It’s official, we have our tickets booked for Paris next month! Taking the Eurostar from St. Pancras London, we’ll be staying in the centre of the city for a long weekend in May.
I’ve always wanted to visit the famous city of Paris, so with summer just around the corner it was time to get our trip booked. I’m anticipating a romantic weekend together with my boyfriend, indulging in delicious Parisian cuisine and guzzling fine French wines from afternoon through to evening, when the Eiffel Tower sparkles by night.
A picnic by the Eiffel Tower complete with croissants, a baguette, fruit, cheese and champagne is a must. Of course I’ll have to visit some designer shops on our trip and I’m also keen to discover local bars and restaurants for the most authentic Parisian experience.
I can’t wait to stroll the beautiful streets of Paris and explore the many famous city landmarks; I’ve already got my beret packed and ready for those picture perfect shots! See you soon Paris ❤
We’ve finally made it here to Dubai and I can’t quite believe it! After last year’s trip being cancelled due to Covid and much anticipation whether or not we would make it out this January, I’m thrilled to be here on my first holiday in two years. Being a keen traveler and explorer, I’m super excited to be in a city I’ve never been before full of so many glorious and exciting things to do and places to see.
Arriving at 2am, I was surprised to learn how Dubai is in fact a very nocturnal city with many shops and eateries open 24 hours. Following a much needed lie-in, we spent our first day at the Dubai Mall just a quick metro ride away from our hotel.
The mall is vast including all kinds of shops from high street to designer. Outside you find yourself at the foot of the Burj Khalifa towering high above the city skyline upon a backdrop of the stunning water fountain show.
That evening we decided to go for cocktails and dinner at Level 43 Sky Lounge at the very top of the Sheraton Hotel, conveniently located just opposite our hotel The Gevora, the tallest hotel in the world.
At Level 43 we enjoyed wonderful cocktails and dinner overlooking the bustling city just as alive by night as it is by day. I felt like we were in uptown New York sat on that rooftop sipping my Lycheene gazing out over the futuristic cityscape.
I couldn’t resist having the prawn tiger sushi roll for dinner whilst my boyfriend had a classic chicken burger and chips. The vibe was electric with a live DJ and saxophonist, certainly a fabulous way to kick off our first night here in Dubai.
It’s now Sunday evening and we are still a little jet lagged so we’re just taking it easy. Today we went for a stroll along the beach front stopping off at The Four Seasons Hotel Jumeirah Beach for a quick photo opportunity of course.
Walking around the city you realise the incredible amount of wealth here as super car after super car races by. My boyfriends in his element and I can’t get enough of the awesome Jeep Wagons everywhere – current dream car right there!
We’ve only been here less than 48 hours and I’m already loving Dubai and all it has to offer; from cosmopolitan city life to scorching hot sunny beach days, it’s the best of both worlds. We have a jam-packed itinerary over the next week including a desert safari tomorrow and helicopter flight over The Palm on Wednesday… the Dubai diaries have only just begun!
And just like that, we find ourselves in 2022! The last year has flown by and I’m so lucky to have had some amazing things happen over the past 12 months including moving into our wonderful new house, buying my Mini Cooper and changing jobs too.
Looking back on my goals for 2021, I’m proud to say I’ve achieved most of these or at least made a big step towards them. I managed to squeeze in my tattoo at the end of the year and we are very excited to be jetting off to Dubai next week. Many of these are still a working progress and so I will take them with me into the new year, especially my goal of finding balance in life and reading more books which I’m really enjoying.
We kept our NYE celebrations fairly low key this year as we are being cautious of catching Covid before travelling next week. My parents hosted a lovely dinner, so we were able to spend some quality time with my Grandad who I hadn’t seen for a few years, and my American cousins who were over for the holidays. My mum put together a fabulous spread of canapés followed by a prawn linguine for dinner. The bubbles were flowing and at midnight we popped the champagne before the guys let off some fireworks. A fantastic evening with my awesome family!
New Years Day me and my boyfriend were fairly hungover so we indulged in an extra long lie in until noon. That evening we decided to get out of the house and go to the picturesque town of Farnham for a cute date night dinner.
We went to one of our favourite restaurants Cote and enjoyed a lovely meal together. I had the Chicken Paillard Salad served with French beans, hazelnuts, endive, lettuce and croutons in a creamy caper dressing, whilst my boyfriend had the Poulet Breton half a chicken served with frites. As always the food was delicious and the service so friendly and attentive, we’re never disappointed at Cote.
Tummies full and satisfied, we went for a walk around the stunning streets of Farnham still twinkling with the festive season lights. Back home I made us a little cheeseboard for desert and we watched the fabulous film classic, The Great Gatsby.
Upon reflection, it’s been another exciting and blessed year in my life which I am so very grateful for. I hope 2022 brings more fun adventures, laughter, happiness and joy as I aim to let life unfold without too much of a plan at this stage… what will be will be. Cheers to the New Year!
In light of this week’s government announcement in the UK, it would seem there is a glimmer of hope for summer 2021. Bring on those Friday afternoons relaxing in pub gardens, weekend BBQs with friends and family and maybe even a few late summer festivals! Whilst it’s unclear right now how soon we will be able to travel internationally again, I can’t help but dream up a holiday hit list for when the world is free once more – I am and always will be consumed by wanderlust.
D U B A I
Number one destination has to be Dubai given our cancelled trip we had booked there for the beginning of this year. Known for its ultramodern architecture, luxury shopping and lively nightlife, the city truly is an adult’s playground. We will be sure to visit the Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Mall, Dubai Eye, Dubai Marina and I would have to venture out to do a desert safari! There is a sense of magnificent futurism which fascinates me about Dubai and I can’t wait to experience it for myself.
S A N T O R I N I
This Greek island with its abundance of blazing white cliff-side buildings and those iconic deep blue roofs, makes for the picture-perfect European holiday destination. Steeped in history and places of outstanding natural beauty, there is plenty to explore on the island like visiting the volcanic hot springs and wine tasting the unique flavours this fertile volcanic landscape produces. Santorini seems to be the idyllic romantic getaway I’ve always dreamt of.
B A L I
So yes, I have already visited Bali, but it just wasn’t long enough and I left lusting for more of this awesomely diverse, mysterious paradise. I need to head to Ubud to discover my inner yogi with its many temples, holistic centres and of course the monkey forest! I never got to properly visit one of those lush green magical rice fields, as well as one of the many breathtaking waterfalls across Bali for that ultimate gram pic. Although I do feel like I could go back to Canggu for a long time to just surf all day and party all night, balanced out with morning yoga and plenty of wonderful healthy food. Bali life is nourishing for mind, body and soul.
Lets fly far away… I can already taste the delicious sweet cocktails and feel those salty skin beach bum days!
So as we find ourselves almost at the end of September and already nearing the end of what has been a pretty rubbish year for us all (cheers Covid, you really shat all over 2020!), I’m thankful for these late summer days.
This time of year tends to bring some surprisingly warm weather in the UK just before the autumn months roll in and daylight hours swiftly shorten.
We had to make the most of such glorious days of sunshine last week, so we headed down the coast to my favourite beach in the south, West Witterings in Chichester.
Arriving in the late afternoon, we setup a spot with our picnic and enjoyed sundown whilst grazing on a mezze of nibbles and sipping on some beers.
Not much beats the simplicity of a stunning sunset complete with an ice cold beer and good company. This is what I did everyday when I was in Bali, it was a dream!
I have many fond memories of visiting the Witterings as a kid when I would come down with the girls and our mums. We would spend the whole day down here swimming in the sea, playing games and even having a barbecue using those little deposable ones that always burnt the grass!
Feeling the sand between my toes and listening to the calm of the sea never fails to make me smile and helps me find a little peace at times when I’m stressed and anxious. Living by the coast and being able to go to the beach everyday is definitely the thing I miss most about living in Sydney.
I find it fascinating how every sunset is so unique and different and we were treated to one of the most beautiful sundowns I’ve ever seen at the Witterings on this visit. The pastel pink and blue hues of the sky soon turned a deeper coral colour, just before the sun dipped below the horizon and went to sleep.
The magical wonder created by nature gives me goosebumps and uplifts my soul from within. It gets me thinking about where I am in life and what I want my purpose to be; a loaded thought which inspires my creativity and motivates my passion to stay a wild.
Another summer may be almost over, but the seasons progress and so must we. As life continues and my mid-twenty year old self still feels eighteen at heart, I believe now more than ever that life is for living in these moments, here and now. Too many times have I longed for the past or hoped for the future, when I all I needed to do to be happy was to live and be present in the universe.
These are just some thoughts I had when I was able to take a step back and breath in the beauty of the world around me. Life doesn’t have to be as complicated as we often make it; sometimes we just need to ground ourselves back down to earth and live in the moment.
Dani Aneka 