Before we left for our two months in Bali, my beloved little brown convertible Mini Cooper sadly packed in and so it was time for a new car. I was keen to get another Mini Cooper but upgrade to a sport without a soft top, given the roof leaking issues that caused electrical faults on my old car.
Searching on Auto Trader there were lots of Mini Coopers out there, however I am very particular when it comes to the colour and aesthetics of my car. My preference is muted tones but with a little something different, so the moon grey shade with black bonnet stripes and the stylish Union Jack rear lights was just my vibe.
From the John Cooper Works range inspired by the Minis racetrack heritage, she has a lot of power and looks extra sporty with the spoiler and two exhausts in the middle. I purchased her from a private seller through Auto Trader which meant I got a really good deal on the price. The previous owners had looked after the car well and being made in 2018 with only 26,000 miles on the clock, it was a brilliant find.
The more I drive her around the more I love my new little whip which is certainly a big upgrade on my old 2011 Cooper. Now that I’m thirty it’s out with my baby Bambino, and in with my classy Lady Luna Cooper S ❤
On our journey back from Singapore earlier this month, I had the pleasure of travelling Business Class with Emirates and it was an impressive experience travelling in such superior style. Disclaimer, we don’t usually travel Business Class but given my injured legs, our insurance company paid to fly me home Business to ensure I could move my legs regularly to avoid any potential blood clot.
For the first part of the journey from Singapore to Dubai, my boyfriend joined me in Business Class to get a taste of the high life too. Upon boarding the plane and settling into our seats, welcome drinks were served and I couldn’t say no to a crisp glass of champagne.
We had our own private pods with extra large screens and a fully reclinable seat to make a bed, the dream for long haul flights.
With our flight departing at midnight, we’d already had dinner before going to the airport, so I opted for the cheeseboard alongside more champagne of course.
I chose to watch one of my favourite films A Star Is Born whilst enjoying my delightful little cheeseboard. Dining in Business is certainly more refined as they lay a tablecloth with a proper napkin and cutlery like at a sophisticated restaurant.
Once the lights were out in the cabin and the ceiling lights twinkling, we were given thick blankets and even a small mattress topper to make our beds even comfier. We were also given complimentary wash bags with lots of useful toiletries for freshening up including Bvlgari products.
After a good few hours of undisturbed sleep in our cosy pods, we arrived in Dubai for our stopover. For the second part of our journey flying from Dubai to London, the Business Class interiors were even more elevated with luscious white leather seats and stylish brown table tops.
The welcome drinks soon came around so with it being morning local time now, I had a health juice with a glass of bubbles… because when you’re flying across time zones, who really knows what time of the day it is!
Following take off, breakfast was served and I kept it light with two fresh fruit bowls and juice whilst watching another old classic movie The Devil Wears Prada.
Having slept for the majority of the first flight, I wanted to make the most of this one and visit the on board bar and lounge.
They had an extensive cocktail list but I had to go for a traditional Bloody Mary, the ultimate travel beverage. It’s very impressive that they have a full size bar on board serving so many different cocktails to such a high standard.
Whilst visiting the bar I made friends with two lovely ladies from Australia who were travelling on business to London. Conversation started with them asking what I had done to my legs, so we got chatting and before I knew it, we were sat in the lounge for a few hours having drinks and laughing like we’d known each other for years. I love spontaneous interactions like this ❤
Back at my seat I had another Bloody Mary accompanied with some green olives to nibble on.
Soon lunch was served and I chose a delicious pea soup with a mezze plate of stuffed vine leaves, a lamb kofta, salsa, hummus, more olives and a side salad. The food in Business Class is certainly more fresh than the ready meals in Economy and there is also a lot more to choose from on the menu.
I was in my element watching iconic scenes of The Devil Wears Prada as I savoured every mouthful of this perfect lunch spread.
On the whole my Emirates Business Class experience was a 10/10. I don’t have anything else to compare to in terms of Business Class on other airlines, but from my research Emirates is renowned for being one of the best in the world.
There’s no denying the hefty price tag on this experience, but I would say for a long haul journey when you can get it for £1k or less, it is worth it. We were lucky to get the first part of our journey at the reduced rate of about £900 each at the desk on the day, hence my boyfriend joined me in Business for that flight. However there were no special rates from Dubai to London, so that upgrade cost over £2.5k for me alone which the insurance are of course covering. My advice would be it’s worth going to the airline desk before checking in on the day to see if there are any special rates for upgrading.
From the refined wine list and large selection of cocktails made to order on board, to the delectable menu of fresh meals and snacks delivered with a five star standard of service, Emirates Business Class offers a premium level of luxury travel with wonderful comfort and privacy. Cheers to the next adventure ❤
With my brother and his family having moved to Singapore at the beginning of this year, we decided to reschedule our flights home from Bali and stopover for two days in the city. It was a joy to see them settled into their new home and so exciting to explore this brilliant city for ourselves.
We were so impressed with how clean everywhere is and the minimal amount of cars on the roads means there’s barely any traffic throughout the day.
To see as much of the city as possible, we went on the open top tour bus which was glorious in the sunshine.
For lunch we stopped at the famous Marina Bay Sands Hotel and went to their rooftop Italian restaurant Lavo.
That evening we were given the authentic Singapore local experience with dinner at a hawker centre called Lau Pa Sat in the centre of town.
There are lots of different food vendors serving street food which you can eat in a community dining space together in the middle. We had some dumplings and then shared this massive plate of crispy vegetable noodles, washed down with a few jugs of beer of course.
That night we went back to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel for rooftop cocktails at C’est La Vie bar, before walking around Gardens By The Bay all lit up at night, making us feel like we’d been transported to outer space.
This was a truly unique, other worldly experience which I’d say is a must to see if you’re visiting Singapore.
The next day was a little overcast so instead of going to the orchid garden as planned, we went down to the Marina Square Shopping Centre to browse the luxurious designer shops.
We were a bit peckish so grabbed a late lunch at Yardbird overlooking the Marina. We shared a deliciously hearty steak sandwich with yummy pickles and salty chippies.
Whilst the endless options of designer shops was tempting, I ended up making a small purchase in Zara and treated myself to this cute, pink skort.
Our final meal with my brother and his family was at their favourite local Greek restaurant Bakalaki Tavern.
I wore my new pink skort and we had the most wonderful evening celebrating our short but sweet visit to Singapore.
My niece is growing so quickly and she was as adorable as ever practicing her words at the table.
We had dips and pitta to start and I opted for a traditional Greek feta salad for main which was divine. I’ve had my fair share of Greek salads and they never come close to my own homemade recipe, but this one was certainly up there.
And so we said our goodbyes and I had my final snuggles with my beautiful niece, before we grabbed our suitcases and got a taxi to the airport.
Our experience of Singapore was fantastic and we will no doubt be returning again soon for a longer trip to see more of the city and spend time with my family too ❤
Happy Sunday from a beautiful spring summer day in Hampshire. We landed back in the UK on Thursday following a two day stopover in Singapore to see my brother and his family. We had a wonderful time exploring the city and spending quality time with my family which was very much needed, following a very unlucky and terrifying incident which took place during our final week in Bali…
On Wednesday 26th February, I was attacked by a pack of approximately 20 dogs on Batu Bolong Beach at sunset and bitten three times on the calves of my legs. Thankfully I managed to limp away and we got to a hospital to get my legs stitched up and the necessary vaccinations. We are still shocked at this incident which was unprovoked and caught us completely by surprise, but it’s opened our eyes to the ongoing issues they have with the stray dogs in Bali.
In spite of the dog incident, nothing can takeaway from the awesome two months we spent in Bali and the incredible memories we made there. I suppose I can be grateful that this did happen in the final week of our trip so we didn’t have to sacrifice any planned activities and didn’t have to cut our stay short either.
It was very inconvenient to not be able to walk properly for those final days in Canggu and we spent a lot of time at the hospital getting my treatment following the attack, but we didn’t let that stop us enjoying our favourite cafes, beach clubs and restaurants during our last weekend on the island.
On Monday 3rd March we checked out of our gorgeous Villa Casa Cherish and took a short flight over to Singapore for our two day stopover with family. I will share more about our few days exploring Singapore in next week’s post and there will be a Singapore Vlog over on my YouTube channel soon too – https://youtube.com/@danianeka6142?si=4QX_kc38umVrcCvH
So whilst our two month stay in Bali ended on an upsetting note, it doesn’t taint the dream experience we had of living on the island of paradise for two months.
From the fun surf sessions and breathtaking sunsets, to the delicious foodie scene and lovely locals, Bali will always hold a special place in our hearts ❤
Dani Aneka 