Having never flown Business Class before, this was my first experience and I was very impressed. Emirates are renowned for being one of the best airlines to fly Business with and I can see why, my overall experience was 10/10. Flying long-haul from Singapore to London, our journey had two legs so I had the pleasure of trying two different planes. It was clear upon boarding the second aircraft with its plush white leather seats that it was a newer one, but aside from the more aesthetic interior, everything was equally excellent on both planes. From the friendly and attentive staff providing 5* service and delicious food for all tastes, to the cosy private pods with fully reclinable chairs making a bed so we could sleep comfortably and land feeling rested and refreshed. Not forgetting the glamorous on board lounge bar serving an extensive option of classic cocktails and drinks.
I appreciate travelling Business is a luxury, but with my insurance company offering to pay this for me given my legs still healing from the dog bites, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to make the most of it. I have to admit that for a long haul journey which can be very uncomfortable in economy, this was a treat and something I would consider again if the cost to upgrade isn’t too pricey. Top tip, enquire for an upgrade at the desk upon checkin for your flight as sometimes special offers can make it far cheaper to purchase it on the day, as opposed to getting the Business Class ticket at full price in advance.
Checkout the full vlog to see me living my best life travelling Business on YouTube here.
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 another bank holiday long weekend ahead of us, we decided to make the most of it and go for a mini staycay to the wonderful city of Brighton. Being one of the most iconic seaside cities in the UK, I couldn’t think of a better place to spend the King’s coronation weekend.
Arriving on Saturday afternoon at the Ibis City Centre Hotel, we were greeted with union jack balloons and a welcome gift of prosecco ready on ice with traditional popcorn too.
With our King now crowned and the night of celebrations ahead of us, we popped our prosecco and sipped our bubbles whilst taking in that fantastic view we had over the maze of a bustling Brighton town centre.
Keeping things very English themed, we headed to The Ivy for dinner. I wore my H&M slit hem leggings paired with these ASOS lace front heels, this Next oversized camel blazer and an emerald green silk wrap top as a subtle nod to the royal events of the weekend.
We always have a fabulous time at The Ivy Collection restaurants and our experience here at The Ivy in the Lanes certainly didn’t disappoint.
The opulent artwork and eclectic interiors of The Ivy create that elevated ambience, which is of course is matched with the impeccable service and top tier food.
We can’t visit The Ivy and not get their salt crusted sourdough to start, it’s simply divine. A bowl of olives and a bottle of wine flowing too, I was in my happy place ready for a fun night ahead.
For mains I ordered the blackened cod baked in a banana leaf with soy marinade, citrus-pickled fennel, yuzu and herb sauce served with broccoli, whilst my boyfriend had the chef’s special sirloin steak served with peppercorn sauce and fries.
Upon recommendation from our lovely waiter, we went for post dinner drinks at a bar called The Font in the Lanes, before heading back to the hotel for a good nights sleep.
Sunday morning we took a stroll around the Lanes exploring all the awesome vintage shops before grabbing burritos at Chipotle.
That afternoon we enjoyed some coffees at this cool cafe Bread & Milk whilst discussing options for my tattoo.
I’ve been wanting a wave tattoo on my ankle for some time now, so being in Brighton where there are so many tattoo shops and of course being by the sea, it was the perfect opportunity to finally get my 2nd ink.
We’d come across this tattoo shop Skinned Alive on our way to lunch earlier and enquired about my fine line tattoo. Being one of the top rated tattoo places in Brighton I couldn’t go wrong and I got a good vibe from the guys working there.
I showed them my inspiration and explained where I wanted it on my ankle, before the tattooist drew up my design which I then worked with him to get just right.
So with my stencil finalised and my placement agreed, I got seated in the chair ready for my 2nd tattoo!
It couldn’t have taken any longer than 10 minutes and not too painful on the whole, although I felt it more than my wrist tattoo as this was right on the ankle bone.
Ankle wrapped to protect the fresh tattoo, I couldn’t be happier with my 2nd ink. Thanks to the guys at Skinned Alive who made the experience so positive and ensured I had the perfect placement and design I had envisioned for the wave.
Early Sunday evening the skies were finally blue and the sun was shining, so we headed for the seafront via my favourite corner of Brighton, Dukes Lane.
The vibes were high at the beach bars as everyone embraced the bank holiday weekend and soaked up the early evening sunshine as music played and drinks were in full flow.
Having been on our feet all day, we grabbed an early dinner at a Greek restaurant called Adelfia. I was craving lots of veggies and hummus, so I had a big bowl of traditional Greek salad with pitta and hummus to share, paired with a crisp white wine from Greece; exquisite.
We finished our evening with a sunset stroll along the seafront and a walk down the pier lit up in all its glory at night. That concluded another brilliant weekend away exploring the best of Brighton life which we continue to love every time we come back to visit ❤
I love an excuse to get dolled up and spending a Saturday arvo with my best girlfriends enjoying a boozy brunch. Having been a few birthdays in the group recently, we decided to book a bottomless brunch this weekend followed by a night out in East London. Let the antics commence!
With the weather still on the cooler side at the moment, I decided to wear my long over the knee boots with my black NEUW denim jeans, a white one sleeve asymmetric crop top, check print Stradivarius blazer, my usual gold jewellery, cute sunnies and my green fur coat to keep warm.
Brunch was booked for late afternoon at Raspa@100 Hoxton, a Filipino fusion restaurant offering a great bottomless brunch deal lasting 100 minutes for £38 each. We made the most of the drinks swapping between cocktails, slushies, prosecco of course and they even treated us to shots on the house.
The food spread was delicious and nice to have something different to the usual brunch menu options. Livy had the pork belly silog breakfast served with garlic fried rice, fried eggs & pickle, whilst Lucy had the halloumi finger sandwich and Cara opted for the sweet option of banana & buttermilk French toast.
My dish was the karoke which are Korean potato croquettes served with poached eggs, chilli dressing and a cheese sauce. The flavours in this were sensational and that pool of chilli dressing sauce was just to die for.
Bellies full of brunch and booze, we walked over to nearby Shoreditch to have more drinks at The Bike Shed which was buzzing on a Saturday evening in town.
Another bottle of wine later, and it was time to head over to the Drag Bingo we had tickets for. I was unsure of what to expect but needless to say we had a fabulous time!
Sure enough we ended our night tearing up the dance floor in another bar. Being friends since infant school, anytime we get together we have such a laugh and never take ourselves too seriously.
I think this picture beuatifully sums up my true happiness and joy following a day of love and laughter with my very best girlfriends; let’s stay forever young at heart. ❤
These past few weeks in the UK have been a scorcher with temperatures hitting over 33 degrees on many days and the humidity pretty unbearable when you don’t have a pool to jump into! With this ongoing heatwave I’ve eaten even more fresh fruits, colourful salads and delicious seafood, so I thought I’d share a few of my favourite meals from this week to give you some yummy inspo too.
During summer I tend to swap my usual oatmeal bowl for a refreshing smoothie bowl. Just take a frozen banana, frozen blueberries, frozen strawberries, a splash of soya milk and blend to make the most dreamy purple bowl of sweet goodness, best served in a coconut bowl for that aesthetic photo. I topped mine with more blueberries, strawberries, nana chips and toasted nut mix, but you can top your bowl with whatever you have going in the cupboard really.
Friday evening was a night with my girls and my friend made the most delicious teriyaki salmon buddha bowls for us. In the bowls she started with a bed of grains layered with the edamame beans, spring onion, cucumber, avocado and then topped it off with the crispy baked salmon pieces marinated in soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, lime and sriracha. Paired with a few bottles of bubbles whilst catching up with the girls, this was a simply divine way to wind down from the work week.
You can’t let a heatwave pass by in England without doing a classic BBQ, so that’s exactly what we did this weekend back at my parents house. As always it was a team effort to put together this wonderful spread of incredible food.
Dad was on the Weber barbecuing the chicken, sausages, trout, prawns, corns, mushrooms and courgettes, whilst my mum and I were in the kitchen assembling all of the accompaniments. We had new potatoes, an artichoke parma ham salad, and my speciality as always was the greek salad. I even roasted up some padron peppers to graze on whilst we cooked and sipped our rose wine in the sunshine – this is what summer is all about!
So that’s a taster of what I’ve been eating this week and as you can see, my meals are always full of colour to pack in those nutrients and make me feel good. Whilst I like a glass or two of wine over the weekend, I also make sure to nourish my body with healthy, fresh, wholesome food as this is what makes me feel amazing from the inside out; balance is key 🙂
Dani Aneka 