Monday, 21 April 2014

London Indulging: Burger & Lobster

Recently I went to go and visit one of my closest friends for the day in London as I hadn't seen him in so long. In fact - the last time I saw him was when he was taking a holiday in Miami and we were on our grand American adventure and we decided to catch up with cocktails on the renowned Ocean Drive.


Anyway, not only has he been one of my best friends for 6 years - but he also knows all the good places to go in London for food and so we went to an amazing restaurant called, Burger and Lobster.





No surprises for guessing what's on the menu - these restaurants are located all throughout London and we went to the branch near beautiful St Pauls Cathedral.

Saturday, 19 April 2014

Spring Travel Beauty Treats

With a new session arriving - giving us lighter mornings and evenings - I am excited to invest in some new beauty products for the warmer months ahead. I have quiet a few mini adventures planned throughout Spring and so I want to make sure that I have all of my essentials with me when travelling around on my trips.


Welcome Spring

Spring in New Yor

Now we are all aware that our skin changes throughout different temperatures and so if you're off on a city break or travel adventure  - here are my key items that I would love to take with me.

Tuesday, 15 April 2014

My 'Beachin Beaches' | On The Beach Competition

Recently, I was contacted by the lovely guys over at On the Beach* - who I actually booked my adventure to Turkey with in 2010 - and they asked me to tell them, out of all the places I have travelled to, what has been the most '#beachinbeaches'.
Image: On the Beach
From Bondi to Venice Beach, it is safe to say that I have experienced my fair share of Beachin Beaches.
But, if I had to choose one, then it would be this...

Meet my 'Beachin Beach'

Here you will find no filter or photographic enhancement. It was taken on November 7th 2013 on an island called Caye Caulker in between Belize and the Caribbean. 

The reason this is my 'beachin beach' photo is because it was capturing a moment of all moments for me. Me and my boyfriend had embarked on a four month adventure last Summer around North and Central American - this was our third month in and a moment was about to change my life forever. 



Walking out of our beautiful hostel/hotel, I thought we were going to take our cold beers and read our books in the hammocks on the dock. But, it turns out that this was the moment right before my boyfriend asked me to marry him (you can read more of that story here). 


Everything about this moment is perfect for me.

The sunset: well pink and purple are my favourite colours [cliche? maybe, but I don't care]. The beach: a place I feel the most at one with. The ocean: standing and looking out onto the ocean, for me, just symbolises adventure.

So there you have it. Wish me luck and hopefully I will be crowned with the best Beachin Beaches photo and my travel adventures can continue - this time with On the Beach. 

Sunday, 13 April 2014

A Bank Holiday Road Trip to Birmingham

In the UK, we’re approaching the bank holiday season -for my non-UK readers, this is a time when the majority of UK employees are given days off by to celebrate holidays and events.

With two long weekends coming up, I am considering taking a road trip to my Midlands neighbour, Birmingham, to what the city has to offer.  I have been a few times, but only to attend events like music gigs or football matches.

Birmingham Town Hall on re-opening night
Images: telegraph.co.uk & BBC
Browsing through some of my favourite travel sites and blogs, I am beginning to see that Birmingham is actually a city with a lot to offer. So, I thought this would be a handy little blog post for anyone wanting to plan a short city break.

Places to Stay

From the Chinese Quarter to the Town Hall, like most cities, Birmingham has a lot of places for people to stay on any budget. Whilst looking around on price comparison sites, the IBIS Birmingham* hotels were coming back at the best price for me and with pretty good locations too.

Image:Ibis
You can also ask the advice of the Visit Birmingham team on places to stay throughout the city.

Places to See

From historical quarters to a little retail therapy at the enormous Bull Ring Shopping Centre, Birmingham offers something for everyone.  I have chosen my top three places to see, but you can choose from over 190 things to do in Birmingham over on Trip Advisor.

Cadbury World


Calling ALL choc-o-holics! If you’re in love with chocolate (candy) and want a taste of true British chocolate, then you need to go to Cadbury World in Birmingham.  Booking online gives you 5% off, making adult prices £15.15, child prices (4-15) £11.12 or family tickets (2+2) £46.36.

Jewellery Quarter

Image: Jewellery Quarter
They do say that diamonds are a girl’s best friend and I know so many people who have ventured to the famous Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham for a gift or engagement ring.

If you're feeling a little flush or just want to see all the sparkly jewels then make sure you pay a visit. This place has been around for over 250 years and is still home to over 500 jewellery businesses.

Botanical Gardens

Image: Birmingham.gov

I love fresh flowers in the spring time, as it reminds me of being a kid and my grandparents planting flowers and seeds in their / our gardens. I think this is why I’m partial to visiting a beautiful botanical garden like the one in Birmingham.

Open every day, but Christmas and Boxing Day, the Birmingham Botanical Gardens have everything from glass houses to tearooms to tropical rainforests.

Places to Eat

Image: Daily Mail
Birmingham has such a diverse collection of bars and restaurants to eat it, which even have their own designated areas. First up is the tantalising Balti Triangle – which is home to a variety of authentic family-run Asian restaurants.

Image: Visit Birmingham
If you're in the mood for yummy Chinese or Malaysian food, then there's an option to visit the vibrant Chinatown area to enjoy their restaurants, cafes, bars and bakeries.


For a little more fine-dining, then Birmingham has a number of restaurants that have been awarded Michelin star, like Purnell’s Bistro. Located close to the St Phillips Cathedral, this delightful little place combines a chic customers and contemporary fine-dining.

So there you have it, if you have any 'must-see' sites that I have to visit in Birmingham, then please pop me a tweet over at @EatTravelLove!

Monday, 7 April 2014

American Memories: NYC Photo Diary

We have now been back from our grand American Adventure for four months and to mark the occasion I wanted to create a series of posts that are fewer words and more of a photographic diary of my time in each of the states that I visited. And so I will be starting off with New York City: Manhattan.


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