Lola & Punto (Granada, Spain)

Calle Montereros, 10
 18001 Granada
 Spain
 Phone: +34 677 470 582
 Facebook

Knitting an crochet are very much back and in vogue nowadays, and Lola & Punto has done a terrific job at making of a tiny space a paradise for knitting lovers and hand made nuts.

The shop is very small, but it has very catchy windows and a lovely fully packed interior. It is a welcoming colourful place. I love their walled asymmetrical shelves packed with colourful wool and cotton hanks.

Their selection of crocheted dolls is just lovable. I bought the bunny in my photo for my niece, and a crocheted hat. They are not only pretty and catchy, but also made with very good cotton, so they can be washed safely in the washing machine. If you want the same item in another size, the owner will make it for you quite fast and give you a ring to let you know that it is ready. She did that with the hat I bought for my niece and had it ready in 3-4 days.

I loved their bead necklaces, made with Indian wooden hand-painted beads. The ones already made are fabulous but they might be too expensive for your budget, as they were about 30-40 Euro, which is about Au 50$. However, they have a good amount of individual beads for sale, so you can get and mix the ones you like, buy leather thread (so many colours to choose from!), as well as other little things to make your own unique piece of jewellery for little money.

The owner holds regular workshops, inside the shop, to teach you knitting and crocheting some of the wonderful things she has on display.

Customer service was great. You can browse around unmolested or just ask the owner for help and assistance.

Handmade items are pricey (for Spanish standards) but affordable for foreigners, and you know that your are buying handmade good quality stuff, not a mass produced item.

UPDATE 2016
Most of the jewellery making stuff they had for sale in the past is gone, and the service is not as friendly.

Read More

Zoco del Salón (Granada, Spain)

Paseo del Salon, s/n
18009 Granada
Spain
Facebook

If you are a fan of Etsy handmade handicrafts and clothing, you will love the Zoco del Salon - a handmade & handicrafts market.

It is held the first Saturday of every month (weather permitting), at the bottom end of the Paseo del Salón, in the area by the Placeta del Humilladero. In the summer months, the market changes its opening hours to avoid the heat of the hot Granada summer.

 

The white stalls are full of wonderful handmade stuff at terrific prices and customer service is excellent. You will find children clothes, adults T-shirts, home decor items, natural cosmetics and soaps, among many other things. Most of the vendors are also the makers of the stuff they sell, so they are really happy when you choose them.

 

I was in my personal heaven there. It reminded me of the Made in the Left markets in Perth WA regarding philosophy, atmosphere and sort of products you can find, but the one in  Granada is a bit smaller.

I loved many things, but I found the stalls selling toddlers and baby clothing and accessories among my favourite, due to the cuteness of the items and their good prices. Kids clothing is ridiculously expensive everywhere, but here you can find wonderful stuff for little money. I bought a couple of things for my cute niece.

If you are a foreigner and don't like traditional souvenirs, and you happen to be here when the market is held, this might be your place!

My fav stalls were the ones by Yomiss, Las Cosas de Mama, Degue, Periponte, Artsany, and Borstylus, but you will certainly find your own favourite items and stalls.

Prices were cheap or very affordable and strolling along the white tents a pure pleasure.

Read More

Recharge.Com (Online Retailer)

I bought a cheap prepaid Orange Mundo SIM card in Spain to use during my visit there. This particular SIM card is very good for international roaming, so I decided to use it during my long trip abroad. Unfortunately, I forgot to open an online account to recharge it online before I left Spain, so I found myself in the middle of nowhere unable to recharge my mobile phone.

I found Recharge.com via Google. The site allows you to top up prepaid cards from +300 mobile carriers spread throughout + 70 countries. You can pay with your credit card, Paypal and a good number of other safe ways of payment, which vary from country to country (iDeal, Bancontact, KBC Homebanking, ING Home-Bank, Sofort, and Giropay). The site charges a fee for the transaction, but it is tiny and shown beforehand, so it is up to you to continue or not. The fees I have paid are very small in comparison with the benefit and service I got from them.

Recharge.com can be browsed in several languages (English, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, German, Portuguese and Polish) and has a very easy to use website, with everything you need to know told to you upfront in the FAQs. 

It sounds too good to be true? Well, it is good and it is true!

I have used the service four times during my trip across different countries and the top-up was immediate. I used my VISA card as as payment (normal info requested plus extra verification info) and not even five minutes later I received an SMS from my mobile carrier confirming the top up amount. Therefore, I was able to use my mobile immediately! Awesome!

The service is specially useful in small and remote countries if you are using a local SIM, but also available to carriers in USA Spain an Poland. See the map below to check if the card you have can be recharged via this site. Of course, you can top up your card from any country in the world, online, even if they don't have any carrier providing their services through this site:

MIND

If you introduce the wrong number, there is no way to rectify or recover your money, as the top up is available to customers immediately! So mind your fingers and open your eyes!

Read More

Mr Munchies Sushi (Mount Lawley, Perth WA)

Shop 4
669 Beaufort St
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
Mount Lawley
Phone: (08) 9271 8409
Facebook

I love Mr Munchies for the freshness of their food, the creativity of their rolls and the fast and friendly service.



 

PIZZICATO FIVE
1= Mr Munchies is a superhero that creates unique-looking and unique-tasting rolls with the magic of his fingers. The sort of roll that you don't find elsewhere and is prepared on the spot, fresh and yummy. They not only have a menu of set rolls, they have seasonal and special ones, so regulars get enthralled, excited and their stomach Astro-boyed with the news. Among the set rolls, the seafood roll  is my fav so far, but I have liked also the Mexican Roll and the Chicken Mango. The Pork Hei roll, a special at this very moment, it is just fabulous. If you are the fancy-individualistic e-sushi type, you can make your own rolls on order, you tell them which ingredients you want, the size you want, the colour you want, and they work fast as machines so you smile when you get your u-roll.
2= They ingredients they use are x-F (extremely fresh) and you can select a HR (half roll), or a FR (full roll) which is perfect to suit any stomach size or craving.
3= The Munchies do bother with the presentation, and that is extra points they make with me. After all we eat as much with our eyes as we do with our mouths.
4= They have a nice selection of sides, and of non-alcoholic Western and Asian drinks.
5= Mr Munchies is fairly priced and you get a good return for the money you invest in your stomach..

GONG FOR NIHON!
+ Location Location. Heart of Mt Lawley but hidden from the view of non superheroes and explorers.
+ Nice cozy corner on the mural wall.
+ Dine in or take-away.
+ Dine inside or on the walled bench outside if you are in a hurry or just there is no room inside.There is no option. You've been warned.
+ All the staff  members are welcoming and very friendly.
+ Service is fast.
+ Nice vibe.

BANG!
- The storage area is inside the shop, so that is a bit down and creates a mixed-up feeling of "where the heck am I?".
- The rice on the rolls is not properly set for rolling, so the rolls crumble and collapse as soon as you touch them, falling foolishly onto their tiny longitudinal serving dishes or onto the table. The fact that the seaweed used inside is a bit stiff does not help to prevent the crumbling of the Munch, so you could find yourself, well composed, looking like a lady with half a roll hanging in space between your teeth and your chin. No photo, please.

SOON (PLEASE)!
? Remove the dam boxes from the shop and find another one where to pile them up!

? Work on the setting of the rice so it does not collapse. If Donburi or Aisuru can prepare fresh rolls on the spot without the roll collapsing, Mr Munchis can do so, too.

? A slightly bigger dishes would be most convenient for mess-around people.

? A few more individual tables would suit better the tiny space of the shop, as they can be together to accommodate a group or separated to fit single or coupled eaters.

? They should work on their sweets and dessert menu, as it is very poor at the moment.

Read More

Travalo (Online Shop UK)

Website
Online shop
Facebook

Do you use perfume regularly? Do you travel? Do you go away for long weekends? Are you on the move and want to carry your favourite scent/s without having to carry the whole bottle/s?

Travalo - a Scottish Company- came up with the perfect solution: small refillable spray and rollerball containers that can be filled and refilled directly from the perfume bottle. They are very small and light, leak-free, aircraft-approved, easy to carry, stylish and colourful. 

To fill in the container, you first remove the nozzle of the perfume, plug the stem into the bottom hole of the Travalo container, and pump it until it is full. The different models of Travalo can load 4-5ml of product, giving you about 50-65 sprays. 

Although the product can be found in some local and international perfumeries, I found that the variety of colours and models is just Spartan in Perth, so I have been ordering mine from the Travalo's online store directly.

They have different types an colours suitable for women and men. Pricing goes from the 25 bucks for the Rollerball models to the 20 bucks for the Classic models. They have a gorgeous variety of colours, which come handy when you have more than one perfume and want to identify them easily. 

Shopping from their website is very easy, and you will receive a confirmation email when you place your order, and another one when the order is fulfilled. You can use PayPal or your preferred credit card for payment, and the site is SSL secured. Good thing for Australians - an Australian company settled in Queensland (Brandpoint) fulfils the orders, so you will get yours in about onr week. They deliver to your door, but if you aren't at home, they will take your parcel to your nearest Post Office, from where you can collect it. 

Customer service has been very friendly and prompt to any enquiry. They do not provide (or at least me) with a tracking link, but they diligently reply to any enquiry about your order. 

KUDOS
Easy to order and shop.
Fast delivery.
Very informative website and great customer service.
No need of registration for online shopping, although you might want that.
Gift packs available.
Pricing can be set in USA, AU and Canadian Dollars and Euro.

DOWNSIDES
The products are pricey. 
The website lacks a bit of information on International shipping costs and timing.
The online shop is a bit temperamental at times.

TIP
If you get the register/login page when accessing the online shop, refresh the page and the products page will show.

Read More

Dick Smith (Murray Street Mall, Perth WA)

Shop 110, 166-170 Murray Stret Mall

Perth Western Australia 6000

(08) 9218 8074

Website

Hours:

   Mon- Thu: 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM

    Fri: 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM

    Sat 9:00- 5:00 PM

    Sun: 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM

This Dick Smith retailer is one of my favourite stops in the CBD to cater for my tech and gadget needs and replacements, which are quite needy. This small shop is located above the Woollies Supermarket and by the Red Dot Store, metres away form Myers and David Jones, a killer location that makes it a must stop is you work in Northbridge or happen to pass by.  

This shop is really small, with little space between aisles. Certainly, you won't find the variety of products and brands you find in the big store in the William St store. You don't come to this shop for fancy stuff, that is for sure. However, the shop caters for everything that is advertised in their catalogues, which is what attracts me to Dick Smith 99% of the times. They also have a good part of the shop devoted to those areas with  boring thingies that we all need: cables, switch boards, batteries, USBs, adaptors, gadgets sleeves, and other ugly trifle for your everyday needs. I find their selection of TV, laptops and phones decent for such a small shop.

I visit this shop more often that I would like to recognise. My experience has always been that it is  easier to find items from the catalogue here than in other shops, where a larger affluence of customers exhausts their stocks faster. It has happened to me several times going to the big store on William St, and being redirected here to find the last items of "whatever" available.

The staff have been hit and miss. I have found terrific guys,  who have advised me greatly when trying to purchase things, helping me to save a lot of money by just giving me the right advice. Other staff members, on the contrary, have ignored me, patronised me, being rude to me and misinformed me. The good thing is the staff changes a lot, so most of the time the people you find behind the counter are friendly and professional. Still, how much costs saying good morning or smiling to a customer? Am I from another planet?

The shop is usually quiet, but quite hectic at lunch time, with little staff to attend to so many people.

Read More

Godfreys (North Perth, Perth Australia)

Shop 387, Corner Fitzgerald St. & Alma St.
North Perth Western Australia 6006
Phone: (08) 9228 4662
Website
Hours 
     Mon - Fri     9:00am - 5:00pm
     Sat     9:00am - 4:00pm
     Sun     11:00am - 5:00pm

Godfreys North Perth has a decent selection of personal and commercial vacuums (bagful, bagless, suction, steam, washers) from good vacuum brands, and vacuum  spare parts and cleaning products.  

I entered this place on a Sunday morning, just because it was open, it is in the North Perth Plaza area and, most importantly, my old vacuum had broken in the middle of my vacuuming! The building and shop are not appealing, ugly looking, and run down. However, after my visit, I really recommend this place.
 
I wasn't looking for a good looking dreamy Dyson (sigh), but for an affordable and good quality small vacuum. A lady called Yolanda made my visit fast and good. She was very matter of fact, she asked me about my budget, size of apartment, use of the vacuum, and what I wanted it for. Then, she pointed to three items that would fit my criteria. I tried two on a carpet there. It took me 10 minutes to buy my new rocket-pocket affordable good-branded vacuum, perfect for me and my apartment. Yolanda also went out her way to help me with the delivery of the vacuum as it was a bit bulky for me to carry. 

GOOD
Good selection of vacuum brands and spare partsGood prices, sales and discounts
Open every day of the week
Knowledgeable caring  staff
They sell spare parts
They do repairs!

SO-SO
The shop is run down and ugly looking
The selection of budget bagless vacuums was small for a place that specialises in vacuums!

Read More