Spain | Lunch at Lolyta Cafe, Torrevieja

Ah, Lolyta Café. The prettiest café in the world, right?

Just look at that ceiling! I have to admit, it was the décor that attracted me to Lolyta and even after visiting, it's still the main reason to go. That and the gin list, but that's for another day! Lolyta Café is just a short stroll from the marina in Torrevieja. We parked in the underground car park and walked up for lunch before a day of sightseeing.

The menu is short and sweet with a range of breakfast pastries, sandwiches and toastadas - a traditional Spanish breakfast usually topped with tomatoes, but with some more unusual toppings on offer at Lolyta.

Gordon's smoked salmon and cream cheese toastada went down a storm, and he's now obsessed with recreating it at home! Mine was a random concoction of cheese, topped with cranberries, pistachios, walnuts and honey. Sounds odd but it worked.

The main attraction - after the décor and the gin of course - is the vintage glass case of beautifully hand crafted cakes teasing you as you enter. How could we leave without a taste? Of course we needed some drinks to go with it...

"Un te verde y un café con leche por favour!"

A green tea and a white coffee please! I wish I'd asked that confidently! Instead there was a lot of pointing and a mixture of English and Spanish words thrown around, while the waiter looked at me despairingly. He spoke perfectly good English so it's always easier just to speak English... but I feel rude not even trying!

Back to the cake! A chocolate donut for him, and a huge chunk of chocolate and cherry heaven for me - so big he had to help me finish it! It arrived at our table topped with biscuits and pretzels, and tasted like blackforest gateau. What kind of evil genius looks at a slice of cake and thinks "You know what this needs? Chocolate biscuits!"

Lolyta Café is a must on your trip to Torrevieja. It's a breath of fresh air in a city of run down looking cafes and tourist trap restaurants. The interior is lovely, the cake is top notch, the staff are sharply dressed with their braces and bow ties, and I hear the milkshakes are awesome too!

Stop by for coffee and cake in the afternoon, or work your way through the gin list and cocktail menu in the evening - you could do that in the afternoon too I guess. Why not, you're on holiday!