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Hotel Indigo Chester

The staycation series: Hotel Indigo, Chester

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If you’ve dropped in before, you’ll know that we’ve been trying to make the most of our weekends by heading out to explore the country a bit more. I’ve got to be honest, Stratford-upon-Avon was so bloody good that it’s going to take a lot of beating. The Hotel Indigo there was just utterly gorgeous, so when the chance came up for us to try the new Hotel Indigo, Chester, we jumped at the opportunity. We only had one night away this time, so we knew we wouldn’t get to explore that much, but a hotel-centric night away in a gorgeous hotel, with dinner and a few drinks is sometimes all you need to recharge your batteries. Here’s how we got on:

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Cotswold House Hotel

The staycation series: Cotswold House Hotel

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We enjoyed our trip to Stratford-upon-Avon so much that we’ve decided to make heading out on a little weekend break a regular thing. Since I’ve never visited the Cotswolds and always wanted to go, we made our next booking at the dreamy looking Cotswold House Hotel in the pretty village of Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire. We booked a two-night break over a Sunday and a Monday, thinking that we could relax on the Sunday, then explore on the Monday when it was a little quieter. The drive was so easy - just over an hour and a half from us here near Tring, in Hertfordshire. I’d say it’s better to have a car to fully explore all the surrounding towns and villages, but you can get a train to nearby Moreton in Marsh, which is served by London Paddington and Birmingham.

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Cabrits Resort & Spa Kempinski, Dominica

Cabrits Resort & Spa Kempinski, Dominica

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After the joyous whirlwind of noise, feathers and sequins that was Dominica’s Mas Dominik carnival, we said a fond farewell to the lush surroundings of Jungle Bay, and headed north in Trevo’s van, windows down, Calypso music blaring, to our final hotel, the utterly gorgeous Cabrits Resort & Spa Kempinski, Dominica. Cabrits Dominica is like no resort I’ve ever seen before. It’s the most magical mashup between traditional local style buildings and a super high end resort. There’s an abundance of local stone and reed-topped roofs, matched with chic interiors, clever, functional rooms (UK plug sockets!!), jazzy tiling and tropical planting. The resort is surrounded by deliciously inviting pools woven into the landscaping - some in unexpected places, but always with the same delightful rule: ‘if it’s blue, you can swim in it’. It’s beautifully contemporary, relaxing, tranquil and being so far on the northwest tip of Dominica in Portsmouth, it has a magical, hidden away quality about it too.

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Finding myself in Dominica

How I found myself in Dominica - the Caribbean’s nature island

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Oh my goodness, I cannot wait to tell you all about my trip to Dominica. I completely fell in love with this beautiful island and had such a wonderful, life-changing trip travelling back to my Dad’s favourite place in the Caribbean and - not to sound too ‘new agey’, I really felt that I found myself in Dominica - truly discovered a sense of peace and confidence after the sadness and anxiety of our marriage breaking down at Christmas. A wonderful week of feeling so close to nature, of swimming in the endless azure sea, dipping my toes in icy waterfalls, eating delicious fresh fish, dancing with abandon, wandering lush forests and boating along peaceful rivers is, it turns out, exactly what you need to get your head straight.

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What's it really like to ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance?

What’s it like to ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance?

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Well, WHAT A WEEK! I’ve got so much to tell you, and a gazillion photos to show you and, honestly, the whole experience just seems like a bit of a dream now I’m back home. If you follow me on social media, you’ll know that last week I was lucky enough to be whisked away (by Virgin Atlantic’s very own Falcon, no less) to Walt Disney World in Orlando, where I got to make my very first visit to the Black Spire Outpost on the remote planet of Batuu, right at Galaxy’s Edge. In my post detailing everything you need to know about Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge a while back, I mostly focused on the Disneyland California park, but now everything is up and running in Orlando and it’s completely breathtaking! So what’s it like to ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance? Grab a coffee and get comfy and I’ll tell you all about it.

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What are the different staterooms like on AmaMagna

What are the different staterooms like on AmaMagna?

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Last time, I told you all about our gorgeous Christmas markets Danube cruise on board AmaWaterways’ revolutionary, double-width AmaMagna river ship. I thought I’d take the time to write a separate post about all the different AmaMagna stateroom categories, as there’s so much to tell you and I was conscious that the post was getting very long! So what are the different staterooms like on AmaMagna? Well, because there’s so much space, most of the staterooms (apart from a handful on deck 1) are suite class cabins. We explored the different stateroom categories so you can have a good look at all of them.

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A guided tour of AmaMagna in pictures

A guided tour of AmaMagna in pictures

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If you follow me on any of my social channels, you’ll know that I was away last week on the most beautiful river ship I think I’ve ever seen. You know I love a river cruise, and AmaWaterways’ new AmaMagna is spectacular - she’s a double-width river ship, but without double the passengers. I loved the feeling of space this creates, as well as the luxurious boutique hotel feel on board. So what’s it like to take a cruise on this delightful - and rather extraordinary - new river vessel? I thought the best way to show you around would be to create a guided tour of AmaMagna in pictures, to really give you a feel for this clever, and truly luxurious new ship Read more

Vegan dining options at Walt Disney World Florida

Vegan dining options at Walt Disney World, Florida

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You all know how I feel about the food at Walt Disney World. The dining there is some of the best in the world, and the restaurants - in the parks, the resort hotels and at Disney Springs, are some of my favourite in the world. If you follow a plant based diet, don’t eat meat, dairy or both, or have other dietary requirements, it can be daunting visiting a new place, so I thought to celebrate World Vegan Day, I’d take you through some of the brilliant vegan dining options at Walt Disney World, Florida. Read more

Vegetarian and vegan dining options at Universal Orlando Resort, Florida

Vegan dining options at Universal Orlando Resort, Florida

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Did you know that today is World Vegan Day? In fact, the whole of November has been designated World Vegan Month, and to celebrate, I thought I would do a few vegan things throughout the month. I thought I’d start by creating a bit of a guide to eating vegan at some of my favourite places. I’ve started with a roundup of the vegan dining options at Universal Orlando Resort, Florida. I’ve been lucky enough to have eaten at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida quite a bit recently, what with the opening of Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, and then Halloween Horror Nights, and then filming the Universal resort hotels with Attraction Tickets Direct (big roundup coming soon). Generally in our group there’s at a vegan or two, plus weird people like me who still occasionally eat meat but like to order the plant based options, and it’s been interesting to experience how brilliant the serving staff and chefs are in all of the restaurants at accommodating different dietary requirements.

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Which P&O Cruises will have the Food Heroes on board

Which P&O Cruises will have the Food Heroes on board?

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You already know that I’m a huge fan of P&O Cruises. From attending the naming ceremony of Britannia back in 2015, to a foodie cruise with my pal Erica in 2016 and our gorgeous relaxing break on board elegant Oceana last year, I’ve always loved the cruise line’s effortless knack of making a cruiseholiday seem both glam and unstuffy all at the same time. The food on board is always a highlight, and P&O Cruises’ continued partnership with their brilliant Food Heroes means that as well as tasting their food and drinking the wine they choose, you can even get to set sail with them. I absolutely can’t wait to get on board brand new ship, Iona (especially because I love a bit of Scandi chic), and P&O Cruises have just released details of when the Food Heroes will be sailing, so if you fancy combining your holiday of a lifetime with learning a few tricks from your very own favourite wine expert or master pâtissier, here’s your chance: I’ve got a full list of which P&O Cruises will have the Food Heroes on board.

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Bigfire at Universal CityWalk

The one where we went to Bigfire at Universal CityWalk

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While we were at Universal Orlando Resort for the opening of Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, we were really lucky to also be there for the opening of a brand new restaurant at Universal CityWalk, the brilliant location just outside the entrance to the parks that’s full of gorgeous places to eat and drink, and loads of things to do, from cinema to karaoke and mini golf to the Blue Man Group show. Here’s what we thought of Bigfire at Universal CityWalk.

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The best friends breakfast with Lilo & Stitch at Disney's Polynesian Resort

The best friends breakfast with Lilo & Stitch at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

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The boys have always adored Lilo & Stitch. I dread to think how many times we’ve watched the movie over the years and even now Charlie’s got a Stitch character on his car keys. One of the things I really wanted to do when we were at Walt Disney World was to treat everyone to the best friends breakfast with Lilo & Stitch. I did it ages ago and it was great fun, plus the food really stood out for me, so on the day we were due to fly home, I booked us in for breakfast for a last treat before we headed back to pack up and leave Disney’s Contemporary Resort (sob). Read more

Christmas at Disneys Contemporary Resort

A Disney Dream come true - Christmas at Disney’s Contemporary Resort

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Waving goodbye to Universal Studios was hard, but we were also incredibly excited as our next stop was Walt Disney World, and more specifically, Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Since my very first visit to Walt Disney World, back in 2009, I’ve always wanted to stay at the Contemporary. I’m a bit of a Mary Blair obsessive (more of this in a bit) and I’m fascinated by the hotel’s structure, more specifically the story of how the A-frame of the Contemporary Tower was built and then workers slotted the rooms, which were constructed off-site back in 1971, into the building after they were finished. I’ve even heard rumours that at one stage, Walt Disney planned to keep the hotel modern by periodically removing and updating the rooms before slotting them back in. So what’s it like to spend Christmas at Disney’s Contemporary Resort? Here’s what we thought.

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10 brilliant things to see and do at Universal Orlando Resort this Christmas

10 brilliant things to see and do at Universal Orlando Resort this Christmas

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If, like us, you’re planning a Christmas trip to Orlando, excitement levels must be pretty close to fever pitch by now (I know they are in this house!). As with planning a Christmas trip to Walt Disney World, a little preparation will go a long way to make your festive visit an extra special one. I’ve got some insider tips and some great recommendations for things to see and do at Universal Orlando Resort this Christmas. And if you’re not lucky enough to be visiting Universal this Christmas, then here’s some festive inspiration for your next visit. Ready? Then let’s begin!

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My top tips for planning a Christmas trip to Walt Disney World, Florida

My top tips for planning a Christmas trip to Walt Disney World, Florida

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I was talking on Instagram recently about how bonkers it’s been the last couple of weeks. We’re heading to Orlando for Christmas (woohoo!) and I just want everything to be perfect, so I’ve been planning like a crazy woman. A couple of our family have never been, and I want them to see all the lovely things. Happily, I’m now armed with a ton of tips, so I hope these help if you’re counting down the days to your own Christmas visit to Walt Disney World (or planning one for next year - I’ll make sure I update this). Christmas is a brilliant time to visit Walt Disney World - the weather should still be warm and sunny, and the thundery afternoons of the summer will have passed. Planning something this lovely isn’t a chore and really adds to the excitement, plus you’ll have all sorts of amazing experiences lined up for when you get there! So grab your pen and paper and a festive hot chocolate and have a read of all my top tips for planning a Christmas trip to Walt Disney World, Florida.

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We might have found the best Sunday roast in London

We might have found the best Sunday roast in London

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On a chilly Sunday in November, there’s nothing quite like sitting down in a cosy pub with friends and family and treating yourself to a delicious roast dinner. I love to cook, but I’m happy to take a back seat and let someone else do all the work for a change, especially when it’s in the delightful setting of London’s St Pancras Station. Mr E and I travelled up to London last weekend to have a look at all the Christmas lights (still not sure about the Tiffany tree in the station - the conversation on Instagram confirmed that I’m not alone) and try out the lunch offering at The Betjeman Arms - the pub actually located inside the station - surely the most perfect location for long overdue meet-ups and romantic reunions. I’m pretty sure we might have found the best Sunday roast in London.

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