All posts filed under: UK

Eden Project

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Last week I walked around a rainforest. In England. Really, I did. I also took a stroll past olive trees, lemon trees and fragrant herbs in the Mediterranean. Don’t believe me? Then you obviously haven’t heard of the Eden Project in Cornwall. Situated in a former China clay quarry, the Eden Project opened in 2001 and has fast become a world wide tourist attraction. And I can see why. We were lucky with the weather on our visit – it’s mid December and there were no gloves, hats or scarves needed. The sun was shining over the whole site and as a result each and every part looked stunning. During the winter months, the main stage area is turned into a magical ice skating rink. Guests can hire skates and take to the rink for a mere £5 for 40 minutes. But if you have forgotten your knee pads and prefer to watch, you have the option to sit and watch on a viewing deck whilst eating a Cornish pasty and drinking a steaming cup …

The Lugger, Cornwall

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“Ohhh, you’re so lucky”, exclaimed my workmate when I told her that I was going to be spending my birthday weekend at The Lugger in Cornwall. Being from Cornwall herself, she had once treated herself to a night a couple of years ago and loved it. Driving down the narrow country roads in pitch black, I only had the memories of images I’d seen on The Lugger website. Upon arrival I had to imagine the beautiful view that I would be waking up to in the morning. And when I woke at 8am, I wasn’t disappointed. Having not closed the shutters intentionally, I opened my eyes and watched the sea lolling, causing small waves to lap the shore. The room that we stayed in for two nights was quaint with low ceilings, white walls and New England style furnishings. A large desk / dressing table stood by the window and was surrounded by windowsills furnished with cushions, two bedside tables, an old alarm clock (which I had to hide under a large pillow due to …

Town Hall Hotel staycation

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I lived in Bethnal Green during my second year at university. And although I left after a year, it still has a special place in my heart as it was the first area that I lived with a friend in a (rented) flat after enduring the squalid living conditions of rancid university halls. At the time I wanted to get away. Apart from a few pubs down to road in Shoreditch and some extraordinarily grungy clubs in Dalston, there was nothing else for me in the area. This was before the ‘foodie’ regeneration of East London. When I lived in the area, there was no Kêu!, no Shoreditch Grind, no Allpress Espresso, no Albion – you get the picture. There was also no Town Hall Hotel, although unbeknownst to me work had already started on the regeneration of the building to turn it into one of London’s most desirable hotels with a Michelin starred restaurant to boot. The building had lain dormant for 10 years before Singapore hotelier and restaurateur Loh Lik Peng bought it …

Back from Hong Kong

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I’ve had a serious taster of the life of Riley. And I rather enjoyed it. Some of you may be aware that back in September, I entered a competition to win a place on a press trip to Hong Kong to celebrate the Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival, which took place from 27th – 30th October on West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade. I was one of the lucky winners and last week embarked on a 5 day whirlwind tour of the city with three other journalists from The Arbuturian, The Independent and TravelMail. All through the trip I was pondering how on earth I was going to cram everything that I did into one post. I can’t. So I have come up with a solution. As I have so much to tell, I will be posting a separate piece for each part of the trip – the hotel, the flights (yes, this deserves a post of its own – you’ll soon see why), the restaurants and a host of other weird and wonderful activities to …

Malmaison Manchester review

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It’s back to work today after an extremely eventful weekend and there’s one thing sticking in my mind – the wonderful stay at the Malmaison in Manchester on Friday evening. I was invited to try out the new restaurant and cocktail bar Smoak and Embers, along with an overnight stay. We arrived, threw our bags down and retreated to the buzzing restaurant. We were sat on a table for two right next to another couple who took great pleasure in listening to our conversation more than concentrating on their own. And despite taking pictures of the food themselves on a small compact digital camera, they looked gobsmacked when I got my DSLR out. Luckily they only ordered a main and were gone before our mains arrived. Malmaison Manchester is situated in the heart of Manchester, literally a stones throw away from Piccadilly station and I get the feeling that Smoak is a destination restaurant in it’s own right, rather than just the usual run of the mill hotel restaurants. Having visited the London Malmaison and …