12 July 2017

Day 1 When eight girls board an Easy Jet flight to Mykonos, you know that your 40th birthday celebrations will be going down in history! I've been to Mykonos before and knew it was the ideal spot when the girls suggested to ditch the boring dinner fiasco and spend a few nights away with no guys and no kids! Perfect! This beautiful island in Greece is exactly how you would imagine it to be; white and blue painted buildings, traditional yet with a modern feel and classy. We stayed in a gorgeous boutique hotel located at the top of a cliff called St John. It boasted beautiful views of the island, it's own private beach (which Shirley Valentine was filmed on!), large bean bags around the pool area for those who wanted to slouch with a cocktail and enjoy the rays and just a general uplifting ambience that raised my love for the island just that bit more. On arrival, we were greeted with the friendliest of staff and shown to our rooms by one of the porters. It didn't take us long to ditch the bags, freshen up and get down to those bean bags and slouch with a well-deserved cocktail by the pool. Later on, we decided to dine in a local trendy restaurant called Interni, it was an international restaurant which was exactly what we were looking for. We didn't want to have a late night (as we knew what was planned for the next following days) and took a short stroll back after our meal to the hotel ready for a sleep. Day 2 There's something about hotel breakfast that puts a smile on my face, waking up knowing that someone is going to serve you coffee is a lovely feeling. Especially at this particular hotel, the continental breakfast was a great start to the morning. We had planned to go to Nammos Beach Club which was highly recommended by one of my friends who lives on the island and getting there early was a must. Now, it's not the cheapest of places however it's worth every penny you spend. Good music playing in the background, with a mix of Greek, Turkish and English to get you in the right vibe. It's advised to pre-book your lunch table as the Beach Club is extremely busy at this time of the season, you're looking at an 80 Euro spend with a menu that boasts fresh seafood, salads and a variety of gorgeous rose wine - Delicious. After 4 pm the music at Nammos gets cranked up and the sun loungers turn into platforms for us to dance! It wasn't just us (before you judge) the whole of the beach club was up on their feet grooving to the music and having the time of their lives. We stayed till late soaking up the sunshine and enjoying the clear beaches, it was everything I imagined and just that bit more. The evening ended well with a traditional 'Giro' for dinner and an early night (again!) That's what happens when girls have fun during the day! Day 3 The shopping in Mykonos was brilliant, little boutique shops tucked away down cobbled streets, handmade jewellery stands and the aroma of Greek coffee floating in the air. We had to take a moment and indulge in the island's finest hot drink and see what the craze was all about – of course, it was fulfilling and delicious. Lunch was served at a waterfront restaurant called 'nice and easy' and that's exactly what it was. Fresh fish, traditional moussaka and Greek salad filled with feta cheese. Mykonos is famous for its windmills so we used our afternoon to go and find some. There is a tiny little church which just about fits 2 people inside and it was well worth a visit, we took a moment to light a candle out of respect for the culture and said a silent prayer. Now unlike the other evenings, this was the night we were not planning on an early night, it was our final evening and we thought we would see it off in style. We started in 'Little Venice' with a sundowner, it was very fitting as we watched the sunset whilst sipping our drinks. Of course no evening is complete without a full stomach so we booked a table in a local fish restaurant called Roca. Some of my friends joined us for the evening which turned the party from eight girls to eleven. We were served your typical Greek mezes and the finest of fishes, it was the perfect way to spend my final night with all my favourite girls around one big table. We moved onto a small bar called Bao's which overlooked the sea. We were lucky because our table was right next to an open window, the waves were crashing the breeze was blowing and the music was on point. As if dancing on the tables to 'Despacito' wasn't enough we decided to keep the night rolling and headed off to 'Jackie O' the best gay bar in town! Before you get any ideas we went for one reason and one reason only - to dance. Where else can you get a drag show, more dancing on tables, no hassling men and an open bar till 5.30am? Yes we stayed till sunrise, yes we had the time of our lives, yes we only had 4 hours sleep. Day 4 Any other normal group of ladies would've spent their final hours lounging around the hotel pool sleeping off the night before - not us! We were at a chic beach club called 'Scorpios' feeling the vibe (clearly we didn't get enough the night before) taking in the last bit of rays with a cocktail! It wasn't very busy (thankfully) as it was a Monday so we felt as if we had the whole beach club to ourselves – perfect way to end our memorable girls holiday. The Easy Jet hostesses must have thought we had the wrong memo. With sand in our hair and still wearing our beach shorts, we boarded the plane back to Gatwick. I'm sure the airport has seen far worse!

21 May 2017

I love my job! Why? It allows me the opportunity to create amazing memories for my clients. These could be a two day city breaks for a boyfriend who is about to propose to his girlfriend or a family taking a three week tour of Vietnam before their eldest child leaves home - anything is possible! Eight months ago I was given the task of arranging a team building and annual trip abroad for my business networking group. Previously we have been to Amsterdam and Barcelona. This year, the group grew to 40 people and our destination was Athens! We wanted a mixture of culture, good weather and nightlife. The weather wasn’t on our side however and the forecast was rain, wet and cold. However Athens warmed my heart in many ways and turned out to be one of my favourite weekend getaway destinations. Why did it capture me so much? It could have been the beautiful sights of the Acropolis from our hotel balcony, eating and drinking at a traditional taverna with Greek music playing live in the background or simply the wonderful group of people that I travelled with - together it was a memorable experience. If you go to Athens the Acropolis is a must. Unfortunately, the weather not being on our side didn’t help and the long climb up the steep hill to get to the top was a little challenging. Despite wanting to look like Aphrodite at the top of the hill but actually looking more like Medusa with my hair all over the place, we had a pretty splendid time. You soon realise that everyone looks a little bit “different” once they walk up those beautiful (large) stone steps with the wind blowing “gracefully” in their hair! Once you've reached the Parthenon you slowly start to feel like a Greek Goddess with the whole of Athens beneath you and the ancient ruins around you. The feeling is indescribable and even though the city is not the prettiest, the views from the top are spectacular. A quick stop for a traditional Greek coffee and a sweet pastry gave me a quick energy boost before heading in to the town’s flea market. The market was full of souvenirs from evil eyes to Greek CDs, modern clothes and beautiful accessories. This city never sleeps, on our first evening we started the night at a traditional Greek taverna called Stamatopoulos Tavern, which boosted a beautiful meze to fill our bellies and a three piece band to ensure we were kept on our feet all night. Can't dance to Greek music? You will soon be able to! The locals were so welcoming it didn’t matter if you had two left feet, as long as you're having a good time, that’s all that mattered. If that wasn't enough to send us to bed we happily moved onto one of Athens top nightclubs OPUS! My feet may have not loved me at 6 o'clock in the morning but my soul was alive and bursting with Greekness all night! Our second day allowed us to recover from the night before, wonder around the old town of Plaka and watch The Evzones in amazement as they change Guards outside the Parliament Building. That evening we were very fortunate to have a table at the famous club Teatro. We had the pleasure of singing and dancing to two of Greece’s most famous singers, Notis Sfakanakis and Vasilis Karras! Even if you don’t understand the language, the energy and the passion in the songs were so enjoyable! If we were not dancing, we were eating and if we were not eating, we were taking selfies with ruins older than anything we could imagine. Who wouldn't want to visit this city? Recommendation on where to stay Hotel NJV Athens Plaza – 5* Good points – Beautifully clean hotel, with lovely spacious rooms. Room 812 has the most spectacular view of the Acropolis Excellent location in the heart of Stagma Square. Negative points – One side of the hotel looks inwards to a stone wall, so you’re going for views you must request a room that has one. Good places to eat Metropolis – Offers a modern environment with great meats for lunch or a casual dinner. Stamatopoulos Tavern Lyssiou 26 | Plaka, Athens 10558, Greece? Must see Acropolis Mount Lycabettus (Which you can see from the top of Acropolis) The Evzones – Changing of the guard *Note to remember* Athens does not have a ‘No smoking ban’ in place, so wherever you are be prepared that it's a smokers central!