Dolphins, gin, super sundaes and duty-free drinks make Gibraltar a winner for food, fun, and stunning views

WITH the prima beating down connected my backmost and an Aperol spritz to my right, I tuck into the champion Sunday roast I’ve had successful years – the beef perfectly pinkish and a damn good Yorkshire pud precariously balanced connected apical of a heap of roasties.

But I’m astir 2,000 miles from Yorkshire. I’m connected the sun-soaked terrace astatine The Lounge, tucked distant successful the marina of Gibraltar – the British territory connected the astir confederate extremity of the Iberian peninsula, conscionable metres from Spain (Thelounge.gi).

Monkeying around

Limestone upland the Rock of Gibraltar is the archetypal larboard of telephone for astir tourists – adjacent me, contempt my fearfulness of monkeys and this stone being location to astir 230 of them.

Crawling up the steep, constrictive roads successful a taxi, I’m filled with trepidation, but hidden halfway up is majestic St Michael’s Cave, with its breathtaking stone formations and adjacent a concealed performance hallway for gigs – comedian Jason Manford performed present past year.

Entry to the cave is included successful a quality reserve ticket, £19 (Naturereserve.gi).

A small higher up, I‘m successful the Ape’s Den, surrounded by macaques, truthful I don’t request overmuch convincing to rapidly marque the unexpectedly steep locomotion to the Windsor Suspension Bridge for astonishing views crossed Gib (as the locals telephone it), wherever I spot my hotel, the Sunborn.

Gibraltar’s lone five-star yacht-hotel has 189 rooms and a rooftop plunge pool, but stays put, moored successful the harbour.

It’s earnestly swish with luxe cruise-liner vibes, truthful I thin implicit my balcony for my champion Rose from Titanic impression, earlier joining a Dolphin Adventure circuit astatine the harbour.

I get with debased expectations – I’ve been connected galore disappointing wildlife safaris.

But conscionable 10 minutes in, we are greeted by dozens of dolphins, including a precise peculiar guest, Billie the bottlenose, who’s been adopted by a schoolhouse of communal dolphins.

One-hour tours outgo £25 per idiosyncratic (Dolphin.gi).

Sea food, devour it

In hunt of much magic, I caput to Catalan Bay, a five-minute thrust distant connected the eastbound broadside of the Rock.

With soil imported from the Sahara Desert and colourful houses lining the Mediterranean shore, it’s a acold outcry from the Irish bars of the main harbour.

Seawave, a humble formation cafe, serves up elemental dishes cooked to perfection, specified arsenic fried aubergines with prawn pil pil and calamari, £7, each with an water view.

With country for pudding, I caput backmost to the Sunborn for an crystal pick astatine Barbary restaurant.

Order a Movenpick sundae, £18, and you tin expect much than a cherry connected top.

Choose from either a blueberry cheesecake concoction topped with granola and caller fruit, oregon a tropical premix implicit with caller passionfruit and candied fruit. And hide a Flake – some travel with a solid of champagne!

Talking of booze, it’s 1 of Gibraltar’s biggest perks. All alcohol is duty-free, truthful I astir driblet my purse erstwhile I get £7 alteration from a tenner for a litre of vodka.

However, I happily manus implicit £20 for immoderate luxe Candytuft Gin astatine The Spirit Of The Rock distillery, aft a tasting tally by charming proprietor Peter, £20 per idiosyncratic (Spiritoftherock.gi).

The gin present is truthful bully you hardly request tonic.

Although, you could accidental that Gibraltar has proved to beryllium the cleanable tonic itself.