Sunday, 28 December 2014

Home Ramblings: Monochrome Magic

From a mid-town Manhattan apartment to a quaint London town house - there is nothing sleeker that monochrome decor.



I simply love how monochrome can also be added to any room - my favourite at the moment is seeing subway style tiles in kitchens and bathrooms (similar to the image in the top left corner of the image below.

But monochrome also looks amazing with a pop of colour like lime, yellow or pink.


So, in true home ramblings style, I have gathered a few of my favourite monchrome home decor items that I will be introducing into my home in 2015.


Monochrome Magic

Monochrome Magic by eattravellove featuring an antique black console table

Tuesday, 23 December 2014

Little London Luxuries: Places to eat, drink, shop and stay.

On a recent trip to London, I was treated like a Queen by my bestie IntheFrow, from luxury breakfasts in Selfridges to staying in a Park Lane hotel - the weekend was perfect.


Usually, I am all about the budget backpacking and getting the most value out of a trip. Although, I must admit, that it is nice to have a little bit of luxury in our lives every now and again. With that in mind, I decided to create a post on luxury eats, places to stay and things to do in London.

Accommodation

When staying in London there are of course so many beautiful hotels and locations to stay in. Recently, I was put up in the stunning Marriott Park Lane on my weekend to London with InTheFrow.


However, I must say that I do love the idea of staying in city apartments - it makes you feel like you're really apart of the city (or maybe that's just me). Urban Retreat Apartments*, located in the prestigious Mayfair, are a great little luxury hideaway for people to stay in - this beautiful apartment is located on North Audley Street (just off Bond Street) and is the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of London life.

Shopping

If you're looking to flash some serious cash, then I highly recommend taking a trip to the exclusive Bond Street in London. Here you will find a whole host of high-end designers - from Prada to Tiffany (see my beautiful image above of the Tiffany store at Christmas). 


Alternatively, you can head out to Knightsbridge and take a trip to the luxurious Harrods department store. From food to beauty to fashion - you will find something for everyone here. 

Eats


This one is too tricky for me to call - I simply adore food (in case you hadn't guessed) and so it's pretty tricky for me to pick one amazing restaurant in London. So, to make things easier on myself, I will let you guys choose - here's an amazing list of luxury restaurants in London by Time Out

Drinks 

From private drinks in Soho House to the exclusivity of bars on the Kings Road - London has so many cocktail and bar locations to suit a luxury taste and budget. 


One of my favourite ever bars in London has to be the one situated on top of the MeliĆ” hotel in London - close to Somerset House. Boasting spectacular views of the London city skyline - you can simply sit back under the large heaters and comfy outdoor seating, whilst enjoying a cocktail and watching the busy London world go by. 

Sunday, 21 December 2014

3 Beautiful Costal Winter Breaks

A lot of people think that going to the beach or paying a trip to a costal town should be something that we do in the summer months.


However for me, I love visiting costal towns all year around. Every December I go to see my grandfather who is now retired to the coast as he loves the idea of a relaxed beach life. So when the guys over at Park Resorts* asked me about my favourite costal towns, I thought I would share some wonderful winter costal towns to visit in the UK.

1. Bideford Bay in Devon

Image: www.nationaltrust.org.uk
You can't beat the beautiful beaches of Devon and Bideford Bay is just one of the many places that I would suggest paying a visit to. From beautiful cliffs and woodlands, you can spot beautiful wildlife or simple sit back, relax and admire the views. Bideford Bay is actually apart of the wonderful National Trust

2. California Cliffs in Great Yarmouth


Image: California cliffs holiday caravans
Located on the east coast of the UK, Great Yarmouth is a classic seaside town that has a stretch of golden sandy beaches for people to explore. I once went here on a family holiday as a child and it was so relaxed - especially around the California Cliffs area.

3. Carmarthen Bay in Wales  


Wales has to be one of the most beautiful places and beaches that I have ever visited. A few summers ago we drove through the beautiful Welsh valleys and to the beaches around Aberystwyth. Carmarthen Bay is just another beautiful location that Wales has to offer - with never ending idyllic beaches it said to also be the birth place to Merlin the wizard.

Wednesday, 10 December 2014

A winter weekend in London

I'm just a little bit excited to be writing this blog post. Not only did I getting to see my bestie, IntheFrow, at the weekend - I also took a trip to our beloved capital to spend the weekend in a beautiful hotel on Park Lane, eating amazing food and watching the Nutcracker ballet (something I have wanted to see in so long).


I decided to book a Megatrain down there, which cost me around £30 for the whole journey. I have previously travelled with Megabus in the UK and America and they are brilliant. For as little as £1/$1 you can go anyway. 


Arriving into London St Pancras at 3:00pm I went to go meet my little Frowy at Euston, were we took an Uber Taxi to our hotel. After being stuck in traffic for over 30 minutes (and a slight trip to the wrong hotel) we finally arrived at the Marriott Park Lane. We were staying in one of their wonderful new suites that came with all of the beautiful mod-cons. 


Freshly showered, we dressed in our finest dresses and went for dinner to Lanes of London. I opted for a yummy wiener schnitzel with potato salad and Victoria opted for the butter chicken curry - finished off with a glass of prosecco.


For dessert we tucked into a cheese board and homemade Jammy Dodgers, both of which were amazing. Stuffed, we jumped in a cab to the London Coliseum to watch the (epic) Nutcracker. The production was stunning - from the costumes to the dancers to the orchestra - we were both mesmerised from start to finish. 


After an amazing nights sleep in our giant bed, we decided to order breakfast in bed (it's so sad but I've always wanted to do this). We went for the scrummy eggs benidict and bacon and syrup waffles! 

Eventually pulling ourselves out of bed, we made our way down Oxford Street. 


London just looked so magical and Christmassy, as we made our way into Selfridges to soak up some festive retail. After this we made our way to (yet more shops) on Regent Street. Cutting across Bond Street - we came across the most beautiful horse and cart for the #TiffanyChristmas campaign. Later on we met our great friend, Tim, and headed to view a few flats for Victoria (as she's looking to move to London in the new year). 


Flat viewings over, we jumped onto the tube and headed back into central London for dinner at Soho house. One thing I love about london is the fact that you can just jump on some kind of transport and get to where you're going - even though the tube is probably the quickest means of transport by far. 

Soho House - a private bar and restaurant - was amazing. Sat in big leather sofas, we opted for a refreshing bottle of wine and a classic fish and chips. We hung out here, until making our way to the BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB gig - yes I'm excited. 


Playing their biggest ever gig at Earls Court - this was by far one of the best gigs I have ever been to. Me and Victoria have been huge fans of Bombay for years and have previously seen them in a more intimate gig in Liverpool back in 2012.  

But Their performance was simply hypnotising. Me and Victoria were squealing at every song that came on as each one resonates with us on some nostalgic level. 



The following morning, still on a high from the amazing Bombay, we packed up our things and decided to go to Selfridges for breakfast. We both opted for smoked salmon and eggs. YUMMY! Is all I can say about this. After having a last minute shop and grabbing a quick Starbucks we made our way back to the station and back to our homes. 

I would just like to thank my bestie IntheFrow and the Marriott Hotel for such a wonderful city travel adventure. 

Saturday, 6 December 2014

Yummy, natural curry at Tamatanga

Having travelled the world an sampled different types of food, I have to say that curry is probably one of my favourite dishes. From a Thai Green to Tikka Masala - there is so much choice and adaption to tastes by the different cultures who serve it as a dish.


So, when me and my fiance were deciding where to go to celebrate our engagement anniversary [a year ago he asked me to marry him on Caye Calker in Belize], we opted for a new [or at least to us] Indian Restaurant located in Corner House in Nottingham. 


Greeted by beautiful dark woods and a modern twist on Indian decor, we didn't know that everything at the Tamatanga restaurant was all made from scratch and so that's why the food is delivered "when it's been freshly cooked and good to go."


To start with we opted for the onion bhajis and poppadoms to share and a big bottle of Cobra beer to wash it down. The poppadoms also came with a series of sauces and they make an amazing fresh mint and [I think] onion sauce - which I could not get enough of. Sorry Mango Chutney - you're outta there. 

For our mains we both ordered the chicken tikka masala - which comes with rice or naan bread. Personally, if you love both, I'd opt for the rice and order to naan to share as you get two pieces of this. 


Tucking into my tikka, I soon became pretty stuffed from all the food that was served. When the waitress gave us a dessert menu - as yummy as it looked - I had to decline. 

In total the bill came to £45 with tip which included 2 large beers, poppadoms, naan bread and two curry bowls with rice. Not to bad and definitely a place that I would visit again. 

Thursday, 4 December 2014

Great British Food at Georges Fish and Chip Kitchen

Let's face it, who doesn't love a good old chippy tea. Fish, mushy peas and chunky chips is a perfect British dish - so when I heard about my childhood chip shop, Georges - opening a more up market restaurant in Nottingham I had to go.


Situated on Queen Street (close to the famous Brian Clough statue) tonight was the opening night of the restaurant. 


The building inside was phenomenal - keeping all of the traditional features like Chandelliers and coving - it had incorporated it's brand perfectly into the building (and also added in a specialist Gin bar - I was sold). 


As we were taken upstairs by our very friendly hostess, we were taken to one of the private boots which turned out to be little beach huts from famous seaside towns around the UK. 


Ordering (of course) a Hendricks Gin to start off with, browsing through the menu they had something for everyone. From meat and fish all served up with traditional chunky chips - I opted for the fish dog in breadcrumbs. 


Just when we thought that we couldn't fit anymore food in our tummys, along came the dessert menu. Serving up traditional sea-side desserts from candy floss to ice cream to doughnuts - so we opted for it all. 


In total, the bill came to £15 each and we left a £5 tip onto of this because the food, staff and service were all amazing! Definelty worth a trip if you're in Nottingham. 
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