credit: Getty James Bond creator Ian Fleming was stationed here with Naval Intelligence, and daring undersea attacks on the Allied fleet by Italian scubamen in the war fuelled his already vivid imagination for future books and movies. And in true 007 style, we were accompanied by a glamorous former Miss World who would grace any Bond movie. Kaiane Aldorino, former Mayor of Gibraltar, is now an ambassador for the territory. Sunshine, cheap beer and a beauty queen for company — plus you can spend British pounds. But like many places, travel and the natural world can often rub each other up the wrong way. Gibraltar's playful macaque monkeys are funny to watch for a time but have become a way for taxi drivers to make a few easy quid. The roads at the top of the rock were clogged with cabbies queuing to feed junk food to these wild animals in return for them doing tricks. Far better to join Brian Gomila on his Monkey Talk tour in the kinder environment of the surrounding trees. And if you really want to go green, join Stuart at EBike-Gibraltar. Power-assisted cycling on a lap around the base of the rock is easy on the legs and the eyes as you stop off at small fishing villages with inviting beaches. There's a lot of fun to be had too. A dizzying gin-tasting session at the Spirit Of The Rock distillery was as enlightening as it was alcoholic. David Walliams might agree, it's Little Britain — but with Spanish style and weather.
New European
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New European
Josh Barrie on food: If our food system is broken, Morrisons Gibraltar is a spindly cog in a dirty machine
In years past, I've no doubt it was a more agreeable locale. It must have been: Sean Connery got married there, so too John Lennon and Yoko Ono. I saw a charming(ish) town square and plodded through old streets that once hosted drunken sailors on leave, full of rum and raunchy intent. One of the most depressing places I have visited in recent years is Gibraltar. That silly rock, our dainty territory at the foot of Spain with a network of slippery tunnels and a Morrisons supermarket. Watching planes take off and land between mountains, on to and from a runway that stretches out into the Mediterranean sea, is a reasonable way to spend 15 minutes. And the monkeys, they're a laugh. I saw one snatch a Magnum out of the hands of an unsuspecting gentleman wearing an ill-fitting trilby hat. I also saw a woman who was turned away from her march up the hill because she had brought along her yappy little dog: the monkeys might have picked it up and thrown it off a cliff. That would have been a sight to behold, if not for her or the dog. Gibraltar's monkeys are drunk on fermented fruit, by the way. It grows in the trees on the Rock and falls on to the stone or concrete below. The Rock is really the region's only discernible attraction. Why visit the little Moorish castle when there are better ones to see across Andalucía? Why go to the botanic gardens when they're next to a car dealership and a restaurant that looks like a doctor's surgery? Am I being unkind? Probably. The aforementioned town square might have a handful of bars and restaurants worth visiting; I didn't stick around to find out. What I mostly saw were planes rise and fall, though from afar I could witness the grand Rock Hotel in striking white, lofty from a hillside, once so illustrious it was where Winston Churchill's daughter Sarah chose to wed her third husband. Today it has only four stars. The only five-star in Gibraltar is the floating Sunborn, dubbed the world's first 'superyacht hotel'. I imagine it will sail away eventually so as to up its prices from £200 a night. But that Morrisons. It is an odd and beguiling thing to see this bastion of affordable mince in a British Overseas Territory resplendent in sunshine; one of utmost importance economically, politically, geographically. I might allow myself a modicum of patriotism and proclaim it proudly: Gibraltar, where you may visit Morrisons in a T-shirt and shorts. Boat shoes, too, if you like. But let me tell you something strange: this supermarket is surrounded by a rich abundance of Spanish fruit, and yet imports a great deal of it from the UK. Not that we grow much ourselves – it would appear the fruit is harvested in Spain, packed and shipped to central warehouses back in Blighty and then sent back to Gibraltar to be sold. Don't believe me? A Morrisons spokesperson said as much when I asked: 'Approximately 50% of the fruit and vegetables sold in our Gibraltar store is supplied by local producers and sent straight to the store. The remainder is sent from our UK distribution centres, some of which has come from southern Europe.' OK, so not all, and wider southern Europe rather than Spain – or Andalucía specifically. But it stands true that at least some of those bright and beautiful Seville oranges must be making a tired and unnecessary journey. Look at the fine local produce: avocados, custard apples, mangos, pomegranates, lemons, limes and mandarins. Are these being picked and shipped, processed, and then shipped again? This notion depressed me no end. What a benign and futile world we live in. What a stupid, fruit-ruining scenario. If our food system is broken, Morrisons Gibraltar is a spindly cog in a dirty machine, whirring belligerently on a jut of dusty land, all at sea.
