All posts filed under: Travel

A Beautiful Escape to the Country!

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Where The Hawk Inn, Amport Where Geography of this region is not my strong suit, so I would advise googling the below address, however it is a 2 hour drive (even on a Friday night) from Kings Cross and a 20 minute drive from the beautiful Winchester. City mapper has conditioned me into telling directions in minutes from a location, which is why I will probably never be in charge of google maps again. The Experience Last Friday we decided to escape the madness of London in search of a wholesome weekend. We got out of London at 6pm and despite traffic and terrible navigating by myself, found our way to Amport, arriving just after 8pm. It is a small and peaceful village, which looked especially beautiful by night as we drove down the windy country roads and past a number of wonderfully thatched homes. When we arrived at The Hawk Inn, we were kindly shown to our room, which was spacious in size, beautifully decorated and overlooking the magnificent British countryside. The bathroom was …

A Lone Diner in Melbourne: Gensuke

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Where Gensuke, Hawthorn   Experience Gensuke doesn’t do much for my longing to go to Japan. Having popped into work to take a few snaps of a beer tasting on Thursday night, I decided that going home to cook my solitary aubergine just wasn’t going to cut it. I was going to try a new pizza joint, but as I approached I stopped in my tracks, turned around and headed to my car. I had remembered my friend telling me about an amazing Hawthorn ramen shop on Glenferrie Road, so I whipped out my phone and with a minute had tapped the address of Gensuke into my sat nav. The first thing that struck me about Gensuke was the lighting; the glow was so bright that I could see it from where I parked my car a good 50 meters away. Undeterred, I ventured through the door and was greeted by a chorus of Japanese waiters and chefs communicating to each other in harmony. A smile emerged across my face and I knew I had …

Table for one? A Solo Diner in Melbourne

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He’s back, I thought to myself as I saw Omar being seated at the kitchen bar. The last time I saw him, he was about to embark on a five week work/fun trip around Asia. Little did he know that during his time away, a series of solo dinners were taking place and a blog series idea was bubbling away, all inspired by him. When I told my friend who worked at the restaurant before my time that I was inspired by a guy that comes in on his own most weeks, he knew exactly who I was talking about. Our conversation reinforced the fact that I had developed a soft spot for Omar’s style. And I wanted in. Most of the friends I have made since arriving in Melbourne work in hospitality, which means that evening rendezvous are usually out. It was only when I started working full time in PR that I was able to hold the knife and fork to eat with again, rather than to polish, and rather than wait around …

Hotel La Tremoille, Paris

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If it’s good enough for Gaga, it’s good enough for me. La TREMOILLE was just what we needed after a busy few days of wandering the city of Paris, dancing our feet off at Pitchfork festival and eating a glut of rich food. It’s everything you would expect from a boutique five star hotel in one of the most luxurious and romantic cities in the world. Exceptionally friendly and helpful staff, a bed fit for five kings, all the amenities you could possibly need, no less than a choice of six Moulton Brown shower gels, the softest bath robes and padded slippers, high ceilings and a balcony looking out onto the cobbled streets below. As I entered the room, the child in me was unleashed and I took a running leap and crashed down onto the bed, enveloping myself in expensive silky smooth bedding. I could have easily crawled under the duvet and not moved until I had to check out, but I sensibly dragged myself up and took one last wander into the city, a …

The Art of Arabia – Tunisia

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This was orinally posted on Running in Heels Compared to other Tunisian towns, Sidi Bou Said feels like an expensive film set for a scene from a blockbuster action movie. As you walk up the narrow streets to the top of the village, the striking building exteriors leave you mesmerised – think bright blue painted doors with jewelled black details, all set in pristine white walls.  It’s all very chocolate box Arabia and yet, those with a keen interest in art will enjoy Sidi Bou Said thanks to the  numerous quaint galleries hidden in the nooks and crannies of the side streets. It might come as a surprise to those who don’t know it but there’s more to Tunisia than beaches and desert. Sidi Bou Said is a case in point. We started with Art Gallery El Artista, owned by Mounir Letaief, a local Tunisian artist, and pored over a series of beautifully painted canvases and handmade jewellery created by his students. I walked away with the most magnificent ring I had ever set my eyes on – price, an …