Photo by _Daragh_

Irish lasses love to primp and pamper, even with the staggering cost of cosmetics in Ireland. Though an array of Irish women’s magazines provide good tips for living a champagne lifestyle on a lemonade budget, there’s nonetheless been a huge gap in the market for timely updates on beauty bargains.

Enter Beaut.ie.

Irish girls in the know use Beaut.ie to source great cosmetics at bargain prices, even if doing so means ordering from American or British Web sites. Details of local emporiums and fantastic contests also regularly appear on this blog. No wonder it’s got a cult following, not to mention two Irish Blog Awards under its belt.

And if there’s something you’re wondering about that’s not on the blog, just contact the girls. They’re accessible and friendly.

Popularity: 100% [?]

Photo by Kaymaria Daskarolis

For years, we’ve only heard ex-pats and English-speaking tourists raving about Mike’s Irish Bar in Athens. Consequently, we’d avoided the place, always seeking out haunts recommended by locals instead.

A recent visit from a karaoke-loving friend, however, prompted us to visit the bar for the first time. Our verdict? Mike’s Irish Bar is actually quite delightful.

First off, it was packed with Greeks. We only heard two other people in the entire place speaking English. Almost everyone who got up on stage was Greek, and they alternated between singing Greek, British, and American songs. The atmosphere was decidedly a blend of Irish and Greek.

Most of all, it is simply a fun place to be. Many people danced—something which is unfortunately rare in Greek bars and clubs—and if there was one face without a smile on it we didn’t see it.

Mike’s Irish Bar hosts karaoke nights Sunday through Wednesday nights, beginning at 8 p.m. Other nights, you will hear live bands or DJ Limbo playing rock, Latin, reggae, hip-hop, funk, pop, and/or blues. Mike’s is located at 6 Sinopis in Ambelokipi, and can be reached by telephone at +30 210 777 67 97.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Photo by Veronika & Tibor

The warm season has started early this year in Hungary. With wall-to-wall sunshine virtually guaranteed throughout the Hungarian summer, now is a good time to check out the National Open Air Museum in Szentendre.

Only 20 kilometres from Budapest and set in a beautiful national park, this massive museum features replica villages from each of Hungary’s seven regions. You can stroll through the houses, watch traditional craftsmen at work, and sample traditional foods. Pop into the inn for grill specialities, baked on lava stone, or pick up a patisserie at the on-site bakery.

The museum is open every day except Monday. All-day entry is a mere HUF1000 (€4.10; $5.60) for adults—just half that for students. To get there from Budapest, take the suburban train from Batthyány Square and then take a short ride on special bus. On special festival days—our favorite is the Wine Festival on September 8 and 9—a direct bus runs between the Árpád Bridge and the museum.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Photo by GoodMoon

We have a soft spot for Iceland Express, the funky Icelandic low-cost carrier with an excellent site. Today through noon on Friday, April 27, Iceland Express is offering some hot one-way fares between Reykjavík and Berlin, Copenhagen, Frankfurt Hahn, Friedrichshafen, Gothenberg, London Stansted, Oslo, Paris, and Stockholm.

Fares begin at the dreamy end of the scale, with one-way fares as low as €71, £47, DKK510, NOK598, and SEK635 depending on departure airport.

We’ve done our standard quick fare check and didn’t find any flights at these promotional fares. Happily, we did discover loads of fares just a few pounds, euros, or kronor over the lowest touted fares.

Note that these low fares are on sale through noon in Iceland on Friday. They’re good for travel through May 31.

Popularity: 3% [?]

The Cloud hit the City of London this past Monday, April 23. The Cloud operates wireless networks across the UK, Germany, and Sweden.

For its first month of service, The Cloud is free, thanks to Nokia. Get it while you can! The Cloud—and all of the providers that can function within it, including BT—will charge upwards of £5 an hour to use it once the inaugural month of service has passed.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Photo by eri-ka-ka

You spend more than one third of your life in bed, the argument goes, so skimping on bedsheets is definitely not a good idea. The ultimate way to wake up is wrapped in some Frette linens. If your anti-monarchist sentiments aren’t moved by the fact that the Italian Royal Family uses Frette linens at home, perhaps the fact that said linens outfit the beds of the Ritz in Paris—or that Frette was commissioned for the tablecloth of “The Holy Virgin” for St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome—will leave you in awe.

Happily for Cheapos seeking a reasonable splurge, la Frette vita can now be obtained on a budget. The Frette outlet at The Mall in Tuscany offers the line at major discounts.

The Mall is located at Europa 8 in Leccio, Reggello (telephone: +39 055 865 7775) and is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. and on Sunday from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Photo by Mandy Pearce

The Paris Transportation Authority runs a bike rental service called Roue Libre. It has three locations (Les Halles, Bastille, or Alésia) where bikes can be rented. A four hour rental runs €10, and a whole day costs €10 during the week and €15 on weekends. In addition, there are package prices for weekend or week-long rentals.

Roue Libre locations are open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Since April 15, it’s also been possible to rent a biking-specific TAOcity. This pocket-sized computer contains information about 700 sites of Paris, an interactive map, and lists of good bars and restaurants for every neighborhood. It’s available at the Bastille and Les Halles rental locations in English, Spanish, French, or Japanese. It’s a pretty great way to see the whole city for under €20!

Popularity: 4% [?]

Some of our favorite recent posts from other blogs…

1. Europe A La Carte’s off-the-beaten-path Elcho Castle (Perthshire) tease.

2. Gridskipper’s take on Alistair Allan’s Dirty Dirty Dancing party pics site.

3. Trippist’s tip that trash day in certain Amsterdam ‘hoods yields treasures.

4. Gadling’s roughshod debunking of the Orient Express.

5. Momondo’s revelation of cheap starting fares on GB Airways’ Gibraltar-Madrid route, kicking off on May 1.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Photo by Meredith Franco

We’d like to take a moment and give a huge Life-is-Beautiful-esque shout-out to the Hotel Centrale in Bellagio, Italy.

Our hotel crush is pretty darn major for this joint, which sits just above the main maritime Piazza Giuseppe Mazzini—where you can board boats for other lake district hot spots—and offers its guests quiet, clean rooms with free Wi-fi and breakfast. The hotel dates back to 1922, when Giacomo’s family first opened its doors. Today, it’s been through a rigorous renovation rendering it airy and modern.

Hotel Centrale’s propreitor, Giacomo Borelli, shares much in common with Roberto Benigni. At one point during our stay he remarked that we should stay at his hotel for years to come and make “lotsa Italian babies”. He continued, “This is the best answer.” The offer was–and is still–very tempting.

Now, if only our bambini could turn out just like Giacomo’s son, who is the spitting image of a young Al Pacino and the morning barista.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Photo by rena5

The inhabitants of Vienna appear to find the charms of Asia irresistible. The imported healthy lifestyle (yoga, Ayurveda, tai chi) and tasty food are key elements of Vienna’s love affair with Asia. No wonder Asian-styled restaurants keep on multiplying in the city.

Vienna’s hip and trendy urbanites prefer Japanese cuisine with its sushi and tempura over other Asian cuisines, and consquently sushi restaurants tend to be a luxury.

Hanil, on the Rechte Wienzeile of the Fourth District is thankfully removed from the pack. It is the best place for sushi in Vienna. While other Japanese restaurants in Vienna charge more than €20 € for a full Japanese meal, Hanil only charges €12.90 for an all-you-can-eat option.

An advice: Try to be there before the “rush hour” or call the staff to make a reservation. Both the seriously committed and the curious flood the restaurant after 5 p.m., even on Sundays.

Hanil is located at Rechte Wienzeile 7 1040. Telephone: +43 (0)1 585 3590. Fax: +43 (0)1 585 3890. Hanil is open daily from 11:30 a.m. until 11 p.m., except on Sundays, when it’s open from 5 p.m. until 11 p.m.

Popularity: 7% [?]