Sometimes you just need to escape London and enjoy some good old English countryside for a few days… Earlier this year, with just that in mind my close friend Lily and I jumped on a train to the Cotswolds for a girls’ weekend at The Fish Hotel! Indulging my love of shepherd’s huts, we had booked a Hilly Hut for our weekend escape, and as we drew up to it, I have to admit I squealed with excitement… Especially when I saw this view… We had both been busy at work, and were so looking forward to a weekend of laughter, long country walks, delicious food and so much fun! We took a half day away f ..read more

Oh, it’s been a little quiet round here hasn’t it? Sometimes life has a habit of just running away with you, and that’s how it’s been round here for the past little while. I’m going to try and start a little monthly update, called Pages of My Lifestyle Diaries to round up all the little things that go past in a month (or longer as the case may be!) Ok maybe long while. But still, you get me. I’m still going to be tapping away and writing up all my recent adventures, some of my favourite recent meals in London, but I thought I’d give  you a whirlwind tour of everything… Travel Summer officiall ..read more

This year, instead of booking a lovely dinner in London, we decided to do something a little different.  We had stayed at Wriggly Tins almost two years ago, and always said we would return… So when it came to choosing somewhere to visit for our anniversary weekend it was an ideal place to return! Fast forward a month or so, and fast forward through the snow that no one really expected, and we were on the train to Wriggly Tins, eager for our return. This time, we had booked Barrow, the brightest shepherd’s hut of them all. Barrow is the cheeriest of all huts, with its friendly, welcoming and v ..read more

That Sunday feeling: the feeling of being totally relaxed, having nowhere to go and nothing pressing that needs done. That sense of calm. I thought it was a feeling reserved purely for Sundays, but it turns out, that you also find the same feeling at The Pig Hotel (part of Mr & Mrs Smith Hotels), specifically at The Pig on the Beach, as I discovered when Angie and I visited for a weekend last month. Angie and I have been lucky enough to have some amazing experiences together, like brunch on board the Belmond British Pullman, but we were excited to tick off a Weekends From London adventure ..read more

The best part of our short weekend in Bruges was discovering lovely little places: restaurants with simple but delicious food, the most beautiful Hotel de Tuilerieen and chocolate box little streets… Oh, and chocolate… One of the restaurants we stumbled into was Le Chef et Moi, a restaurant serving simple, perfectly prepared cuisine in a perfect location.  As we walked in I looked around and loved the pastel pink tones and ornate decoration that was all pulled together with clean white table clothes and a simple, rustic feel.  We asked for a table for two, since, though we had been recommende ..read more

As someone who usually meticulously plans every holiday, weekend away and long-haul adventure, I’m not normally one for last minute trips! But before Christmas, Andy and I booked a day off in the first week of January (because I wasn’t sure I would be able to handle a four day week…) and a couple of weeks ago we packed our bags and headed to Hotel de Tuilerieen for the weekend! We couldn’t decide whether to go to Edinburgh, Prague or Bruges, and it took us until 27th December to actually choose – but I couldn’t be happier that we ended up going to beautiful Bruges! After jumping on the Eurost ..read more

  After our stay at The Dorchester last summer, I’ve completely fallen for The Dorchester hotel in London. The afternoon tea, our amazing suite, the gorgeous spa and restaurants and all topped off with the most wonderful service… You can see just why! And with it all lit up and decorated, I couldn’t wait to go back for a little Christmas at The Dorchester! As soon as you walk in, you’re greeted with a stunning Christmas tree… Well actually, you’re greeted with the main Christmas tree and nine other beautiful trees, all elegantly decorated by in-house florist Philip Hammond and his team. But I ..read more

Mexico had long been high on my bucket list, and so when we decided to visit this summer, I couldn’t have been more excited for our travels, the journey and to see a country I had always dreamed of visiting! After planning our trip for so long, I’m really excited to share our two week Mexico itinerary! We flew straight from London to Cancun with Virgin Atlantic and as soon as I landed I couldn’t wait to order my first margarita, some nachos and take a dip in a pool to refresh after a long flight! 1. Cancun For our first night we didn’t want to travel far from the airport, and so booked a stay ..read more

The beauty of Mayakoba is that it isn’t just one hotel, or one resort, but that it’s so much more. The old saying that sometimes the whole is worth more than the sum of its parts rings true when you visit this resort, as each piece individually is perfect, but together – they’re pretty magical. To get to know the resort a little more, one morning we took a boat ride all the way through the lagoon and paid a quick visit to each of the hotels! We picked up our boat, and our amazing tour guide, Maile, at the pontoon at the Rosewood. I quickly noticed that we were in a slightly different boat to t ..read more

Having spent the last two weeks in Mexico, we had been fortunate enough to try some incredible Mexican cuisine (which I think is a cuisine that London is sadly missing out on!), but as with the rest of our trip, we ended on a high at the Rosewood Mayakoba and their selection of impressive restaurants. As I mentioned, dining at Rosewood Mayakoba is spread out all over the gorgeous resort, with some restaurants in the lagoon area and some at the beach. As we arrived at the hotel, our butler told us that the hotel was hosting guests for drinks in the La Ceiba garden that evening. I loved the idea ..read more