like it here, love it there: coffee

We all love a cup of coffee right? In fact, for most of the working day is somewhat dependent on it. But while for most of us it’s about grabbing a take away Latte on the morning rush into work the black stuff should be deserving of a little more attention. And, as it’s always the one thing that seems to just taste better overseas, here’s a quick pick of some of our favourite cities to indulge your caffeine addiction.

buenos aires

Laid back, capital of cool Buenos Aires is definitely up in the top cities when in need of a sweet caffeine hit. A café culture to rival any city in the world (its Spanish and Italian roots might have something to do with it) Buenos Aires is king when it comes to kicking back and taking time to talk with friends over a café chicos. Our tip? Head for the Palermo Viejo Cafe in the trendy streets of Palermo where the concept of grab-and-go, coffee from a paper cup is nowhere to be seen.

Feel the tango beats and serious flavour on our be inspired in Argentina experience

melbourne

We all know Australia is renowned for its treasure trove of gastronomic delights, and in the culture capital, Melbourne, it’s all about the java. With a brewing tradition brought over with the influx of both Italian and Greek populations, Melbourne’s Coffee culture has now evolved into something of a force in its own right. Our favourite? Wall Two 80 in Balaclava (the hole in the wall to the locals) serve’s up some of the best coffee in town or head for Brunswick street in the suburbs of Fitzroy where independent cafes rule the roost and you won’t find a single Starbucks in sight.

Have a look here for more inspiration to head down under

beirut

Beirut’s reputation as the Paris of the Middle East has been making a sprightly comeback of late. And of course, with that comes an amazing place for sipping coffee on the streets and watching the world go by. With a tradition of great hospitality, Lebanese coffee – made in a rakweh – is distinctly thick, strong and sometimes lightly flavoured. For a top notch mid-morning kick head for Cafe Rawda by the Seaside Manara but be warned, if you’ve not got a sweet tooth remember to mention when ordering – the Lebanese certainly like more than a little sugar in their brew.

See more on Beirut on our snow or sand in rejuvenated Beirut experience

Have you got a favourite coffee sipping hot spot? We’d love you to share them with us.

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one pen, one piece of paper, many destinations

Meet the team at Black Tomato. We asked a few of the guys here where they want to head of this year and why. Using one marker pen, one sheet of paper and one camera, simple. Check out some of the Tomatoes behind the answers below.

We’d love to see some of your own so get sending them in, post them on our Facebook group or message @Black_Tomato on Twitter.

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double dive at the roof of the world

sky dive the north pole

Take two of the planet’s most experienced Arctic divers (including the man with the highest number of ice dives in Norway), combine them with one of the globe’s top tandem skydivers (with over 4000 dives under his belt), mix in over 20 years of Arctic experience, and you have the most exciting North Pole event in history…

You’ll skydive over the beautiful pristine-white landscapes of the northernmost point of the world (with no time zone and where all directions point south) before donning your dry suit and flippers to dive under the thick ice into the crystal clear waters below. If you’re looking for a record-breaking, adrenaline-fuelled adventure to remember 2010 by, then this is it.

click here to join the north pole record

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city boy finds nature in costa rica

Hey Anton here,

I am a city boy, I love all that goes with a city, concrete, busy streets, crazy drivers and teeming with culture so although I was really looking forward to going to Costa Rica I was a little worried that I would be underwhelmed by all the nature. Costa Rica is a land known for its wildlife, mountains, beaches, volcanoes, forests, jungles all that flora and fauna  – so, I was prepared to be over-natured.

After a quick stay in San Jose it was off to the first of my nature visits. In Costa Rica you fly in awesome little planes with huge windows so you get to see the whole stunning vistas of Amazon like rainforest and rivers bordering the coastline. First stop? Tortuguero, on the Caribbean Coast. Here I traversed the narrow canals in an old dugout canoe where the surrounding  forests are teeming with birdlife, monkeys, sloths and caiman. However, this area is mainly known for the thousands of turtles that come to its beaches and lay and hatch their eggs there. A pretty amazing event.

Next up was a lodge that really should only be accessed by river (the roads in the area could do with a touch of resurfacing). The Pacuare lodge was incredible – a beautiful lodge in the middle of nowhere with infinity pools, fine cuisine plus awesome adventures all thrown in.  There is a zipline trail that surrounds the hotel site and the rafting is amazing. I dived in deep and headed out on a grade 5 white water rafting trip (complete with boa constrictors on the riverbanks) which turned out to be one of the highlights of my trip.

Costa Rica is also known for its volcanoes, however I was a little unlucky – I went to the fierce Arenal Volcano near the continental divide but it was totally obscured in a big cloud the whole time I was there. Not a lot you can do about the weather I guess. But then, suddenly, everything started rumbling.  I thought it was a fleet aeroplanes flying very low overhead. But no, it was the mighty Arenal letting us know that although it may not be seen some of the time it can still be heard. Quite an experience to say the least.

Monteverde was up next – a cloud forest in the central highlands where you can get up to all sorts of crazy activities. The Sky Walk, Sky Trek and Sky Tram – which are a canopy forest walk -  ziplines through the clouds and a cable car that climbs ever upward through the forest. There is a bizarre little town in the middle of the forest was settled by Quakers. A formal little place full of wooden cottages turned into rustic lodges run by local families – full of authentic charm and great local cooking.

Then it was time to head to the coast. Costa Rica has a stunning Pacific Coastline with one stunning beach after another. There are beaches for surfing, sunbathing, partying, diving, kite-surfing and just sitting and watching the beautiful sunsets. You name it, Coasta Rica has a beach for it. One of my favourites was the beach in Manuel Antonio National Park which had lovely temperate waters and fabulous golden sandy beaches backed by monkey-filled jungles.

Even after all this, I still was not natured-out. So, it was on to my next spot: the wildlife mecca of Corcovado on the Osa Peninsula in the south of this diverse little land. To reach my lodgings I had to spend 3 hours in a speedboat cruising around the peninsula in the choppy Pacific waters.

We then arrived at a small beach which the boat had to wait for the right wave to plant us firmly on the beach where guys were waiting to help us offload and carry our bags. Always good to do intrepid with a little luxury and service thrown into the mix. The casa Corcovado has wonderful little round cottages dotted around forest garden (a torch is necessary) where you pretty much feel you are one with the forest. This lodge is well placed on the edge of the Corcovado National Park, a globally ranked biodiversity hot spot where you can go trekking the trails and if you are lucky enough you can spot a jaguar, puma or ocelot. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t.

Costa Rica is one seriously awesome place. If you’re looking to get away to combine nature with adventure, and rustic authenticity with a touch of luxury this is the place to do it.

Take a look at our cream of Costa Rica experience for more inspiration.

AL

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black tomato’s top 10 destinations for 2010

2010: it’s here, and with it comes the top ten destinations we think you need to be heading to. A host of exciting new trips, inspiring adventures and untouched travel experiences to sink your teeth throughout the coming year. Exciting times.

But where to head to? What are the ‘must do’ experiences? Where do I go before the rest of the travel rabble catches on? Well, luckily for you, we’ve got it sorted.

Click here to see the full photo gallery of our top destinations or click here for in-depth info and hot tips for places to explore in 2010

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new year, new you, new zealand

Hitting the new year has highs and lows. We love the prospect of the year ahead but hate that dreary back to work in the cold feeling. So, we got thinking about where in the world we’d rather be. Our conclusion?  It just has to be New Zealand to help knock the New Year blues on its head.

Along with the new experiences, culture articles, galleries and the best places to lay your head we’ll also be posting regular video diaries from Anna, our girl on the ground in New Zealand. Anna will be spending the next two months travelling the length and bredth of the country and making a series of short videos of her travels along the way. Talk about dream job eh? Take a look below for the first instalment.

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