Shaken, not stirred in Spain

A quirky additional service - your own cocktail waiter to prepare pre and/or post-dinner drinks as well as a selection of tapas at, for example, a celebratory meal - is the novel idea for 2009 at a Spanish property courtesy of specialist operator, Vintage Travel.

In Catalunya the most traditional aperitif is a glass of very dry chilled cava accompanied with slices of sausage, ham, cubes of goat's cheese, anchovy and miniature versions of bread and tomato "pa amb tomàquet".

The traditional after dinner drink is cremat which consists of dark rum, brandy, lemon peel, cinnamon and sugar. It is served in an earthenware dish, set ablaze and stirred gently until most of the alcohol has burned away, and then coffee is added.

As an example of the properties where this service is available, the Renaissance-style Villa Marta is a four bedroom, four bathroom house sleeping eight set in private grounds with palm and cypress trees on the picturesque and exclusive coastline at Aigua Blava in Catalunya.

Furnished internally with a mix of antiques and hand-painted furniture, the house also boasts a minstrel gallery, a beamed covered terrace, private pool and poolside sun room.

Enjoying superb views across the bay, it is a short walk to the unspoilt beach at Platja Fonda and the nearby coves of Malaret and Port de ses Orats - both ideal for snorkelling - and the medieval hilltop castle town of Begur is just a five-minute drive.

A week's rental leads in at £1695 at the beginning of September, rising to £3595 in peak season. Return UK flights, car hire and cocktail waiter service extra.

For more information, log on to Vintagetravel.co.uk.