The festive season though traditionally associated with present giving, family time, warm fires and an excuse to eat & drink your whole body weight in yorkshire puddings & alcohol was this year our excuse to break tradition and exchange it for a Christmas chilling in the sun and sea far away from the madding crowd! 

So after our incredible week in the Maldives we ventured south of Mauritius to a place called Bel Ombre and stayed at the ‘Outrigger Mauritius 5* Beach Resort’ one of the most exquisite beachfront resorts with glorious indian ocean views situated amongst a cool tropical garden.

We stayed here for 11 days and when we say we chilled we literally C-H-I-L-L-E-D! So much so that we didn’t even leave our resort, that’s how much we loved it! Hehe  

Our apartment backed onto the beach so we woke up early most mornings made a cup of coffee and chilled on the green for a good hour soaking in the delightful views. The weather definitely didn't let us down! Most days we had beautiful blue skies with temperatures of around 28 degrees.

Whilst staying in the resort, we got involved in a number of different activities such as paddle boarding, kayaking, Tennis and Ping Pong. We also took a trip in a glass bottom boat to explore the vast amounts of oddly shaped coral inhabiting the sea, which sadly is being destroyed due to water pollution & careless tourism! Note: Don't tread on coral guys, it's precious and one of the most valuable and diverse ecosystems on the planet. 

Taking full advantage of our 'chilled' holiday we had a fully relaxing pamper day at the Navasana Spa with a full body massage, then a dip in a -10 plunge pool and steam room. 

Christmas day was spent at the Plantation Club, a private lounge for guest club members only, we arrived for a 7 course brunch which served up a variety of different food from fresh oysters, sushi, salmon, beef wellington, and a selection of pastries and cakes for dessert, oh and not to forget a variety of different champagnes and wine to get us in the festive spirit! What a delicious feast, so delicious I couldn't move from my seat for a good half hour until I built up the energy to attempt a few lengths in the pool to help aid the digestion.

Another incredible holiday and one that we definitely won't forget anytime soon, I'm sure next time we will explore the Island a little more but for any of you who are interested in going to Mauritius, The Outrigger resort provided a 5* experience leaving us feeling rejuvenated and ready for our next adventure to Marrakech to see in the New Year! 

There are only so many people that get the opportunity to travel to such parts of the world, to experience such indescribable, picturesque beauty and who are granted the opportunity, if only for a moment, to completely escape and switch off from the uncalled stresses and problems of every day life. 

Myself, Jordan and my mum were lucky enough to jet off to the Maldives at the beginning of December, swapping the bitter London frost for the tropical sunshine. 

We flew in to Male, the capital of the Maldives, and from there, caught a thirty minute seaplane above the Indian ocean to the private island of Dhuni Kolhu, a tropical paradise tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the main island. The flight, which seated around ten people was without a doubt the most scenic and beautiful flight Jordan and I had ever experienced and as we approached the Island we would be residing on for a week, Coco Palm, I was mesmerised by the lush and tropical island below, fringed by white sandy beaches surrounded by a crystal clear emerald lagoon. Nothing short of stunning.

As we arrived on the island, we were greeted by a row of extremely friendly and smily looking staff all dressed in white and standing and waving in unison. It felt quite surreal and dream-like yet so exciting. As we took our first step on to the warm, white Maldivian sand, we knew we were in for one of the most luxurious weeks of our lives.

The majority of our stay was spent in the most beautiful sunset beach villa, luxed out with our own private beach. This was where we spent hours on end simply sunbathing, relaxing, reading and swimming in the beautiful Indian ocean. There was absolutely nothing more we wanted. Each day was around twenty nine / thirty degrees and we were surprised by the breeze which made lying in the sun for hours on end not just bearable but overwhelmingly pleasant. The Maldives is also without a doubt, one of the top spots to go diving, due to its transparent waters and abundance of beautiful, multicoloured tropical fish. The snorkels are free to rent on the island so we made sure to take them out a few times. Highly recommended! The colours of the fish are out of this world.

The island also comprises of around twelve lagoon (water) villas where we stayed one of the nights. Each one has their own amazing plunge pool and inside the villas are  a deluxe spa bath and shower overlooking the ocean along with a complete 'outdoor' atmosphere and total privacy. Waking up on one of these is truly surreal and if you're lucky enough to get one of the sunset water villas, watching the sunset is one of those once in life time moments, that takes your breath and allows you to think of nothing else but the true beauty nature has to offer.

Most evenings were spent walking five minutes up the beach to the sunset bar, where we’d sip on tropical sundowners and watch the breathtaking colours of the sunsets. The skies would illuminate pink and orange and the beach would turn a rose pink colour, tinting everything in sight with such beauty. Wow. 
Food is always a big part of holidays and Coco Palm , certainly did not disappoint on this front. The choice and option of food was overwhelmingly fantastic. Catering to vegetarians, vegans, gluten intolerance, you name it, the choice was there. The winner for me was the fact that everything is cooked fresh in front of you, from warm pancakes at breakfast smothered in nutella and chopped fruit, to fresh fish and sushi at dinner time.

I’m not sure a week was entirely long enough to stay in such paradise. We left, wanting more, craving more, unsure we were entirely ready to leave such a picturesque and relaxing hub of beauty. However, if there was one thing we were sure of, it's that we would definitely be returning. Be it in one year or three, there would be no holding us back from re living the breathtaking sights that these Indian ocean atolls have to offer. The end of our stay at Coco Palm was sad to say the least and we were given a very friendly send off by the all the staff who waved us off (in unison once again!) on to our seaplane. 

As we flew in to the air,  overlooking the blues, the greens and the most stunning lagoons and reefs we had ever seen, a rush of excitement began to overcome the sadness. Our next adventure was on it’s way. Mauritius here we come!

It's no secret that Loanne and I both love a good old adventure so when skincare brand Origins invited us to explore 600 acres of wild animal reserve at Port Lympne with an overnight stay in our very own luxury tree houses we couldn't help but get a tad excited! 

We arrived on Thursday morning to a delectable spread of healthy treats & detox smoothies in the main mansion house. By midday a small group of us were taken around the reserve where we saw a number of wild animals from Rhinos, Zebras, Giraffes and Lions roaming freely in over 600 acres of Kent countryside. It was bizarre that these wild animals were residing here yet I had no doubt that these animals were treated with love and respect as our tour guide spoke with such passion and affirmation towards them.

When the safari trip came to an end we had a delicious, healthy and nutritious lunch followed by an afternoon of relaxation in our gorgeous luxury tree houses. Upon arrival we were presented with a luxury hamper full of yummy treats and a welcome note from Origins and products dotted around the treehouse to ensure our stay was as relaxing & tranquil as possible.

Loanne and I then decided to unleash our inner explorer that little more and drive around the reserve in our own personal golf buggy's. Typical that we got lost on route the primate trail and ended up going around in circles countless times (Oops!). When the rain started to fall we dashed back to our tree houses and made hot chocolate and watched the sun set over Port Lympne. Words can't describe how lovely it was.

As the night approached we ended with a gorgeous vegetarian dinner hosted by Origins who presented their exciting Christmas ad. To top off a lovely meal we ended with festive fireside drinks and toasted marshmallows on a lovely open wood fire whilst listening to Christmas tunes and sipping on mulled wine. The whole experience was truly magical & festive and somewhere we'd definitely like to return (maybe next time with a guy as it's super romantic! ) We truly unleashed our inner explorer at Port Lympne and became lost in the wondrous world of Origins Christmas collection 2016!

On Thursday morning, Loanne and I flew over to Berlin to be one of the first to experience the MOXY Berlin, the brand’s new flagship hotel in the heart of the city’s cultural epicentre, Ostbahnhof.

You all probably know that we love a good ol’ party so not only were we extremely excited but also rather intrigued when we heard the launch party would be nothing less than an all-night party with scandalous dance performances, drag spectacles and a Berlin rave-ready makeover! (Sounds pretty epic, right?)

Upon arrival to the Moxy we were greeted by friendly staff whilst also becoming familiar with the Do-It-Yourself nature of the hotel which saw Loanne and I helping ourselves to the delectable choice of muffins, pastries and of course a cheeky cocktail.  A big tick in our box already!

The contemporary interior of the hotel along with the young looking guests gave off a modern, fun and vibrant feel to the place. Though technically a budget hotel, it felt more like a boutique hotel with its slick interior, comfortable & cozy bedrooms and 24 hour food & drink service. 

As it was a very quick 24 hour stop-over in Berlin we managed to squeeze in a couple of landmark visits during the day, one to the Holocaust Memorial & also to the Berlin wall - A  cultural must & also a very touching experience.

As the evening approached we headed back to the Moxy to get ready for the party, the hotel had prepared our rooms with champagne and chocolates to get us in the mood for the night. Along with seductive, lace masks that were to be worn on the evening. (What have we got ourselves in for?)

The night was a true blast (So much so that we didn’t take any photos, unless you were one of the lucky few to witness our Instagram stories ;))

The 300 odd party guests were a true reflection of the brand; fun, cool & stylish- tapping directly into the millennial cultural movement. As the party started and the DJ hit the decks, we helped ourselves to cocktails & canapes. The entertainment continued upstairs in different rooms, each room offering a very different experience, in one room was one of Berlin's best tattoo artists giving free tattoos (we didn't get one unfortunately, kicking ourselves now!) and in the other rooms were bondage & scandalous naked women and teddy bears. It was definitely something we hadn't experienced before. Frivolous & hilarious at the same time. The night continued at the official afterparty in Berlin's famous gay club "Schuwz" where the amazing music continued and we partied until early hours of the morning.

What a night and an amazing 24 hours in Berlin. A massive thanks to Moxy Hotels who provided a party like never before!

Last week Loanne and I, along with 12 other family members packed our bags and headed down to East Preston (Sussex) for a week of relaxation, sunshine and family time. We rented a beautiful house on the sea front and spent most of our days exploring, chilling and swimming in the sea (yes, it was surprisingly warm enough!) Such a beautiful place and at times it felt as though we were abroad watching the beautiful sunset over stretches of pebbly beach. We also took some amazing drone footage which we will share with you guys soon but for now here's a little snippet of us playing on our front lawn... If you're ever in need of a Summer vacation but don't want to venture too far,  East Preston is definitely worth considering!  

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Loanne - 

White top - Never Fully Dressed

Black jeans -  Topshop

Sandals - Office

Necklace - Zoe Morton

Rings - Freedom Jewellery - Topshop

Jordan -

Red two piece - Topshop

Black Jacket - Carharrtt

Sliders - Puma




 

It's not often your friend throws an extravagant 30th birthday and rents a beautiful castle in the middle of the hot beautiful hills of Salamanca. This, however was a rare occasion, an amazing get together of great people, incredible fun, sun, music, poolside, sundowners, incredible settings and a few too many platters of meat and sweaty cheese.

Castillo del Buen Amor is located in the middle of Salamanca, a rare and beautiful XV century castle surrounded by vineyards, mazes and lakes. We spent three days exploring the grounds and having a bit too much fun with the 80 odd other party goers there!

We then drove up to the wonderful city of Madrid and had a few days of great food, city strolling, park roaming and stunning rooftops which made for a few great last days in the City, until we had to depart.

We ate in an AMAZING tapas place called Lateral - literally every dish was to die for, so I would highly recommend going and the atmosphere is super chilled. Three jugs of Sangria, more red wine and 50 odd tapas plates later, we were done and went to hit up the night in Madrid.

Going on the boats in El Parque Retero is a must and if you, like us, luckily have a friend who has an amazing roof terrace then crack open a bottle of wine, get the BBQ sizzling and watch the stunning city of Madrid twinkle as the sun sets over the city. That's how we spent our last night. Perfection.

We will be back soon, Madrid. Hasta Lluego! 

ps - Sorry about the shortage of photos (Think we may have had a bit too much fun!) 


 

L & J x x x