09 December 2024

Visiting Iceland is like visiting another planet. We went over to Reykjavík in Iceland for my friend’s birthday, as she lives out there. We stayed in the city centre and had a blast! On the first night my friend introduced all of us to each other, as so many of us had travelled to Iceland to see her from different countries including England, Ireland, USA, Switzerland and Norwich (to name a few!) which was so awesome as we met some many amazing people. On our first day she took us to see some beautiful waterfalls and as it was March some of the waterfalls were frozen over and it was so magical. On the way we spotted some gorgeous Icelandic Horses, so naturally stopped to say hello! We visited the stunning Skogafoss and also had lunch here and the Skogafoss Bistro Bar and we then visited Seljalandsfoss as well on the way back to Reykjavík. On our second day we went to the Sky Lagoon which was so relaxing, I cannot wait to visit here again when I return. They have a 7 step ritual which was so calming: 1 – Enter the lagoon 2 – Be brave and do the cold plunge! 3 – Warm up in the Icelandic turf house; immerse yourself in the sauna 4 – Refreshing cold mist (which I have to say, I absolutely loved!) 5 – Exfoliate using their Sky Body Scrub 6 – Relax in the steam room 7 – Try their elixir and return to the lagoon I’d highly recommend a visit here if you visit as it was such a lovely, relaxing day spent floating around the lagoon and enjoying the incredible view. I definitely want to go back to Iceland as experiencing this amazing country of fire and ice was so much fun, but there is also so much left to explore!

22 October 2024

I don’t know what I expected from the Maldives… I thought it would be beautiful, the ocean would be clearer than I could imagine in real life and I’d spend most of my days lounging by the pool reading a book. Was that what I got? Yes, and no. I was surprised by how much the Maldives had to offer, I’ll talk about some of my favourite parts: We arrived into Male and were met straight away by the team from our resort – Ozen Life Maadhoo – and taken to their private lounge for refreshments, it really made us feel like VIPs. When all the guests had arrived we were taken out to our luxury speedboat, which was great fun, and to the resort. On arrival to the resort we were met by the team with a traditional Maldivian welcome, with a conch shell greeting, music and palm leaf necklaces, a lovely welcome! Our great butler then met us in the reception and explained how the resort functioned, including giving us a dining schedule, ensuring we got to try each restaurant at least once during our visit. He then drove us in a buggy to our beautiful over water villa. The villas here are nothing short of spectacular, as soon as you enter you’re greeted by the view of the Indian Ocean. There are glass elements in the floor when you enter so you can see the fish swimming below and also again in the centre of the room. The bed was absolutely huge and you also had a sofa you could relax on by the window opposite the bed. Our fridge was constantly topped up with refreshments, including champagne which is included in their indulgence package – I’ve never drunk so much champagne in my life! I also adored our bathroom area, the large bath was in a huge space opposite the dressing area, then at the end of the room was his and hers sinks and a beautiful shower with a full glass window so you can enjoy the view while you shower, perfect. The food at Ozen really was delicious, the main restaurant, The Palms, did a mixture of bullet style for things like yoghurt and fruit, then live stations for smoothies, grilled food and other various options for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it was great. The restaurant itself was directly on the beachfront so you could really soak in those views every second of your stay. We tried out the gym, which is in a building over the water so you have ocean views while exercising, I also did one of their yoga classes which was relaxing. Although we had an overwater villa we also took the time to enjoy lounging on a sunbed on the beach for a few of the mornings there – I'm usually more of a pool girl because I'm not a fan of sand, but the sand here was so fine you barely noticed it, it was perfect. One night as we were there for our honeymoon we were invited to a romantic dinner, the restaurant had a small section surrounded by hearts and red flowers to give it the romantic vibe, it was really cute. We even had romantic desserts shaped like a heart! That night when we arrived back to our room our wonderful room attendant Mundvvar had decorated our bed with “Happy Honeymoon” and swan towels in a love heart and also run a romantic bath with flower petals scattered over the bubbles for our return – it made our evening! Something Ozen does extremely well is their indulgence plan – literally everything you need is included, including non-motorised water sports, one sunset cruise, one sunset fishing trip and unlimited snorkelling trips which go out twice a day at 9am and 3pm. We went on at least one snorkelling trip a day because we became a little obsessed with being in the water, a few days we even went on both because why not?! We were both obsessed with the sea; the fish were absolutely beautiful, and there was something so relaxing about wearing a life jacket to snorkel too as it meant I could just relax, bob up and down and enjoy the wildlife, it was brilliant. We were over the moon every time we saw marine life, we would regularly see reef sharks swimming past, rays of all kinds, clown fish, trigger fish, loads more fish I don’t know the names of, a beautiful flying fox which lived on the island and even dolphins in the distance too which we could see from our villa – something in the Maldives blew me away every single day, it was pure magic. Speaking of amazing sea creatures, when you stay at Ozen you can enjoy dining at their underwater restaurant, Minus 6 Meters (M6M). M6M was wonderful, all seats face out towards the water and you spend the entire time watching wild fish / sharks swim past freely in open water. Plus the seafood was delicious! While we were there we really wanted to see manta rays, unfortunately we were visiting outside of their high season, but knew a handful were still around, so we paid to go out privately to see if we could find them. Sadly, we didn’t come across any, but our amazing dive instructor took us to one of the best reefs in the Maldives where we saw some beautiful coral, fish and also a turtle – it was a dream! The instructors here are great and they spot things hiding on the reef way before you do, so my top tip is always stick with your instructor! On the way back to Ozen we saw some dolphins which swam underneath us which was one of the best moments of my life. I can continue to talk about the Maldives for days, but it really is somewhere you need to experience for yourself, especially if you are a huge fan of the ocean and the animals it holds.

22 August 2024

Chaing Mai – the largest city in Northern Thailand. We stayed at a beautiful boutique hotel called Rachamankha which is in the heart of Chiang Mai. It has just 25 rooms/suites and is next to Wat Phra Singh, the city’s most famous temple. It was the perfect base for our 2 nights here. On our first day we woke up nice and early, I think it was around 5am, for a sunrise hot air balloon ride – I was so excited as I’d always wanted to go in a hot air balloon. The staff at Balloon Adventure Thailand were absolutely wonderful, after a quick safety talk we headed out to watch the balloon inflate before hopping into the basket ourselves! As it took off I was quite nervous as it is a surreal feeling being in the air in a basket, but you soon get used to it and our pilot was brilliant. He taught us how he directs the balloon and shared how far he had travelled on some occasions. What we found quite amusing was on our day there wasn’t really much breeze, so we didn’t travel too far away from the starting place – it’s completely dependent on the day where you end up and they do their best to land you on a dry patch and not in someone’s garden! It was such a beautiful morning, we watched the sun rising and I could have stayed up there for hours. When it was time to go down I felt very much like Bear Grylls, we could see the team on bikes and trucks coming to track the balloon and help it land, as well as our mini bus! It was so entertaining, and we luckily landed in a field, but the team used their skills to move us over a little bit so we were on a more solid surface for getting out. We had a few photos sitting on the basket before heading back to their main building, where we celebrated with our pilot with a traditional champagne celebration, what a start to the day! We spent the rest of our time in Chiang Mai wandering the streets of old town and we even headed out to a Maya Lifestyle Shopping Centre for cocktails at the rooftop bar, Myst, and found a great market within walking distance of there with lots of good food, live music and shopping. Chiang Mai is such a fun place to visit and there were loads of things to do, so I’ll definitely be going back! If you’d like to know more about booking a trip to Thailand I’d love to help.

14 June 2024

Chiang Rai holds a special place in my heart. It is a quieter part of Northern Thailand compared to Chiang Mai where most will stay when visiting to Northern Thailand, but is filled with local culture. When we went to Chiang Rai we stayed at The Riverie, a beautiful hotel close to the centre of Chiang Rai. The hotel has a great pool, including a children's area, so is perfect for couple and families too. It is surrounded by lush greenery and next to the river which makes it really peaceful, the perfect place to unwind. On our first night we took a stroll into town to find the night market, on the way we passed the golden clocktower, a beautiful gold clock in the middle of the city. We had a shop at the night market, I treated myself to some new trousers and a top (I wore them the next day, see my outfit in the photos!). We then found Khao Soi Restaurant, which was my favourite dinner the entire time we were in Thailand, this is where I discovered the dish Khao Soi! Khao Soi is a coconut curry noodle soup, it is usually served with a chicken leg and crunchy fried noodles on top, it is absolutely delicious and can only be found in Northern Thailand and Myanmar. Shawn had the Pad Thai, it was also really good! We then got to see some traditional Thai dancing on the stage at the market, the dancers wore beautiful outfits and it was lovely to see their elegant dancing. On our full day in Chiang Rai we had a private tour to the Golden Triangle, where Thailand, Myanmar and Lao meet, with the Mekong River in the centre of them. We headed out nice and early to stop off at Mae Sot, where border crossing is which connects Thailand and Myanmar. We had a stroll through the shops, tried some local food before continuing our journey. When we arrived at the Golden Triangle we headed up the hill to get a photo of the view from the top (see first photo!) before going to the Opium Museum which was really interesting. We then had a fun speedboat ride on the Mekong River between all three countries, it was really fun! We stopped for lunch and saw another temple before heading back... On the way back we mentioned how we were going to visit Wat Rong Suea Ten (the Blue Temple) so our amazing guide asked our driver to drop us off there instead of our hotel which was super helpful and kind of him, he also arranged a tuk tuk to wait for us, take us to see Wat Huay Pla Kang and then return us safely to the hotel, we were really grateful for his help and our tuk tuk driver was great too. The Blue Temple is definitely worth visiting, it is really beautiful with such intricate details and was designed by the same artist who created the well-known White Temple, which I'll talk a little bit more about soon. We then went to Wat Huay Pla Kang, we could see the beautiful Goddess from our hotel and she looked tiny, but up close she was huge (see photo)! After admiring her and the dragons at the bottom of the steps from the outside we made our way up to buy tickets to go up to the top floor. We went up in an elevator and we were not expecting the gorgeous white interior, there were statues everywhere and it was really impressive. I won't share any photos as you really do need to see it for yourself. That night we ate at The Riverie, at their rooftop restaurant, The Peak Bar and Grill. We headed up early so we could watch the sunset over the landscape and Wat Huay Pla Kang with a cocktail, before settling in for dinner on the roof. The next day we checked out and headed towards Chiang Rai which is about a 3 hour drive away. On the way we stopped off at Wat Rong Khun, also known as the White Temple. The White Temple was created by a great artist, Chalermchai Kositpipat. Before you enter the temple I really recommend heading to the museum to learn about Chalermchai Kositpipat and to see his artwork, as you can really see his art reflected in the temple itself. It's also a good idea to use the toilets here, because they're also beautiful, in a gold building. On the way to Chiang Mai we also stopped at Doi Chaang Caffe for locally grown coffee and some yummy cake, it was wonderful. Top tip for visiting temples; always make sure you're dressed appropriately (shoulders covered), and be aware you will need to remove your shoes before you enter. If you'd like to know more about my visit to Chiang Rai just drop me a message.

07 May 2024

Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand. I didn't realise how much I was going to love Bangkok. To be honest I am usually more of a relaxed traveller, preferring quieter locations, but my husband Shawn loves exploring large cities so I've started to grow to love them too. Bangkok is perfect for foodies, those who love learning about the history and different cultures and shoppers. We stayed in the Okura Prestige and I have to say it's one of the best hotels I've stayed in, the staff were so friendly, our room was beautiful, the food was delicious and the pool was breathtaking. After checking in we went to relax in our room, as we were there for our honeymoon they'd left a lovely chocolate gift on the side for us and also run a bath which they'd covered in rose petals to welcome us to their hotel. The view out our window was of the vast glass buildings opposite - you really are right in the heart of the city. On our first night we'd pre-booked a table at Small Dinner Club, an experience built with excitement as upon arrival you have to ring a doorbell to get in, so it feels very exclusive. You're then escorted through a beautiful foyer and up some stairs to the chefs table which sits all 12 diners who are there for their 12 course menu that evening. The menu is an adventure in itself with each dish named and given a short description from the chef which doesn't give much away, such as "Crying Tiger" and "Duck & Hide". We had the wine flight too as we love seeing how different wines pair with our food. What really blew our minds was the fantastic flavours and the unexpected element to each dish - not everything is as it seems! I won't share more as I think the foodies among you would love to experience it for yourself. While in Bangkok we'd booked a private tour, our tour guide was Pookie (not sure if this is how she spelled it, but she said it was like Cookie but Pookie so we'll go with this spelling!) and she was incredible. We started the day with a tour around Wat Pho and the Grand Palace, both were beautiful and it was a joy to experience them both so early in the day while crowds were lower. We then went on a food tour, our lunch was delicious, we got to try pad krapow which was Shawn's personal favourite as it was nice and spicy. Then we moved on to try their sweet rice dessert and walked around the market, collecting desserts as we went! We were so full towards the end that we couldn't eat anything else - it was brilliant! That afternoon we also got a chance to test the infinity pool at Okura which is on their 25th floor and was it beautiful! Into the evening we decided to try out the metro and visit Asiatique The Riverfront, a riverfront open air shopping and dining mall and it was so lovely to have a relaxed walk around some shops, have fun on the Ferris wheel and enjoy some delicious food. The next morning we tried the Japanese breakfast at Okura and it was delicious! Our tray featured lots of different dishes from salmon and soup, to fresh fruit and salad. We then took a stroll up to Lumphini Park and saw some huge monitor lizards, caught the metro and headed to Wat Arun, stopping at a supermarket for snacks and water along the way as it was a very hot day. Wat Arun was beautiful but much busier Wat Pho, although by the time we got there it was around lunchtime. We took a few photos and then decided to catch a river taxi - I would definitely do this if you get the chance as it was so nice to relax on the river and see Bangkok from a different angle. That afternoon we had afternoon tea back at our hotel which was delicious, they were serving their Autumnal menu which was orange flavoured, it was great. We were sat opposite on of the tall glass windows so had a beautiful view outside, down towards Lumphini Park. After a short rest in our room it was time to head out, this time catching a tuk tuk to Chinatown - it made us with we'd used a tuk tuk before this evening, it was so much fun! Chinatown was extremely busy, the hustle and bustle of all of the vendors cooking and selling food was incredible, with fire pits in the middle of the path and tuk tuks driving in and out of traffic, you really have to experience Chinatown for yourself. We decided to get a cocktail in one of the hotels in Chinatown and ended up eating there too, which was great as there was a live band playing. We then got a tuk tuk back to our hotel and got some rest, as the next day we flew up to Chiang Rai which I'll talk about in my next blog...

02 May 2024

I thought I'd start my blog with some past adventures, starting with mine and my husband Shawn's multi-centre honeymoon back in 2022, because to be honest I'm still not over how amazing it was! First stop... Dubai! We hadn't originally planned on staying in Dubai, only to catch our connecting flight, but we had two of our best friends living out there at the time so decided to stay for a while. Our stay in Dubai was filled with adventure and delicious food. One of the highlights of the trip was visiting Sky Views, Edge Walk where you can walk along the edge of a massive building, hang over the edge and even get the chance to swing off it (see photo for proof of swinging!). It took me a while to go, but once I'd swung once I couldn't stop and it was so fun. It was also brilliant because we got a fantastic view of the Burj Khalifa at the same time! We were given a tour by our friends of old town and had the most amazing food there, and visited the mall. We went to Zuma for Japanese food - highly recommend as it was delicious and they made brilliant cocktails. We went to the galaxy bar for more cocktails and also got the chance to eat at Time Out Market where I had bao buns. Another wonderful activity was watching the Dubai Fountain, when people say it's huge, it really is huge and mesmirising to watch! They do a new display and song every 30 minutes, it really is spectacular! There were so many activities that we could have done while we were there, so I'll definitely be returning at some point to tick more of them off my list!