I think we’ve all seen enough trackies to last us a lifetime. I’ll admit it’s been a necessity to choose comfort in your own home but it’s also done something to our psyche (well at least ours…) It’s made us that little bit more complacent and lazy with a ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’ kind of attitude. The kind of attitude that doesn’t do it tomorrow but instead indulges and sinks further into the couch.

Now that 2021 is in full swing and Spring & Summer will be here before we can even blink, there’s no excuse. We’re also looking ahead with a dash of hope (despite the inevitable fluctuations of the tier systems that will most likely prevail for the majority of the year.) and starting to shift our wardrobe perspectives.

Below we’ve selected a few of our current fave pieces. Let’s call it style mixed with comfort. Even in the parameters of your own home, it’s nice to wear a nice outfit (shove on some slippers too) to put you in right mindset that makes you feel like a go-getter rather than a lazy couch potato.

Beige Pants

Jumper

Striped T-shirt

Cotton wide leg trousers

Cashmere Cardi

Green trackies

Nude lounge dress

Sunset shirt dress

Yellow knit

Grey knit

Walking boots

Oversized Shirt

Coat. Shoes

Sweater : similar

Birkenstock slippers

I bet there are quite a lot of you, like ourselves, that are yearning to travel again, to jump on a plane, explore, discover, roam. This trip to Southern Spain took place before restrictions were put in place and as we enter week nine of lock down, we wanted to share some wanderlust for you guys to enjoy from your homes. We partnered up with Chloe and the fragrance ‘Nomad’ for this project where you can find the full article on Who What Wear. As quite a few of you may know, we have worked with Chloe and the ‘Nomad’ fragrance for a few years now. The fragrance embodies the travelling female, the girl who seeks adventure and excitement as oppose to materialistic things. The female who loves to explore and try new things, and we couldn’t think of a better brand fit for the two of us. Travelling explorers always seeking out their next adventure.

For us, travelling is about feeling free, living in the moment, switching off and taking in your surroundings— immersing yourself in the sights and smells of a new place. We grew up living in both Portugal and Brazil so we’ve always had a nomadic spirit. All trips might now be on pause, and while we are lucky to be currently staying safe at home, we have found that we are feeling particularly nostalgic for our most-treasured travel memories. We keep looking back through images of our family trips, and with a glass of sangria and the London sunshine we can almost bring a holiday feeling to our sofa.

Our father was such a free spirit and avid traveller, so we have definitely inherited our love of adventure from him. He always took us to far off corners of the globe, whether that meant rock jumping in Byron Bay, mountain climbing in Greece or on the back of a moped in Thailand. One of our favourite places to explore, though, is the southern coast of Spain.

From a young age, we've had a holiday home off the beaten track in the small town of Torreguadiaro that always brings back childhood memories of sun-drenched summers and winter escapes, skiing in the nearby Sierra Nevada mountains. When we visit as adults, we spend most of our time relaxing on the sandy beaches, snorkelling, practising our Spanish and enjoying the fresh catch of the day and traditional paellas with the locals.

The south of Spain is a beautiful part of the country with rich culture and traditions. The unique scenery of winding streets and classic architecture, set into mountains and alongside the sea, works wonders for forgetting about the chaos of London life. For us, it’s the celebration of the simple things— nature, food and feeling the sun on your face— that we really connect with when travelling there. Even when we visited this February, we were able to sit out all day and watch the sunset from the seafront in the evening.

Even though we’ve been visiting the same place for years now, we’re still discovering new things about the area. This trip felt particularly special as we were inspired by Chloé  to embrace our free spirits, leave our comfort zones and explore. We stumbled across a local fishing village, Castillo de la Duquesa— a scattering of white buildings just off the water surrounding the village square, Plaza de los Banos Romanos. There is a small, ornately decorated church, an 18th-century castle, a couple of bars and a few fish restaurants inhabited only by locals. How we had never discovered this little village before is beyond us as it is so close to our house!

We’re early risers, and the best thing about this area is watching the sunrise from the beach every morning. The light here is unbeatable— the sky illuminates with blood orange and pink whilst flocks of birds rise up. This is our place of discovery but also of peacefulness and reflection. We always try to stay active when travelling, so we usually start the day off with a run or yoga followed by meditation before stopping off at a local cafe for our morning coffee. We spent our days wandering around the area in search of hidden gems or switching off completely with a book in hand. Getting away from busy tourist areas is a must for us, which is why we love discovering the lesser-known towns like Torreguadiaro. They're where you’ll find the most character.

As for what we packed for this trip, we’re usually fans of the throw-it-all-in mentality. If you don’t have a set plan, then you have to prepare for all eventualities! This time we knew the weather was starting to warm up, so we took loose, light clothes and sandals that fit with the relaxed atmosphere of the town and gym wear and trainers for our more adventurous excursions. We always carry books, sunglasses and a camera, too.

Of course, we also packed our Chloé fragrance , just a spritz of this left us ready to take on the sunny days and balmy nights. Not only do we love the fresh floral scent, but we also really relate to what the fragrance stands for. It smells of new beginnings, and we see ourselves as being part of the empowered, travel-hungry females that inspired it. It will now always remind us of our favourite place, and although we won't be able to revisit there for quite some time, we will always have those sun-drenched memories to transport us there.

Who else is enjoying the comfort and slobbery of chilling in loungewear all day everyday? I certainly am! My loungewear range is pretty limited so I’ve been spending a bit of time scrawling the net for more comfy two-pieces and trakkies…

Here are my top picks.

White hoodie & Trakkies

Pants

Jumper

Loungewear set

Suede mules

Black sweat pants

Oversized red jumper

Similar Joggers

Similar Jumper

Navy hoodie

Navy pants

V-neck top

Cardi

Navy set

Hoodie

Hoodie

Leggings

Top

Jumper

Pants

Jumper

Pants

Sweater

Joggers

Jumper

Joggers

Yellow sweat jumper

Pink pants

Similar Top

Lounge Set

Good old December. The month of festivities, christmas parties, presents, a few too many mince pies and over indulging to the max. As exciting as it sounds, I’m sure the most of you will agree, it can all get a little overwhelming, so what better way to escape the hustle and bustle and festive mayhem than a nights stay out of town?

And that is exactly what we did. Chewton Glen, in the New forest, was top of my list, having stayed in one of their tree houses earlier last year on a press trip. They have a range of different tree houses from the Studio Suite which is perfect for two, the Loft Suite for four, the Hideaway Suite, perfect for a romantic couples stay and The Yews, the most secluded abode which sleeps up to twelve. (House party anyone?) We were treated to the loft suite, with our own front room area, kitchen, private balcony, hot tub, ensuite bathroom with a shower and bath as well as an upstairs area with an extra bedroom.

Our ambitious plans of going for massages and utilising their spa upon arrival (Which, by the way, looks insane) quickly disintegrated as we entered our treehouse and realised we didn’t actually want to leave. We instead spent the afternoon listening to music on their Bose speakers with the balcony doors wide open, sipping on the champagne we received upon arrival, along with an array of sweet treats, muffins and cakes and watched the sun set as we sat in the hot tub taking in the surroundings…..Sounds pretty dreamy, right? And yes….we were very lucky with the weather!

We had dinner booked in The Dining Room that evening, the Hotels award winning main restaurant and no surprise at all, the food was absolutely delicious. Run by head chefs, James Martin and Jean Christophe-Novelli, the menu is a mixture of contemporary and cosmopolitan options and a lot of fresh seasonal ingredients from the hotels Kitchen Garden. Tip - Go for the lobster Thai curry, it is insane and the wasabai mash as a side is to die for! If you know me, you’ll know I have the biggest sweet tooth but we were so tired we decided to order an array of desserts back to the treehouse which arrived when we got back… Deliveroo who? Tip- The chocolate fondant and apple tart are an absolute must try.

In retrospect, only staying the one night doesn’t leave too much time to get involved in some of the many activities there are to do at Chewton Glen. Going for a walk in the new forest, playing a spot of golf, tennis, archery, mountain biking or simply relaxing it up and getting pampered in their spa are all on offer if you don’t just fancy lounging around the tree house, like we did.

The next morning, we had the choice of going to breakfast in the main hotel or eating at leisure in our treehouse, we obviously opted for the treehouse and a breakfast hamper was subsequently delivered to our door full of fresh pastries, baguettes, milk, cereals, yoghurt, you name it and being the absolute gannets we are, we also ordered a tonne of hot food too. Eggs, avocado on toast, mushrooms, salmon. Breakfast Goals? Hell yeah! It was an absolute feast to say the least.

After a late check out we hopped back on the train to London. A super quick 1 hour 50 min journey from New Milton back to London Waterloo. Simple. I honestly returned to London feeling so much more relaxed, refreshed ( slightly on the full side) but certainly ready to tackle the masses of christmas shopping I had left to accumulate. A definite must for a weekend or few days luxurious winter escape. Thank you so much Chewton Glen!

Costa Rica simply has to be one of my favourite places to have visited this year. From dense jungles and rainforests, long stretches of undeveloped coastline, wild cascading waterfalls, volcanoes and the most diverse and lush vegetation, this country undoubtedly has it all. 

My housemate and I spent months planning and then ten days doing a road trip from Arenal volcano, down the pacific coast, from San Jose, Papagayo to Nosara then Santa Teresa. 

We were initially considering whether to travel down the Caribbean coast but opted to explore the Pacific coast as there is more of a diversity of activities en route (a great decision as I couldn’t recommend this route enough!)
Doing a road trip is by far the best way to see this country but be warned the dirt roads should not really be called roads. We ended up getting our 4x4 seriously stuck up a steep mud hill in the middle of the jungle and for a while, it looked as though we'd be sleeping in some remote part of the jungle so make sure you’re going with someone who is not only super confident in fixing vehicles but also strong enough to get yourselves out of whatever ditch or predicament you come across.  

Our first stop was Arenal volcano where we stayed at The Springs Costa Rica. This place was huge and infamous for it’s multitude of hot springs and incredible views of Arenal volcano. We weren’t short of an activity here either and decided to go tubing down the river! What an adventure and an afternoon well spent.

We visited during rainy season (August) so we experienced rain for around 65% of the trip. Don’t let that put you off though as Costa Rica is beautifully green at this time of year and driving and trekking though the midst of forests and jungles is serene. Zip lining through the jungle was definitely a highlight and we did this at Sky gardens which I highly recommend.

Below I’ve highlighted the two places I visited which stand out for me and left me with nothing but good memories.  

KASIIYA PAPAGAYO 

This was our third stop after Arenal and it really is a little hidden gem! Having opened its doors last December, Kasiiya Papagayo, situated in one of the earth’s “blue zones”  embodies everything I love about Costa Rica. An ecological, luxurious sanctuary nestled amongst 123 acres of wild land, this little hidden paradise is nothing short of exceptional! 

There are only 5 tented suites on the property and each one is strategically placed to offer guests a sense of seclusion, luxury and immersion into the naturural beauty that surrounds it. It really did feel like we were far away from the madding crowd, with the sounds of monkeys waking us up at 5am. (The oddest kind of alarm clock!)

Luckily for the 3 days we stayed there, Jess, myself and another couple were the only ones on the property with a full team of staff catering to our every need and with communication being through a walkie-talkie, Jess and I couldn't help but find it rather bizarre but we adapted quickly.

Our suited tent was stunning with access to the private beach, a huge open decking with a copper bath tub and shower outside.

The architecture was modern, simplistic yet not over-bearing so as to detract you from the natural surroundings. Built from all natural materials on wood-framed platforms and powered on 100% solar energy, the water is fresh from the well and the vehicles within the property are electrical. The property exemplifies the countries empowering initiative to go 100% carbon-neutral. 

What I loved about this place is that it’s all about going at your own pace, there are a number of activities to get involved in or if you just want to chill, there’s no better place to do it than here. The sunsets are an absolute killer and every evening at 5pm we had a driver transport us up the cliffs to the sunset dining area which is stunning in design and provides the most insane view of the peninsula. 

Jess and I involved ourselves in every activity possible with the on-site movement guy Bruno (a real life mowgli I called him!) It’s super cute as all the staff live on site in their own tents so it really is a proper little community! The team even hosted a BBQ and camp fire one evening where we all roasted marshmallows and enjoyed each other's company. Super cute!

Bruno took us paddle-boarding a couple of times where we were an amazing two feet away from dolphins. We then paddled over to another beach away from the bay and saw turtles.  We followed this by going snorkelling to see a variety of gorgeous tropical fish then immersed ourselves in kayaking,  tree-climbing and then we had our own private movement class and did a very extremely steep hike, which ended up in multiple falls, cuts and bruises but what an adventure.

We also had our very own chef who provided us with 3-course meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We certainly over-indulged, the food was mouth-wateringly refreshing and filling from fish tacos to chocolate crepes. I have to confess that every single mouthful was devoured with love and appreciation.

This was definitely one of the best places I have ever stayed and it’s for anyone who wants to disconnect and re-connect with nature, it’s so true that you can go at your own pace, we were pretty active the majority of the time but also relished in the chance to chill on the beach, read a book, indulge in the cuisine. Kasiiya really is the embodiment of peace, tranquility combined with fine luxury.

It’s expensive but worth every penny!  

https://landedtravel.com/kasiiya-papagayo/

SANTA TERESA 

This place is great for travellers who want to meet other like-minded travellers. It’s slightly more built up for tourism but the local cafes/ boutique shops and hostels are all situated on a big dirt road parallel to the beautiful stretch of wild beach where you will find all the locals surfing or giving surf lessons.

Geared up for avid surfers and yogis, Jess and  I went surfing a few times but the wave conditions weren’t the best. We stayed at a lovely apartment up on the hill and hung out at the Earth cafe most afternoons for lunch (they have the most delicious earth bowls and The Bakery is worth a visit to experience the most incredible almond and Nutella croissants! 

It's a real chilled out vibe here, loads of locals and travellers congregate on the beach for the sunset (the sky turns a gorgeous purple pink) with a few beers. Make sure you head to Satori for dinner, it's literally melt in your mouth sushi! There's always some live music happening somewhere which is great for an evening soiree and a recap of the day's adventures.
This is one of those places that is unique, different from anywhere I've been and if there is one way to describe how I felt when I boarded the plane to leave, it is with the knowledge that one day I'll go back.

Jordan x

There’s just something about Turkey that keeps pulling me back, hence my fourth visit this year! 

This time,  Loanne and I were invited to try out Cook’s Club, a chilled-out and contemporary hotel which is part of the new collection of Thomas Cooks hotels.  It is nestled in the heart of vibrant Alanya which is the perfect base for night-time escapades and cocktails galore. Built with the modern traveller in mind, the design, food, drink and lively atmosphere is ideal for a getaway with either friends or a with a partner.

Upon arriving at the hotel, the reception area had a stylish yet simplistic design, with brightly coloured authentic Turkish pillows and beautiful wicker chairs on display, creating an exquisite look with a comfortable feel.

The hotel is situated on the cusp of Kleopatra Beach so ideal for a morning dip in the sea!   The setting is beautiful and there are designated sun beds allocated to the hotel so make sure you wake up early doors to grab one as the beach understandably gets super busy during the day. 

Loanne and I shared a double room  with a small balcony that overlooked both the pool and the beach. The room was equipped with a mini kitchen and small lounge area so it felt more like a studio apartment. Our room was situated above the beach bar so for those who love music most evenings, its home from home but for those of you who may be light sleepers, be sure to pack your ear plugs! 

A big bonus for those of you who are restless travellers -  there are numerous activities to get involved in from boat trips, water sports and relaxing spa treatments. 

Loanne and I got involved in a cooking class where we worked our magic at making a tasty Mediterranean sea bass dish with vegetables. We also had a superb massage in the spa which was wonderfully relaxing.

Every afternoon we had lunch at the Cantina, the central dining hub that resembled a  modern uni canteen where you could choose from a selection of fresh salads/ fish or burgers, whatever tickles ya fancy! My favourite was a delicious fresh Greek salad with homemade lemonade! For dinner we would sit in the outside bar.  The waiters were so friendly and considerate that they would move our table onto the sand so that we could enjoy the most beautiful dinner setting.  Try to beat that physical sensation of bare toes in the sand whilst watching the sun set over the beach, sipping on rose and eating fresh fish and salad. 

This place is undoubtedly for music and party lovers.  On Saturday evening we took to the decks to play some chilled house tunes whilst the sun was going down and having met the resident DJ who was playing some absolute tunes, we were then treated to escorting him to another beach club where he was playing too.

I have to confess I would never usually consider doing a package holiday but the  simple and seamless process, from the minute we stepped off the plane to the moment we boarded again has convinced me  that if you're looking to sit back, relax and have all the activities you want on your doorstep plus a Thomas Cook Rep helping you with any itinerary and organising your transport, there's a great deal to be said for the Cook's Club.  You'll get a modest, laid back setting with party vibes and it will fit most budgets too.

MUST-DOS

• Try the delicious cocktails and watch the sun set at the bar

• Try the Hammam

• Party with the resident DJ

• Do the Boat trip (sadly we didn’t get to do this but from what we saw it looked FUN!)

 TIPS

• Bring ear plugs if you are a light sleeper

• Get up early to get a sun bed on the beach, the beach gets very busy

• Pack your own shampoos & toothpaste