A Weekend Beside the Sea

In June, I travelled to Brighton to celebrate two lovely people getting married. I've not seen enough of the UK and this was my first trip to Brighton. I know that it wont be my last. 

 

Favourite moments:

• Seeing lovely friends become Mr & Mrs in the stunning setting of the Royal Pavilion Gardens
• Eating amazing burritos at La Choza
• Playing penny slots and general childishness at Brighton Pier
• Ice creams quicker than they could melt on the pebble beach
• Exploring little shops and people watching in the North Laines
• Sunsets and sea air
• A tasty fish meal at Fishy Fishy, which turned out to be owned by Dermot O'Leary
• Posing in deck chairs and face-in-the-holes
• Cocktails with friends at our fantastic hotel's (The Artist Residence) bar, The Cocktail Shack 

Brighton, I'll be back!

It's Friday. I'm in Love.

It's Friday browsing time and I'm a little in love with this Ted Baker coat. It looks so elegant, snug and has such pretty lining.  

I love this Crown Devon lamp base. It's currently listed on ebay but I don't have a place to treasure it and too few plug sockets to use it so can't justify a bid, sadly.  

I saw this on A Beautiful Mess and now I want to make it and display all sorts of pretty (like a lamp base?). 

 

How often do we miss what's on our doorstep? Most of my family holiday's were spent in sunnier destinations and I've not spent much time exploring the UK. I loved this post on Flashpacker Family, a blog I've been reading regularly to build up my excitement for Southeast Asia this Summer. In the post, five UK roads are featured. It makes me want to get in the car and start driving to see these lovely places. 

 

What have you been lusting after this week?

A Review: The Ampersand Hotel

In December we stayed at The Ampersand Hotel; a new, luxury hotel in London's South Kensington. Enter a grand Victorian building, just a few steps away from the tube and you're met with the vibrant, contemporary design and friendly atmosphere of this boutique hotel. Our beautiful ornithology inspired room was spacious and full of little personal touches, including a rubber duck in the shower, Miller Harris toiletries, a bedside bird dictionary, complimentary soft drinks, and countless vanity items. The hotel is in a perfect central location. It's on the doorstep of the National History Museum, the V&A, and the Royal Albert Hall, and only a short walk down leafy streets and you're in Knightsbridge. Despite its location, our room was quiet with little noise from the street.

I wanted to share some of the photographs that I managed to snap during our stay.

We loved our stay at The Ampersand Hotel and enjoyed a great meal at Apero Restaurant and Bar. The chef even joined us at the table to give his (excellent) menu recommendations! After our night at the Albert Hall, we went back to Apero to sample their cocktails. The Rose Caryatid (prosecco, Martini Rosato, pomegranate and rose water) was gorgeous. 

I hadn't planned to write anything up and so there are some beautiful details in the hotel that I haven't been able to show here. The Ampersand's website showcases the hotel, including the stylish Drawing Room. Check it out! Since we stayed at The Ampersand Hotel, their reputation seems to be increasing (no causation implied!). It now features on lots of 'best places to stay' lists and was recently listed a Mr & Mrs Smith hotel. I would definitely recommend a visit to The Ampersand Hotel, or even just a trip to their Drawing Room for afternoon tea. We were too busy being London tourists to try it, but it looked pretty yummy. We're looking forward to planning our next visit, whenever that might be.

Birthdays: A Good Excuse for a Midweek Date #JanuaryJoy

Yesterday, my lovely husband turned 28 and we celebrated with a meal and cocktails at Chaophraya, a Thai restaurant. That's a (midweek) date night boxed off for #JanuaryJoy. 

Today, we have the day off together and we're going to extend the celebrations with an overnight stay in Harrogate. I spent a few days in Harrogate with my mum during the Summer, and I'm excited to relax in the Turkish Baths with M and a eat birthday cake at Betty's. Yum!

Happy in...Bath

I have not spent much time exploring England, often opting to holiday away from the UK. I've started to realise how much there is to see on my own doorstep and I'm trying to see as much of this beautiful country as I can. We spent one night in Bath before meeting up with friends and going to CentreParcs in Longleat. I had never been to Bath and was very excited for this taster trip. We had booked to stay in The Northey Arms in Box, just outside of Bath itself.

I was very impressed with The Northey. The bus route into Bath was directly opposite and took around 15 minutes. The room was amazing! Bright and stylish decor, a fancy little Tassimo machine and a huge 'hidden' bathroom, accessed through what appeared to be a wardrobe door. The room was quiet and the bed was super comfy, making for an excellent nights sleep! We didn't eat in the restaurant. However, breakfast was included with our stay and we set ourselves up the following day with a full English breakfast, with eggs layed fresh from their chickens. 

Royal Crescent, Bath. September 2012

Once in Bath, we decided that we would get an open top bus ticket. It was a dry day, we were short on time and we were tired from the long journey down. The ticket cost £12.50 each, including a pair of headphones for the audio commentary. The ticket allowed us to hop on or off at any of the stops and was valid for two different tour routes (City Route and Skyline Route). We jumped off the bus on the City Route to take this panoramic photo at The Royal Crescent. Hot drink in hand, it was a great way to see Bath's main sights.

 

Image source: Bath Thermea Spa

We had also booked tickets through The Northey to visit Bath's Thermea Spa. I had read about this natural thermal spa on this lovely blog, and decided that it was a must see for our visit. We had tickets for a 2 hour session in the New Royal Baths and arrived around 7pm. We hired towels and were provided with wristbands which allowed you to access a locker and 'buy' any refreshments, settling up any tab after the session. We then made our way through to the wet areas and we were pleasantly suprised to find that it was fairly quiet. There was an indoor pool, a room with four glass aroma steam rooms and experience showers, and an open air rooftop pool which looks out over Bath. We were pretty relaxed as we waited for our taxi back to The Northey!

The next day, we headed over to Longleat for a more active week at CentreParcs. I am glad we stopped off in Bath and I'd definitely visit again, with a trip to the Thermea Spa again of course!

One Year as a Mrs.

To celebrate our first wedding anniversary we decided to escape to the countryside for a weekend. We stayed in Gawthrop, in a little bolthole, Hazel Cottage. The cottage was beautiful, stylish and cosy, and was within walking distance of Dent. Dent itself is a teeny little village with a couple of pubs, a church, and a village shop.

We broke up our journey there with a delicious lunch at The Plough at Lupton. We were really impressed with this restaurant and we will definitely return if we're in that area again. Our SatNav took us down a few muddy wrong turns, but finally, after meeting a few woolly residents (welcome party pictured above), we settled into our little hideaway. Later, we decided to go into Dent where we sampled the locally brewed Dent ales with a generous portion of fish and chips at The George & Dragon pub. With the gorgeous Yorkshire Dales countryside around us, we enjoyed long, though rather soggy, walks followed by pints in front of buring fires. It was so nice to be in such a different landscape and be at a slower pace of life for a while.

Not satisfied in walking boots and raincoats for too long, on our actually wedding anniversary we put on our finery and journeyed across to Windermere in the Lake District. It was another wet and windy day but the setting of Holbeck Ghyll Country House Hotel was stunning, despite the grey clouds. We had one of the most amazing meals I think I have ever eaten/ will eat for a long time. The George and Dragon's fish and chip dish was forgotten as we sipped Champagne and enjoyed an incredible Michelin star meal in the impressive  dining room, with views over Lake Windermere. Fine dining isn't a regular thing for us and Holbeck Ghyll was a real treat. The food was delicious, service was great, and the setting really was was stunning. We went back to our bolthole and stayed up talking in front of the crackling log burner. It was the perfect way to celebrate the year we've shared as Mr. and Mrs.

On the way home, we decided to stop in at Wensleydale, home to Wallace & Gromit's favourite cheese. There is a cheese factory, where you can see how the cheese is made and there's a cheese tasting room. I know; another weekend highlight! Lots and lots of cheese to try. It was cheese and crackers for supper for a while after that!

 

We also visited Aysgarth Falls and sat watching the waterfalls flow for a good couple of hours with root beer floats and a cream tea. 

 

All in all, an excellent anniversary weekend to complete an excellent first year of marriage!

 

Happy in... Harrogate

A few weeks back, I treated my mum to a couple of nights away in Harrogate. Though only a couple of hours drive away, I had not spent any real time there before and I wasn't really sure what to expect. 

We had a great time! The sun was shining as we wandered through Valley Gardens and Harrogate's little cobbled shopping streets, walking past the impressive Royal Pump Room building (apparently you can sample sulphur water there - yum!), and stumbling upon a farmers market where we bought some almosttoogoodtoeat Lauden chocolates. 

 

We spent a mere £15 each to relax in the Turkish Baths (beware, clothing is optional for ladies only sessions!), treated each other to Champagne Afternoon Tea at Bettys Tea Rooms, and ate like kings in the stunning setting of Royal Baths Chinese restaurant.

 

Harrogate: Totally relaxing, and a lovely place to spend quality time with my mum. Anyone out there been to Harrogate? I would definitely make a return trip.