Staycation Staycation Staycation

- This post contains gifted items. Not obliged to post photos of the product. This post isn’t sponsored in any way -

I am sure that many of us are re-thinking our travel plans this year, and are deciding to stay closer to home, and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us. This week, Sam and I had some holiday from work, and decided to stay clear of Cornwall, and to travel to Devon for a little staycation.

It was beautiful. We were so lucky with the weather, which I swear never happens in the UK. It reached 32 degrees! Not going to lie, I was a little apprehensive about staying away from home, just because it was something that we haven't done in such a long time. However, it was nothing to worry about at all. We visited Salcombe on Monday, wondered through the small streets with shops, caught a ferry onto the other side of the water, and chilled on the beach for the afternoon. It was so peaceful watching the boats go past, although it was rather amusing watching them bash into each other and hearing "starboard" shouted at the top of their lungs to move out of the way of an incoming boat. We also visited, Overbeck, a National Trust site which was beautiful and had the most incredible views over Salcombe. We stayed overnight in Brixham and enjoyed a fish and chips takeaway by the sea, before a sunset stroll. We also visited another beach on the coast the next day - nothing like relaxing by the sea.

 

If you're thinking of venturing out and staying somewhere close to home, here are some words of advice that I would pass onto you, after our stay away this week.

Book in advance

Whether it be for eating out, or visiting any tourist attraction, it is essential to book in advance. A lot of places now are only letting visitors in that have pre-booked (National Trust sites are a must book), and it is worth doing it as far in advance as you can. Restaurants are also getting booked up quickly, so if you do a little bit of research before going and have you heart set on going somewhere specific, book in advance!

Bring a packed lunch

Bringing snacks for a long journey is never a bad thing. However, I have noticed that wherever you tend to go, there are queues. If you're not a fan of waiting in line, take some snacks with you to avoid this! Water is also an essential, especially when the weather has been so hot (fingers crossed that it lasts!), so pack enough just in case you get stuck in traffic or, if you're going on a long walk. Waterdrop, a tasty way to drink more water, have kindly given me a discount code to share with you all to celebrate the relaunch of Love, so you can enjoy their microdrinks and beautiful accessories. Use code "GIVELOVE" at checkout to receive £5 off on purchases over £25 on their website, until the 31st of August. 

Bring your face covering

It goes without saying at the moment, that wherever you go, you should carry one of these with you. It may surprise you when you may need one! Always best to take it just in case.

Have you booked a staycation? What're you thoughts on travelling at the moment?

Amber X

- This post contains gifted items, sent to me for my consideration with no obligation to post, but this by no means, has changed my thoughts or opinions. Full disclaimer on my 'about' page - 

Warner Brothers Studios Round 2

This post definitely contains spoilers.. You've been warned..

If any of you have been to the Warner Brother's Studio Tour London, then you will know just how truly magical the place is. I bloody love it. Spending a Sunday morning here, a couple of weeks ago (we went on March 8th) was without a doubt, the highlight of  March. I have visited before, but not for about a year and a half. It was also Hogwarts in the Snow, so lots of items on show were dusted and sprinkled with fake snow, definitely making it even more magical. I was just as excited to go this time round, minus the snow, due to the edition of Gringotts. Now I won't spoil it for those of you who want to go (skip through the photos in this post ;-) ) but it was even better than I had imagined.

We decided to do an extra as well as doing just the tour. The 'behind the seams' extra was the addition that we decided to pay a little extra, to enjoy. We were taken into a little studio/workshop room by 2 lovely tour guides, who showed us the 5 different stages of creating and visualising the costumes for each individual character of the Harry Potter films, for each film. We were even able to see some of the very same costumes that some of the celebrities wore through out filming and heard the various stories behind some of the clothing items too. How they were created, why certain details were added, how they were distressed, why they were made with specific fabric etc. It was such an eye opening workshop. Watching the films, you definitely have no idea as to how much thought and effort goes into piecing together the costumes, let alone all the other areas that are involved when making a film.

At the end of the workshop, we also got to try on some of the official robes that were used in the filming of the Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows - something that you definitely don't get to do if you're just visiting the tour itself. So of course, photos had to be taken.

Even if you're not a Harry Potter fan as such, I definitely think that the Warner Brother Studios Tour London, is such a great day out for the whole family. Of course, the tour itself is all Harry Potter based, but there is so many things to learn about the film making process, and the other details that come with it. As well as it also being an up and running film shooting studios. One of our guides was telling us how they had Tom Holland filming for Spider Man attached to a crane, and hanging over the car park, whilst they were shooting haha. But of course, if you're a Harry Potter fan, then visiting the studios is a must. It'll make you want to re-watch all the films and re-read the books, all over again. It's such a magical place.

Just make sure you book as soon as you know you want to visit - it always seems to sell out, months in advance.

Have you ever visited the Warner Brothers Studio Tour London?

Amber X

Travel Diary: Paris

A lovely long weekend was spent in Paris for my birthday. I had the best time strolling through the autumnal streets, drinking all the wine and sight seeing. So much so, that I want to share the things that we got up too. (Thank you Sam, you're the best). 

We arrived early hours of Friday morning, after an hours flight. We checked into the hotel after a train ride to the city, from the airport, dropped our bags off and jumped onto another train to Versailles. We stayed super close to Notre Dame, which was beautiful and convenient to be so near a metro to most other central parts of the city. Once off the train in Versailles, we visited the Palace of Versailles. A place that my year 11 self learned all about in History, when studying the treaty of Versailles. A beautiful place, surrounded by the most gorgeous gardens. A third train back into the city, and a stroll around the Eiffel Tower later, we got some dinner and went to sleep super early (a 4 o clock start that morning truly did me over). 

Saturday morning started with a croissant and some freshly squeezed orange juice. We strolled through the city to the Jardin De Plantes and the Pantheon. Another stroll through the city to the Louvre, where we qued and saw the Mona Lisa. Afterwards, we found the 'love lock' bridge which is no longer full of love locks. They were removed a couple of years ago, due to the weight that it was putting on the bridge which would have had effects on the usage of the bridge. But there were a few bunches of them here and there. We also visited a bar called the Little Red Door after dinner and it was really cool! There were only a small selection of drinks which were based on words in different languages. 

On Sunday, the weather wasn't the best, so we decided to spend the day doing what I'm sure was the rest of the tourists residing in Paris idea too - shopping. We started at the Galeries Lafayette, a designer mall with a roof top view over Paris and the most gorgeous ceilings, and shopping floors with balconies that overlooked the whole building. We also visited the Champs-Elysees, did a bit more shopping and took photos of the Arc Du Triomphe. 

Monday morning started off with more rain, which lead to more shopping. Thankfully, it stopped raining around lunch time when we were due to go up the Eiffel Tower. The views were amazing, although it was FREEZING! A hour or so was spent wondering around the Eiffel Tower, which followed with another little stroll, trying some snails and then the train ride back to the airport to fly home. Would 1000% recommend a long weekend in Paris, it's the most beautiful place. The architecture, the views, the people, the food, everything. It's so lovely.

Recommendations for the city..

- Due to being under 25 and an EU citizen, most of the museums and tourist attractions that we visited, we got in for free. (Definitely something to make use of if you're visiting Paris soon!) 

- Anything that you know for certain that you want to do/see, book beforehand! We were disappointed that one of the museum exhibitions were fully booked, but if we had looked further in advance, we may have been able to go!
- Eating out is expensive if you stick to the touristy areas. Take yourself away from there and you'll find some amazing food.

Have you ever been to Paris?
Amber X

Revisiting That UK Destination Bucketlist

Not too long ago, I wrote a >blog post< sharing where in the UK I still wanted to visit and explore. Funnily enough, two of the places on my list were crossed off within a week.

On a hot Monday off of work, we travelled down to Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove in the early morning and had arrived by 11. The car park just above Durdle Door was already filling up pretty fast, and there were so many people already about. The walk down to Durdle Door was quite a steep one, and if it's steep on the way down, that only means one thing.. It's going to be hard work on the way back up haha. And it was! But it was so worth it. The beach is pebble, and wasn't as crowded as we had anticipated. It was so peaceful! People were jumping off of Durdle Door itself into the sea, and most people were just lounging around like we were. It was beautiful.

You can walk from Durdle Door to Lulworth Cove itself, but it involves walking down a very steep cliff side. If you psyche yourself up for the walk back up, you'll be fine. The top of the cliff gave the most beautiful views of the cove, you could see the Jurassic Coast line for miles. Although, the cove itself was as impressive (in my opinion) to photos that I had seen on Pintrest, it was still nice to take it all in, and sit with an ice cream, whilst listening to the sound of the sea wash up on the pebble beach. If you haven't visited the Jurassic coast, I would recommend you go! Especially on a warm, sunny day.

The second place on my UK bucketlist that we visited that week was St Michael's Mount, Marazion. I never realised that St Michael's Mount itself was National Trust. Being a member, this was amazing, as we all got to explore the ground free of charge. St Michael's Mount is connected to the shore by a manmade causeway, which when the tide is out, allows you to walk over to the island - pretty cool! The causeway was covered with water when we wanted to go out, so we caught a little ferry over to the island. There were so many HUGE jellyfish that had been washed up with the tide on the beach. There have been a fair few sightings of massive jellyfish off the coast of Cornwall at the moment! The grounds were incredible! The views were incredible. The sea itself was clear and turquoise. After exploring the grounds, the causeway was free of the sea, and we were able to walk along it, back to sure. St Michael's Mount is and has been one of my favourite National Trust visits.

Have you visited either places?

Amber X

A Stop Off In Roma

Roma, the final stop on our incredible two weeks travelling Italy. The place that I think I had the highest expectations for. Although, it was the place that I felt, at first, the most underwhelmed. The streets were littered with fag buts, rubbish and graffiti covered pretty much every wall.. I couldn't quite understand why it was such a favourite city destination to visit. However, the more we explored and ventured around, visiting the majority of the tourist spots - the Vatican City, the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the more I took Rome at face value and fell in love with the city. There are so many hidden gems with every turn, that wherever you look, there is amazing architecture, or Roman history hidden amongst everything and everyone else.

On our last night of the trip, we took to the top of a hotel to enjoy a bottle of wine on their roof top terrace. Listening to a pianist, whilst enjoying ourselves was the best way to see the holiday in Italy to an end. On the way back to our Air BnB we spotted a rat running through the streets, and scuttling back into the sewers.. It is a city after all.

There are so many great bars and restaurants in Rome, there is bound to be something for everyone. Especially if it is just an Aperol Spritz you are after.

Recommendations for those going..

The Vatican City
This is a must in my opinion. The highlight of Rome was exploring the Vatican and all that it has to offer. The Sistine Chapel was awe inspiring and something that I will never forget. The beautiful ceilings, the fountains, the busts - all of it, is just incredible. We spent a good 4 hours walking around and taking everything in. I would highly recommend booking tickets before hand, meaning that you can skip the cues that people wait hours in, in the baking heat, to go inside. It's a no brainer really. We even saw the Pope!

The Pantheon
One of the oldest buildings in Rome itself, the Pantheon is free to enter, and has some of the most beautiful interior. The ceiling is insane, with a hole right at the top, in which the bright sun shines straight through. Definitely worth seeing.

Gelato
It would be rude not too! There are so many delicious gelato places in Rome, with so many yummy flavours to choose from. Meringue and hazelnut being one of them! Mmm.

The Colosseum 
Full of Roman history, this is a must see. It's so interesting, and there is so much to learn about this amazing building. It's been used for so many things, and that makes exploring the inner walls, so incredible. Definitely book in advance for this tourist attraction too. To skip the cues and the amount of people bombarding you with whether you have tickets or not. They can only allow a certain number of people into the Colosseum at one time, so bare that in mind when it comes to cueing to enter.

The Trevi Fountain
Another highlight of Rome for me. Although there is never a time, where the fountain isn't flooded with tourists. This fountain is beautiful. There is something so romantic about it! Of course, we made a wish too.

Have you ever visited Roma? What was your favourite tourist attraction?

Amber X

Porto Santo Stefano - Monte Argentario, Orbetello

The fourth stop on our Italian trip - Porto Santo Stefano, Monte Argentario, Orbetello. We took the train from Florence to Pisa, walked through Pisa to find the leaning tower. Took some exceptionally touristy (yes I just did say that) photos, ate lunch overlooking the tower, and headed back to the train station, after an Aperol Spritz, and made our way to Porto Santo Stefano.

Not one of the most spoken about places in Italy, I was so excited to visit somewhere that wasn't specifically tourist driven, somewhere that was more authentic and Italian. It was definitely that. Only a fair few people could understand an English conversation (which if anything made me feel incredibly ignorant, being in another country and incapable of speaking the language), and some delicious seafood. The view from the balcony of our Air BNB was just incredible. A view that I could never tire of seeing. One that was would be different in the morning, and different again in the evening. A most needed break from travelling from city to city. A place of quiet and calm.

Recommendations for those visiting..

Plan your route of getting there beforehand - Finding public transport when you don't speak any Italian, is always going to be tricky, but when you're in a rush to catch a train is even worse. Make sure you know how you're going to be getting to and from your mode of transport in good time, or completely prior travelling. This will save SO much stress.

Take the ferry to Isola Del Giglio - A pretty little island, an hour ferry ride away from Porto Santo Stefano with the bluest sea, and secluded beaches. It's a must see. Whether it be for a day at the beach, or for a hike around somewhere new, a place that you cannot miss. The photos will never do it justice, it's just paradise.

Try all the seafood - If you're wanting to try seafood for the first time, there is no better time too than when it is completely fresh. It'll never taste better. Or, if you're a seafood lover than myself, you must have it when it is at it's best! With the port, seafood is so fresh. We had so much incredible seafood.. I wish I could eat it all over again.

Would you visit here?

Amber X