Vacation: Marbella Day One

So the time had come.  We had been working hard for months like little beavers, counting down to this day.

HOLIDAY TIME!

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Me & the girls visited Marbella, Spain last year for a girlie break & we loved it so much that we just HAD to go back this year!

Flying from East Midlands Airport with Ryanair, our flight was just after 6am.  I love early flights! It just means that you have a full day at your destination – what could be better than that?!

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After picking up breakfast & some duty free, we boarded our plane!

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We arrived into Malaga Airport just after 10am Spanish time & headed off to grab our transfers.

We booked private transfers so we were greeted by a lovely old Spanish gentleman who took us away to our resort.

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We stayed at the Vasari Vacation Resort which is located in Puerto Banus.  I stayed here twice last year, & I could not recommend the place more! It is beautiful. The location is fantastic – 5 minute walk to the Port where you will find all the bars, restaurants & clubs. It’s gated with security so safety is fully taken care of.  There is a supermarket at the end of the road, so stocking up your fridge & cupboards is no problem!

The drive from Malaga Airport to Marbella/Puerto Banus is around 40 minutes. We arrived to the Resort just after midday.  Check-in time is normally around 4pm & therefore our room wasn’t quite ready.  We LOVE the pool bar at the resort so we grabbed some lunch & a bottle of Cava.

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Reception said we could change into our pool wear in the reception bathroom, so we changed & grabbed some sun loungers & another bottle of Cava!

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When we finally got into our room, we were not disappointed!  We had a huge balcony, which is great as we love to sit out on an evening & get ready.  For our first night I wore a River Island dress, my Michael Kors shoes & carried my DKNY bag.

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We took a taxi to the Port around 10pm & grabbed some dinner at Picasso’s.  We love it here! The food & the atmosphere are second to none.  People queue to get in on an evening as everyone wants to attend this popular pizzeria. We ate so much food that we seriously could not move!

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Just look at the view we had over dinner! It truly is surreal!

After dinner we went to a few bars on the strip & then called it a night around 1am.  It had been a long day & an early start & we were so excited for the next few days!

Be sure to come back to see what we got up to on Day Two! x

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Holiday Eve at The Hilton

So it’s the Eve of your holiday.  You have been counting down the minutes, days, weeks & months to this moment and your excitement levels are off the scales.  Sound familiar?!

Well, me & the girls had the same excitement so we booked ourselves into a hotel to start off our holiday in a relaxed & fun way.

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We chose to stay at The Hilton’s East Midlands Airport Hotel.  Our flight was from East Midlands Airport very early the next morning so it all made perfect sense.  We managed to get a great offer on the Holiday Extra’s website & I would highly recommend them.

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The Hotel was wonderful.  We headed off around midday & checked in just before 2pm.  We grabbed some lunch at the hotel bar/restaurant & then went to check out our room.

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As we were going on holiday, we had packed all our swimsuits etc, so we decided to take full advantage of the pool & spa area that the Hilton has to offer.

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We spent around 2 hours lazing around in the jacuzzi, steam room and sauna, before showering & heading back to our lovely room.

We had pre-brought food & a bootle of prosecco & had our very own little pre-holiday slumber party!

With a 3am alarm call for the morning, the spa was just what we needed & we headed off to bed feeling so relaxed!

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It was a perfect way to start off the girlie holiday!

If you do want to check out the Hilton at East Midlands Airport, then you can do so here 

Make sure you come back to see Day 1 of our Vacation!

Kim Sears, my Wimbledon legend!

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Kimberly Sears.  The 27 year old, now wife to Britain’s ace tennis star Andy Murray, is the reason I watch tennis.

Don’t get me wrong, I actually really like tennis. And I also like Rafa Nadal’s tanned and toned arms (that’s another story!), but as a girl, there is nothing I love more but to wait for Andy Murray’s matches, JUST to get a glimpse of his wife’s outfits!

What I love about Kim is that her style reflects the normal 20 something, professional woman who loves nothing more than a Saturday morning haul in Zara.  

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She loves her Mulberry handbags, an iconic British designer brand and often wears  high street favourites such as Warehouse & Mango.  

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She’s not afraid of adding a pop of colour to her outfits.  

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It’s centre Court at Wimbledon, but hey, who cares?!  She’s wearing a denim jacket!  I would probably get thrown out for looking like a homeless hippy! 

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Sitting in the stands watching her husband, she’s not afraid to shout, yell, cheer & scream with every ball Andy hits.  I couldn’t see Colleen Rooney doing that at a Manchester United football game!  Kim doesn’t care.  And that’s what makes her special.  

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When she wore a statement necklace from Zara at last years Wimbledon, it sold out the very next day.  I know because I was going to buy one.

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Even on her more ‘casual days’ she pulls it off.

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She’s there to support her husband, but at the same time, she feels every emotion that he does.  The only difference is he is sweating like a hot mess on the court, & she gets to look pretty in a delightful Zara dress!

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Every dress that she wears is flattering & ladylike.

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Very Wimbledon & very classy.

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Nearly every dress she wears is knee length or midi. I would love an hour to rummage in her wardrobe!

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I LOVED it when she sported a Parental Advisory sweater to one of Andy’s games.  There were reports of her swearing loudly in the stands & being quite rude, but Kim being Kim, she did the talking with her style!

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I cannot even begin to get started on that head of hair that she has!  I kind of want to shake her parents’ hand for creating such a mane.  It’s heavenly & dreamy & quite frankly, not fair!

I love you Kim Sears.  Any Murray, PLEASE do not let me down.

Hello July!

Hello!

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I hope you have all had a wonderful June!

I cannot believe we are now into July – where is the year going?  Are you all enjoying the sunshine?

I have just come back from an amazing little holiday in Marbella, Spain & I will be posting some pictures on here over the weekend!  Be sure to come back & check them out – it was a wonderful break away with my two best friends!  Sunshine, music, memories & fun, we really did have a great time.

However, it’s now back to reality, but thankfully England has been lovely and kind to us all and the sun has been shining its little heart out the last few days!

The weekend is now upon us & I for one cannot wait to top up my holiday tan!

Happy Friday! x

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Vacation: Mykonos Day Five

Hello & welcome to our last day!

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We have had SUCH a wonderful holiday! I have felt like the luckiest girl in the world the last few days.

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We had our last breakfast in the hotel & had our last few rays of sunshine!

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The thought of leaving the island make me so sad, so we went back into the Old Town & grabbed some Greek Froyo from a hidden frozen yoghurt place!

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It was SO hot today, that my hat became a permanent fixture! I wasn’t going to take one as I’m not quite sure it suits me, but boy was I thankful for it!

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We made sure we walked slowly back to the hotel to prolong everything & we then went for some lunch to keep us going before our journey home!

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The thought of it being our last lunch made me super sad!

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We grabbed a glass of wine to toast the holiday before getting changed & checking out of the best hotel that we have ever stayed in! The staff were absolutely fantastic & we really hope to be seeing them again next year!

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I changed into my travel outfit, which consisted of a H&M maxi dress, my Marc Jacobs sunnies, my trusty hat & my flip flops. I also carried a little black cardigan in my travel bag as I would have frozen to death on my return to Gatwick!

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I’m really not the best flyer, but the sunset was pretty cool! We arrived back to Gatwick at 10:15pm.  We then had a long journey back home to Birmingham, where we stopped for a Starbucks & had a very loud motorway singsong!

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So that’s it! Our 5 day vacation is complete! It’s back to work & I’m counting down until my next getaway!

 

Vacation: Mykonos Day Four

After our little sleepover last night, we were feeling even more relaxed & refreshed!

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I felt like I had definitely had a lot of sun over the last few days & I had planned a lovely little pool day, sitting in some shade finishing my book!

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The book that I was reading was a truly heartbreaking true story, which put me through every emotion! I was angry, upset, empathetic & annoyed. Back home, it’s sometimes hard to completely get lost in a book, but this holiday was the perfect opportunity for me to do so!

If you would like to check this book out, you can do so on Amazon here.

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We then went for lunch, where AGAIN we were served amazing food.

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Greek salads always taste better in Greece!!

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Dan ordered coffee & we caught the last few hours of sunshine!

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With it being our last evening, we wanted to make the most of it & to stop me from crying the whole day, Dan went & brought some prosecco from our little wine shop.

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We sat on our balcony together for the last time (sob!).

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I felt like I could have sat there forever!

We then dressed for dinner & had drinks in the Bar, before our last meal in the Restaurant.

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We went for a salmon bellini & an Octopus salad to start, which was delicious of course!

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I then went for the chicken served with couscous.  The staff then brought over some Greek shots to finish our holiday! It was a lovely gesture & one we welcomed!

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With our last few hours looming, I went to bed that night both devastated & thankful for the chance to be in such a wonderful place!

*come back to see what we did on our last few hours in Mykonos!*

Vacation: Mykonos Day Three

After last night’s dinner, I woke up in another wonderful state of happiness & excitement!

We had planned to go to Nammos for lunch.

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After hearing lots about it & with all celebrities being fans, it was a must do on our list!

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Located on the beautiful Psarou Beach, it was a 10 minute scenic taxi drive away from our hotel.

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We got dropped right on the Beach & was confronted with stunning views!

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Lunch was served from 1pm, so we took a stroll along the beach first.  Spotting the yachts in the distance was a sight in itself & Nammos actually offer a yacht service where they will deliver your food right to your yacht. (Maybe one day, huh!).

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We managed to get a seat right on the front, where we people watched whilst having a lovely lunch!

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We went for pitta bread & homemade humous to start & it was the BEST humous ever. Seriously.

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I then went for the chilli shrimp linguini & Dan settled on the chicken salad.

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We were super full & when paying our bill, we got given some Greek shots.  Oh wow. I am not good with shots. But you’re on holiday, right?! I think I dealt with it quite ladylike (& when I say that, I mean I didn’t puke!). CHEERS!

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It was a lovely gesture by the restaurant & a perfect way to end lunch.

We then got a taxi back to our Hotel & went for a little walk.

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We had decided to have a little sleepover in the evening so we went on the hunt for local produce stores, where we could stock up on Greek food for dinner!

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I was so excited to do this as I love to visit all the local butchers, fruit stores & markets! In England, we’re used to big, commercialised supermarkets, where convenience comes first.  On holiday, I don’t want this!

We found a wonderful little shop where we brought olives, meats, bread & cheese.

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Dan then found a local wine store where he went & brought a bottle of red wine to go with our food.

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We spent the whole evening in our robes & slippers just chilling out on the balcony, drinking our wine & eating our home brought Greek food!

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It just goes to show that you don’t always have to spend a lot to have the best nights! To be able to do both with someone is very special! It was a perfect evening!

*come back on Friday to see what we did on Day Four!*

Vacation: Mykonos Day Two

Day Two saw the biggest pool/chill day ever! We got up early – (I am a NIGHTMARE on holiday! I am up at the crack of dawn not wanting to miss a single second! Sorry Dan!) – & we headed to the hotel Gym.  The gym was outstanding.

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Treadmills, cross trainers, bikes & an awesome weights area, it had everything you needed for a quick morning workout!

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After an hour in the gym, we had our first breakfast at the hotel.  Faced with the freshest fruit, Greek yoghurt, homemade cakes, pastries, meats & cheeses, I could have literally stayed there all day.  Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day & the Greeks know how to do it!  In England, breakfast is considered a quick, on the go meal.  I like to sit, have coffee, read the news & take my time.

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Straight after breakfast we scooted on over to a bed where we lay out in the morning sunshine where we read, listened to music & talked until the cows came home.

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Being on holiday is such a lovely thing to do when you work hard for it.  To have a few days away together in the sunshine is just what the doctor ordered! Dan works so hard & I couldn’t be more proud of him, so to see him so relaxed made my holiday!

Sunbathing really does take it out of you (!), so at lunch time we went for a little lunch at the restaurant.

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Today we went for the zucchini rolls (which were fantastic!), & the Greek Flatbread which is actually my favourite thing of all time!  Followed by a glass of white wine in the sunshine, I had died and gone to heaven!

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Having sussed out the local shops in the nearby town yesterday, we decided to head back to the cute ice cream store that we spotted! Run by the nicest old Greek men, I went for a scoop of Greek yoghurt & cherry & Dan went for the Snickers flavour.

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The ice cream was seriously so yummy & eating them whilst walking around such beautiful surroundings was just perfect!

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We then did some more sightseeing around the Old Town!

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We headed back to the hotel around 7pm where we chilled out on the balcony & got excited for dinner.

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About a week before we got to Mykonos, we had booked a reservation at the Nobu restaurant which was located in our hotel.  I had been waiting for this moment forever & I was NOT disappointed!

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Having not been to Nobu before, I wanted to make sure I got the very best out of the experience.  I KNEW I wanted the Black Cod as that is one of the things Nobu is famous for, but I also wanted to try their sushi etc!

The waiters & waitresses were like beautiful supermodels.  All dressed in black and sporting their natural Greek tans, it would have been easy to feel intimidated.  The staff instantly made us feel welcome, bringing us Fiji water & sashimi tacos.

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When asking us if we had visited before, our waitress recommended the 7 course taster menu.  With this, you got to try a little of everything that Nobu has to offer.  We were sold.  We ordered a bottle of white wine & sat back & relaxed whilst we got brought course after course!

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My favourite did end up being the Black Cod.  I could eat that for the rest of my life! Along with the cod, we got to taste the salmon, caviar, sea bass, beef, sushi, miso, salads & an unexpected chocolate dessert!IMG_6686

All in all, the whole experience lived up to every single expectation that I had! It was the best night & getting to share it with Dan made it all so perfect!

*make sure you come back to see what we got up to on Day Three!*

If you missed Day One – check it out here 

Vacation: Mykonos Day One

So the time had finally arrived to go on our little Vacation.  I had been counting down the weeks ever since we booked this getaway way back in January!

Having never been to Mykonos before (and Greece only once, way back in 2007!), we decided to do a bit of research on the island.  It quickly became very clear that Mykonos is extremely popular with the A Listers and after researching hotels, we instantly fell in love with The Belvedere Hotel.

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We flew with EasyJet (who were amazing) and arrived into Mykonos from London Gatwick at 10:15am & was greeted with sunshine and our driver.  The airport is 1.6km away from the Town & so it only took us around 10 minutes to arrive.

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We then checked in & thankfully our room was ready right away.  After nearly crying at how wonderful the views were, we got straight into our swimwear & started off our tans!

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The layout of the pool area was stunning & had a Miami beach type vibe.  The white beds, pillows & orange towels were my best friends during the whole holiday! (That and the food!).

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After a certain time, they play music around the pool, which gives it a more chilled atmosphere.  You can also play this music in your room – and with speakers in the shower, you can also listen to it there!

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After a few hours getting acquainted with Mr Sunshine, we then grabbed lunch at the award winning hotel restaurant.  Run by Executive Chef Nikos Zervos, who joined the Belvedere team from a two star Michelin restaurant, we quickly became obsessed with the food & actually ate there for lunch most days.

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After being recommended the famous Spinach Pie Salad, I was NOT disappointed!

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Paired with a Lychee Martini & a Cucumber Crush, it was the perfect lunch!

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About 6pm, we took a walk into Mykonos Town.

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With everything on the Island within a 30 minute walk, it was a lovely evening stroll where we stumbled upon lots of cute little stores run by the local Greek population.

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Mixed in with these stores, you have designer stores which include Louis Vuitton, Sephora, Victoria Secrets & watch shops offering Rolex’s & Cartier watches etc.

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After getting lost in the long & winding streets and looking at the pretty stores, we found our way back to the Hotel where we chilled out on our balcony before dressing for dinner.

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We were very lucky as from our room, we could watch the sunset which was truly amazing!

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Whilst soaking up the sunshine earlier in the day, we made reservations at the Belvedere Restaurant for 8:30pm.

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With it being our first night, we thought it would be nice to eat on our doorstep.  The views and setting at the hotel at night time was the most perfect thing I have ever seen & I was so happy we chose to eat here on our first night!

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We got back to our room around midnight, where we found a movie channel on our TV.

With a smile on my face, I couldn’t wait to wake up for Day Two!

*be sure to check back in the next few days to see what we got up to on Day Two!*

Hotel: Belvedere Boutique Hotel Mykonos

FlightsEasy Jet