All posts filed under: Travel

Jacqueline Harvey at The Pelham

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Published on BespokeRSVP on Wednesday 7th March 2012 On an unseasonably warm and sunny February afternoon in London, I walked out of South Kensington station and smiled as I saw large numbers of happy people sitting outside basking in the sunshine whilst sipping on coffees and nibbling on cakes. I wanted to join in but I was on my way to something much better. I crossed the road and entered The Pelham, a delightful boutique hotel, which spans three conjoining Georgian townhouses. Upon entry I was shown to the drawing room. Warm, cosy and littered with luxurious furniture, artworks, dark oak panelled walls and an honesty bar, the room was a complete contrast to the sunny weather outside and I could see myself sitting by the coal fire on a cold winters evening with a good book and a glass of red. But I was not there to lounge around; I was there for an hour with Jacqueline Harvey. Guests of the hotel are able to enjoy one of four hourly sessions with Jacqueline – …

Best budget hotel in London? The Hoxton

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I love a good staycation. “What on earth is that?” I hear you cry. Well my friends, a staycation is a holiday, away from home, but where you don’t actually have to travel very far. Last weekend I had a staycation at The Hoxton hotel in, you guessed it, Hoxton. Based on the Easy Jet style of cheap fares, The Hoxton offers rooms for as little as £1 a night with a maximum price of £199. It is a no frills destination in a great location but with a lot of the comforts of a boutique hotel. Dreamt up by Pret a manger founder Sinclair Beecham, The Hoxton promises small rooms with a comfortable double bed, a TV, chaise longue, hair dryer and hot drink facilities. Breakfast consists of small Pret yoghurts, bananas and bottles of orange juice, which are delivered to your door at your specified time. There is no mini bar in the room but guests are provided with free bottles of Pret spring water and a carton of milk for those much …

Endellion, Watergate Bay

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“Turn next left and you have reached your destination.” Thank god, I was getting ready to rip the sat nav off the dashboard. The soft and huskey tones of the woman giving us directions was starting to grate on me. If only I could have changed the voice to, say, David Hasslehoff or David Attenborough, everything would have been ok. But no, we were stuck with the extremely irritating generic option. Don’t get me wrong, I think sat nav is incredible in the way that it (mostly) gets you from A to B with minimal effort, but after a few hours, I was glad to turn it off. Our destination, by the way, was the picturesque Watergate Bay in Newquay, Cornwall. I say picturesque but I didn’t actually know this until the following morning when I woke up. For when we arrived, it was dark, cold, windy and exceptionally rainy. We were due to eat out in Newquay that evening but as soon as we stepped inside Endellion, one of the luxurious eco pads nestled …

Gospel Brunch at Altitude 360

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The weather last Sunday may have been cloudy and overcast but the views from the 28th floor of the Millbank Tower were astounding. We arrived at 12pm and were shown to our table for brunch. But this was no ordinary brunch; this was Gospel at Altitude 360. As I stared out at the London skyline, picking out recognisable buildings and areas, we were taken by surprise as three gospel singers clad in long red gowns approached our table and started singing. Not normally one for audience participation (I’d rather be invisible); I was silently panicking as I saw them approach, having just watched two tables nearby enjoying a soulful rendition of Happy Birthday. But worries of embarrassment soon diminished and I felt very welcomed by the soft and joyful tones. We were asked if we had any requests. Sister Act immediately popped into my head as I had spent a lazy evening over the Christmas period watching it and I sent them away with a request to sing a song from the film (as I’m …

Fifteen Cornwall

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What do you get when you put a group of 16 – 24 year old Cornish apprentice chefs that are in need of a second chance together in a kitchen? Fifteen Cornwall, of course. Founded by the one and only Jamie Oliver, Fifteen Cornwall allows apprentice chefs to learn how to cook. And well. Situated right on the beach at Watergate Bay, customers are treated to magnificent uninterrupted views of two miles of Cornish beach whilst enjoying lovingly prepared Italian style dishes using the finest Cornish seasonal ingredients. We took advantage of the Tuscan themed three course set menu for £19.95 per person on our visit. We ordered the roast crown prince squash and oregano soup with Vulscombe goat’s cheese (£7.25 if purchased separately) and the cotecchino sausage, lenticchie di castelluccio and the best salsa verde (£7.75 if purchased separately) to start, followed by Fifteen’s amazing seaside taglierini, Amalfi lemon and chilli pangrattato (£17.75 if purchased separately) and crispy fillet of Cornish grey mullet, herby charlotte potatoes, cime di rapa and lemon aioli (£17.95 if …