A Week In The Big Apple

After a weekend back in the English countryside, we are still on a high from our fabulous holiday exploring the very best of the one and only, City of New York.

It really is a city packed with so much to do and although we ticked a lot off our list of things to see, we’re already wanting to go back to experience more of this awesome concrete jungle.

Our hotel for the duration of our vacation was The Park Lane Hotel located on the very South end of Central Park.

The location was ideal as we were in the centre of the city with the beautiful green expanse of Central Park on our doorstep.

Darling Rooftop bar sits on the very top of the hotel where we enjoyed a specular breakfast on the Monday morning of our stay.

Like everything in New York the breakfast buffet came at a pricey cost of $75 per person, but with this experience only open to hotel guests, we couldn’t pass up this incredible opportunity.

We also dined in their A La Carte restaurant Calvert’s on Sunday evening as everywhere else nearby was closing early that night.

I had the asparagus radish chickpea salad and my boyfriend had a tomato ragu pasta. Both dishes were delicious complimented with friendly service, something we discovered was unfortunately not always guaranteed even at the most premium restaurants in the city.

Our room was a good size with a super comfy bed, stylish interiors and a cool city view.

I especially liked the stylish bathroom with striped tiling.

Overall we were very pleased with our stay at Park Lane Hotel and would recommend to anyone visiting New York for the first time wanting to be amongst the hustle and bustle of the city.

We packed a lot into our seven days in NYC and made some incredible memories together whilst taking in the spectacle of The Big Apple.

With such a brilliant list of things to share including famous landmarks, iconic photo spots, scenic rooftop bars and our favourite restaurants, I thought I’d focus separately on each area we visited and what we did there in a series of posts called ‘The NYC Diaries’.

So be sure to subscribe to my blog to get notified for a very exciting series of posts to come about our trip of dreams to New York City ❤

A Night in the Cotswolds

This weekend I had the pleasure of being invited along with my boyfriend to stay at the De Vere Hotel Cotswold Water Park. Nestled in the heart of 152 lakes that spread across the unique Cotswolds Water Park, its the perfect escape from the city surrounded by the honey-coloured villages and gently rolling hills of The Cotswolds.

Arriving late on Friday afternoon, we were greeted with a bottle of English Sparkling wine and personalised robes in our room.

After a quick dip in the spa pool, we popped the bubbly and enjoyed a drink on our balcony overlooking the serene scenes of the lake.

A quick outfit change and I was ready for 7pm drinks. I wore a pair of white Topshop jeans, a lace peplum Miss Selfridge cami top, Django and Juliette black mules and my velvet green Sandro handbag.

Whilst enjoying our drinks and scrumptious canapés, we were shown around the gorgeous event spaces where we are looking to host an event later this year.

I really liked the main ballroom with exposed brickwork and lovely bright furnishings with a view over the lake.

At 8pm we were treated to a private seated dinner with our group of about 15 other clients. Starter was sharing antipasti boards which is my favourite kind of appetiser and they didn’t disappoint.

For main course I had the seabass with a miso broth and dessert was a delicious chocolate fondue. All the food was exquisite and the service impeccable.

Thank you to the sales team at De Vere Cotswold Water Park for hosting such a wonderful evening and looking after us so well during our stay.

I’d highly recommend a trip to The Cotswolds for a weekend staycay in the UK and this hotel is the perfect destination with plenty to do in the surrounding area too, including all the fun water-sports on the lakes during summer. To book, visit their website here – https://www.devere.co.uk/cotswold-water-park-hotel

Bali Guide; Zin Canggu Resort & Villas

When booking our trip to Bali, we were spoilt for choice when it came to choosing where to stay in Canggu. Whilst we considered renting our own villa given how cheap it is out there, upon researching online there was a lot of advice recommending hotels are preferable as they have 24 hour security. Zin was somewhere which kept coming up in our searches and with its jungle vibe aesthetic, it looked like the perfect tropical oasis in the centre of Canggu.

We booked via Expedia, so together with return flights it came to just under £1,400 each for the flights and hotel with breakfast included, an absolute bargain for 10 nights at such a stunning resort.

Opting for an upgrade to one of their Deluxe Bamboo rooms, we had this beautiful terrace overlooking the central pool which we had to ourselves a lot of the time, our own private paradise.

The room itself was ultimate Bali vibes too with stone flooring and aesthetic decor like this rattan woven wall hanging.

The dreamy Queen size bed was like sleeping on a cloud and waking up in heaven with the white bed net to keep those mosquitoes away.

Another awesome detail was the double shower head in our massive en suite complete with rustic stone walls and flooring.

My favourite place to relax in the afternoons or before dinner with a cocktail in hand, was our private terrace nestled amongst the luscious greenery.

Zin Cafe offered an extensive variety of options for brekky every morning.

They had a number of smoothie bowls to choose from, my favourite being the dragon fruit bowl with it’s vibrant pink colour and tangy sweet taste.

My boyfriend made his way through the menu of savoury dishes before trying the sweet treats, his favourite being the classic French toast.

The fruit in Bali is always super fresh and even the fruit bowls from Zin Cafe were a piece of art.

We had a local Balinese curry at the hotel one evening which was incredible, and another afternoon enjoyed a late lunch on our terrace.

I could tell how fresh and healthy all the food was from Zin Cafe and every dish was so perfectly presented.

The staff were very welcoming, wonderfully friendly and made sure we had everything we needed during our stay at Zin.

We even had a complimentary hour long couples massage in the spa, a delightful treat and heavenly experience.

Poolside handstand practice was the ideal setting to find balance and channel my inner yogi.

Even at twilight the jungle of tropical trees and tree house style canopy looked magnificent.

Zin was ideal for our stay in Canggu being only a 10 minute walk from the main strip of restaurants and bars and just a 2 minute walk from Echo Beach. They also have a co-working space in the cafe which offers a peaceful area for working, something we would’ve used if we were staying longer and needed to work.

I would highly recommend Zin Canggu Resort & Villas to anyone travelling to Bali, particularly young couples who are looking for a bit of luxury. Prime location and safe with 24 hour security, clean and beautifully aesthetic, brilliant food and wonderful people, it was everything we hoped for and more.

The Deluxe Bamboo room and resort grounds felt like a home away from home by the end of the holiday.

To book your stay at Zin, you can find them on Expedia and Booking.com or visit their website – https://zin.world/zin-canggu/

Welcome to the World of Zin ❤